Sneaking from bush to bush at the treeline, the creature stayed far out fo sight, approaching a large tree with light streaming from inside, signaling much activity. Approaching the tree, he flickered his snake like tongue, listening intently with his hyper sensitive ears.
Approaching the tree library, he peered inside, spotting the six mares at play. Hissing, he dissipated, seeping into the tree as a dark purple fog, and entering the lungs of the playing mares. They all stopped, started caughing.
"W-cough- what is going -cough- on?", Twilight caughed.
As soon as the coughing stopped, each felt pain in their chest, escalating till each were holding their chest like something was about to burst out. Twilight was the first. Her hands couldn't hold whatever was trying to get out, back. The purple gem came from her, and not knowing anything otehr than it was part of her, she held onto it, trying to push it back in. But to no avail did she hold it's strong force back. It burst through the tree trunk, blasting off into somewhere away from teh planet.
All of theirs did the same, each taking a different course, each a different color. Pink, white, blue, red orange, yellow. Each from the rest. None could hodl it, and it flew on. Though, none knew what it was. After it was over, all six looked at each otehr, puzzled of what jsut happened.
"Uhm, what exactly jsut happened?", Rainbow Dash started.
"I don't know, maybe it's in a book or something."
Twilight brought out a book, her magic harder to cast, and quickly failing. The book dropped to her feet just as she opened it, no longer able to use magic. Her horn even turned to dust, crumbling to nothing.
"My horn!"
"Well, that's new.", Raibnwo Dash flew over. Her wings began getting smaller, dwindling till she could no longer fly.
"What?! My wings!"
"Uh, girls.", A stallion called tot ehm. Turning to Fluttershy, something was definitely different. She had changed...into a he.
"Fluttershy, are you alright?"
"I dunno, I was trying to figure out what I could lose. LEts see, Twiligth lost her magic, Rainbow Dash lost her wings..."
Rarity gasped, "Our Elements of Friendship!!!"
Pinkie Pie turned to Twilight, "Uhm, I suddenly don't have a craving for something sugary. After fifteen years of eating over ten pounds of sugar a day, should I be worried when cutting, cold turkey?"
"Uhm. Well, there hasn't been such a thing as that recorded yet, but it may just be your metabolism. If it's high, bring lots of food with you.", Twilight advised.
"Thanks twilight.", Pinkie Pie thanked her.
"No smile?"
"I don't really feel so happy right now."
"Applejack, you?", Twilight asked
"Well, I am the element of honesty, but to be honest, Ah'm still honest."
"Then what is going on?"
"Better to let me explain it."
All six turned to the doorway, where Celestia stood, a sad expression on her face.
"May I come in?", she asked.
Twiligth nodded and Celestia ducked under the doorway, entering in.
"Now, where to begin. Seeing as the roof has six holes, he really did do it again."
"Did what?", Twilight asked.
"Took your souls."
"But how are we still alive?"
"Your body and mind are, you are just soulless. And in terms of life, that is not a good thing, mentally, physically, and magically. Look at Fluttershy, she is now a stallion. The changes did not take affect this fast last time."
"Last time?", Twilight asked, once more.
"Lets start from the beginning, shall we? Over a millenium ago, a new creature began appearing once every hundred years, when the sun is it's furthest fromt eh planet. It spawns from a pool of pure darkness, deep within the castle of the royal sisters. From there, since it is no longer sealed, it is free to roam, and has been out free twice now. You are the second victims."
"So what exactly will happen to us?"
"Well, you have to get your soul gems back. Untill then, you will remain how you are."
"Rarity, do you still have...Are...Are you alright?", Twilight looked at Rarity. Her face was disfigured to be different from the normal looks she had. Her hair was bristling with split ends, faded partially grey, and her make up was completely gone, the remnents on teh floor.
"Yes, I'm fine, what do you mean?"
"Your hair, your makeup...you're...you're hideous!"
"Oh, that? I'm not worried. It's only temporary anyway. We just have to find our soul stones."
"It's nto quite that easy, Rarity. Applejack seems the most unchanged of all fo you."
"Not quite. My accent is gone, replaced with this...British one?"
"Sounds about right. So that is what you value most?"
"Yes, yes it is. I loved my hick accent. It was what always reminded me of home back out in the farmlands when I left to the city with my aunt and uncle."
"Well. Even though you can recover your soul gems, you have to travers the entire universe to look for them."
"Then we will never find them.", Twilight hung her head.
"Not quite that hard, Twilight. I can give you an All Point Compass to guide you all. I also have a spell that I used when he came after me. It helps with getting around Equestria, and helped me go from planet to planet in seconds. It should do a bit less, unless you are all together. Then you can blaze the stars."
"So, you can easily point us in the right direction?"
"Not quite. The compass works only in the vacuum of space, as it is a regular compass that points out north and south when on a planet. You will have to locate the soul gems on your own. And when reentering a planet's atmosphere, make sure to watch for any life forms when landing. There are such a thing as aliens."
"So, when do we leave?"
"You can't waste time. You have to leave now. If they all land before you six are in orbit atleast, you will lose the tether to tehm, and won't be able to reclaim them. You will have to regain any abilities in what you have lost, if at all possible."
"So, you will send us off now?"
"Yes. I will notify your friends and family."
Celestia's horn glowed brightly and the five mares and Fluttershy were enveloped in a magical veil, colored respectfully to their coats.
"Now go."
"But what about-"
Go! Before it's too late!"
Twilight floated off slowly from the princess, following the others out the front door.
"I'll be waiting, don't you worry. And I'm sorry to send you off in such a harsh tone. Good bye Twilight."
"I will return though."
"No one is ever the same after their soul is detached. It's best to say one last good bye to this version before your life changes."
Twilight nodded, gaining speed as she joined the others. Once together, they all formed a single veil which enveloped them all, allowign them to blast from the planet faster than sound, faster than light.
As the planet got smaller, the air around them got thinner, but kept a breathable thickness about it. All six were plunging into the depths of space without as much as knowledge of what goes on. Immediately blasting from the atmosphere, they are turned black, unable to see each other. the only thing keeping them together was the magic that allowed them to fly.
Though, the feint cry of one was heard by all the others. None of them could really tell who it was, but the one who did, sniffled a few times every now and then. Twilight, leading the flight, began slowing, slowing the others with her. Luckily, she stopped them all in the sunlight. Now they just floated weightlessly in space, staring at one another.
"Twilight, I'm scared, I don't want to go further, I just wanna go home...", Rainbow Dash sniffled.
Rarity pulled the cyan mare into a hug, "It's alright. You don't want to lose your wings forever, only to regrow your filly wings, do you?"
"No...I want my wings back, but, we were all thrown into this. Aren't any of you scared?"
"...I am.", Twilight confessed, "I mean, we all are. Whhy wouldn't we be scared of losing our own souls, then later regrow what our pride is?"
"Pride. I have never used the word before.", Applejack's british accent broke the silent.
"Maybe we need to learn something new. Judging by what teh compass says...", Twilight held out the compass ball given to her, "The largest arrow is the closest point. In this case, it is blue. So Rainbow Dash's wings are in about another solar system over. We're lucky to have found them so easily. Lets make it worth the while to get them back. Rainbow Dash, you will lead from ehre on out, with or without wings."
"Thanks Twilight, but I'm not really a leader type."
"I understand. Why don't you take to compass. It will help to locate your wings."
Rainbow Dash nodded and floated over, taking the compass orb.
"Thanks Twilight.", Rainbow Dash thanked.
Twilight nodded to Rainbow Dash, then assumed positin, ready for flight.
"Come on girls, lets get this over with."
All took position behind Twilight in a pattern, blasting off once mroe to the next solar system over. The sun was a blue giant, and the planet was huge, atleast three times bigger than their home. The Compass orb shone a blue light on the planet, marking the soul stone. Going into orbit, the intense heat hi them hard. As they descended, they felt heavier, almost unable to move. Once on the surface, their own flight ability was the only thing keeping them standing.
"Do we part ways?", Rarity asked.
"No, I'm not aware of what lives here, so I can't pass the knowledge on to inform you all of any dangers. Above that, can't even risk putting you all on your own trail. The spot was marked by the compass when we got close enough. We will have to go after it, and where I saw it hit, it was a mountain peak. We are on the side of the mountain, if I landed us in the correct spot."
"Then lets go!", Rainbow Dash siad, reassured, "No time to waste."
"Yes.", Twilight responded.
They all made the trek up the mountainside, making it to the peak, and a temple. All six stared at it, Fluttershy fearing it slightly let out a small cry.
"It's ok, Fluttershy. It's just a temple.", Pinkie Pie reassured.
"O...Ok..."
As they approached even closer, the blue light from the soul stone irradiated from the temple, blinding the girls as something slammed into Twilight, knocking her into the others, winded.
gaspign for air, she desperately tried to stand and see what hit her, but could barely even breath even after a whole minute.
"Twilight! you alright?", Rarity asked first.
Finally getting half a breath, she spoke, "Fine...Just...Just winded."
"What was that? There was a blinding light, then you were thrown into us."
Twilight's sides began extending, protruding growths which became featherless wings, the feathers appearing all at once with a foomf. Rainbow Dash, feeling betrayed, didn't know how to react. She was sad, angry, happy, and also confused.
"My...My wings...", she began tearing up.
Twilight finally caught her breath, registering the light weight wings on her sides. Looking at each, she was puzzled.
"Wh-what? No...No. It was an accident Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow Dash sniffled, then hung her head.
"It's...It's alright. I mean, we can fix it can we? Can we?"
"I don't even know that Rainbow Dash. It's best if we just leave things as-"
"You just want my wings then! They're mine! Mine!!! I was born with them I-"
"Rainbow Dash! It's nto like I had a choice of who it attached to. If anything, we're all magnets for the soul stones. It's best that we all split up when we get close to the next soul stones.that way we have a better chance of it attaching to it's owner."
"But there is still the chance that one of the others will get the soul stone."
"You're right. This one was easy, and taking necessary precautions for the next, we will send out one pony to go after the soul stone by herself. Again, Rainbow Dash, I'm sorry."
"It's ok, I mean, magic can fix anything, right? So we can still fix this."