Ghost Squad

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12: The Face of Evil
chapter 13: The Voice of Evil
chapter 14: The Heart of Evil
Epilogue
Prologue: A Very Berry Beginning

Chapter 1

Twilight Sparkle went to answer the frantic beating of hooves and ringing of bells at her front door. It was times like this that made her wish she had castle staff to get up at these unprincessly hours and not her. Or at the very least she could have gotten Spike to do it, if he wasn’t so tartarus damned lazy. But she was already getting a drink of water, so it may as well have been her tonight, “All right! All right! I’m coming!”

She yawned and wiped the sleep from her eyes as her magic took care of the door. The latch was undone and the heavy slab of diamond swung effortlessly aside to reveal Berry Punch, with Berry Pinch splayed out across her back, both shivering in the cold night and looking at her with panicked interest, “You’ve got to help us, Princess!” The mare began the moment she saw Twilight, “Our house is haunted!”

Twilight rubbed her temples. She was not in the mood for this, “What did I say about drinking, Berry Punch? Come back in the morning, when you’re sober.” She lit her horn and began to swing the door closed.

It was halted by a hoof and Berry Punch stepped into the door way forcing it back open— quite the feat considering it was literally carved from stone— and into Twilight’s face, “This is serious!” Twilight felt her eye twitch, “We’ve both seen it!”

The filly on her back nodded, “Mhm.”

“Well then you were mistaken, and don’t go bringing Berry Pinch into this,” Twilight scolded. She tried again to close the door but Berry would have none of it.

“I know what I saw!” She was now trotting proper into Twilight’s foyer. Twilight closed her front door and trudged after the mare, through the foyer and into the living room directly adjacent.

Berry Punch stopped a few steps inside and bumped up against the coffee table as she turned around, “Will you please”— she begged Twilight, a begging expression on both the ponies’ faces – “Please just let us stay the night.”

Twilight almost felt herself crack at the sight of the deadly Berry Pinch Sulk™, “Berry Punch, there is simply no such thing as—” Twilight was cut off by the loud chiming of her front doorbell, again. Twilight sighed inwardly, clearly she wasn’t going to get a good night’s sleep tonight, and left her visitors in the living room to answer the door.

This time it was Mayor Mare, “You’ve got to do something, Twilight!” Mayor Mare begun and she, too, pushed her way past and into the living room, “I’m up to my neck in complaints!”

Twilight facehoofed, “I’ve told you before, Mayor Mare, I can’t move the castle. Its roots carry for half a mile underneath all of Ponyville.”

“No, I’m not talking about that!” Mayor Mare shook her head, “There’s a haunting ahoof, Twilight. Across all of Ponyville I’m getting reports of ponies being driven from their homes. Why, I even have Apple Bloom asleep in my office, too afraid to return home for the pair of corn kernels haunting their barn.”

“All right, fine!” Twilight pointed to the Berry family, currently sitting on one of her couches trying not to look like they were eavesdropping, “Berry Punch, you stay here for the night” Both of their eyes lit up at this.

Twilight pointed towards the back of the living room, towards and entrance out into the corridor, “Third room on the left, bathroom is down the hall, and Spike is in my bedroom if you need anything.”

She then made for the front door. Mayor Mare trotted after her, “Wait, where are you going?”

“I have some house calls to make.”

~ ~ ~

“Okay, girls” Twilight Sparkle rubbed her now very red, and likely soon to be baggy, eyes, and took a seat in her royal throne. She cupped a hoof over her mouth to cover a yawn, “Oohh-kay, girls, here’s the sit—” She stopped mid sentence and blinked twice as she glanced around the map table.

There were only two other ponies there, Pinkie Pie, her ever exuberant self, beaming the epitome of wide-awake, and Rainbow Dash, slumped in her seat snoring. Twilight narrowed her eyes. She slapped the table with a cloud crash, waking Dash, “Wha? What?” Dash yelped awake and tumbled out of her seat.

“Where is everypony else?”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie Pie bounced in her seat and shot a hoof into the air. She waved it around frantically trying to get Twilight’s attention, “Pick me! Pick me! I know this one!”

Twilight deadpanned, Rainbow Dash climbed back into her seat and leaned on her hooves to watch, “Pinkie Pie, you know you don’t have to raise your hoof, right?”

Pinkie Pie’s grin widened and she dropped her hoof to her side, “I know,” she chirped, “I have a message from Rarity.” Pinkie Pie then dug a hoof into her mane and fished around inside for what would be a full minute. Her tongue stuck out as she dug.

“Um, Pinkie Pie, aren’t y—”

“Found it!” Pinkie Pie cut Twilight off as she pulled out a scrunched up piece of paper and unfolded it in her hooves. She licked a hoof, and ran it through her mane, shaping it into, quite impressively, an extremely accurate portrayal of Rarity’s mane, then coughed and began to read the note, “Ahem, Get up at this ungodly hour!?” Her rarity voice was impeccable, “I think not! A lady needs her beauty sleep after all,” She laid a hoof to her chest and gave her mane a twirl, “thank you very much. Now, kindly b—” Pinkie Pie’s ears wilted and she halted her impression to glance between Twilight and Rainbow Dash, “... The last part’s kind of rude.”

“That’s okay, Pinkie, we get the message.”

“Okie-dokie!” Pinkie returned to her normal exuberant self and tossed the note back into her mane, then began shaking it out to its normal curly self.

Whilst Pinkie did that, Twilight clasped her hooves together and turned to Dash, “And what about you?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged, “AJ’s off to Los Pegasus on some kind of Apple Convention.”

~ ~ ~

12:15 AM, Los Pegasus

“Yeeeehaaaaw!!” Applejack hollered at the tops of her lungs, “I won!” She bucked her chair away from the blackjack table, took her hat off and waved it around her in a show of victory, then threw it to the ground and, taking the leg of a nearby patron—a extremely surprised and arguably violated patron mind you, then began dancing the dozy-do with him right there in the middle of the casino.

Somewhere, in the background, Big Mac was seen sitting at the bar with his face in his face hooves and a very tall very, very strong vodka martini on the counter

~ ~ ~

“.. and Fluttershy refused to leave her cottage,” Rainbow Dash concluded.

“Well, looks like it’s only the three of us then,” As Twilight said this, Spike was seen wobbling into the map room behind her, carrying a massive pile of saddle bags.

“Hey, Twilight, where do I—ah—” he stopped a few steps into the room to catch his breath. “Where do I put these?” Spike asked. His legs wobbled for a second and the entire pile leaned to one side as Spike battled to keep his balance. He danced on one leg for a minute before correcting himself and breathing a sigh of relief. Then, suddenly, his legs gave out and the poor dragon was crushed beneath a venerable mountain of six saddlebags.

A flashlight bounced and rolled out of the pile. It came to a stop in front of Twilight’s hooves. She smiled, yawned again, a waved a hoof, “That’s fine right there, Spike.” Three of the saddlebags levitated from the pile. Pinkie Pie’s and Rainbow Dash’s were deposited in front of each respective pony whilst Twilight placed hers directly on her back. “We only need the three of them. You can take the others back now.”

Spike wriggled his way out from under the saddlebags and gave a curious look around, “Wait, what?” Nopony heard him though, as Twilight had already returned her attention to the map table where Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were already digging through their supplies.

“Okay, girls, we’re going out to investigate some ‘paranormal activity’” Twilight made air-quotes as she did this. Her sarcasm was palpable.

“Paranormal activity!?” Pinkie gasped, she began nibbling her hooves, “L- Like, ghosts?”

“No. There is no such thing as ghosts, and I intend to prove that. Now I’ve gone ahead and packed you all some supplies,” She gestured to her own saddlebag. It bore several instruments hanging from the side by leather straps, “I’ve included a flashlight for seeing,” She indicated the first item on the saddlebag, “a seismograph, for measuring geological activity, a voltmeter, for measuring electromagnetic activity, a fluxometer, for measuring magical activity, and a thermometer for, uh, thermal activity.” Twilight indicated each item as she called them out.

Pinkie Pie followed with rapt attention but Rainbow Dash simply yawned and tossed her bag over her back, “Uh, Twilight?” Pinkie asked, “What about a ghost detector? For reading paranormal activity.”

“We won’t need that, Pinkie,” Twilight deadpanned, “There is No Such Thing As Ghosts.” Twilight felt herself starting to yell, she took a moment to regain her composure.

When she looked up again Pinkie had pulled out what vaguely looked like an apple-juice carton with a banana strapped to its side, “Oh, never mind! I brought my own,” She discarded the voltmeter from her saddlebag and attached the ‘ghost detector’ in its place, then tossed the saddlebag over her back.

Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash shared a look, and silently agreed it was better not to say anything, “Come one,” Twilight waved a hoof and lead the three out.

~ ~ ~

12:45 AM, Berry Punch residence, Ponyville

The house stood silent and dark in the night. No lights on, and nopony around but the trio of ponies gathered outside its front yard.

“Um, I don’t know about this, Twi. It looks kinda... creepy,” Rainbow Dash was cowering behind Twilight and Pinkie as they approached the front gate.

“Come now, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight teased, “You’re not scared are you?” she trotted right up to the entrance, undid the latch with her magic and let it swing inwards.

“I’m not!” Pinkie said in a singsong voice as she bounced past into the yard, leaving Rainbow Dash alone, and with no cover.

Rainbow Dash gave off a mild eep of fright, only just catching it on the end and turning it into a kind of scoff. She crossed her hooves and sat up trying to hide her rather obvious shivering, “N- no, of course not!” Rainbow stuck up her snout and trotted through the gate.

The front door was unlocked, presumably left that way after the Punch Family’s hasty exit, and thus was far from difficult to get inside.

Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash filed out into the living room. It was almost pitch black inside and everypony struggled to see. Pinkie Pie disappeared and Rainbow Dash turned right to immediately bump into something in the dark, “Ah!” She tripped and fell, “Twilight! Help!” Rainbow Dash screamed and began flailing around in the darkness.

Twilight lit her horn and began looking around frantically for where Rainbow Dash had gone, “Rainbow? Where are you? Are you all right?” She trotted sideways and patted a hoof against the wall, inadvertently knocking something over in the dark, “Everypony, try to see if you can find the—” There was a click and the room was washed in a soft orange light, “—light switch.” Pinkie Pie trotted back into view with a wide smile, “... thanks.”

“No prob, Twi.”

Rainbow Dash blinked and looked around her. She was lying on her back, slumped over the top of an old brown and red sofa with her tail hanging over her face. She blushed, “Oh- oh.”

Beside Twilight Sparkle lay a wooden hat rack, presumably knocked over in the confusion. She ignored it and checked how Rainbow was doing, “Rainbow, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just give me a—” She spat out her tail and began wiggling to get free.

Over all, Berry Punch’s home was one of the nicer ones around Ponyville. Not only did they have a decent sized living room, they were also lucky enough to have a fireplace and an open-plan kitchen. And that was just the ground floor. On their left, and directly opposite the fireplace, was a staircase leading up to what Twilight presumed to be the living space, with bedrooms and bathrooms, though Twilight wasn’t in a mood to snoop. She had a mission after all, and a warm bed at home that would surely be missing her greatly. She levitated out the fluxometer and turned it on. It crackled loudly and began beeping.

Rainbow Dash managed to slide her way off the sofa and joined Pinkie Pie at the entrance as they watched Twilight do her rounds of the house.

Beep, beep “Hm.”

The device beeped every couple steps and Twilight would glare at it with a thoughtful expression. She did this for several minutes, soon covering the entire room and stopping in front of the mantel piece.

She checked all her other instruments. All read normal, even the thermometer said that it was seventeen degrees, only slightly warmer inside than it was outside.

“So?” Rainbow Dash was growing impatient, “Anything?”

“Nope,” Twilight returned her detector to her saddlebags, “I told you there was no such thing as—”

TACK

Everypony turned towards the fireplace. There were several photos lined up in front of the mantel each depicting either Berry Punch or her daughter, or both and a mystery stallion in some happy scene. One frame, in particular, lay face down.

“That’s...” Twilight trotted over to the mantel, “... strange.” She reached out to pick up the picture frame.

Suddenly Pinkie Pie started buzzing. Rainbow gave her an odd stare as Pinkie pulled out her ‘ghost detector’ from her saddlebag. The banana was glowing and buzzing loudly, “... Uh, Twi?”

“What’s the matter Pinkie,” the side of Twilight’s mouth turned up in a smirk. She didn’t look back, “is your ‘ghost detector’ running out of juice?”

Pinkie sucked on the detector’s straw to be sure, “Nuhu,” she shook her head, “I really think you shouldn’t be touching that.”

“Come now, Pinkie,” Twilight paused with her hoof over the picture frame to look back at her friends, “I’m sure it was just the wind.”

“I didn’t feel anything, Twi,” Rainbow Dash took a few steps forward. She was now on edge and could feel her wings spreading of their own accord.

Twilight rolled her eyes and lifted up the frame.

Suddenly, and totally unexpected at all, there was a white flash. The whole world seemed to turn upside-down. Twilight found herself strung out upside down and on her back against the brown and red sofa, which, itself, had been thrown several feet back against the base of the staircase.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie lay not far on either side, just as much dazed as the Alicorn princess.

A green and sickly glow erupted from above the mantel, centred on the picture from before. There was a rumble, and a bubble, and thick ooze flowed from the frame.

It spewed upwards onto the sealing and formed into a large bulbous glob, before sinking down and landing with a loud plop in the middle of the living room. It pulsated and gelled and the mucous form of a pony took shape.

It glared at our ponies with the soulless, green pinpricks that served as its eyes and hollered in a low and echoing rumble that shook the house to its foundations.

GET ... OUT ... !

Rainbow Dash blinked and looked to Twilight, “What do we do!?”

Twilight bucked her hooves and flapped her wings to get turned over, and screamed at the top of her lungs, “Everypony out!”

All three ponies jumped to action and rushed for the front door. They all tumbled out, right through the front yard, and landed in fuzzy heap in the middle of the street.

The door to Berry’s home slammed shut behind them and all lights inside went dark leaving no signs that anypony had entered in the first place.

Chapter 2

1:00 AM, Castle of Friendship, Ponyville

Pinkie Pie sighed and flipped a few more pages in her book, still hopefully search for some pictures. It seemed her luck was all lucked out. She sighed and tossed the book onto the pile behind her, “That’s thirty, and this is boring.” She slammed her face into the desk, “When are we going to go out and do something?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash nodded. She was sitting next to Pinkie with a large atlas propped up in front of her with what looked like the edges of a Daring Do book peeking out from the bottom.

She used her wingtips to adjust the positioning of the novel whilst she took a sip from her hot chocolate. She set the empty mug aside and scooted around to face Twilight, “We should be out there kicking some ghostly flanks, not in here reading,” she groaned.

“I know”, Twilight cupped a hoof in front of her mouth as she yawned, “Rainbow Dash.” She had her back to the other two whilst she kept Spike’s ladder steady. She also had her own drink floating beside her in a brand new ‘Best Princess’ mug. Apparently every princess was meant to have one, though it frustrated her that she had to specifically ask for one after seeing Cadance’s set.

“But we can’t go swinging blindly like we—” the princess yawned again, this time not bothering to hide it with a hoof, “—did last time,” She eyed the contents of the mug and slugged the last of it, and instantly felt the effects as the caffeine kicked in. She continued her thought with new vigour, “We need to know what we’re up against.”—and called up the ladder to check on her assistant, “Spike, have you found it yet?”

Spike wobbled on top of the ladder, “Not yet.”

“But we already do, Twilight!” Pinkie chirped, and unstuck her face from the desk, “Don’t you remember the song?” She pulled out a metronome and set it ticking on the desk, then took a moment to count the ticks. Once she had her rhythm, and jumped to her hooves, took a deep breath, and pulled Rainbow and Twilight together into a sideways hug to begin the first chorus, “When— you’re a filly and the sun is going do—ho—ho—own— Oomf”

Unfortunately, Pinkie Pie wasn’t able to complete her song, for she was silenced by a sudden, terrible, and rather dreadful case of the purple-smart hoof-in-mouth disease.

“I’m not in the mood, Pinkie,” Twilight took her hoof back and wiped the spittle off on her chest, “Besides, it’s not a ghost. I keep telling you that.”

“But if it’s not a ghost, then what is it?”

“It’s—” Twilight had her hoof raised and mouth opened ready to speak, but she was stopped by a sudden loud clatter suspiciously similar to the type a ladder would make if it were to the fall over, followed by a short scream from above ending in a thud behind Twilight.

Everypony turned to find Spike lying on his back with a large old tome clutched to his chest, “... found it.” He held the book up for Twilight to see.

She glanced over the cover and nodded, “That’s it,” And levitated the book up to her side, “Thanks, Spike,” then took the book over to the desk. She set her mug down, turned a lamp on, and opened the book to the third chapter—all at once thanks to her magic—and began to read.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie crowded around the desk behind her, with Spike the last to join after shaking off his daze, and waited whilst Twilight frowned at the book. At length, Twilight spoke, “Aha!” She prodded a hoof at the page, “Here it is!”

Everypony leaned in close to read the part Twilight had pointed out.

... and, by corroboration with the data gleaned from Dr. Neigh Weather’s own research, one can conclude that that there may exist further existential plains beyond the first three already known to Equestrian science. Furthermore, it is postulated that these existential realities may be capable of harbouring intelligent life completely independent of our own, and that it is not beyond reason that some of these life-forms may be capable of manifesting themselves in our own plain, though no evidence of this being the case has yet to be observed, and the sociopolitic...

Pinkie Pie’s eyes glazed over. Rainbow Dash’s mouth opened and closed like a gold fish whilst Twilight watched with a wide grin, “Um... what?”

Twilight’s face dropped. She rolled her eyes, “He calls these creatures ‘Polymorphs,’” and explained, “They’re extra dimensional beings that can breach into our own realm under special circumstances.” She snapped the book shut, “Not ghosts.”

Rainbow Dash scratched her head, “Um... okay, so how do we get rid of them then?”

“It doesn’t say,” Twilight got up and stepped around Pinkie, “But lucky for us I am a scholar”—

There was a faint cough from Spike’s direction that sounded almost like, “with government funding.”

Twilight trotted over to a blank section of wall near the back and waved for the others to follow her –“and I believe I may have something that might just work.” She stepped to the side and wrapped her magic around one of the wall-mounted torches, and gave it a hard tug. The torch jittered and inverted with a loud clunk.

Tick, tick, tick, tick

A series of clicks sounded in quick succession, and the wall shuddered to life. Both Rainbow and Pinkie watched, with Twilight joining them at their side radiating smugness. The wall parted in two and slid aside.

~ ~ ~

“Wait, you have an armoury!?” Rainbow Dash stood gawking at the entrance.

The room was comparable one of those cathedrals you’d see in Ram, if Ram had an affinity for scientific equipment and books. The room hummed as several machines—lined up in rows along the room’s length— rumbled away, some spitting out reams of paper into growing piles at their sides.

“I wouldn’t say it’s an armoury per-se.” Twilight waved a hoof as she stepped through the entrance and trotted towards a desk overflowing with papers. She started gathering them up in her magic, “Spike and I found this during our booksortcation,”

“You did?”Rainbow Dash hovered over next to Twilight and began helping her clear, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Twilight shrugged, “It didn’t seem all that important.”

The papers levitated off the desk, and dropped to the side in a big heap, revealing a set of six strangely shaped saddlebags, one for each of the mane six. The saddlebags were roughly three times the size of a normal one, and had large metal components connected together with hoses and wires. It also had a long black cable connecting to a silver, three pronged nozzle clipped to its side, and what looked like a diode half visible on the other side.

Twilight grabbed the first one and levitated it onto her back, and stared doing up the straps, “Spike!” She looked around, “Spike, where are you?”

Spike, still outside standing outside, snorted awake. “Oh, I’m here!” He ran into the entrance and waddled up to Twilight’s side, cupping a claw to his mouth to muffle a yawn, “Sorry, I must have fallen asleep.

“Okay,” She patted Spike on the head, “Go set us up some targets will you?”

“Sure!” He saluted and ran off to the far side of the room, where one of the walls lay vacant with large black scorch marks.

Rainbow Dash was now flying over the table, with her hooves wrapped around her own bag, and had pulled it out from between the others, but she was still struggling to lift it off the table, “Twi, this thing—“ She grunted as she pulled it a few inches toward her, “—weighs a ton.”

“It does?” Twilight glanced over to the one on her back, “... I guess I hadn’t noticed. But weight wasn’t really a factor when I designed these. They’re only prototypes after all.”

“So what are they then?” Pinkie bounced over to the table and eyed the pack between Rainbow’s hooves.

“I call it the Harmony Pack. They’re meant as a proof of concept that we could harness magic from the elements using technology, as an alternative to the Elements of Harmony that doesn’t endanger the tree.”

Twilight checked her straps one last time, then turned to the other side of the pack and flipped a large red switch. It instantly started vibrating and humming, and several lights blinked on at the top. Twilight continued, “They charge by channelling harmonic energy directly from the tree and storing it internally.” She tapped a gauge on the side. It wobbled and levelled at twenty-five percent.

She then unclipped the nozzle from its holster and held it up for Rainbow and Pinkie to see. There was a strap and lever at the base of the nozzle that allowed her to fit it snugly to her hoof, and engage the lever with the other.

“Now, once they’re fully charged,” Twilight flipped a switch on the nozzle, causing the pack’s humming to grow louder and the diode to start glowing in multiple colours, “They can be used to generate a beam of pure harmonic energy towards any target.”

Twilight pointed the nozzle to the far side of the room and, to demonstrate, pulled the lever on her nozzle.

Several feet away Spike was still mumbling to himself about his lack of sleep as he fiddled with something at the base of a Discord-shaped cut-out when, suddenly, there was a loud crack and the sound of thunder.

He bolted upright and swung around only having a moment to grab his head and throw himself to the ground, “Holy—” as a twisting beam of rainbow energy shot past overhead, obliterating the target.

Twilight turned back around with the nozzle still smoking and the gauge on the side now reading fifteen percent – “is instantly vaporised,” Twilight cradled the nozzle in her hooves, “Of course, it’s perfectly safe for you and me.”

“I know,” Twilight nodded, “These packs are designed to tap into the latent magic produced by the tree of Harmony in much the same way as the Elements of Harmony.” She twisted a knob on her own pack and it sprung to life with a low hum. Several lights turned on at the top and a gauge on the side bobbed around before levelling at twenty percent. “They charge and store the energy in onboard cells, and”— She grabbed a nozzle hanging from the pack’s side and twisted the lever making the pack hum even louder. The end of the nozzle glowed brightly – “can be used to direct a beam of pure, and unfiltered, Harmonic Energy towards your target.”

To demonstrate, Twilight flipped the safety on her pack’s nozzle and pointed it to the far end of the room, “Any chaotic, evil, or relatively unfriendly force that comes into contact with said beam”— She pulled the lever and a there was a bright flash, and a rainbow beam arced and wobbled at the speed of light, almost scorching several pieces of equipment on its way as it sped towards its target.

“... yeah ... right,” Spike commented as he trudged past with a puff of smoke trailing from his singed tail, “I’m going back to bed.”

“Now,” Twilight reared up on her hind legs, pumped the trigger lever on her back pack starting its humming anew and shot a glare to Rainbow Dash, “Shades me.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Come on Twi, I don’t carry those things everywhere with me.”

Twilight said nothing. Both she and Pinkie gave Rainbow Dash knowing glances, and the Pegasus caved under the pressure, “... fine.” She whipped out a pair of dark glasses from her Hammerspace and tossed them over to Twilight.

The princess caught the glasses mid arc in her magic and set them squarely on her face. They slid down an inch and she pushed them back up and held them there with a hoof, “Let’s go get some ghosties.”

~ ~ ~

1:15 AM, Berry Punch residence, Ponyville (again)

The house was exactly as they’d left it. The couch still slide back against the staircase, the hat rack lying on its side next to the front entrance—though now pushed against the wall and broken after they kicked the door in – and the gh--- No, no, the ghost was gone. So it was almost exactly as they’d left it.

Twilight stopped at the mantel piece as she trotted across the room. The picture frames from before had been knocked over by the explosion and lay haphazardly, some even on the floor. The picture she’d picked up last time was on its back in the middle of a black scorch mark in the shape of a pear about the size of her hoof. Strangely, the picture inside was completely blank.

She flipped the page over with the end of her nozzle and ducked back expecting something to happen.

Nothing.

She frowned, “Pinkie Pie, any readings?”

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were near the orange and red—now slightly scorched — sofa, Pinkie standing and Rainbow sitting. Both had their packs on, with Pinkie donning a pair of night vision goggles around her forehead. Pinkie pulled out her ghost detector and gave it a quick shake next to her ear. She eyed the banana and blew bubbles into the straw, inflating the juice box slight, “Nope,” then left it to hang at her side.

“Strange,” Twilight levitated her nozzle back to its holster and rubbed a hoof across her chin, “It was just here,”— She flicked a hoof towards Rainbow – “Okay, Rainbow, you take the upstairs. Check all the rooms.”

“Right, Twilight” Rainbow saluted and stood up. She adjusted the pack to keep it from digging into her sides, and started up the stairs.

Twilight continued, “Pinkie Pie, you’re with me. Keep your eyes peeled and tell me on the slightest signs of any ghosts.”

“Okie-dokie,” She pulled the goggles over her eyes and turned them on.

~ ~ ~

Rainbow Dash came to the first room, the bedroom, and opened the door cautiously. The first thing inside was the nozzle of her Harmony Pack. Pegasus hovered inches off the ground holding it in front of her as she slinked slowly into the room.

Rainbow flicked the light switch with the edge of a wing. Nothing happened, Just my luck, light’s out, and she settled for squinting into the darkness.

From what she could see, this must have been Berry Pinch’s room. The place was a complete pig-sty. The bed was an unmade mess, with cushions scattered all across the floor and the sheets crumpled and dishevelled. She also faintly felt small objects on the floor as she passed them by under her hooves—presumably lego or some other night-time hazard.

Rainbow Dash stopped in the middle of the room and did one more look around. It really did remind her of herself when she was that age.

RAINBOW DASH, QUICK!

A sudden cry from downstairs broke her out of her reverie, “Oh, shi—” and she almost dropped the nozzle of her Harmony Pack, “Coming Twilight!”

~ ~ ~

Rainbow dashed into the kitchen to the sound of a large commotion. She skidded to a halt at the door and ducked, dodging a barrage of kitchen knives lodging them securely into the doorframe.

The kitchen was in utter chaos, “Rainbow Dash, quick!” Twilight shouted from her spot, “Your Harmony Pack!” and ducked behind an upturned dining-room table next to Pinkie whilst they both tried to aim their Harmony Packs and protect themselves from flying projectiles at the same time.

The ghost floated in the middle of the room, with several kitchen implements floating around and poking out of it, shaking and roaring in rage as two as two beams skirted across its chest. The kitchen cabinets added to the din with their frantic slamming and clattering.

Rainbow blinked and glanced to the pack on her back, suddenly remembering, “Oh, right!” She grabbed the nozzle, turned the dial, and slammed the trigger, adding her own beam to the others.

The ghost shook more violently and the smell of ozone filled the room. It was slammed back against the cabinets shattering several doors in a shower of splinters and hot slime.

RAAAARGGHHH

The ghost snarled one more time pushed away from the cabinets. Everypony turned after it, keeping their beams focused, and Twilight and Pinkie stepped forward closer to Rainbow Dash.

They now had the creature cornered. It was stuck in the right corner between the fridge and the stove. There was no way out and they could see the hints of a victory. Patches of the ghost’s body were staring to form bubbles around where the beams connected.

“We almost have him,” Twilight whispered. She stuck out her tongue as she focused on keeping her beam dead centre.

The ghost seemed to know this. It looked around frantically then grabbed the edge of the fridge and began to pull. The large appliance tipped and felt down with a loud crash, forcing Rainbow and Twilight to jump backwards to safety.

Their beams wavered and lost their mark, and the ghost sped over the toppled fridge, knocking Rainbow Dash out of the way, and heading out into the living room.

“Don’t let it get away!” All three ponies rushed out after it and re-engaged their Harmony Packs. They took up even stances around the ghost and focused their beams on its chest.

The smell of ozone was getting stronger, and Rainbow noticed the ghost swelling up, “Um, Twilight,” Rainbow shouted over the noise, “It’s getting bigger!”

“I see that,” Twilight shouted through gritted teeth, “Just give me a—” she shifted the nozzle in her grip, “—a minute, I’ll think of something.”

“You’d better hurry Twilight!” Pinkie was standing in front of the mantel piece, watching as the ghost grew to nearly double its original size.

The smell of ozone was now burning their noses and the ghost was reaching triple its size. Its entire body was bubbling violently as it struggled to dislodge itself from the ceiling. It gave one last roar before suddenly.

BOOM

It exploded. All three ponies, and much of the whole house, were covered in a thick layer of green slime.

Twilight stared in gaping astonishment whilst a look of pure filly glee came over Rainbow Dash. Both of their wings flared up in unison, “It ...worked?”

“That... Was...” Rainbow Dash dropped her nozzle and clapped her hooves together, then leaped into the air pumping her hoof into the sky, “Awesome!”

Pinkie licked the layer of slime off her face, “Mmmm... Goosberry.”

Rainbow cringed, “Pinkie Pie, don’t eat it.”

Pinkie shrugged, “What? It’s good,” and began licking the slime off her hooves as well, much to Rainbow’s disgust.

Twilight still sat wide-eyed. Silently, under her breath she spoke, “... that worked?” She shook her head, “No wait,” Now slightly more confidently, “That worked!” She then cupped her head in her hoof, “I mean” and again under her breath, “... wow.”

Something else sparked in the Alicorn’s head as she remembered something from earlier, “Mayor Mare!” Twilight used a spell to shock the goo off and bolted for the front door.

“Twilight, wait!” Rainbow called after, “What about the—”

“Let Berry take care of it!” Twilight cut her off as she ran outside and took flight, “We’ve something more important to worry about!”

Chapter 3

1:16 AM, Town Hall, Ponyville

Ditzy Doo alighted in the middle of town square and bolted up the front steps of town hall. She pushed down on the door’s handle and moved forward, wholeheartedly expecting it to open for her.

Instead she came to some resistance and face planted into the hard oak wood, “Ow.” She rubbed her sore muzzle and cast an intimidating glare towards the pair of inanimate objects.

She squinted and rubbed her left eye, then tilted her head sideways so they could both focus together and the two doors merged back into a single, much cleared one. I’m sure this was the right door. She looked to both sides to be sure. There weren’t any other doors so it had to be this one.

Ditzy jiggled the handle and pushed again, then took a short flight out into the middle of town square.

“Okay, door,” she seethed between clenched teeth and squinted so her eyes can focus together offending piece of wood. She began in a calm tone, “I know we’ve had our differences, but now’s not the time. I’m going to give you to the count to three to let me in.”

A moment as Ditzy awaited the door’s responce.

“One” She began counting. The door, for the most part, did nothing.

“Two,” Ditzy widened her stance and lowered her head.

“Three.” She concluded her counting with a throaty battle cry, “YAHHH!”, and ran full tilt towards the entrance.

The door swung open and a brown stallion peeked his head through to look around, “Hold on now, I thought I heard somepony at the d—“

It was like being hit by a freight train. One minute Dr Hooves had been standing at the entrance looking out at a largely deserted town square, that he must admit looked rather lovely at this time of night, the next he was being crushed between a pile of grey fur and feathers and presumably whoever had been standing behind him.

“I’m so, so sorry!” Ditzy shook her head and muttered out an apology, then started struggling to extract herself from the pile of tangled limbs.

She pulled the first hoof free and used it to get some leverage to pull herself off the pile. She then helped Dr Hooves up and picked up his scarf off the ground.

“That’s uh, quite all right there, Ditzy,” Dr Hooves was wobbled and leaned against the mare until he could right himself. He held a hoof to his head and waited until his eyes stopped spinning.

Whilst she held the doctor and waited for him to recover, Ditzy took in the surroundings. The tiny building was packed full with ponies, far more than she’d expected. They were all mulling around causing a commotion but left her and the doctor enough room to breathe whilst they recovered from their mishap.

She caught a few snippets of conversations talking about ghosts, and a low chant of ponies calling out for help from Mayor Mare who she presumed must be at the head of this crowd. “Wait; are you all here to see Mayor Mare?” She turned to the doctor.

“Oh yes,” Dr Hooves pushed himself away from Ditzy’s chest, shook off his shock and nodded.

“Oh, my,” was Ditzy’s only response. She turned her back to the doctor and scanned across the crowd.

“It seems we’ve all been hit with some haunting or another.” The doctor continued, not noticing Ditzy’s lack of interest, “Why, it was just an hour ago that my equipment started t—”

“That’s fascinating, Doctor”— Ditzy spotted Mayor Mare standing not far away, behind a podium on top of a stage opposite the room– “But I really can’t stay and chat, I need to speak to Mayor Mare,” She started trotting in that direction and waved goodbye to Dr Hooves, “thanks for letting me in and bye.”

“... oh,” Dr Hooves’ ears sank, “Okay.”

~ ~ ~

Mayor Mare stood at the head of the crowd, leaning against her podium and waving her gavel in the air as she tried to subdue the situation, “Ponies, please!” She shouted over the loud din and hammered her gavel against the podium, “I know you’re all concerned about the situation with these ghosts—”

“But you have to do something, Mayor Mare!” A panicked voice sounded from the back of the room. Roseluck, with the other members of the flower trio, Lily and Daisy, stood out in the crowd. They all had their fair share of scrapes and bruises, and a shower of leaves was thrown into the air as Roseluck shook her mane.

There were several groans in response, and Mayor Mare felt the sudden urge to rub her temples. If there was anypony who could blow something out of proportion, it was these three.

Roseluck held up a bushel of wilting Daisies and pointed with her other hoof, “How are we supposed to sell these!?”

“Yeah!” Lily, no less distraught than Roseluck, shouted whilst she fanned a fainted Daisy, “What kinds of daisies bite ponies!?”

Daisy kicked and pushed Lily out of her way as she exclaimed, “It’s not natural!” then slumped back and returned to being unconscious.

There was a faint grumbling across the room as ponies reluctantly agreed. On the other side of the room, another voice sounded, “And I have to teach school in the morning.”

Attention turned to where Cheerilee sat with her back to the wall and a towel wrapped around her shoulders. She wiped her nose with a tissue and tossed it into the trash as she spoke, “I can’t do that if the school is under— Achoo.” A loud sneeze shook the mare, and several ponies around her took a wide pace backwards. She sniffed, “Underwater.”

Several fillies cried out in joy, and then immediately again in pain as their cheeks were slapped by their angy mothers. The adults in the room nodded in agreement.

Attention returned to Mayor Mare. “Well, um” the mayor stammer. She glanced around the room at the sea of frowning ponies, “I- I’m sure Princess Twilight is working on a solution as we speak.”

“You already said that!”

“Where is she?”

The ponies continued to look to her with blank stared. Mayor Mare gulped, “Well, we, just have to.” She pulled at her collar, suddenly feeling like it was getting tight, Did it get hot in here or..., “It’s not the end of the world w—”

“It’s the end of the world!” Daisy screamed and was immediately joined by several more as the room exploded into chaos. Ponies started screaming and running round, bumping into each other as they passed.

“Enough!” Mayor Mare shouted, but her voice was hardly heard over the commotion.

The ponies continued running around, but quickly found themselves running out of any place to run to. They started bumping into each other and eventually most of them settled to stand in place, stomping their hooves whilst screaming, whilst others huddled together into ‘panic’ hugs, also screaming.

Mayor Mare began beating her gavel as hard as she could, trying to calm the situation, “Everypony calm down!” Her voice cracked in the middle from the strain and she was just about to go for the third swing when the head flew went flying off the handle. The Mayor’s hoof came down painfully hard against the podium, cracking it, whilst the head of her gavel went flying into the crowd where it bounced off several ponies’ heads before clattering to the floor.

However unconventional, it had worked. The panicking suddenly died down and everypony froze as they were. All eyes and ears turned to the stage.

Mayor Mare huffed and set her, now useless, gavel down and re-buttoned her collar, “It is not the end of the world. We just have t—”

“Mayor Mare!” A bubbly voice sounded in front of the stage cutting her off. Several ponies yelped and jumped aside, and several apologies were heard before a grey Pegasus finally pushed her way to the front.

Ditzy blushed and apologised again, “Sorry,” and weathered several ponies’ gazes as she began to clamber onto the stage.

The mayor watched with a raised eyebrow whilst Ditzy spent close to a full minute scrambled against the wood, holding on with her front legs and waggling her hind in vain to find some traction. She flapped her wings several times until finally, somepony in the crowd took pity and used their magic to give her an extra push. Ditzy bounced up onto the stage and ran straight to Mayor Mare’s side where she grabbed a hoof, dropped to her knees, and began to beg, “Mayor Mare, you’ve got to help me!”

“Ditzy, I’m sorry,” The mayor apologised. She pulled Ditzy back up and and guided the distraught mare to the side, “but you’re going to have to wait your turn.”

“But it’s—” A door slam, a collective gasp from the crowd, and a loud commotion cut the mare off.

Both Mayor Mare and Ditzy turned to watch as the crowd turned around, then parted slowly revealing Princess Twilight Sparkle, with a hoof leaned against the door, wheezing and gasping for breath.

Twilight took a deep breath and stepped into the room proper, using her magic to close the door behind her. She’d flown here as quickly as she could and, judging by the cramps in her wings, she was going to regret that decision the next time she has to get out of bed; whenever that may be.

I really shouldn’t have cancelled those flying lessons with Rainbow Dash. Though, in retrospect, it probably would have been faster if she’d just teleported. Twilight mentally kicked herself and put a smile on for the crowd, and made her way to the front stage.

Mayor Mare rushed to greet the princess, and offered a hoof to help her onto the stage, “Please tell me you have something,” spoke quickly under her breath, “I’m dying out there.”

“Don’t worry, Mayor Mare.” Twilight encouraged. She put a hoof on the Mayor’s shoulder and walked with her back to the podium, “I can take it from her, can you just get me a list of all occurrences ordered by location and cross indexed by severity?”

“Hmm” Mayor Mare bit her lip, “Yeah, um. I think I can do that.”

“Okay, thanks.” She left the Mayor to complete her task, and turned to face the crowd of ponies now staring at her with wide eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything Ditzy Do was all over her.

“Twilight, you have to h—”

Twilight held up a hoof, silencing the mare mid sentence, “Sorry, Derpy. But can this wait?”

Ditzy’s ears drooped. Twilight always called her that, not that it’s particularly offensive. It’s just she wished the princess would at least spare the time to learn her real name. She opted to say nothing, and instead took a step back out of Twilight’s space to watch from the background.

“Ahem,” Twilight cleared her throat and turned back to the ponies, “Thank you all for your patience. I’ve done some research”—Or as much as is possible in the middle of the night with but one cup of coffee and a sugar crazed mare building forts from one’s books, Twilight wanted to say, but she really wanted to keep this short, “I’ve done some research and I believe we have a solution.”

“Twilight, what’s going on?” One mare in the back asked.

Twilight pointed, “Yes, I’m glad you asked that question,” then shook her head, “I’m still working on that part, but we do have a way to get rid of these ‘ghost’.”

A moment, whilst Twilight waited for any follow up questions. When none came, she continued. “I’ve put together a team and—”

“A ghost squad?”

“Well, actually,” Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof as she thought to herself, “I was going to go for ‘Twilight Sparkle’s Task Team for the Investigation and Dispersal of Ghosts and Other Such Paranormal Anomalies Around Ponyville’, but I suppose ‘Ghost Squad’ works too.”

“We’ve already had a relative success in Berry Punch’s house. I’m now focused on expanding our efforts across the rest of Ponyville.” A soft wave of cheers washed over the room, Twilight continued, “But I guarantee you all. ‘Ghost Squad’ is on the case.”

She left the pedestal and stepped down from the stage, where she was promptly met by Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, “Are we really going to go though the whole town?” Rainbow asked.

“That’s the plan,” Twilight nodded as she accepted a large scroll handed her way by Mayor Mare, “Thanks. Now let’s see what we ha—” Twilight levitated the scroll up in front of her and let it unravel in her grasp.

The bottom roller dropped to the floor and continued rolling for several feet. Twilight’s eye went wide as she gazed over the long list of names, “Wow, that’s more than I expected. Okay new plan.” She gathered up the scroll and ripped it into three smaller lists and levitated the first two over to Rainbow and Pinkie, “We’re going to split up. You two take the east and north side, whilst I take the south and west.”

“Okay! Let’s go!” Pinkie snatched her piece out of the air and grabbed Rainbow’s hoof to drag her along out to the wait.

“Wait hold on, Pinkie.” Rainbow resisted and stood firm. She turned to Twilight to ask, “What do you mean split up? We could barely beat the first one with all three of us!”

“Believe me,” Twilight said in a flat tone and reach out to grab something from Rainbow’s mane.

She pulled off a string of green slime and flicked it to the ground, “One pack is plenty, but if you do need more, you can find the flow regulator on the left. It can be used to increase the output but it also increases the recharge time so you only want to use it when you absolutely have to, understand?”

“Okay,” Rainbow checked her pack. Indeed there was a small knob on the side. It was currently set to a moderate one, but the markings indicated it could go all the way up to eleven.

“Right then, let’s go.”

Twilight was about to follow her friend out when she was stopped by a hoof on her shoulder. She turned around to find a distraught, and every so slightly peeved, Ditzy Doo.

“Okay, what is it?”

“Dinky’s in trouble!” Ditzy shouted.

“Mother of Faust, Derpy!” Twilight shouted, grabbing the mare by the sides and shaking her, “Why didn’t you tell me!?”

“I tried b—”

“No time!” She practically dragged Ditzy after her as she headed for the door, “Come one, Derpy, lead the way.”

~ ~ ~

1:30 AM, Ditzy’s House, Ponyville

The house was relatively easy to find, all they had to do was follow the massive column of green smoke pouring from its chimney and blanketing the sky, as well as the bright glow filling the night as the entire building seemed to pulsate.

Twilight and Ditzy hovered above the building considering their options, “Okay, so where do you think Dinky will be?”

“Well...” Ditzy trailed off. One of her eyes drifted away to look at a flower stand in the distance. Twilight tried to ignore it as she waited for Ditzy.

The eye suddenly snapped back to Twilight and the other bobbed down to look her hooves, “Last time I saw her she was in her bedroom, I don’t think she would have left it.”

“Okay” Twilight nodded and looked over the building. Most of her view was dominated by a large red slanted roof facing the road, with an extra outcropping forming a ‘T’ shape with the rest. She hovered slightly lower and tried to focus on the window in front, likely a window onto an attic—this building didn’t seem large enough to have an entire second floor.

However, no matter how hard Twilight looked, she couldn’t make out anything inside. The light spilling through the windows was just too bright. “Is her bedroom on the ground floor?” She finally asked.

“Yup! It’s next to mine in the back.”

“Great, then this should be easy. We can get in through the back yard.”

Twilight tilted her wings and directed her descent. She came down in an open section of grass behind the house and ran up to take cover under one of the window sills. She reached behind her and flipped a few switches on her pack resuming its silent thrumming, and then leaned out to look through the window.

Okay, perfect, Twilight though to herself as she observed the inside. It was the kitchen. There was nopony—or better yet no ghosts—to be seen, only a green hue that pervaded the entire scene. She lit her horn and was about to teleport inside when a sudden crash broke Twilight’s concentration.

She turned around to find Ditzy Doo slumped over one of the bird baths, “Ditzy!” Twilight snapped, “What are you doing?”

“Sorry, Twilight,” Ditzy apologised and rolled over the side of the bird bath. She pounced back up to her hooves and flicked the water off her wings, then trotted up to join Twilight at the window, “I guess it was a little closer than I thought.”

“No, not that. I need you to stay back at a safe distance.”

“What?” Ditzy raised an eyebrow and looked at Twilight with a confused expression, “Why?”

“ I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Now hold on Twilight,” Ditzy put her muzzle up into the Princess’ face as she spoke, “I’m not going to stand idly by whilst my daughter needs me.”

The princess was taken aback. She tried to take a step back, but found herself stuck between Ditzy and the wall. She frowned, “Derpy, I know you’re concerned but you have to trust me when I say it’s too dangerous.”

“No.” Ditzy was adamant, “I’m going with, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

Twilight groaned, “Derpy, I can’t—”

“Yes you can, I’ll be fine.”

“... fine” Twilight relented with a sign, much to Ditzy’s satisfaction, and shoved her out of her face, “Just do what I say and keep quiet.”

Ditzy nodded, “Okay” and put on a serious face, “You won’t regret this, Twilight.”

“I certainly hope not.”

~ ~ ~

Ditzy Doo was the first to squeeze through the open window. She pulled her torso through, knocking several post and pans off the counter and splashing across the sink as she wriggled to get her wings free. Finally hooked her forelegs over the edge of the counter and gave one last pull.

She came free with a loud pop and somersaulted forward onto the tiled floor, crashing down on top of the pans and sending them clattering across the ground, then bounced back up to her hooves and looked around, “It’s all clear!” She cupped a hoof over her muzzle and shouted out the window.

A flash of magic, Twilight teleported in next to her, “Seriously, you couldn’t have waited another second?” Ditzy opened her mouth to respond but was halted by a hoof to her mouth, “That was a rhetorical question.” Twilight motioned a hoof after her, “Come on.”

They both hurried out of the kitchen into the corridor, checking both ways, and then proceeding towards the bedroom. Ditzy lead the way and stopped at a pink door on the left with a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign plastered across the top, “Here it is.”

Twilight nodded and tried the handle. It was locked, “Okay, stand back.” She flipped a switch on her Harmony Pack, and gave it a moment to warm up, then pushed Ditzy behind her and kicked the door in.

There was a loud crack as the hinges came loose and, taking a large chunk of the wall with it, the door cave inwards. Twilight jumped into the room and bounded across the door lying in the way, and pointing the nozzle forwards as she checked out the inside of the room.

A bookshelf filled with textbooks, children’s stories, and a pile of expired library books stood against the wall to the left. To the right was a double bed with Coloratura themed covering, neatly made and a dresser also neatly packed.

There was only one thing that Twilight noticed to be out of place, “Where is she?”

“I could have sworn she was in here,” Ditzy commented from her position in the entrance and cast a walled eye glance across the room, “I even locked the door to make sure she couldn’t escape.”

“You locked the door?”

“Yeah”

“Ditzy, what exactly did you say was wrong with Dinky?”

“She’s—”

WWRAAAAARRAAA!!

Both mares jumped as a high-pitched squealing filled the room and something came down on Twilight from the ceiling, “Ah!” She screamed and clutched at her face, “Get her off!”

“Hold on, Twilight!” Ditzy rushed to her rescue and grabbed at Dinky to begin pulling her off, “Dinky, no, bad.” She scolded the filly as she peeled her off of Twilight.

Dinky hissed and sunk her hooves into Twilight’s mane, “Ah! Ow, ow, that hurts!”

“Hold on, Twilight,” Ditzy gave one last pull and the filly came flying off. She did a backflip over Ditzy’s head and landed on all fours behind them, then gave one last hiss before scurrying out through the open doorway.

“Oh my Celestia, Twilight, I’m so sorry.” Ditzy pulled Twilight into a hug to try and comfort her.

“Uh, I wonder if Rainbow Dash and Pinkie are having this much trouble...”

~ ~ ~

About the same time, Somewhere Else in Ponyville

GRAAAAGH

The ferocious growls and chirps of many vampire fruit bats filled the night. One such creature, floated across the moon revealing its translucent form, baring its fangs and its claws, when suddenly a bolt of energy arced across its side blowing it to smithereens.

“Nice shot!” Pinkie shouted over the noise and high hoofed Rainbow Dash.

“Thanks!” They both stood back-to-back, firing off beams of energy at the swarms of ghosts swirling around them, “This is a total breeze.”

They both ducked as one flew low over head. Pinkie aimed her nozzle and blew it out of the sky and the smouldering remains hurtled head long into a flock of the beasts knocking them out of the sky, “Strike!” She pumped her hoof and turned to respond Rainbow Dash, “Tell me about it!”

Chapter 4

“Don’t let her get away!” Twilight practically screamed. She pushed Ditzy out of her way, trying to ignore the stinging scrape marks up her face, or the torn out clumps of fur, and dashed for the door.

She leapt over the collapsed door and out into the corridor, and stopped to check where the filly might have gone. The high-pitched cackling and tiny snarls of the filly sounded from her left, back towards the living room.

With a flash of her horn, she took the quick route and teleported to the end of the corridor, and took up position in the middle of the entranceway. There was no way she was going to let the filly escape this time.

She stood guard in the doorway, nozzle ready, and scanned the room for the tiny menace. A loud hiss caught twilight’s attention. She turned her gaze upwards.

In any other situation Twilight would have considered her absolutely adorable. Even now, despite the logical side of her brain beating her over the head with reality; she couldn’t help but choke back a d’aww at the purple filly hanging from the ceiling in front of her.

She was baring her teeth in a vain attempt to look scary whilst she swiped a hoof at Twilight, using the other to hold herself aloft as she swung from the edge of an old grandfather clock like.

But looking beyond that, Twilight could also tell there was something clearly wrong. Dinky’s were glaring daggers at her, and jumped back and forth madly around the room. She could also make out a faint glow hanging around Dinky’s horn and eyes. She was clearly possessed.

DING

A bell chimed on the back of her pack, and a renewed rumbling reminded Twilight what she was here to, “Okay, Dinky.” Twilight began in a calming voice, speaking slowly as she stepped further into the room, “Now I’m not going to hurt you,” the pack’s nozzle and hose levitated out to Twilight’s side, and slowly turned up to point close to Dinky.

“Now, please, come down to Auntie Twilight,” She was now almost to the grandfather clock and had a hoof held out, reaching the crazed filly.

Dinky only seemed to cower away from her, shuffling back further along the top of the grandfather clock, and then scrambling onto the top where she remained huddled like a cat.

Twilight took another step forward, and was spreading her wings to fly closer, when suddenly a familiar voice sounded from behind her, “Twilight, wait!” and somepony tackled her to the ground.

She was thrown sideways against the coffee table, and before she knew it there was a pony sitting on her chest trying to wrench the nozzle out of her magical grasp, “Ditzy, what are you doing!?” On instinct Twilight pulled the nozzle closer, wrapped her hooves around it, not wanting to give it up.

There was more struggling, more grunting, and suddenly a click sounded between them. The pack suddenly sprang to life, shocking both mares, and almost singing Ditzy’s mane as it spewed a beam of magic across the room. It wavered as the two struggled and blazed a dark scorch mark across the ceiling, all the while Dinky watched in stunned awe at the scene from her front row seat atop the grandfather clock.

The two rolled over off the table, and continued struggling on the floor. The beam from the pack swerved and shot across the face of the grandfather clock, destroying it instantly and kicking up a cloud of sawdust and shattered clockwork.

Twilight was finally able to kick Ditzy off and clambered back to her hooves. She fumbled with the nozzle and turned back to the corner where Dinky had been moments before, only to find the smouldering remains of the clock, and no filly in sight.

Twilight’s eye twitched and she caught a flash or motion out of the corner of her eye. She spun around, aiming the pack forward, only to find herself staring at an open window, with the curtains fluttering.

Twilight fumed, “Derpy, what the hay!?” and rounded on Ditzy, “Why did you do that? I almost had her!”

Ditzy, still sitting next to the coffee table, shook her head and slowly got to her hooves, “I’m sorry, Twilight,” She stepped around the coffee table and grabbed Twilight’s hoof, “I don’t know what got into me, but please don’t hurt Dinky.”

Her ears were dropped and she was staring to Twilight with that usual wonky gaze. As she watched, she could see as Ditzy’s eyes misted and one of them bobbed up, pulling itself away from the vase in the corner to join its friend in looking into Twilight’s eyes.

Twilight faltered, “Um,” and pulled back her hoof. She quickly recovered and put the same hoof around Ditzy’s shoulders, “It’s okay, okay? I’m not going to hurt her, the pack would just... Fix her.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well...” Twilight pulled her hoof back to rub her chin, “Technically it hasn’t been tested on a live pony be,” Ditzy’s eyes were beginning to water and Twilight quickly backpedalled her scholarly rant, “Oh, um” She stammered and clicked her hoof for the right words, “I mean yeah, it’s perfectly safe.”

“...Okay.”

“...But,” Twilight dragged on the word, glancing around the room to keep from making eye contact with the Pegasus, “If it makes you feel any better I won’t use the pack on her.” Her horn lit for a second and a switch on the pack changed positions. It’s humming slowly died and the nozzle was returned to its holster, “We’ll just have catch her the old fashioned way, safely, and figure out something to do then.”

“Okay, I’d like that.”

“Great,” She gestured over her shoulder, “Now let’s go find Dinky before she starts causing trouble.”

~ ~ ~

2:15 AM, Spitting Pony Plaza, Ponyville

Rainbow Dash was sitting on the edge of the fountain, fidgeting and looking around nerviously. She had her Harmony Pack set down beside her, and leaning against the fountain as it slowly recharged. Rainbow fidgeted again, and called out behind her, “Pinkie Pie, what’s taking you so long?”

“Phew,” Pinkie Pie trotted out of a nearby building, wiping the sweat from her brow. She stood in the doorway and blew out the line of smoke streaming from her pack’s nozzle then, with a twirl and a flurry of her hoof, she holstered it and bounded out into the plaza.

“That one was a doozy,” Pinkie Pie spoke as she rounded the fountain.

“I’ll say,” Rainbow Dash shouted back, and began getting ready to go as soon as she heard Pinkie approaching from behind. She stood up and stretched her out wings, then grabbed her Harmony Pack to heave it onto her back.

Rainbow Dash looked up from fiddling with the straps, noticing Pinkie stopping in front her. She raised an eyebrow, “Um, Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie Pie blinked, “What?” and tilted her head. A pair of bat wings sticking out of the top of her mane twitched and wobbled s she turned her head to look behind her, “What?” She turned back and looked down her snout, and attempted to feel inside her mouth with a hoof, “Is there something in my teeth?”

“No, it’s—” Rainbow made a move to point at the wings sticking out of Pinkie’s mane but before she could do so they gave a slight twitch and, as Pinkie’s mane wobbled around, began to sink deeper into the pink mass. Rainbow watched in silent awe as the pair of wings were slowly consumed by the mass of hair, eventually vanishing entirely with an audible pop. With the foreign object ‘consume’, Rainbow presumed, the mane bounced back to it’s normal shape.

She let her hoof drop and closed her mouth, “... Never mind,” and chocked it up as yet another Pinkie thing, “Hey, can I see that list again?”

“Sure, just give me a second,” Pinkie reached into her mane and began digging around. Her eyes crossed and she stuck out her tongue as she dug deeper into her mane, until eventually she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the torn-off piece of scroll from earlier, and passed it to Rainbow Dash.

“Thanks.” Taking it in her hooves, she let it unroll in her hooves, picked up the pen packaged inside, and began going over the list to check items off, “Berry Punch?”

“Eeyup, we did that one first,” Pinkie nodded.

“Okay,” she made a mark next to the name, “Have we done Colgate?” She looked up from the list for a moment, “Or was it Minuette? I can never tell those two apart.”

“Giant floating toothbrush?”

“Yeah.”

“That was Colgate.”

“Okay.” Rainbow Dash made another mark on the list, commenting as she wrote, “I’m never going to trust a dentist’s office again.”

“I never have.”

This elicited a snort from Rainbow. She finished writing her note and continued down the list, “Okay, Carrot Top,” She read the name aloud and glanced to the house in front of them.

It had no garden in front, but there were plenty of window pots to make up for the lack of greenery. Unfortunately most of them where damaged when the ‘ghost’—she was still a little foggy on what Twilight wanted them to call these things—broke through the windows to try and escape. The roof had shingles— or rather it did when they got here. Most of them now lay in smashed up heaps around the house.

As they watched, another couple shingles slid off the roof and came crashing down next to the street. Hopefully Carrot Top wouldn’t notice.

She turned her back to the scene, ticking off Carrot’s name, and unrolled the bottom of the page to read the last items, “That leaves only two more places: Applejack’s Barn, or... Sugar Cube Corner.”

Pinkie gasped, “Wait what!?” and grabbed the list to check for herself. She frantically eyed the page as she asked, “My place?”

~ ~ ~

2:30 AM, Sugar Cube Corner, Ponyville

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were gathered outside the front entrance preparing for battle. Rainbow had her Harmony Pack at the ready, and stood with her back to the wall on the left side of the entranceway whilst Pinkie stood on the right.

She tapped her hoof expectantly against the wall whilst Pinkie fiddled with her night-vision goggles, “Come one, Pinkie let’s go.”

Pinkie finished adjusting her goggles, finally getting them to sit straight on her forehead. She let them go and held her position for a moment, holding her hooves up and watching for any sighs of movement.

When it was looking like they would finally stay in place, the front curl of her mane sprung back up. It knocked the goggles clear off her face and sent them flying to who knows where. Pinkie sighed, giving up, and picked up her pack’s nozzle, “Okay, let’s go.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and stepped round to face the door. She quickly unlocked it and pushed it inwards, allowing it to swing the rest of the way.

The door swung open and a wave of stench hit Rainbow like a brick wall, making her recoil in disgust. She felt nausea bubbling in her gut and had to back away from the door way. She grabbed Pinkie Pie put her between herself and the horrid smell, pressing a hoof to her mouth after feeling like she was going to vomit.

“Ugh, what is that—” Her stomach did another summersault, “I think I’m going to—” a faint belch escaped her lips and Rainbow turned a sickly green.

Pinkie Pie leaned out and sniffed the cloud of stench creeping out from the open door; “Mm” She licked her lips, “Gorgonzola truffle cheese cake delight, my favourite!”

“Really, Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and looked to Pinkie. Choosing to ignore it, she covered her nose with her wing, pushed forward and entered the building.

The inside of Sugar Cube Corner was completely quiet. In the middle of the room was a large round table, adorned by a pink table cloth, settings for at least twelve ponies, and a large three tier, cream coloured cake, adorned by blue and brown splotches and the figure of a green filly at its top.

The stench was clearly coming from the cake, and by the looks of how the chairs all lay haphazardly, scattered around the room, whoever was here must of left in quite a hurry.

One half of the room, towards the back and behind the cake, was bathed in a faint green light. As Rainbow and Pinkie rounded the large table, the light grew brighter and its source slowly came into view: a swirling vortex hanging above the cash register.

Shadows rippled across the shop as the portal’s surface shimmered.

Hey could hear distant howls coming from it as they approached, “Woah, cool,” Pinkie said silently and trotted up to the portal to get a closer look.

“Careful, Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash warned.

“Don’t worry, Dashie,” Pinkie waved her off nonchalantly and leaned against the portal with a hoof, “It’s not like we don’t deal with this stuff almost every week,” Her hoof started to sink into the portal, coating her foreleg in a thick gooey substance before she pulled it back and stepped away, “Give or take hiatuses,” She concluded with a wide grin as she whipped off the goo.

Rainbow stared at the pony for a moment, with an expression that clearly reads: What are you talking about. At length, she shook it off, “... still, who knows what could be on the other side. We’d better keep an eye out for anything” —

A low, deep growl started from behind and both ponies froze in their tracks, — “Suspicious” They stared ahead in silence with wide eyes, “Uh...” Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie, “... was that you?”

“Nuh huh” Pinkie shook her head, “I thought it was yours.”

“Why would I be—” Another growl, this time lower. They both turned around and looked over their shoulders at the table behind them.

The cake sitting in the middle shuddered, shaking the entire table and knocking another chair over, then a faint green glow overcame it, “Oh no,” Pinkie gasped, “Not the cake—” she began to shout but found herself silenced by another hoof in her mouth.

Rainbow Dash glared at her. “Don’t make any - sudden - movements,” she whispered, not taking her eyes off the cake, “If we’re lucky it hasn’t noticed us yet.”

There was another growl, the cake shook one last time and a glowing green eye poked out from the frosting in the middle of the top tier. Two more joined it, and all three turned down to glare at the two ponies standing frozen before it.

The three eyes blinked, and the bottom of the cake split wide open into a gaping mouth. It bore its teeth and let loose an earth shattering roar that threatened to level the entire building.

Rainbow Dash took a step back, wiping the flecks of cake off of her face, and turned to Pinkie Pie, “Okay, new plan.” She pumped the trigger on her Harmony Pack. It fired to life, and Rainbow took aim, “Blast it!”

“Blasting!” Pinkie shouted, and did the same.

Both nozzles shot off in unison and the room exploded with light as two beams of condensed magical energy flew across the room and connected with their target.

GRAAAAH!

Unfortunately this only made it angry. The cake roared ferociously. It shook the table lifted itself up onto four stubby, cakey legs, seemingly growing larger as it did so. The table creaked loudly under the weight and collapsed to the ground with a crash.

The cake gave another growl and catapulted itself towards Rainbow and Pinkie. They only had a split second to leap out of the way before the cake monster came crashing down destroying the cash register, “No, not the cash register! The Cakes will kill me!” Pinkie Pie screamed.

“We’ve got more important things than that to worry about,” Rainbow Dash shouted over from the other side of the room where she’d landed in the buffet table. She was already getting back up to her hooves and reloading her Harmony Pack.

She quickly located the regulator setting Twilight had shown her and flipped it to level two, whilst Pinkie rounded the table to back her up whilst the cake monster was till dazed.

The cake shook off itself off and turned around with a massive snarl, now sprinkled with pieces of splintered wood and the occasional bit wedged in its icing.

Rainbow Dash widened her stance, held up the nozzle of her pack and pulled the trigger. There was a loud whirring sound, and the nozzle gave off a pathetic spark.

“Oh no... Not now!” Rainbow Dash scolded the pack, and shook the nozzle. She peered down the end of it to make sure it wasn’t blocked; meanwhile the cake inching closer. She tried again, and to no avail, “Pinkie a little help.”

Pinkie Pie was cowering behind her, her eyes squeezed shut, and with the nozzle to her own pack held close. She opened her eyes and blinked, then looked at the nozzle, then it click, “... oh yeah.”

She pulled Rainbow Dash behind her, puffing out her chest with confidence, “Don’t worry, Rainbow! I’ve got this!” and turned on her pack.

The cake was almost upon them, and she chose the perfect moment to fire her pack at near blank shot distance. The cake was blinded by the blast and went into a wide rampage.

Rainbow and Pinkie jumped out of the way once more as the cake ploughed past them and disintegrated the buffet. It then rounded back and thundered across the room, missing them by mere inches and ploughing straight through the storefront leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

“Dashie, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know” Rainbow Dash shook and slapped her nozzle, “Something’s wrong with my pack.”

Another roar sounded from outside, and they could hear the stomps as the cake made its way back towards the building, “Let me look at that,” Pinkie grabbed the nozzle out of Rainbow’s hooves.

The line pulled taught making Rainbow stumble, “Careful, Pinkie!” She protested.

“Shh...” Pinkie shushed the Pegasus as she investigated the pack, “I remember Twi said it’d take longer to recharge, maybe that’s it?” She grabbed Rainbow by the flanks and spun her around to get a better view of the pack. Meanwhile the stomping outside was only getting closer.

The lights on the pack were all dim, and the level on the side was reading a whopping zero percent, “Hm...” Pinkie frowned and toggled one of the switches. It didn’t seem to do anything, so she switched to the tried and true tactic.

Pinkie Pie took a step away and drop kicked the pack. A loud clang sounded and her hoof bounced off the top of the pack, leaving a large indentation, and the Pack spluttered to life.

With a disgruntled rumble, the pack’s lights flickered and the power gauge jumped to full.

Rainbow Dash wasted no time; she spun about aiming the nozzle in the air and pulled the trigger.

The end of it almost exploded in her hooves and a torrent of magical energy shot forth. It connected with the cake monster mid air half way across the room, punching a hole directly through it and out the other side.

With one final roar, the cake came crashing down on top of Rainbow Dash burying her in a literal mountain of cake.

Rainbow’s head breached through the top, coated in cake and frosting, with the occasional chunk of blue cheese hanging from her mane. “Eugh,” she grimaced and spat out a large glob of the stuff. Somehow it tasted even worse than it smelled.

“Woah, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie’s head poked out from behind one of the counters, still completely clean despite the amount of frosting that had splattered across the floor and the ceiling. She jumped out from her hiding spot and bounced over to where Rainbow Dash was busy extricating herself from the cake.

Rainbow was holding her nose with a hoof, and focusing on shaking icing out of her primaries when Pinkie came up to her and pulled her into a massive hug, “You did it!” She squealed, and sniffed Rainbow’s mane, “And you smell delicious! I wish I was covered in cake like that.”

“Belieb me, you dob’t,” Rainbow Dash replied in a nasally voice and pushed Pinkie away. She took a moment to look around the room.

Most of the furniture had been destroyed, and most of everything else was splattered with dessert. The portal was still floating above where the cash register used to be, still glowing and swirling peacefully.

There was a faint howl from behind the portal, and Rainbow thought she heard voices. A chill ran up her spine. Suddenly she didn’t want to be around that thing anymore, “Okay, I’m done.” Rainbow Dash huffed and trotted for the exit.

Pinkie Pie gave the portal a glance then, pointing back to it, “Wait,” she called after Rainbow Dash, “What about the—”

“I’m done!” Rainbow Dash’s voice shouted back from outside.

Chapter 5

3:00 AM, Sugar Cube Corner, Ponyville

Rainbow Dash trotted out of Sugar Cube Corner trailing droplets of icing behind her as she went. She tossed her Harmony Pack to the ground outside and headed straight out into the open far away from the horrid smell inside.

“Rainbow Dash, wait!” Pinkie Pie came after, screaming for her to come back as she bounded past the half destroyed storefront.

Rainbow gave her no mind. The turned up her nose and picked up her pace. Right now all she wanted to do was get back home, grab a bottle of disinfectant, a good read— She faintly remembered that her Daring Doo book would likely be filed away with the Atlases in Twilight’s library by now, so not that good a read— and let the bubbles and bath salts soak away all of her troubles.

“You can’t go!” Pinkie came round from the side, holding her hooves up to Rainbow’s chest and pressing for her to stop, “We promised Twilight we’d help her with these ghost thingies,” she was looking at her with a pleading glare.

“No,” Rainbow Dash shook her head, spraying Pinkie’s face with flakes of cheese, “I can’t.” She moved to push Pinkie out of the way, but she refused to budge, “I don’t care what happens, I’m not coming back here until”—she gestured across her whole body—“this is all fixed.”

“Come on Rainbow. It can’t be that bad.”

“I’m tired, I’m dirty, and I smell horrible. It will take me at least ten trips to the spa t—” Rainbow cut herself off having noticed Pinkie’s glare. A bright red blush came over her and she averted her eyes, rubbing a hoof behind her head, “I mean— It’s just—I’m not a Rarity, okay?”

“Mhm,” Pinkie nodded, “... sure you’re not,” and the look on her face telling the whole story.

“Really, I’m not!” Rainbow insisted, and trotted around Pinkie, “Now out of my way, I’m taking off.” She trotted forward a few more steps, stopping to stretch her back and spread her wings.

She struggled to get them free from her side, and when they finally were she stared, mortified, at the layers of cake dripping off of them. Her primaries hung limp under the weight, and many of the smaller feathers clumped together horribly. “Eugh,” Rainbow grimaced and immediately set to work trying to straighten them out.

Pinkie jumped at the opportunity whilst Rainbow was distracted, “Come on, Dashie,”—she stepped around the side, wrapping a hoof over Rainbow’s withers and pulling her into a hug—“Don’t give up now!” She said.

Rainbow blinked up at Pinkie’s grinning, cake smeared face, “Pinkie, y—”

INCOMING!

Both ponies jolted to attention as Twilight’s voice cut through the night, echoing across the town over top a loud commotion several blocks away—as it somepony were banging trashcan lids together.

Rainbow and Pinkie separated and ran in the direction of the noise, stopping at the head of Mane Road to watch as a there was an explosion several blocks away. A grey blur sped out from one of the side roads, turning up the road and heading straight their way for Sugar Cube Corner.

Twilight and Ditzy came, the former bursting from the rooftops waving a butterfly net in her aura, and the latter flying out at street level, her own net clenched firmly in her teeth as she bolted after Dinky.

The two swerved wildly around the corner, closing in on Dinky. Twilight pulled up suddenly and sent her net down to capture the filly, with Ditzy pulling up beside Dinky and raising her own net to try the same.

Both nets came down in unison, with Dinky teleporting out of the way at the last minute, “Wha—”Ditzy flew forwards directly in front of Twilights net, “Ah!” The net lodged itself over her head, sending her flailing to the ground in the filly’s wake.

All this happened in a matter of a few seconds, as Rainbow and Pinkie watched from the sidelines gaping. There was another flash of magic nearer by and Twilight was heard screaming again, “Don’t let her get away!”

They jumped to attention, shutting their jaws and keeping eyes glued to the filly speeding their way. She was still looking over her shoulder, watching with a grin as Twilight and Ditzy struggled with their nets in the background.

At only a few feet away, Dinky turned back around and swerve upon seeing the two mares ahead. She almost skidded to a halt, but changed her mind and leapt ahead, swerving at the last moment and ducking between Rainbow’s legs.

Rainbow and Pinkie had only a moment to respond. They both jumped at the filly at the same time, failing to notice either other positions and kicking heads.

More giggling and a short snort were heard as Dinky continued on her way, leaving everypony in a confused daze.

~ ~ ~

“Owie...” Pinkie Pie groaned and rolled onto her back. She rubbed the bump on her head as she looked to Rainbow Dash beside her, who was doing much the same, “Your head is haard, Dashie.”

“What are you doing on the ground!?” Twilight arrived next to the bundle of dazed mares, now holding Ditzy’s net. Her mane was frayed and frazzled and she was panting heavily as she trotted closer to the heap of tangled limbs in front of her.

“Which way did she—” Twilight suddenly stopped inches away from Rainbow Dash. Her face scrunched up into a grimace and she took an extra few steps back, holding a hoof over her mouth as she continued, “What’s that smell?”

Rainbow let out a silent groan and Pinkie jumped back to her hooves, “Oh!” She pulled Rainbow up beside her and motioned to the mare with a hoof, “That’s just—”

“Nothing!” Rainbow Dash cut in, shoving a hoof in Pinkie’s mouth and pushing the mare behind her back. Her mouth spread into a wide grin and she ran a hoof through her mane trying to distract from her embarrassment, “I, uh, don’t want to talk about it.”

Whilst avoiding Twilight’s gaze, Rainbow noticed Ditzy approaching, still with Twilight’s net stuck over her head. The Pegasus trotted slowly around the group, swerving slightly as she passed behind Twilight. She stopped beside the Alicorn and finally freed her head with a loud pop, accidentally dropping the net.

She blushed and leaned over to pick it up. Twilight coughed, calling Rainbow’s attention, “Well,” she rolled her eyes, still keeping her distance, “Have any of you seen Dinky go past here?”

“About yay high,”— Pinkie started, lifting out a hoof to measure a height about to her waist,—

Rainbow added, “Grey, and cackling maniacally?”

Twilight’s eyes lit up, “Yes, that’s her!” Twilight leaned forward to question further, “Do you know where she went?”

“She went that way,” both mare spoke in unison, pointing in completely opposite directions.

Twilight facehoofed, “... really,” she groaned.

“Why are you trying to catch her anyway?”

“She’s been possessed somehow and Ditzy—” she flashed a glare at the mare beside her, who returned with a grin and took a step away from Twilight’s side – “won’t let us use the packs on her. Plus nopony said she could teleport! I’ve been running ragged trying to catch this filly!”

“I would’ve told you if I knew, Twilight,” Ditzy offered from the sidelines, however nopony seemed to be listening as Twilight went on to talk about something else.

Deciding she was not needed there, Ditzy turned her attention to searching for Dinky. She left the group and took flight, ascending to a good height where she could see the entire square and turned her eyes to the ground.

Ditzy suppressed the urge to snicker, everypony considered a klutz, on account of her clumsiness. But that didn't mean she was stupid, or useless. Pegasi are always known for heaving wonderful eyesight and she was no exception. Her crossed eyes simply meant she could see... twice as much.

She remained aloft there for several minutes, scanning for any signs of movement. So far all she’d picked up was Daisy and Roseluck several blocks over, pushing Lilly home in a wheelbarrow. She could see one of the houses on the west side rumbling—but Vinyl’s place was always doing that.

Meanwhile the other eye was tuned towards the group of ponies below, Rainbow Dash and Twilight in a heated debate whilst a dented Harmony Pack floated between them, and Pinkie trying to mediate—though she didn’t seem to be making it any better.

Ditzy sighed, it didn’t seem like she was going to find Dinky from up here, and was beginning her descent when a flash of movement suddenly caught her eye. She turned to follow it back towards Sugar Cube Corner. Squinting hard, she was able to focus both eyes towards the building, and could see movement around the front. There was a grey figure poking its head out from around the building, and as she watched it ducked away out of sight, “Bingo.”

Quickening her descent, Ditzy flew back down into the group and landed next to Twilight. Shoving Pinkie out of the way she rushed up to whisper into her ear, “Twilight, don’t look now”

Ditzy tipped her head towards Sugar Cube Corner, “But she’s right there,”

“Uh, what?” Rainbow asked.

“Shhhhh” Ditzy shushed Rainbow, pulling two of the ponies closer to her and pointing in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner.

Sure enough, there was the filly creeping around the building with a wicked grin on her face. She didn’t seem to have noticed them yet, and was slowly making her way to the open hole in the front.

Everypony went completely silent, watching the filly along her journey until she reached the front of the building. She had her front hoof through the hole and was looking very proud of herself when she turned back glance directly at the group.

Her grin was completely gone. She froze on the spot, dropping her ears as she stared directly into Twilight’s eyes.

“Girls,” Twilight whispered, not taking her eyes off the filly, “No. Sudden. Movements.”

Twilight’s net slowly levitated beside her and she motioned for Pinkie and Rainbow to follow her lead.

Everypony remained deathly quiet as they slowly started to approach the filly. Rainbow and Pinkie moved to flank around the sides, cutting off her escape route, whilst Twilight and Ditzy lead the way and began to close in from the front.

Dinky, who had been remarkably calm for most of this, let out a tiny whimper and took a step back. Ditzy moved forwards, her hooves outstretched, as she attempted to comfort the filly, “Now Dinky,” she whispered, “Don’t be afraid, Twilight’s here to help.”

Dink whimpered again and took another step back. She glanced around at the mares enclosing around her, bore her teeth into a snarl, and darted back into the building.

“Get her!” Twilight screamed and suddenly the chase was on.

Everypony set off at full speed towards the filly, Rainbow Dash taking flight for only a brief moment before she clipped a hoof on her Harmony Pack, throwing up a trail of icing as she ran an arc across Twilight’s vision and directly into Pinkie Pie.

They both collapsed to a heap and Twilight leapt over them, holding her net high and letting loose a battle cry as she took flight and followed Ditzy into the building.

~ ~ ~

Ditzy was the first inside. She ducked her head and pulled her wings in as she flew through the opening and into the dark room beyond. Directly ahead, past the mound of cake, she spotted Dinky facing the other way as she stared into the portal, “Dinky!” She screamed.

The filly jolted around, her eyes brightly, almost blending perfectly with the given off by the portal behind her. She had a look of surprise about her and Ditzy’s heart leapt at the faint shine of recognition. However as soon as it was there, it was gone again. Dinky’s mouth turned up into a wicked grin and she stepped back towards the portal, raising a hoof to salute as she let herself sink through the soft surface.

As soon as Dinky was gone from view, the portal began to close. It’s swirling changed and it began to shrink rapidly and Ditzy did the only thing she could. She gritted her teeth and screamed “Momma’s coming!” pulled in her wings and dived headlong through the portal.

Moments later Twilight came flying into the lobby in much the same way, holding her net in front of her and almost knocking off another piece of the building in her wake, “Wait for m— Woah!” She swerved to avoid the pile of cake, flipping over in the process and barrelling towards the narrowing portal.

She braced herself, discarding the net, and squeezing her eyes shut. With a flash of her magic, she added an extra burst of speed, sucking in her princess belly and barrelling towards the shrinking portal.

~ ~ ~

?:?? AM, Sugar Cube Corner, Ponyville

“... Twilight?” Rainbow’s voice came distant.

“Twilight, are you okay!?” Pinkie Pie’s voice joined her.

“Ugh,” Twilight groaned and lifted a hoof to her beating head. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw what looked like a pink mare with a rainbow mane, “Pinkie?”

The pony scoffed, and sat back crossing her hooves, “Pfft. Try again, egghead.”

Twilight slowly sat up. As she did so she heard several pots and pans clanging to the ground beside her, and felt pieces of plaster tumbling off her mane. This only brought on her migraine ever more, “Rainbow Dash?” As her vision began to clear, the image of Rainbow Dash became more apparent, though Twilight could see where the pink was coming from. Whatever Rainbow was covered in was clearly beginning to go off, as it turned her mane and coat a kind of luminous pink.

Pinkie was sitting at her side with a stethoscope and a basket of muffins, eating one whilst she checked Twilight’s vitals.

“W- What happened?” Twilight asked in a daze.

“Dude,” Rainbow Dash said, “You totally went straight through the wall.”

“I... did?” Expanding her gaze, Twilight took in her surroundings. She was slumped with her back to the wall in Sugar Cube Corner’s kitchen, below a rather noticeable indentation in the wall and opposite an equally as noticeable hole] in the wall. Through which she could see clear past a mountainous pile of cake to the front of the building.

Twilight’s memory jogged and she jumped to her hooves, pushing Pinkie off of her, “Wait,” She looked around her frantically, then trotted out into the front part of the building to resume looking there.

Pinkie and Rainbow followed her out, watching as Twilight paced the room and looked around every nook and cranny. The place seemed an awful lot darker than before and the only ponies she could see in the room were herself, Rainbow, and Pinkie. “W-Where’s Derpy?”

They both frowned and looked between them, “Do you mean Ditzy?”

“She’s gone, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash added.

Twilight felt herself beginning to hyperventilate, “Oh, no. Oh nononono,” she trotted one last round of the room, making sure she hadn’t missed some place or that the pony wasn’t just hiding somewhere. She’d missed none, of course, “This is bad. This is so, so, so bad.” She stopped at the confectionaries counter to lean against it, focusing on her breathing.

“Um, Twi?”

There has to be some way to get the portal back, Twilight though to herself, “Okay, okay,” She moved over to where the portal had been, lighting up her horn as she did do, “Maybe Strat-olociom plus Suminari,” She cast the hybrid spell and directed the magic towards the empty air above the crushed remains of the cash register.

A new portal opened up but Rainbow noted its difference in colour. The previous one had been green whilst this one shone a bright purple, “Uh, Twilight.”

Twilight ignored her friends as she ran through the portal, jumping at the last minute screaming, “Geronimare!”

The portal burst into a shower of sparks with a resounding pop leaving Twilight to fall straight through to the ground with a thud.

“Twilight” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I’m okay!” Twilight shouted, jumping to her hooves and resuming her thinking, “There has to be some residual energy here, some way to open the portal back up.” She trotted across the room, into the pile of cake and stopped with her brow furrowed in thought. She didn’t even notice as she began to sink fetlock deep into the mound of cake, “... maybe is I use Tempora-borialus? No,” She shook off the idea, “That would never work.”

Rainbow Dash asked again, “Twilight, I think we should move on.”

“Move on?” Twilight looked up from her spot, now up to her knees in the cake, “...” She looked forlornly at the space where the portal was before, “... but what about—”

“We won’t get it back, but maybe if we go to one of the other houses—“

Twilight’s eyes lit up, “There might be another one! You’re a genius, Rainbow Dash!” She teleported over to Rainbow and pulled her into a hug, beaming as she did so. Rainbow tried to pull away. She was lucky the cake had her already covered pink.

Releasing the mare, Twilight continued, “Our best chance of finding Derpy—”

“Ditzy” Pinkie corrected.

“Ditzy,” Twilight continued, “Is to find the source of these apparitions. We find the source, we find Derpy.”

“Ditzy.”

“So where do we go then?”

“The place it started,” Twilight paused, “Or, well, the place I think it started: Applejack’s barn. We’ll just have to hope Ditzy can manage by herself.”

~ ~ ~

“Dinky?” Ditzy’s voice sounded small as it squeaked out into the expansive void, echoing away into the distance. She was standing in the middle what she could only describe as pea soup. There was a glowing green fog rolling around in every direction making it hard to see. The sky also burned with a bright luminous white that hurt her eyes any time she tried to look up.

“Dinky, where are you?” Shielding her eyes, Ditzy squinted ahead into the distance. She was sure that the filly had gone this way, but she’d quickly vanished into the fog and now she couldn’t even hear her voice.

All Ditzy heard now where the distant whispers, and snickers, and the faint shadows of movement in the fog. On multiple occasions she thought she saw the filly out of the corner of her eye, but every time she turned around or managed to reach the point she’d seen it, there was nothing there.

Ditzy’s ears flattened, and she took a seat, “Aw... I wish Twilight was here.” She dragged a hoof through the red dirt as she thought out loud, “I’m sure she’d know what to do...”

Hehehe...

A snicker reached Ditzy’s ears making her perk back up. She glanced around her; “Hello?” twisting her ears to find the source, “Is anypony there?”

Hahaha....

The voice sounded again. It was a deep baritone, smooth and melodic, almost enchanting. Nothing like what Dinky sounded like but it was still completely different from anything else Ditzy had heard, “Hello?” She tumbled to her hooves and started in the direction of the voice.

As she want it quickly grew louder, and a form became visible ahead, “Dinky?” Ditzy asked and picked up her pace. Growing closer she only became surer of herself. It was definitely Dinky, standing there waiting for her.

“Dinky!” Ditzy screamed, reaching the filly and putting a hoof over her shoulder. She spun her around, “Dinky, I’ve been looking all ov—” She cut her self off, “... no.”

She stumbled backwards, “No,” shaking her head, her eyes not able to tear themselves away, “No.”

CHRYSTALLLSSSS

Chapter 6

5:30 AM, Apple Orchard Avenue, Sweet Apple Acres

Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash trotted in silence, their packs slung over their backs as they followed the trail towards Sweet Apple Acres. The only sounds around them were the soft rustling of the sweet apple orchards, the occasional flitter of a fruit bat, and the sound of stones crunching under hoof.

Twilight had a silent determination about her, and blazed ahead at a trotting pace. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie lagged behind, Pinkie humming a merry jig and skipping as she went, not paying much attention to anything and Rainbow creeping along beside her, looking side to side and running a nervous hoof over her Pack’s nozzle.

It was already starting to get light. They could already see the rivulets of sunshine peeking out over the horizon as Celestia began the day. But even so, the orchards were dark and gloomy. It felt almost like something was watching them and, out of the corners of her eyes, Rainbow could have sworn she saw one of the trees sneering at her.

She gulped, shaking it off, and picked up her pace. She trotted up beside Twilight and gave the Alicorn a light nudge, “Um, egghead, a- are we—” She coughed and smacked her lips to clear her dry throat, “What are we going to do when we get there?”

“Huh? What?” Twilight snapped out of her trance, stopping cold in her tracks as she glanced around her in surprise.

“... cup of flour and add— Oof” Pinkie Pie immediately collided with the princess from behind, bouncing off her flanks a crumpling to the ground behind them.

Twilight’s eyes settled on Rainbow Dash, as she stared at her with a raised eyebrow and a slack jaw, “... oh,” Twilight blushed, “Right.” She ran a hoof through her mane and quickly recovered, restoring her determined look.

She pointed ahead, up the trail to where the farm was visible as dark silhouette in the distance, “We get there, we find a portal, and we save Derpy,” she gave a firm nod and resumed trotting at a slightly faster pace.

Rainbow Dash frowned, “... okay,” slowly following behind, “And if we don’t find a portal?”

“We cross that bridge when we get there.”

~ ~ ~

Baldwin Barn stood tall and silent, foreboding overlooking as our ponies approached. Somehow, now it seemed taller than it did during the day. In the dim light of this early morning, its normally welcoming demeanour was replaced by one much more sinister. Its lively grinning visage was dark against the sky and the bright red of its planks were a deep dark black in the dim light.

With the Apple family away in Las Pegasus, and Apple Bloom sleeping in Mayor Mare’s office, the whole place had become a veritable ghost town, though Twilight silently hoped that wasn’t the case.

Everypony regrouped outside the entrance to the barn, forming a little circle as they huddled together to form an action plan, “So,” Rainbow Dash whispered. She shifted her wings uncomfortably as she looked between Twilight and Pinkie’s faces, “What’s the plan? What did you say was in there?”

“It’s...” Twilight raised a hoof, breathing in and taking a pause to gather her thoughts. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie angled their ears to Twilight, leaning in to hear what she had to say.

Twilight remained frozen in thought, her hoof raised and her jaw working. Finally, “I don’t know,” Twilight deflated slightly, in tandem with the hopes of the other two mares.

“Oh what!?” Rainbow Dash groaned, facehoofing as she broke away from the group. She trotted away with her back turned to Twilight and stopped on the other side of the clearing to lean a hoof against Big Mac’s plough.

~ ~ ~

5:40 AM, Los Pegasus

Big Mac was standing at the slot machines, pretending to watch as Granny Smith demonstrated her ‘special technique’ when suddenly a cold shiver ran up the back of his spine.

His ears perked and he was instantly alert, looking around him seriously. His plough senses were tingling. He looked back over his shoulder, in the direction he knew would be Sweet Apple Acres.

Did somepony just— He shook it off, “Eenope,” couldn’t be.

~ ~ ~

“It’s not so bad,” Twilight began, leaving Pinkie Pie alone for a moment aas she joined Rainbow Dash next to the plough, “I just can’t remember.”

“It’s not about that,” Rainbow huffed. She pouted and leaned back on her haunches against the edge of the plough, using it as a makeshift seat. She then ran her lesser pink hoof through her mane, brushing out yet more pieces of cheese.

Twilight couldn’t help but snort, and had to stop herself from giggling at the cute display. Forcing the urge to ruffle Rainbow’s mane, she put on her best motherly voice, “Is this still about the cake?” Another grunt escaped her lips, and Twilight blinked the tears out of her eyes.

“... Maybe,” Rainbow Dash reverted to her defensive position, crossing her hooves in front of her and avoiding Twilight’s gaze.

Twilight simply rolled her eyes and, turning back to return to Pinkie Pie, flicked her with tip of her tail causing Rainbow to jump and topple off the end of the plough, “Well suck it up, let’s get m- m- Pinkie Pie!” Twilight screamed and broke into a canter.

Rainbow Dash groaned, rubbing her head as she climbed back up over the top of the plough, “What is—“ She eeped, her eyes growing wide, “Pinkie Pie!” She leaped over the plough and flung herself across the clearing after twilight.

Both mares collided with Pinkie in unison, winding her, and dragging her away from the front of the barn, “Don’t,” Rainbow grunted out from between gritted teeth, sweating profusely as she and Twilight attempted to hold Pinkie Pie back as she hung onto the door handle for dear life.

“Open,” Twilight added, also through gritted teeth, squeezing her eyes shut.

“The door,” Rainbow Dash concluded.

“Aw...” Pinkie Pie sighed and looked between the two mares currently crushing her, “But I wanted to see what was inside...” She quickly let go of the barn door, leaving it to spring back into place, and all three ponies collapsed to the ground in a panting heaving, fuzzy heap.

Twilight was the first to recover, bouncing back to her hooves and turning to scold Pinkie, “You can’t just go waltzing in there!” She growled, “It could have been dangerous!” Her horn lit and Pinkie Pie was levitated in front of her in her magic, and Twilight hastily shook her like a rag doll as she continued on her rant, “What if there was a monster on the other side?” she panicked, “Or worse, a portal to another dimension! I’m not going to lose another pony! We have to have a plan!”

“Well, then,” Rainbow Dash interrupted the princess’ panicked tirade, “What is the plan?” She got back up to her hooves and straightened her pack, and met Twilight’s gaze, “We heading in there guns blazing, or what?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Twilight shook her head, and allowed Pinkie Pie to stand. She rubbed her chin as she took in the scale of the barn. All this time they’d been there, and they still hadn’t heard a single peep from inside, “We have no idea what it’s going to be, so I think it’s a good idea to stake out the place first.” She spun around to point to Rainbow Dash, “Dash, can you still fly?”

“Um...” Rainbow spread her wing, giving it a quick look over. She gave a slight nod, “Maybe, but—”

“Good, then you can go up and check through the windows, Pinkie Pie,” she pointed to the mare in question, still in the process of correcting her rattled eyes, “You can—“ Twilight’s brow furrowed, “... Stay where I can see you.” She then turned to look up at the barn, “And I’ll take the front entrance. Whatever’s in there, we’re going to be one-hundred percent prepared for it, even if it is just a pair of corn kernels.”

Twilight concluded her speech and was prepared to put her perfect, can’t possibly fail plan into action when the unexpected happened.

Her plan failed.

“Did somepony say corn colonels?” a loud voice boomed out from inside the barn, rattling our ponies ears and making Twilight’s mane stand on end. She spun around in time to see the barn lurch and bulge. Its windows, once dark and foreboding, exploded in a burst of bright lights and howling ghostly moans.

They could do nothing but watch with gaping awe as the barn’s walls bulged outwards, inflating the barn and, when it seemed like it was about to explode, the front door cracked and burst open, and sent our ponies flying backwards under the force of a gale.

The wind quickly inverted, sucking Twilight and Rainbow Dash inside.

~ ~ ~

Inside the barn, Twilight found herself flung head over hooves through the air, a strong wind whipping her mane and blinding her, “Ah!” Twilight screamed out, kicking her legs and flapping her wings out of reflex as she was spun around in circles through the air.

“Ho, ho, ho,” a new voice, this one just as deep but slightly younger and, oddly, more charismatic than the other, echoed around them, “What do we have here?”

“Oh, what a day! A trio of ponies, I do hope they’ve come to stay!”

“We’ve been so lonely since that filly, Apple Bloom, ran away~”

Twilight tried to ignore the rhyming voices for now, rather choosing to focus on much more pressing matters. She wiped her mane out of her face and looked around, trying to shield her eyes from the wind as she searched for Rainbow, “Rainbow Dash, where are you?”

“AHHHH!”

Rainbow’s voice, screaming, answered her from behind, and Twilight’s felt a wave of relief. She turned around with a grin on her face to meet her friend, “Rainbow, thank Cele—“ Her joy was short lived as the Pegasus came into view, flying upside down —or she was the one upside down, nopony could really tell at this point—careening towards her at the speed of sound.

The two collided with a deafening crack, hooking their hooves together and continuing their journey together, “Twilight! Thank Celestia!” Rainbow gasped and wrapped her hooves around Twilight. She pulled her into a tight hug that twilight feared she had no intention of releasing her from, “What’s going on?”

“It looks like” — Twilight grunted, and squirmed to get some space to breathe – “a—”

“Weeee!” Twilight was cut off as they were joined by another mare, Pinkie Pie, as she spun through the air and crashed into them both. The group was almost knocked apart once again as they spun frantically through the whirlwind, but was pulled back together as Pinkie grabbed them into an even tighter hug, “Heya!” She shouted.

“Pinkie Pie!?” Both ponies gasped in surprise, staring at the grinning mare currently crushing both of their lungs, “What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t think I was going to leave you to have all the fun alone, was I?” She stuck out her tongue, and gave them both another quick squeeze.

“Well, um...” Rainbow trailed off, looking to Twilight to see she was doing much the same, scrunching her nose, “Twilight,” Rainbow turned her attention to the slightly purpler Alicorn between them, “What were you saying?”

“It’s—” Twilight grunted. She squirmed slightly to get Pinkie to loosen her death grip and continued, “Polymorhps,” she inhaled briefly, “Neightzsche suggested that they could manifest themselves in a lot of different ways,” she thought to herself for a moment, looking around at the chaos the barn was in. She could feel a powerful force at work here, it was buzzing her horn like a hornet’s nest it was so strong. But, then again—Pulling a hoof free, Twilight pressed it fetlock deep into Pinkie’s mane to feel around inside.

When she didn’t find any hornets, she continued, “This one must be attuned to the barn’s natural—” Twilight was suddenly cut off as she ducked to avoid a flying chair.

“What?” Rainbow Dash screamed over the commotion.

“It’s a poltergeist!”

“A poltergeist!?” The voices screamed, stricken with terror, and everything stopped. The swirling vortex vanished, leaving our trio to fall crashing to the ground in a dishevelled heap.

Twilight landed first, hard, in the middle of the room on top of her Harmony Pack. She was then winded as Rainbow Dash, with her dented pack, landed splayed out across her chest and Pinkie Pie landed screaming behind them into a pile of hay.

Rainbow Dash gasped and, pulling Twilight aside, they both rolled out of the way as a garden fork impaled itself in the ground. Several more gardening implements and furniture rained down around them as the barn slowly restored its natural order.

Meanwhile, the voices continued their rant unabated, “Oh dear-y me!” The first one screamed, shaking the dust from the rafters as its cords boomed across the room, threatening to break into a wail.

“Say it isn’t so!” The other added, “Not here!”

“Not now!”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash blinked, looking between themselves with raised eyebrows. Rainbow untangled herself and rolled onto her hooves, then helped Twilight up. They listened to the voices’ continued booming, now significantly less threatening, and followed it towards the source: a stack of barrels lying, shaking out of fright, in the back.

Separating, they trotted around the stack of barrels to take up a strategic stance. Twilight stood to the forefront, lighting her horn and focusing her magic to the power switch on the side of her pack, just in case, whilst Rainbow took flight and hovered a hoof off the ground to cover the other two routes.

“Um,” Rainbow Dash coughed, “Hello?”

“Is somepony in there?”

The voices went suspiciously quiet. There was a rapid bout of whispering from behind the barrels and what Twilight distinctly heard as: Psst, she’s talking to you

Followed after by a loud bang, and another rattle from the barrels, Ow!, and the first voice returned in full force, “Why me!?”

Twilight looked over to Rainbow Dash, mouthing out What? under her breath.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Dudes, you do know we can hear you, right?”

“Horseapp—” One of the voices swore but was cut short as a flash of smoke burst forth from the pile of barrels. Two figures came floating out of the top, arching through the air and back down past Twilight. One swerved around her whilst the other continued through her leaving the mare with a strong chill.

They circled back and came to a rest in the middle of the barn, two pale green-orange mix ponies. Or, at least one might have mistaken them for ponies if not for the subtle translucency, only visible as they floated in front of a lantern hanging in the background, or the very obvious fact that their bodies terminated below the waist. Everything below that tapered off into a thin wisp of a tail that trailed silently behind them wherever they went.

They bore long white handlebar moustaches and were garbed in the raggedy old uniforms. It was the distinct blue tone of the fabric, intricately designed cufflinks and collars, and golden buttons that stood out particularly well for her. Twilight vaguely recognised them as something out of her history books, a relic from the Early Equestrian settler’s war, and a heavy influence for the 1800s Wondebolts uniforms. They were usually reserved for the highest ranking officers of the Earth Pony’s tribe.

“Yes, well,” The first ghost huffed, crossing his fore hooves, “It seems we’ve gone an’ messed this up. Haven’t we, brother?”

“Rightly so,” the other nodded, “We’ve truly been outmatched. I’m beginning to think that there weren’t even a real poltergeist in the first place.”

“Not. Cool.”

“Um,” Rainbow Dash started. Hovering down, she alighted next to Twilight as they both regarded this strange pair of characters before them. Twilight had returned her nozzle to her side, but Rainbow wasn’t nearly as ready to let her guard down. He eyes narrowed and, aiming the nozzle up at the nearest of the two, “So, who are you?”

“Oh how rude of us!” The first ghost seemed to perk up. Prodding his comrade in the side with a hoof, he motioned to the mares before him, “We haven’t even told you our names. I’m Kettle,” he motioned to himself with a hoof, and then pointed to his brother floating beside him, “And this is my brother, Cream”—

“Charmed,” He inclined his head.

— “and together we are—”

“The Corn Colonel Brother!” They both shouted in unison, throwing their hooves in the air as they did so. Cream flashed a smug grin towards Rainbow Dash, winking slightly as he hung onto his brother’s hoof as they twirled around each other through the air.

One of them snapped a hoof and, in the background, several barrels topped themselves and let loose a fountain of popcorn that showered the group.

“Woo!” A cheer and the sound of clapping hooves called Twilight and Rainbow out of their dumbfounded stupor, and they both turned to glare at Pinkie Pie, where she sat on her haunches with a wide smile and clapping her hooves.

“So you’re... colonels?”

“We were colonels,” Kettle quickly corrected, accompanied by a nod from his brother, “This is until I died a heroic death in the lines of duty. But as for my brother,” Kettle floated down turning sideways to hover at ear level next to the princess. He cupped a hoof over his mouth to whisper into his ear, “he stepped on a landmine.”

“Hey now!” Cream protested, “I heard that!” and shot down to pull Kettle back up into the air by the tail. He spun his brother around to look him in the face, prodding his chest with an accusing hoof as he spoke, “I only did that because you pushed me!”

Kettle nodded, “Out of the way of that cannon, yes. You should be thanking me, brother.”

“To Tartarus I’m goi—“

“Ahem,” Twilight’s cough caught their attention, “Guys?”

“Oh, right,” In the dim light, Twilight couldn’t sworn she saw Kettle turn a redder shade of green—pink? He ran a hoof through his mane out of reflex, seemingly trying straighten it— or more likely to cover up for his embarrassment—and ultimately failing as his hoof phased straight through the hairs. Twilight made a mental note to ask how hair worked in the afterlife.

The ghost floated down in front of her, leaning forward on a blanket of air, resting his chin on his fore hooves crossed in front of him, “I’m so terribly sorry about that. Old quarrels, I do hope you understand.” He flashed a grin with a half smirk, “Now... how may we help you?”

“Could you,” Rainbow Dash spoke up from the side, and they both turned to see the mare, standing stock still with her eyes trained on him and his brother. She looked to them with a narrowed gaze and, if Twilight wasn’t mistaken, she thought she saw the Pegasus tremble. She tossed her nozzle to her other hoof and pointed it up towards Cream. She coughed, “Could you guys... I don’t know, leave?”

Twilight gasped, “Rainbow Dash!”

“Leave!?” The colonels recoiled in horror.

“What?” Rainbow Dash blinked, and looked between her two friends, both glaring at her, “You heard me. I want them to get out.”

Both brothers floated back into the air, passing through the rafters as they spoke quickly between them, “Heavens me, she can’t be serious, can she?”

“I don’t know, dear brother, but we certainly can’t leave.”

Cream Corn nodded, “Where would we go?”

“What would we do?”

“It’ll be the end of us, I say!”

“Well,” Twilight called out form below, interrupting the brothers banter. She eyed Rainbow Dash, making her shrink away under her gaze, “She may have been blunt, but Rainbow does have a point,” she admitted, “If you’re not willing to leave, then you leave us no other choice.” She levitated the nozzle from her Harmony Pack out and flicked the on switch with a wing. The pack started thrumming and shaking as it began building up pressure.

“Woah, woah, woah,” The first brother held up his hooves defensively. They both floated back down to Twilight, sweating bullets as they eyed the glowing nozzle pointed their now, “Let’s not be too hasty here.”

“Yes,” Kettle nodded frantically, “Th- that’s not to- to—” he was taken over by a bout of stuttering. Unable to complete his sentence, he cowered behind his brother, holding him in front of him like a pony shield. Nopony thought to mention that they could still see him, plain as day through Cream’s translucent coat.

“T—” Cream stuttered, and swallowed the lump in his throat, “To say that we don’t want to leave.”

“Yes, exactly” Kettle poked his trembling head out from behind his brother and nodded, “If we could we certainly would.”

“But we can’t.” Cream joined his brother in nodding, plastering nervous smiles across their faces as they looked between Rainbow and Twilight.

Twilight’s eyebrow rose. She allowed the nozzle of her pack to lower slightly in her aura, looking at the two ghosts trembling in front of her, “... and why is that?”

“Oh, well...” The ghosts were thrown off slightly by the question, but regaining his confidence now that he was sure his afterlife was no longer at stake, pushed out from behind his brother to answer with vigour, “We’re stuck here, you see. This farm was built over our graves.”

“We were perfectly at rest, but then something had to come along and give us a rather... rude awakening.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t notice it,” Kettle ran a hoof through his moustache, pretending he was twisting the end, “Shook up the entire Necroverse it did, gave us all a might fright.”

“Well, remember,” Cream interjected, “they are just mortals after all. They’re not going to be as in tune with the finer nuances of the afterlife like we are.”

“True, but still. They should have felt something when the spell went off.”

“Wait, hold on,” Rainbow Dash butted in, “What’s this about a spell?”

Twilight took on a more serious tone, anything else previous forgotten. She let her pack’s nozzle fall. She trotted up to the nearest of the brothers and pulled him close with her magic, bringing them face to face. She uttered slowly and precisely, “Show us.”

Chapter notes:

Baldwin
“One bite yields sweetness with a hint of spice.”
Eeyup, it’s an apple.

Chapter 7

6:00 AM, Apple Orchard Avenue, Sweet Apple Acres

“Come on this way, this way.” Kettle’s voice came, singing, through the woodwork that surrounds. There was the faint flicker of green light, in which was revealed the edges of old barrels and cobwebs, and then the shimmer of movement as Kettle came drifting through the locked door. He was floating backwards, and spun around as he passed into the room, undoing the lock with a flick of his tail as he spoke, “And do watch the—”

THUNK

Something solid, almost hollow-sounding, collided with the door making it shudder in its hinges. The wood splintered and there was a shower of dust shook loose from the rafters. Kettle winced at the pained yelp from the other side, “Ow!”, and the thud that quickly followed.

The door unlatched itself and swung inwardly, bidden by Twilight’s magic, to reveal Rainbow Dash slumped at the base of a flight of stairs and rubbing a bump on her head the size of a cantaloupe. “That’s...” she groaned, “smarts.”

Pinkie bounded past her and into the room, and Twilight carefully stepped over Rainbow Dash, picking up the mare’s pack in her magic as she passed. “Stop fooling around, Rainbow Dash,” she commented offhoofedly and joined Pinkie Pie among the barrels inside.

“Ugh...” Rainbow groaned. She ignored Twilight’s comment for the time being and instead focused all her energy into getting back up. She stood, wobbling, and with crossed eyes, and inched her way towards the closest of her friends—two swaying Pinkie Pies.

After a few labours steps, she finally shook it off and leaned against Pinkie for support, and glanced around. They were in a tiny room under the barn with a low ceiling. In the dim light of Kettle and Cream, she could see the outlines of wooden barrels lined sideways along the walls. The unmistakable scent of fermenting cider also burned her nostrils. She snorted and rubbed her nose with a fetlock, and glanced over to Twilight. “Since when does AJ have a wine cellar?”

“Well this place has been destroyed so many times...” She glanced around the room, tapping her chin with her Harmony Pack’s nozzle, as she did so. “I wouldn’t be surprised that Applejack would take some extra precautions.”

“Besides!” Pinkie chirped. She jumped beside Rainbow Dash and pulled her against her side, and waved to all the barrels with a wide swaying motion, “Where else would Applejack keep all of her,” her eyes narrowed as she leaned close to Rainbow’s ear, cupping a hoof over her mouth and whispering, “extra virgin cider.”

Rainbow’s ears perked at this news. “Wait...” She joined Pinkie at looking around at the barrels and her eyes drew to one in particular with a large, red, only just illegible label up its side. “A- Are you saying these are—”

“Ahem,” Twilight coughed and both ponies paused. They turned with wide eyes to see Twilight and the Corn brothers both looking to them. Bemused scowls and raised eyebrows ran rampant, “Need I remind you why we’re here?”

“Oh,” Rainbow’s ears dropped, her smirk vanishing under the withering glares, “...right.” She wiped the drool that had somehow gathered under her lip, and pushed Pinkie off of her, then joined Twilight in the small circled they’d formed in the middle of the room. “Okay,” she looked between her and the ghosts, “So what’s this ‘thing’ you were going to show us?”

“Ah, right, of course,” Kettle coughed and turned to his brother, “Care to do the honours?”

Cream pouted and folded his arms, “You know I’m not very good at this,” giving his brother a stern look.

“Well a little practice never hurt anypony.”

“I have been ‘practicing’ for eight millennia,” he glided away from the circle, taking his half of the light with him, and drifted aimlessly around the room patting spaces in the along his way, “I’m just never going to improve, you know that.”

Whilst the two ghosts carried on their bickering, everypony else took a seat among the barrels in the back to watch. Rainbow leaned in beside Twilight, cupping a hoof over her mouth as she did so, “Are you, uh—” she cast a glance to the nearest of the two to make sure they weren’t being overheard. Gesturing with her head, she continued in a whisper “— sure we should be trusting these guys? Key seem kind of—”

“Awesome?” Pinkie’s head butted in between Rainbow and Twilight. She looked between the two with wide grin, immediately ploughing into a tangent of her own, “Creepy?” She offered, only to be met with frowns from the other two, “Creepy awesome, or—” she suddenly gasped and wrapped her hooves over Twilight and Rainbow’s shoulders. Their frowns scrunched into half smirks as they were pulled into Pinkie’s sides, “Awecreepsome-y!?”

“N- no,” Rainbow stifled a laugh, and pushed Pinkie away, “Weird.”

“Aha!” The conversation was brought to an end as Kettle shouted in triumph. There was a loud explosion that shook the rafters, static charge filled the air, and electricity arced across the room. Manes blew into frenzy and eyes were turned in time to see space rip asunder.

Where there had once been but the dank, dark, dusty air of the Apple Family cellar, there now swirled an – oddly familiar-looking—portal. It pulsed with energy, giving off a deep growl as it cast a rippling green light across the room. “Ha-ha!” Kettle cheered, clapping his hooves, “Good show, boy!” She slapped his brother on the back, then turned to wave for the ponies to follow him. “Now let’s not waste any time.”

With a light shove, he had Cream go ahead, before diving through the portal himself. “Listen,” Twilight twirled around fixing Rainbow in her gaze. She dropped her voice to a whisper, “I know they’re a little...” She trailed off, averting her eyes, and then coming back with a slight cough into her hoof, “That’s why I’m leaving you here.”

Twilight spun back around, starting towards the portal and speaking to Pinkie over her shoulder, “Pinkie Pie,” the mare in question bounced to her hooves.

Puffing out her chest and doing her best to look serious, she flashed a salute to the princess with her Harmony Pack’s nozzle in hoof, “Aye-aye, Twilight.”

“Do you still have that ’ghost detector’?” Twilight groaned inwardly.

“Mhm,” Pinkie nodded and held the device up to show. It was slightly battered and the banana had a bite out of it, but it still seemed to be working as it vibrated loudly against her hoof—flashing all manner of colours—in a vain attempt to notify somepony of the already obvious ghostly presence.

“Good,” a smile spread across Twilight’s face as she slowly approached the portal. Without looking back, “come one, you’re with me,” she stopped beside the portal, testing it with a hoof, and watched as Pinkie trotted past, and disappeared through. Then it was Twilight’s turn. She stepped in front of the portal and poised to jump in, but stopped at the last moment to look back to Rainbow.

From Rainbow’s position, sitting a few steps away in front of the portal, she saw Twilight’s silhouetted, outlined by the blue-green light as the portal shifted and changed behind her. “Rainbow Dash,” she said. Her expression hardened, “Rainbow Dash, I trust you on this. If we’re not back in an hour it’s up to you. Go get the cavalry.”

Rainbow felt a lump forming in her chest. She swallowed it and nodded, “You got it Twi.” Giving a last salute, she watched as Twilight turned to leave. She turned around, and was intent on inspecting some of those barrels, when she paused. “Wait,” her eyebrow rose, “We have a cavalry?”

~ ~ ~

On the other side of the portal, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie stumbled out into a hazy green thickness. “Hello?” Twilight squinted ahead. All she could see around her was a green mist stretching on as far as the eye could see—which, evidentially, wasn’t very far— “Anypony there?”

She could already feel herself hyperventilating, and just the thought of hyperventilating made her hyperventilate even more. Her eyes shot around, blinking the sweat out of her eyes and frantically searching for any sort of landmark. “Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie? Anypony!?”

“I’m here,” Pinkie’s voice came, echoing, through the void to Twilight’s right. Soon after the mare came trotting forward with her pack slung over her back and a juice box balanced on her right hoof. She waved, pulling a long sip from the box, as she approached.

“Oh,” a wave of relief washed over Twilight, “Thank Celestia.” She pressed a hoof to her beating chest, breathing a sigh, “Do you have any idea where we are?”

Pinkie Pie shrugged, “Last thing I remember we were in AJ’s cider cellar, then I’m all alone here with nothing to eat.”

“Hm...” Twilight frowned, “... I- I think we were here for a reason.” They both looked over their surroundings, at the walls of green fog currently enclosing them. Shadows moved in the distance, and Twilight caught a chill running up her spine.

She could tell there was somepony, something in the shadows, and she feared to know what it was. A faint moan sounded ahead; barely audible over their breaths, but Pinkie was the first to react to it, “Gah!” She jumped, bumping into Twilight and wrapping her hooves around her barrel, “What was that?” She began shivering, looking around her frantically with fear written in her eyes.

“I—” The words caught in Twilight throat. She swallowed and took a step back, feeling a slight tremble up her right hoof and the much stronger trembling of Pinkie Pie as she squeezed the air out of her, “I don’t know,” Twilight admitted.

More groans, and more figures lurking. Twilight felt as if she had a million eyes on her at once but only worse, that she couldn’t see them.

A blast of cool air passed behind her, and Twilight felt a cold hoof on her shoulder, “There you—”

AAAAHHH!

They both screamed, almost rocketing out of their skins. Twilight spun around, spreading her wings defensively whilst Pinkie cowered behind her. She had her horn blazing and ready to fire when she laid eyes on Cream.

He floated innocently behind her, his translucent form only just visible against the bright glow of the fogs around. He bore a warm smile and a half smirk, his hoof rested on her shoulder. “Oh,” Twilight mentally kicked herself, and outwardly relaxed, “It’s just you.”

“Of course it’s me!” Cream chuckled, “Who did you expect? My good-for-nothing brother?” Another laugh as Cream drifted away, the mists parting behind him as he led them to a clearing where Kettle had been waiting.

“There you guys are!” His face lit up upon seeing his brother approaching, with the two ponies trailing behind only looking mildly scarred, “Where have you guys been?!”

“Sorry, brother,” Cream shrugged, “You know hoe mortals can be. Leave ‘em alone for two minutes and they forget their own names.”

“Well, it is better late than never,” he stood up, staring up the hill, “Now come on; it’s not far from here. You simply have to see this.”

~ ~ ~

The four trotted in silence, Kettle drifting ahead lighting the way as they slowly crept further up the hill. Twilight and Pinkie huddled together, keeping close to Cream whilst trying to avoid the encroaching edge. With every step the clouds seemed to grow thicker, closing in around them and inducing a kind of claustrophobia.

Pinkie Pie didn’t seem to care either way. She simply hummed away her ‘Giggle at the Ghosties’ tune whilst sipping her juice box, but Twilight couldn’t help but shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

A movement in the fogs caught Twilight’s eye and she quickened her pace, drawing level with Cream, “So, uh...” She trailed off, looking for something to say to break the tension, “H- What is this place anyway? And how do you know where we’re going? I can barely even see three hooves in here.”

“Not true!” Pinkie shouted. Twilight looked back to see the mare frowning at her with three hooves held up in front of her, and a fourth still holding the juice box.

“...how did you...?” Twilight looked down. Pinkie was hopping along behind her on the end of her tail, “...” She shook her head. That’s just Pinkie, and looked back to Cream expecting an answer.

He coughed, “Well... To answer your first question, this is the Necroverse. At least that’s what we call it. You ponies might have another name for it. It’s a nexus point for all spiritual energy that passes through Equestria and beyond. It’s also the first place a pony goes when they die before moving on to the great divide.”

“Does everypony come here?”

He nodded, “Everypony. As for your second answer—” Cream paused, his mouth turning down in a frown as he through, “... call it ghostly intuition.”

“Also there’s a trail,” Kettle’s voice shouted from ahead.

“Yes, of course!” Cream nodded frantically, “There’s a trail.” He repeated his brother’s words.

“A trail?” Twilight asked, incredulous. She looked down between her hooves to inspect the ground: all rocks and cracked red dirt. Nothing that would have struck her as any kind of path, “This doesn’t look like a—” She looked up again, expecting Cream to be floating beside her. Instead she was face with Pinkie Pie staring at her with wide eyes. The juice box crinkled as she slurped loudly on the straw.

Some chattering drew Twilight’s attention ahead, where Cream had run off to join his brother in the front. “... Okay.” She turned to Pinkie, “By the way, what does your ghost detector say?”

“Hm?” Pinkie pulled the straw from her mouth, “Oh, right,” and tossed the now empty carton into her mane. “Just give me a—” Pinkie reached to the side of her mane and went silent. She held up the strap with and empty banana peel hanging from the end, “Oh... right.”

Twilight facehoofed, “... Seriously?”

“I’m sorry!” Pinkie shouted and tossed the banana peel away, “I was hungry!”

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight growled, “You had one job!”

“We’re here!” Kettle sung, interrupting Twilight from being about to turn Pinkie into a ghost. Both he and Cream darted ahead up the hill and Twilight and Pinkie took off after.

As they crested the top of the mountain, a deep thrumming began to beat against Twilight’s ears adding to the ominous tone of the realm. Kettle and Cream slowly came into view, floating silently unmoving and staring off into oblivion. “Kettle? Cream?” Twilight stepped between the ghosts and looked between them.

They were completely frozen, floating there with wide eyes and mouths agape. Pinkie Pie stepped up beside and waved a hoof in front of one of their faces to no avail.

Twilght’s ears dropped, “Wha—” and she gulped, “What’s going on?”

A deep rumble sounded from below the mountain, and the thrumming changed its tune. It picked up and then popped, and came to a sudden stop. Silence came crashing down between them, only broken by the rushing of wind whipping around the mountain and the distant howls of ghosts in agony. In that moment of silence, a deep and melodic laugh echoed from the distance.

Mwahahaha

The voice was immediately recognisable and she recoiled. “No.” She shook her head, retreated a step behind the colonels and using her magic to bring up her Harmony Pack. She didn’t believe it, it couldn’t be. They’d defeated him. He was dead.

But still, that last fact only made it all the more believable. Both ponies slowly retreated away as far as they could, Twilight standing firm with her pack out ready for a fight whilst Pinkie cowered behind. “T-Twilight?” She was shivering all over and slowly peeked her head out from behind Twilight’s flanks to glance up at her. “Who is it?”

“It’s—” Twilight gulped, her throat already going dry.

Before them, the clouds all swirled in the currents of the winds, churning over them and parting and merging, contorting until the black silhouette of a pony’s head emerged. Its eyes blazed a bright green light, and parts of the fog trailed away in a puff of pure black. Its maw spread into a wide, toothy snarl as it glared down at the pair of ponies gathered before it.

“—King Sombra.”

~ ~ ~

Rainbow Dash was pacing the darkened cellar, the only light that of the portal and the only sound, besides its faint moaning, that of Rainbow’s agitated rants. “Come on,” she whispered under her breath as she reached the far end, “Where are they?”

She turned around, looking back over her shoulder to where the portal still remained, the only connection she had to her friends right now. There had been no signs of change since Twilight and Pinkie had gone through. Beside the occasional moan the portal persisted. It felt long, but she was sure it couldn’t have been for more than a few minutes she’d been pacing there. But still, she felt she had to do something.

“Ugh!” Rainbow groaned up at the ceiling, throwing a hoof in the air, and trotted back. Tired of pacing, she went straight for a barrel she’d stood upright in front of the portal—alongside which her pack now lay— and slumped down against it. She caught herself with a hoof over the edge of the barrel as she deflated and sunk to the ground on her back. “This is so boooring!”

For a long while she laid there entertaining the thought of digging into AJ’s cider stash when a low rumbled sounded in the distance. She was instantly alert, sat back up strait and her ears pricking to pick up the sound. There was a faint, very distance, humming coming from outside.

She stood, and looked around. The humming getting louder and deeper, until she could feel the treble beating against her chest.

All around her, the ground began to shake. The wood of the barn creaked as it moved, and the barrels sloshed on their shelves.

“Oh, uh,” Rainbow’s ear flattened and she cowered back slightly, glancing back to the portal. “Uh, Twilight.... I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”

~ ~ ~

Silence fell over the mountain as the figure of Kind Sombra hovered over head, his menacing green eyes rolling over the scene, and his toothy grin widening as he set eyes on the small group gathered below.

The colonels, frozen on the spot, seemingly truck in some kind of trance, and Princess Twilight Sparkle, standing firm with her nozzle floating in her aura. She swallowed as his penetrating gaze roll past her, and Pinkie Pie cowered further back behind her flanks, emitting a silent eep as she did so.

There was the faint flicker or light behind the figures eyes, recognition, Twilight thought, and it came to life. “Princess...” His deep voice rolled out from the depths, smooth and eloquent. It sent a shiver up Twilight’s spine as he drew out her name, “... Sparkle.”

Twilight was taken off guard, “Y—” She tripped over her words. For all she knew, she had been prepared for him to be sinister, almost like an animal. But, as it were, with his voice so smooth and welcoming, he sounded more of an old friend. “Y— how do you know my name?”

The figure shifted slightly, moving higher and drawing mass from the surrounding clouds as the voice continued unabated. “The time has come.” It boomed, a commanding voice that shook Twilight to the bone. She was enraptured by the magical allure of king’s voice. If she hadn’t known who it was, and what he was capable of, she would have surely followed him to ends of Equestria. Instead, she was filled with hatred, and dread for the king, and couldn’t help but frown at his confidence.

“Enough chaos has been wrought, and my powers are nearing their apex,” a clap of thunder in the distance, and energy electrified the air to the tune of howling ghouls. “Now, is the time to rise, my brethren. Time to take back what is ours, and have my revenge on thee...” His gaze turned passed the mountain, but, before she could see where he was going to look, Twilight’s attention was pulled away by a hoof poking her in the side.

“Uh, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie stepped up beside her and tilted her head to the side, pointing wordlessly with her eyes.

Twilight followed Pinkie’s gaze to the nozzle in her aura, floating forgotten at her side, and realisation dawned on her. “O—” Twilight’s eyes widened, and she glanced back to Pinkie who looked to her with a knowing expression, and a nod. “Oh, right!”

She whipped the nozzle around. Pushing Pinkie aside and standing in her hind legs, Twilight wrapped her forelock around the shaft of her nozzle and took aim. She flicked a wingtip across her pack’s switches, slipping them all on and waited for the pack to charge.

Sombra ignored them for the time being. His head floated in the air, an echoing laugh sounding all around as he revelled in his assured victory. Twilight kept her eyes trained, following with her pack aim dead centre. She counted down under her breath as she listened to the pack’s humming slowly grow.

Five... four... three... two... The tone of the pack changed, now rumbling deeper against her back, several lights flickered on a the top, and Twilight pulled the trigger.

The beam arced across the sky, sparking and lighting up the area with a rainbow of light as it met its target. Twilight was almost thrown back by the force, and founder herself caught against Pinkie’s hooves as she helped her keep standing.

Sombra’s laugh contorted into a twisted cackle as the beam tunnelled through between his eyes and burst out the other end, burning away the clouds at its edged and dissipating his form. There was another explosion from within and Sombra exploded into a burst of dust and smoke, leaving nothing behind but the distant echoes of his laugh.

With the king gone, Kettle and Cream immediately began to wake. Kettle stumbled into his brother, clasping a hoof to his forehead, “Oh dear, what in Tartarus happened?”

“Indeed, brother,” Cream nodded, slumping against Kettle, also with a hoof pressed against his head. They both wobbled in the air, trying to use each other as support before they collapsed to the ground a tired heap.

“I feel worse than the time I tried your mother’s cooking.” Kettle joked.

“And I feel worse than the time I tried your mother’s cooking.”

“We have the same mother.”

“I know that.” They both turned slightly greener and lurched.

Pinkie Pie and Twilight were still recovering from the experience. Twilight holstered her nozzle and began trotting over to the Corn Colonels with Pinkie following slowly behind. She glanced around at the foggy sky, still sceptical. “What was way too easy.”

“Tell me about it.” Pinkie agreed. She held a hoof over her eyes and squinted into the distance. “I mean, isn’t this supposed to be King Sombra, the biggest baddest most bad guy there is?”

“Yeah, there’s something not right here.” Twilight turned her attention to the brothers, who were still in the middle of recovering from their hypnosis. “Kettle,” she shouted to the first of the two, and they both perked up. “Do you remember why we’re here?”

“Oh yeah,” Kettle nodded. He slid out from under Cream, brushing himself off as he returned to an upright position. He waved a hoof towards where King Sombra had just been. “It’s right down there.” Before Twilight could say anything, Cream sprung to his hooves and both brothers clapped their hooves and spread them out to dismiss the clouds.

There was a burst of wind and the air cleared, revealing an unhindered view of the plains below. Twilight’s jaw dropped.

Spread out as far as the eye could see, ghostly figures circled the edges of a massive crater marring the landscape, but that wasn’t all. They all moved in formation, circling upwards towards the sky, where a network, almost like the roots of a tree, reached down from holes in the sky. In fact—Twilight frowned – it seemed exactly like the roots of a tree. Energy pulsed down and around them, and, following them up, Twilight spotted black crystals jutting through rips in the sky.

“Well.”Kettle huffed, following his arms and turning around, “It’s not—” and set eyes on the view, “Oh. Now that wasn’t there before.”

“This is really bad,” Pinkie spoke from Twilight’s side.

“Mhm,” Twilight nodded, “I think it’s time we went back.”

“Back?” Cream raised an eyebrow, “There isn’t any back. Nopony goes back from The Necroverse.”

“Wait what!?” They both screamed, and spun around.

Both brothers stood firm, holding their straight faces as both Twilight and Pinkie glared him down. At length, a slight grin cracked at the side of Cream’s mouth, and his brother burst out laughing. “Kidding!” he shouted, slapping his knee and falling over backwards, “We’re kidding!”

Twilight’s ears dropped, and she formed a pout. She and Pinkie continued to glare at the two ghosts as they doubled over in laughter in front of them. Pinkie shared Twilight’s sentiments.

Kettle wiped a tear from his eye, pausing long enough to speak, “You” — he gasped —“should’ve seen your faces.”

“Priceless,” Cream added and stood up straight. He coughed into his hoof and stroked his hoof through his mane to straighten it out, “Okay, come on.” He turned around, beckoning them after him with a wave of his hoof. “I know a short cut.”

Chapter 8

6:45 AM, Apple Orchard Avenue, Sweet Apple Acres

Rainbow Dash was lying with her back to one of the barrels, her pack leaned against her side and a mug tipped over and discarded on the ground. She swayed slightly, with a dumbfounded grin on her face, as she squinted down at the tuft of pink fur sticking out from her chest.

She ran a hoof over her barrel, brushing against the soft fur, and then brought her hoof up to look over the pink splotches covering her body. Somehow, it didn’t seem so bad any more. The smell was gone, at least it seemed like it, and the stains had dried. She barely even remembered how she’d gotten them, or why she was there for that matter.

“Heh,” Rainbow snorted. Snatching the mug up in a hoof, she turned back to the barrel, and had a hoof on its tap about to get another drink, when the portal suddenly changed.

“WEEEEEEEE!”

It vibrated, and a long, high-pitched squeal made Rainbow jump. “Wha—what!?”Her fur standing on end, she dropped her mug and whipped her head around completely forgetting to let go of the tap. As she turned, her hoof jolted her back, and slipped straight off. “Ack—” she flailed her hooves around, panicking, and trying to catch herself as she slid sideways.

Rainbow collapsed face-down next to the barrel, her face buried in the dirt, and groaned.

The portal shimmered one last time, and the squeal concluded with an explosion as Pinkie Pie came soaring out. She glided through the air, her hooves spread eagle, and did a somersault before landing in front of Rainbow with expert precision. “Hey”—she turned around, shouting back to the portal—“Twi, that was pretty f—”

AAAAHHH!!

Pinkie was cut off by another explosion, and Twilight’s screaming as she was spat out behind her. The princess flew out, her wings spread, and somersaulting backwards as she barrelled directly into Pinkie.

They both collapsed into a pile in the middle of the room, in a pomf as Pinkie’s mane flattened under the weight, and more struggling as Twilight flailed. “Oh, no,” she gasped, panicking as she the momentum too her further over Pinkie’s head, “no, no-no-no...”

She slowly started to slide over Pinkie’s head, and instinctively flared out her wings to steady herself. As they flared out, her feathers caught on the straps from Pinkie’s pack, and pulled her further forwards. “Ah—” Twilight’s panicking grew, wriggling and struggling what she could, to get herself free from the tangled web of straps—only making herself slide forwards even faster.

Twilight pitched forwards, her face only inches from the ground, when she suddenly stopped. “Oh,” she breathed a sigh of relief, and relaxed. “Whew.” She turned her head back, straining to look over her shoulder, and lit her horn to begin loosening the straps.

“Mmm mmmfmfmm!” Pinkie Pie mumbled from beneath her, and started squirming. “Mmm!” Her hooves slapped against Twilight’s side, and the princess promptly pitched forwards the rest of the way. Twilight tried to pull herself back, but a hoof caught the straps on Pinkie’s back, and she pitched forwards the rest of the way, face planting in the dirt.

Pinkie Pie squeezed out from behind her, rolling over and gasping for breath. She flopped down onto her back. “Celestia!” She screamed, and held a hoof to her chest, gasping to her breath. “I thought I was going to die!”

Twilight simply slumped forwards, reserved to her position. Her wings relaxing, splayed out at her side, and her body went limp, letting out a long, drawn out, groan into the ground. “Uuuuugh...”

“T—” Rainbow hiccupped “—Twilight!” She stumbled back to her hooves, and rushed over to the princess to help her up. She grabbed Twilight by the forelock and pulled her to her hooves, then pulled the dazed Princess in a rough hug. “That Celestia!” she screamed, tearing up as she rocked Twilight in the hug, “You’re all right!” She wiped a hoof across her face before separating to hold Twilight out at arm’s length. “Where have you guys been?” She asked, “It’s been three days!”

Twilight shook off her daze, and pushed the Pegasus away to give herself some space. “Sorry, Rainbow, it’s just we—” She went silent, glancing back to the pink Pegasus with wide eyes. Her gaze turned into a frown, and she lunged forwards, grabbing Rainbow by the shoulders and holding her in front of her. Their foreheads knocked together, dazing Rainbow Dash, as she screamed, “Three days!?”

Twilight’s immediate panic was cut short when something strong burned in her nose. She was taken aback, and held Rainbow out to hoof length with disgust, and gagged. “Ugh, what is that—” She clasped a hoof over her nose. It was the same smell as before, what she could only describe as the smell of rotting corpses, mixed with the distinct, though equally as sickening, smell of fermented cider.

Rainbow Dash nodded, unaware, “Yeah.” She pointed behind her, to where she’d laid one of the barrel tops down on the ground, and placed an old bottle in the middle to act as a make-shift sundial.

It clearly indicated the time to be... nothing. Twilight facehoofed. “Rainbow Dash, sundials don’t work inside.”

“...oh.”

Silence fell in the room, the moment dragging on with the only sounds that of the portal’s groaning. There was the distinct plop of a drop falling somewhere in the dark, and the portal gurgled behind Twilight. It snapped shut, leaving them alone in the dark room.

“So...” Rainbow Dash began. She rubbed a hoof behind her head and pulled out of Twilight’s grasp. “What did you guys do in there anyway?” She pointed a hoof behind her, towards the window. A howl suddenly sounded from outside, and she add, “This place is going insane.”

“Oh,” Twilight blinked. “Right.” She looked behind her to see Pinkie Pie still recovering, only just getting back to her hooves. “There’s no time to explain.”

Grabbing both Pinkie and Rainbow in her magic, Twilight dragged them behind her as she made for the door. “I’ll tell you on the way. We have to get back to Ponyville, now!”

~ ~ ~

“Wait, what!?” Rainbow Dash screamed. She was flying along the path, hovering next to Twilight as they barrelled down the path away from the farm.

Outside was completely dark, not the slightest hints of the sunrise, or of Luna’s stars. It was as if somepony had draped a blanket over all of Equestria. The only reason they could tell where they were going was thanks to Twilight’s spell. The light she’d cast bobbed and floated ahead, flying off as quickly as they ran to illuminate the path ahead.

“Are you serious!?” Rainbow repeated. Swinging in low, she flipped around in the air to look Twilight in the eye as she flew. “This is all King Sombra!?”

“Yes, Rainbow,” Twilight insisted, rolling her eyes. She’d already explained it three times, yet the pegasus insisted on prodding her with further questions despite the evident urgency. She pushed past her friend, picking up her pace to reach Ponyville as quickly as possible.

Pinkie Pie plonked past, giving a brief nod to Rainbow as she bounced after Twilight. “She’s right, Dashie, all of Equestria might be at stake!”

“But—“ Rainbow Dash groaned, facehoofing, and took after Twilight.

She’d just managed to pull up alongside the mare when she swung in from the side and leaned her head in close to whisper, “But how? I thought he was--” Rainbow faltered slightly, wobbling in her path, and having to adjust her wings to keep low. She gulped, and leaned in closer to Twilight and lifted up a hoof to cover her mouth as she whispered, “...killed?”

“He was,” Twilight admitted, “I don’t know how, but he’s found a way to get back and he’s not happy. That’s why we have to get to—”

There was a loud creak, and a deep, bellowing laugh that echoed through the darkness. The crack of wood splitting sounded from the right, and Twilight screamed out, “Rainbow Dash, look out!” She jumped forwards, knocking the pegasus out of the way just in time.

Winded, Rainbow Dash was flung sideways and tumbled to the ground. She rolled over sideways and came to rest in the middle of the path. There was a loud crunch, and the sound of something shattering, that made Rainbow’s ears perk. She rolled back over, catching a glimpse of a wooden arm reaching out of the darkness.

It had wrapped its fingers around Twilight’s pack, and was hoisting the princess, kicking and screaming into the air. Her voice caught in her throat, “T-”

“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie screamed next to her and leapt forwards, wrapping her hooves around the arm just under the elbow. She tugged on it with all her might, and grunting, and kicked her hooves behind her as it pulled her, too, into the air.

Rainbow Dash remained frozen in place, slack-jawed, and lying on the ground as she watching as her friends being carried away. Something clicked in her mind, and her eyes lit up. “H-Hold on, guys!” she screamed and leapt to her hooves. Bringing the nozzle up from her Harmony Pack, she started fumbling with the switches.

She squinted, struggling to see what she was doing in the dim light. Her hoof caught against something that felt like a switch, and she pressed it down. Nothing happened and, realising she was holding it upside-down; Rainbow flipped the nozzle and pointed it upwards.

There was the crack of magic, a flash, and a magenta explosion form above. The sky was instantly ablaze. A bright, blinding light spread out in every direction, then faded to a more comfortable level as Rainbow’s eyes adjusted.

The whole path and orchard was illuminated in a pale, bluish light. Looking up, Rainbow could now see exactly what it was attacking them. On both side all along the road, every tree from the orchard was snarling down at them with deep black, knot-hole eyes. Their branches twisted up into knurled appendages and roots pulled from the ground as the trees leaned in to reach them.

Twilight glided back to the ground, her horn still smouldering as she carried Pinkie Pie between her hooves. She spun around, angling her glide to whip past Rainbow Dash long enough to scream, “Treants, keep moving!” and she was gone up the path towards the open road.

Rainbow gulped, spreading her wings. “You don’t have to tell me twice!”

~ ~ ~

7:00 AM, Ponyville, Ponyville

Twilight and Pinkie bobbed and swerved as they tumbled through the air. Twilight was heaving and wheezing as she struggled to carry both herself, Pinkie, and the combined weight of both of their Harmony Packs. On top of that, she was a complete mess, with sticks and twigs stuck to her mane and coat, whilst Pinkie seemed entirely untouched and was actually enjoying the ride. “Woo-hoo!” She cheered, “Yeah, Twilight, you’re awesome!”

“I appreciate the—” Twilight groaned “—encouragement, Pinkie, but I can’t—” They both suddenly dipped, dropping several feet and missing the ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ sign before she was able to catch their fall.

With one final, mighty effort, Twilight dropped Pinkie safely next to the road, and collapsed next to her—exhausted. “That was...” She slumped forwards, letting herself crumple into the ground whilst her wings relaxed and spread haphazardly at her side, “...too close.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie agreed. Swaying slightly on her hooves, her mane suddenly deflated and her legs turned to jelly. She crumpled next to Twilight letting out a long, drawn out, sigh, and flipped over onto her back, to glance the way they’d come.

The spell was still burning bright in the sky, casting shadows all around. It flickered and blazed above Sweet Apple Acres like a weird, purple sun, and didn’t seem to be fading any time soon. “It’s good thing you had that spell, Twi,” Pinkie commented.

“Mhm.” Too tired to even lift her head, Twilight settled for a subtle nod.

Silence fell between them, drawing long and filled with Twilight’s sighs as she slowly recovered. The faint buzzing of insects, and howls who knows what in the darkness.

She shifted slightly, picking up one wing and returning to its position at her side. There was a loud chink as something metal shifted behind her, and several tiny, metal shards slid off her back from her pack. “... my pack’s broken.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie nodded. “Is that bad?”

Another nod, “...I’d say so...”

At length, Twilight gritted her teeth, and gathered her strength. She pushed up against the ground, and moved into a sitting position. As the fogs rose from her mind, Twilight raised an eyebrow and looked around them. “Where’d Dash go?”

“Out of my way!”

Rainbow’s voice screamed from behind, making them both jump. Twilight and Pinkie sat up, and looked back towards the forest. There was a distant rumble, the breaking of twigs, and the brush suddenly shook.

Rainbow Dash burst through the tree line, trailing broken sticks and leaved behind her, and pulling on several vines still clinging to her coat. She flew wide, gaining altitude and taking a moment to kick away the last remnants of the forest, and then came back in for a hot landing.

She skidded to a halt in front of Twilight, beaming confidence. She bore a smug grin, and held her wings out in triumph whilst a few stray leaves floated from her mane with every step. “Hah!” She scoffed, and brushed a hoof through her mane to clear it out. “Did you guys see that? I totally—”

“No,” Twilight deadpanned, making Rainbow’s face dropped.

“As I was saying, this has gotten way out of hoof. There’s no way we can handle King Sombra along, not without the rest of the elements.” Twilight indicated over her back. “But if we hurry, we might still have time to get a warning out to the princesses before it’s too late. All we have to do is get back to my—” Twilight turned around, waving a hoof behind her, intent on pointing back to her castle when she froze. Her mouth dropped open as she laid eyes on the scene.

“Um,” Rainbow frowned, and shared a look with Pinkie Pie. She stepped forwards, moving up past the sign to stand next to Twilight. “Twi? What were you—” Following Twilight’s gaze, Rainbow’s eye went side, and she, too, went silent.

Pinkie Pie was the last to join them. Eyeing her friends, she squinted, regarding them critically, and waved a hoof in front of each of their faces. “Hey, what are you—” Without so much as a single word, Twilight raised a hoof and brought it to Pinkie’s chin. She turned the mare’s head forward, and pointed ahead.

Pinkie’s eyes went wide, realisation dawning on her, and she uttered a single, “...oh.”

From this position, atop the hill overlooking Ponyville, anypony could see across the entire town on a clear day. This day happened to be one of them, albeit dark. Pinkie, Twilight, and Rainbow could see all of Ponyville played out in front of them.

Normally, it would be filled with a commotion, either the everyday lives of ponies going about their business, or the pained shrieks of ponies fearing for their lives. This day, however, the whole town was eerily quiet.

Every house sat silent, completely dark save for the ones Twilight and her friends had had a hoof in destroying. Those ones still stood, beacons in the night, either smouldering or glowing, or doing both as they crumbled to the ground.

Even Town Hall seemed to have fallen victim, though there was no telling from this distance. They could have all hidden away inside.

But still, among all that, there was one thing that stood out above all else, one thing that scared Twilight the most.

She gulped.

“Is that...” Rainbow Dash started, her dumbfounded expression only just starting to wear off.

“My castle,” Twilight whispered, shaking, beneath her breath, afraid.

The castle stood there, towering over Ponyville. Instead of the usual blues and purples of its gem exterior, it had turned a deep black, and was glowing with the blood reddish hues of dark magic. Even from all the way out here, Twilight could feel it radiation off the structure, tingling her horn, and burning her nose with the— “Ugh!”

Twilight heaved, and shoved Rainbow Dash away. The pegasus looked to her with a raised eyebrow, slightly offended, but dropped it when she saw Pinkie Pie glaring at her as well. “Uh...” A beat of silence, as Rainbow looked awkwardly between her two friends. She blushed slightly, and took a step back, pointing over her should. “I’ll just... be over here.”

Twilight sighed. She rubbed her nose with a hoof, and turned her attention back to the view with a frown, lapsing into silence as she thought. Every now and then, a flicker of motion would catch her eye—a long ghost drifting down the quiet streets, or a pony fleeing towards the last building to have any light on, town hall. The castle still loomed over head, with a sickly glow emanating from its windows, and the alternating movements of spectres inside.

She groaned, facehoofing, as the puzzle pieces finally came together. Suddenly it all made sense. “That’s how...” Twilight voiced underneath her breath, silently berating herself for not realising the connection at first.

Its roots carry for half a mile.

Just from one building, Sombra would have access to everything in the surrounding area. It was also the tallest building around, the perfect focus for any sort of summoning spells. Heck, it was even made of crystals. The place was practically a Sombra magnet. She facehoofed again, slightly harder this time, and let the numbing pain comfort her. “...I should have seen this from the beginning.”

“Seen what?” Rainbow shouted from her spot several paces away. In the time Twilight had been thinking, Rainbow somehow decided it was best to keep far, far away. Even now, she continued to back up, and now stood clear across the road, downwind from her friends and wearing an awkward grin.

“Nothing, nothing,” Twilight waved a hoof, “It’s nothing, Rainbow Dash.” With a flicker of her horn, she used her magic to push a loose strand of hair from her face, and clasped her hooves together. “Okay.” Twilight put on the best smile she could, trying her best to suppress her urges to begin twitching. “New plan!”

She pointed to Pinkie Pie first, and the mare perked up on the spot. “Pinkie Pie; go wake up Rarity. I know how ‘important’ her beauty sleep is, but I think the immediate extinction of Equinity might be a little more important. Plus, I have no idea how the houses might be affected, so it’d be best to make sure she’s all right.”

“Aye-aye, Twi~lie,” Pinkie Pie sprung to her hooves, saluting Twilight with the end of her nozzle. She put on her most serious face—relatively speaking, with a lot of tongue—and watched as Twilight trotted past her to address Rainbow.

“Dash” Rainbow’s ears perked, and looked up to see Twilight approaching her with a look of conviction. The princess pointed to her with a hoof. “You’re with me. I want to see if we can coax Fluttershy out of her cottage.”

She then turned around to address both mares, looking to Pinkie, and then back to Dash, asking, “Is that okay with everypony?”

Pinkie Pie nodded— “Mhm” —already setting off on her way towards the boutique. “You can count on me, Twilight!” She waved a hoof as she passed.

Rainbow Dash simply raised a hoof, and asked, “Um... What about AJ?”

“I’m sure, wherever she is; Applejack has far less to worry about than the rest of us.” Shifting her pack slightly, Twilight turned towards the path leading down the Everfree Forest, and motioned for Dash to join her. “Now come on.”

~ ~ ~

6:45 AM, Las Pegasus Police Station

“Ah’m sorry, officer, but Ah’m not quite sure I understand.”

Applejack was sitting in a small, uncomfortable steel chair, in the middle of windowless cement room. Her brother stood behind her, clearly intoxicated, and wobbling on his hooves. He leaned against Applejack’s chair, and used the back of if as a make-shift crutch to keep from falling over.

Across from them, on the other side of the desk sat, and stood, two burly, grey stallions in uniform. The first bore a wide frown, his grey moustache quivering on his muzzle as he looked over the file between his hooves. The second stood behind him, holding Granny Smith, her hooves cuffed, at his side.

The first stallion grumbled something under his breath, and set the file down. “Madam,” he repeated, “Your grandmother got a successful payout from five different slot machines in a row”—

“Well that doesn’t sound so—”

– “By kicking them.”

“... Oh.”

Chapter 9

7:15 AM, Fluttershy’s Cottage, Just outside Ponyville

The cottage was silent, almost like something out of a nightmare, or an old movie. It sat cold and lifeless, devoid of any life as it slumped atop its lonely hill. The windows were boarded, and the night around was completely silent, save for the whoop of an owl in the dark, and the soft tinkling of wind chimes.

Twilight and Rainbow stood together outside its front gate, the former regarding the scene with a frown, whilst the latter trailed close behind, glancing around nervously, and trying to hide her shivers. “I—” Rainbow gulped, and smack her lips. She was looking all around her, her eyes darting from side to side whilst she kept her pack at the ready to blast and ghost that even dared to jump out at the great Rainbow Dash. “I-I don’t know about this, Twi. Maybe we sh--”

Rainbow froze, her mane bristling as the sound of a twig snapping reached her ears, followed by the howl of a timberwolf drifting over from the Everfree. She immediately spun around, bringing up her packs nozzle to aim at the source, and squinted into the dark as she spied a lone bush in the woods.

It shook slightly, making a faint rustling in the dark, and Rainbow Dash carefully skulked close to it. With every step, the bush shook, and Rainbow’s ears drooped.

She paused, and glanced over her shoulder to Twilight. The mare watched from a distance, her own— albeit broken— Harmony Pack at the ready. “What is it?” she silently mouthed.

Rainbow held a hoof up to her mouth, and gestured to her pack, and then to the bush.

Twilight frowned, titling her head, and shrugged. “What?”

“Ugh...” Rainbow groaned, and facehoofed. “I’m going to—“

Suddenly, the bushes parted, and something small and white dashed out heading straight for her. Aaahh!” Rainbow was caught off guard, she yelped, dropping her arms and covering her face with her hooves. “Don’t hurt me!” she yelped, letting out a high-pitched, Fluttershy-like squeal, as she backpedalled out of the woods, and all the way back to the cottage gate to cower behind Twilight’s flanks.

A faint thumping sounded from behind, and out of the dark hopped Angel Bunny. He huffed, crossing his arms, and turned up his nose, then started off bounding off down the road.

Both their eyes followed the bunny as he bounced away, turned a corner, and ducked back out of sight. They both shared a glance, and Twilight cracked smirk. “Pfft—” She pressed her hoof to her mouth, the muffled the snickers whilst Rainbow Dash blushed a bright red.

“I—” Mortified; she averted her eyes, and stuttered, “M-Maybe we sh-should’ve gone with Pinkie Pie?” she asked, hopeful, and stepped out from behind Twilight to regain her dignity. Her wings spread, and she made a show of how un-terrified she was, despite the trembling running throughout her entire bot. “N-not like I’m scared, or anything, but- You know?” She turned, and started trotting back up the path towards Ponyville. “Just to m-make sure s-she doesn’t—”

Rainbow was stopped in her tracks as something solid pulled on her tail, sending a jolt up her spin, and she glanced back to find Twilight there, holding her tail with her magic and glaring at her. “H-hey!” she shouted, and tried trotting away again, pulling against the magic. “Let go!”

Instead, all it did was further annoy Twilight as she deadpanned, rolling her eyes, and started pulling Rainbow with her through the gate. “Come on, Rainbow, don’t be a scaredy filly.

“No please, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash cried, tearing up as she grabbed at the ground. “Let me go, I don’t wanna!” As she passed the gate, she latched onto the stone wall, wrapping her hooves around the base as she pleaded. “Please!”

“It’s just”—Twilight grit her teeth, bracing herself, and in one switch motion, she pulled Rainbow free. –“Fluttershy.”

There was a crack, and a yelp, “Nooo...” and Rainbow Dash flew free from the gate, carrying a large chunk of the wall with her between her hooves, and then kept going as Twilight dragged her down the driveway towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

~ ~ ~

Pinkie Pie trotted down the path, hopping, skipping, and jumping as she hummed to herself. “Hmm-hmm-hm—” She crossed the bridge into Ponyville proper, and was overtaken by the familiar feeling of a heat song, bubbling up form deep inside, beating against her chest begging to be let out. “Ooooh...! When I’m Pinkie P— Oh!” Pinkie suddenly cut herself off, gasping as she spied a familiar face. “Hi Carrot Top!” She waved a hoof as she passed, smiling to a greyed out mare standing beside the road.

Carrot Top simply stood there, swaying slightly on her hooves. She didn’t make any move to respond, and simply stood there, staring off into the distance, and facing away from the road.

“Okay, bye, then~” Pinkie giggled, waving once more, and continued on her way again.

~ ~ ~

“Noo-ho-hooo!!” Rainbow Dash cried, kicking and screaming, tears dribbling down her face and bawling like a spoiled filly as she was dragged behind Twilight towards the cottage. “I don’t wanna!” She lay sprawled out on her stomach, sucking a hoof in her mouth whilst she clung for dear life to her makeshift teddy bear—an industrial-sized bag of birdseed she’d picked up on their way across the bridge. Several twigs and dust clung to her coat and main, adding a dusted brown to the stark pink splotching her fur.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight grunted. She heaved and pulled, putting all her strength into dragging the mare up the last steps onto the porch. “This is getting—” she huffed “—ridiculous.” With a sigh, and a groan, Twilight gathered her strength for one mighty heave, and lifted Rainbow by her back legs, clear of the last step, and almost over her head before she collapsed.

CRACK

“Gah!” Something clicked in her back and Twilight faltered. She wobbled, and let Rainbow fall, slumping to her haunches, gasping for breath and rubbing her temples as she seethed. “We have to—” she took a deep breath gasped, steadying herself, “We have to do this, Rainbow, it’s imperative that we...” Her breath running short, Twilight trailed off and lapsed into silence, panting, and waiting as her heart raced to catch up. “...we...”

“‘That we’ what?” Rainbow Dash jumped at the chance. She hopped to her hooves; the feed bag still squeezed tight between her forelegs, and loomed over Twilight with a wild look in her eye. “Are you serious!?” she screamed. Her wings popped out on instinct and, dropping the bag, she waved a hoof over her back to gesture at the pile of planks in the yard. “Have you seen what she did to that chicken coop!? What do you think she’s got in there, chickens!?” She huffed, crossing her hooves, “If that’s what she had to do for the chickens, I’m not sticking around to find out what happened for the hoofing bear! Harmony Packs or no, that thing will rip me to apart!”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. She waved a hoof, taking a moment to swallow and clear her throat. “I-” she coughed, and tried again. “I’m sure it’s nothing.” She punctuated her words with a roll of her eyes. “It was just Fluttershy overreacting, again. We got here just fine, and besides, we still need to get our packs fixed before we can do anything.”

“Can’t we just go back to your castle and fix them there?”

“Sure,” Twilight replied. The sarcasm was palpable. “If you don’t mind fighting through an endless army of the undead, led by a resurrected devil king of all things evil wielding who knows what kind of power, all with nothing but the tails on our flanks and the power of friendship, then go ahead.”

“Aw...” Rainbow’s eyes lit up, her fear momentarily forgotten as she shot up in the air screaming, “... hell yeah!” She did a back flip, landing in front of Twilight, and grabbed her hoof intent on trotting back to Ponyville. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Now let’s go get Pinkie P—” She started to walk away, but was halted when Twilight refused to move. “Um, Twi,” she started, and glanced back with a raised eyebrow, “Aren’t we—” and went silent as she saw Twilight’s glare.

“No.”

“Bu—”

“No.” She repeated, more forcefully this time, much to Rainbow’s disappointment, The pegasus seemed to deflate, her head lowering and her ears drooping as Twilight turned away from her to regard the door. She continued, “Forget about it. We’re not going on a suicide mission.”

“Aw...”

Rainbow sighed from behind her and, rolling her eyes, Twilight turned her attention to front door. For all her trouble, Twilight had to admit, Rainbow did have some kind of point—not about the mission, but about Fluttershy. They didn’t really know what was in there, whether some ghost come to claim the cottage for its own, Harry guarding the door for his master, or Fluttershy scared out of her wits. Even then, if it were Fluttershy, they couldn’t be sure that was really Fluttershy.

A flash of a pink filly, green eyes and cackling maniacally, flashed through Twilight’s mind, giving her pause. In all the confusion, they’d forgotten Derpy, and neither of them had found signs of either her or her daughter in the Necroverse, meaning wherever they were, Sombra probably had them now.

Twilight was overtaken by a sick feeling. She flushed and wavered for a moment, but then, steeling her resolve; she gulped and reached her hoof forwards. No point in waiting to find out, she argued. It was either now or never.

As her hoof drew closer, the minutes stretched into hours, and Twilight’s eyes instinctively glanced to the side, scoping out the surroundings for an escape route. She felt a droplet of sweat dribbling down her forehead. Okay, Twilight, you can do this. She gulped, again, and licked her lips. Only a few more inches, and—

CHA-T-CHA-T-CHATTA-CH

“Ya—” Twilight yelped, and almost jumped out of her skin. She bit down on her lip, silencing her scream, and spun around to shoot a glare at the pony leaning over her back. “Rainbow Dash!”

“Wh-what?” Rainbow asked, dumbfounded. She hovered slightly behind Twilight, leaning over her shoulder, practically on top of her as she stared down at what she was doing. He hoof was pressed against her mouth, shivering, and her teeth chattering loudly as she watched.

Twilight facehoofed, and pushed Rainbow away from her, whispering, “Stay back.” She took a deep breath, letting her mind clear, and went through the exercises Cadance had taught her.

Finally, when she thought herself ready, Twilight turned her attention back to the door, this time looking at it more carefully. Immediately she could notice a few key differences. One was that the welcome mat was gone, and two, there was a rope tied around the door handle which—as she followed it, lead to a rather large, wooden sign, dangling at knee height in front of the door.

She levitated the sign up, reading it aloud as she held it up in front of her. “Go Away.” it said, in big dribbling red paint, and then, directly below that and trailing off into increasingly smaller font: “There is definitely no yellow pegasus in side that any creepy creeper ghost might want to eat, so please go away, that is, if you don’t mind, could you please...”

“...Fluttershy, really..” Rolling her eyes, Twilight discarded the sign and leaned against the door. She braced herself with a hoof, and laid her ear flat against the wood to listen for any sound inside.

There was breathing, faint and broken by the wood, but it was still breathing. Oh, good, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, At least she’s still alive. She gently tapped the door with her hoof. “Fluttershy?” she called, careful not to sound too forceful. “Are you in there?”

The response was immediate. A gasp, barely a squeak from the other side, followed by a loud clatter and a thud as something large, heavy, and pudgy dropped to the floor in fright.

Twilight frowned. She brought both hooves up to the door, pressing her head against the surface, struggling to hear what was going on. “Are you okay in there?”

No response.

Twilight’s frown deepened. She was about to repeat herself when a rumble and the squeak of furniture shifting broke the silence. A dainty clomping of hooves drew near behind the door, and the wood shivered. It jolted inwards as the door cracked ajar causing Twilight to flinch.

She blanched as she slid sideways, and almost tumbled to the ground before she could catch herself on her back hoof. She glanced back up to find a single eye staring at her from the darkness inside. “Y-y-your n-not more creepy ghosties come t—” The tiny whisper of a voice stuttered, pausing as she glanced around. She gulped. “T-to, eat my soul, are you?”

“Fluttershy, it’s just us,” Twilight whispered, and leaned down, poking her head in front of the gap so Fluttershy could see her more clearly. She put on her sincerest of smiles, and pressed a hoof to her chest—“Twilight, remember?” And she motioned to the mare directly behind her, currently looking on with her hooves crossed around a large bad of seeds—“And this is R—”

“Come on, already!!” Rainbow Dash butted in, shoving Twilight out of the way as she moved in to glare down the gap. “Fluttershy, just let us in,” she croaked, glaring down at the eye.

“Eep—”Fluttershy squeaked, her eyes widening, and let out a high-pitched squeal as she slammed the door shut.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight scolded and rounded on the mare. She grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her up in front of her as she glared down at her, shaking her violently as she screamed, “Why did you just do—”

Twilight’s tirade was cut short as the door rattled between them. They paused, both eyes turning down to the door, Twilight’s mouth dropping open whilst Rainbow’s turned up into a smug grin.

The door handle rattled, and clicked with the slamming of tumblers and multiple locks falling out of place. The door creaked, and cracked ajar once again, jolting in place as it knocked against something solid. “Oh, ponyf—” They barely caught Fluttershy’s swear, and then the rattle of a chain being undone, and the slide of something heavy being moved out of the way.

Finally, the door swung open, and Fluttershy’s head poked out from behind it. “Quick,” she whispered, waving Twilight and Rainbow over with a hoof, “Get inside before the g-gh- creeps get you!”

~ ~ ~

7:15 AM, Rarity’s Boutique, Ponyville

“Rarity!” Pinkie Pie screamed into the night. She stood outside the boutique, at the main entrance and staring up to the second floor window with a wide grin. She leapt in place, waving her hooves as she just barely reached the second floor, hopeful that somepony would see her. “Yoo-hoo~”

No response.

It was like the entire building had been abandoned. Either that or Rarity was a really heavy sleeper. She hoped the latter.

With all options exhausted—she was pretty sure Rarity didn’t have a chimney, at least not any more—Pinkie returned to shouting and banging on the front door. “Rarity, Rars, Marshmallow Pudgy Muffin, I’m here to get you to help save Equestria! Hello!?”

She paused again, glancing up to the window and straining her eyes and ears for any signs of life—and still no answer.

“Hm... Weird.” Pet names always worked to get Rarity outside, one way or another—usually the other—which means there must be something wrong. Either that or she’s a really heavy sleeper.

She raised several more hooves to knock again, banging against the wood with all her might and rattling the door on its hinges. “Rarit—”

CRACK

There was a loud crunch, like wood splitting, the trickle of rubble breaking loose from the boutique’s facade and the door suddenly cracked ajar. It creaked long and low, a sad groan of mourning for its beloved frame, as it swung inwards, there was the faint clunk of something moving in the back of the studio, followed by more silence.

“Uh...” Pinkie pie peeked inside, her smile gone as she gazed into the darkened interior. She pushed forwards, grunting as she forced the open the rest of the way, and trotted into the building proper. “Rarity?” Her voice echoed, reverberating through the empty studio. “Are you in here?”

No answer.

Pinkie blinked and squinted into the darkness. Shadows fell all around, contorting into strange beings with grinning, watching intently as Pinkie slinked further into the building. A cool breeze blew, sending a chill up Pinkie’s spine, and she felt the urge to fill the silence. “Um,” she smacked her lips, regretting having eaten her ghost detector, and began singing the lyrics of her favourite song as she trotted. “I just want to...” She gulped, her eyes dancing across the darkness, “Smile; Smile...” The marennequins seemed to be watching her too, their faceless eye drilling into her soul as she was instinctively drawn to the only light source around.

Near the back, trailing off to the left, there was a pale yellow light that flickered in and out through an open door to the kitchen. Pinkie stopped in the entranceway, frowning as she looked around wearily.

The place was a sticky mess. The traces of breakfast still lay out, a bowl of cereal half eaten on the table-top, and a burned orange juice and waffles sitting out on the counter. The overhead light hung loosely, its cone of light pitching and swaying as it swung from its hinges. There was a faint buzz, and a zap, as the light flickered and dimmed.

As the light moved, the shadows went with it, migrating across the room in a surrealist fashion. Different parts of the kitchen came and went from view. Dirty dishes piled in the sink, a dripping faucet, a pot spilled on the white tiles, and a bowl of fruit teetering on the edge of the counter.

“Ooh!” Pinkie Pie jolted forward with a hop and a skip, and arrived in front of the bowl. She grabbed the bowl in her hooves and smashed her face down on the contents, mixing them thoroughly into her mane.

When she brought her face up, she took all the fruit with her mane and she did a quick tally. “Apple, apple, banana, grapefruit— ew!” She discarded the pear, making a face. “I can totally use these!”

Dropping the bowl, she jumped over to the fridge and pulled it open.

There was burst of light, a sickly green glow that bathed over the front of Pinkie, and a gale-force wind whipped past her mane making her eyes water. Pinkie Pie tapped a hoof to her chin, running her eyes over the items in the fridge door. “Let’s see here...”

There was an echoing groan, and a long, scrawny hand reached out from the fridge. Its fingers extended towards Pinkie Pie, with a garbled voice that whispered from the depths. Pony—must join u—”

“Aha!” Pinkie shot a hoof forwards, grabbing a carton of juice form the door, and slammed the fridge shut.

“Yaahh~” The voice cut itself off, replaced by the pained whimpering of a hurt puppy as it tried to pull its hand back.

Pinkie Pie turned away, holding her prize up between her hooves, too interested in fiddling with her juice box to pay the ghost any mind. She held it in front of her, struggling to get the straw loose with her hooves, as she brought it with her back to the exit. “Come on...” she grumbled to herself.

She trotted forwards, and immediately collided with something soft and springy in the middle of the door way. An orange and an apple shook loose from her mane, bouncing to the floor as Pinkie took a step back in surprise. “Oh, sorry there I—” She stopped, her voice catching in her throat.

There was a shadowy mare standing in the doorway, slumped against the frame, and blocking Pinkie’s path. The light swung around, casting a light across the mare’s face. A tangled, messy mane, tired, glazed over eyes devoid of any life, and a mouth hanging open with dribble trailing all the way to the ground. “Uuugh...” is groaned, and a wave of nauseating stench wafted over Pinkie.

“Rarity!” Pinkie Pie was taken aback. Her muzzle scrunched, and she looked the mare up and down, inspecting her with a critical eye. “... Wow. You weren’t kidding about the beauty sleep, huh?”

“Uuuuuuugh...”

Pinkie blushed. “Oh, well.” She averted her eyes, running a hoof through her mane. An apple dropped out, bounced once, and rolled to a halt beneath the table. “I mean, if anypony’s going to pull of that look, it’s going to be you.”

“Uuuuuugh,” Rarity groaned again. Raising one hoof, she took a step, and lumbered forwards.

“The—” she gulped, stuttering slightly, and took a step back. “This isn’t about the fruit, is it? I was going to pay you back.” She quickly did the magic motions, “Pinkie Promise.”

“Uuuuuuuuugh!” Rarity groaned, longer this time, and stepped forwards again. She leaned out, grabbing for Pinkie with her hooves.

Backing up slightly more, Pinkie could already feel herself beginning to sweat. Rarity was getting a little too friendly, even for her. She looked one way, then the other, and decided it best she start running. “Oookay”— she lifted a hoof to begin trotting backwards—“I can see you’re busy, so I’ll—”

There was a flash of movement, something out of the corner of her eye, and Pinkie felt something brush past beneath her tail. A tiny form squeezed around her hind-left leg, making Pinkie shiver. There was another, much smaller groan, and Pinkie Pie froze.

She turned her head slowly, looking downwards, and locked eyes with a tiny little form huddle behind her. A grey little filly, Sweetie Belle, was hanging on her leg and staring back with a set of wide, brightly-lit, green eyes. A string of drool hung from her open mouth as she tilted her head. “Ueeeegh...”

Chapter 10

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash gathered outside the front entrance of the Castle of Friendship, shrinking under its shadow as they slowly drew close. The building loomed, arching its back as it seemingly leaned overhead, filling the entire sky. Other than the colour, it was still mostly the same, moderately approachable, literal fortress of comradely that they knew and tolerated. The only other difference— and what had Fluttershy the most unsure about this as she traced Twilight’s steps towards to the front porch— were the loud, obnoxious howls and laughs of lunacy that emanated from inside.

A stray roll of duct tape wilted, pulling loose from the side of Twilight’s pack and started its slow journey down towards the ground. It was almost all of the way off when Twilight glanced away from the castle, frowning at the offending piece, and hastily slapped it back into place with a flash of her horn.

Unfortunately, Fluttershy’s cottage was a far cry from her own, state-of-the-art, under-library cave of scientific wonder. Even after they’d dismantled the pillow fort in the lounge, and righted all of the coffee table, she was hard pressed to find anything of use there.

But, fortunately, the worst of the damage could be traced back to a simple rupture of the Harmony Containment Cells. They just had to hope that her hoofwork— and Fluttershy’s extra tape —would hold for the time being.

Twilight fidgeted slightly, frowning as she moved her wings against her side, looking for the best position to keep them from chafing against her belt. She settled for leaving them spread at half mast, and glanced to the other mares gathered in front of her.

Rainbow—pinkest racer in Equestria—Dash stood around awkwardly, ruffling her wings as she glanced nervously over Twilight’s shoulder, towards the towering building behind her, and Fluttershy—shaking in her hooves and just barely able to see past her mane.

They each perked up when Twilight spoke. “Girls, are we ready?”

“Ready as I- I’ll ever bed.” Forcing down her stutter, Dash beat a hoof against her chest and puffed out her feathers, putting on a brave face. She flared her wings to assert her dominance. Nope, totally not ready for this.

Fluttershy was a bit slower to respond. She looked up meekly, scuffing a hoof against the ground as she squeaked, “Y-yes, Twilight.”

“Fluttershy...” Lowering her voice, Twilight stepped forward and put a comforting hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “You know you don’t have to this if you don’t want to.” She leaned down, bringing her face closer to Fluttershy, and gently pushed her mane aside so she could see into both her eyes. “Me and Dash can take of everything just fine.”

“Pfft—” Rainbow snorted. She took to hovering and crossed her hooves in front of her as she remarked, “Fat chance.” She rolled her eyes. “We’re totally going to ea—”

Twilight shot Dash a dirty look, the kind of which that screamed, Rainbow Dash! without actually having to say it. Then, her expression softening, she turned back to Fluttershy with a smile. “You can just head back to your cottage, neither of us will think any less of you for it.”

“Oh, no...” Fluttershy shook her head. She stood back to her full height and put on a thin smile despite herself. “Thank you, Twilight”-- she stood firm, puffing up her chest, and took a step forwards, joining Rainbow Dash in trotting closer to the castle. – “but I want to do this. I can’t just stand by and do nothing whilst you two run into danger.”

“Well...” Twilight sighed, “Okay.” She nodded, glancing to Dash. “Then I think we’re ready. We just have to wait for Pinkie Pie.”

“Hey, yeah!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She perked up and glanced around them, suddenly noticing the distinct lack of balloons and party streamers. Knowing Pinkie, she would have already gotten here ages ago and prepared a ‘Storm the Castle’ party, or something. As it stands, there weren’t any signs of the mare anywhere. “Where is Pinkie Pie anyway? I thought she’d be here already?”

Twilight shrugged. “I—”

“Incoming!!!”

Before Twilight could even get her first word out; they were interrupted by Pinkie’s screams, and both jumped with fright. Twilight and Dash both jumped, their manes almost standing on end, whilst Fluttershy flushed pale and seemed to turn to stone before their very eyes. Twilight stumbled and spun around, joining Dash in gawking as they watched Pinkie Pie appear over the horizon.

She galloped their way with reckless abandon, her mane and coat, a scuffed mess with sticks, twigs, and dust clinging all over. In her mouth she carried what Twilight could vaguely recognise as an old juice box, battered, bruised, and leaking behind her as she ran. The occasional piece of citrus jumped from her mane as it bounced, tumbling to the ground and leaving a trail of fruit behind her.

“Mmmmh-mmmh!” Pinkie Pie mouthed as she approached, almost running Twilight over as she skidded to a halt.

The mare hopped in place, shaking and looking around nervously as she mumbled past the box in her mouth. “Mmmmmf!” she pointed.

“Pinkie Pie, what is it?” Twilight grabbed the mare to steady he between her hooves, only to find herself shaking just as violently. “U-u-u-sss W-w-w-” With a grunt, she steadied Pinkie Pie, halting the shaking so she could get word in edge-ways. “Use words, Pinkie!”

“Mhm,” Pinkie Pie nodded and, removing the juice box, she deposited it in her mane, pushed Twilight’s hooves off her shoulders, and ran past her greeting every mare she passed on the ray. “Hey, Twi, Dash, Shy—” she darted between them—“Nice to meet you, sorry I’m late”— and made a beeline for the front of the castle –“but I ran into some ponies and we really need to get inside, like—” Pinkie paused at the door, half way through to lean against the frame with a hoof and looked back to the tree confused mares outside. “Right now!” she screamed, and quickly ducked out of view.

“Uh...wha?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, looking back to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Both equally as confused, Fluttershy offered a slight shrug.

Twilight looked back to where she’d last seen Pinkie, opening her mouth to ask what the hay she was talking about, when she was pre-empted by a distant rumble. The ground shook, barely moving at first but quickly growing stronger as the rumbling approached, taking the form of stampeding hooves.

Rainbow Dash instantly went pale, Fluttershy blanching beside her and seemingly turned to stone as they both stared. Their mouths dropped, eyes going wide, as they both stuttered together. “T-t-t-t—”

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash finally spat out. Running forwards to grab the mare by the shoulder, she spun Twilight around and pointed. “What is that!?”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight began, her eyes rolling, “What are you t—” She went silent, cutting herself off and turning almost as pale as Rainbow Dash. Her ears and jaw dropped as she set eyes on the source of the rumbling.

Ponies.

Lots, and lots, of ponies.

Possibly the entire town, all different shapes and sizes; mares and stallions, fillies and colts, every single one hobbled and stumbled with a limp. They dragged their legs almost in slow motion, and yet ran like a galloping champion at the races.

The drooling lips, wall-eyed gazes, and the occasional moan that reached her ears all screamed one word inside Twilight’s head.

“Zomponies!! she screamed, cracking a window and almost falling over Rainbow Dash as she backed away. She spun on her heel, suddenly realising what Pinkie was talking about—“Everypony inside!” and grabbed the Fluttershy statue in her magic.

All three of them piled into the castle— kicking and screaming— they squeezed through the gap and slammed the door with moments to spare.

Seconds later, the world around them exploded into the cacophony of grunts, snarls, groans and filly squeaks as the zombie hoard descended upon them. Hooves battered against the door, echoing, and rattling the stone in its stone hinges.

There was a croak as the door bent, cracks forming around the edges and the tips of hooves reaching through the tiny gaps. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie took up station trying to hold them off, each on their own side of the door, barricading it with their bodies. Twilight glanced to the mare beside her. “Pinkie Pie!?” she screamed.

Between them there was a tiny squawk, and green, glowing eye peeked through an opening between the doors. It peeked around, before ducking out of sight and being replaced by a single grey-white hoof reaching through for the handle. Twilight gasped, and slammed her back against the door, rattling it and scaring off the filly.

The hoof vanished, and Twilight continued. “Pinkie, what the hay did you do!?”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Pinkie screamed back, squinting and gritting her teeth. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her head, and another orange toppled from her mane as she pushed the door back, sealing it. “I didn’t do anything! I just borrowed some oranges and they were like that when I got there!”

“But you had to h—” Twilight facehoofed, “Did you have to lead them to us!?” she snarled. If they weren’t friends, and she weren’t the Princess of Friendship, she would’ve strangled Pinkie long ago.

Heck, if she didn’t need both her hooves to block the door, she’d probably do it right now. Although... She does have a h—

“Everypony back up!” Rainbow Dash screamed.

Rearing up, she took a stance between them with her pack at the ready and a wild looking her eyes. She flicked a wingtip across the switch on its side, and the device sprang to life, rumbling and sparking, and forcing Twilight and Pinkie Pie to jump for cover as she directed the business end of her nozzle their way. “I’m gonna shoot!”

“WAAAAIT!!” Before she could even get a shot out, Rainbow was tackled to the side by a yellow blur. Her aim of Rainbow’s hoof flinched and fired off an odd shot, ricocheting across the room, and smashing a window as it flew out into the night. “Don’t do it, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried, rocking Rainbow in her hooves as she forced the mare to the ground beneath her weight, tears streaming down her face.

“Flutters—” Grunting, Rainbow turned her head and pushed Fluttershy away from her so she could breathe. – “‘Shy, what are you—” she grunted, “Get off!!” She pushed Fluttershy away from her, finally wrenching her hooves free so she could return to a sitting position.

“They’re Ponies, Rainbow!” She screamed, still livid as she threw herself at Rainbow Dash, squeezing the air out of her as she squeezed the pegasus beneath her death grip. “You can’t hurt them, Dash!”

“A’ck—” Rainbow Dash gulped. For once in what seemed like forever she was starting to look her normal colour, although not in the way she would’ve preferred. “Fluttershy...” she struggled out, “...what...” With a huff, she pushed Fluttershy back and gasped, returning to her semi-normal pink self. “What are we supposed to do!?” she screamed back, holding Fluttershy up between her hooves, shaking her angrily, “Let them eat us!?”

“Dash!” Twilight spoke up, pulling everypony’s attention back to the immediate issue. Both Dash and Fluttershy paused, their ears perking as they turned to face Twilight who, together with Pinkie, were up to their necks in trying to make sure the door doesn’t cave in between them. They both sweated profusely as Twilight gestured to the door with her head. “In case you two forgot,” she ground her teeth, “We have a bit of a predicament and I—” She drew a breath, gritting her teeth as she pushed back against the door, forcing it back closed—“I hate to admit it, but I agree with Fluttershy. Derpy—“

“Ditzy!” Everypony corrected.

“Ditzy brought it up to me as well and, full disclosure, I don’t know what it’ll do to them.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Just—” Twilight took a moment to facehoof, gesturing to the room around them, and at the various pieces of furniture strewn about. “Somepony, find something to block the door, quick!”

Jumping to action, both mare’s flashed a quick salute—“Aye-aye, ma’am!” –and set to work gathering items to pile in front of the door.

Twilight and Pinkie were almost crushed, forced to jump aside as the first avalanche of furniture hit the door. Led by Rainbow Dash with an upturned sofa, Fluttershy flew in and gingerly propped a single vase atop the pile. She then went back to grab the carpet whilst Rainbow Dash darted forwards, huffing and gasping, arching her back under the weight of a coffee table.

After several crashes and clangs, both ponies regrouped at the far end of the hall to grab a bookshelf between them. Rounding it, they heaved the shelf into the air and flew with it over to the door.

“Wait!” Twilight screamed and jumped forward, blocking them moments before they could dump the shelf onto the pile.

Both mares stopped cold, frozen in mid air, and watching as Twilight stepped up between them. With a flash of her horn, she levitated the books free from the shelf and stacked them safely aside, and out of the way.

“Okay,” she nodded, and stepped aside. “You’re good to go.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. ...egghead. She glanced to Fluttershy, and the shared a nod, then tipped the shelf over, dropping it onto the pile and blocking the door once and for all.

As they stepped back, everypony watched with bated breaths as the pile shuffled and slid slightly, each item settling into their own places. The door continued to shake, the banging echoing through the hall, and several more moans and groans came muffled from outside.

At length, the sounds slowly grew quieter, eventually giving way to complete silence. Twilight let out her breath—“whew.” She slumped forwards, relaxing in time with the other three ponies around her. Pinkie flopped against her side, whilst Rainbow and Fluttershy crumpled behind them, and all four slumped together into an exhausted heap in the middle of the floor.

Twilight pressed a hoof to her chest, glancing to Pinkie Pie, and then to Dash, and waited. She listened for a moment, focusing on the pounding in her ears, and distant moans as they slowly grew further and further way.

She smacked her lips, and stumbled back to her hooves. “Well...” Twilight shook herself off, straightening out a few lasting split ends, and paused to re-tape the edge of her Harmony Pack. “That was...” she coughed into her hoof, “close.”

“Ugh...” Each pony agreed with a collective groan, and a slight tilt of their heads.

~ ~ ~

“Wow, this place really doesn’t look all that different, does it, Twi?” Pinkie Pie observed, trotting with a spring in her step behind the princess as she led the way deeper into the labyrinth that used to be her castle.

“Just darker,” Rainbow Dash added, hovering immediately behind with her pack at the ready.

“...and more scary.” Lastly Fluttershy, shivering like a leaf, whispered as she backed up the rear.

All four of them slowly crept along at a snail’s pace behind Twilight, watching as she trotted from one door to the next, opened it, peeked inside, and frowned at the assortment of buckets and mops that fell out. She’d then close it, forcing the cleaning implements back into their normal place, and continued walking. “I know,” she nodded, “It’s actually kind of disconcerting. I expected there to be more—”

Each in turn, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy each went pale, their eyes going wide and mouths dropping as they started to stutter. “G-g-g-g—”

Pinkie Pie was the last to respond. She glanced to the other two, raising an eyebrow, and was about to ask what they were doing when her eye drew to something behind Twilight and she joined in. “G-g-g- Ghost!” they each screamed in unison.

“Yeah,” Twilight nodded, “tha—”

“No!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She leapt forwards, putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and spinning her around to point. “Look!”

A distant thrumming, low and consistent, almost like the beating of a heart started up the passage and slowly drew closer. Rainbow shot her hoof forwards, gesturing to the farthest end of the passage where an eerie green light flickered on, and a shadowed appeared around the corner. “ Ghost!”

Twilight’s heart stopped, her breath catching in her throat. She gulped and jumped to action, looking around them for any signs of an escape. “Uh—uh—uh—” Her mind worked double time as it raced for a resolution. She couldn’t let them be found out now, they had to find somewhere to—“Quick!” She grabbed a nearby door handle in her magic and flung it open, gesturing towards it with a hoof—“In here!”

Everypony piled in with nearly a question to ask, and Twilight pushed in last, closing the door behind her and leaving only the slightest crack to see outside. “Ow, Pinkie”— Rainbow Dash whispered at her side, squirming in the confined space— “Get your hoof out of my—”

“That’s not me, Dashie,” Pinkie Pie whispered back, accompanied by the clatter of pans. Somepony’s face pressed up against the back of Twilight’s head as the changed positions, and a hoof batted passed her ear.

“Um, sorry,” Fluttershy squeaked beside her, “but could you please, I mean, if you don’t mind, get off of my—”

“Shhhh,” Twilight snapped. She shushed the other mares, and quickly turned back to looking through the gap. She watched with bated breath as the enemy—or at least one of them strolled by.

The rhythmic clomping of hooves joined Twilight’s beating heart. She held her breath as an armoured minotaur trotted bye, a heavy battleaxe and shield hanging heavy in his hands. He shimmered with a deep green light and, as he turned, Twilight caught a brief glimpse of his face: nothing but a black void, with glowing green eyes set deep within the depths of his helm.

The apparition paused outside the closet, his rippling muscles mere inches from Twilight’s face. The seconds drew on as he looked to each side. There was a faint snorting, almost like he was sniffing for something, and then the minotaur carried on.

As the glow slowly faded and gave away to darkness, Twilight let out her breath and relaxed. “Whew...” She sighed, wiping a hoof across her forehead, and almost slumped to the ground. “That was—”

Glancing to her side, Twilight suddenly noticed something was different. The other girls were suspiciously quiet. She no longer felt any hooves or flanks pressing against her side, nor did she see any brooms and mops. In fact, the room was strangely well lit for a closet.

She turned around, looking up to find where she’d normally expect the back wall of the closet, instead a clear view into what looked like the castle library. Shelves of books lined on either side of her, with a path down the middle leading towards the exit in ahead.

The bookshelves each shivered, their contents seeming to jump to life as several books took flight. They each jumped across the aisle. Flying in swarms in quick succession, each book jumped from one shelf to the other, landing with the flutter of pages and a resounding thud.

Twilight, her expression completely blank, took a step back. She spun back around on her heel to go the other way, only to find the door replaced by a solid wall.

“...oh, for buck’s sake,” she swore, kicking at the ground and almost punching herself in the face as she flailed angrily.

Chapter 11

CLUNK

Somewhere, deep beneath Twilight’s castle, there was a soft click. The silence was broken as, under the cover of darkness, unseen mechanism creaked and groaned.

Gears whirred to life, the black stone walls shook, and a lone statue shuddered to life. It shifted in place, rising slowly, and then, in one fell swoop, it pitched back and spun, depositing three ponies and two packs in the middle of the passage.

“WHA—” Rainbow Dash yelped as she tumbled out of the wall, slamming face-down on the stone floor with a resounding smack. She was followed directly by Pinkie Pie, joining her in the fuzzy heap, and Fluttershy who gently fluttered down on top of them.

“Um...” Fluttershy glanced around meekly, looking unsure as she stared into the darkness. She folded her wings to her side, and brushed her mane back with a hoof. “I’m sorry, but wh—”

“Uuuugh,” Rainbow Dash groaned in agony. She rolled over and toppled Fluttershy, rising to her haunches, dizzy and wobbling as she looked around in the dark. “W—” she clasped a hoof to her head. “Where are we?”

“That’s what I—”

“I don’t know, Dashie,” Pinkie pie spoke. She slid sideways, and rolled off of the heap, bouncing back to her hooves as she glanced around, seemingly forgetting Fluttershy. “Last thing I remember is that we were with Twilight, and there was a bucket halfway up my—”

“Pinkie Pie!”

“Oh, sorry, right. Kids show.”

“No, I mean—” Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash slowly pulled herself up, shoving Fluttershy out of her way as she stood. She gestured with a hoof to their surroundings, and was about to continue when Pinkie’s words suddenly registered in her pounding head. She paused, turning to look to the pony proper. “...what?”

Pinkie Pie shrugged. She leaned against the wall and waved a hoof nonchalantly. “You know...”

Silence.

Rainbow’s frown deepened. She glanced to Fluttershy to find the mare looking back at her, just as confused.

“...”

Finally, deciding to ignore it, she continued, “...Okay,” and turned around to start trotting. “Let’s see if we can find a way out of here...”

~ ~ ~

Twilight Sparkle stood reared back, mane and fur matted with sweat, panting heavily. Her pack was humming and spluttering, throwing the occasional spark as she looked around her, teeth gritted, surveying the fallout.

Books.

Books everywhere.

Books of every possible shape and size—the bodies of the fallen—lay strewn across the floor forming a pile on which Twilight Sparkle was the victor.

Tears tugging at the corners of her eyes, she sniffed, and wiped her nose with a sweaty hoof. So many books had to die today, she silently mourned, Sombra, I’m going to kill you for this— She pause. —Again.

One last book, a tiny pink tome with a ratty cover shook to life. It flopped over, pulling free of the shelves, and took flight. The poor thing had barely gotten into the air when the space around it exploded, and it was rent apart by a swirling beam of harmony. It stopped cold, and dropped to the ground motionless, to joining the countless others.

Huffing, Twilight ground her teeth, and glared to the empty book shelves. “Anypony else want some!?” she snarled, her voice echoing into the heavens.

Silence.

Somewhere, far off in another part of the castle, there was a single, distant wail, like a ghost had just learned the true meaning of pure, unfiltered, hatred.

Nodding, Twilight holstered her nozzle. “I thought so.” She dropped to all fours and ran a hoof through her mane, putting most of the stray hairs back into place. She then turned her attention to the rest of the library.

Luckily for the princess, not much else had changed. Her desk was still the way she’d left it, albeit looking slightly more sinister. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it—maybe it was the way the lamp looked at her?

The lab was still there as well, luckily, and so she quickly set to work. Cantering through the piles of books, she carefully picked a clean path across the secret entrance, unlatching it with her magic.

She ducked inside, dropped her—now practically useless—pack to the ground, and made a beeline for the desk with the spares. Slipping on Applejack’s pack, she did up the straps before starting towards the exit. There was no way she was going to waste any time now. Twilight wanted to get back out there as quickly as possible, to exact her revenge on any being, dead or undead, who so much as dared to stand between her and King Sombra.

She was just about to cross the threshold, when there was a glint that caught her eye. She paused, backed up slightly, and trotted over to the ‘experimental’ desk to look over the thing that had caught her eye.

Twilight gingerly levitated the pack’s handle at her side. “Hm...” She glanced to it, and then down at the desk. Her mouth turned up slightly, curling into a smirk as she considered the options.

At length, Twilight caved.

“Eh, sure, why not?” she unscrewed the old nozzle, discarded it and affixed the new one in its place. It was slightly heavier, with a larger focusing gem, and a new mechanism that theoretically allowed for a denser beam.

It wasn’t something she’d intended to use, or even considered remotely ready, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She just had to hope it wouldn’t explode in her face.

~ ~ ~

Pinkie Pie bounced cheerfully through the darkened hallways, the sounds of her hooves clattering on the cobblestone floor echoing around her with every landing, and a soft sprung as she leapt into the air. Her back was bare, the pack left behind to preserve energy, and a small flashlight that hung from the tip of her mane lighting the way.

With every hop, skip and jump, the beam of light swayed and jerked, bouncing from the walls, to the ceiling, to the floor, and only occasionally revealing the way ahead. Every now and then it would catch a glint of metal in the darkness, the reflections off rusted bars, and Pinkie would count off the cells as they passed.

“Fifty-eight,” she chirped between bounces, “Fifty-nine, si—”

Suddenly, Pinkie ground to a halt. She stopped mid-air, hanging for a second, before dropping back to the ground with a frown. “Oh shoot.” She tapped her chin with a hoof, glancing to the nearest cell, and then behind her as she muttered, “I lost count.”

Then, just as quickly, her mood turned, ears pricking to something new. “Hey—” She paused, brow furrowing in thought. “You don’t think it’s weird that Twilight has a dungeon? I mean, what does the princess of Friendship need with a dungeon?” Her frown deepened, as she started to pace. “Unless—” She gasped. –“Ooh! Maybe it’s a friendship dungeon and this is where she keeps all of her bad friends who can’t keep a Twilight Sparkle Promise? A bit like what I have in my—”

“Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash’s voice groaned out of the darkness, accompanied by the clopping of hooves from behind as she cut Pinkie’s thoughts short.

Pinkie perked, grinning, “Yeah?” and spun around to meet the other mares.

As she turned, the flashlight went with her. It flickered across something in the shadows. “Gah!” Rainbow Dash gasped as both she and Fluttershy, lugging two packs behind them, were blinded. They recoiled, flinching, and hurried to shield their eyes with their wings.

“S-sorry!” Pinkie yelped, and again, “Sorry!” as she scrambled to grab the light from her mane. She pulled it free and quickly hid it behind her back, grinning from ear to ear as the light continued to illuminate her eerily from behind.

“Ugh,” Rainbow groaned. Still rubbing her eyes with one hoof, she gestured with the other ahead of them. “Just—” Her good eye blinked, looking to Pinkie. “Just keep looking. There has to be a stairwell, a dumbwaiter—“

“A slide!?” Pinkie cut in, grinning enthusiastically.

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow nodded. “’A slide’,” she continued, “Anything we can use to get back to ground level.”

“Oui, Capitan Dash!” Saluting, Pinkie put on her serious face and spun around. She returned the torch to her mane, and resumed bounding ahead down the passage.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, continued to rub her sore eyes, when she was prodded softly in the side. She paused, and looked up to see Fluttershy staring at her intently. “Um...” Fluttershy leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper, “A-Are you all right?” as she inspected the mare with a look of concern.

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded. She waved her free hoof. “She just shone that thing right in my—“

“N-No!” Fluttershy squeaked, slightly more forcefully than before. She almost took it back as she shrunk below Rainbow’s eye-level. “It’s just...” She glanced away, blushing, and then raised a hoof and leaned into Rainbow’s ear to whisper. “...You’re pink.”

Rainbow Dash paused, turning sideways to look Fluttershy straight on with a face that clearly read ‘what?’, the kind that included a raised eyebrow, and a general scrunching of the entire face like she’d been sucking a lemon. She then looked to herself, staring at her hooves in a mix of realisation and horror, focusing in particular on the mix of pink splotches currently plaguing her coat. And then it clicked.

“Oh.” She repeated again, louder, “Oh!” and facehoofed. “I completely forgot about that...”

“You forgot?” This time it was Fluttershy’s turn to look confused. “How could you—”

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded, cutting the mare off. “You know—” She waved a hoof in the air, averting her eyes as she tried to hide her reddening cheeks. “It’s like—You just kind of...” At a loss for words to explain it, she shrugged, grinning. “Get used to it?”

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy deadpanned, “You could have just washed it off at my—”

“Hey!” Pinkie Pie butted in, seemingly out of nowhere as she squeezed between them. She glared at each pony in turn as she prodded their chest with an accusing hoof. “Don’t you go knocking pink!” she shouted into each of their ears, “It’s an absolutely positively awesome colour!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling a certain kinship with Twilight. “We’re not ‘knocking pink’, Pinkie Pie.”

“Mhm.” Fluttershy nodded. “It’s just—“

CRASH

The three were jolted to attention as something crashed to the ground. There was a resounding boom that rolled through the catacombs, like somepony had thrown a stone, followed by the shrill clatter of chains scraping stone.

“Eep!” Fluttershy squealed, almost knocking Rainbow Dash over as she retreated behind Pinkie Pie, latching onto Rainbow in a tight, vice-like embrace. “Wh-w-wh—”

They had their attention rapt, staring into the darkness with wide eyes. Pinkie was the first to speak, glancing to her friends. “What was...”

“...that?” Rainbow Dash finished. She and Pinkie shared a brief glance, and Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. She flicked a wingtip against the switch on her pack, prompting it to burst back to life.

It filled the space with a soft, almost soothing, humming as its gems lit up, bathing them in a shimmering rainbow glow. Dash flicked the nozzle off its holster and caught it in her hoof before nodding to Pinkie.

“Fluttershy,” she whispered over her shoulder, “You stay here.”

“Y-e—Y—No problem, Rainbow.” Fluttershy squeaked, barely audible over the chattering of her own teeth. She happily complied, standing back whilst Rainbow and Pinkie forged ahead into the unknown.

~ ~ ~

The cell was empty when they got there, not the faintest sign of life—or unlife as it were. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie peeked around the corner, huddling at the entrance to get a view of what was inside, the former poised with her pack ready for any signs of hostility.

They’d come there expecting some kind of ghoulish monstrosity. Instead, they had found something much, much worse: nothing.

The room was utterly dark, a pitch black that retreated from their lights, revealing in its wake just the bare cobbles before them as they stepped into the doorway.

A stiff breeze blew from inside, whistling a sad tune as it passed, hairs bristling on the backs of their necks. Rainbow Dash shivered slightly. “S-s-so,” she stuttered, and looked to Pinkie Pie, “I suppose we should...”

“Go inside?” Pinkie offered.

“Y-Yeah,” Rainbow whispered, nodding slowly in agreement.

They lapsed back into silence, the two simply stared ahead, both too afraid to enter of what might happen if they did.

At length, when it seemed like neither of them were going to budge, Rainbow took a deep breath. Wordlessly, she stepped forth, trotting into the room.

The two split ways, and the room echoed with the sounds of their hoofsteps ringing out on the stone floor as they entered. With each step, Rainbow could hear the crushing silence closing in around her. She kept her ears tuned around her, whilst she quickly glanced around, distinctly aware of her surroundings, and how little she could see.

Other than the brief flicker of Pinkie’s torch behind her, she was alone, trapped in the dark with nothing but the dull light of her pack to guide her, a tiny island of sanity in the vast ocean of the abyss.

As she trotted further in and away from her friend’s stomping hooves, the room started to grow less silent. Rainbow’s ears began to prick at the slightest noise—the distant patter of water droplets falling—the soft, rhythmic humming of her pack. Even her own heartbeat— thump, thump, thump, thump— a loud din to her ears.

However, below all that, there was one sound that stood out.

One sound that didn’t belong...

Rainbow’s ears pricked to the sound of a soft, almost inaudible, dragging of something metallic across the floor.

It rattled through the air, like daggers through the night, growing louder with every step she took.

She could feel her heart pounding faster, racing as the sound drew close. Gulping, Rainbow pulled her nozzle close, holding it at the ready. She steadied her nerves, staying her chattering teeth as she readied herself for whatever was to come.

A few more steps and, finally, the source revealed itself. A small object appeared at the edge of her vision, and then came into the light as Rainbow happened upon it.

Leaning in closer, Rainbow Dash frowned. “Wh—?”

A small dish scuttled across the floor. Rusted and dented, it rattled loudly as it rolled, circling on the spot as it came to a rest at her hooves.

Is— Rainbow Dash paused. She dropped her stance and holstered her pack, a slight smirk starting at the corner of her mouth as she picked up the dish. Really? she thought to herself. Rainbow turned the dish over, inspecting it in the light Was that it? An old dish?

Her smirk broke into a full grin and Rainbow tossed the bowl to the ground. She breathed a long, happy sigh, almost giggling at her own stupidity. “To think,” Rainbow began, rolling her eyes, “I was actually sca—”

“Hey!” Just as she was turning to leave, Rainbow was jolted to attention by a shout beside her. “Dashie, there’s nothing here!”

“Yah!” Rainbow yelped, her voice breaking several octaves as she took flight. Her wings sprung on reflex and she almost slammed into the ceiling, missing it by an inch before crashing headlong into the rear wall of the cell.

There was a loud crack as Rainbow’s head made contact with the wall, and she slumped backwards, dazed, on the ground.

Pinkie Pie poked her head in, staring down at Rainbow with a look of concern. She held the ghost detector in her hooves whilst the flashlight, still hooked in her mane, danced across the wall. “Are you okay?” she asked, glancing up and down Rainbow’s body.

“Ugh...” Rainbow Dash groaned. She pressed a hoof to her head, rubbing it gently, as her eyes narrowed. “Pinkie Pie...” Taking a deep breath, she dragged herself to her hooves, still rubbing her head, and gave the mare a glare as she grumbled. “...You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry!” Pinkie quickly shouted, her ears drooping as she jumped back to give the mare room to breathe. She actually seemed ashamed of herself as she averted her eyes, glancing to the ground. “Sorry, Dashie,” she repeated and then, pulling the detector out, she held it up for Rainbow Dash to see. “But there’s nothing here.”

“I heard you the first time,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. She glanced around in the darkness, and felt a slight pit in her stomach as something—possibly nothing—whistled in the dark. “But,” she dragged on the word, looking over to Pinkie Pie, “This place gives me the creeps.”

As she said that, almost as if to prove her point, a cold wind blew through the chamber, causing them to shiver. “I know what you mean,” Pinkie agreed. She gestured to her ears and tail. “My tail’s been twitching since we got here, and my ears have been flippity-flopping all over the place.” She flapped her ears to illustrate. There’s some bad juju in here.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded. She turned to start trotting towards the exit. “We should—” She paused as something cold grabbed her by the back leg. Her fur bristled and suddenly, her ears were pounding as her heart began to race. Rainbow Dash almost panicked on the spot. Almost. “Uh... Pinkie Pie?” she said, deadpanned, “Please let go of my leg.”

“Um, Dashie?” Pinkie Pie spoke up beside her and the mare trotted into view, both hooves free. “That wasn’t me.”

Rainbow Dash turned pale. Her blood ran cold as her chills returned in full force, a shiver running all the way up her spine. “Th-then,” she stuttered as she slowly turned, quaking as she did so, “Who’s...?”

Her fears—both of their fears, actually—were confirmed as Rainbow Dash set eyes on the mystery pony. At that exact moment, Pinkie’s detector lit up, emitting a loud bzzzzzt-bzzzzt into the darkness as it shook.

Neither pony paid it any heed, as they both stared, eyes wide and jaws gaping, at what lay behind them.

A green, translucent hoof shimmered in the light, casting a green hue in the darkness as it emerged from the ground to wrap itself tightly around the back of Rainbow’s fetlock. All around it, the ground began to glow, illuminating the whole room in its sickly hue as several, dozens, more ghostly apparitions emerged from the woodwork.

Translucent hooves sprouted from the ground, the moans of the many filling the room as they grasped for anything within their reach. One grabbed the dish from earlier whilst many more rose to shoulder height around the shocked ponies.

“Ya—” Rainbow Dash yelled, rearing up together with Pinkie, too afraid to do anything as they dodged the grasping hooves. They shared a single distraught, panic-ridden, glance. “Panic?” Rainbow Dash offered.

“Panic.” Pinkie Pie confirmed, and they both let loose a blood-curdling scream and beat a hasty retreat.

“AAAAAHHHHH!!”

~ ~ ~

Fluttershy was still standing in the darkness outside, humming a sweet melody to herself and putting on a brave face as she waited. It had been several minutes since her friends had left her and she was beginning to worry. She fiddled with the straps on Pinkie’s pack, trying to keep her mind preoccupied as she focused on keeping it from tugging against her mane.

“AAAAHHHEEEEE!”

Fluttershy almost jumped when she heard the scream, high-pitched and terrified as it echoed out from the darkness. She squealed, letting out a tiny “eep!” and had to catch herself from stumbling when Pinkie and Rainbow came running.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Fluttershy asked, looking frantically to a startled Pinkie Pie as she ran past.

“Panic!” she replied, to which Rainbow Dash immediately followed up with “Run!” and grabbed Fluttershy by the hoof.

Before she could so much as ask what they were running from, the three were, off, galloping down the passageway as fast as they could.

The change was almost immediate as they fled. The dark passage began to warp around them; darkness broken by a dim, throbbing, green hue from behind, and the silence shattered by a constant, ever-increasing moan as it grew closer—turning more into a roar with every step.

Fluttershy stumbled across the uneven cobbles, panting and flapping her wings to try desperately to keep up with Rainbow Dash. She risked a glance over her shoulder, and immediately regretted it as she beheld the horrors to come.

The passages seemed to warp, convulsing to life as the stone bricks broke apart. A green glow and rumble roared from between them as they shifted over and among themselves.

Not far behind, and quickly approaching—Fluttershy gulped—was a massive wall of slime. A mass of undulating arms and limbs, thrashing and moaning as it barrelled towards them, reaching out as it drew nearer.

“Uh...” Suddenly paler than before, Fluttershy turned back to Dash, her eyes wide and voice trembling as she spoke. “D-D-Dash?” she cried.

“I know.” Rainbow Dash shouted back, her voice resolute as she picked up her hooves and took flight.

“D-Da-DASH!” Fluttershy screamed again, trembling as she grabbed her friend into a tight hug, unable to speak anything other her friends name as she dug her face into her mane.

“I know!” she repeated, gritting her teeth. With a beat of her wings, they slightly picked up pace, catching up with Pinkie Pie as they flew down the passages.

Under the din came a low rumble. The castle around them seemed to shake to life as some unknown mechanism shuddered into motion.

Far ahead, there was the flitter of motion, and the walls began to shift. They both could’ve sworn they saw Sombra’s face, a snarling maw—almost like the King himself was there with them—as the end of the passage began to narrow. Trap walls shuddered and shook, inching their way out from their hiding place, closing in to cut off their escape.

“We’re not going to make it!” Fluttershy screamed, her voice found. “I can’t look,” she whimpered, as she hid her face behind her hooves.

“Oh yes we are!” Rainbow Dash grit her teeth. Holding Fluttershy close, she put on one last burst of speed. The air sparked around her, and a rainbow contrail spread from behind her as she kicked away from the mountains of hooves lapping behind them. She barrelled into Pinkie Pie, scooping the mare up in her wake, and tore through the narrowing passage towards their exit.

With just meters left, she crouched and covered her face, pushed her two friends ahead, and readied for the worst as they passed the final opening.

There was a resounding boom, and the shaking of rock as the doors slammed shut, biting off but a tuft of Rainbow hair before the ghosts were upon it, blazing and screaming, as they pounded on the stone wall.

~ ~ ~

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!”

On the far side of the wall, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie tumbled to the ground, still shaken after their last experience. They bolted upright, hearts pounding, and slapping hooves over ears as they looked to each other. “There’s screaming,” Pinkie Pie shouted, barely able to be heard over the noise, “Why is there screaming?!”

Fluttershy glanced to Pinkie. Hooves still pressed to her ears, she shrugged. “Why are you looking at me?”

There was a brief pause, and both mares looked down, angling their gaze lower to the mare sitting between them. “AAAAAAAAAAH”— Rainbow Dash was lying on the ground, eyes screwed shut, and mouth wide open, screaming a terrified, girly scream at the top of her voice as she held her hooves around herself for dear life.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy shouted, half out of shock and half out of relief.

They both shoved their hooves into her mouth, silencing the mare as Pinkie Pie whined. “It’s over, Rainbow!”

Instantly, Rainbow Dash stopped. She cracked an eye open and glanced between her two friends, glaring down at her—one concerned, one smirking.

She blushed slightly, mumbling as the hooves were removed. “Oh, uh...” Her blush deepened, stuttering as she tried to retain her cool. “I-I- I knew that,” she said then crossed her hooves, and stuck up her nose.

Silence; the combined glares of both her friends was answer enough. “I—” she scrunched—“Promise me you won’t tell anypony about this?”

Still more silence.

Eventually, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stood, leaving Dash behind as they stumbled to their hooves and went to inspect the wall.

The stones still rumbled with the banging of hooves, and the muffled moans of ghosts on the far side. The stones glowed brightly from between the gaps, a sign their pursuer wasn’t going anywhere.

“So, um...” Fluttershy leaned closer to Pinkie’s ear, her eyes still glued to the wall. They both watched with rapt attention; the flickering lights as they danced across the surface. “H-How long do you think it’ll hold?” she whispered.

Pinkie simply shrugged, shaking her head, and looked back to Rainbow for a possible answer.

“I’d... rather not stay to find out,” Rainbow Dash whispered. Pulling herself to her hooves, she tentatively stepped away from the wall. Putting distance between herself and it, she began to forge a path into the darkness, calling to Pinkie Pie as she trotted. “Pinkie Pie, did you have any luck finding—”

“Rainbow Dash!”

Before she could utter another word, Rainbow was cut off by a mare’s voice, wobbly and uncertain, distant yet somehow familiar as it echoed from nowhere. There was a flash flash and the space was illuminated with a dim blue glow as something emerged from the walls, wrapping Rainbow Dash into a tight hug.

“Oh thank Celestia I finally found you!” the ghost screamed.

“Urk—“ Rainbow Dash gulped, as she was almost glomped to the ground, a pair of translucent grey hooves squeezing around her barrel, forcing the air out of her lungs. “D-Ditzy?” she was able to rasp out, and moved to pull away from the mare’s death-grip. “Is that you?”

Still sceptical, she looked the mare up and down. Besides missing a lower torso, the upper part fit the description of the mare to the T. There was no mistaking that wall-eyed gaze, or that happy-go-lucky grin in the face of literal death. “Mhm,” she nodded, floating back slightly to give both Rainbow and Pinkie Pie enough room to breathe. “You won’t believe”—she rolled her eyes—“what I had to go through to get ba—”

As she said this, there was another, slightly different flash of light. Ditzy was cut off as a beam of magic cut through the air, barely missing Rainbow’s head and ripping straight through Ditzy’s remaining torso.

Neither of them, especially Ditzy, had the chance to move a muscle before the ghost burst like a grape, coating the room and everypony present in a thin coating of green slime.

“Uh... oops,” a shy voice whispered from over Rainbow’s shoulder. Mouths gaping and eyes wide, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie mirrored each other perfectly as they both looked over their shoulders.

Standing directly behind them, with the smoking nozzle of Pinkie’s pack balanced precariously on the tips of her wings, Fluttershy blushed as she retreated behind her mane. “S-sorry,” she whispered, smiling awkwardly, “It slipped.”

Chapter 12: The Face of Evil

The shimmering form of Chancellor Puddinghead glided silently through the chilled air, trailing a slick mist with each bob. It mumbled, distant, intelligible whispers as it passed into the darkness of Twilight’s passageway.

Just behind, shining in the faint red hue of the ghost’s glow, a pair of purple ears flickered back and out of sight. Twilight Sparkle ducked her head, squaring her eyes as she watched the ghost traverse the distance, then watched as Princess Platinum followed suit—also mumbling some long forgotten tongue.

She held the end of her pack close at hoof, carefully checking her position, and then watching, waiting, until the last of the apparitions had disappeared through the far wall. There was an eerie dread hanging in the air. The ghosts only seemed to be growing stronger. With every century that passed, it was getting harder and harder to dispatch, something already made the more difficult by the close quarters.

The lighting dimmed and silence fell, a single beat, marked by Twilight’s thumping heart. She strained her ears for any other signs of danger and when none came, she finally let herself breathe.

A quick glance around the corner, and Twilight left to scope out her surroundings.

Nothing to the left, nothing to the right; she had the presence of mind to look up this time, and there wasn’t anything there either. The floors weren’t covered in blueberry jelly—instead a rather tattered and dusty rug faced her—and the walls weren’t seeping with molasses or any other otherworldly goo.

It was starting to look like her luck had changed, so long as this didn’t turn out to be another jaws scenario—Twilight shuddered at the thought. She could still picture it clear as day. Those horrible, gnashing teeth, and the smell—Mother of Celestia the smell. It was revolting, the absolute worst of morning-breath, like a mixture between week-old cabbages, expired milk, and rotten eggs.

Even now, she could still feel it burning her nostrils. It clung to her like molten cheese—another, stronger, shudder ran up Twilight spine. “Great, Sparkle,” she silently whispered, “You had to go and mention the—” She gulped. “—cheese.”

Otherwise known as fermented bovine lactation, in all other cases Twilight couldn’t tell whether it was better or worse to be eaten alive. Given the choices, she’d really rather not be turned into a living equine quesadilla. Heck, death wouldn’t have been so bad, tolerable, even, if only the underworld at least had the presence of mind to spring for breath mints.

She quickly reached the first turn in the passage and hesitantly glanced around the corner. The rug came to a grateful end, and her hooves began the slow, monotonous click, clack, clack on the bare stone floor.

There was a distant rumble somewhere, far off in the distance, Twilight caught herself as the ground shook. She steadied her balance and glanced up, watching the fragile creak under their weight. A silent chime of chandeliers swaying filled the air, and tinkling of loose stones echoed off far off through the caste.

One more, slightly weaker, tremor followed, accompanied by a barely-audible scream, and then the silence.

“That was...” Twilight glanced around. Nothing seemed to have changed. It was just the same old, empty corridor. Her mind went back to earlier and Twilight’s eyes were slowly drawn to the ground below her. She swallowed nervously and whispered, “...I hope the others are okay.”

The sound of gravel crunching reached Twilight’s ears, and she perked up to the sound of one last stone settling. She glanced up, and scanned the empty hall.

Doors and doors, as far as the eye could see, all of them nearly identical in nature, but every one most assuredly leading to somewhere different. There wasn’t much choice to be had, so Twilight decidedly went for the nearest one.

Her plan was simple. Twilight mentally checked through the steps as she inspected the door. There was only one place that Sombra would think to go. It had to be the centre, the heart, a focal point for the magical energies passing through the crystal lattice of the structure.

The only room she could think of that matched that description was, of course, the throne room. It was positioned roughly on the third floor, cloistered in the main body of the castle and well guarded from outside attack. That was also where she and her friends convened to consult The Map, and the resting place of her old home. It was, for all intents and purpose, the heart—and exactly the place Some would go.

The only issue was getting there.

Starlight always said that she thought the castle hated her. Twilight had always dismissed it, of course. How could the castle hate somepony? It’s not like it was alive, and that was ridiculous. No, she always figured it was just Starlight being bad at directions. She even drew up a map for her, and still Starlight couldn’t find the bathroom.

But now?

Now she was starting to have her doubts...

There was no way the house could be alive. But still the prospects all the same were horrifying. Just imagining all the things they’d done within these walls, all of the personal and secret moments she’d had when nopony was watching, all of the books she’d read and never put back, and this whole time— She glanced to the nearest wall, as if she could catch it out in its act. The walls themselves may have had an ear in, or even an eye out.

A shiver ran up Twilight’s spine. Suddenly she felt paranoid, like the walls were watching her right now. She glanced over her shoulder, to the darkest corner near the ceiling where the walls met. She thought she heard whispering, but chalked it up to her imagination.

Twilight turned back to the row of doors. Somehow, she didn’t feel any better. The old library was alive, some part told her. But that was a tree, trees are alive, they always have been. They grow, they age, they die, but they certainly weren’t ever sentient, right?

The first door seemed appropriate enough. It was unassuming, with no markings that she could see, nor any signs of magical tampering. Just the faintest moans from afar hinted towards the current haunting, but nothing close enough to cause Twilight worry.

Twilight gingerly wrapped a hoof around the handle, pausing long enough to test it with her horn.

Still no signs or unwanted enchantments, no eyes, no tongues, no teeth—she shuddered, and quickly steadied herself for the onslaught of otherworldly horrors, and dustpans, she was inevitably destined to bear.

For the past three hours she’d spent checking doors, secret entrances, trap doors, and sculleries, and almost none of them have ever led to their intended destination. Closets led to libraries, libraries led to closets. Some led to bedrooms and others to walls of gnashing t—Twilight wrinkled her nose. She had to stop thinking of that.

The handle turned cleanly, with nary a squeak, and Twilight grit her teeth as she flung the door inwards. It would be a miracle for her to open this door now and find—

“Twilight!” Spike shouted. He threw his claws in the air, leaping from his perch across the kitchen and dashing forwards to grab the princess in a wide hug. “Thank Celestia, I knew you’d come t—”

SLAM

Twilight froze, staring blankly ahead at the close. She silently blinked. “Spike?” Something clicked, and she scrambled to open the door again.

The entrance was flung open and, all at once, the room exploded into a loud din of a thunderous roar. A wind blew back Twilight mane and she tumbled, shielding her eyes and shutting her ears as she was met by a literal wall of flames.

They licked and lapped at the door frame, centered perfectly by the soul-piercing gaze of one, gargantuan—almost catlike in nature—magical floating eyes.

Do you have The Ring? it mentally boomed, before Twilight immediately slammed the door shut.

“Nope!” Twilight yelped. Backing away from the door, she practically fell over her own hooves as she did an about face turn and started in the other direction, muttering, “Nope, nope, you are a...” Her pace quickened, “Friendship problem for Starlight, yes.” Perfect. She didn’t want anything to with that. Nope. Nada. Zilch.

Twilight’s trot turned into a canter, then a gallop, and then full on running as she attempted to put as much distance between herself and whatever the buck that was, as was equinely possible.

~ ~ ~

Following the aftermath of their little... accident, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie formed a little circle around the mound of grey slime, shovels in hooves as they struggled to form it back into the rough shape of a mare.

“Ugh...why won’t this...” Rainbow Dash sighed under her breath. She grit her teeth and her face turned into a frown as she scooped the thinning liquid, frantically pushing it up between her hooves to stick it back to Ditzy’s side.

Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, had her tongue stuck out and muzzle scrunched in concentration. Every few seconds she would push a lump of the pile back up the side, carefully form it into a wing, and then watch in disappointment as it slumped back to the floor. “Aw...”

This whole time, whilst the other two were focused on their reconstruction, Fluttershy clung to the blob for dear life, weeping and wailing as she apologised profusely. “I’m so, so, so, so, so, sorry, Ditzy!” she cried. Tears trailed down Fluttershy’s face as she clung to the blob, chunks and strings of slime trailing back from her matted fur. “If I’d known it was you I would never have even—”

“F-” Ditzy whined, her voice muffled as she spoke into the mare’s chest, “”Fluttershy...” With a heave, she pushed the mare away from her, gasping for breath as she rolled out from under her. “I’m—” Ditzy swooned, and she stumbled as she slowly caught her breath. –“I- I’m fine!” she insisted, rolling her eyes, “Really.”

“Oh...” Fluttershy’s ears drooped. She slumped back onto her haunches, sighing with indignation. “... I’m sorry—”

“No, don—” Ditsy rushed to Shy’s side, pulling the mare into a rough hug and cuddling into her chest. Her form quickly shifted into more of a normal mare, now with hooves and a head, as she wrapped herself around Fluttershy, stroking her mane. “Please,” she begged, “Just stop apologising. I forgave you twenty minutes ago...”

Silence fell between them. Everypony, Dash and Pinkie included, watched as Ditzy awaited her response.

Rainbow glanced to Pinkie. “Uh...”

“O-Okay.” Fluttershy squeaked, nodding slightly. She sniffed and gently returned the hug, burying her face into Ditzy’s side and squeezing the pile of jelly between her hooves.

“So, uh...” Rainbow Dash leaned back on her haunches. She paused to inspect Ditzy, looking the mare up and down before asking with a frown. “Ditzy?” she asked, “Wh-what happened?”

“Hm?” Ditzy pulled herself away from Shy, leaving a dripping green stain in her wake. The sticky tendrils of slime connected her with Shy as they both looked to Dash curiously. Ditzy’s head bobbed, and her ear began to dribble to the side. “What do you mean?” ash asked.

“I mean—” Rainbow bit her lip, forcing back the urge to grimace. A slight shiver ran up her spine as she watched Ditzy’s limbs slowly melt back into the puddle before her very eyes. “You—” She gestured with the shovel. “You know...”

“Um... no.” Ditzy shook her head, splattering shy with droplets of her slime. “I don’t, Dash.”

“I mean—” Biting her lip even harder, she felt a slight pang of pain as she looked to Pinkie, as if to ask “what do I say?”

Pinkie flipped her spade, dropping another lump of Ditzy on to the ground beside her and shrugged. “Don’t look at me.”

“Well...” Rainbow looked back to Ditzy and Shy, who were starting to look concerned as they frowned her way. She gulped, “Okay, well—” Gesturing with her spade, Rainbow pointed awkwardly to Ditzy’s current state, doing her best to ignore the pooling of liquid around Fluttershy’s thighs. “What happened!?” She practically screamed. The catacombs boomed with Dash’s voice, causing Ditzy and Fluttershy to recoil away from her. She continued, “Last time we say you—you- you were gone!” She looked to Pinkie for confirmation. “R-right?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie chirped. She dropped her spade as she nodded enthusiastically then looked to Ditzy with the same questioning gaze. “We even went on an expedition to come and save you!” she screamed.

“We got lost—”

“I got to look at rocks”— Pinkie produced a photo from her mane, and flashed it front of Ditzy’s eyes. She could only make out the vague shape of the words ‘for Maud’ alongside the picture of a weird rock with a face before it was gone back within Pinkie’s mane.

“We almost died!”

“Twi almost killed me, we got exposition— ” Pinkie blinked. “Twi almost killed me again!”

“And we couldn’t find you anywhere!” they both screamed in unison.

Ditsy recoiled away from this, her ears drooping as she snuggled back against Fluttershy. “Oh—” A shiver ran up her spine, or would have it she had one. Instead Ditzy seemed to jiggle as she averted her eyes, glancing to the ground at their hooves. She felt herself blush in the time between. Or at least she thought it was a blush. It was either that or she was starting to congeal between the cobblestones. “I—” She croaked then lapsed into silence, retreating back into herself. “It’s...”

“Ditzy?” Fluttershy spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper next to her, “Are you okay?” She squeezed Ditzy closer, caressing her against warm chest. “Dash didn’t mean to put you on the spot, okay?” As she comforted Ditzy, she glanced to Dash, shooting her daggers. “You don’t have to—”

“It’s okay.” Ditzy squeaked. She pulled away from Fluttershy, to look her in the eye, before turning back to face Pinkie and Dash. “I—” Ditzy frowned, and her face turned crestfallen. “It’s... not important,” she whispered, “I did what I had to in order to get back again and—” Ditzy suddenly gasped. “Oh Celestia!”

“It’s okay, Ditzy,” Fluttershy said, attempting to comfort the pile of goo. “I’m sure Twilight will be able to—”

“No!” She started squirming in Fluttershy’s grasp, pulling herself free and grappling to pull every bit of herself together again. “Fluttershy, we have to hurry,” she panted, a scared gleam in her eyes. “I almost forgot,” she gasped, “We have to find Twilight, fast!”

“What.” Rainbow and Pinkie shared a look. “Why?”

“I know Sombra’s plan!” She screamed, rushing to pull herself to her hooves. Ditzy slowly began to hover again, her glow returning as she swayed haphazardly through the air. She was practically hyperventilating as she struggled to pull herself together, making frantic progress to reform her old body. “We have to find her,” she screamed, “She’s not safe!”

~ ~ ~

The entrance to the map room thrummed with dark energy, a dull thump, thump, thump of a heartbeat, pumping with energy as the stained glass glowed a bright hot red. The only light source beside Twilight’s pack, magic hues danced, almost entrancing, over the hall, shimmering as Twilight stepped into its light.

The air hung heavy with dark magic. It buzzed in her senses, and her horn ached just from being so close. There was no denying what was beyond those doors and yet, somehow, it was completely unguarded.

Something in the back of Twilight’s mind was nagging at her, telling it wasn’t right. The path there had been completely clear, save for the few passing apparitions— Just then, the pale visage of a pegasus mare appeared through the door. Shimmering and translucent, it screamed an unheard cry as it drifted through the air, passing Twilight’s chest.

Twilight flinched. A shiver ran up her spine, and her breath ran cold as the ghost passed through her. The words ‘help me’ echoed through her mind, lost and forgotten, before they went the same way as the mare that had spoken her.

At length, Twilight gazed up at the door before her. Her face turned stern. She pulled her pack up, unconsciously checking and tightening the straps.

The logical part of her was telling her this wasn’t right. Heck, every part of her was telling her this wasn’t right. It was screaming in her mind, her nerves shaking, begging her to run away, hide beneath a pile of books and await Princess Celestia.

But no, she had to do this. There was no telling how long it would be before the other Princesses found out, and by then it had might as well be too late.

Twilight set a hoof against the doorframe. She wrapped her magic around the handle, and gently turned it down.

There was a soft click as the lock disengaged, and the door cracked slightly ajar. A stiff breeze blew past Twilight’s mane and she paused. Taking another breath, she steeled herself, and pushed on into the beast’s den.

~ ~ ~

The other side was heavy, hot, and humid. A veil of darkness fell as Twilight stepped into the space beyond. A dull boom rang in her ears as the door closed behind her, and just like that, she was plunged into blackness.

“Hello?” she asked. Her voice was small, almost insignificant in the depths of the void.

There was a distant rumbled and skitter of movement just out of sight. Her ears flicked, and Twilight, frowning, looked around her, straining her senses to see what could be out there—or in here—with her.

More whispers, the occasional flicker of a ghostly motion. Twilight’s ears pricked several times to somepony whispering her name, but every time she looked, she found nothing. It was like the room was taunting her. She knew he was here, she could feel it.

The room was practically swimming in magic, a bubbling froth of incantations. With every step, she could feel it growing, buzzing horribly against her horn—whispering to her.

Go back

Leave us

He has come

Each was more pleading, more desperate, some even pained, begging her. A million eyes followed her as she approached the only point of light:

A small spotlight flickered in the darkness, as a purple alicorn stepped into its centre. Her gaze stern, mane and coat matted and tattered, she grit her teeth as she glared up towards the king’s throne. “Sombra...” she whispered beneath her breath, grinding her teeth.

Some part of her knew she should’ve been impressed. Just looking over the throne with its towering, intricately, carved steps—told her he knew his ancient Equestrian history. Everything about it practically screamed early Platonequine Era. The very same design used to influence the construction of Celestia’s own throne in Canterlot, the block-step pattern of stones was always intended to lead the eye upwards, like a pyramid, towards the seat at the spire.

And right there—Twilight’s face turned into a grimace—aligned perfectly, with its back to her, shimmering red in dim light of burning candles—the seat itself.

She couldn’t see him behind it, but Twilight knew he was there. She could sense his disgusting aura, hanging in the air like black mould.

“Sombra,” Twilight whispered. She spat hit name, and the vile that came with it. And then, again, as she brought her harmony Pack to the ready. Several switches flipped behind her, and the silence was shattered by a guttural growl.

Magic sparked, gems glowed, her pack rumbled as Twilight screamed atop the dull roar of her charging pack. “Sombra!” She launched herself forwards, throwing the nozzle of her pack up, and aiming directly for the back of his seat. Her hooves steady, she trembled as she croaked, “This ends now. Bring back my friends, or—”

“Twiliiiight!!!”

Somepony screamed, and Twilight stumbled, almost face-planting on the spot. She’d barely broken a canter when the doors burst open behind her, and the room was filled with a clamour as multiple ponies, all at once, tried to squeeze their way through the narrow opening.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie gasped together, the former falling over the latter, whilst Fluttershy followed up the rear with—Twilight had to a do a double take.

Some kind of glowing green ball of snot dripped through her hooves as they both squeezed their way through into the room. “Don’t do it!” Fluttershy screamed, and the snot jiggled, turning roughly pony shaped as she leapt from her hooves.

“Stop!” Ditzy screamed, as she barrelled towards Twilight, “It’s a—”

CLICK

Twilight’s ears pricked to the sound of a switch flick. It was too distant to be clear, or even to know where it was, but there was no denying what it was. The voices suddenly turned silent, then broken into a deafening wail, like steel chains against a chalkboard, or even nails in a train wreck.

Twilight was left frozen, unable to do anything but watch as the steel bars slammed down around her, separating her from her friend and Ditzy, and most likely any chances at defeating Sombra. Her horn flickered and went out with a splutter, and the handle from Twilight’s pack clattered to the ground beside her.

Ditzy recoiled away from the cage, whimpering as she said. “—trap.”

The lights rose slowly bathing the room in a deep, orange hue. Jets of flame erupted from the corners, and with them came Sombra’s deep, melodious, laugh.

Mmhmhmhmhmm...

It was subtle and restrained; the sound of a true mastermind that sent chill up Twilight’s spine. A quick look to her friends confirmed the same. Each of them had turned a slight shade pale. Even Rainbow, in her though dousing of neon pink, was starting to look more herself as she took up a defensive position.

“T-Twilight...” Fluttershy squeaked. She retreated behind Rainbow and Pinkie, trembling as she hid behind her wings, using the mares as some kind of living shield as she looked to each of them for guidance. “W-What do we do?” She looked to Pinkie, and then joined in looking to Rainbow.

“We...” Rainbow Dash frowned. All this while, Sombra’s voice had turned deeper, stronger, more real. It practically permeated the air. Rainbow gulped. “We run,” she said, and turned tail, shouting over her shoulder. “Ditzy, where—”

Rainbow cut herself off as she came face to ankle with one of the minotaur guards, towering over her with its deep, sunken black visage. Several more emerged silently from the ground, growling, as she trotted forwards, forcing the ponies back into the centre of the room.

The doors were slammed shut behind them, and Rainbow Dash watched, her ears drooping, as two more guards came in to slide wooden beams into place, locking them inside.

Twilight’s face turned down into a scowl. Looking away from her friends, she directed her attention to the top of the throne, and the location from which the laughter was coming. Her horn flickered, and she squinted, focusing all of her attention on that one spot.

The pieces of a teleportation spell started forming in her mind, and she mentally started collecting ht energy. It was their last chance. If she had her timing right—Twilight glanced to the nozzle, and she funnelled a small amount of magic off to levitate it back to her side.

Something caught in Twilight’s horn, and she was thrown by a pang of searing pain, like a hot skillet had been run through her forehead. “Ah!” she winced, and dropped the spell, losing any all focus as she clasped a hoof to her forehead.

“It is no use, Princes...” Through the throbbing, Twilight faintly heard Sombra speak. She blinked the tears from her eyes, and looked up to watch as the throne stirred. It slowly turned. “Those are alicorn bars, the same kind they use in Hoofatraz prison,” he said. Sombra’s voice was just as enchanting as ever, smooth and otherworldly, and yet completely different. Somehow, it felt more... substantial. “Their special properties suppress the use of magic. There is no escaping that cage, even for an alicorn such as yourself, Princess.”

As she chair swivelled, the lights of the flames caught on the shape of Sombra’s form, first an ear, and then a horn. The lapping of green magic made itself known, followed then by two bright eyes on the back of a devilish, smug, grin.

Pinkie was the first to respond. “Oh my Celestia!” she gasped.

Twilight’s jaw dropped and, behind her, Ditzy whimpered, biting her lip as she stared. “It’s...”

“It’s...” Rainbow whispered.

“It’s...” Fluttershy mimicked.

Pinkie Pie popped out from the group, bounding on her hooves as she leapt forwards, screaming, “It’s Dinky!”

Rainbow stepped back, her ears pinned down as she stared. She was unable to pull her eyes from the Dinky, as her face turned into a scowl. “I-I-I don’t—”
Dinky leaned back in her seat, her mouth turned down into a scowl. She was reclined back, her legs crossed, and her hooves templed in front of her as if waiting for something. One ear flicked, but otherwise Dinky made no other move. “There is no ‘Dinky’ here,” Sombra said.

“Well duh!” Pinkie screamed. She cantered to the front of the group, and leaned against the side of Twilight’s cage, waving a hoof dismissively. “Of course you are! Just look at you!”

Rainbow glanced beside her, looking to Fluttershy. The mare had been completely engrossed in the interaction between Dinky and Pinkie, and seemed to have forgotten her own fear. She then looked back, her eyes drawn to Fluttershy’s back, and the pack sitting there, strapped between her wings.

Sombra’s other ear flicked. His scowl turned even more into a scowl as he repeated. “There is no ‘Dinky’ here.”

“I hear you saying that, but I don’t hear you believing that!”

Rainbow looked back to Sombra, then to Pinkie, and Twilight in the cage. She glanced to the pack on Fluttershy’s back, and something clicked. “Sombra,” she whispered.

Fluttershy’s ears pricked, and she glanced to Rainbow. “Sorry, what did you—“

“It’s Sombra!” Rainbow Dash screamed, and pounced on Fluttershy, going straight for the pack.

“Rainbow Dash, no!” Fluttershy gasped, and recoiled away, putting distance between herself and Dash. She brought up a wing to push Rainbow away, and held the end of the pack in her own hoof, out of reach.

“You don’t understand!” Rainbow pushed past the wing. She wrapped a hoof around the pack, and braced herself as she bowled Fluttershy to the ground. “This is—” Fluttershy kicked out, and nearly caught Rainbow in the shoulder. She grimaced, “This is our chance! We have to stop him!”

“But—” Fluttershy twisted away from Rainbow, and pulled handled back to her own side. “But what about Dinky!? What if you hurt Dinky? It’s too dang—”

“But that’s not Dinky!” Rainbow yelled, “It’s King Sombra!”

Sombra glanced from one group to the other. Dinky’s left ear flicked, and then the other. His voice crackled as it broke, turning high-pitched like a filly as he repeated, again. “There is no ‘Dinky’ here. There is only—”

“Pinkie Pie! Rainbow Dash!” Twilight snapped, glaring to each pony in turn. Rainbow and Fluttershy stopped cold to stare, whilst Pinkie glance to Twilight with perked ears. “No antagonising the antagonist”—Pinkie sighed, as Twilight turned to glare to Rainbow and Fluttershy. “And no trying to steal Fluttershy’s pack, Rainbow Dash.”

“But—”

“No buts!”

Rainbow Dash pouted and reluctantly climbed off of Fluttershy. She crossed her hooves, and gave a sulk. “It was my pack first, you know...” she said.

Pinkie Pie glanced to the pink foal with glowing green eyes, currently watching and twitching with frustration. “...But she’s so cute,” she said, “It’s just too much fun to—”

“SILENCE!”

Dinky’s right eye twitched. Sombra rubbed it gently with a forelock, and then looked across the room with disdain. “I will not this pointless bickering”—he grit her teeth—“stand in the way of me and my goals.”

Twilight growled; a low snarl that rumbled beneath her breath. “What do you want,” she said, with bile, “Sombra?”

He smirked.

There was a flicker of green magic, almost like a flame, as Dinky’s horn flashed a light. There was the soft chime of a bell, and Dinky arrived with a flash outside the cage. Twilight recoiled away from the bars and Sombra pressed up against them to glare in the eye with a devilish smile. “Is it not clear, Princess?” he said, almost smug as he curled the corners of Dinky’s lips. “I would think that you, or all ponies, would know of my plan.” He cocked her head. Dinky’s eyes seemed lifeless, almost puppet-like to Twilight as they regarded her with a calculated gaze. “After all,” he continued, “If it were not for your actions, it would not have come to fruition as it has.”

“What do you mean? Her gaze remained stern. Twilight maintained her stance, trotting back a step to keep Sombra well within her gaze. Leaving the occasional glance to the other mares of the room, Twilight kept her wings and ears erect as she watched the kind pace outside the cage, enjoying the situation, as it were. “Why?” she asked, “What do you have to gain from this?” A whimper from Dinky’s side caught Twilight’s attention, and she quickly added: “And why take Dinky?”

“Why?” Dinky’s ears flicked back at that, and her eyes widened, almost taken aback. “I thought you knew. I mean,” he hummed, flashing a grin with Dinky’s face. “Why else would you deliver precisely what I need, right onto my doorstep.”

“Cut the riddles, Sombra.” Twilight snapped. She paced the inside of the cage. Still no clear exits and any prodding with her magic only left a dull throb in her horn. She turned back to face Sombra with a scowl. “What did you do to Dinky?”

He signed, rolling Dinky’s eyes. “Very well, fine. It is clear you are not going to make this easy on yourself: This is not something I would have chosen otherwise, but there was little choice in the matter.” Sombra frowned, and in turn Dinky’s ears drooped. Her eye twitched for a moment for Sombra rubbed it away and resumed talking. “You see, normally souls are unable to exist in this realm for extended lengths of time, at least not by themselves.” He waved a hoof, “They need... sustenance, something to maintain their state, either in the form of some permanent anchor, or a physical living being—”

“So you took Dinky,” Twilight cut in. She ground her teeth. “A foal.”

“Yes...” He nodded, hesitantly. “As I say, it was unavoidable.” He leaned closer to the bars, to the point that Twilight’s and Dinky’s muzzles could almost touch as he whispered, through grit teeth. “Ever since my defeat at the hand of your... champion”—

“Spike?” Pinkie suddenly cut in, almost shoving her way between Dinky and Twilight. She flashed a grin, and a confused look, as she scratched behind her ear. “A champion?”

— “I have—” Sombra pushed Pinkie out of the way to continue his monologue, correcting himself with a nodd. “Yes,” he said, completely serious. “Ever since my defeat the hands of your champion, Spike, I have—”

“No, seriously, Spike!?” Pinkie glanced to Rainbow, who very much seemed to be giving her the usual ‘what the hay’ look she always seemed to get. “I mean, Spike the Dragon?” She motioned it out with hoof signals, whilst looking for anypony to back her up.

“Enough!” Sombra boomed. His voice cracked and broke, like a foal, as he turned to glare down Pinkie. He cast a glance across the rest of the room, silencing the peanut committee, before turning back to Princess Twilight. “I’ve been watching your progress, Princess Sparkle...” His eyes narrowed, with the green hue of his dark magic deepening. “I saw you become a princess, how you faced off against the plunder vines, and then when I... assisted, in Tirek’s escape to test your—“

“That was you!?” all ponies sounded in chorus, to which Sombra nodded with pride.

“I was most impressed. Then the castle arrived,” and with that, he gestured to the building around them, “Such a beautiful monument of gems, a spire of pure crystals, practically made to be an otherworldly conduit. All of the pieces were in place; all I needed was a willing participant to begin the ritual.”

“You say willing,” Twilight said.

“Well,” Dinky smiled, wicked and knarred. “’Willing’ can be such a... subjective term...” he said.

Twilight shuddered at that. The mere prospect of it, left her sick to her stomach.

“Dinky,” Ditzy whispered beside them, and Twilight glanced over to find the mare, half-ghost shaking. Ditzy suppressed a choking cough as she leaned up against the cage, directing all her pleading fury to the king. “Dinky, please.” She sniffed, wiping back a tear, “Just—F-fight it, I know you’re in there. You have to—”

“There is no Dinky here!” Sombra snapped. With a flick of magic, he pushed Ditzy aside, shoving her and the other mares away from the cage. He turned back to Twilight, leaning with Dinky’s hooves on the bars to bring their muzzles closer. “Now that I have you, Princess,” he spat, “We can proceed with phase two of my plan.”

“And what’s that?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, almost mockingly. “You already have a body. What’s stopping you from—”

Sombre silenced her with a wave, nodding as he silently admitted. “Yes, yes I do.” Dinky’s ears dropped, and for once her eyes looked sad, almost remorseful. “But, alas, this vessel is not enough...”

Twilight silently hoped that there was a sparkle of a heart still left in there, but all hopes were shattered as Sombra turned stern once more.

He held up Dinky’s shaking hooves for her to see. “Even now, as we speak, I can feel it breaking down, dying—“

“I’m going to kill you, you monster!”

Sombra continued, ignoring Ditzy’s struggled in the background. “She is not strong enough to channel my full power this long. If I am going to take my rightful place under this land’s crown, I need a form worthy of my might. It must be one that is strong, well-built and sturdy. It has to be carefully attuned the elements, with instincts honed by years of magical study. I need an—”

“Alicorn,” Twilight growled; her ears flat as she stared Sombra in the eye. “You need me to finish the ritual.”

His smile returned in full force, sly and wry as Sombra beamed. “You catch on fast, Sparkle.” Sombra leaned his muzzle between the bars, bringing their faces close as he whispered in a hushed tone, like any good gentlecolt. “Join me,” he said, “With your power and my wisdom, together we could rules this land like no other. You could bring a new ages to this barren land, one of enlightenment, of knowledge. I can teach you to be true leader, and with my help they will praise us like the true gods we are.”

“Never,” Twilight spat the words. Cutting Sombra off, Twilight rose to her full height, wings spread as she glared down upon the filly before her. “I will never join you Sombre. You think I’m going to fall for your lies and your silver tongue, but I’ve seen what you’ve done—”

“Have you really?” Sombra said. His eyes shimmered with light as he looked up to meet Twilight’s gaze. “The Princesses may have told you, but have you really seen me be a tyrant? Did the crystal ponies at all seem unhappy when I was there? Did I leave the Crystal Empire in ruins in my wake?”

“We—” Twilight stumbled slight. “I— No, but—”

“If you truly do not know me, then how can you pass judgment so harsh as to condemn me to—”

“It—” Twilight bit her lip. “Y-you’re getting inside me head.” She averted her eyes, and glance back to Sombra to see his gaze burrowing into her, that same smile that almost seemed friendly. “So—” She grit her teeth, and Twilight steadied herself as she turned to face Kind Sombra. “So long as I heave a breath in my bones,” she said, “You took Dinky, I have no doubt” —

“Desperation breeds necessity”

—“I will not stop until you have paid for what you’ve done, Sombra. We did it before, and we’ll do it again—”

“Your champion is not here, Sparkle, if that your threats will—”

Twilight slammed her hooves against the bars, the loud ring sounding out as she grabbed Sombra by the scruff of his neck, and pulled him up to look her in the eyes. Stern, boiling rage met calm yellow eyes as Twilight seethed. “Even if you have my in this cage,” she spat, “There are still four princesses out to fight you. We won't stop until you’re a rotting corpse in the deepest, darkest depths of Tartarus. You will pay for what you did, whether it be me, Luna, Celestia, or even Cadance, I will see you dead.”

She snorted a hot breath in Sombra’s face and he turned away, pushing back against the steel bars.

“I see.”

Sombra wipe his mouth with a fetlock, seemingly unmoved as he pulled himself away from Twilight’s hold and took a step back from the cage. He turned, seemingly in thought for a moment.

“If that is what you believe...” He brought up one of Dinky’s hooves and turned it over in the light, inspecting the softly manicured nails. “Then perhaps...” He glanced back over a shoulder, meeting eyes with Twilight Sparkle. A flash of a grin, and a malicious, knowing sparkle shone in Dinky’s green eyes as he said, “...an alternate approach is in order.”

“Sombra, what are you—” Twilight was cut off by a snap of Sombra’s hoof, and the room was filled by a quiet shuffling. Her ears perked, and Twilight felt her stomach sink as the shuffling turned to struggling.

Somepony yelped, and Twilight couldn’t turn around fast enough. She snapped her head back, and came to face the set of minotaur guards, their translucent muscles rippling and quivering, with her friends barely visible through the translucent armour.

“Mmmf!” Rainbow Dash struggled against her bonds. She pulled a leg free, then let out a gasp as the guards clamped down on her neck, hoisting her further away from the ground.

“It’s your choice, Princess Sparkle,” Sombra said, whispering over Twilight’s shoulder. She glanced back to see Sombra, as happy as ever, watching proudly. “Join me now, or your friends will suffer.”

“Let them go!” Twilight screamed. She felt herself shaking with rage, her blood boiling as she threw herself against the bars. She didn’t want anything more than to clamp down against that monster’s neck, foal or no. “This is between you and me. They have nothing to do with thi—”

“They have everything to do with this,” Sombra snapped, “Princess of Friendship.”

“I—” Twilight gulped, her throat suddenly going dry. She glanced aside, to look at Dinky. The ghost was trembling—due to cold or fear, or just the fact she was made of jelly, Twilight couldn’t quite know. “Ditzy—“

Ditzy squeezed her eyes shut, and slumped to the ground, deflating into a softened pool as she covered her face, silently weeping.

“I—” Twilight looked back to Sombra, Dinky’s face looking her in the eyes, that same, confident smug grin. “No, I—” She stepped back into the centre of the cage, and looked back over her shoulder, spotting the pack still sitting there. Her brow creased. “But, what if...”

“Your time is running out, Princess.” She heard Fluttershy, or Pinkie—no, Dash, only she could squeal that high. “Make up your mind now,” he growled.

“I...” Twilight took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. She mimed her calming technique, and turned to face Sombra, holding her stance. “I-I—” Her throat turned dry as Twilight croaked out the words, “I’ll do it.”

Sombra’s smile widened, but Twilight halted him with a raised hoof. “But on one condition.” She motioned to Ditzy, then the guards behind her. “You let my friends go free, unharmed. All of them.”

Sombra gave a slight nod, and held a hoof to Ditzy’s chest. “You have my word,” he said, “Princess. Your friends will remain unharmed.”

“Dinky too.”

“She too.”

Twilight breathed a sigh. Somehow, that didn’t make her feel any better, but there wasn’t any going back—let alone any options. She carefully reached down and unclipped the fasteners around her pack, flipped it’s switches, and flinched at the sound of the pack’s whining tone change.

“Mmm—” Rainbow Dash squirmed behind her, and managed to free herself part way, before the guards dropped her and her friends. “D-Don’t do it—” Rainbow dropped to her haunches, coughing and rasping as she held her throat. “T-Tw,” she croaked out.

Twilight turned her nose away from them, her ears flattening as she ignored Rainbow’s words. She undid the last strap, and shivered as the pack slid from her back.

It dropped to the ground with a metal THUNK, and Twilight pushed it back, hoofing the pack to the far side of the cage, closest to Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash,” she began, slowly walking towards Sombra. She held her head low as she whispered the words. “You have to promise me—” She heard a muffled noise from Rainbow’s side, the only confirmation she could get. Rainbow Dash barely managed a nod, her face grim and watching with teary eyes. “—whatever happens. I do not want you to interfere.” Twilight set eyes on Sombra as she spoke. “Drop your pack. Do as I do.”

“Bu—“

“No questions.”

Rainbow scrunched her nose. She looked to Pinkie and Fluttershy, both just as confused her. “Uh...” Gulping, Rainbow pulled her wings to her side and let the pack drop loose beside. “...Okay?” Her ears flattened.

“Okay...” Twilight nodded, satisfied. She stopped in the middle of the cage, and turned her attention fully to King Sombra. “What do I do?”

“Approach the bars,” Sombra whispered.

They both stepped closer, Twilight leaning down to bring herself closer to Sombra’s face, and Sombra himself rearing to look Twilight in the eyes. They both lapsed into silence; their eye drifting closed as Sombra closed the distance and touched their horns.

Ditzy’s ears perked. She looked up and around, before retreating away to join Rainbow and the other. “Wh—” she whispered, watching Sombra and Twilight with one eye as she settled down next to Rainbow. “What are they doing?”

“I don’t know...” Rainbow whispered back.

There was a flicker of magic, barely visible. It was so slight, Twilight almost missed when the tingling in her horn began. She flinched, but felt herself pulled forwards by some unknown, magnetic, almost, force holding their horns together.

The tingling turned to a slight burning.

The magic lapped at Dinky’s eyes. The room flooded with magic, pulsating and sickening. Rainbow felt her feathers tingle, and she heard Fluttershy whimpering next other, tears in her eyes as they both watched.

Dinky’s ears drooped slightly. Her whole body slumped forwards, pouring her weight into the bars as the magic lapped and flickered from her eyes. It almost jumped the distance between them, momentarily joining Dinky and Twilight before the bridge broke.

The glow on Dinky’s eyes faded, and she turned limp.

“Dinky!” With a gasp, Ditzy leapt into action. She crossed the distance in a flash, and rolled to the ground, catching the foal in her arms, and cradling Dinky to her chest, cushioning the fall with her entire body. “Dinky, Dink!” Ditzy screamed, tears streaming from her face. “Ditzy, wake up, are you there?”

Ditzy’s brow creased. He mumbled something, and squirmed slightly in Ditzy’s hold. “M—” Her eyes fluttered open, bright and sparkling, as she rubbed the crust from her eyes. “M-Mommy?”

“Oh Dinky,” Ditzy cried. Hugging her foal to her chest, she felt Dinky shiver, a slight whimper racking her body. They both wept together. “I’m so glad you’re safe...” She was smearing green slime all over Dinky’s coat, turning it matt and sticky, but she didn’t care. She had her. “It’s all over now, w-we’ll get you home, a-and c-cleaned up and—”

They were interrupted by a soft, feminine, somehow malignant, giggle. “Oh, now I wouldn’t say that,” Twilight said.

chapter 13: The Voice of Evil

Twilight’s eyes flickered green, the sickening glow spreading out across her irises, overtaking the kind deep purple with a menacing yellow, piercing pure yellow light. With it, came a pulse of magic. Her body shuddered and then slowly relaxed, letting out her breath as wisps of magic spread from the corners of her eyes.

“...Ah...” Sombra sighed, breathing in with his new form. He looked down at Twilight’s hooves, his hooves, and gently flexed them, stretching out the new tendons, and spreading Twilight’s wings—the wings or a Princess—behind him.

Red magic pulsed along the coils of her horn, turning it black and tainted, and a manic grin twisted her face. “Raise the bars,” said he.

There was a loud crack, a rumble and clunk as the metal bars shuddered to life around him. The gears trundled in the darkness and, inch by inch, the cage began to rise as Sombra looked over his left over ‘guests’.

Fluttershy whimpered and Rainbow stepped forward, flaring her wings to take up a defensive position. She frowned at Sombra, locked eyes with him. A tremble ran up her spine but she forced it down with a gulp. “Y-You got what you want,” she stammered, “N-now l-let us go.”

“Let you go?” He almost laughed. Twilight’s voice was broken, garbled somewhere between her old self and the new. “You think I would go soft that easily? Just because I’m the ‘Element of Friendship’?”

“It’s the Element of M—” Dash’s quip died short in her throat, replaced by a yelp as Twilight threw herself at the cage, snarling as she leered.

Her teeth were jagged, almost razor-like as she snapped, “No speaking back to me.” The bars shuddered to a sudden halt, resting barely an inch above her head. There was a distant clamour and the gears changed tune, slowly retracting the cage further into the darkness above as Sombra looked around himself in glee.

He glance, first—Rainbow following Twilight’s gaze—to Ditzy Doo, the rogue ghost and her foal, and then to Rainbow herself. Sombra looked in her eyes as he said, “Rehabilitate the slime.”

There was a scream. Rainbow jolted. Her mane prickled, and her gaze snapped back to Ditzy.

Translucent hooves had appeared through the floor, grasping at Ditzy and pulling her away from Dinky. She was fighting hoof and claw, but was finding it difficult to hold form as more hooves appeared to drag her through the floor.

Rainbow grit her teeth, turning back to Sombra ready, all but ready to rip his throat out.

“...and kill the rest.”

Another screamed, this time much closer. Rainbow felt her stomach drop, her blood run cold as a pair of hooves—claws—something—clasped her around the barrel. She looked up at Sombra to see Twilight, still grinning maniacally, a single eye twitch as tears rolled down her cheeks. “H-hey!” Rainbow coughed, pulling back against her captors. She struggled against them, pulling her way almost up into Sombra’s face as she screamed. “You can’t do this!”

Fluttershy and Pinkie’s screams were like daggers. Dash didn’t dare look back, instead focusing every ounce of her hatred towards this monster in front of her. “You promised Twilight we could go free and—”

“I promised?” asked Sombra. He leered over Rainbow, Twilight’s face growing wide with a grin.

Rainbow jolted back, a slight whimpers escaping her lips. “I—” she squeaked. Her ears flicked down, then quickly perked back as she founder her voice. “Y-You gave her your word!” She pushed forward, hers and Twilight’s noses pressing together. There was a snarl, and Rainbow kicked back, pushing the Minotaurs off of her for a moment longer. She could feel herself screaming as spat, “What happened to a King’s Loyalty?”

“Loyalty!?” Sombra laughed, for once a proper, deep, bellowing howl. The very sound shook Rainbow to her core. “You think I care about Loyalty?” Sombra howled. His voice was shaky, broken as it rattled with Twilight’s old. “I am King! The King, Your King!”

He stomped forward, pushing Rainbow back. She stumbled over her hooves, sidestepping to the left as she was squeezed between the guards and their master. “D-Do you think ‘my word’ means anything to me?” His voice stuttered, as it broken by a sob. Rainbow caught tears trailing down Twilight’s cheeks as she said. “My word is law. I make the law. I have the power. I will stop at nothing to free this world from your pitiful Princess Celestia’s reign.”

Another step, another snarl, and Sombra shoved Rainbow back, pushing her against the Minotaur who, all this while, snarled and licked his lips over her back. “The new light will come, no matter what, even if it means...”

At this, Sombra leaned over Rainbow, licking his lips. She pulled back but found herself trapped, unable to move between Twilight and the Minotaur's wall-like legs. They both held her steady, and she could only manage to turn her head, squinting and shaking ready for the inevitable.

His breath tickled against the fur of her ear and, in a moment of silence.

“...getting rid of you,” he whispered.

Rainbow’s heart stopped. A chill ran up her back, and she felt the tension suddenly go. All she could muster to say was a whisper, as she watched, dumbstruck, as Sombra trotted calmly away from her. “Wait—“

“Take them away,” he said.

With one last glimpse, Rainbow saw Twilight’s face, the real Twilight, staring at her from beneath Sombra’s grin. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes were red, glowing red, but also red from crying. Twilight’s ears flicked left, a motion mirrored by a jerk of her head, and one missed as Dash watched Sombra turn away from them.

The Minotaur’s claws dug into her fur, sending a sharp stab of pain through Rainbow’s side. She snapped out of her stupor, and bucked back, doing a double-take and rebuilding her defences. “No!” she screamed. “You can’t! This is wrong, Twilight, you can’t have—“

Her vision blurred and something flickered out of the corner of Rainbow’s eye, something white, almost like a sparkle. She did a double take, glancing quickly to confirm her suspicions. Simultaneously, Rainbow’s ears twitched to a dim hum, almost impossible to hear, bow gradually growing higher and louder. With it came Twilight’s words, flashing through Rainbow’s mind.

You have to promise me.

I do not want you to interfere.

Drop your pack.

Do as I do.

It all dawned on Rainbow at once and, all of a sudden, she felt like slapping herself in the face it was so obvious. How could she have not seen it? She groaned then threw her head back to give Fluttershy a shout. “Shy!” –a half grunt answered, and she took that as an affirmative—“I know what we have to do, but you’re not going to like it!” There was s second grunt, and a squeak.

She heard Pinkie’s head break out from her captor’s hold and shout something, but it was lost in the commotion as Rainbow jumped into action. She rounded on her own guard and bit down hard.

GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH

The minotaur wailed in pain. His hold loosened for a moment, just long enough for Rainbow to put her plans into action. She pushed forward, kicking back against the guard’s legs, and splayed her wings as she took flight.

There were more howls, a crash and a thud, and a clamouring of hooves. The entire room burst into chaos as Rainbow bolted across the floor, half-flying, half-running. She ducked just as another arm swept over her head, then rolled the final distance, grabbing Twilight’s pack in her jaw and flipping the device over her back.

Sombra had barely a moment’s notice. As her turned back, their eyes met for a second—stark realisation on the former, and a determined glint in Rainbow’s—before the lever on Twilight’s pack flicked.

In his last moments, Rainbow managed out her last words: “Eat friendship, b—!”

The pack’s whining turned into a growl, a roar, and then the literal apocalypse as light exploded forth from all sides. The nozzle bucked and Rainbow felt herself thrown back, winded by the force as the room exploded into a whirlwind of noise, explosions, blinding light’s and pained howls.

AAAAAHHHH

The ground whipped past under her, scrabbling against Rainbow’s hooves, and a there was a deafening scream blaring in both her ears. Another jolt, a buckle, an involuntary flap of her wings, and she finally gained purchase.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH

Her ears flicked forwards, and she dared open her eyes, met by an ocean of twisting rainbow beams. They raced across each other, ricocheting off the room and burning paths in everything they touched, at the same time threatening to push her back through the wall. Her mouth was dry and her throat was sore.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH

Thus, licking her lips, Rainbow took a quick stock of the situation and stopped screaming.

She bore down on the handle of Twilight’s pack. It responded with a sudden jolt, almost knocking free Rainbow’s teeth as she lurched, dragging it across the room to round on the guards.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and kept turning, gritting her teeth and pushing with every ounce of her strength until she heard the familiar “Gag—!” and then a ‘Patoosh’ several ghostly forms being sequentially scorched, burned, charred, and the occasional liquidation—all overplayed by the same guttural howls of Minotorian curses.

All of this passed in a matter of seconds, leaving Rainbow Dash huffing, out of breath, and tired to the bone. Her legs buckled and she dropped to her haunches in the wreckage of, well, everything. When she opened her eyes, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stood, relatively speaking, unharmed. They were still rather singed but had avoided the bulk of the debris, cloistered together in the open, surrounded by clear mist and withering skeletons.

Looking further around, there were no signs of ghosts, haunted cupboards, hooves—well, maybe some of those—or even a sinister field mouse. Not even Ditzy was—Rainbow’s breath caught in her throat.

“I’m okay!”

A shaky voice called out from the corner, and Ditzy crawled out from under the collapsed roof. She held a wet hoof over Dinky, and was gradually melting, though smiling, as she pulled them both out into the open.

“Oh, thank Celestia...” Rainbow sighed, relaxing.

Fluttershy and Pinkie blinked, visibly stunned. “Uh...” The former said, smoke billowing from her frizzled mane. Her eyes refocused and she frowned, looking over the room.

Rainbow Dash leaned back, putting her weight on the spent pack. “It’s okay, ‘Shy, we—”

“Oh” Fluttershy gasped suddenly, starling everypony, “Twili—”

“Oh my Celestia!” Pinkie bounced in front of her, throwing her blackened hooves into the air as she screamed. “That was bucking amazing!” Her mane—or what was left of it—bounced and flapped, finally giving up the charred bats and bowling balls as she patted out the remaining flames. “Can’t believe you did that, I wouldn’t thought the final boss fight would at least last another couple of chapters!”

“Yes, well...” Trailing off, Rainbow Dash pushed out her chest fur. She tilted her head back with a smug grin, blowing on a hoof and scuffing it on her chest. “It was nothing,” she said, rolling her eyes, “After all, I am the Element of A—”

A deep rumble shook through the castle, quacking through Dash’s hooves and pushing her off balance, She jolted back, setting eyes on the crumbling remains of the old pyramid as the earlier voices returned, howling, screaming, above her as the castle shook.

A deep, revolting, growl emanated from the Twilight-shaped hold, causing Dash to take a pause. She gulped, starting backwards as a deep, purple—almost black—glow began to bubble from the depths. She felt her wings spreading on instinct, a chill running back up her neck as the growl turned into an infuriated roar.

RRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEE

It grew until the only thing anypony could hear was one, constant, Tartarus-damned screamed.

“Uh...” Dash swallowed. Her throat was dry and she couldn’t quite form any words as she slowly backed away, eyes glued to the mounting glow in front of them. “Girls...” she eventually croaked out. A glance to ‘Shy confirmed her suspicions and a quick nod sent the pegasus off to grab her pack from the ground.

Rainbow waved Ditzy to get behind her, and she reared up, spreading her wings to shield the rest. She widened her stance, ears forwards. A flick of her tail and she narrowed her gaze, focusing in on the movements deep within the pyramid.

Twilight’s pack squealed to life, adding it own tiny rumble to the ear-shattering din. Her voice cracked an octave as she squealed. “... I don’t think it’s over yet.”

~ ~ ~

RRRRREEEEEEEEEUUUUUUU

The sirens blared out over the darkened landscape. Panting and huffing filled the night; the splatter of hooves through mud and the chink of metal chains as dogs barked off somewhere in the distance.

“Applejack, wait up!” Granny Smith hollered, her voice—somehow—more horse than it had ever been. She huffed. “Ah can’t—“ She wheezed.. “My hip ain’t g—” And she tripping over a loose stone. “—going to take much more ‘a this.”

Applejack growled. She ducked past a low bow. Her ears cocked back, checking for any signs of guards. There was the flicker of torchlight in the distance, signalling they were still far behind, which meant they had a minute—maybe two, to get out of these wood. She wheezed. “Well”—glancing over her shoulder, past Big Mac, and giving Granny Smith the stink-eye. “Ya should’ve thought about that before you went an’ got us into this mess.”

“It ain’t my fault.” Granny huffed. The loose ends of her prison uniform flopped freely, far too long for her stubby legs. The ends were matted and brown, stained after being dragged through hell and high water. “Big Mac’s the one that didn’t have t’ fit through that damn air duct!”

Applejack stopped cold. The other two barely had time to catch themselves, and all three skidded to a halt in the middle of the swamp, their leader glaring at each of them. “Grand-mama,” she said flatly, grinding her teeth. “If it weren’t for you and your—ye-yer—”

The darkness was broken by a soft blue glow, highlighting Applejack’s pale complexion. She continued to stutter, shaking as she raised a hoof to point. “B-B- B-Big Mac, since when has there been two of ya?”

Big Mac’s eye widened. The iron ball dropped an inch in his grasp, and he quickly shot a glare to his side, mouth open, as he gaped in the face of another—oddly translucent—stallion exactly his same size.

“Uh...” he swallowed, squinted, waved a hoof through the figure then, finally, forming the only words he could, uttered in disbelief. “...P-Pa?”

The ghost nodded, “Eeyup,” and he flashed a row of black, shark-like teeth.

~ ~ ~

Lightning cracked and thunder roared. The sky split and electricity surged through the air. It was as if the very heavens themselves had opened up, torn asunder to exact its revenge on whomever lay below.

To Rainbow Dash, that had might as well be the case. Rain lashed at her coat. Wind buffeted her sides, and rocks and debris, stone pillars rend loose and bright lights swirled around her as the world was torn to shreds.

She was vaguely aware of other ponies below, somewhere in the distant darkness. Their shouts carried on the wind, backed by the twisting beams of energy from their packs. Multispectral beams arced around her, twisting and contorting, flexing as they snapped to chase their target—the very same Rainbow had glued beneath her merciless glare.

Her scowl deepened as she wrung the handle of her pack between whitened hooves. “Twilight!” she screamed, her voice hoarse, strained and filled with desperation. Tears streaked her cheeks, the bright blue stark contrast to pink and slush. ”Please...” She could barely hear herself over the overwhelming din, but still, Rainbow persisted. She screamed louder. “Please, Twilight, I know you can hear me! I know you’re—” A flash of light, and Rainbow swerved, moving fully on instinct as a crack of lightning tore past her—“I know you’re in there!”

A darkened figure stirred ahead, the silhouette of an alicorn gliding aimlessly towards Rainbow. Its eyes shone with a deep yellow, shimmering in and out of focus as the distance between them shortened—a purpled veil hanging between them, trembling under the force of the wind.

“Please...” She was smiling. Sombra cocked his head, his grind spreading to show his teeth—pointed and deadly. “You think that she will hear you? That by the ‘magic of friendship’ I’ll fail and everything will magically go back to normal?” He laughed—deep and melodious, the tune cut light steel.

In the flash of light, Twilight’s features became clear. But for a second, Rainbow saw her, staring eye-to eye, Twilight’s manic glare, tears long since dried but still as begging as ever before. That, hanging attached to Sombra’s grin—it was haunting—and then it was gone.

“You’re delusional,” he continued, “Just another pathetic little pony that doesn’t know what’s good for them. That is why you need a proper leader, a true kind. Not this pathetic—” he spat “Princess. Even you have to see what’s plain in front of your eyes.”

“I—“ She faltered. Pulling away from Sombra, Rainbow kept him trained in her gaze as she backed away. She caught an upwind and used it to pull her above him, not by much, but just enough that she could look down on her friend. “I—I know what I see, Twilight. You know, too. This isn’t right.”

“Look around you!” He gestured to the ruined castle, broken windows, pillars, walls—everything. Beams of harmony arced around the pair, reflecting harmlessly off of Twilight’s shield. “Your friends are failing. Miss Sparkle made her choice and now it’s time for you. Join the winning team..”

A pang shot through Rainbow’s stomach and she wince. ‘The winning team.’ “No.” She backed away slightly, moving upwind as Sombra glided closer between them. “Y-You’re just trying to—”

“Join us,” Twilight said. Rainbow’s ears perked forwards. She almost dropped right there, and it took all of her strength to keep in flight. “It’s the right thing, Rainbow.” Her voice rang out clear, but distant. There was something hollow about it.

“No.” She grit her teeth and turned away. “I won’t.”

“Your friend is gone, Rainbow Dash,” Sombra continued, returning to his own voice. “But you can be with her. All you have to do is join us.”

“N-No.” Rainbow screwed her eyes shut. She could feel Sombra’s eyes burrowing into her, as if reading her very soul. If she opened her eyes know, there was no doubt what she’d see. “Twilight...” Pulling the nozzle to her chest, Rainbow tightened her grip and readier herself. She took a deep breath, and pushed out.

“No!” Rainbow screamed. Kicking back against Twilight, she pushed them apart then caught a gust, angling her wings back to carry them further apart. Simultaneously her hooves went to the handle of her pack. She flipped the switch. The pack spluttered to life, emitting a loud, drawn-out whine, and Rainbow took aim.

Twilight responded in like, and their beams of magic truck mid-way, writhing against each other as they fought for dominance. Just as before, the knockback send Rainbow flying backwards, the wind knocked from her lungs.

Their beams broke. Light flickered in the corners of her vision, and Rainbow jumped to the side, just barely getting past as Twilight’s beam surged inches from her side. Moments later, the energy was gone, and Rainbow was faced by Twilight herself—a half-ton of alicorn muscle barrelling towards her.

She braced herself for impact, and was ready to take her full force, when Twilight’s ram was disrupted by another two blasts from below. “Whoop!” Pinkie shouted from somewhere out of view, and Twilight was forced back, taking a long arc to avoid their blasts as they trailed after her.

Rainbow took chase, darting across the empty sky. She held Twilight in her aim, her Harmony Pack at the ready as she zeroed in on the alicorn. Sombra was still fighting back against Pinkie and Flutters’, her horn aglow as she put all of her excess energy into maintaining Twilight’s shield. Her wings were spread and her back was turned.

There was no way she could miss. As she glided ever closer, Rainbow could hear more shouts from below. Twilight let off another shot into the dark. A rumble followed, and rocks tumbled unseen. She was too busy fighting them to pay Rainbow as much as a second thought. It was too easy. She could end it right here, right now.

She licked her lips. The handle hung heavy in her hooves. A chime sounded behind her and the pack’s rumble turned into a soft, contented hum. With some slight adjustments, Rainbow saw Twilight’s back come into full view, clearly visible just a few feet away. The shield was thinned there. All it would take was one shot.

She swallowed. The world seemed to slow.

One shot: right in the back.

Her eyes blurred then crossed. She blinked to clear her vision, and became aware of water running down her face. The rain had returned in full force, seemingly, and had her drenched. She faltered, slowing her approach, and wiped a fetlock across her face to clear the rain.

It tasted... salty, almost like—

Her vision cleared, and Rainbow’s eye widened as they met with Twilight’s—the other mare just beginning to turn back. Her own eyes widened, her grin changing as realisation washed over both of their faces, and deep scowl contorting Twilight’s features.

“Dashie, look out!” Somepony screamed moments before the world exploded around her. The air tore apart, and Rainbow felt the air leaving her lungs as something rammed into her chest. Then came the pain, and the burning, a searing hot stove thrust down her throat.

Her right shoulder ached, and a pink blur flickered out of the corner of her vision as somepony flew past. “Pinkie...” Her voice failed, and Rainbow’s felt herself flip back and drop. It was like the air had been pulled out from under her, or if she were on a carpet and somepony had just pulled it out. She wing spread on instinct, sending more pain and a searing heat through her back as the wind air twisted around her.

The ends of Pinkie Pie—dressed in her Harmony Pack and covered head to hoof in straps and harnesses as she powered her copter—disappeared into the distance as she fell away.

The world flipped, turned upside-down—backwards and inside out as Rainbow felt herself tumbling head over hooves. Air buffeted around her, pushing Rainbow’s limp body every which way as she plummeted—twisted head over hooves. She felt her tail flick past her chin, a flurry of confused motions as her instincts kicked back in and her wings spread—everything fighting against each other.

Her first instinct was to level out—spread her wings and slow her descent—but when she did, a sharp pain through her right primaries triggered the second—to retract and protect her wings at all costs. She was fighting against her body and finally found herself—by some miracle—right-way up.

She was going to crash. That was inevitable. It’s not like anything she’d done before. All she had to do was brace for impact, pulling her wings and anything else that could be broken.

The ground flipped past her once more, swirling around in circles along with everything else: tiles, shrapnel, the castle, tiles, shrapnel, the castle, tiles, shrapnel, Pinkie Pie. “Hold on!” Pinkie shouted, and grabbed onto Rainbow, pulling her back against the copter as she cycled with all of her might. Two started a slow fall.

“Pinkie Pie!?” Relief, shock and relief, washed through Rainbow’s body and she jumped at Pinkie’s hoof, grabbing on tight as the two continued their descent. The copter whined and strained under the weight. “Pinkie Pie,” she glanced to the helicopter, and then to Pinkie covered in straps and a hard-hat. She was sweating with strain, and still holding onto her Harmony Pack as she struggled to keep all of them aloft. “I—what—how did you?”

“I’m Pinkie, don’t question it!” she shouted back, “Brace for impact!”

The copter whined one last cry in its dying breath then broke apart beneath them. There was a loud thud, a screaming crash of buckling metal, and the stone floor collided with them, throwing what was left into a shower of broken pieces.

“Rainbow Dash!” Somepony screamed. Dash whipped her head back to see from where it had come, but she only caught a flash of yellow and pink before body crumpled against the hard stone tiles.

“Rainb—w –oh dear—” The world was spinning, whirling around her, turning black and red with the pulsing of her heart in her ears. A dull thud ached in Rainbow’s back, and as she blinked and squinted, several blurred images coalesced in the form of a pony leaning over her—hooves cupped around them like a mother and a foal—whilst the world continued to cascade around them.

She was heaving with breath, her Harmony Pack lugged over her shoulder, and tears rolling down her eyes. A loose braid of pink hair rolled across her vision and, squinting to force her eyes to focus, Rainbow hazarded a guess. “Fl-Fluttershy?” she squeaked.

“Oh my Celestia—” ‘Shy’s features softened, relief washing over her as she pulled Rainbow into a tight hug, pinning her against her chest as they rocked together. “You’re okay, I can’t—I don’t know what we’d do if you were—”

She interrupted herself with a sniff, and Rainbow Dash felt trickles of tears dripping across her forehead as Fluttershy peppered her with kisses. “It’s—okay,” she said, grunting as she pulled away slightly. “I’m fine, Fluttershy. You don’t have to—”

“We have to stop.”

Rainbow stopped cold. “I—what?” She almost did a double-take, swivelling back to look Fluttershy in the face. She almost felt like rubbing her ears, she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “Stop!?” She almost screamed, almost. It came out in a hoarse whisper—too loud—she thought she’d hurt Fluttershy any other way. “Are you serious!? We can’t give up!”

A quick glance up, and a growl cut between them as Twilight swooped overhead, just missing their heads as they ducked.

She continued, pointing after the alicorn. “That’s our friend up there! We can’t just leave her like that! What if it gets worse!?”

“That’s not what I—”

“No,” Rainbow shouted. She pushed back, shoving Fluttershy away from her as she stumbled to her own hooves, grimacing at the pain. Her wings ached and protested. Every muscle burned as she spread her wings free. “We have to stop her!” She stomped a hind leg. “I don’t care what it takes.”

“But we can’t defeat her like this, Rainbow!” Fluttershy screamed, her voice just above a whisper. Rainbow felt herself being pushed back as Fluttershy trotted up against her, wings flared as she pressed their muzzles together. “There’s no way! She’s too powerful, and Sombra’s—”

“Twilight,” Rainbow spat.

“She’s right, Dashie.” Pinkie Pie leaned in between them, she, Ditzy, and Dinky forming a circle around them as they fought off the surrounding storm—and losing. The clouds slowly inched closer by the second, revealing glowing eyes as ghastly forms lurked in the shadows. She swallowed and wiped her brow. “We can’t keep up like this. Our only hope is to fall back an—”

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

A distant roat cut through the air, blaring in Dash’s ears. She felt a hoof shiver her back down, and they both ducked low as Pinkie Pie fired her Harmony Pack over their shoulders, deflecting a purple blast from the west.

Even as she watched, Rainbow caught glimpsed of green and red mixing through the beam as it cut across the edge of their circle.

“—and regroup.” Pinkie continued. Huffing with breath, her mane began to lose its volume and the occasional—now slightly rotten—orange and dead bat tumbled from its curls as she slumped against the shaft of her weapon.

Rainbow shuddered. She felt the chill running through her spine as she looked around her, at her spent friends and Ditzy doing—what was Ditzy doing? The mare seemed to have shape-shifted into some kind of shield, or something. Either way, the look of the green sheet with a smiling pony’s face was easily the most terrifying thing she’d ever seen that day.

She let out a shudder, stronger this time, and turned her back, rather facing the—admittedly now less scary—evil menace about to destroy them.

“N—” she sucked in a deep breath. “No.” She pushed herself to her hooves, her bones cracking as they popped back into her place.

With a quick glance, Rainbow trotted—limped—over to Twilight’s Harmony Pack and slung it over her back, wheezing as her body crimped under the weight. “There has to be a way. Something that we can use to take her down.” She eyed the extra-heavy gem at the end of Twilight’s staff. It was different, heavier, but most definitely more powerful than the rest—a fact she’d experienced firsthand.

“What are you thinking?” Pinkie was the first to speak.

Rainbow Dash glanced up, giving a look to Pinkie, and then to Fluttershy—the latter watching with earnest. “I don’t know...” she said. “But I think I have a plan.”

“You’re hurt.”

Fluttershy’s words stung, doubly so as the aching in her limbs returned with a vengeance. “N-N-No, I’m fine.” She winced.

Shy’s face levelled. She seemed unconvinced, but made no other moves to advance, instead watching Rainbow Dash with a kind of... almost sad resignation.

“Just trust me, okay?” was all Dash could say. She cleared her throat, swallowing hard and then turned her back away from her friends. This was her last chance. Their last chance. A final squeak happened behind her as Fluttershy whispered, but it was lost in the winds as Rainbow, teeth gritted, spread her wings and took flight.

Back into the fray.

chapter 14: The Heart of Evil

Twilight was waiting for her when she arrived. Even before she could see, Rainbow Dash could feel Sombra’s presence. His magic hung heavy in the air, spreading across it like a black infestation, permeating it, staining it. Every flap of her wings brought another wheeze, and a strained pull of her muscles. Her back ached and the straps of her Harmony Pack were beginning to cut deep, but she pushed on.

“And so you return...” said Sombra. The dark shape of Twilight Sparkle flitted through the darkness, tendrils of shadow and mist trailing behind her. A flap of a wing, the wink of magic, and a tiny glint flashed across Rainbow’s vision as Sombra bared his teeth from the distance.

He was circling, a vulture scouting it prey—or perhaps a falcon eyeing a wounded robin. Several other comparisons shot through Rainbow’s mind’s eye—images of giant bird, giant flying lions, with sharp talons tearing blue-pink flesh from bone. A sharp acrid taste welled in the back of her throat, causing Rainbow to swallow and dryly lick her lips.

Her eyes narrowed, Rainbow Dash forced herself to focus in to the distance, squinting as she followed—albeit barely—Twilight’s circles through the fog. She flicked back her ears, eye trained forward as she searched behind her with a hoof. “They told me to run, you know,” she called out.

Twilight’s voice echoed back, distance, ghostly familiar with a bellowing cackle. “And why did you not?” It almost sounded like her, but when the fogs cleared, it became evident it was anything but. Sombra’s smirk was unwavering, Twilight’s horn a bright glow with dark magic. Black crystals and shards of ice had begun to gather on her form, giving it an almost lifeless look. Everything about her was changed. Her face was drained and dry, looking more and more like King Sombra’s old desolate visage than herself. Everything, but Twilight’s eyes, however...

“B-because I know you.” She had to force the words out. It hurt just to breath, and to continue to look this mare in the face—Rainbow’s hoof fished back over the side of her Harmony Pack, tracing the borders of its main control dial. She kept her eyes focused, trained directly on King Sombra as he stalked closer out of the darkness, slowly pushing her back away from him. “Twilight,” she whispered, her voice hoarse as if speaking the words for the very first—or perhaps last—time. She backed up further, straining her wings to keep ahead of the encroaching threat. Rainbow felt her hoof tightening her grip on the nozzle by her chest. Her breath caught, and then released as she spoke. “Twilight, please, I know you don’t want to do this. S-Sombra’s ju—“

Twilight’s body tensed. Her eyes widened, as if looking Rainbow in the eye for the first time. Sombra himself snarled. “Don’t,” he said, and started towards Rainbow Dash. His teeth revealed, sharp fangs glinted a bright white against her faded grey coat. “Don’t call me that...”

Rainbow persisted, strafing back as she turned the dial on her pack. The device’s response was immediate, turning from a silent purr to a low, trundling growl as its magical reserves began to build. “You can fight it.” Rainbow’s ears pricked back, her attention trained back on King Sombra. “You can fight him. Twilight, don’t you remember everything we’ve been through—“

“No!” Sombra shouted, growling as he sped forwards, full intent on ramming Rainbow Dash out of the sky.

She deftly dodged it, barely missing the attack by a hair. A small tug of her mane and a splattering of coloured hairs across her vision was the first reminder of how close she’d just gotten to certain death. But still she persisted, steadying herself in the air once again. “Nightmare Moon? Discord? Tirek? You showed them all the value of friendship, Twilight. You showed us all, you taught us so much.”

Thunder broke and the sky split open. Lighting crashed around them, dancing arcs of electricity charging the already magic-laden airs. The soft hiss of falling rain filled the silence around them, followed by the calming hiss and distant rumble of the storm above their heads. For a moment, even the fog seemed to cease, and Rainbow Dash was given pause as she felt the water begin to trail down her cheeks.

Pink droplets and sweet trails started their ways down her face, marking her like some kind of sugary war-paint. Her vision blurred, causing Rainbow to respond by wiping her face—smearing the remnants of her adventure even further—with the back of her fetlock.

Still the rain fell, turning now into a heavy downpour, oddly salty against Rainbow’s cheeks.

It wasn’t the rain.

“Y-” She sniffed. “You taught us that Friendship really is magic. You showed us that we—” She gestured, not really in any particular direction, but around all the same—“our rag-tag group of ponies that I would have never seen getting along, that we can become friends. You gave us each other; you gave me Loyalty, but—

A single chime, loud and clear, cut through the air beside her. Rainbow’s ears flattened back as she withdrew the handle of her Harmony Pack. The humming behind her turned to a full, eager bellow, as the machine made its will known.

“But—Above all else: you gave us you, and if you think I’m going to give up on that...” She held the nozzle at the ready, pointing it towards Twilight, but not really aiming it at her. Her pack was ready. “Then you can call me a foal; because I love you, Twilight Sparkle.”

~ ~ ~

I love you, Twilight Sparkle

“Eeeyouch!”

Applejack doubled over in the spot, clutching at her temples as she keeled into the dirt, barely propping herself as a throbbing ran through her head. Big Mac and Granny Smith were at her sides, the former looking over her with concern etched into his face, a hoof rested on Applejack’s back, reassuring. “Applejack!?” he shouted. “What”—He glanced to her bandaged knee and then her face, ears splayed flat.—“Is it the bite flaring up again?”

“N-” She stuttered. Wearily, Applejack shook her head. She glanced up to Big Mac, her expression turned grave. “No, it’s—I” She paused to collect herself, and rest a hoof against the side of her head to rub her lobes. “It’s like I felt a million stallion and mare suitors all cry out in agony; and then they were all suddenly silenced.”

She felt Big Mac’s hold tense beside her, and a loud gulp as the stallion trembled. AJ’s ears perked and she looked up into his eyes. He was pale, with the slightest glint of fear in his eyes. “Ah th—”

“There is something gravely wrong with the horse!” Granny Smith croaked from ahead. They both snapped their heads to the crooked old mare, who had somehow gotten herself stuck half-way between some crooked old trees. Granny was grappling with the ground and gravity as she dragged her cast iron ball behind her. She thrust a hoof forward—“To Ponyville, return immediately, we must!” she screamed, then slipped, and immediately slammed her hoof back down as the mud swallowed her to the flank.

“Uh...” Applejack frowned. “Granny?” She asked.

“Shh...” Big Mac silenced her with a hoof and hush from the side. He leaned in near to her and whispered into Applejack’s ear. “Get the shovel.” His eyes shot to Granny for a moment; a glare that could cut steel. Then, his hoof raised for secrecy, he continued, “Ah think she gone seen too many o’ them Star Horse movies.”

“Hoof it, ye’ youngens! We got t’ save the day, ‘wise it’ll be total anarchy; cats and dogs livin’ t’gether!”

Big Mac and Applejack slowly rose to their hooves, the latter shaking her head. “Now ah know that ain’t The Pastern Menace.”

~ ~ ~

Rainbow Dash gasped for breath. With all of her last strengths, she hauled herself and her pack around the corner, grabbing cover at the last moment as the wave of magic hit. She’d just had enough time to close her eyes and pull her wings in to her sides before the air around her exploded into a searing heat. Red, black, and purple flame swirled around her, broken by the stone pillar as it passed.

Then, just as quickly as they had come, the flames passed leaving a dark void in their wake. The air turned chill, causing a shiver to run up the pack of her spine, and the mists slowly returned, encroaching around her lithe form, eager to accept Rainbow into her wave.

“Okay—” She gasped “—This, this I can work with...” Rainbow cracked open a single eye. She glanced to the side, only seeing the white fog and the looming dark figures of the other pillars, and the same to her right. She was alone, but for how long? There was no telling. Sombra was acting more like an animal than ever before, but there was no doubt he had something plan—

The flap of a wing drifted from the distance causing Rainbow to flinch. Her ears pricked forward, and she glanced in the direction.

Nothing.

The dark swirls of the fog encased any movement. She silently cursed herself for coming up here alone. It was a suicide mission, and only ponies with a death-with would ever consider facing off against the Celestia-damned Prince of Darkness.

But he had her friend. He was her friend. There had to be something she could still appeal to. Maybe if she tried again...

“T—” Her voice came out broken and Rainbow Dash felt her body tremble as she was shook by a fit of coughing. She cupped her hoof over her mouth for the best part of it, and blinked the tears out of her eyes to look up and direct all her attention into the distant fog. “Twilight,” she said, raising her voice barely above a whisper. She repeated, shouting just a little louder. This time her voice echoed through the empty space as she spoke her friend’s name. “Twilight—Sombra—Twilight—“ She shook her head. “I-I don’t even know anymore. Whoever, I know you’re out there.

Motion flickered out of the corner of her eye, and Rainbow craned her neck, following the trail as a darkened figure drifted out of sight behind the pillar. “I know you can hear me.” Her voice was sterner. Though unsure, she begged. “Please, let us help you, Twilight.” Her ears pricked to something stalking behind the pillars, almost like the drawing of feathers as they passed through the heavy air. “I know—I know if you just fight it; it we fight it together we can—”

“Hi-a!”

“yah!” Rainbow almost jumped out of her skin. She let go of the pillar for a moment as she yelped, then immediately scrambled to regain her hold before she started the long, very-likely-to-be painful slide to the very bottom. “Pinkie Pie!” She glared to the pillar nearest her left, where a pink pony was dangling at an odd angle to the side. Pinkie seemed to defy gravity itself as she clung to the vertical surface by nothing but sheer force of will. At least Rainbow had her pegasus magic; all Pinkie seemed to be using was a free hoof whilst she fussed with clipping her Harmony Pack over her head. “What are you doing!” Rainbow practically screamed. Her ear was pounding, and she was sure it would’ve exploded if it hadn’t already. “I thought you were going to get to safety!?”

“I’m sorry, but-um...” A meek voice whispered over Rainbow’s shoulder and, as she rotated herself to look the other way, she spotted Fluttershy hanging on to the opposite pillar in a similar way, with Ditzy Doo hanging onto her back like a gelatine sea-anena- Sea-aneme—Those prickly things Twilight talked about. “We’re, um... Not going to let you do this alone.” She squeaked, and retreated back behind her mane, eyes watering with embarrassment.

“Eeeyup!” Pinkie nodded. “If you think you’re going to beat the big-bad-baddy and take all the credit and the cake, then I you have another thing coming!” She stuck out her tongue at Dash, then turned to her side, producing a notepad from her mane. She grabbed a pen on the end of her curl and quickly scribbled something down on the checklist. “Reminded, get more chocolate icing for the ‘Thanks for saving the world cake’.” She stowed the list, turning to Dash with a smile. “I swear, I never seem to have enough of that stuff...”

“Well, um...” Rainbow couldn’t help but crack a smile. Leave it to Pinkie to lighten up even the most dire of moods. “I appreciate the help, guys, really”—She looked to each of them in turn—“But this is just way too dangero—“

“No buts, mister!” Ditzy peeked up over Fluttershy’s back to give Rainbow the stink-eye. “We’re not leaving your back. And I’m not leaving here; or something...” her eyes straightened slightly as she frowned in deep through.

“But Dinky’s—“

“We took her a looooong way away from here,” Pinkie chirped.

~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, in a conveniently placed Brook closet...

“.... Hello?”

~ ~ ~

Dash stared at Pinkie, her mouth hanging partially open. Ditzy took the chance to fill in the gap and quickly piped up, saluting a congealing hoof in Dash’s direction. “so what’s the plan, captain Dash sir?”

She shook off her dumbfounded look and clicked her jaw shut with a clack. “Well—” She looked to each friend in turn. Neither of them showed any desire to budge. It was either the best thing ever, or the worst mistake ever. Either way—she sighed. “Well, first we have t—“

A loud crack split through Rainbow’s ears, and her voice was cut off as her breath suddenly left her. The stone pillar behind her exploded into a cloud of dust and shrapnel, and she felt herself thrown forwards as King Sombra erupted through the stone.

“Ahhhh!” She heard herself scream, but the world just spun, and whiled. The clouds whipped past in a blur, and the last thing she heard was a collective gasp from her friends before she collided with the far wall.

There was a loud crunch, and pain shot through Rainbow’s spine as her body was embedded deep into the stone. Sombra, sneering, leered over her with baring teeth. Twilight’s body looked stretched up close, with sunken glowing green eyes and fanged grid. He had her pinned, with his claws etching deep into Rainbow’s sides. “Got you” he snarled.

“S-” Her vision was spinning as Rainbow slowly opened her eyes. She could barely focus on the monster in front of her, but instead looked on to see her friends still on their pillars—just blurs in the light. Then, she focused on King Sombra, Twilight’s form coming into sharp relief as her eyes re-adjusted. “T-Twilight—“

He slammed her against the wall, receiving a loud crack and a groan from the Harmony Pack between rainbow and the castle’s back-bone. “I told you to. Stop. Calling. Me. That!”

“Twilight,” she repeated. She lifted the nozzle of her pack, her hoof shaking as it inched forward and up to face Sombra.

He shoved it aside, then grabbed Rainbow Dash by the withers and threw her out of the crated they’d formed.

The world spun around her, and this time Rainbow made no move to save her fall. She tucked her wings and limbs in tightly, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, and focusing all of her attention on the cool sensation of the wind whipping past her mane. Crashing was easy, after all. Nopony had done it more than her. It was just a matter of—

Sombra collided with her chest, baring his claws deep into her flesh as she plummeted them both into the ground below. The earth hit hard, winding Rainbow Dash, and Sombra continued his unrelenting assault, battering Rainbow in the face with his front hooves until she felt blood streaming from her nose and the world around her seemed to give off a throbbing white light.

“Now,” he said, grinning. Twilight beamed with pride as Sombra leaned her body back to take in his work. Her lowered himself over Rainbow’s broken body and whispered into her ear. “...Say my name.”

“....t-t—Twilight—” Rainbow coughed.

Sombra roared then slammed Rainbow’s back against the ground, a loud crack being heard as the tiles shattered below her. “Say my name!”

“Twilight—”

~ ~ ~

Her heart was pounding. It formed a rhythmic, unrelenting beat as it pounded in her ears. Fluttershy clung to the side of her pillar for dear life, staring agape, motionless. She simply watched, and gawked, in a mixture of shock and outrage at the gap left by her best friend. She only dully heard the impact, and through the ringing, she heard Pinkie Pie’s shouts.

“...fluttershy--- Fluttershy!” Pinkie screamed across the gap.

‘Shy snapped back to her present and she panic. “Ah! Rainbow Dash l—” As she looked around, everything slowly dawned on her at once. That explosion, the impact, the—Another rumble rocked the pillar she was on, and Fluttershy blanched, suddenly remembering she was on a pillar. “Eeep!” she squealed, then threw herself against the vertical stone. The strong, hopefully-not-about –to-collapse-at-all stone surface.

“Fluttershy, it’s okay.” A calming voice whispered in her ear, and Fluttershy felt somepony’s hoof press down on her shoulder, offering a reaffirming strength. Her ears perked and, trembling, Fluttershy peeked over her shoulder to see Ditzy Doo—the transparent gelatinous blob of the hour, still hanging happily from the back of her Pack. She didn’t even care that she was starting to drip off, or that Fluttershy’s coat would likely, permanently, bear parts of her being. “Yeah”—Ditzy’s expression softened when she saw Fluttershy’s eyes peek past her mane—“You can fly, remember?”

“I—I knew th—” She nodded weakly. “Where is Rainbow Dash?”

Sombre roared from behind her, causing Fluttershy to flinch, and her hold on the pillar to tighten. A blue and pink blur shot past, arced through the air and into the distance, followed by a purple and black smudge as the two took off between them.

Fluttershy pinner her ears back. She looked behind her, to the giant crater in the wall, and then to Pinkie Pie and whispered. “We have to stop them...!”

“What!?” Pinkie almost did a double-take, as much of one as she could without falling to her own death. “Are you loco in the coco!? He’ll kill you!”

She wasn’t listening; instead Fluttershy crunched her muzzle as she fidgeted with her holding against the pillar. She was shaking all over, but she forced herself to focus, to stay strong. She carefully inched her arms around the sides of the pillar as she shouted back. “I don’t care!” she screamed, then quickly corrected: “I—We have to. If we don’t, then he’ll kill her!” The stone gave way to corners and wasted no time in hooking the tips of her hooves around the, doing the same with her hind legs. She silently whispered beneath her breath, intent on keeping her last words from Pinkie. “... and I’ll never forgive myself if he does.

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy loosened her grip. She cast Pinkie one last look of determination, and took her plunge.

Pinkie took pause. Her mouth opened to protest, but then she closed it, put on a frown, and dropped down after.

~ ~ ~

“SAY MY NAME”

King Sombra screamed in a blind rage. His heart was throbbing, his body was shaking. Every motion was like a battle against something deep inside him—a screaming, crying voice calling for him to stop. Even now, as he stood, all-powerful, near victorious, something in the back of his mind told him this wasn’t over.

He snarled down at the blue-pink pegasus crushed and beaten beneath his hooves. Rainbow Dash coughed. “SaY MY NAME”

She flinched then cowered away from her. Him. “T-T—” The coughed. “Twilight—”

~ ~ ~

Fluttershy dashed across the empty throne-room floor in a blind panic. Her eyes were glued to the skies as she practically flew. Her wings gave the occasional flap, giving her an extra few feet as she glided over the fallen rubble and destruction laying in Sombra’s wake. All the while, she gaped, unable to look away from her target.

A blue streak, prismatic streak arced across the sky, tumbling and wobbling over itself. It made a few loops and attempts at gaining altitude—a fact that made Fluttershy catch her breath—but then continued it ever-increasing decline.

“Fluttershy” — Pinkie panted from behind her, several feet away. Her mane was starting to sag from sweat as she struggled to keep up and haul her heavy pack in tow. — “Slow down, I can’t—”

“Rainbow!” ‘Shy screamed, ignoring Pinkie’s protests, her eyes glued to the spec as it made its trail. She stopped cold, spreading her wings to make herself as big—and loud—as possible. “Rainbow, Rainbow Dash!” She jumped on the spot, almost shaking a dazed Ditzy off her back. “Pull up! You have to pull—”

A black bolt shot out of the darkness. It slammed into Rainbow Dash and they both spun out, the two bodies locking together as they turned to a full-vertical drop. Both ponies dropped like stones before her very eyes.

“BUCK, Bo—” She swore. Fluttershy took off after just as they slammed into the ground ahead. The shockwave alone washed over her, forcing Fluttershy to squint and hide behind a fetlock as she slowly advanced.

~ ~ ~

Dash was about to pass out. Her vision was blurred, and she struggled to blink to keep it clear. Her head was throbbing and she could barely hear Sombra’s words as he leaned over her, their muzzles inches from each other. All she could see or hear was the gnashing of his teeth and the violent beating of her own heart.

She simply repeated again. “Twilight...”

Sombra pulled back and his face was replaced with the sickly green glow of magic. Rainbow’s words were cut short by a gag as his telekinesis clamped down around her throat. “Do you have any last words, Rainbow Dash...” He whispered into her ear.

Rainbow’s ears flattened. She could as much as move a single muscle. It took all of her strength to just reach her hoof over the handle of her Harmony Pack—holding onto it like the last vestiges of hope. As she looked to the side, her eyes met with those of King Sombra’s.

Dark, sunken, glowing with hatred; there wasn’t so much as the barest glint of recognition, or the mare she’d once knew. It was just... him.

Her voice was dry as she opened her mouth and whispered, repeating her mantra.

“Twilight...” she said, “...I’m sorry.”

And with that, Rainbow Dash squeezed her eyes shut. She blinked away the tears as she tightened her hoof’s hold on the pack’s nozzle. The mechanism gave with a decisive clack, and the jangle of glass rang out between them.

A large gem shattered against the ground beside them, and Rainbow thrust the end of the nozzle against Sombra’s chest moments before her pack burst to life, unleashing its full charge.

“What are y—” Sombra’s face shifted through several expressions: surprise, shock, horror, agony, and finally hatred as a beam of pure Harmonic energy twisted and exploded through his chest. The rainbow of energy twisted and writhed violently, turning the world around them into an on-going explosion as it rent through his flesh and ripped past and around them taking pieces of fur and stone with it.

She felt Sombra’s hoof leaving her neck and Rainbow Dash opened one eye, squinting past the lighs to see Sombra retreating. His voice was barely a whisper above the tornado as he screamed at the tops of his lungs.

“AaaaaahhHHHHHHHH”

Twilight’s body was cracking, showing clear trails of glowing dark energy and swirling rainbow light through the corners of her mouth and skin. Rainbow did the first thing that came to her mind and lunged forward. She wrapped her fetlock over Sombra’s withers, pulling him in close to a tight hug as she pushed the end of her nozzle deep into her abdomen.

This resulted in the alicorn thrashing and throwing violently in her hold, forcing Rainbow back a few inches. She could feel her hooves slipping, little by little. Sombra was baring his teeth, yelling obscenities and snapping as her muzzle like a cornered animal. She could see his eyes turning crazed, almost glazed over, as the harmonic energy continued to flow between them.

“Release me... Agghhhh...” It was like wrestling a bear, or a lion, or a lion-bear-cockatrice hybrid that she couldn’t even look in the eye. Every second was like a battle, a battle she was slowly losing.

Her hooves slipped again, and Rainbow Dash frantically squeezed tighter, hugging King Sombra with all of the strength she had left—of what little she had left. She could feel him slowly inching away, breaking free with the added Earth Pony strength his alicorn form lent him.

“Ragh!” He thrashed one last time, and Rainbow felt her hold release. Her slipped away and started a quick descent, when suddenly a second beam shot from the void, soon joined by third.

“Hold on, we’re here!” Fluttershy called out of the distance. Both she and Pinkie Pie rounded through the rubble, their packs on full blast as they fired away at King Sombra.

Rainbow took the chance and pushed herself off the ground, bringing Sombra’s body back within reach. She wrapped herself around his back and pulled him to the ground, holding firm against the nozzle as it continued to unleash its full force.

“You—” Sombra fought against the trifecta of Harmony, his teeth grit. Twilight’s entire body took on an ethereal glow as cracks traced around her form, slow and gradual, growing like tendrils from every corner. “You—” He bucked one, twice, and then started to slowly weaken.

The beam of magic hiccupped and Twilight’s body lurched. Her eyes rolled back. Her mouth dropped open and her tongue dropped out as a dark magic started to see out from her back, dragged forcefully away by the constant rotten of flowing energy.

King Sombra, in his full glory, emerged through Twilight’s back. The unicorn still clad in his old armour, resembled more and old man than a king. Her thrashed and kicked with rage, his translucent form unable to resist the upwards force as he was slowly drawn away towards the sky.

~ ~ ~

Fluttershy trotted nearer the two, angling her beam upwards to follow the ghost as it inched every higher. “Keep going,” she shouted, glancing to Pinkie.

Pinkie Pie gave an affirmative, turning her nozzle up in much the same way, Together, they guided the ghost up the beam, slowly towards the open portal in the sky.

“Fools!” King Sombra screamed, His voice echoed, distant and drawn as his form started to tatter. “You have not seen the last of me. I will return,” he said, “I will have my”—As Sombra neared the portal, a couple of twin ghosts appeared around the edge. Their eyes glowed a bright yellow and they revealed their sharpened teeth as he neared. As Sombra crossed the threshold, the Corn Kernels grasped hold of him and the portal slammed shut.

His last word echoed over the castle.

“... Revenge.”

Moments passed and the sky cleared. Small dots of sun light started to peek through the clouds, and the chirp of a bird called out the beginnings of the morning.

Fluttershy finally collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Her pack flicked off, as did Pinkie’s. Even Rainbow’s pack was starting to splutter as it gave off its last droplets of energy.

Looking around, Fluttershy breathed a final sigh of relief. “We... did it?” she asked. Fluttershy felt the corners of her mouth turn up, the first smile she’d felt in almost forever. As if it’s been three years since the last time she’d laughed. She couldn’t help but looking to Pinkie for confirmation. “We-We did do it, right?” she asked.

Pinkie Pie didn’t smile. She simply nodded, but with a grave frown as she trotted past Fluttershy.

~ ~ ~

The portal closed above her, and Twilight’s body went limp. Rainbow’s eyes fluttered shut. She saw the first spots of sunshine breaking through the clouds as she slowly drifted out of consciousness. As she went, she smiled to herself, caressing Twilight’s motionless body in her hooves, weeping as she whispered. “We did it, Twi’... We did it...”

The last words she heard were Fluttershy’s.

“... r– ainbow?”

“... Rainbow—?!”

“Rainbow Dash!!!”

Epilogue

Ponyville was in shambles. Half the buildings were in ruin whilst the rest either billowed smoke or let off agonising groans as they burned to the ground. Stallions and mares criss-crossed the narrow streets, hurrying to put up scaffolding to begin the reconstruction effort whilst others simply lay by the wayside, either shovelling green slime and molten bats from the gutter, or to tend to their wounds.

Our hero looked over this from her position at the head of the street, her mouth agape as she stared. “Land sakes...” Applejack mouthed. She eyes the ponies—Carrot Top, still tending to a fainted Roseluck, and blue mare who appeared to have had a bite taken out of her mane. “... What in the hay happened here?”

She slowly started down the street, limping as she hauled the cast-iron ball—a little ‘’ from her adventure—behind her. As she trotted further into the town square, more of the destruction revealed itself to her.

Broken fences, fainted Flower Mares, Mayor Mare with a nervous tick—who had a nervous tick—all covered in a thin splattering of translucent green slime. The Castle of Friendship itself was nothing more than a broken stump. Shattered gems and broken pillars lay around it base in giant heaps, interspersed by the occasional scaffold as pegasi carefully flew the pieces up to the top. A heavy banner hung over the entrance with a scrawling of hoof-written letters.

AJ paused. She looked up at the sign and squinted. Then, shaking her head, she trotted up the stairs and pushed the door inwards.

DING

A sound chimed over the entrance way, and almost all at once Applejack found herself bombarded with a commotion of ringing bells, fluttering papers, and slamming diallers. “Ghost Squad, please hold—“ DING Ditzy’s wobbly voice was cut by the rigging and buzzing of several phone calls as she rushed to answer each one in turn. “Ghost squad, please hold—Ghost squad, please hold—Oh, hi, Applejack!” Ditzy waved from her position behind the receptionist’s desk, slinging droplets of herself all over the hardly organised mess around her. Papers fluttered to the floor as she spun back around to resume her duties... “Ghost squad, yes—Oh, right. Thick base, hold the mayo, and can you add extra...”

Ditzy reclined in her chair. With the received gently tucked in her chin, the slime pony began twiddling with the cord between her... Her... Applejack’s eyes crossed as she tried to think of the word. Her... w-whatever those things she were using for hooves.

“Aaa—uh—” Applejack worked her mouth for a moment. She smacked her lips, and tore her gaze away from the strange way that Ditzy seemed to be slipping down the chair. “I um—” The floor suddenly became very interesting to her. And, in all honestly, it was. Especially how—oh Celestia I’m standing in her, aren’t I?”

“Sorry about the mess, AJ,” Ditzy piped up apologetically. Applejack glanced in time to see Ditzy look to her with a quirked smile. “I can’t help it. It just... happens in hot weather.”

“Ah. ... Right.” Applejack nodded. She took a look over the reception-turned-office, taking in the haphazard way it had been thrown together. Shelves of equipment and papers lined the walls with heavy machinery humming away in the corners. Papers and filing cabinets filled the central area around Ditzy’s desk, leaving only a small space for ponies to actually walk. And then, back to Ditzy’s desk itself, the mare seemed to be slumped happily behind the counter, busily answering phone calls at her over-sized operator deck. “So, like”—she approached the desk, leaning with a fetlock over the corner. “Have ya seen—“

“AJ!”

She was taken off guard by a mare’s shout, followed by a blur of pink as an unknown pegasus grabbed her into a rough sideways hug. “Uh—wha—” Applejack did a double-take, then immediately gagged as the air was squeezed out of her lung. “R-Rainbow!?” She glanced over the mare, spotting, somewhere under the layer of pink and gauze—indeed somepony that seemed to resemble her best friend.

“Oh, yeah”—Rainbow pulled away, releasing her friend with a sheepish smirk. “S-sorry. Too excited ya know?” She blushed.

Applejack felt a smile crack and she couldn’t help but to hide a snicker. “Aw shucks,” she said, “It ain’t nothin’, really.” She pulled Rainbow it a softer hug. “I’m glad t’ see ya, too.” She patted Dash’s back, then pulled away, leaving her hoof on Dash’s shoulders as she shook her head, laughing. “And you won’t believe the night I’ve just had!”

“Oh...” It was Rainbow’s turn to laugh. “I don’t know about that, AJ. We—”

“Ahem.” A mare’s cough caught their attention and both mares turned to see Ditzy leaning between the two, the phone received held between her hooves. She had the speaking end covered with her hoof as she whispered to each of them in a hushed, albeit urgent tone. “Girls, I think you should listen to this.”

Applejack and Dash shared a glance. Ditzy didn’t wait for their response. She turned back to the phone and quickly spoke to the pony on the other end in her sweetest tone. “Hello? Hi.” She swivelled in her seat and her eyes darted to Dash as she spoke. “I didn’t quite catch that. Can you please repeat what you just said?”

Silence fell, and there was a moment of pause as Ditzy listened to the other end.

She nodded—“Mhm”—and pulled the receiver from her ear, quickly squeaking out. “Okay, scream demonically into the receiver now,” she said.

Almost instantly the phone seemed to go through some kind of unholy transformation. The holes in the speaker glowed a burning fire red as the room was filled by a echoing deep voice, enchanting some unknown tongue. The phone itself seemed to melt and morph as thrashed like a rabid dog.

Applejack’s jaw dropped.

Rainbow’s did too.

They both gulped, and the latter quickly recovered. “... Is that...?”

“Saddle up, girls!” A third voice entered the room, and both mares whipped around in time to see Twilight trot through the back door. She was bandaged heavily from the waist down, and sporting a fresh new green overall-the perfect match the heavy, beaten and battered, metallic pack weighing down on her back. She levitated a pair of black shades to cover her eyes, and she looked to Rainbow with a confident smirk.

“We got us a code 3. It’s a sequel-type emergency on our hooves.”

Prologue: A Very Berry Beginning

11:59 PM, Berry Punch Residence, Ponyville

“AAAHHHHH!”

A shrill scream broke out through the night. Lights were turned on and a heavy beating of hooves concluded with Berry Punch practically breaking down her daughter’s door, “Pinch! What is it? What’s wrong?”

Her eyes frantically jumped across the room, piecing together the scene, “Ew! Ew! Ew! Get it away! Get it away!” Berry Pinch was perched atop her bed doing an imitation of the Great Standing Canterer whilst screaming at the tops of her lungs. The pillows and duvet were already unceremoniously kicked off and now lay at the side of the bed in a crumpled heap.

In the centre of the room, on the floor, lay the source of her daughter’s distress. Berry breathed a sigh of relief upon spotting the tiny black spec, and pressed a hoof to her still beating chest, “It’s just a spider, honey. He’s not going to hurt you.”

“I don’t care!” Berry Pinch screamed, “Get it away!” still keeping herself as far from the spider as equinly possible. She squeezed her eyes shut and trotted to the farthest corner of the bed where she continued her dance.

Berry sighed, oh to be young again, “All right, Pinchy. Just give mommy a second.” She grabbed a plastic container from Berry’s toy shelf, dumping the contents— an assorted collection of well-chewed crayons, pencils, and carrots. She made a mental note to have Pinch clean up her room.

She also grabbed a sheet of paper from Pinch’s school supplies and took them over to the spider, “Here, watch,” Berry said as she placed the container over the spider. She then slid the paper underneath and used it as a support to pick up the container, still with the spider trapped inside, and held it up to show her daughter, “Perfectly harmless.”

“Ew!” Berry Pinch cringed away from the foul beast and Berry rolled her eyes.

She took it to the windowsill and set it free in a tree branch outside, then closed the window to ensure it wouldn’t bother them again. “There you go, Pinchy,” She began as she turned back into the room, “All f-f-f—“

Berry Punch stammered and stumbled on her hooves. She could feel her heart beating against her chest once more.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” This time there were two shrill shrieks to break out through the night.