Chapters We found Apple Bloom first. Then Colgate turned up, and Derpy. Last week three ponies went missing: Roseluck, Neon Lights, and Cheerilee. They turned up two days ago. Every one of the ponies that was snatched was found without eyes, and their heart appeared to have been ripped out. Those who were pegasi were missing their wings. We don't know what took them. Yesterday Vinyl and Octavia went into the woods to search. They didn't come out.
I'd hoped this would never happen, but I had to take whoever would come into the underground bunker below the town hall. Not many came. Spike and I are down here. The Cakes and their children are here, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle came, Lyra and Bon Bon came, along with about two dozen other ponies. We try to get new recruits every day, but it mostly fails. When it does, we steal food and magic books from the newly constructed library. We also scour the town hall for anything that could help us. Not a lot has been found, but what Rainbow Dash got one time was a battered Alicorn Amulet and a branch from the Tree of Harmony.
"Twilight!" Applejack's yell wakes me up from my reverie. "We found Vinyl and Octavia." I'm pretty darn sure they're dead, but I go up anyway. It's a two story bunker, something really rare. But it's designed to hold most of the town, so it's big. When I get to the top I see Lyra and Doctor Hooves dragging in two bloody ponies. I immediately see that Vinyl's dead; her torso is a ravaged mess and her face is covered in blood. But Octavia's a different story. Her body is covered in gashes, but only one of her eyes is missing and there's no telltale hole in her chest. Plus, she's breathing. We bring her into the small infirmary and lay her down on a cot. Doctor Phoebus Horse and Nurse Four Leaf Clover, the only two medical personnel we've got, immediately start to examine her. I'm pretty squeamish, so I retreat into the part of the bunker where we keep the books, downstairs in what used to be a supply room.
Four hours later, Fluttershy retrieves me to go visit Octavia. From this, I gather that she's still alive. I walk into the infirmary and sit down, watching her. She's been cleaned up well, and her missing eye is bandaged along with treatments on most of the rest of her body. She stirs, and I lean over her.
"Vinyl?" she whispers, her good eye still closed. "Vinyl?"
I shut my eyes, dreading what I have to say. "Octavia...she's gone. I'm sorry."
Octavia shakes her head. "No. No. She's not gone." Her voice is quiet and forced, but I can hear the anguish.
"Octavia, she didn't make it. What attacked you?"
"Ah- I..."
"What attacked you?!" I say louder. My harshness surprises me. But I have to push, I have to.
She shakes her head again, squeezing her eye shut.
"What was it?" I yell. "What's been taking my friends?"
Octavia gasps, and a hoof touches my shoulder. "Stop it," says a voice.
I whip around to see Doctor Hooves. His eyes are soft, but his jaw is set. "Stop it," he repeats. "She can't take any more."
"But..but I need to know," I whisper. "My friends are dying and she's the only survivor. She knows! She knows! I have to know too so I can stop this!" My voice rises, but I can't stop it. Beside me, Octavia has fallen into unconsciousness.
"Her mind isn't ready," he says sternly.
"But what do you..." My eyes dart through the air as I try to grasp what he's saying. "Oh."
Hooves nods. "She's under a spell."
"Under a- a spell. A memory undoing spell. She's not in a good enough condition to do a surgery on it...whatever attacked her must have magic. And that means it could be a- a pony." My brain whirrs. I can almost see Hooves's doing the same.
"How about researching memory spells?" Hooves says gently. I can see he's trying to comfort me. "You can figure out what kind of creatures have that capability."
I nod, swallowing. "Good idea." I start to retreat back to the library when I hear sounds coming from a small closet. They sound like crying. I open the door and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo fall out. Their eyes are swollen.
"What happened?" I ask. I think I know the answer.
"This all happened!" Sweetie Belle yells. "These- these things attacked us and killed Apple Bloom!" Next to her, Scootaloo continues to sob. My heart cracks.
"Why don't you visit Fluttershy," I say, trying to think of something to appease their grief. Scootaloo stumbles off, but Sweetie Belle stays.
"Twilight," she begins, but then stops. She almost appears to be hiding inside herself, like she's trying to shield her own body from the world. "Twilight, to tell you the truth...Scootaloo had a bit of a crush on Apple Bloom. I think it was mutual. And Scootaloo never got to tell her."
I blink. Scootaloo...and Apple Bloom? But it is horrible. Especially since Apple Bloom was the first to die. I sigh, my eyes dried out from holding back tears. "Thanks, Sweetie Belle. How about you join Fluttershy?"
She obliges and wanders away. I run to the library and hide myself under blankets with a journal, where I really start to cry. I write down a file of the scientific parts of this. Like how being underground interferes with magic, making it almost nonexistent. And how the earth ponies are the strongest diggers, since they use their legs the most. But my scientific accounts aren't enough to keep me happy, and I cry myself to sleep instead.
I'm woken up by Spike. He notices my red eyes, face grim, but says nothing about them. Instead, he tells me that Rainbow Dash is gathering ponies in the upper room for an announcement and that she needs me there. When I go up, she pulls me in front of the ponies and speaks in a clear voice.
"Okay, ponies, this has been a rough week. I'm hoping that this will, if not make you happy, then at least keep you busy. My proposal is to expand the bunker." I hear some sharp intakes of breath, and I'm also surprised. We don't have unicorn magic, not really, and digging more would take weeks. Rainbow Dash sighs. "Okay, yeah, you're thinking I'm crazy. But don't you remember we have a princess and the alicorn amulet, plus a team of strong diggers?" Applejack cheers feebly, the sound echoing.
I frown. "Even with my magic and the amulet combined, it would still sap me of a lot of energy."
"Yeah, but that's almost the point. We don't have any other plans and we'll go crazy without anything to do. This brings me to my second proposal: jobs!"
"Jobs?" Lyra calls out. "Like every pony's assigned something to do daily?"
"Pretty much," Rainbow says. "Fluttershy, you could be a therapist, since so many ponies are dealing with loss." I expect Fluttershy to hide behind her mane, but instead she salutes. These attacks have hardened all of us. "Doctor Horse should be head of medical. Doctor Hooves should work on technology. Applejack and a team can work on food collection. Stuff like that."
Ponies are brightening. This gives them a purpose. I nod and step up in front of Rainbow. "Yes. Find a job that you want that would be useful." I decide to amp up my authority. "Rainbow Dash is in charge of recon missions. Anyone interested, find her. Go to Applejack for food collection. Doctor Hooves for technology. Doctor Horse for medical. And..."..searching for a good enough pony...."...Mrs. Cake for distribution of needs such as water or bedding." There, that should do it.
Everypony disperses and heads to the different team leaders, or to the library, or to other places I don't know where. Rainbow walks up to me. "Twilight. If you're going to use the Alicorn Amulet for construction, you better start now. We don't know how long this is going to take."
I sigh. Ever since I got everyone into the bunker I've been seen as the leader. A princess. But really, I'm just a pony like everyone else, and I have to do my part if we're all going to survive. I start towards the library, where I've put the artifacts, when Spike runs up to me, short of breath. As I watch he belches out more flames, and at least three scrolls with it.
"Twilight," he pants. "I'm getting reports from all over Equestria. The attacks...they're happening everywhere. Canterlot especially, and fewer towards the country. Appleloosa, for example, has only lost a few ponies, and the rest have holed themselves up in a bunker not unlike this one. And Twilight...."
I wait for the news, holding my breath. This can't be good.
"Celestia is missing."
I think yesterday we'd hoped that there would be no more deaths, like we do every time someone is found. But today the monsters massacred the spa. Diamond Tiara, her parents, Cheerilee, Blossomforth, and Lotus were all violently killed, and Thunderlane found them on a recon mission. Aloe was still alive and we brought her back, but we couldn't save her.
I'm making progress on Octavia's mind. Yesterday she told me that she saw "great black things". Whether that describes a changeling or King Sombra or something else entirely, it's worrying.
"Twilight!" Rainbow says. "I've got an idea."
I groan. "Another one?" Rainbow and I are essentially the leaders of this whole thing, but Rainbow comes up with new things to do every other day. "Let's hear it."
"We need to scan the town, and get as many ponies as possible to join us," she tells me. "So what if we got about ten ponies and visited the big locations in Ponyville? We could hit Sweet Apple Acres, the bowling alley, Sugar Cube Corner, the train station, the Hayburger, the hospital and maybe the schoolhouse in one go."
"Wouldn't most of the ponies be holed up in their houses?" I rub my temples with my hoof. "I mean, there is a monster attack going on.
"You'd be surprised at how active everyone is. We've tried convincing as many ponies as we can that they need to come with us, but most of them are under the impression that the town, especially the center, is safe."
"Fine," I say, partially just to get Rainbow off my back. "Spend a couple of hours getting everyone ready. Then take 'em out." She nods and flies off. I resume my task at hand -- digging another room. Slipping the Alicorn Amulet back on, I focus all my power into a single beam. The amulet doesn't magically make my power as strong as it would be with the amulet aboveground, but it does give me the capability I would normally have. Rumble, Caramel, and Bon Bon step back as the beam rockets into the open section that they've dug out. The magic clears out a space as large as my old bedroom in the library. They go in and get to work shoring up the walls as I step back, exhausted. I can usually only do one of those every six hours.
I wander back to the "library", which I've slept in most of the time. I collapse onto the pile of blankets that serves as my bed, but I don't get to sleep because Spike chooses this moment to run up to me.
"Ugh..what, Spike?" I mumble. I'm tired and I want to take a nap. I'm not in the mood for updates.
"Ponies have heard we're trying to investigate these attacks," he says, checking a clipboard. "So they're sending some ponies to us to help. There's a train coming in today at four with about eight ponies on it. Also, the remaining royals are holed up in the caves in Canterlot, where Chrysalis trapped you. Luna, Cadence, Shining, Flurry Heart, and Blueblood are down there. Then they started bringing in more ponies. Canterlot is essentially closed, because most of the ponies have retreated to the caves."
I sit up, interested. "Can they get into the caves by foot?"
"No. Luna teleports the ponies inside because the guards blocked up all the entrances and exits."
"Who's coming?"
"I don't know. Oh, Spitfire and Soarin are coming because they need good medical equipment to have their foal. Luna's still working on making the caves livable."
I nod. "OK. Send Rainbow and her team to grab them when they go out."
Spike makes a note on his clipboard. I lean back onto the blankets and doze off. What feels like a moment later, I'm woken up by another yell of "Twilight!"
"Can't I get some sleep around here?" I say grouchily just as Doctor Hooves bursts into the room. "What now?"
"It's..Octavia..." he pants. "The memory spell's been broken."
I lean over the grayish brown mare. "Are you sure?" I prod her. "How would you know? You're not a unicorn."
He scowls. "I know enough. I've had experiences. And yes, I'm sure."
Octavia's eyes are closed, but she's mumbling a little bit. She tosses her head from side to side, apparently distressed. Somepony lays their hoof on my shoulder. I turn my head, this time not surprised. Rarity stands behind me, looking sympathetic. "I know. And Octavia's anxiety is a result of it breaking. I don't know what happened. Maybe it's a temporary spell. But whatever it is, there's a chance of her losing her mind."
Sternly, I say, "Then we need to question her as soon as possible." I shake Octavia gently with my hoof, and her eyes flutter open.
"Ah! Twilight!" she gasps.
"Octavia, I need to know what attacked you, and how you escaped." I'm done with being gentle. I need answers.
She shuts her eyes. "Great...black...monsters. With huge fangs and red eyes. Their teeth were..longer than my head...and their claws....were just as long. And sharp."
I press her harder, determined to get the full truth. "And how did you get away?"
"After they attacked Vinyl and pinned me down...they were about to finish me off. But..then I heard something cry out and they just..galloped off. Then I don't remember anything...." She gulps, making a huge effort to remember it all.
Rarity furrows her eyebrows. "That must have been when the spell was cast--" Time Turner shuts her off, because Octavia is still talking.
"When they grabbed Vinyl...they gouged out her eyes with their claws. And they threw them behind them into the shadows. She..she was still alive when they ripped out her heart..." Octavia coughs. I can see that the residual effects of the spell are breaking her body and mind down. If she doesn't stop soon, she's going to deteriorate, and fast.
Rarity squeezes Octavia's hoof. "You can stop now..." she begins, but she's again cut off by Octavia.
"They ate Vinyl's heart...and then they kicked her aside and started towards me. I don't....know why I didn't..run. And one jumped on top of me. I tried to get out...but it just scraped at me until it got a good hold, then it took out one of my eyes..." As if on cue, blood begins to seep through bandaging around her empty eye socket. She coughs again, and this time red splatters her flank. "But then I heard that animalistic cry...and they just left." Octavia breaths heavily and leans her head to the side. Her breathing slows, but doesn't stop. I yell for the doctor, and then run to where Rainbow's team was prepping, to warn them. But they've already gone off. I race outside and see ten or so tails disappearing around the corner to the train station. I barrel after them, not thinking about anything else.
"Twilight!" I can hear Doctor Hooves's hoofsteps behind me, but I keep running.
When I get to the train station, Rainbow's team is loading about nine ponies off it. Rainbow Dash herself is pulling out the train conductor from the front. Fluttershy is helping an extremely pregnant Spitfire out of the caboose, and Soarin, worried, trails behind. I sigh, relieved, and turn to go back to the town hall. Doctor Hooves, who's been by my side during this little spectacle, trots beside me.
I've gotten halfway back when I hear a scream.
Turning around, I see the remaining members of Rainbow's team pushing the ponies they brought off the train towards the town hall. Rainbow is frozen about fifty feet away from the tracks. She strains against something invisible, a panicked expression on her face, but she can't move. I'm about to race back to help her, to see what I can do, when a giant...thing leaps out of an abandoned house. It leaps on top of Rainbow Dash. I know what's about to happen next, and I try to turn away, but I can't.
I watch as the beast tears off Rainbow Dash's wings.
And I can't turn away when it finishes her off.
Losing Rainbow Dash shocked us all.
Worse still was the two other ponies who died. We got everyone into the bunker except for Rainbow, Coco Pommel, and Flitter. There was no way to hold a funeral, so we burned their bodies in the spire of the town hall. The smoke was a reminder of what we'd lost.
The good thing? We got another ten ponies. Granny Smith and Big Mac finally decided to leave Sweet Apple Acres behind. Tree Hugger, Zecora, and Caramel we grabbed from the cafe. And some others. I wasn't in the mood to write in the log which ones we'd got out, so I had Spike do it for me.
"Twilight." I turn, expecting to see Doctor Whooves, but to my surprise it's Applejack behind me.
"Why do ponies always come up behind me?" I ask, meaning to joke, but it just comes out flat.
Applejack ignores my question. "Twilight, Ah think we should go to the Everfree."
"Why...oh." Octavia said the monsters had come from there. It was possible that's where the source was. But it meant more ponies would die. "I see."
"Ah'd be happy to lead--"
"No. Please. I don't want to lose you-- I don't want to lose anyone. So many ponies...."
"Ah know." Her voice cracks, and I remember Apple Bloom.
"Let me think about it, please, please." I don't want to do it. But I have to do something.
She nods, and while she's walking away I head to medical. I need to find Doctor Whooves, and even though he's supposed to be in technology working he spends most of his time by Octavia, monitoring her condition. I don't know why or how he knows so much about her condition, but he does.
"Doctor?"
He's laying on the floor next to Octavia, staring at the ceiling contemplatively. At the sound of my voice, he sits up.
"How is she?"
Whooves sighs. "Not well. I...in all honesty...I don't think she's going to get better."
That's all I need to hear. I turn away and head...somewhere. I don't know where I'm going. He shouts after me, but I ignore him. I walk through the bunker, and through the town hall. I get up to the tower and look out across Ponyville. It looks exactly the same as it does any other day in the middle of the afternoon -- only with slightly fewer ponies.
"I have three things to say to you," Doctor Whooves says indignantly, coming up behind you.
"Stop sneaking up on me."
He ignores what I said. "One, stop running away because the world will not end if you stay in one place. Two, you need to accept that ponies freaking die and there's nothing you can do about it. Three, one of these days I'm going to stop following you everywhere, but that will only happen once you learn to get a grip . This zombie apocalypse or whatever the hell it is isn't going to stop unless you actually do something about it."
I stabilize myself. He's right, I guess. "Okay, fine. Do you actually follow me around everywhere?"
"You haven't noticed?" He raises an eyebrow.
I roll my eyes. "Can you teleport or something?"
"Last time I checked....no."
"Who are you?"
"Getting a little crazy now, are you?" He taps his head. "I'm a pony, I live in Ponyville, my name is Doctor Whooves?"
"No. That's not what I mean. What's your story?"
"Look, this is really NOT THE TIME for deep personal backstories, if that is what you meant."
"But I wanna knoooow!" I tease, whining like a foal.
A smile edges onto Whooves's face. "Fine, but only if you promise to not nag anyone about it."
I make Pinkie's 'stick a cupcake in my eye' gesture.
He sighs. "Okay. I used to live...somewhere else, a long time ago. I used to have...let's say, magic powers. I came to Equestria one day and met a mare, whose name was She worked in Canterlot, as a spy, and we went on some pretty daring escapades together. We fell in love, and that's when I decided to stay in Equestria and give up some of my powers so I could grow old with her."
I cut in, confused. "So you're saying...you were immortal? And you didn't live in Equestria?"
"Yes." He chuckles. "Is that really so hard to believe?"
Shaking my head, I smile. "Continue."
"We were sent on one such mission by Princess Celestia herself, about fifteen or twenty years ago, that sent us south into the Badlands to retrieve something. I'll never know what it was, because on the way we were found by changelings. This was before Queen Chrysalis had enough power to really do anything massive. Anyway, we didn't actually know about the changelings until they came up and introduced themselves. One changeling tricked me into thinking it was her, and when the two of them were together in front of me I got extremely angry. I didn't like being tricked. Another changeling suggested that I kill the fake one. Angry as I was, I agreed. He gave me a sword...and...and I chose the wrong one." His voice cracks. "After I'd..I'd run her through, the changelings left, as they had fed off of me without me knowing it. She told me she loved me one last time, and I buried her at the base of the biggest mountain I could find. I never finished the quest. I returned to Canterlot, bitter about her loss, but the city was too loud for me. I moved to Ponyville and started a new life as a clock maker."
I'm quiet. "Whoa," I attempt to joke. "That's one hell of a story."
He chuckles again. "I guess the moral is live. If you're only going to get one chance to do something, do it. Even though it ended badly, I was still happy that I'd known her, and had the opportunity to love her as I did."
Hmm. That's it. "Whooves, you are a sage."
"Heh. I try." Before I can react, he grabs me and plants a light kiss on my lips. "But if you can help it? Don't die."
I return his kiss without thinking about it. "That's one thing I'll try and do."
I run downstairs and back into the bunker. "Applejack! Apple--oh, there you are."
"What can Ah do for ya, Twi?"
I smile determinedly. "Get a group of ponies together. We leave for the Everfree at dawn."
Maybe it's a cliched line from a book, but I like it. And I'm ready to seize life by the horns and go down in flames.
