Animal Cottage

Hours later, deep in the Everfree Forest, Lyra and Bon Bon were camping. The tent was ready, the bonfire was flaming and both mares were drinking a jar of cider outside.

“Alcohol and night camping. It’s a winning combination” said Lyra. “Is there anything better?”

“Yes” answered Bon Bon. “Alcohol and night camping WITH your best friend.”

Both gave a cheer until they noticed something. The nearby bushes were moving, both got frightened expecting the worst.

“Uh-oh” said Lyra scared. “Timberwolves, the assassins of the woods!”

The bushes stop moving and from them appeared the real creature.

“Calm down Lyra. It’s not a timberwolf. It’s a bunny, the most adorable animal of the woods.”

When Bon Bon picked one suddenly it kicked her face. Both mares were shocked.

“Ow!”

“Hey, what’s the gag?”

More bunnies appeared from the bushes and started kicking the mares until the fun disappeared, the ponies only felt pain from them. Shortly after followed the ferrets, the beavers and the squirrels, all giving them nibbles and constant pushing which normally weren’t so noticeable but with hundreds of mouths the agony was inevitable. All the little creatures eventually rounded them up until they lost their balance but thanks to her secret agent training Bon Bon could cope them. When Angel, who was hiding behind the same bushes, noticed this he squeaked, this was how he called Harry and Tim to the action using them as a last resource. The bear and the timberwolf appeared from the nearby trees and pushed Lyra to the bonfire, her cries of pain were unnoticeable for everypony except Bon Bon, who had ended the fight unconscious when Harry pushed her into a tree just for trying to help her best friend. But the high-pitched cries of agony and the sparks coming from the bonfire caught the attention of another resident of the forest. The troops knew where the next objective was.

The next morning the Mane 5 found out about what happened and went to the crime scene to investigate. Previously they went to Fluttershy’s cottage and something odd caught their attention: the door was opened. Once they came in they realized the house was empty. None of her furniture or the little houses for her animal friends were there but most importantly she wasn’t there, they thought the worst but there wasn’t signs of violence or anything related. Although they were worried about what happened to her they hadn’t time to find her, they finally arrived to the crime scene. Twilight gasped harshly when she discovered the corpse of one of her old friends, both Lyra and Bon Bon’s bodies had third-degree burns all around. Rarity, dressed in her detective outfit, put a blanket over the corpses.

“I have a theory but I’m not sure of its credibility” she said suspiciously.

“Tell us Rarity” said Pinkie Pie. “Anything could help.”

“This looks like the work of rowdy vandals. Applejack, cancel the prom.”

“What are ya takin’ ‘bout?”

“We need to go deeper darling.”

“But there are no proofs” said Rainbow Dash who was holding Tank on her hooves all the time. “Are you sure there’s not another cause?”

“I just noticed you’re carrying Tank with you anywhere lately” said Pinkie questioning her friend and touching her chin. “Why?”

“Winter finished a month ago and when he was hibernating I decided to spend more time with him once winter had finished.”

“Ya just said that ‘cause ya could keep him. We get it so please stop rubbin’ it in our faces.”

What Rainbow Dash didn’t knew was that Angel secretly gave Tank an important task: knowing he was the only remaining pet that still had a home he had to spy the ponies by being next to her owner all the time and during nighttime gave him the information. The bunny trusted the tortoise since they lived in the same house and even after he moved they preserved that confidence.

“Hey girls” Twilight interrupted them. “Are you listening?” All of them kept quiet.

“I don’t hear anything” replied Rainbow Dash.

“Exactly. Where are the birds? Where are the squirrels? Have your ever heard this quiet out here?”

“Girls” said Rarity. “You have to see this.”

Rarity had discovered one last surprise that made them feel bad and sad: Zecora’s head hanging on the nearby trees. They were about to throw up and inside of it was a little square chip which resulted to be a hologram, Rarity used her magic to take it but none of them knew how to activate it, not even Twilight, thanks to Pinkie Pie and her curiosity the hologram fell to the ground and got activated. The image was disturbing: Zecora was tied to a metal chair, she was crying and a voice was speaking off-screen. All the girls watched it carefully.

“Tell them your name” said the voice, it was a naughty, raspy voice.

She wheezed. “...Zecora.”

“Are you a Princess Twilight follower?”

Zecora coughed harshly due to her wounds. “...Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because she taught us... to not be feared by monsters like you. Don’t think you... can hide from her and her friends behind your zoo.”

“You do?” one of the paws went on the recording and touched her, trying to ‘calm her down’, the paw resembled more of a hoof than an actual paw. Zecora closed her eyes scared. “So you think Twilight made Ponyville a better place?”

The guy retired his paw from her face as Zecora refused to look him, then the image turned on him. It was indeed a pony, the voice revealed it was male, it had a white-painted face, black lips, red eyes and blue, pink and yellow mane. “You see? Why is Twilight Sparkle capable of uniting other species with ponies when ponies can’t defend their closest relatives? If you want order here the ‘Princess of Friendship’ must abdicate her title and leave Ponyville forever. Oh, and every day she doesn’t ponies will die... starting tonight... I’m a pony of my word.”

An evil laugh has heard, the pony rushed forward to Zecora who cried of pain and the hologram switched off. All the mares were so traumatized that they left the forest and headed to the village. Twilight ordered the rest of her friends to called all Ponyville for a meeting at the town hall and warned all the inhabitants about what they saw in the hologram. Two hours later all Ponyville arrived, and in front of the town hall, was Twilight, who used her voice sonorous spell.

“Citizens of Ponyville, my eyes have seen an issue that needs to be covered from you but I can’t. There’s a killer among us, and he will not stop until we have vanished, his threats will not scared us if we keep together. All of us are parents, siblings, neighbors and friends and we’ll fight for the same cause. And if you, murderer, are casually here, let me say you this: We don’t fear you, we’ll find you and we’ll finish your plan. Everypony listen, tonight clogged your doors and closed your windows, nopony shall be outside when the sun goes down. I repeat: nopony shall be outside when the sun goes down!”

Angel and his army heard everything secretly but they weren’t worried about her and the speech she gave meant to him that she ignored his warning so now they were sure. Thanks to Lyra and Bon Bon’s death their house was now their private source of weapons and they accessed to it during nighttime. Although Angel didn’t want to use the spy weapons Bon Bon had hidden in her house initially, he knew that using their own stuff towards the ponies was the only way the animals could weaken them in great proportion. While Elizabeak, Gummy and Fuzzy Legs were taking some special weapons outside with both Winona and Opal supervising them Tank arrived to Lyra and Bon Bon’s. Angel was at the entrance along with Harry and Tim serving as bodyguards, the bunny commanded both the bear and timberwolf to retire so he could spoke with Tank alone, once again with subtitles.

“Fellow Tank, your report.”

“The ponies look nervous and terrified” said Tank to Angel. “I have spotted some places which have a weakened floor so the diggers can excavate for infiltration without issues.”

“More specifically, which places?”

“Carousel Boutique, the Apple’s House at Sweet Apple Acres, an unidentified house in southeast Ponyville and some sections of the Friendship Castle.”

“Great, continue with your duty and return to your position.”

Angel turned around and commanded Winona, Opal, Samantha and Mousey, in his case along with other mice, to go to those specific places while Fuzzy Legs and his insects carried the special weapons to determined and strategically common places for ponies to walk around. They obeyed and left the place. Before Angel could retreat to the inside Tank interrupted him.

“...Are you sure about this? This can sound weird but these ponies aren’t bad.”

Angel turned around disappointed. “...Do not tell me you’ve caught affection to her?”

“And if I was in your position and you in mine? If that was the case will things be the same?”

Angel kept quiet for a moment. “That’s none of your business.”

“But what will happen after this? You said we’ll be greeted as liberators.”

“And that is what’s going to happen once we got rid of those pesky ponies. I already commanded Hummingway, Owlowiscious, Constance, Margaret and Mordecai to fly to other cities so they can spread our message and uphold our cause.”

“...Which cities?”

“Canterlot, Appleoosa and Manehattan. Those are the primary objectives.”

“And what about other creatures? What about the gryphons, the dragons, the–?”

“One at a time my friend. They will fall and the humble will be the ones who inherit the land.”

“This goes far beyond that simple respect from the ponies, isn’t it?”

Angel shushed him and started to explain. “There was a time when sun and moon rose independent of any creature in the world, non-animal was superior to another and every one of us was equal. But something happened on the way: suddenly some of us were more equal than others. It’s our responsibility to return to that sacred time of love and peace among us.”

“How do you know about that?” Tank asked doubtful. “Tortoises are more long-lived than rabbits. I lived with Fluttershy long time before you came.”

Angel continued as images from Winona, Opal, Mousey, Samantha and Fuzzy Legs doing their commands were shown.

“The world has been lenient with them and they do not learn, it’s time to purify the world and bring a new era, they have decided not to wake up and live their lives in laziness, envy and hypocrisy, and it’s time to teach a lesson. Our brothers and sisters are fighting to save this sick world from themselves. It is time to act, they decided to live their lives in quantity and not quality. Our comrades support us and soon teach the truth. Formerly they deprived us of our land and now it’s time we take them back. Peace is nothing more than a thin thread, you are the scissors and us the ones who are willing to occupy them. The will of ponies will break and writhe up only remaining vestiges of what once were” Angel stared at him. “Now retreat, that’s an order.”

Tank turned around with both Harry and Tim keeping an eye on him and following the reptile to the point where Owlowiscious will carry the tortoise and return him to his home. Meanwhile Twilight was in the balcony of her castle, unaware of the animals’ actions, looking at Ponyville with a preoccupied face. Spike and Starlight Glimmer appeared.

“Are you alright?” he said looking at her.

“No Spike” she felt concerned. “What if I have to renounce being the Princess of Friendship? What if something happens to somepony, especially to my friends and their families? I don’t know where Fluttershy is and that worries me.”

Her assistant and student were speechless.

“Twilight this isn’t your fault” said Starlight. “Politics mean to do sacrifices for the good of all, even if that means hurting a specific pony.”

“But I didn’t want to hurt my friends. I suppose it’s true what they said” she quoted. “All the world will be your enemy. Princess with a thousand enemies, and when they catch you they will kill you... But first they must catch you.”

“Listen Twilight” Spike said. “We’re worry too but I don’t have the answers, neither Starlight and we will not have them tonight, I recommend you to go to sleep and wait for tomorrow. We have to go to bed, hopefully things will get better in the morning.”

Once Spike and Starlight went back to their bedroom Twilight closed the doors of the balcony and sealed them firmly.