Chapter 1; Place To Start

Chapter 1; Place To Start

It had been several days since Megan had been attacked. Noah and his friends Ella and Richie were following him he to Clarksville Zoo. It had been only a year since Noah, his sister and their friends had stumbled upon the biggest secret a zoo full of magic. A secret civilization who were committed to help animals and people living together in harmony.

“How’s Megan doing?” Ella asked aloud.

It snapped Noah out of his thoughts. “She better now, Mom’s going to let her go to school tomorrow. She said that may even let her go to the Zoo for volunteer work too.” Volunteer was the Action Scouts code word for Cross training. Become people that could cross between their world and the magical world of the Secret Zoo. “I just want some answers, and all I can think of doing is going to the zoo.”

“Noah.” Richie moaned. He was the smallest of his friends, with large, thick, black glasses. “Come on Noah it couldn’t have been that bad.”

Noah flashed his friend an angry look. Ella smacked her friend in the back of the head.

“Richie, something attacked Megan and fled into the Zoo, and we haven’t got any messages form or to them in several days. That’s bad!” She wore her signature ponytail.

“Well it’s not like she’s hurt bad, the doctor did say she needs some rest and fluids. It’s like she has the flu,” He tried catch up with his friends who were now ahead of him. His shoes continued to flash as they as pushed forward.

As he finally caught up with Ella she punched him and shot back. “ Something caused it you dork! Then it changed into an animal and escaped into the Zoo.”

“Will they ever believe Noah when he tells the Secret Society that Megan was attacked by a bug-pony?” Richie Protested.

“What if it attacks a Zoo go’er, The Secret Citizens, or The Secret Zoo is going to be in trouble. Fudge for barns.” Ella mocked her fellow Scout.

“I guess you're right.” Richie was defeated, he sighed and trudged along.

Noah and the others were dressed in blue and white pinstriped shirt with a pocket. The uniforms were meant to show they were Clarksville Zoo volunteers. Noah was only hoping for answers. The guards waved them through the front gate, Noah was now hoping to run into someone, or some animal familiar to help them.

“What's up?” A voice boomed. The scouts jumped a bit as a familiar dark skinned man with an enormous from but a head the an oven mite came up to them.

“Tank!” The three scouts cheered.

“You guys aren't doing Cross Training today. What’s up?” He said and seemed confused as he took stock of the scouts and realized that one was missing. “Hey, where’s Megan?” His face shifted from his usual cheer to one of concern.

“That’s why we came here Tank.” Noah stated.

“Noah said she was attacked by a bug-pony.” Richie blurted out.

“And that it escaped into the Zoo by changing into a pigeon.” Ella finished.

Tank’s face became more serious. “Alright, lets talk to Mr. Darby. I think you guy both have something to talk about too.

“The City of Species?” Noah asked in a hushed voice.

“Nah, he’s in the piz-ZOO-ria right now.” The big man waved his hand forward.

In side the Zoo theme Pizzeria and in the corner sat an old man with a thick gray hair tied in a ponytail and a bushy broom beard. He was wearing his usual beaded sunglasses and a purple velvet trench coat. Seeing the kids the man smiled. “Scouts, so good to see you. I am sorry we have not called you, but it seems that Marlo, the Kingfisher is missing.” The scouts knew what that meant Marlo was the main way The Action Scouts and The Secret Zoo. Mr. Darby continued. “In fact we are missing quite a few Gifted are missing. As I see that you are missing a member of your group as well.”

Noah knew this was not good the Gifted were one of the lines of defenses for The Secret Zoo. They were unlike any other animals of the Clarksville Zoo, they were smart, magical and almost human.

“Megan was attacked by something that fled into the Zoo.” Ella said bluntly.

Mr. Darby eyebrows lifted. “Attacked?”

Noah found his voice finally. “We were in Fort Scout keeping our eyes out for anything strange. When I didn’t her I went to check up on her and some sort of...” Noah paused thinking of the right description but it did not come. “She was attacked by a bug-pony. Then it changed into a pigeon and escaped into the zoo.

“Bug-pony?” Mr. Darby questioned.

“I don’t know how else to describe it.” Noah sighed.

Mr. Darby stroked his beard. “Here I was hoping,” He sighed and took a sip form a hippo shaped cup. “You see some of our Secrete Citizens have come down with similar symptoms and now I believe they are connected to the missing Gifted.”

“Makes senses.” Richie stated with a shrug.

They all looked at him. Richie shrank away but said. “Well maybe they have taken them because they don’t want to be found out, or they got in the way.”

Mr. Darby thought about it for a moment. “You could be right,” Mr. Darby played with his beard. “To a point, bugs that have a hive mentality they may getting them out of the way that threatens their Hive.”

Noah knew Mr. Darby had a point. The questions that bothered him.

“How did these things get in?” Richie asked.

“I think we should be asking what are they? Ella added.

“Are they connected to the Shadowist, DeGraff and or the Sasequises?” Megan asked.

“All good questions, and I am afraid we cannot answer them.” Mr. Darby sighed.

Noah knew what they were all good questions, The Sasquatch and DeGraff was both biggest threat to The Secret zoo. Noah wanted to know one thing. “Which of the Gifted are missing? I know you said Marlo is missing, who else? Any one of the other we know?”

Mr. Darby out right frowned, all the usual almost comical demeanor was gone. “I’m afraid you know them quite well in fact.”

It had been several day since Fluttershy had found her new animals friend for her sanctuary and that has brought many questions. It was late in the evening and Luna’s moon was covered by meandering clouds. The mystery of Fluttershy's animals have brought three fillies to investigate this strange event.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders, made there way to a most inhospitable place called The Everfree Forest.

“Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Why do we have to go to the Everfree Forest?” Asked a white unicorn filly with a curly gray and pink mane. Shifted her light green eye between her two friends a Orange Pegasus and yellow cream colored earthbound.

“Come on Sweetie Belle this is like to coolest thing ever. We going to solve the Mystery of the Appearing Animals if we don’t check the Everfree Forest?” The orange Pegasus filly with a messy magenta mane her magenta eyes shined with excitement.

“But we’re suppose to be on a slumber party at the Club House. What if someone notice we’re missing?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Scootaloo right, we haven’t tried for our Detective Cutie Mark. We learned from Flutter Shy that all the animals crossed the Everfree Forest, so we have to check it out.” Her voice gave a little twang to near the end. The big Pink bow sat on a mass of red mane, her amber eyes locked at her friend in a serious way.

“We are The Cutie Mark Crusaders and it’s our job to crusade for our cutie marks! Remember, We Have Hearts As Strong as Horse!”

“OK,” Her voice squeaked. “I guess we can try and solve this mystery.”

“You see what I mean, we’ll solve this mystery and get our cutie marks!” Scootaloo cheered aloud.

Sweetie Belle seemed to think about this. “Well yeah, I guess so. What’s the big deal?”

Soon the three filly friends came to a large clearing surround the canopy of the trees shrouded most of the area in shadow, a multitude of colored plants surrounded the area. In the center of the clearing was a black currant it was just hanging there. Sweaty Belle could now sense the magic coming from the current, she trotted around the hanging black currant. She couldn’t tell what kind of magic was at work. Sweaty Belle lit her horn with green light. She used a simple scanning spell, but what she found was still unsettling. “The Fabric is Black Velvet, it’s chock full of magic. That’s not too hard to do. Rarity uses this stuff with her special order dress.”

“Special order dress?” Her friends asked together aloud.

“Yeah, fancy dress becoming small, fancy pajamas.”

“OH!” They said together.

“So, Sweaty, what’s it doing her?” Apple Bloom asked.

“How should I know?” Sweaty shrugged. “There is literally nothing holding this curtain up, magical or mundane. Why don’t you guys get Twilight, she’d be better than me.”

“I think we should check it out and show Twilight what we can do on our own.” Scootaloo urged. “Hey watch this!” Scootaloo picked up a broken branch and tossed it at the curtain. The stick passed through the curtain.

“And what you do that for?” Apple Bloom asked.

Scootaloo motioned for her friends to look around the other end. Sweaty did and found that the stick was not there.

“It’s gone!” She squeaked.

“OK, first things first, lets see if we can get the stick back.” Apple Bloom said trotting over to the curtain she thrust her hoof through.

“Apple Bloom!” Sweaty shouted.

“It’s OK guy, I can feel something on the other side.”

“Let me try Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo placed her own hoof through. “Hey Sweetie why don’t you check it out it’s like sticking your hoof in Jell-O, well any Jell-O you don’t make.”

“Yeah, how can Jell-O catch on fire?” Apple Bloom nodded and asked her unicorn friend.

“I hear the Princesses wants to use it as a weapon.” Scootaloo teased her friend.

Flaring her nostrils a little at her friend’s comments. “At least I’m not as bad as Rainbow Dash! When she tried using the grill at the weather patrol company picnic, she some how summoned a flying spaghetti monster. A flying spaghetti monster that breathed molten lava!” Sweetie Belle marched over and stuck her own hoof through. “Hey guys, is it just me or does the other end feel kind of weird?”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle pulled there hooves out. As Apple Bloom tried to pull her hoof back through she found she was caught on something. “Hey guys I can’t get my hoof out.”

The two looked concerned and went to there friends aid. The two fillies wrapped their hooves around their friends waist.

“What’s happening!” Scootaloo shouted.

“Don’t look at me I wanted to get Twilight!” Sweetie Belle Squealed.

Apple Blooms body started to get pulled closer to the Velvet Curtain. “Guys, something's pulling now!” Apple Bloom yelled.

The three tried to hold their ground as the curtain came closer. Before any of them could shout out, they disappeared into the curtain.