Draconequusby cheezesauceChaptersThe Three CirclesClose EncountersSafety in NumbersA Tale of DarknessSigns and SymbolsAn Old Police StationNever-ending NightThe Darkest HourSunriseThe Three Circles“Quills... check! “Parchment... check! “Magnifying glasses, refractive lenses, stopwatch, vernier scales, micrometer scales, sextant, photometers, quadrant, gnomon... check! “Ah yes, the telescope...” Twilight grinned at the massive, sixteen inch telescope in front of her. “Check!” “And now, it’s time to begin... researching!” Twilight jammed her eye into the telescope’s eyepiece, adjusting the metal knobs carefully with both hooves and bringing the red moon into focus. It hovered like a ghostly red orb in the night sky, partially hidden behind thin wisps of clouds, in contrast to the bright stars that surrounded it like tiny, sparkling diamonds. Twilight rotated the telescope on its stand, sweeping past the blanket of stars and noting any anomalies before focussing back on the red moon. “It’s really strange,” Twilight whispered. She had heard about a lunar eclipse before, but had never gotten a chance to actually see one. Tonight was special. And of course, thanks to her monstrous telescope, she could magnify everything twenty times larger. Which made things even more special. The young scientist felt a smile creep onto her face as she fiddled again with the knobs, zooming in until she could see the craters and scars on the moon’s surface. Eclipses are strange, but nice, she decided. Nice. She turned the word over in her head. Today had been nice for her too, and by that she meant that everything had went smoothly according to schedule. She had finished all her chores for the week, and with Spike on a visit to Canterlot, she was left her peacefully alone in the library. To do research! Now, she could read that book on eclipses and watch it happen at the same time. Feeling a little dizzy with excitement, Twilight flipped open her book, Everything You Need to Know About Lunar Eclipses. She levitated her trusty notepad in front of her and jotted down some notes. “A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth, such that the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly,” Twilight narrated. “The red color arises from the bending of the Sun’s rays...” As Twilight wrote, she was faintly aware of how clearly she could hear her quill scratching on the parchment. Below her balcony, the streets of Ponyville were deserted except for one or two lonely pedestrians. She supposed it was because nopony felt too comfortable walking late at night under the ominous-looking moon. “Ah dunno Twilight... Granny Smith used ‘ta tell me some nasty tales of things happenin’ during eclipses.” Twilight sighed. Applejack, being as superstitious as ever. It was bad enough that mare believed in the ‘Pinkie sense’ phenomena, which... Twilight frowned. ...which turned out to be pretty accurate actually. But that was after much, much, much evidence. She still hadn’t figured out how the heck that worked anyway. Well, unlike Applejack, Twilight considered it nothing less than a privilege to be able to observe the eclipse. This would be the first time in over a thousand years, according to the archives. Twilight’s gaze drifted up from the quiet streets to the red moon. She felt a small shiver pass through her spine as she stared at the ghostly orb, but she gave herself a shake and it was gone as quickly as it had come. Miles away, the dark moon hovered like a dismal sentinel in the sky, sending shafts of its pale rays onto the treetops of the Everfree forest. Beyond the forest’s edge, large stone statues stood in a desolate graveyard. They were once part of a beautiful sculpture garden that had occupied that very same spot. But over half a century, seeds from the Everfree forest had found their way into the grounds. Gradually, the forest began to take the sculpture garden into its corrupted woods, leaving only the statues as a vague reminder of what the gardens once had been like. The grounds were eerily silent, as if all life had deserted the area, and a single statue lay out in the open. Its body was carved long and snakelike, ending in a monstrous, unearthly head. The moonlight settled on the stone, its pale rays bending and gathering together on its surface like iron filings to a magnet. The statue began to look uncannily realistic under the light. A single crack appeared on the stone, not more than a centimeter long. It began to deepen and lengthen, as if being cut by an invisible blade. A second crack appeared beside it, extending and deepening just like the first. Seconds later, a third crack appeared, and then a fourth. Fueled by the shafts of lunar light, the cracks and fissures worsened still, joining up along the statue and merging into a web. Bit by bit, the stone crumbled and peeled away, breaking off and falling among the tall grass. A figure emerged from the crumbling stone, barely noticeable in the darkness of the night. It lingered on for a while, before slithering deep into the Everfree forest. Twilight Sparkle lay in bed after a long night of stargazing. She couldn’t fall asleep, despite how tired it had left her. The sky outside was black, and it had to be a few hours past midnight. She shifted under the covers, poking her head out and snatching a quick glance at the alarm clock. She was right—it really was a few hours past midnight. Twilight gave out a sigh and flopped back onto the bed. She closed her eyes, focusing on the darkness behind her eyelids. The feather mattress hugged her body snugly, its shape gradually adjusting to her body weight and making her sink deeper and deeper into its soft material. Wrapping the covers around her, she completed a blissful cocoon of warmth. “Such soft, cottony beds...” the unicorn murmured, somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, as her head sank into the pillow. Moments later, Twilight was tugged out of sleep again. She flicked an ear in annoyance at whatever was bothering her, and then she decided she could use that ear for better things. She heard the chirping of crickets coming through her window, mixing with the rustling leaves of the library’s branches, and a faint scratching sound came from inside the library itself. Probably some animal managed to sneak in, she thought, swivelling her ears to pinpoint the source of the disturbance. Her library was a tree, after all, and lots of small animals loved to live in trees. The sound was coming from the main floor below. It was probably one of those squirrels that lived in the library’s branches; they had come in plenty of times before. She would even lay out pieces of fruit for them, watching them munch on the healthy treats. This one sounded a little different, but at any rate, there was nothing that she could do about it now, because her bed needed her desperately; she could almost hear it calling out to her. “Oh irresistible sweetness,” Twilight whispered, caressing the bedsheets. “I’d never leave you for some scratchy sound.” Hmm, speaking of which, what happened to that sound? It had disappeared, leaving only the chirping of the crickets. A single hoofstep cut through the silence of the night, and Twilight bolted upright, her bed forgotten. That was no squirrel. Somepony was down there, and she had to do something about it. Twilight threw off the covers and rolled out of bed, landing on all four hooves with a solid thud. Quick, think, Twilight.Thinkthinkthinkthink! Twilight fell back to her natural solution for most of life’s problems. Okay, things to do when something bad is happening at night: Item one: Identify the ‘something bad’. Twilight gulped. She really needed to redo this checklist, because that wasn’t a very good idea. Getting that information meant that she had to go down to have a look, which meant that she would be exposing herself to the threat, which could lead to undesirable results. But then again, this was her library. She ought to know what’s happening in it. Or maybe that could wait till tomorrow. It depended on who that pony was. Twilight listened to the strange sounds echoing from below, beginning to suspect some sort of burglary taking place. She must have forgotten to lock the door while Spike was away, leaving it wide open to strangers. A burglar was inside her house, possibly armed and dangerous. This was serious business. Item two: Devise strategies to avoid the threat. Twilight thought for a moment. She turned to face her bedroom door, lighting up her horn. Concentrating hard, she directed a swirling pulse of magic at it, surrounding the door with a faint purple aura. Slowly, the magic seeped into the wood, its glow disappearing into a spell lock. Okay, that ought to work for now. Twilight knew she wasn’t going to go down to have a look anytime soon, and hopefully, that pony wouldn’t come up the stairs either. She sat facing the door, waiting for the danger to pass. It wasn’t till the early hours in the morning that the sounds faded away, and she was able to fall into an uneasy sleep. Celestia stood at a white semicircular table, surrounded by professional-looking ponies, all wearing clean, white lab coats. These scientists were the best from all of Canterlot, experts in the fields of magical studies and science, and they looked ready to prove it. “Your highness, we were correct in our hypothesis about lunar eclipses containing magic,” a grey stallion began. He was wearing the Royal Canterlot Crest, a mark that identified him as the lead scientist of the team. Celestia’s brow creased. “This might be of a concern, Aether Scroll. Have you searched deeper into it to see what its effects are?” “Yes, and this should interest you,” Aether said, motioning at the table. A simple experimental setup was laid out, consisting of an empty beaker, a vial, and a dish. The dish held pieces of a faded gray solid, and was elevated up on a tripod stand. Celestia shifted her attention to the vial beside it, clamped by a holder. The substance it held seemed to be a light, semi-transparent liquid that pulsated with a faint red glow, resembling the colors of the eclipse last night. “Go on,” Celestia said, her eyes lingering on the vial. “Well...” Aether Scroll shifted uncomfortably on his hooves. “In truth, we haven’t been able to explain a lot of what’s happening. But it seems like there’s potential in this one. Let me do a quick demonstration to show what I mean.” The group of scientists proceeded to put on clear plastic safety goggles, as if they had rehearsed this long before Celestia’s arrival. She was passed a pair as well. “Here we have a sample of Trioxychloromethyl Pentoxysillicate... ” Aether began confidently, redirecting her attention towards the scraps of faded grey solid. Celestia gave a light laugh as she slipped on the glasses. Apparently the scientists had decided that inventing a few new terms would make up for their lack of a proper explanation. “Commonly known as stone, or fossilized grass to be exact,” another scientist offered. Aether tutted. “Partner, the princess obviously knows what that is. Furthermore, it is not simply stone; it is a very specific type of—” “I do know what that is,” interrupted Celestia, not wanting to hear the scientists bicker, “but it is necessary to familiarize myself with the terms of the laypony. Please, carry on.” She gave them a smile of encouragement. “Of course, your highness,” Aether said. “Moving on, we are now going to add a sample of moonlight from the eclipse.” He reached for the vial, holding it inches above the dish while gently uncorking it. With a delicate hoof, he proceeded to invert it, pouring its contents over the grey scraps. The faint red liquid vaporised the moment it came out of the container, becoming a light, almost intangible gas that slowly floated down to the dish like a heavy cloud of mist. It didn’t spread out the way normal gases do, instead collecting and flowing towards the dish. Once touched by the strange cloud of gas, the scraps began to change in color. Gradually at first, the stony grey became lighter and lighter. The process began to speed up, warping and turning the scraps into bright green. The gas disappeared, leaving behind blades of healthy, green grass. Celestia stared, her interest now piqued. Magic, as shown yet again, was a strange element, appearing in the unlikeliest places and always filled with surprises. She levitated the dish towards herself, pulling out a single blade of grass from the pile and examining it. “Very interesting. Aether, I trust your team to continue working on this discovery. Find out as much as you can, and keep me updated.” Celestia returned the blade of grass to the dish. “It is an inconvenience that I could not have done this myself. My regular duties will always take precedence over additional research initiatives. That being said, do not hesitate to ask me for assistance if you need to.” “You can rely on us, Princess. I daresay we’ll have ourselves a breakthrough in no time,” Aether said, touching a hoof to his chest proudly. “Excellent, and do find out what other types of fossils are affected as well.” “Of course, your highness.” Celestia folded her goggles and set them neatly down on the table. “Well then, if there are no further queries, I will take my leave.” With a small smile on her face, the sun goddess made her way out of the room. A light, frantic knocking on the library’s front door woke Twilight up in the morning. “I’m coming,” the unicorn groaned. She pushed open the door and stumbled out of her room. Her vision was blurry, as if she were looking through a pair of fogged-up goggles. Still, she managed to navigate her way down the stairs, blinking occasionally to clear the bleariness from her eyes. She gave herself a rough shake, flinging away the last remnants of sleep that clung on to her coat. “Come in.” The small golden knob of the front door wobbled as the pony outside tried it. “Twilight, the door’s still locked.” It was a delicate, silvery voice, sounding as if it belonged to a refined mare. “Oh, oops,” Twilight mumbled as she flicked the lock, swinging the door open with her magic. “Hi, Rarity! What brings you here so early in the morning?” “Forgive me, Twilight. I’m terribly sorry to bother you.” The fashion designer sounded as if she was bringing some great inconvenience, while her eyes began drifting over to Twilight’s messy bed-mane. “I didn’t wake you up, did I? I was just thinking of borrowing one of your splendid reference books for a very special client arriving later.” “Oh sure,” Twilight said. “Come on in.” She watched as the white unicorn trotted into the library before closing the door and flicking the lock shut. Twilight stared at the small metal lock. It was odd that she had needed to unlock it in the first place. Twilight gasped. Especially since that was how the pony got in last night! The burglary! She had to— “Twilight, I thought you would usually be up much earlier, being the ever so hardworking pony that you are.” “Yes, yes,” Twilight cut her off impatiently. The events from last night flooded back to her, but she didn’t want to cause any unnecessary alarm to her friend just yet. She needed time to work things out, to find out what went missing. Twilight turned back to her friend. “Um Rarity, tell me if you find anything unusual around here, anything at all—broken windows, for example.” Rarity gave her a curious look before shrugging it off. “All right, darling. I’ll take note of that.” She ran a hoof through her mane and headed off to the reference books section. Twilight moved off in the opposite direction, checking for signs of a break-in. She scanned the windows, shelves, everything. To her surprise, things were intact and completely normal. Even the books remained neatly arranged on the shelves just like the night before. Twilight stopped, tapping a hoof to her chin. It looked like there was no evidence of a break in to her, but she knew that there were sounds coming from the library last night. Or at least she thought she knew... Twilight let out a long sigh, wondering if it could all have been a really bad dream. Her sleep-deprived mind struggled to keep up with all her thoughts, punishing her with a throbbing headache. “Why, what have we here?” Rarity’s voice echoed from the other end of the library. “Hold on, I’m coming!” Twilight dropped her thoughts, turning around and cantering over to Rarity. “What is it?” Twilight skidded to a halt next to Rarity, who seemed to be inspecting the oak floor of the library. When she noticed it, Twilight felt a chill run down her spine. A strange marking had appeared, carved faintly into the wood. It had a simple design, consisting of a large circle, followed by a medium sized one, and finally, a tiny little circle. Three circles, their centres aligned side by side in a neat row. “There’s another one here,” Rarity said. Twilight looked to see another symbol several hoofsteps away, identical to the first. She stared at it, not liking the idea of strange symbols appearing in her library, especially ones that she wasn’t familiar with. “Twilight, were you planning to draw these”—Rarity flicked her hoof—“things all over your library?” She had spotted several more of the markings, and clasped a forehoof over her mouth, her eyes widening at the impending fashion disaster. “It really doesn’t suit well,” she continued, removing the forehoof and setting it down. “At least you’ve only gotten a few... We could cover them up, and then I’ll give you some marvellous design patterns that you could use for your whole library.” Twilight was too focused on the symbol to give a response. She traced the thin lines of the three circles with her hoof. From the look of how perfectly rounded they were, she knew that they couldn’t possibly be muzzle-carved. Or horn-carved, perhaps? No, not even unicorns could have that level of accuracy with their tools, despite having a better grip thanks to their magic. To top it all off, they actually looked familiar, as if she had seen them before. “Twilight, is there something bothering you?” “Oh... No, nothing,” answered Twilight, her eyes still glued to the ground. “Well, it does appear that you are busy,” Rarity sighed. She had already picked out three consecutive volumes of Elements of Design whilst waiting. The fashion designer glanced at a large clock hanging on the far wall of the library, remembering why she was here early in the first place. “I’d best be going now,” Rarity decided. “I simply cannot imagine being late for my appointment, you know.” Giving a weak chuckle, she headed out of the library, the three heavy tomes floating behind in an aura of light blue. Hardly noticing, Twilight paced round and round. First, it sounded as if somepony was around here last night. And the very next morning these shapes appear on the floor... Twilight swirled the information around in her head. Though she found it difficult to imagine how that pony managed to carve such perfect shapes, at least it would explain the scratching sound. There were still many unanswered questions: Why would somepony do that? How did he or she get into the library in the first place? What do these symbols even mean? Grabbing her notepad, Twilight traced out the shapes as accurately as she could. Satisfied with the sketches, she turned to the giant shelves that occupied every spare corner in her library. Books filled up most of the shelves, arranged from the base till the top rows, and the shelves themselves almost scraped against the ceiling. She would find the answers to the symbols in one of them, because that’s what books were for—answers. And I’m sure I’ll have them in no time! Hours later, the unicorn had massed up a pile of discarded books that was several times larger than herself. Still more flew out of the shelves, each given a quick scan before being unceremoniously dumped on the pile. While Rarity had a knack for picking out small details, Twilight realised she could easily scan through book titles and get a rough overview of their contents. None of her friends were convinced that it was a hidden talent though, and Rainbow Dash had cleverly dubbed it as another ‘epic egghead habit’. Twilight huffed in annoyance, magically flinging yet another book away. “This is ridiculous.” The unicorn grabbed the next book from the shelf. “But you know what?” she said, staring at its rich brown covers. “I’m gonna continue searching! Because one does not simply give up in the middle of research.” Twilight looked at the number of shelves that had yet to be searched through and her eye gave a dangerous twitch. It was going to be a long day. Close EncountersOoo Close Encounters ooO The sun sank below the horizon in Ponyville, dragging its last amber streaks from the sky. The tree’s sprawling branches swayed lazily in the breeze, its leaves gradually losing their beautiful gold as the sunlight faded from the sky. Moments later, a pair of golden sunbirds dove into its leaves, returning to their nests for the night. Within the library, a purple unicorn rummaged through the shelves. There were only a few categories of books left, yet she hadn’t accomplished anything. None of them seemed to have any relevance to the three circle symbol. Twilight paused for a moment, shaking her head vigorously from side to side in an attempt to uncross her eyes. Her mane promptly returned to the straight, neat hairstyle she favoured. She levitated up her checklist again. “Right, next section. And it’s none other than...” Her face fell. “Ugh... here we go.” Reluctantly, Twilight dragged her hooves to the very end of the library, where she had hidden this particular section. It consisted of books that were as unscientific and unreliable as fiction, but she wasn’t allowed to dump the two sections together, as much as she’d love to. Twilight listened to the steady sound of her hooves against the wooden floor, sending echoes throughout the room. She reached a dead end and stopped. The shelves around her had lost their gleaming layer of varnish, the wood becoming dull and plain. Searching the first shelf, she found a single line of letters set into the dusty old wood, cursive and emerald green in color. Myths and Mysteries The tomes looked as old as the myths that were hidden in them, their once lush and bright covers now faded. Part of the blame fell on Twilight herself, who had never quite gotten around cleaning up this section. She claimed to be too busy—too busy cleaning up the Chemistry section. Twilight’s eyes landed on a familiar-looking green tome, the word ‘Supernaturals’ filling up half the spine. Feeling a smile creep onto her lips, she pulled it out to inspect its covers. “Natural remedies and cure-alls that are simply... super,” Twilight read aloud. She could proudly claim to know everything inside, having flipped through from cover to cover after her traumatic Poison Joke incident. It remained as the one and only useful book that she had found from this section. “The only useful one out of... an entire category? Compared to hundreds under the Chemistry section.” She giggled at the contrast, slotting the book back and continuing her search. As she idly shifted the books around, Twilight began to feel a little guilty about neglecting these shelves. Her eyes fell on a particularly ancient-looking black tome that had collected a fine layer of dust on its cover. Sitting inconspicuously on top of another stack of books, it would have gone unnoticed, if not for how old and worn-out it looked. “Gee, I really should clean this place up.” Twilight carefully lifted up the book, a few frayed threads dangling from its bent spine. She sucked in a breath and blew the dust off its covers. A row of thick golden letters made up its title, engraved into the hard covers and forming a single word that gleamed against the light. Twilight didn’t understand what the word meant, so she proceeded to flip the book open, peeling away the first page from the front cover. “Whoa...” Twilight’s eyes grew wide. There were three perfect circles in the middle of the yellowed page. She grabbed her notepad, flipping to the sketches she had made earlier in the day. The proportions of the circles matched exactly. Right... totally unexpected, Twilight thought. She brought the book to the table, getting her quill ready. By the end of today, she’d know exactly what all of this was about, and her efforts would finally pay off. Grinning, she thought of how silly it had been to waste so much time on a few symbols. Perhaps she was about to find out just how insignificant they were.With that thought in mind, she flipped to the next page. The paragraphs of writing were faded from age. Some of them were well on their way to becoming illegible. But worst of all, not a single phrase was in Equestrian. “Horseapples...” she cursed, scanning through the rest of its yellowed pages and trying to find something, anything that she could understand, but it was no use. Twilight felt cheated. The library that she had relied on for so long had failed her, only able to cough up an ancient tome that just had to be written in another language. She left the book on the table and trotted up to where the markings were engraved on the floor. The three circles seemed clearer than she remembered them to be. Their sizes were in a strangely familiar ratio, with the biggest being disproportionately large. Twilight was certain she had seen something like this before, perhaps even having drawn something similar, but she couldn’t remember its meaning. “Darn these things. I could have spent all this time studying more about eclipses—ˮ Twilight stopped abruptly as something clicked in her mind. She snapped her attention back to the three circles. An idea had formed in her head for a split second before disappearing. “Eclipse... something about an eclipse...” she struggled to recall the thought, staring at the circles, aligned side by side in a straight line... Then realisation hit her like a brick. “I got it!” the young mare shouted, her voice echoing around the library. She levitated the notepad in front of herself. Grabbing a quill, Twilight scratched an ‘S’ inside the largest circle, followed by ‘E’ and ‘M’ for the next two circles. It was definitely correct—no pony would deliberately draw the circles sizes in that ratio without a good reason. She had drawn it before. Wondering why she didn’t see it earlier, she flipped to her notes made on the previous night. There, on a single page, was a diagram of the Sun, Earth, and Moon, represented by circles. A horizontal line passed through them, showing that they were exactly in line. “Woo!” Twilight released a cheer of pure joy. “Nothing gets past Twilight Sparkle!” She bounced around in a circle like a little filly, but stopped when she realised how it was making her head spin a little. “Phew...” she panted, “no idea how Pinkie Pie does that twenty-four seven.” The discovery was rather insignificant though. All Twilight knew was that the symbols were somehow connected to the eclipse that had happened last night, but she was just too tired to find out what else could be extracted from the book. The exhausted unicorn lay on the floor and flipped lazily through the worn out pages, her chin resting on a hoof. She looked for nothing in particular, but noticed that there were a few sketches and diagrams in the book. Her eyes glanced across a particularly unusual one. She peered at it, trying to make it out. The sketch was drawn in pencil, much like the way the young scientist would do her own scientific drawings. But instead of being clear and informative, Twilight couldn’t make out what the artist was trying to show. It was too terribly drawn, with stray lines all over the worn out page, as if as a result of being erased and redrawn many times. The fact that it was starting to disappear due to age didn’t help either. Twilight brought the book to the flickering candlelight, hoping that it would become clearer. The light shone across the paper, revealing more of the strange drawing. Was it some sort of creature? She noticed the shape of its head seemed to resemble that of a pony. But no, it couldn’t be a pony. Not when everything else about it was far from being pony-like. Slowly, she began to see more and more of the creature. There was a claw here, some hoof-like stub over there, and what looked like its body was sickeningly long and thin, stretching unnaturally across the page. Twilight felt the hairs on her coat rising. It looked like some warped version of a foal’s drawing. One didn’t need to be a zoologist to know how weird it was—it would be impossible for it to move on those limbs alone. “Doesn’t even make sense,” she murmured. The artist seemed to have realised this as well, not bothering to add further details or color to the freakish drawing. Twilight examined it for a few more seconds before deciding to stop for the night. A friendship report still had to be completed, and she didn’t want to lose more sleep over it. As Twilight switched off the lights and headed up the stairs, she failed to notice the faint red glow the symbols on the floor were giving out, previously drowned out by the bright lights. Celestia was completely exhausted. She stretched out on the Princess-sized bed, extending her massive wings across the deep purple covers. The velvet covers felt softer than her feathers. Shifting her head, Celestia looked at her younger sister perched by the window. She knew Luna would be wide awake for a few more hours, having a remarkable supply of energy at night. Sometimes, she wished that she could have that too. The moon princess was sitting up straight, looking attentively out into the night. She glanced back for a brief moment before returning to gaze outside. “How did your meeting go, sister? Share it with me.” “We can talk about that tomorrow, Luna.” Celestia brushed a foreleg lazily across the covers. “Right now, I really need some—ˮ A soft pop interrupted Celestia as a scroll dropped onto the floor. “...sleep.” With a weary sigh, the sun goddess levitated the scroll towards her, unfurling it to reveal Twilight’s Friendship Report. She flipped through the pages, and confirmed that sleep wouldn’t be anytime soon. Celestia crawled off the bed and spread out the report on her desk. She peered at the lines, willing her ancient brain to focus. Cramming in all that extra eclipses research was taking its toll on her. Dear Princess Celestia, Twilight began, her impossibly straight and neat hornwriting somehow making the report even duller to read. Today I learnt an important lesson about friendship... Bit by bit, Celestia read through the report, stifling the urge to skip lines. She ran through all five pages, not missing a single word despite her exhaustion. After surviving Twilight’s report, she forced herself to write a reply. Celestia rummaged around her desk, looking for her quill and parchment, just to realise they were right in front of her all along. “Um... Tia? Were you not going to sleep?” Luna’s voice penetrated into her head. It sounded a little distorted. “No,” Celestia said. “I must finish this first.” The mentor imagined her student at the library, eagerly waiting for a reply. What kind of teacher would she be if she neglected Twilight’s work in favor of her own private matters? She would never want to disappoint Twilight, the pony that trusted her completely, that looked to her for guidance. Twilight, her most prized pupil... Celestia pressed the quill onto the parchment, straining to steady it. Dear Twilight Sparkle... Then she fell face-first on the table, snoring lightly. The air was cold, colder than last night. It was carried by a constant breeze through the window, managing to chill Twilight even under the blankets. She curled herself into a ball of fur and shivered, partly due to the cold, and partly due to the terrible nightmare she was having. The dark Everfree forest sped past her, its tall trees looming around her as she ran, blocking out the moonlight and plunging the area into darkness. Twilight knew something was watching her: some unknown horror that raced amongst the shadows, rustling the leaves and causing the occasional snap of a twig. But every time she shot a glance back to see what was chasing her, she could only make out shadows flitting among the trees. The rustling sound grew fainter and fainter as she galloped. Eventually, she slowed to a trot, stopping to lean against the rough bark of a tree trunk. Putting a hoof to her heaving chest, Twilight fought to catch her breath. Just then, a faint whisper was carried by the wind from the branches of the very same tree she was leaning on. The unearthly snake-like voice spoke, just loud enough for her to make out above the sounds of the forest. “Twilight Sssparkle....” Clack... Clomp... Twilight’s eyes burst open, darting wildly around the bedroom. She found herself drenched in cold sweat, the vividness of the nightmare still haunting her. Clomp An involuntary gasp escaped her lips. It was those strange hoofsteps again, echoing up to her room from the main floor below. She had been so sure that the mysterious pony wouldn’t return. What wasit this time? What was he searching for? Clack “T-that didn’t sound like a hoofstep,” Twilight whispered. Instead, it sounded more like a claw than anything. Clomp Twilight crept out of her bed, which creaked from her weight. The events from the nightmare plagued her mind, causing it to conjure up all sorts of terrifying possibilities and sending her into a panic. Maybe... maybe he wasn’t after the library, but searching for me instead? She whimpered at the thought. “Okay, okay... calm down Twilight. Nothing bad is going to happen. You just need to do what you did before.” She closed her eyes, forcing the fear away. She focused her magic, lighting up her horn against the darkness and repeating the spell from the night before. The magical lock was a simple spell; it didn’t require much time or effort to produce, and yet it had always been reliable. And that was exactly what she needed at the moment—something reliable. “Nopony would get past that....” Sshhhhh... She gulped at the new sound. “...unless it’s not a pony.” It seemed as if something was being dragged along the floor... or perhaps, something was dragging itself along the floor. Shhhh Twilight hated it. She hated the sound. She hated the thing making it. Worst of all, she hated being so desperately alone. Somepony needed to be with her, to assure her that everything will be all right by tomorrow. But of course, no pony would come to her rescue. Clack Clomp... Shhh... Hesitating for a moment, she pulled out her Smartypants doll from where she kept it tucked under the bed. Perhaps if she could imagine it to be somepony, she wouldn’t feel so alone. It was the only form of company she could think of. The old doll was a little disfigured from being squashed under the bed, a few threads hanging uselessly from it. But none of that mattered at the moment. Twilight hugged it tightly to her chest anyway, rubbing the soft fabric against her coat and treasuring every bit of comfort it could offer to her. “Oh Smartypants... I’m so scared....” The doll, of course, offered no reply. Clack Clomp... Shhh... Clack Clomp... Shhh... The sound continued, now forming an eerie rhythm that was carried easily through the air. Twilight listened in fear, still clinging tightly to Smartypants. The sounds seemed to be getting clearer and clearer... then terror gripped at her chest when she realised exactly what was happening: It was coming up the stairs. She needed to get out of the library, right now, and to move as far away as possible from that wretched thing coming for her. It was getting closer—she could hear it coming. Exiting through the door was out of the question. Only a really brave pony or a really foolish one would try that. But yet, something had to be done fast... and the only other way out of the bedroom happened to be through the window. Clack Clomp... Shhh... Smartypants slipped from her hooves, landing on the floor. Wait a minute... Ican teleport! Even the obvious took a while to be realised as fear wrecked her brain. Twilight needed to concentrate in order for the spell to work. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm her fraying nerves. Her horn began to spark with an unsteady flow of magic, flickering like a faulty light bulb. She steadied it, feeling it flow warmly through her to the tip of her horn. All of a sudden, her concentration was shattered to pieces as a loud thud came from just outside her room. She heard the door’s spell lock being sucked away by some unknown force, disappearing with a faint pop. The magic in her horn fizzled out as she lost focus, leaving the room in complete darkness once again. Twilight dived deep under the covers of her bed, curling up into a trembling ball of fur. She was trapped, utterly trapped, right in her own room. There was absolute silence now. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the thing on the other side to burst in, but it didn’t. Nothing happened for a few heartbeats. A creak came from the door—a prolonged, eerie creak that pierced through the silence and chilled her to the bone at the same time. Twilight flattened herself under the covers, desperately hoping that she blended in well with the darkness. Perhaps the thing wouldn’t be able to spot her at all, especially in this light. As the seconds stretched out, Twilight began shifting very, very slowly. She lifted up the sheets by a fraction of an inch and risked a peek out. It was impossible to see anything in the darkness, no matter how hard she strained her eyes. But things changed when the clouds shifted outside, letting in a faint shaft of moonlight that was enough for her to make out the chilling outline of a pony head lying in the doorway. “EEEEEP—ˮ Twilight swiftly stifled her scream by jamming a hoof into her mouth, but she did it with so much force it felt as though a few teeth might have been loosened in the process. Her eyes watered in pain as she kept them fixed on the grim sight. The pony head on the floor began to move, slowly sliding into the bedroom. It lifted itself above the ground, floating in the air. It was, in fact, not just a pony head, but something far worse. From the strange shadows stretching across the floor, it looked as if the head was actually connected to some sort of long and thin body. Twilight closed her eyes as she fought to gain control of her hammering heart. She didn’t know if the shadows were playing tricks on her. Frankly, she’d rather it be just a pony head, instead of this horrifying nightmare that could hardly be seen in the darkness. When she opened her eyes again, the head was facing away, which probably meant that it had failed to notice her. Twilight needed to get a better view of what it was. She began to adjust her weight, carefully shifting it to one side of her body. Then, she proceeded to slide her hooves along the sheets as softly as she could into a more comfortable position, adjusting her neck at the same time. Her bed-roll-shift was almost completed without attracting any attention. She felt a wave of relief as she re-balanced her weight, then all of it vaporized as the bed gave off a loud creak. The pony head froze at the sound. Oh... oh nonononono. Please, pleeeassee don’t, she prayed. It flicked out something long and black from its mouth, as if trying to taste the air for her presence, much like how a snake picks out the scent of its prey. It paused, flicked out its tongue, and paused again. Twilight didn’t dare move a muscle. She saw it taste the air again, this time a little slower. To her horror, the head began to turn slowly, twisting back by an unnatural degree to face her. A wave of cold pierced through her entire body as she locked eyes with a pair of haunting blood-red orbs which she assumed were its eyes. The monster was staring right through that tiny crack in the sheets she was peeking out from. Every instinct screamed for her to run, but her muscles refused to budge. She was too scared to scream, too scared to cry; too scared to do anything except watch in horror. Then she realised that she couldn’t move a muscle. The creature began to advance on her. It slithered up to the bed slowly, taking its time, as if it knew Twilight couldn’t fight its petrifying stare. Clack... Clomp Clack... Clomp Her mind blanked out as it drew closer and closer. Perhaps she was falling into unconsciousness, she wasn’t quite sure. Suddenly, the covers were ripped back and Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs. She regained control of her body and darted out of bed, running away from the thing as fast as possible. She reached the end of her room and turned around, pressing her back against the wall. All around, the shadows were moving. She searched the room for the the pony head. It was gone. Twilight kept her eyes in front and felt around the wall, not daring to turn around. Her hoof bumped into the cold metal frame of her window. Barely thinking, she bucked it open and clambered over the sill. She shot one last glance behind, just in time to see the blackness racing toward her. Not wanting to know what it was, she kicked off into the empty air. She floated for a split second before beginning her dreadful fall. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Twilight flapped her hooves frantically in the air, trying unsuccessfully to imitate a pegasus’s wing beat. Searing bolts of pain erupted all over her body as the library’s branches whipped against her. As she tumbled through the air, the wind howled in her ears and she felt as though her heart was stuck somewhere along her throat. There was a brief pause, followed by a sickening thud. A tremendous amount of pain exploded in her chest, shooting through every fibre in her body to her hooftips. It blasted her mind out of control and sent her eyes spinning. She couldn’t yell in pain, having all the air in her lungs knocked clean out of her. Twilight knew that her library was supposed to be about one to two stories high, yet it felt as though she had fallen from the moon. Twilight lay on the ground, gasping and heaving for air. Every time she took a breath, a fresh wave of pain coursed through her lungs. Her coat stung from the gashes caused by the library’s branches, but she was more concerned about something else. The monster... It’s still around. Collecting her final reserves of strength, Twilight lifted herself to her hooves. Her battered body burned from the various cuts and bruises, yet she continued on to limp away as fast as she could. She couldn’t afford to sit here and wait for the monster to finish her off. Even the dark, deserted streets of Ponyville were more welcoming than her library. Twilight headed to the streets. Ponyville, being a small and quiet town, meant that not a single soul would be out at this time to lend a helping hoof. Instead, the trees loomed around her, forming dark silhouettes against the moonlight. She didn’t find the mild breeze comforting either. It blew coldly against her coat. Sometimes, it whistled past her ears in a strange manner, as if carrying some sort of whisper. Back in Twilight’s bedroom, something snatched up Smartypants from the floor. A black mass wrapped itself around the doll, sucking out a very faint purple aura from the fabric before tossing it far away to the corner. Safety in NumbersOoo Safety in Numbers ooO Knock... knock “What?” Rarity’s eyes fluttered open. Two round cucumber slices tumbled down from them, bouncing off the bed and landing on the floor. She sat upright for a while, confused. Knock... knock She blinked a couple of times. The last remnants of sleep faded as her mind kicked into action. “Oh...wow! How very thoughtful of somepony to visit me,” she said, “...at four in the morning?!” She rolled to the edge of her bed, flipping herself over and landing on the floor in a heap. “These ruffians just don’t learn how not to interrupt a mare’s beauty sleep, do they?” she grumbled, pushing herself up from the floor. Rarity stomped towards the feeble knocks on her door. Who would have the gall to commit such an atrocity? she wondered. Who could have failed the see the enormous ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ sign that she placed—oh so deliberately—on the door? There was not much time to spare. She needed to clock up the eight hours before the sun rises. It would be unforgivable if she didn’t get her eight hours of sleep. Absolutely unforgivable. “It is time to get rid of this nuisance.” She grabbed the door firmly while an evil smile appeared on her face. WHAM! She flung the door open with all her might. It was meant to startle the other pony, punishing her for the crime she was committing, but instead, Rarity was the one getting the shock. “Oh my stars! Twilight! Whatever happened to you?” The purple unicorn was crouched in the frame of the doorway, making her look smaller than usual. Her coat, usually a bright lavender, was darkened by dried blood and covered with deep scratches. Her mane was no better, messy and filled with bits of mud and grime and leaves. Twilight’s lower lip trembled, as if she was on the verge of tears. “I...I...” “Twilight...” Rarity bent down to nuzzle the unicorn. “Twilight darling, what happened?” The purple unicorn’s constricted pupils darted around in fear, as if expecting something to pounce on her the moment she opened her mouth to speak. She refused to give an answer, shaking her head and kneading the floor in distress. Finally, unable to hold it off any longer, the unicorn began to sob pitifully, tears streaming down her cheeks. Rarity stared, stunned—first by Twilight’s appearance, and now by her sudden breakdown. Perhaps that wasn’t the best question to start off with, she concluded, giving herself a mental kick. She, being the most sensitive out of all ponies, should have known better. Did she just make Twilight cry? How could she? She turned her attention back to Twilight. “I’m so sorry Twilight... here, why don’t you come inside?” she offered, helping Twilight to her hooves. The purple unicorn used a fore hoof to rub away her tears. Her voice was quivering. “I-Is it safe?” “Why, of course it is!” Rarity felt her stomach tightening. It was unnerving to see Twilight like this, the usually confident unicorn now reduced to a fearful little filly. Something terrible had happened to her. And the sooner I find out what it was, the better. Back in the Carousel Boutique, Rarity rummaged around her drawers for medical supplies. “Ah, here we go,” she said, lifting up a plain white box with a red cross painted over it. Her horn glowed briefly, pulling out a small bottle of ointment and some bandages. Collecting the items, she returned to Twilight. The unicorn was sitting quietly on a cushion, lost in her own thoughts. Her tears had since dried up. Thankfully. Watching her cry had been... heartbreaking. Twilight’s eyes shifted to the bandages levitating towards her. She managed a smile, her expression softening. “Thanks...” “No worries darling. You just sit back and relax.” Twilight shifted to her side, allowing her impromptu caregiver to check over her injuries. Rarity winced a little at the sight of blood. It made her feel slightly squeamish, and she had put off any idea of being a nurse for this very reason. It also meant that she wasn’t good at First Aid. Rarity uncapped the small bottle of antiseptic liquid, looking uncertainly at it, as if it was some sort of strange potion meant exclusively for witchcraft. “Heavens... okay, I think this might hurt a bit.” She levitated the bottle over Twilight’s flank, carefully squeezing a few drops of the yellow liquid onto her coat. The unicorn flinched a little, but tried her best to keep still, watching the medical oils seep slowly into her coat. Rarity proceeded to cut off a length of bandage. She noticed the long, blood-crusted gashes along Twilight’s sides and shot a glance at the purple unicorn, who remained as quiet as ever. “Well Twilight, aren’t you going to tell me what happened?” Twilight pawed the floor uneasily with a fore hoof. “Well...” she began slowly, “it all started with... with...” Her violet eyes widened as she replayed the events in her head. Then, she let out a gasp and shook her head. “I don’t feel like talking about it,” Twilight said, keeping her gaze locked on the floor, suddenly interested with the speck of dirt that Rarity had somehow failed to clean up. Rarity knew better than to squeeze out information and traumatize her friend further. She held her overwhelming curiosity back. Give her time, she’ll open up eventually. Silence fell over the two ponies as Rarity continued to bandage up Twilight. The soft crackle of burning wood came from the fireplace, broken by the occasional purr from her pet cat Opal, sleeping on a rug next to her. Not knowing what actually needed to be treated, Rarity simply wrapped up every single scratch she found, including patches of coat that simply had a bit of dirt on it. The lavender unicorn couldn’t seem to care less, her head starting to droop from exhaustion. After a few more minutes, Rarity was finally putting on the last lengths of bandage. By this point in time, she had—quite unnecessarily—eaten through three large rolls of the material. “Okay, I’m done!” she let out a breath of relief, taking a step back and looking at her work. “Huh?” Twilight snapped her head back up. Layer after layer of bandages covered her entire body from head to hooves. She could have passed off as a mummy pony from the movies, if not for her little purple horn sticking out. Noticing Rarity stifling a laugh, she heaved herself up and hobbled awkwardly to a mirror. “Heh... I look ridiculous!” Twilight chuckled at her reflection, lifting a hoof to prod at the bandages. “Well, I’m not exactly a qualified caretaker, you know...” Rarity muttered defensively. She flicked her mane in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. “Anyway, it doesn’t look too bad, you’ll be better in absolutely no time at all!” Rarity wasn’t quite sure how her two statements were supposed to be linked together, but that didn’t matter. “Yes... thanks for all your help, Rarity.” Twilight stumbled across the room. “It must have been a really long”—she stifled a yawn—“night for you...” Twilight caught sight of the couch, groggily making her way towards it. “I think I’ll just be getting... some sleep now...” Without another word, Twilight collapsed onto the floor, a few hoofsteps away from her intended destination. Rarity rolled her eyes. She made her way over to Twilight. With a grunt of effort, she lifted the unicorn above the ground. Bit by bit, she dragged her closer to the couch, straining from the weight. Dear me... Twilight hardly stirred throughout the process, her head rolling around as her hooves trailed along the ground. Finally, with one massive effort, she heaved the unicorn onto the cushions. She proceeded to shift Twilight around, attempting to move her into a comfortable position. She let out a breath. “Twilight, if you had collapsed any further away, I can assure you that you’d be left on the floor, and the pony sleeping on the couch now would certainly be me.” The unicorn carried on with her slumber, blissfully unaware of her. Rarity watched the steady rise and fall of Twilight’s chest, beginning to feel drowsy herself. She reached for the blanket, pulling it over Twilight’s body, grabbed a second blanket for herself, and lay down on the floor beside Twilight. Through the window, the first rays of dawn were beginning to pierce through the sky, turning it a light shade of blue. So much for that ‘eight hours of sleep’, Rarity thought. Twilight groaned. Her body was aching all over. And she had a splitting headache. It felt as though she had fallen through the air, at terminal velocity, and landed on the ground with a splat. Well, actually, that’s pretty much what happened to her earlier last night. Perhaps not at terminal velocity though. She twisted around on the cushions, refusing to open her eyes. The sunlight showed no mercy, relentlessly trying to pierce through the comforting darkness behind her eyelids. And worst of all, she felt a cramp creeping up her left hind leg. Urgh... great! She raised the leg high up in the air, waving it around for a few seconds. Her muscles stretched and flexed in response, easily working out the cramp. Ahh... much better. She let out a sigh of relief as her leg flopped back down on the cushion. For the moment she just wanted to lay there in the warm sunlight, with nothing on her mind. She licked her lips. Her throat felt dry. Then, a single thought popped up. Water. I need water. If only she could make a glass magically pop out at will. That would be the best thing ever. Finally, giving up on her sleep, she cracked open an eye. The strong rays of sunlight flooded her vision, instantly bringing back her headache. Twilight groaned and shut her eye again. Not a good start for a day. Relying on her other senses, she slided off the cushions, steadying herself on her hooves. Water... She tripped on a blanket lying on the ground. Pushing it away, she squinted around for the bathroom, butting the door open with her horn and stumbling inside. Her throat felt so, so incredibly dry. She turned on the tap, and was rewarded by the sound of water splashing against the sink. Ahh... water! Twilight eagerly lapped up the sweet, refreshing goodness, proceeding to splash some on her face. Eww... what’s this tissue stuff all over me? She opened her eyes, staring at the pony in the mirror, whom stared right back at her. “WHAARRGG!!” her reflection screamed. Its face was covered with an expression of shock, and also with quite a lot of bandages. The material was dripping wet with water. Twilight began to tear away at the bandages. She had forgotten about Rarity’s not-so-spectacular First Aid attempt. “Twilight? Twilight darling are you alright?” After a second or two, the fashion designer pushed open the bathroom door, a look of concern plastered on her face. “Yes, I’m fine. Just got a bit of shock from... that pony.” Twilight jerked an accusing hoof at the mirror. She paused. “Er, I mean... myself. That’s right,” she corrected quickly. Must have lost a few brain cells from the fall last night. Rarity gave her a strange glance. “Well... anyway, I prepared breakfast—or lunch rather. Come get it while it’s hot!” With that, she trotted back out of the room. Twilight peeled off the remaining pieces of bandage. She felt surprisingly calm despite what happened last night. The feeling of dread was gone. Perhaps she felt safe, especially with Rarity around. Hmm... Rarity! I’ve got to tell her everything... She hurried out of the room. Rarity sat across the table, listening to Twilight’s story intently. “So, you were attacked by some creature, and you have absolutely no idea what it was?” Twilight drained the last few spoonfuls of vegetable soup. The scorching liquid slid down her throat and sat pleasantly in her stomach. She munched on a chewy bit of celery as she thought. “Well, I thought I saw a pony head.... But its body was really long. Like, unnaturally long. And it had really scary red eyes.” “Twilight darling, are you sure it wasn’t—well—just a pony? I mean, you yourself admitted that it was too dark to make out anything. And ponies have red eyes. Rainbow Dash, for example.” “Rainbow Dash has red irises, not red eyes. The eyes looked like...” she tapped a hoof to her chin, searching for a fitting description, “they looked like... like that of a cockatrice!” Rarity pondered at her answer for a while. “I haven’t seen a cockatrice’s eyes before, Twilight. I believe only Fluttershy and yourself would know what it looks like... when you got turned into stone and such.” Twilight gave an involuntary shudder as she briefly recounted the experience. “And how about the book that you mentioned earlier?” Rarity asked. “It’s sitting in the library. I can’t understand what it means though, it’s all written in a weird language.” Rarity took a sip from her bowl of soup, making sure not to slurp out of habit. She set the porcelain bowl down on the oak table. “Well, did you not try a translation spell?” Twilight tapped her hoof to her chin. “A translation spell... I suppose it might work. I’ve forgotten how to do it though, because I’ve never needed it.” ..because all science reference books are updated yearly and written in plain old Equestrian thank you very much. Twilight sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to learn it again.” “Oh, that won’t be necessary, dear.” Rarity smiled and puffed out her chest, trying to mimic a certain cyan blue pegasus. “Your totally awesome friend can help you with that. I’ve used the spell before, on those historical fashion books I borrowed from you the other time, just before Spike got that horrendous growth spurt.” At the back of her mind, Twilight had the feeling that she would probably end up learning it anyway. But there were much more important things to be dealt with at the moment. She drummed her hooves on the table, turning this new piece of information over in her mind. It swirled around, weaving out a few ideas. A new course of action began to form. “Okay, so I’ll drop in the library.” She paused, giving an involuntary shudder. “...I’ll drop in the library, grab the book, come back here, and you’ll help me translate it. Then, I’ll read what it says and find out what this is all about.” She thought aloud. “If it’s bad, we’ll get help from the rest of our friends, if it’s very bad, we’ll have to inform the police or something. Or maybe go to Princess Celestia for help.” The ‘if it’s good’ scenario was long gone. Rarity dabbed at her mane. It was something she did subconsciously while in thought. “Why not just write a letter to Princess Celestia now?” “Well... no harm getting the book first,” Twilight said. “Anyway, I’ll be back within an hour.” Twilight made her way to the door, only to be swiftly blocked by Rarity. “You can’t go out like that!” she exclaimed, indicating at the bandages hanging off from Twilight, along with her dishevelled mane. “I’ll get it for you. And besides, you’re injured.” “Actually, I feel fine.” “I insist.” “Well, in that case... thanks for helping me again, Rarity. I really owe you a lot.” Twilight admitted. “It’s my pleasure, dear.” Twilight felt a tendril of uncertainly worming its way through her. Something told her that allowing Rarity to go off alone wasn’t a good idea. “But... you’ll be careful, okay?” “Oh, of course I will, Twilight,” Rarity laughed as she headed out of the door. “It’s just me getting an old book. Surely nothing could possibly go wrong.” “Yes, nothing would go wrong. Just... be careful.” Rarity pushed on the door. It opened with a dull creak, revealing a large circular space that made up the library’s ground floor. Hundreds and hundreds of books filled the shelves, which lay stacked against the walls, or lined up neatly in rows. They gave the air a pleasant smell of wood and paper. Everything seemed perfectly normal, despite what had apparently happened last night. See? she thought. Nothing wrong here. Rarity didn’t know what to make of Twilight’s story. Being attacked by a hideous monster with a pony head in the middle of the night? Impossible! If somepony told her that, she would have immediately dismissed it as absolute nonsense. Well, unless that pony was Twilight Sparkle. That mare had seemed really frightened last night. Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed something glowing on the floor ahead. Curious, she trotted up to have a look. The small red glow became closer and closer. It was the symbol. The very first one she found three days ago. It was much clearer now. But then, she knew carvings didn’t simply get clearer. Rarity stretched her neck closer to the floor, until it was inches away from the marking. Upon closer inspection, she realised that the three circles weren’t just glowing; they were burning, and had actually burnt themselves deep into the wood. Rarity felt a cloud of uncertainty forming in her. She didn’t like how these strange symbols acted, as if they had lives of their own. Oh, forget about those creepy things, Rarity. Get the book, and get out of here. Then she realised she didn’t know where the book was... or even what it looked like. Great... It has to be somewhere obvious. Perhaps on a desk or something.She began to scan around the library. Twilight’s practicality was there in her furniture. There were lots of neatly arranged rectangular tables, but nothing fanciful. The mare did seem to have a taste for wood though, which explains why she lived in a tree. Rarity searched through the area, finding cluttered stacks of notes, parchment, and other small things, but no ancient looking book. Maybe it’s in her room. She moved quickly up the stairs, eager to get the job done and get back home. She found Twilight’s room and pushed the door open. The first thing she noticed were the bits of white fluff on the floor. Looking ahead, she saw that the mess was concentrated in the middle of the room. A tattered grayish-brown object lay there, white fluff spilling from its wounds. Rarity moved towards it, levitating up the object. It looked like a doll, a familiar looking one. Smartie... Smartypants. Yes, Smartypants. That was what Twilight called it. Rarity examined the giant slash wounds on it. The doll was missing an arm, a few shredded bits of cloth and stuff left from it. The remainder of the doll drooped in her magic. It had lost most of its stuffing, as if it had been snatched up and swung violently around. The fashion designer stared at it, feeling her uncertainty worsening into fear. The book,get the book. She tore her eyes off the doll, doing a few quick scans across the room. There it is! An exceptionally old looking book, lying open on the study table. Rarity grabbed it with her magic, sending it flying across the room towards her. With the book floating by her side, she hastily made her way out. Her hooves sent echoes through the air as she descended the stairs, and the library below was unnervingly quiet. Well, libraries are supposed to be quiet. The small wooden door that made up the library’s main entrance was in sight. It brought her a tiny bit of relief, especially after finding the doll. She trotted towards it, glad that she would soon be leaving the library and all the terrible things in it. Halfway across the room, she heard a clear flapping of wings. A light flutter, probably made by a small creature. Rarity instinctively ducked her head and jumped under a table. The fluttering stopped abruptly, making her even more nervous. She knew there were plenty of small but deadly creatures that existed around, such as a cockatrice. The frightened unicorn’s heart pounded against her ribcage as she considered the possibilities. She wanted nothing more than to leave this dreadful place. Rarity locked her eyes on the library’s exit. It was still a fair bit of distance away, but that won’t stop her. The black book was lying on the floor, where she had dropped it earlier. Okay, run on the count of three. Rarity crouched under the piece of furniture, feeling the solid wood under her hooves. One... Two... THREE! “YAARRRHHH!” Rarity made a final, desperate dash towards the exit. She ran as fast as she could, her hooves pounding against the floor. The wind blew against her mane, getting the hair in her eyes. She swerved, snatching up the book between her jaws before continuing on. It was close, about ten metres away, and soon it was reduced to five. Four metres... Three metres... Two... One... She burst through the door. A huge wave of relief crashed over her as she ran out into the bright sunlight and out onto the street. Oh Celestia... that was the most frightening experience EVER. Rarity spat out the book and panted from the mad dash, her limbs and jaws aching. She looked at the library, wondering what that fluttering was about. Well, thank goodness that’s over. Flicking a strand of hair out of her eyes, she levitated the book and made her way back to the Carousel Boutique. For once, she wasn’t concerned about the mess her mane was in. There was a flutter of wings again in the library. Something small flew out of the open window on the second floor. It landed in the branches outside with a soft rustle. A set of large yellow eyes peeked out from the swaying leaves. They fixed themselves on a pearl white unicorn as she hurried down the street, tracking her every move until she moved out of sight. A Tale of DarknessOoo A Tale of Darkness ooO Twilight jumped in fright as Rarity burst into the Carousel Boutique, hitting her head painfully on one of the antique lamps that hung from the ceiling. She winced, lifting a forehoof to massage the bruise on her head. “Ow...” “I got the book!” Rarity shouted. She waved the old tome in front of Twilight’s face, breathing heavily. “Oh okay. Thanks,” Twilight said, plucking it from its field of light blue magic. She shifted her gaze to her friend, noticing her unusually messy mane. Beads of sweat had collected on Rarity’s forehead, and below that, her eyes had widened in fear, their pupils becoming constricted. Twilight tilted her head to one side in confusion. “Um... are you feeling okay?” “No!” Rarity burst out. “It was horrendous, ghastly, absolutely vile! Why, first there were those terrible symbols from last time, glowing all on their own! Then I found that doll of yours, gruesomely ripped to pieces. And when I finally got hold of the book, something was flying around and tracking me down. Heavens, if I had to spend one more moment in that library...” Twilight was finding it hard to keep up with Rarity’s spluttering. “Wait, what did you say? The symbols were glowing?” “Yes, certainly. Glowing and burning, actually.” “That’s strange. They wouldn’t be doing that if they were just carvings...” Twilight’s eyes narrowed, “meaning that those symbols must have magic in them. They could have been cast by a unicorn, or... or...” she gulped in fear, “...or whatever that thing was.” Twilight levitated the book in front of her and trotted back to the oak table. She set it neatly in the middle as Rarity came up beside her. The large golden letters gleamed against the light in contrast to the black covers that they were engraved on. It was time to move on to the next step in her plan. “Okay Rarity, are you ready to cast the translation spell?” “Now? Well, I am able to do it now actually. It is quite a simple little spell, really. Just watch me.” Rarity lighted up her horn. She surrounded the black book with her magic. The light blue glow around the book grew steadily stronger and stronger, turning into a hot, bluish white. The book began to float, hovering a few inches above the table. Twilight watched as Rarity worked her magic. She knew that a spell like this wouldn’t need much effort. The bearer of the Element of Magic chewed on her lip, noticing the excessive and unsteady flow of magic from Rarity’s horn. No, channel the magic slowly. Don’t burn the pages. ...oh Celestia, I really hope she doesn’t burn the pages. Twilight could see something happening to the large golden letters on the book’s cover. They began to vibrate, squiggling and squirming about their positions. Magic continued to pour in, causing the book to tremble lightly in the air. Its letters simmered, as if placed over some sort of magical fire. Gradually, they began to melt before her eyes, forming thick golden liquid with the same consistency as glue. Better not drip any of that, or I’ll be reading junk with missing letters. To her relief, not one drop of the liquid fell off the black covers. It moved around, as if being pulled by gravity, joining up and pooling in several spots side by side, roughly equal in size. The spots of liquid cooled off, beginning to mould themselves into distinct shapes. Twilight realised that she biting hard on her lip and quickly opened her jaws. She gritted her teeth instead and focused on the shapes. Eleven spots of gold began to harden into eleven recognisable letters. They engraved themselves back into the book, with the same thick, block-like font style they had previously, forming one single, simple word. Draconequus The two mares stared at it. “Dra-con-e-quus.” Twilight murmured. A confused look appeared on her face. She cocked her head to one side, looking at the title from an angle, which didn’t help to draw any further inspiration of course. Twilight shot a glance at Rarity, seeing a similar expression reflected there. None of them knew what that word meant. “Well, I definitely did the spell right,” Rarity said defensively. “Even well done, if I may say so.” “Yes, nerve-wreckingly well done,” Twilight agreed. Her lower lip throbbed in pain, but at least the book was still in one piece. She picked the it up, giving it a tentative sniff. It had a stale, musty smell—the type old books usually gave out. Twilight ran a forehoof over the cover, feeling the subtle depressions made by the engraved letters. The cloth-like surface of the hardcover was soft and frayed, but its bulk remained sturdy. She tapped it twice, producing two solid knocks. Rarity continued to wait patiently by her side. “Right.” Twilight finally flipped open the cover. The writing was cursive and hard to read. But none of that mattered much, because everything was now in perfect Equestrian. Twilight eagerly began to read the faded text, feeling like an explorer that had just dug out an ancient treasure map. Little is known about the creature cast in stone... It seemed to be some sort of cryptic poem. She didn’t quite understand it and skipped to the next part, finding another mass of vague literature. It wasn’t helpful either. Twilight had intended to find simple, solid facts, not some mysterious verses that hardly told her anything. Flipping through the first few pages, she landed herself on what appeared to be an event log consisting of short passages and outdated articles from newspapers, reports, and other sources. That was what she needed—facts from reliable sources. Or reliable looking sources at least. Rarity decided to squeeze in beside her. Together, they began to read the lines of cursive writing. A burglary took place in Red Ruby & Diamond Star’s Jewelleries. The jewellery shop was reported to have been ransacked, presumably over Monday night. The store owners, Red Ruby and his wife, Diamond Star, claim to have up to fifty thousand bits worth of jewellery missing. However, the unicorn couple were puzzled to find that valuable gemstones, such as the fifty carat Fire Ruby, remained untouched. They noted that the majority of the stolen items seemed to contain enhancer spells and other traces of magic. The Fire Ruby was not known to have contained magic, leading to a possible explanation of why it was not stolen. Police began searching for leads to this mysterious magical-gemstone loving thief two days ago. However, a police spokespony reported that investigations were not yielding results. Officer Ice Heart confirmed the statement, adding that efforts were ‘frustratingly fruitless’, and that they had found ‘zero evidence’. However, he added later that the store owners noticed several ‘strange markings’ on the floor, which they claimed were not there the day before. They were assumed to have appeared overnight. ─Equestria Daily, 10/5 --- A team of researchers claimed to have spotted an unusual set of tracks appearing in the Everfree forest. Originally on a project to investigate the self-governing characteristics of it, the team stumbled upon the tracks in the mid-west region of the forest. The group’s head, Dr. Greenleaf, decided to pursue the trail after a brief discussion with his fellow researchers. As quoted from True Wonder, a junior member of the team: “We found these really weird imprints on the ground... like some footprint combination of two or more different animals. At first we thought of a cockatrice or something... but there were markings made by a hoof as well. It didn’t make sense! I thought it was some observational error. But when we followed the trail further, the different imprints appeared to have a distinct sequence, and remained the same distance apart, meaning that they had to belong to the same creature. I’m thrilled that we’re gonna search for it. This is so exciting!” The research team announced that they will set off again on Wednesday to further the investigation. ─Equestria Daily, 11/5 --- A letter to the Police Headquarters, Canterlot Sir, All is well in Ponyville. We have not much to report, except a few petty thefts. The suspects were, of course, promptly arrested. Our force strives to uphold its flawless reputation at all times. On a side note, The Night Guard Border Patrol reported a strange sighting while on duty. It was approaching Moonhigh when they heard the rustling of leaves from within the Everfree Forest. They suspected that a large creature was hidden among the leaves, but could not identify it due to the darkness of the night. Conflicting accounts of what the creature could have been were given. But they identified a set of ‘gleaming red eyes’ staring at them from within the forest. Shortly after the incident, two of the guards submitted in their resignation forms. I hope that this update was found to be useful, and I await your response. The subsequent update will be sent next Thursday, as usual. Yours sincerely, Officer Brightheart --- Dr. Greenleaf and his team of researchers, the group that discovered the ‘unusual tracks’ in the Everfree Forest, have since cut short their trip and returned to Canterlot. They did not reveal the outcome of their research. Instead, ‘safety reasons’ were cited for the termination of the project. Members of the group declined further commenting. ─Equestria Daily, 14/5 --- A letter to Officer Ice Heart (misplaced in a document folder): Ice Heart, I’ve returned early from Dawn Patrol, because most of the other guards were so focused on getting the job done and reporting back. They’re a pretty boring bunch of ponies to hang out with sometimes. Anyway, I saw something weird on the way back. It was like... some small sack of fur, lying on the grass. No pony else noticed it, so I went to have a closer look. I think it was actually the corpse of a squirrel. I wasn’t sure, because it didn’t quite look like a squirrel anymore... It looked like the poor creature had been sucked out dry from the inside, and even the colour of its coat had turned into a sickly grey. I didn’t have the time to examine it further, because my patrol was leaving. And wandering alone near the Everfree was the last thing I wanted. I can take you to see it if you want. I don’t mind getting a second look too—it’s sick! Your friend, Leafwhistle --- An urgent report was filed to the police department five minutes past midnight by a young mare. Apparently, the mare was taking a regular midnight stroll when she heard ‘unnaturally high pitched’ screams coming from the Everfree forest. She could not pinpoint the exact location of the source, but described it as ‘bloodcurdling’. Hours later, similar complaints were filed to the department, all reporting about the same unnatural screaming. The residents claimed that the screams subsided only in the early hours in the morning. ─Equestria Daily, 17/5 --- For the first time in years, a murder has taken place in Ponyville. Police barricades sprang up along Orange Grove Street, cordoning off an estimated 20 by 20 metre area. When reporters flocked to the scene, they found it to be completely shielded off from view, and were denied entry. An officer on duty took queries from reporters, explaining that the nature of the crime was ‘particularly gruesome’ and ‘unfit for news’. He could not reveal the details of the crime, except that paramedics had pronounced the victim dead upon arrival. However, rumours have it that the victim was a unicorn mare, and was also said to be the owner of a Jewellery shop... Twilight slammed the book shut, her hooves trembling. “Twilight, you don’t mean to tell me that those symbols I saw...” “I think they’re markings,” Twilight croaked, feeling as though a ball of ice had been shoved down her stomach. “Markings to mark me out... I-It’s hunting me, and when it gets me, it’ll... it’ll...” She gulped down the rest of her sentence, feeling nauseous from fear. “I need to write to Princess Celestia.” “Good idea, let me get you the quill and parchment,” Rarity said. She moved shakily to the stairs. Twilight pushed the book away cautiously, as if it was some sort of dangerous object. “I think I’ll just go and—” She paused abruptly, flicking up her ears. Rarity looked back at her. “Is there something wrong?” “Not really, I just think something has been flying past the window a couple of times.” The two mares began to look at the square windows all around the boutique. Rarity’s eyes were wide open, and she shifted from side to side on her hooves. She stiffened in fear as the flutter of wings was carried through the air. Something had zipped past the an open window behind them. “Oh my stars... It’s that sound from the library!” Rarity whispered under her breath. The fashion designer spun around, magically slamming the boutique’s windows shut. She did the same for the other windows around the boutique. The room fell into an abrupt silence as the sounds from outside were cut off. Twilight shuffled around and tried to keep her eyes on all the windows at once. She knew that anything that followed Rarity all the way from the library couldn’t be any good. Thump Twilight whirled to face the window behind her, pricking her ears and holding her breath. There was nothing there, at least from where she stood. Twilight inched her way forward, curiosity getting the better of her. Behind her, a second set of hooves followed. The amber rays of sunset was streaming in through the glass, forming a faint orange square of light on the floor. Twilight stepped past it and reached the window, feeling another coat brush against hers as Rarity stood beside. Together, they looked through the small square panel of glass. A single tawny brown feather was falling outside, making its slow descent to the ground. Twilight stared at it, her violet pupils shifting lower and lower down as they tracked the feather. Leaning in closer, she peered at it go down, her snout pressed against the cool glass and leaving a small wet mark on it. THUMP! Twilight screamed as something smashed itself against the window, mere centimetres of glass separating it from her snout, something small and brown. Jerking her head away, she spun around and bolted away with Rarity. Together, they jumped behind a couch for cover. “What was that?!” Rarity cried. Twilight crouched behind the cushions, her heart still pounding. If not for the glass, it would have landed squarely on her face, whatever it was anyway. She recalled the oddly shaped brown mass, and then the tawny brown feather. Both had seemed a little familiar. Moments later, a sheepish smile began to form on her face. “I think that was Owliscious.” Rarity stared incredulously at her. “What? Are you absolutely sure?” Twilight trotted back to the window. She pushed open the glass and poked her head outside, looking around for her feathered assistant. The sun was setting outside, the fiery ball sinking behind the rooftops of several tall houses. She scanned the area, but the owl was nowhere to be seen. Puzzled, she pulled her head back inside. “I thought it was Owliscious...” Just at that moment, as if to prove her right, the small brown owl shot through the open window, barely missing Twilight’s snout for the second time. It tumbled through the air and completed its undignified entrance by crashing onto the oak table. It recovered quickly, flapping its wings and rising into the air. It moved a short distance before settling down onto one of Rarity’s plastic clothes stands beside the window. At this moment, the owl decided to give his signature greeting to the pair of mares staring at him. “Hoo.” “Oh thank goodness it’s just you Owliscious!” Rarity sighed in relief. “Was that you earlier at the library?” “Hoo?” “You had me absolutely terrified back there you know.” “Hoo.” “What? Who?” “Hoo.” Rarity’s eye gave a little twitch. “I think I’ll just be getting the quill and parchment,” she muttered. She turned around and trotted away. Twilight couldn’t be more relieved to see her assistant. “Oh Owliscious, it’s so good to see you! Something awful has happened. My whole life is in danger. I don’t even know what I should do.” Twilight raised a hoof to stroke the small owl’s back. Its glossy feathers evened out as her hoof ran along them. “But I’m going to ask Princess Celestia for help. She will know what to do. Yes, of course she would! And it won’t be too late. Everything will turn out fine...” The owl seemed indifferent to Twilight’s words. It faced out of the window, its back turned towards her. “I’m scared, Owliscious,” whispered Twilight. It gave no response. “Owliscious?” The tawny brown owl remained still for a few moments. Then, keeping its body still, its head began to rotate slowly, twisting and turning backwards. A terrified scream pierced through the air from down below. Twilight! With the quill and parchment enveloped in her magic, Rarity sped down the stairs. “Twilight! Are you alright?” The purple unicorn was crouched low to the ground. She shielded her head with her fore hooves. “It’s Owliscious! He... he scared me.” Twilight’s voice quivered. She blinked a few times, pulling herself together and rising off the ground. “Sorry for overreacting like that. I think I’m fine now.” Rarity looked around for Twilight’s feathered friend, but she couldn’t find it anywhere. “Where did he go?” “He flew off. I must have startled him when I screamed,” Twilight said guiltily. She took a deep breath and exhaled out. “I’m fine,” she repeated. “Darling, you have to tell me what happened.” “It’s hard to explain...” Twilight levitated the quill and parchment from Rarity. She set it on the table and began to scribble down her letter, forming line after line of writing. Her face screwed up in concentration as she tried her best to translate everything into words. Satisfied, she rolled up the parchment and lighted her horn, enveloping it in a cloud of purple magic. A moment later, the scroll disappeared with a faint ‘pop’ sound. Twilight fell back on her rump with a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted off her. “Okay, all we have to do now is wait for a response.” Back in the Canterlot castle, Celestia was flipping through an exceptionally long report. Her team of scientists were, without a doubt, trying their best to find out the inner workings of the eclipse, but she could see that they were not making much progress. Celestia scanned through the final page of the report, littered with complicated magic formulas just as most of its earlier pages were. The sun goddess was familiar with these already, being a master of magic herself. Yet, her face creased up in worry as she read the report. She felt like she was missing something, something important, and that bad things would happen if she didn’t find it out soon. Just then, a tiny scroll popped up inches from her face, its parchment slightly crumpled as if the sender wrote it in a hurry. It was one of Twilight’s Friendship Reports again, which Celestia found odd, because Twilight had already sent one this week. “My dear Twilight, as hardworking as ever,” Celestia sighed. Feeling a little guilty, Celestia placed the scroll carefully on top of her growing pile of royal business letters. She couldn’t afford to read extra bits of homework when there was such a serious matter at hoof. Her thoughts returned to Aether’s strange experiment. She couldn’t quite put her horn on what was wrong, but gut feelings nurtured over thousands of years shouldn’t be dismissed easily; they had somehow grown to be accurate over time. Perhaps she would have to take this matter into her own hooves... Celestia caught sight of Twilight’s Friendship Report sitting on top of the pile of letters. The little brown scroll looked meek compared to the other scrolls underneath it, with their crisp white parchment and shiny golden seals. Ironically, it was that little scroll that held the most importance in her heart. “Tomorrow night, Twilight. I promise.” Signs and SymbolsOoo Signs and Symbols ooO Symbols... creatures... and a book about a dreadful hunter of the night. Twilight paced round and round inside the Carousel Boutique. A day and a half had passed, but there was still no response from Princess Celestia. How long more will it take? How long more before the creature strikes again? “Calm down Twilight,” she muttered to herself. “You need to relax.” Twilight continued her pacing, her hooves rhythmically clacking against the hard marble floor. She couldn’t relax. Not when there was some monster after her, hungering for every last drop of blood in her veins. There had to be something that she could do at the moment. Sitting nearby on a plush sofa, Rarity gave a concerned look. “Twilight, perhaps it would make you feel better if we head down to talk to our friends? They might have some ideas on what to do.” Twilight stopped abruptly.Her friends! She needed to warn them about this. They were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Together, they had overcome countless challenges all on their own, ranging from hydras to dragons all the way down to the tiny but destructive parasprites. Together, they would be able to fend off this new threat. “Rarity! You’re right!” Twilight grabbed the unsuspecting unicorn from the sofa and spun her around. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about that earlier! We need to warn the others and prepare the Elements of Harmony.” She paused for a moment. “We should get moving at once.” Rarity shook her head to clear the dizziness away. “You mean, right now?” “Yes of course, Rarity. Right right now. There’s no point waiting here any longer.” “Well, alright then. I suppose we could pick up Sweetie Belle from her school on the way. She’s going for a day of adventuring at Sweet Apple Acres. Let me grab some things and I’ll be ready to go.” Half an hour later, the pair left the designer dress shop, walking side by side, beginning their long journey east towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Apple Bloom! For the last time, stop yer mucking around out there and come have lunch. The food’s getting cold!” Applejack yelled, propping herself up on the farmhouse window. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she scanned the apple orchard for her younger sister. There wasn’t hide nor hair of that young filly, but Applejack knew she must be hiding somewhere among those apple trees. “Just a minute, big sis!” yelled back a faint high-pitched voice, coming from a distance away. “I found something really cool over here!” Applejack snorted in disbelief. Her sister’s version of ‘something really cool’ tended to range from large bugs to oddly shaped apples, and judging from where the voice came from, she wouldn’t be back for lunch anytime soon. Applejack dragged her forehooves off the window sill, turning around and heading towards the dining table. She would deal with that filly later, when she gets back. The rest of her family was already gathered for lunch. “Apple Bloom is still playin’ round in the orchard,” Applejack announced as she took a seat. A delicious feast was laid out on the table in front of her: crunchy apple salads, apple oatmeal sandwiches fresh from the oven, some of Apple Bumpkin’s leftover apple bumpkin, and a freshly baked apple pie for dessert. “Ah... fillies these days,” Granny Smith began wistfully. “I remember when ah was a filly, ah used to run all day around the barn! Day an’ night ah played, full of energy and not a worry on my bloomin’ mind. An’ there was this one day I found a funny lookin’ worm which I showed to mom and dad, and another day I found some odd little creature... ” Granny Smith continued to ramble on with her story, not knowing or caring that nopony was listening to her, rocking on her squeaky old rocking chair as she spoke. Applejack filtered Granny Smith’s voice to the back of her mind until it turned into an incessant drone. Feeling a little guilty, she glanced at her brother across the table. The giant red stallion sat motionless in his seat, playing on his natural poker face. Applejack blinked a few times at him. Sometimes she felt that her brother was a little on the odd side. “Uh... whelp,” she began uncomfortably. “Let’s dig in, shall we?” She began to load the salad onto her plate. The farmer scooped a heaping spoonful of greens into her mouth, munching on the leaves and various pine nuts. The dressing matched perfectly, giving the leaves a light, tangy flavour that seeped onto her tongue. It was just the right proportion of leaves and stems, giving the salad gave a pleasant crunch without being too fibrous. Applejack shovelled another spoonful into her mouth. “Mmumph... thish shalad is reaully good.” Granny Smith stopped with her story and gave a proud smile. “Yer got that right, young lady! This is yer Granny’s favourite recipe, an’ it’s the best every time.” “Eeyurp,” Big Mac added. Finishing her plate of salad, Applejack moved on to the sandwiches. She had decided to give the apple bumpkin a miss, unable to recall the last time Apple Bumpkin had actually visited them, let alone bringing apple bumpkin along with her. Two sandwiches later, her stomach felt ready to burst. But she caught sight of the delicious, creamy, sugar-coated apple pie. A few minutes later, an extra large slice of pie was added to her stomach, and Applejack decided that she had enough apples to last a lifetime. Ugh, so much apples, she thought, heaving her bloated stomach off the chair and lumbering past Apple Bloom. The filly had just slipped into the room and begun on her meal. Applejack gave her a sharp glare before moving to the front porch of the farmhouse. Perhaps walking around a bit would help in digestion. ...Do apples digest well? Applejack reached the large red stable doors that made the entrance to the farmhouse. Rearing up on her hind legs, she balanced her weight comfortably on top of the half-doors. A pleasant breeze blew lightly against her mane, causing a few strands of coarse hair to fall over her eyes. She casually brushed them away with a hoof. Being built on a hill, the farmhouse offered a great view of the surrounding landscape. Across the expanse of grassland, white Lalang flowers danced in the wind, forming specks of white among thick grasses that grew up high up to the knee. Further in the distance, she could make out the gray stone of one or two other farmhouses. Beyond that, the massive red and white dome of the Ponyville town hall peaked above the clusters of tiny straw-colored houses, gleaming against the scorching midday sun, marking out the heart of Ponyville. Her gaze drew back to the farm, tracing the long, winding dirt path that cut through the grasses and connected the farm to the rest of town. Applejack noticed three colorful ponies moving along the track. The first was a small white filly bounding excitedly on the path, and close behind her strolled a pair of unicorns, one purple and one white. Applejack felt a grin appearing on her face. She could have recognized that pair of unicorns from anywhere in Equestria. The purple one had a distinct straight cut mane, and the pearl white one had a brilliant purple mane and tail. Applejack snorted, even able to notice the pearl white unicorn’s elegant gait at this distance. That’s her all right. “Apple Bloom,” she called back to the dining table, “We have visitors coming. Hurry up and finish yer lunch!” An hour later, Applejack was gathered together with Twilight and Rarity around the dining table. Big Macintosh had gone out to work on the farm, while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had galloped off to see the ‘really cool something!’ from earlier on. “So, how have y’all been?” Applejack began, “Twi, I hope you’re not fussin’ over all those books as usual.” She noticed the grave look on the her face. “Twi? Somethin’ wrong?” Twilight took a deep breath. “Applejack, I am in deep trouble, and I need your help. Something really bad is happening.” Applejack could feel a bewildered look forming on her face. “Uh, what now?” As if on cue, Rarity raised a hoof to her forehead and let out a little wail. “It’s horrible, it’s scary, it’s the worst. Possible—” “Twi,” Applejack began impatiently. “Ah hope this isn’t one of yer I’ve-got-no-time-to-reschedule-my-schedule problems again. Because the last time ya went all crazy over it.” She rubbed her temple as she recalled the event. “It wasn’t pretty.” “No! It’s much more serious this time. It’s... it’s... urrrhhh...” Twilight dragged a hoof across her face in frustration. “It’s really bad. I was attacked by some creature.” There was a brief moment of silence, before Applejack slowly raised an eyebrow at her. “You were attacked... by a creature?” “Yes.” “What kind of creature?” “I... I don’t know.” “What did it look like then?” “Well, I couldn’t see it clearly.” At that moment, Rarity chipped into the conversation. “Please Applejack, you’ve got to believe her. I would admit that I too was a bit skeptical to begin with, but I am utterly convinced now, and... well, scared.” Applejack took a moment to consider it all. “Ah dunno Twi, this all seems a little out of the blue. Ah mean, there's a mighty lot of monsters in the Everfree forest, but shouldn’t other ponies be aware if there’s one of ‘em’s lurking around town?” “Okay okay, I’ll tell you everything I know and then we’ll work things out from there. Let’s see...” The lavender unicorn scrunched up her face as she tried to recall the facts. “First I woke up to the sound of something big rummaging around in my library, right in the middle of the night. And then the next morning I found symbols on the wood, which happened to match up with this old book right here.” She undid the delicate star-shaped metal clasp of her saddlebags, levitating out the old black book and floating it across the table. Applejack plucked it out of the air and raised it up in front of her, examining the large gold block letters engraved on the cover. “I read some rather disturbing passages from it, which I think are actual facts. I have written a letter to Princess Celestia informing her of this. She has yet to respond.” Applejack … “Uhh, you trust this book, Twilight?” From its appearance, Applejack wouldn’t have trusted one word of it. The book looked as if it had been trampled on by somepony, buried underground, and dug out a decade later. She wondered if the pages would drop off if she held it in her hooves for too long. “Yes, of course,” the unicorn said, giving a nervous gulp, “...some of the stuff that has happened matched up with the passages in it.” Applejack was reluctant to depend on some old tome from Celestia knew where. She vaguely remembered some age-old saying about not judging books by their covers, but she brushed it off. “If there’s anypony I would go to for a problem like this, it’d be the police. Twilight, we should get you there. They deal with this stuff all the time.” “Well, I think we should see what Fluttershy has to say,” Rarity began. “She has got to be the best when it comes to strange creatures. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to pay her a visit, would it? We have to let the others know what’s happening too.” Applejack nodded slowly. “Hmm, yes we should. There’s something else I want to ask that filly. You know, the two of us were supposed to have tea earlier today, but she never showed up. It’s not like Fluttershy to fall out on me like that.” “Alright then,” Twilight said, levitating the book back into her saddlebags and locking the clasp. “Let’s head off to Fluttershy’s.” Sweetie Belle trudged through the thick, coarse grasses between the farmhouse and the apple orchard, careful to avoid the dark patches of half-dried mud. Apple Bloom was yards in front, racing ahead of her in excitement. Sweetie wished that Apple Bloom would slow down. Beads of sweat were starting to form on her forehead, and her coat felt hot and sticky. She squinted up at the fiery afternoon sun above her, and then back down when the light burned her eyes. “So what’s this ‘really really cool thing’ you wanted to show me, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle called out, wiping her forehead dry. At least she would be under the shade of the apple trees soon. “I can’t just tell you that! You’ll have to see it for yerself.” Sweetie hopped over a rotting tree trunk. She was entering the orchard, and it was about time she did! The sunlight was beginning to scorch her coat, and that made her feel as if she was wrapped with a particularly scratchy blanket. She stumbled under the shade of the apple trees, her hooves caked in mud. With Apple Bloom still way ahead of her, Sweetie Belle struggled to catch up. “Will you give me a few tries to guess what it is?” she asked. Beneath her hooves, the coarse grass began to thin out, making for the trees. “Sure,” Apple Bloom said, slowing her pace down. “Here’s what we’ll do. You ask me a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, and I’ll give you a simple ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer. Nothing more, okay?” “Okay. Let me think.” Sweetie pondered for a little while. “Is what we’re looking for... big?” “Nope!” Apple Bloom laughed. “I’ll give ya two more tries. If not it’ll never end.” Sweetie Belle smiled. She didn’t need two more tries. There were only a few things that were small, found in an apple orchard, and lame enough for Apple Bloom. She sped up to a trot, finally reaching up to her yellow-coated friend. “I know what it is! I bet it’s some boring bug or insect.” “No it isn’t,” Apple Bloom said. “Bugs are lame. One try left. Hey, we haven’t decided what you’ll do if you lose.” “Well, we haven’t decided what you’ll do if I win,” Sweetie Belle countered. She began to look around the orchard for inspiration. There were apple trees on all sides, and nothing but apple trees further up. So much for inspiration, Sweetie thought sulkily. The ground was covered by fallen leaves. Occasionally, she found bright red apples peeking out, their color contrasting against the dull brown of the soil. Pulling her mind back on track, she focused hard about what Apple Bloom could possibly have discovered. There wasn’t much to see in the orchard besides for bugs and apples. Perhaps it had something to do with apples. “We’re here,” Apple Bloom announced. Sweetie Belle broke off her thoughts, raising her head up and looking around. Trees were all around her as usual. “Huh? I don’t see anything special.” “No, it’s over here.” Apple Bloom waved towards a small bush. Animal, bug, or fruit, Sweetie Belle guessed. Curious about what could possibly be hiding there, Sweetie Belle made her way over, standing beside Apple Bloom. Her friend nudged the leaves, grinning excitedly. “What’s that? I can’t see it.” Sweetie Belle stretched her head into the bush, pushing away at the branches. At last, she managed to get a good look at the strange round object inside. “A gray apple?” Sweetie Belle blinked a couple of times, staring at it. There it was, the ‘really cool something’, nestled amongst the rotting leaves, similar to an apple in every way except its shade. She rolled the fruit out of the bush, moving it around several times and giving it a close inspection. “I’ve never seen a gray apple before.” “Heh, me neither,” admitted Apple Bloom, scratching the side of her head. “But it’s still pretty boring,” said Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom gave a shrug, and then her face lit up with an idea. “Let’s break it open!” “Good idea!” Sweetie looked around, quickly finding a sharp, flat stone which she levitated over to Apple Bloom. “Here, use this.” “Maybe we’ll find some sort of treasure inside, like what happens in those stories that Granny used ‘ta read to me when I was much little.” “Littler,” Sweetie Belle corrected. “That’s not even a word.” Sweetie Belle brought a hoof to her forehead in frustration. She levitated up and stone and prodded Apple Bloom with it. “Let’s just cut open that apple.” “Okay.” Apple Bloom picked up the stone, holding it firmly in her jaws. With her mouth full, she had to mumble from the side of the stone. “On ‘er count of ‘hree?” Sweetie Belle nodded at her. “Onee... Two... ‘hree!” Apple Bloom brought the stone down swiftly, striking the apple right in the middle and splitting it into two clean halves, exposing its insides clearly. She dropped the stone with a soft thud. “Whoa! It’s like completely, completely gray.” Similar to its skin, the rest of the apple was gray—flesh, seeds, and everything else inside. The two halves lay on the ground, as if the very essence of its color had been sucked out. Sweetie Belle eyed the drops of gray apple juice trickling from it. “Now that’s cool. A little creepy, actually.” “Psh, this? Creepy?” Apple Bloom scoffed. She grinned, giving Sweetie Belle a playful nudge. “Yer becoming a bit of a chicken, like Scootaloo. I bet this little thing here is as harmless as a heart-shaped leaf.” Sweetie raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Oh, really?” “Yeah.” “Well then, Apple Bloom ever so strong and mighty. Are you up for a challenge?” Still wearing a big grin on her face, Apple Bloom lowered her head and put a hoof to her chest, speaking in a low voice. “The mighty Apple Bloom accepts yer challenge, for there is nothing she can’t handle.” Sweetie Belle picked up a halve, noticing a trickle of gray apple juice oozing out from its flesh and dripping down its side. “Well, I dare you...” With a light swing, she threw the half to Apple Bloom, who caught it expertly. “...to take nice a bite of that, and tell me what it tastes like.” Apple Bloom’s grin shrunk by a few molars, and Sweetie Belle’s widened by a few more. Fluttershy’s cottage, the most tranquil place in Ponyville. Set among the lush ferns and greenery, the cosy house was the perfect getaway from the noise of the city. It had a rounded mushroom shape, a thick cover of greenery that making up its roof. Tiny bird houses hung by the windows and on the surrounding trees, swaying like colorful lanterns in the wind. A distance out in the front, an orange pony wearing a light brown Stetson hat was flanked by a pair of unicorns. She trotted across a short stone bridge that linked to the cottage, soft grass beneath her hooves. Below her, a tiny stream cut through moss-covered rocks and water weeds. The therapeutic babble of water flow mixed with the crisp, fresh air and forest scents. A place like this was perfect to sit back, relax on a lawn chair, and let the worries wash away. Well, small worries at least, thought Applejack. Reaching the cottage, she raised a hoof and gave three light knocks on the door. She took a step back and adjusted her Stetson. “Fluttershy? Are you in there?” A few moments later, Applejack stepped back up to the door and called out again. Her voice rang out clearly, and then there was silence once more. Applejack exchanged glances with Twilight and Rarity, and the unicorns gave a simultaneous shrug. Slightly confused, Applejack put an ear against the wood of the door. Movement could be heard inside. A creak of the floorboards, a shuffling of hooves, and then she picked out a quiet sob. Applejack took a sudden, sharp intake of air. “Fluttershy!” she called, trying to force open the door. She cursed when it refused to budge. “What’s wrong?” asked Twilight. “That poor filly’s crying inside.” Applejack placed her ear against the door again. “C’mon Fluttershy! Let us in!” A series of light and rapid footfalls approached the door, followed by a click. Moments later, it swung open. But instead of Fluttershy, a diminutive white bunny stood at the doorway. It managed to conjure an impressive scowl on its face, folding its short arms and tapping a hind leg on the ground impatiently. “Oh... hi Angel.” The bunny made a quick series of gestures with its arms, crossing them over his chest and shaking his head vigorously from side to side. “Wait, but...” began Applejack, taking a step forwards. Sensing her attempt to gain a quick entry, Angel made a hasty grab for the door, swinging it shut. Applejack jerked her head back just in time to avoid a flattened snout. Her ears rang from the sound, and her heartbeat quickened for a few moments. How that tiny bunny managed to slam the door with so much force was beyond her imagination. “Geez, not even friends allowed I guess,” she muttered. A voice wailed from inside, sounding like Fluttershy’s. “Alright, my turn,” Twilight said, stepping up to the door. Her horn glowed for a brief moment, the magic swirling along her body. With a flash of purple light and a loud bang, the unicorn disappeared. Applejack heard the lock being undone again. The door swung open, revealing Twilight on the other side. The unicorn allowed herself a small smile as she motioned quietly for them to enter. Giving a nod of approval, Applejack trotted inside. She took the lead, with Twilight behind her and Rarity bringing up the rear. Together, the three ponies shuffled towards the quiet sobs. “Wonder what it could be this time...” Twilight whispered. “I hope she’s going to be fine,” said Rarity from the back. As they entered the living room, they found Fluttershy crouched in the corner, sobbing away. Angel stood beside her, resting a tiny white paw on the pegasus’s back and patting her softly. Then, upon noticing the three of them, Angel’s face scrunched up into a scowl again. “Fluttershy dear... what happened?” Rarity began, rushing forward. Ignoring the piercing glares from Angel, Applejack trotted up to the sobbing pegasus. There seemed to be a tiny white cot lying in front of her, but they didn’t think about it. Fluttershy cried pitifully, too upset to think about the sudden appearance of the three ponies around her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, a few drops dripping onto the floor. She gasped after a few moments, sucking in a breath of air to sustain her sobs. “It’s gonna be okay... we’re here,” Twilight offered. “Hey, sugarcube.” Applejack gave an encouraging smile, looking deep into the pegasus’s swollen eyes. “Just calm down for the moment, okay? Everything will be fine.” At this, Fluttershy gave them a tiny nod, holding back a few strangled cries. “Slowly there, give yerself time. Don’t you feel the slightest bit better?” “...a little,” she whispered. Applejack sighed. “Fluttershy, you can’t be locking yourself up like this when yer feelin’ down, you have to tell us so we can help you.” She shifted her gaze to the tiny white cot. “Uh, what’s that?” Fluttershy’s lips quivered. She looked on the verge of bursting into tears again. “I... I don’t want to talk about it.” She spread out her frail wings, using them to form a protective shield around her face. Twilight and Rarity were staring at the cot as well now. It was the smallest cot Applejack had ever seen, perfectly sized for the bundle of white cloth that lay inside, as if custom-made for it. As she moved closer to have a look, she could see how well-crafted it was. The edges of the sides had been sanded down, evident from how the cloth made soft curves instead of ledges. The cloth itself was of good, thick quality, and bright white like the napkins Rarity insisted on wearing during meals. It was, all in all, a dainty, unoffensive little thing, which baffled Applejack all the more. “May we have a look at this, Fluttershy?” said Twilight, sounding more hesitant than confused. The pegasus buried deeper under her wings. Her entire frame gave a noticeable shudder as she let out a soft, tortured squeal, as if somepony had drawn a knife across her back. The squeal dragged on for moments too long, dropping into a low moan as her breath drained out of her lungs. She began to sob again, the sounds muffled within a tight ball of fur and feathers. Applejack gritted her teeth and tensed up her withers. She didn’t like to do this but... Curiosity, she decided, was a force to be reckoned with. She gave Twilight a sharp nudge and hissed into her ear. “Open it!” Twilight casted a nervous glance at Fluttershy before turning to the cot. Quickly, she lighted up her horn, using her magic to lift a corner of the cloth by fraction of an inch. The small mound beneath the cloth didn’t move, and it didn’t look like it would be moving. “No idea what this is, girls,” she whispered. “But here goes...” Twilight straightened the cloth and carefully levitated it out of the cot. As the gruesome sight was revealed, Applejack wished that she it had been left covered up. Her stomach began churning and she felt as though she would be puking out the apples very soon. She noticed Twilight’s face losing its color as well, and the purple unicorn backed away slowly. But Applejack couldn’t take her eyes off it so easily, as much as she had wanted to. “It’s Mister Mousie,” Fluttershy whispered. Several things were very wrong with Mister Mousie. For one, it was as if the color had been completely sucked out from the poor creature, leaving it with a dull gray. Its fur, though originally gray, looked a few shades lighter, and it looked like a furry pouch of gray skin. Applejack wondered why it looked like it was too small and too furry. She had seen plenty of mice back in the barn. This one had too much skin and fur, but it didn’t start off that way. Staring at it for a few more moments made her see the grim reality of it all. It wasn’t a problem with the mouse itself. It wasn’t too small or too skinny or too furry. Instead, it was because it had been sucked out from the inside, leaving it nothing but a bag of skin and fur. And then there were its eyes... Beady, small, dull, nestled in its excess of hair, but alive, they followed Applejack as she stepped back. The closest experience she could think of was when Winona fell sick and almost failed to pull through, but even the look in her eyes hadn’t been so awful. Somehow, something in the pit of her stomach churned at the sight of those dead drops of black. She tasted bile at the base of her tongue. Her remaining lunch would be coming up next. “Washroom,” she said curtly, trotting off. Applejack butted open the door and emptied a few servings of apples into the sink. Coughing and retching, she rinsed her mouth under the tap, trying to get the acidic tang off her tongue. Feeling a little weak, she stumbled out to join the rest, the scent of vomit still lingering in her snout. “Didn’t miss anything, did I?” Applejack said as she walked back into the room. Not that she minded missing anything, actually. She felt terrible. Maybe the rest were coping better than she was. Applejack looked around the room for her friends. Sitting at the exact same spot, Fluttershy was staring emptily into space as if in some sort of trance. Beside her, Rarity was lying motionless on the floor. Great. Just great. One’s completely lost her mind and the other isn’t even conscious. Wait, where’s Twilight? Applejack looked around the room again. She saw the purple unicorn sitting alone, back turned towards her. “Twilight,” she called out. “You okay there, sugarcube?” As she moved towards Twilight, she noticed the purple unicorn staring at a few sheets of parchment laid on the ground. Beside the sheets of parchment, a black book was lying open, the same one Twilight had brought along earlier. “Applejack, I don’t know what to do. All these things happening... I need Princess Celestia’s help, but she’s not here.” Twilight ended off with in a strained voice. “What’s happening, Applejack?” Applejack placed a hoof on the unicorn’s withers, only to realize that she was quivering. “She has always been there for me...” Twilight whispered. Applejack gave her a tight hug and looked into her eyes. “We need to head off to the police. Right now.” An Old Police StationOoo An Old Police Station ooO Ponyville Police Station. The best in town, the sign claimed. Those who lived in Ponyville knew, of course, that it was the onlypolice station in town. There was hardly enough crime to keep it active, let alone a second one. The station’s waiting room had exactly one place for a pony to wait: a comfortable, ratty couch before the front desk, sagging until it almost touched the floor. A single policepony sat behind the desk, munching on what most policeponies would munch on the job: doughnuts. Semi-retired police officer Steel Heart had lost count of how many of those delicious treats he had popped into his mouth, but he carried on anyway. They’re smaller-sized than the normal ones, he reasoned, so they don’t mess with my health that much. He popped yet another sugar-coated donut into his mouth, careful not to get any crumbs onto his greying moustache. Why do they have to make these things so nice and bite-sized anyway? He wondered if the sugar was just going to add on to the flab around his flanks. Probably, yes. That bothered him a little. I used to be as fit as a fiddle, fresh out of cadet school. Back when cases needed solving, and ponies needed saving. Those were the days.... He heard the soft jingle of bells from the door and looked up, eyebrows raised. What’s this, a visitor? A violet unicorn mare stepped into the room, looking a little dazed and lost as her eyes wandered around. Behind her followed an orange earth pony, a faded Stetson hat over her coarse blond mane and a smile on her face that gave her an air of confidence. Finally, a white unicorn with a deep purple mane strode into the room. The first thing she caught sight of was the couch before the front desk, to which she wrinkled her nose at in disapproval. The violet unicorn caught sight of him, her eyes brightening. “Is this the police station?” “What’s left of it,” muttered Steel Heart. She cocked her head a little to the side. “Huh?” Steel Heart pushed away his box of doughnuts. This group of ponies looked a little familiar, as if he had seen them on the newspapers once. He studied the unicorn in front of him, medium-short in stature and a bit plush, trailing his gaze along the streak of bright pink and purple down her forelock. She had a pair of deep purple irises. ...Which are kinda pretty, actually. He shook his head and coughed. “Uh, how may I help you, Miss?” The young mare nodded and placed a hoof on her chest. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends, Applejack and Rarity.” She removed the hoof from her chest and indicated at the two ponies beside her. “We have a case to report, officer.” “Oh, alright. Give me a moment to prepare my... uh... stuff.” Steel Heart gave an embarrassed smile at Twilight, straightening his crumpled uniform over his flabby stomach. He opened a drawer under his desk, pulling out a few sheets of paper and laying them out in front of himself. Noticing that there were no quills, he reached his hoof back inside the drawer, searching the corners. Where are the darn quills kept? He closed the drawer and pulled open another, frantically searching around as the three mares watched. Not here... not there... “Are you looking for something, officer?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, just give me a minute or so...” He stood up from his seat, and then proceeded to crouch on all fours, bending close to the ground. He searched the floor, inspecting the tiles for any fallen quills, but he only found clumps of gray dirt and a few dead beetles. “Um... officer? I see some quills on the table, if that’s what you’re looking for.” “What!” Steel heart jerked his head up and knocked it painfully against the desk. Muttering a series of curses under his breath, Steel Heart clambered onto his chair. “Where are they?” Twilight indicated a space hidden behind his box of doughnuts. Steel Heart pushed the box to the side in irritation. Behind it, three quills were placed neatly in their holders, brand new and perfect. “Celestia damn—” he blurted, stopping when he noticed the stunned expressions of the mares across the desk. “Uh... Thanks, Miss Sparkle.” He carefully pulled out one of the quills, staring at it intently. He looked back at Twilight with her distracting purple eyes. “Okay, I’m ready, I think. Took a while, didn’t I?” Steel Heart gave a weak chuckle. “Right, the case you wanted to make. Fire away, Miss Sparkle.” With that prompt, Twilight began to tell him how she had apparently been attacked at night, along with the appearance of strange symbols in her library, as well as an ancient book filled with mysterious fairy tales and poems. Steel Heart listened, trying to capture all the information being given to him. He was pretty sure he missed out one or two bits, but he had the overall gist of it. “...and so we came here, officer, hoping you could help us,” Twilight finished. Steel heart remained silent for a while, scratching his chin in thought. He put his quill away and looked at her. “I hate to break it to you, Miss, but there is absolutely nothing I can do to help you.” The three mares exchanged glances before looking back at him. “There ain’t nothing you can do about it?” Applejack echoed, frowning as if she had heard it wrongly. “Whatd’ya mean nothing? You’re the police!” “Well, yes we are,” Steel Heart said nonchalantly. “You see, the ponies that work here don’t deal with the sort of things your friend’s talking about. We can’t help you on that... Like you said, we’re police. Not ghost busters, not demon hunters.” He almost sounded bored saying all that, dragging out his sentences in a slight drawl. The old policepony had his fair share of such cases, and this one seemed like any other. He examined their faces, which were decidedly a mixture of shock and confusion, to which he raised up his hooves in a defensive gesture. “Hey, it’s not that I don’t want to,” he added in quickly. “Our new policy doesn’t allow us to.” Applejack raised one of her eyebrows even higher, until it almost touched her forelock. “Yer new... policy?” “That’s right. I’ll explain. Here, have a seat.” He motioned to the black swivel chairs opposite him. Once his visitors were seated, he began his story. “About ten years ago or longer, we had an unusual case thrown at us. A young group of colts claimed to have seen a demon or something. They rang up the police, telling us how terrifying and dangerous it was. We organized a small search patrol immediately, setting out to investigate the area where the creature was said to have been sighted. Two hours later, that patrol came back, calling for reinforcements and a massive search party. They had found blood near the area, and even a few odd-looking tracks on the ground.” Steel Heart spoke in a low, deep voice, moving his hooves around in the air slowly as if he was telling a particularly frightening story. “So we called up half the entire force to search for it, afraid that ponies might be attacked.” He paused and gave a tired sigh, the energy draining out of him as his shoulders slumped forwards. “Guess what? All our efforts were wasted. Turns out the whole thing was a fake. The colts created that mess themselves. They made the strange tracks, and the labs showed that the spilt blood was from a chicken, not a pony.” The three mares were fidgeting uncomfortably, as if somepony was brushing their coats the wrong way up. “It’s not so much the time wasted that got the top officers pissed.” Steel Heart rubbed his temple with a forehoof. “A bank robbery occurred during the search. There weren’t enough forces to react to the distress alarms because the entire force was out in a damn search party. That’s how our new policy came about.” “But that’s just one prankster!” Applejack stomped her hoof, suddenly glaring daggers at Steel Heart. “Yer can’t make yer varmit policies from jus’ one prankster!” Steel Heart’s looked bewildered. “One? Missy, these cases have been popping up for ages. I’d be assured that you weren’t even born before they had started.” Steel Heart leaned back, his chair giving a strained creak of protest. “Yeah, let me finish my little story and it’ll make more sense. Well, let’s just say that the bank robbers managed to escape out of town and were never caught. Shortly after the incident, the whole darn town caught wind of our mishandling of the issue, and that meant that things weren’t going to end well for us. Of course, they didn’t. I can’t figure out how that small bank robbery escalated to a to a full blown distrust of the police force by the townsponies, but it kinda did. The poor chief took a beating, and he promised to stop all this nonsense once and for all, by removing all police involvement in anything supernatural.” "I... I guess that makes some sense.” Applejack admitted grudgingly. “I can see the reasoning behind it,” Twilight nodded at Applejack. She turned to Steel Heart. “Is there really nothing you can do to help us, officer? Maybe a little advice on what we could do?” Steel Heart tapped his chin in thought. “Hmm... I don’t really know. Because, to be honest, I don’t believe any of this demon monster creature crap. It just doesn’t make much sense, and it hasn’t happened before.” He frowned a little as a thought struck him. “Well, we did have a real creepy case in the past, but that was so long ago. It’s become more of a legend now, and I even don’t know how much of it is actually true.” “Could you tell us about it? I think it might help us.” said Twilight, stepping forward. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and her deep lavender eyes showed a hint of uncertainty. Steel heart paused. “I... uh, I’m really not sure about that, miss. You know, we policeponies aren’t supposed to be talking about past cases to strangers and all that... especially unsolved cases.” He frowned, suddenly noticing how uneasy Twilight seemed. “And you don’t look so keen yourself, so—” “No, no! I’m fine,” Twilight insisted. “Mhm, yeah. She’s fine.” Applejack confidently patted the purple unicorn on her head. “You go ahead and tell us that story.” Steel Heart looked at them suspiciously for a few moments, but he decided to ignore it. It wasn’t often that he had an audience for his storytelling sessions anyway. He adjusted himself on his seat, and it squeaked louder than ever as it struggled to hold his weight. Leaning in closer to the three mares, he began on his second story. “Okay, so this is how the legend goes, if I remember correctly. It all started off with a mysterious call to the police. Heh, all cases begin that way, don’tcha think? There was a break-in at a small shop selling gems or something. Just your average old case... ‘cept that the thief was stupid enough to leave a few markings behind.” Twilight’s jaw dropped open, and the color drained from her face. “The markings!” she blurted out, “What did they look like?” “Uh... I’ve no idea, Miss,” Steel Heart said, raising a bushy gray eyebrow at Twilight. “This happened flippin’ years ago, remember? But there’s nothing worth talking about there, because the detectives couldn’t make anything out of it. In fact, they couldn’t find any leads at all from the evidence they had collected. Heh, they could only wait for something else to happen... and something else did happen I tell ya, something big. A week later, the gemstone sellers were murdered. Their bodies were all gray.” “Horseapples, ah don’t like how this story is going,” Applejack commented. Steel Heart burst out into a hearty laugh. “Filly, nopony likes how this goes.” He paused for a moment. “Anyways, as I was saying, the bodies turned up all weird and gray. Seems like the killer was real sick in the head, and probably a unicorn too, since ya need magic to do all that weird stuff. So more agents were called in, and the case was taken over by the Hearts. Now, these fellas were some of the best in town. They worked hard on the crime scene, dusting the floors, looking for prints and hairs. But even the great Hearts were stumped by the lack of clues. Unable to find anything useful, they declared the case a mystery.” As the policepony spoke, he subconsciously fiddled the metal name tag above his left breast pocket, as if it carried some sort of importance. “A week later, a second murder case popped up. The victim was killed the same way. Now they knew they had a serial killer on the loose, and he was damn good, leaving nothing but those quirky markings. The Hearts were becoming desperate. In the following few weeks, new murders would pop up, all leaving no clues whatsoever. Then, all of a sudden, the string of murders stopped. Just like that. “The residents of Ponyville grew suspicious. They thought that the killer was lurking among them, biding his time. They wanted revenge, and they didn’t think the police were making much progress. Things got real nasty when they took matters into their own hooves... Real, real nasty.” Steel Heart saw his box of doughnuts sitting forlornly on the table. He stretched out a hoof and pulled out a doughnut. It had gone soft and greasy from standing out in the air, but he didn’t mind. “You know, all that mistrust between those town fellows... kinda goes to show how important harmony is in Ponyville. It’s pretty darn important,” he said to himself, taking a bite off the doughnut and chomping in front of the three mares. “Harmony. Without that, things just mess themselves up into some sort of chaos.” He waved the half-eaten doughnut at them. “You girls want some?” Rarity crinkled her nose and shook her head, refusing it politely. Steel Heart shrugged, popping the remaining chunk into his mouth and swallowing it down whole. The three mares were sweating, their pale faces evoking a playfully sadistic grin on Steel Heart. “Okay, that’s all I’m going to tell you for now,” he laughed. “You three like my story, I’m guessing.” Applejack planted a firm hoof down on his desk in response, a serious look on her face. “Officer, we’re in real trouble. You gotta help us.” Slightly taken aback, Steel Heart went on the defensive. “I really can’t do anything, even if I wanted to. My superiors would never mobilize the police to go around searching for something that you can’t even describe.” “But this is different! We aren’t mucking around and faking up some darn story. We need help.” Applejack paused, her face inches away from Steel Heart’s. “Isn’t this the place to go for help?” “I’m can’t, Miss Applejack. I’m sorry.” The earth pony lowered her head in resignation. “Yes... no, I’m sorry. You’re right, you are only the police.” She paused in silence for a few moments. “We’ll be on our way now then. C’mon Twi, let’s go.” Steel Heart watched the three mares leave. He couldn’t help but feel as though he had done something wrong. But no, that couldn’t be it. He was doing his job well. We’re police. Not ghost busters, not demon hunters... The old police officer found himself fiddling with his metal name tag. He unpinned it, examining his name engraved there in block letters, and then he knew that there was something else that he had forgotten to tell to the three mares. Princess Celestia walked along the deserted, dimly lit hallway. On either side of her, enormous black marble walls stretched high up to the dark ceiling. “Eclipse,” the sun goddess murmured. “An eclipse that turns fossils back to life.” She felt the marble under her hooves, strong and sturdy. If only she could be like that too. All she felt at the moment was uncertainty. “Fossils,” she thought aloud. “Fossils that turn back to life.” She made a turn to the left, entering a smaller hallway of marble. “Specific fossils that turn back to life.” The hallway ended with a pair of heavy double doors, stretching at least twenty hoofsteps wide on either side, rising all the way to the ceiling. A full-grown red dragon could easily fit through the set of doors and Celestia suddenly felt a little small, like a bug entering a tunnel. Strange magical symbols were carved along the edges of its frame. They pulsed in time with one another with the amber color of dying coals. Celestia came to a stop in front of the doors. She levitated out a small gold key from under her wing, inserting it into a small keyhole that was placed conveniently low enough for ponies to reach. The key was given a burst of magic, which seeped through its shining gold and into the metal. A few mechanical clunks came from the door. Slowly, the gears turned and it grinded open, revealing a dark void beyond. Celestia stood in front of the doorway, setting her eyes on the darkness before her. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through it. The sun goddess entered a massive chamber. Within it, two long rows of giant candles hung by the sides, each illuminating a small portion of the gleaming black walls, which gave off a soft sparkle against the candlelight. The twin rows of candles extended all the way to the back, the flames getting smaller and smaller until they were only flickering pinpricks of light at the end of the vast space. In the middle of the chamber, thousands of rectangular silver lecterns occupied the floor, placed in neat rows and columns. Each of the holders contained a single tome, bound and secured tightly using thick metal chains. Above her, a rectangular slab of old wood floated in the air, almost pony-sized. The Canterlot Arcane Library, it read, the words inscribed into the wood. Celestia took her time to marvel at the place. This hardly looked like a library at all. The walls of the chamber, for example, were made out of rare black diamond crystals, a queer material that functioned as a magical barrier, perfect for preventing thieves from teleporting into the chamber. She knew how important the tomes in this library were to her scientists and scholars, and to herself as well. The walls had else something hanging on them—old paintings, mostly of mythical creatures and beasts, just above the row of candles. On one, a phoenix spread its wings out in a stunning display of light and fire. And next to it was an Ursa Major, fully grown and towering above the trees, and after that... Celestia couldn’t make out what was after that. She stepped closer, squinting at the painting. “Oh... my,” Celestia murmured. She stared at the dark and murky serpent-like shape for a long moment, recalling how she had fought the creature long ago, sealing it up for eternity. Ever since then, it was thought to be nothing more than a myth or an old mare’s tale. Inspiration struck, and Celestia let out a small gasp. She knew what she was actually looking for now. The sun goddess ran along the aisle, counting down the number of lecterns she had passed. At row number forty-six, she turned right and moved ten spaces down, arriving at a silver stand that looked identical to the rest. Inside it sat a plain, black tome, its title a single word engraved in chunky, gold lettering. Celestia snapped the tome away from its chains. Turning around, she hurriedly made her way out of the library, and the giant double doors grinded shut behind her. Midnight fell upon Canterlot Castle, bringing with it a gloomy silence. One by one, the castle lights began to extinguish as the servants and workers turned in for the night. A single pony hurried through the dark Canterlot Castle hallways. He raced past the magical torches that hung on the walls in a row, burning with ethereal purple flames. Every now and then, light from the flames or the moon outside would catch onto him as he flitted past more corridors, turning his stone gray coat into silver. The pony raced up a spiral staircase that led to the highest point of the tower, finally entering through a small hallway connected to it. “Halt!” “Who goes there?” He froze, looking up to see a pair of massive unicorns guarding a door ahead, their sharp armor glinting in the moonlight. “It’s me, Aether Scroll. I need to speak to the Princess.” He moved up to the door, but the guards stopped him. “The Princess is busy,” the larger of the two guards growled in a deep voice. “Come at another time.” Aether Scroll glared at him, trying to catch his breath. Precious moments were ticking away, and he didn’t rush halfway up the castle just to be turned away like that. These guards were wasting his time. The scientist shook his head in frustration. “Look. It’s in the middle of the night. Do you pair of scatterbrains think I would be here if I didn’t have anything urgent?” Taken aback, the guard opened his mouth to argue, but he stopped, exchanging a glance with his companion. They shared a few words with each other before turning to him. “Very well,” the larger guard conceded. “You may enter.” Aether Scroll whipped his head up, raising his eyebrows. He didn’t expect the guards to give in so easily, but he didn’t mind. Wasting no time, he trotted up to the door, pushing it open and slipping quietly inside. A wave of warm air greeted him as he entered the room. He inhaled a breath of it, letting the pleasant, sweet smell fill his nostrils. Looking around, he could see that everything was kept as neat as ever. Books were stacked neatly inside a personal bookshelf, placed against a wall. A princess-sized four poster bed stretched out at the other side of the room, its cream colored sheets pulled neatly over the mattress. Lavish, deep purple curtains were drawn to the sides and tied to each of the posters. “Ah, good evening, Aether Scroll.” Princess Celestia’s voice made him jump a little, and he spun around in its direction. She was seated behind her golden study table, storing a few sheets of parchment away so that she could give her full attention to her visitor. “How is the magic running on your side?” Aether’s reply came out as a stammer. “Good, your highness. Very good.” Celestia glanced at him, her brow slightly furrowed. “Then why the grave expression on your face, old friend?” Her voice was soothing, like a mother speaking to her child. Aether Scroll looked at her in surprise. He didn’t realize that he was giving that expression. He tried forced out a lopsided grin, and it earned an affectionate smile from the princess. “Have a seat, Aether. Tell me what is bothering you.” Aether’s expression darkened. He stepped past the cushioned chair offered by the princess, pulling out a ripped sheet of paper from his saddlebags and slapped it on her desk. “Princess, this is going to concern you just as much as I,” he said, pushing the paper slowly across. The Princess frowned at him, picking it up carefully with her magic as if it was harmful. She gave it a long look, seemingly deep in thought. “Draconequus,” Aether Scroll interrupted. “It’s a sketch of a Draconequus.” “Yes Aether, I know.” She levitated the paper back to him confidently. “I understand your concern... in fact, I was a little worried myself.” Celestia pointed a hoof to the seat again, and this time Aether dropped himself onto it. “A painting down in the Arcane Magic Library triggered my memories, and I had to research on it immediately,” she continued. “The creature that you see here has been cast in stone. It was placed under a seal, a strong one at that. It is highly unlikely that the eclipse could have affected it, magical or not.” Celestia smiled at the scientist. “I will schedule a patrol of guards to check up on the statue in the morning,” she continued. “I assure you that I’m right—” “I have already sent off a team of pegasi guards to check the statue,” Aether Scroll interrupted again. “It’s missing.” The Princess remained silent for a few moments. “Missing? How is that even possible, Aether?” She rose up from her seat, a grave look in her eyes. “We are not talking about an ordinary spell here. I used the Elements of Harmony to create it, and that should have been strong enough to last. How could the seal have been broken?” “Princess.” Aether faced her, holding her gaze. “Spells, even the strongest, cannot stand up to one thing: the test of time. Decades have passed since it was formed and the magic has worn out over the years. Furthermore, the elements are no longer connected to you, the spellcaster. At this very moment, its power stands distributed among six different ponies, and you’re not even one of them.” Aether Scroll shook his head slowly. “The magic from the eclipse must have been the spark that finally broke the seal.” Celestia began to pace around the room, her eyes narrowing until they became tiny slits. A drop of sweat emerged from just under her ethereal forelock, sliding down the coat on her temple before getting trapped within her brow, disappearing among the hairs. She hardly noticed. “Princess,” Aether pressed on, “We must act at once. There is a magic-seeking monster on the loose in the Everfree forest.” He glanced at the ripped sketching lying on the table. “Ponyville now lies in danger... and we both know who the most magical unicorn there is.” ...and we both know who the most magical unicorn there is. The words seemed to echo around her head. Celestia barely heard what her lead scientist said after that. Instead, she paced slowly around the room, oddly captivated by putting one hoof in front of another. Her horseshoes clacked against the marble, forming a lifeless rhythm that she latched on to. It would help to calm her down, she hoped. A strange feeling was creeping up on her. It was cold, foreign, but yet vaguely familiar. The same feeling she had when she discovered the return of Nightmare Moon. One that she hadn’t experienced in years. Celestia felt the dreadful numbness all around her. Her mind was in a haze, and she needed a few moments to pull herself together. Looking slowly around the room, she caught sight of a large pile of royal business letters, rolled up into neat scrolls and each sealed with a shining golden Canterlot crest. A small crumpled scroll was at the top of the pile—Twilight’s friendship report. Celestia’s eyes brightened for a moment, before her expression changed into a frown of confusion. She lifted up the tiny brown scroll with apprehension and took her time to unfurled it. She was hardly aware of Aether Scroll leaving the room, for reasons that she didn’t hear. Celestia didn’t even hear the door shut, with all her attention focused on the letter. Inside, the lines were hastily written, its words slanted and scrawled, but still readable. Princess Celestia, I need your help. Something is after me. Something that lurks in the shadows and hides among the trees. Deep red eyes was what I saw, darker and colder than anything. It pierces through me, through my mind and soul. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what it wants. I’m scared, Princess. I don’t feel safe anywhere anymore. Strange things are starting to happen, and I don’t know what’s coming next. But I’m holding it out... holding it out together with Rarity in her boutique. I’m holding it out, waiting for you... I don’t have much time left. You’re my only hope, Princess. Save me. Splotches of black ink stained the paper as the quill broke. Any remaining notes in the letter would have been lost in the spill. Celestia lingered on Twilight’s last few lines. Her writing was more scrawled than ever, as if her quill was shaking badly as she wrote. “Twilight...” She noticed one last piece of information just below the splotches of split ink. Three circles drawn in a row, the largest on the left, followed by a medium and small one. “What have I done...” Celestia levitated over a sheet of parchment and slapped it down on Twilight’s emergency report. She grabbed a quill with her magic and began to write. “Hold on, my dear Twilight. I will be there for you,” Celestia murmured as she scribbled a hasty reply. She stopped suddenly, her quill floating in midair. The icy feeling crawled over her coat like a nest of ants, but there was something else added to it, something that was hot and becoming hotter. It came from a deep place in her body, growing steadily within her chest, smouldering and then burning like a fire. “I should have been there for you.” Celestia gripped the parchment with her magic, and before she knew it, she had incinerated it into a mess of burning scraps on her table. It didn’t seem to matter. She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing the fire up to the tip of her horn. Spinning around in a flash, she released a blinding white bolt of magic. It pulsed through the air, blasting away one of the beautiful stained glass windows in her room. Her gaze hardened at the thousands of sparkling pieces flying through the air, a single thought on her mind. Nothing will hurt Twilight Sparkle. Celestia cantered towards the broken window. She burst through the remaining shards of glass that still clung on to the frame, spreading her massive wings in the air and flying out into the night. Never-ending NightOoo Never-ending Night ooO In the darkness, Twilight Sparkle opened and closed her eyes. She did it once, twice, a number of times more. As far as she could tell, it didn’t make that much of a difference. Everything was pitch black around her. Letting her eyelids slide shut, Twilight lingered on the darkness behind them as she lay on her makeshift bed. She couldn’t find sleep. At least, not since the first night she sought safety in the Carousel Boutique. There was something about that story told by Steel Heart that made it swirl around her head. A story that was passed down through generations of police ponies. It was similar to that tale from the ancient black book: markings at the crime scene, symbols at the jewellery shop. A mysterious gemstone-loving thief and a cold-blooded murderer. They were connected. They had to be. Actually, now that she thought about it, everything was connected... the book, the symbols, the horrible death of Fluttershy’s pet. Twilight reached around for her pillow, bringing it close. She wrapped her legs around it firmly and pressed the soft fabric comfortably against her belly, as if she was hugging a friend: a soft and cuddly one. Feeling all troubled and shaky wasn’t going to help. She needed to take one thing at a time, to work things out slowly. Twilight took a deep breath in and exhaled out slowly. Her bed was next to one of the boutique’s windows, and placing it there was a good idea. She could listen to the pleasant calls of the crickets, the gentle rustling of the leaves in the light breeze as they brushed against one another. But a few minutes later, the peace was broken by a shrill cry, sounding from a distance away. Twilight raised her head, flicking up her ears. She heard the cry again, similar to the first. Feeling a little unnerved, the unicorn crept up to the window beside her bed and peered out. It was pitch black outside; she could only make out vague shapes in the darkness, that of trees and bushes. She wasn’t scared. No, she wasn’t. It was just that her dumb imagination was playing up on her. Terrifying, shapeless beasts materialized in her mind, ones with sharp teeth and claws, with horns and spiked tails. Ones with haunting red eyes... Twilight didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t need to. All she needed to know was that cries in the middle of the night were made by nasty things, maybe monsters even. And that meant that she was not going out to investigate on it. The unicorn clambered back onto the mattress and ended up standing on it awkwardly. She briefly considered waking Rarity up, but the mare would end up spending the rest of the night fussing over her. It was difficult to pin a large, fearsome monster to a rather... high-pitched cry like that. Twilight rubbed the side of her head with a hoof at the inconsistency. Blinking a number of times, she sat on her haunches, wrapping her tail around her hooves. Be more reasonable, she told herself. Monsters don’t make cries like that. The sound could have been made by a young filly, lost in the middle of the night. She nodded vigorously at herself, liking the idea. Then, her smile evaporated as she realized that she didn’t like the idea at all. What if it WAS made by a young filly lost in the middle of the night? Twilight couldn’t just leave her alone there, if that was the case. She shook her head and looked back out of the windows. And it’s so dark outside... Where are the street lights? Did they stop working? Twilight decided that the odds of that happening along with the unusual cries in the night were about one in a thousand, and when she saw that the lights had indeed stopped working, she decided that she probably had the worst luck ever. There was be a patch of forest across the street, as far as she could recall, and parts of it would have been lighted up by the street lights. Or should have been, rather. The cry sounded again, and this time it sounded as if it had come straight from the dark patch of forest. Possibly a cry of a tiny filly, a scrap of fur curled up under a massive tree, shivering, scared, maybe even wounded. Twilight had an idea of how that must feel like, having gotten lost as a filly once. She had abandoned her brother’s side along a crowded street in the Canterlot Bazaar. It had seemed like a perfectly fine thing to do, until she jumbled up her bearings. Things had gone downhill from there, and she had spent the whole day frantically searching around the sea of ponies for a familiar face. Ponies had bumped into her, knocking her off balance and sending her tumbling to the ground. It wasn’t until moonrise that the crowd had cleared out, and she was found crying at the end of an empty row of pushcarts, a large purple bruise covering the side of her face. She had been only twelve then. Now, the all-grown-up Twilight shivered at the memory. That had to have been one of the worst days of her life, and she wouldn’t wish it upon anypony. Okay, she decided. I can’t just ignore that. It’s time to pony up and check that noise out. Not wanting to wake Rarity up, Twilight moved around the boutique in the darkness, feeling her way to the door. She gently pushed it open with a forehoof, stepping out into the quiet night. The cold air seemed to cut into her throat as it filled her lungs. She stepped onto the hard, unforgiving sidewalk, and then continued across the cobblestone street. In the mornings, the street would be busy with merchants pushing their carts of goods to the market, but now, not a single pony was in sight. Her hooves knocked into a few loose pebbles along the way, causing them to skitter in front of her. She didn’t like the tiny and unpredictable noises they made. It took longer than expected because of her fear, but Twilight eventually reached the other side of the street. The dark forest stretched out in front of her. As she moved up to edge of the trees, she picked up the cry again, sounding a little closer. The unicorn looked nervously at the darkness ahead. She could make out shapes inside, black against black. She couldn’t tell what they were. The silhouettes of trees and bushes, or the outlines of unknown terrors? Suppressing a nervous gulp, Twilight cautiously made her way into the woods, her legs trembling ever so slightly and feeling a little like jelly. It was only a small patch of forest. She knew that. It didn’t matter that she had never went in before; she couldn’t get lost inside. And even if she did, it wasn’t dangerous like the Everfree. As Twilight continued on, the canopy of the forest gradually shielded the moonlight away, plunging the area into darkness. Tall grasses were beneath her hooves, throwing tiny dew drops on her fetlocks. Some of them had interlaced themselves into deceptive traps, waiting for a pony to become snared in their thorny vines. Once or twice, Twilight had unwittingly gotten caught, and the grass held on in twisted satisfaction as she struggled frantically to free herself. The unicorn narrowed her eyes at the grass, her hooves feeling a little sore. She bent down to lick the cuts around her hooves, much as Rarity’s pet cat would do, but there wasn’t any taste of blood. Instead, the drops of dew came off as pleasant icy bursts against her tongue. She smacked her lips in surprise, straightening up and continuing on to navigate her way between the woody trees and bushes. The forest looked the same no matter where she looked. She didn’t know how long she continued on like that, but she knew that she would be reaching the cries soon. They sounded close now. Eventually, she came across a small forest clearing. Padding up to it, she pushed past the line of trees and moved into the open space. Around the edges of the clearing, the trees were illuminated by the soft light of the moon, shining brightly in the patch of sky above. Twilight wondered if the sound could have been coming from somewhere around here. She couldn’t make out much, except for a few bushes growing in the clearing. One or two in the middle looked a little odd in shape. At least she could be thankful for the bright moon tonight. It gave her a slight edge of confidence, as if there was something nice watching over her. Twilight walked to the center of the clearing, feeling comfortable with testing out a spell or two. Focusing her magic to her horn, she formed a brilliant ball of light at its tip. The white star bathed a huge radius around her in light, turning the trees and bushes at the edge of the clearing a pale silver. Standing in the open space, Twilight wondered if she was making a wise choice. Probably not, she figured. Her magic would attract the attention of anything nearby. She quickly toned down the light until it was just bright enough for her to see, Twilight scanned the treeline, making sure that the shadows stayed where they were. Look, there’s nothin— Twilight spun around, noticing the leaves of the oddly-shaped bush in the middle of the clearing swaying, as if it had been disturbed. A dull creak came from its branches, and then it fell silent again. Something had moved it. That was why the bush was oddly-shaped in the first place—because something was hiding within. It was watching her, waiting to pounce. Its next meal was a juicy purple unicorn. If she didn’t do something she would be— Enough! Twilight gave herself a mental kick. She being so ridiculously paranoid. This was just a small patch of forest, nothing like the Everfree. Shaking her head in exasperation, Twilight inched towards the bush, despite the panic fluttering in her chest, straining to place one shivering hoof in front of the other. The light at the tip of her horn pulsed erratically as it fed off her fears. Trying to ignore it, Twilight raised her head higher up, letting the light shine into the bush at an angle. Stretching her neck forward, she could make out the dark outline of something hidden inside. A bushy mane, and then a snout, roughly equine in nature. A filly was trapped deep inside the bushes, with a yellow coat and a red tail. Then she saw a torn shred of an oversized bow tie hanging from the filly’s head. Twilight let out a surprised gasp. “Apple Bloom! Is that you?” The filly made a noise that fell between a croak and a whimper. The leaves of the bush budged a little as she moved. “Oh my gosh! What happened to you?” Twilight extinguished her horn. Without thinking twice, she used a foreleg to thrust the branches aside. Something sharp pierced deep into her skin, and Twilight drew back with a yelp. “Twilight...?” Apple Bloom called out uncertainly. Her voice had gone all raspy, as if it had cracked from too much shouting. “Help... help me.” “Oh, oh no! Are you tangled up really bad? How did you even get in there? Did you slip and fall into the bush?” All of a sudden, the little details seemed to be important as Twilight danced frantically on the spot. “Please help me, Twilight. Please...” “Don’t worry! I-I’ll find a way to get you out.” Twilight reached out a foreleg again, but paused halfway as she remembered how it had gotten pricked. Drawing it back sharply and rubbing her foreleg, Twilight realized that it did feel a little sore, and she tentatively held it up in the air. She lighted up her horn again, taking a look at her leg, which seemed perfectly normal. Then she promptly shifted her gaze to the bush and saw the sharp something that had pierced her. “Oh my gosh, these bushes are really prickly,” Twilight whispered, her eyes widening at the gleaming black thorns wrapped around the branches of the bush. Apple Bloom merely let out a weak sob in response. Twilight looked anxiously at the dense web of crisscrossing branches. “If your coat’s gotten caught up in them, I think I’m going to have to break these away one by one.” Wrapping her magic around the nearest one, she moved it experimentally. It was stronger than it looked, almost a strong as a vine. She bit her lip, knowing that she would need more force to pry it open. Concentrating her magic into a thin band of purple, Twilight looped it experimentally around the branch in a ring, bending the branch at an angle. It shivered under the pressure before finally giving in with a loud snap, and Apple Bloom cried out in pain. “I’m sorry!” Twilight exclaimed, “What happened?” “It hurts... it hurts.” Twilight looked anxiously at the tangle of thorny branches. “I’ll try to be more careful. not to move those around so much.” She focused on her next woody target, bending it more slowly this time. Her magic pulsed ever so slightly as she strained to keep a steady force on the branch. Apple Bloom twitched as it broke, but said nothing. One by one, Twilight painstakingly worked away at the branches, placing the woody pieces neatly in a growing pile next to her. Twilight pressed on, feeling her concentration straining. Eventually, the thorns were removed from Apple Bloom’s coat. Once the filly had enough space, she squeezed her way out of the bush, careful to avoid brushing her coat against more of the thorny overhangs. “Thanks so much Twilight.” Apple Bloom said in a hoarse voice, examining the scratches on her coat. “Ah would have been stuck here till morning if you... if you hadn’t come along.” Twilight nodded, then she groaned and sat down on the grass. A bad headache was starting to form just beneath her horn. She rubbed her temple, attempting to bring back her focus. “Ugh... I’m feeling a little dizzy now. I think I might have used too much magic. ” Apple Bloom shot a worried glance at her. “That needed a lot of magic?” “Yes, the branches are stronger than they look. It took a lot concentration to remove them, and carefully too, without pricking you.” “Oh...” Apple Bloom hung her head in shame. “Ah’m so sorry.” “It’s fine, Apple Bloom.” Twilight pushed herself up to her hooves. “What were you doing out here at this time anyway?” “We were playing hide and seek,” mumbled Apple Bloom, a sheepish look beginning to creep on her face. “Ah fell down a slope and ended up in the nasty bush there. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo probably thought that I had run off halfway or something. They didn’t come looking for me.” “Hide and seek at night?” The filly hung her head lower. “It was in the evening.” “Apple Bloom, you know that’s not safe...” “Ah’m so sorry, Twilight.” Apple Bloom shifted uncomfortably on her hooves. “And if it helps, Ah promise never to do that again.” Twilight gave a tired sigh. Her head was hurting badly. “Let’s take you back to Sweet Apple Acres.” She began to head back to the village, making sure that Apple Bloom was following close behind. Twilight couldn’t imagine why the Cutie Mark Crusaders would choose to play hide and seek in the forest. An added level of fun, maybe? Tracking through the vegetation and all. Maybe she would done it herself if she was younger. The unicorn blinked twice. Or maybe not; she would have stuck to reading. The bookworm and the filly continued along the dark cobblestone street and further out to the edge of town. Twilight kept within a few hoofsteps of Apple Bloom, casting occasional glances down at the filly to see that she was alright. Soon, the familiar shape of the farmhouse came into view, silhouetted against the moon, a long winding dirt path cutting across a field of tall grasses and leading up to it. Twilight noticed the soft yellow light coming from its windows. “You can leave me here, Twilight. Ah’ll head home myself.” Twilight looked from the farmhouse to the filly. “Are you sure? It’s just a short walk in.” “Ah... Ah don’t want you to hear Applejack scold me.” The unicorn paused. She bent down and gave Apple Bloom a soft nuzzle on her cheek, looking into the filly’s large, liquid eyes. Twilight gave her a comforting smile. “Hey... Applejack’s just worried about you. I’m sure she just wants to tell you that.” “I know,” Apple Bloom murmured. Twilight touched the filly’s forehead with her muzzle. “But she will never stop you from playing altogether, because we all need to have our fun.” The mare smiled and tapped a hoof to her chest. “Even us older ponies. She just wants you to be careful when you run around. You wouldn’t want to run into that bush again, would you?” Apple Bloom giggled in spite of herself. “No, of course not! That nasty thing.” “Don’t you think it was lucky that I found you?” Twilight continued. “Actually, I was a little afraid of entering the forest to begin with, but I realized that the cry sounded a lot like a filly’s, and so I decided to have a look around.” She closed her eyes and gave a soft sigh, as if letting out the last remaining flakes of fear. Things were all settled down now. “It’s been a long night,” she said, turning to Apple Bloom. “You should head home now.” The filly nodded obediently and gave Twilight a last nuzzle. “Thank ya so much Twilight. I really owe you a big one.” She turned around and began to walk towards the path. “Remember, stay safe!” Twilight called out. “Got it!” Twilight stood on the edge of the field, watching the filly make her way on the dirt path. She hoped that Apple Bloom had learnt a valuable lesson about safety tonight. A few minutes later, the unicorn gave a light giggle. Actually, she had learnt a lesson of her own as well—one about overcoming her own fears. Twilight stood there for a moment longer, the smile gradually fading off her face, her ears beginning to droop. Now that she thought about it, she was really tired. Her headache was back and her legs were aching from all that walking. She felt like lying on the ground there and then to sleep. Or maybe stay in the farmhouse for the night. The exhausted unicorn paused, giving that idea a few moments of serious thought. But a few moments later, she realized how bothersome that would be for Applejack. Twilight dropped her head as her hopes deflated like a punctured balloon, turning around and beginning the long trek home. Twilight had no problem finding her way back, despite how everything seemed to become darker still. The moon must have become dimmer. But that didn’t matter, she was only a short way from the boutique, walking along the small cobblestone street with the forest at her side. And when she reached it, she would give her hooves a wash and head straight to bed. Perhaps she would look up on those thorny bushes too, if her schedule allowed her to tomorrow. Twilight took a shortcut through along the edge of the woods. As she dragged her hooves against the grass, she let her head hang in exhaustion, her gaze wandering to the ground passing underneath her hooves. She noticed, almost lazily, that a dark spot of mud had splattered over a few long blades of grass, staining them black against the moonlight. Twilight sighed, reminding herself once again to scrub her hooves thoroughly with soap when she got back. Without much thought, she took a few steps back to look at the spot again, only to discover that it was actually a drop of liquid that had partially dried up. Twilight stared at it dumbly for a few seconds, her mind foggy and throbbing in pain. She decided to smear it against the grass, and it turned dark red in color. A gasp escaped her lips, then she winced as her head responded with a hissing bolt of pain. Her thoughts snapped back to Apple Bloom. Was she bleeding? Was she that badly hurt? How deep were her scratches? Were the thorns poisonous? ...What if they were? Twilight danced on her hooves, and her head screamed in protest as she fretted about the blood and the thorns and Apple Bloom. Through her scrambled mind, she tried to recall how the bush looked like. A bush, a big one. With black thorns. Big bush with black thorns. Big bush, black thorns. Her headache forgotten, she raced back into the forest, under the thick canopy and around the tree trunks. She skidded to a halt, suddenly remembering an old spell she had picked up years ago. Spreading her legs apart into a defensive stance, she squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating the magic into her horn and feeling it collect into a thick aura. When she opened her eyes, her horn was glowing ruby red. A simple sweep of her magic revealed similarly colored specks on the ground, sparkling like miniscule jewels amongst the undergrowth, too small to form a direct trail, but enough for her to follow. Confident that she was being led to the bush, Twilight moved deeper into the forest. It felt as though the trees were growing closer together, their trunks scraping against her coat and depositing bits of scratchy bark between the soft hairs. Ducking under more branches of woody fingers and moving around a set of warped tree trunks, she struggled to keep track of the tiny specks of blood. The clearing wasn’t too far in, and it shouldn’t be, but it was difficult to gauge how much distance she had covered. She slowed down a few times to catch her breath, taking in the musky scents of the forest with the icy air. Keeping her spell up, she scanned the ground. The blood seemed to come in little droplets now. She spotted one on a leaf, an irregular spot, glowing crimson red against her magic. Stretching out a foreleg, she pushed the leaf with the tip of her hoof and it tilted sideways. The blood rolled off its waxy surface and fell to the grass in a fat drop. Twilight felt a tinge of disgust mixing with her fear. She hated seeing split blood like that. It made her spine tingle. The blood couldn’t have come from Apple Bloom. The filly couldn’t have been that badly injured. Twilight knew she would have noticed that. And the blood was fresh... Feeling confused, Twilight continued on, stumbling around in the dark forest. Her headache had formed a dull cloud of pain around her sleep-addled mind. Then, as fast as lightning, a thick length had caught her around the neck, rapidly tightening around her throat. A snake! A SNAKE! Her hooves sprang up in reflex, desperately trying to wrestle the vile creature away. Terrifying seconds passed before she managed to throw it off, collapsing to the ground in a crumpled heap. Panting, she looked around wildly. Then, she saw that the snake wasn’t a snake at all, but a low hanging vine. Her eyes narrowing at it, Twilight raised a hoof and prodded suspiciously at the living rope. Her throat felt sore now, and she had the feeling it would stay that way for a good few hours. Twilight lighted her horn for a brief moment. She didn’t need to keep the spell up all the time now, only using it when she needed to. As she trekked through the forest, she noticed specks of dark on the leaves and the grass. But now they looked more like dark splotches. Whatever it was, Twilight knew that she was close to it. She stepped over a thick branch that had broken off, one leg over at a time. She didn’t want to get cut on all those sharp pieces. Then she wondered why were there were broken branches lying around. In front of her, the splotches of blood had formed a rough trail. Looking further ahead, she realized that she could recognize the patch of forest there. Those trees marked the entrance of the clearing. Twilight raced towards the clearing, her spine back to its tingling. Suddenly, the trail of blood veered abruptly to one side, continuing into another part of the forest. Twilight slowed to a halt and frowned in confusion, looking from the stains to the clearing and back to the stains. Then, she abandoned the trail and continued straight ahead into the clearing. She crashed through the line of trees and into the clearing, cantering to where the black thorny bushes would be, or should have been. Standing in the middle of the clearing, Twilight looked at the mess of splinters and twigs at her hooves. Leaves lay strewn around the ground, along with pieces of stem, bark and branches. The bush had been completely destroyed, with some parts of it even being uprooted, leaving its roots exposed. Twilight picked her way around the mess, staring at the pieces of wood. Did I do this? She wasn’t sure. Maybe that was why she had been so exhausted after freeing up Apple Bloom. The amount of energy spent must have been enormous. She levitated up a broken branch. It had its top half sliced off cleanly, as if by a blade. There were smaller cuts running along its length, and bits of stem had been gorged out. I didn’t... make these. Twilight was sure she didn’t. She had broken the branches, not sliced through them, and she definitely didn’t uproot anything. It looked like the bush was the only thing destroyed. All the rest of the vegetation had remained untouched. Twilight’s throat felt a little dry as the mystery deepened. She thought of the splotches of blood again, and how they appeared to be fresh. They couldn’t have come from Apple Bloom. That would have been all dried up by now. That was a good thing... was it? She remembered that the trail of blood had veered off to the side. She hasn’t taken a look around that area yet. Maybe she should. Twilight placed the branch down. She retraced her steps back to the treeline and into the forest. It didn’t take long, and with a flash of her horn, she found the dark stains on the grass again, which glowed briefly from her magic. She veered away from the clearing, following it closely. Not twenty hoofsteps later, the splotches collected in especially large patches on the grass a distance away, black against the lighter gray of grass. Squeezing around a giant tree and pushing through a thin curtain of vines, Twilight moved towards the dark patch. She lignited her horn and used it as a source of light. Something small and furry lying in the middle of the patch, hidden among the clumps of blood-stained undergrowth. Her stomach tightening, From what she could make out, it was a tiny scrap of fur that had once been a possum. The poor creature had been crushed against the ground, its blood splattering the grass around it. Twilight stared at its body, lifeless and broken and gray. A wave of terror crashed along her spine. It was here, lurking around in the dark forest. The monster. The thing that blended in the shadows. The one with haunting red eyes and a freakish head. Snapping her head up, Twilight spun around sharply, looking at the trees that loomed around her. She didn’t know why it had come here. There was nothing here. It was supposed to be a small forest. It was supposed to be safe. She had only used a few spells for light and a few more on the bush. And now that bush had been shredded to pieces. The hairs along her spine stiffened, and her muscles began to tense up. The horrible feeling spread through her body down each of her four hooves. Her magic. Some of it would have lingered, especially after the huge amount she had channeled into breaking its branches. Hardly daring to breathe, she stood on the spot. Her throat felt dry. The shadows didn’t seem so still now. Yet everything was quiet. Too quiet. Twilight felt her wits snap under the pressure. Letting out a terrified scream, she began an adrenalin-powered dash back to the clearing. She would have sworn that sharp rustles burst from the trees in response. Sounds that did not belong to her. As Twilight burst into the clearing, she looked frantically around at the line of trees, wondering which direction was the right way out. Oh Celestia, oh Celestia... They looked all the same. Everything did. She couldn’t think of where to go. There was something coming from a distance behind. Unnerved, she picked out a bunch of trees that looked familiar and cut across the clearing, moving towards and then past them. She dived into the dense forest once again, tripping on the roots and getting caught among the treacherous vines. The branches clawed at her mane and her coat, as if displeased at her escaping. The unicorn ran through the forest, certain of the shadows and rustles that followed her. She had lost her bearings again, but there was no time to think. Keeping her attention split between the movements in the woods and untangling herself from the trees and bushes, Twilight wondered if she was nearing the edge of the forest. She needed to get out of this place fast, perhaps move out to the open, where she could see things clearly... Where there were houses and ponies and help. It was supposed to be a small patch of forest; she kept telling herself that. Why do the trees look so different? Twilight looked around at the hideously warped trunks and crooked branches. Something was not right. In fact, something was very, very wrong. She was familiar with these crooked trees. They belonged to a different area and a different forest. Acting on impulse, Twilight made a sharp turn, her hooves digging into the earth as she changed direction. The trees were the same no matter where she looked, twisted and corrupted. The dark woods sped past her, tall trees looming around her as she ran, blocking out the moonlight and plunging the area into darkness. Twilight knew something was watching her, some unknown horror that raced amongst the shadows, rustling the leaves and causing the occasional snap of a twig. But every time she shot a glance back to see what was chasing her, she could only make out shadows flitting among the trees. The sounds grew fainter and fainter as she galloped. Eventually, she slowed to a trot, stopping to lean against the rough bark of a tree trunk. Putting a hoof to her heaving chest, Twilight fought to catch her breath. She was stuck in the middle of the with strange things all around and no help. It was like living in a nightmare. Twilight Sssparkle... A snap. Another snap. A series of deliberate, slow crunches, the sound of grinding bone and popping sinews. Twilight jolted her head up, turning in a clumsy circle, trying to look everywhere at once. She caught sight of a few bushes trembling. Seconds later, a figure stepped out, pony-shaped in the darkness. It looked to the left, and then to the right, as if trying to orientate itself. The pony shape took a few steps forward, its belly wobbling ever so slightly. It moved under the moonlight, revealing an old pony in a navy blue uniform, a few bloodied scratches on his coat where the uniform had been ripped apart. It was Officer Steel Heart. The Darkest HourOoo The Darkest Hour ooO As the cold hung heavy in the air, the two ponies looked at each other, their breaths coming out in puffs of swirling mist that vanished quickly. Around them, the crooked branches of trees reached out like blackened claws. Twisted trunks were flecked with strange warts and bumps, swirling and morphing into convincing wooden masks of hatred. The trees came alive in a sea of wicked faces. Hollow eyes tracked the ponies that dared stop in their corrupted woods. “What are you doing here?” Steel Heart asked, meeting her gaze. “But officer,” Twilight stared at the pony, “how... how did you even get here?” In a twisted irony, the pair had been facing each other in the police station only hours earlier. A moment of silence passed between them, and several pairs of luminous eyes gathered like lanterns in the darkness. “Miss Sparkle,” the old policepony said, “a report of a missing filly came in at midnight. I suspect that she might have wandered into the Everfree forest.” His tone was as cold as ice. “What? But we’re not even in the Everfree,” Twilight said. She looked at the trees around her. “Are we not?” The policepony’s voice sounded strangely hollow. As wind blew, the branches rubbed against one another in a ghostly song. Somewhere above, a crow let out a harsh caw, and another echoed from a distance away. Twilight took a few steps back, her eyes growing rounder and rounder. “We’re in the Everfree Forest... are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?” “I’m searching for the filly,” Steel Heart said, turning away. Suddenly, Steel Heart snapped his head back to her, an expression of cold fury on his face. “What are you doing here?” the policepony accused, as if Twilight was responsible of all this. “You’re not supposed to be here. You didn’t happen to have come across a filly, did you?” Twilight creased her eyebrows in confusion, but suddenly she knew what the policepony was talking about. “M-Me? I don’t even—Oh! Of course, Apple Bloom,” she blurted, slapping a hoof to her cheek. “Yes, there was missing filly, officer. She’s safe and sound now, all the way back at home.” Twilight gulped, her pupils dilating. “But we’re not. Not safe at all, I mean.” “Where is the filly?” Ignoring the question, Twilight scanned the area, sweeping across the numerous pairs of eyes in the darkness. Her fur prickled uneasily. It wasn’t the eyes she was afraid of. “We have to move out of here, because something terrible is happening. This place isn’t safe. I think that there’s some kind of monster on the loose, the same one that I was telling you about earlier today.” Twilight looked around again. “If we hurry, we could get out before anything bad happens.” Beginning to walk in the direction that Steel Heart came from, Twilight paused. “Come on, you know the way out, don’t you?” To her surprise, a rough tug by the policepony pulled her back. “I want to see the filly.” His voice was hollow again. Feeling a little uncomfortable, Twilight shrugged away from him. “Um... the filly is back at her home in Sweet Apple Acres. But that’s not important—we need to get out of this place now.” She turned around to stare at Steel Heart. “Are you okay?” Steel Heart remained on the spot, as if in a temporary stupor. Staring for a few moments, Twilight used her magic to tug him along by his shirt, but the tension broke with a rip. She paused, lifting up the torn piece of his uniform. A small stain of blood was on the scrap of fabric, and Twilight looked from it to the policepony. “What... happened to you?” The policepony’s lips suddenly curled up into a dark smile. “The Everfree Forest does things to ponies.” Twilight nodded, backing away a little. She dropped the piece of ripped uniform with an involuntary shudder. “You’re right. Which is why we need to—” “I want to see the filly.” As she struggled to figure out his strange behaviour, Twilight could feel desperation beginning to seep into her. What was wrong with this pony? she thought. “Steel Heart, I’ve taken her home. I don’t understand what you mean, but if it helps, we can check on her later. We have to go now.” More pairs of luminous eyes had appeared. They filled the darkness in a variety of shapes and color. Some were small and yellow while others were deep orange with black, elongated pupils. Twilight couldn’t figure out what dangerous creatures they belonged to, but she knew it was unwise to linger any longer. The old policepony growled, and his response chilled Twilight to the bone. “You’re lying,” he hissed. “There is something that you’re hiding from me. I can feel it. You’re lying.” Steel Heart rounded up on Twilight, and she backed away instinctively. “I am not leaving until I solve this case,” he spat as his eyes glazed over, “till I redeem my name as one of the great Hearts like I should have been.” “But you’ve got it wrong!” Twilight pleaded desperately. “She’s at home. I can bring you to see her tomorrow!” “I am not leaving till I’ve found that filly!” As his voice echoed through the trees, the forest seemed to dip into an unnatural silence, as if some unspoken law had been broken. Countless pairs of eyes hung in the darkness like that of ghosts. “Please... please stop, Steel Heart,” Twilight begged in a strained voice. She looked from policepony to the glowing eyes. Steel Heart stopped suddenly, spinning around to face the depths of the forest. An insane glint formed in his eyes as he bared his decaying teeth in a snarl. “I will solve this case! I will!” With a howl that sounded like that from a lone wolf, he raced into the dark forest before Twilight could stop him. With him, a hundred pairs of glowing eyes vanished. Twilight Sparkle felt as if the air had thickened into a cloud of fog around her mind. As she stared at the spot Steel Heart had disappeared from, Twilight opened and closed her mouth several times, feeling confused and frightened and utterly lost. No, she thought. No, it’s not safe. He’ll get attacked. Something’s wrong with him. Help!I have to get help. A trickle of panic found its way into Twilight’s stream of fear and confusion. Help... She needed help, and then she could find Steel Heart. But only he knew the way out. She fell back on her haunches. Help. How in Equestria was she supposed to find help? There was only darkness and fear here, a few luminous eyes among the trees to keep her company. She needed to get out, but she couldn’t. She might be stuck here for hours more, surrounded by all sorts of dangers and terrifying monsters in the shadows. And what was that thing that had been chasing her, before Steal Heart appeared? It had sounded like the hideous pony-serpent thing, but she couldn’t be sure. There were so many things that were uncertain, so many dangers lurking around. She couldn’t even be sure if she would be able to see the sun rise again. Twilight dropped to the ground entirely, her breaths turning into quiet sobs. It was too much. It was all too much. She would give anything to have a friend here. Anything that could offer her a shred of comfort or security. Her friends... Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. It felt so long since she had last seen them. How long ago since they had last been together? Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy. Reciting their names in her head should have helped a little, but instead it made her feel lonelier than ever. She looked up, trying to imagine her friend was standing before her. Kind and friendly as ever, Applejack would have said something to comfort her: ‘Cheer up, sugarcube, bad things don’t last forever,’ or ‘Keep yer head up and keep going!’ Twilight knew the mare well enough. Applejack wouldn’t want her to give up like this. None of her friends would. That’s enough, Twilight decided. A heave, a push, and she was back on her hooves. She rubbed away the tears from her face, her throat feeling dry from crying. There was no more energy in her muscles, but still she forced herself onwards. Her friends were waiting back home. No sooner had she taken three steps, a disconcerting sound reached her ears, like the hollow cackle of an disembodied head. She peered in the direction of the disjointed sounds, almost forgetting the dangers around her. “Hello, is somepony there?” Clackclackclackclackclack... “Steel Heart?” she called out hopefully. A woosh, followed by a rustle of the leaves, as if moved by a ghost. All the remaining pairs of eyes in the darkness vanished at the sound, accompanied by a few terrified squeals of the creatures that they belonged to. After a second or two the air fell still. Then it was not still. A flurry of moving branches followed, jumping from bush to bush, finally coming to a rest in the darkness just beyond Twilight’s field of vision. And then she saw it: a single pair of blood-red eyes opening up. Twilight let out a scream, backpedalling on the forest floor and kicking up dead leaves in her haste. But her retreat was cut short as a hind hoof caught against a knobby root. She tripped, tumbling to the ground and rolling on the layer of dead leaves. There wasn’t time to scramble away. Hastily pushing herself up, she could only watch the horror unfold before her. The thing began to slither into the shafts of moonlight. Each of its limbs was a part taken from a different animal, hair giving way to black scales as they blended in perfectly to its serpentine body. It moved in a disturbing way, slithering and sliding as if controlled by a sick puppeteer. Twilight remained frozen, the blood draining from her face, and the hairs on her coat felt like they were crawling with insects. “S-stay back!” she cried out suddenly. Still the creature advanced toward her, two warped bone-like protrusions glinting on its head, one longer than the other. Several gray patches revealed themselves along the creature’s body as it drew closer, as if those areas had been turned dead into stone. Crouching into a defensive position, Twilight dug her hooves in the soil. “I-I’m not afraid of you,” she repeated in a shaky voice. A small thought at the back of her mind told her that she could never be as brave as a pony like Rainbow Dash, who wouldn’t have even tried escaping in the first place. Rainbow would have turned to fight the moment anything threatened her. Twilight clenched her jaws together, forcing a purple glow into her horn. Her resolve hardened as she thought about Rainbow Dash, and her horn glowed brighter. It didn’t matter that she was still trembling in fear. “I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!” A blinding beam of light erupted from her horn, filling the forest and engulfing her vision in a sea of white. Twilight was forced to shut her eyes, and she could only feel the intense heat warming her coat like the midday sun. As quickly as it came, the light died down. Twilight slowly cracked open her eyes and looked beyond her sizzling horn. To her horror, the creature appeared to be alive, its dark scales unblemished in the moonlight. Twisting its body, it reared up like a gigantic serpent preparing to strike. Twilight’s eyes widened. In defence, she shot a quick pulse of laser, the purple streak arcing up towards the creature’s head. But just before it struck, the creature’s maw opened, sucking in the magical energy as if it was just a gust of vapour caught in a web. A brief flash of purple emanated from the protrusions on its head. Then the monster lunged towards her in a flash. Snapping to her senses, Twilight dropped and rolled on the ground. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she heard the crunch of branches as the creature missed and crashed behind her. There was no time to catch her breath. Before she could react, a jagged tail swished through the air and wrapped around her body. A huge swing threw her up. For a brief moment she shrieked as she flew through the air, but her voice ended abruptly as she slammed against a tree and slided to the ground in a crumpled heap. She lay stunned, taking in a few ragged breaths as the world spun around her, a trickle of warm liquid creeping down from her forehead. Then she scrambled back to her hooves, looking wildly around. The creature had disappeared seamlessly into the shadows. Where is it? she thought, WHERE IS IT? Twilight pumped out multiple laser shots in a wild panic. They flew in all directions, bouncing off the trees. One went totally off, spiralling toward the sky. Yet she knew it was no use, after how it devoured her magic. There was no way to fight it, unless... She gasped, feeling a flicker in her mind, an idea caught like a fly in a web. Quickly, she forced her exhausted supply of magic out. A shapeless aura formed in the air, swirling and gathering together in a glowing sphere of light. As more magic was added, the sphere became brighter and denser. Twilight manipulated and plucked at her magic, stretching the mass into an elongated shape. It became denser still, flattening out and forming a sharp tip at one end and a rounded handle on the other. Slowly, the raw magic was beginning to take the shape of a weapon. Caught up in her work, Twilight didn’t see the black mass dropping out from the trees above. The next few moments passed in a flash. Twilight felt herself slamming against the ground. A flurry of teeth and claws followed as she flailed her hooves in the air wildly, but she was pinned helplessly against the ground. Sharp things plunged like knives into her soft belly. Twilight gasped, her pupils contracting into pinpricks. Warm blood spurted out of the wound, trickling down her coat. She didn’t scream or struggle. Instead, her stomach turned into ice, and the air seemed to drop into a frigid cold. Help, Twilight thought. A distance away, she could see her magical dagger evaporating like a wisp of vapor to the darkness. The claws withdrew with a sick squelching sound. A cold, scaled body coiled around her like a python of death, pressing against her body and squeezing the air out of her lungs. Twilight felt as if she was being lifted off the ground. Her weak lungs struggled to breathe, but only the vile stench of death and decay filled her nostrils. The blurred outline of a pony head hovered above, its snake-like eyes staring into hers. Its jaws stretched unnaturally wide, and behind its rotting fangs lurked a shapeless tentacle, blacker than night. “No, please... please... don’t.” Twilight’s said in a weak whisper. In one mouth swift motion, the ethereal tentacle wrenched her jaws open and shot down her throat. Twilight convulsed as the invader reached down into her heedlessly, squirming and slithering around her stomach, smashing against her ribcage from within. Twilight’s face contorted into a silent scream. As she writhed and thrashed about in uncontrollable spasms, she was faintly aware of a soft stream of magic flowing out of her and up through the tentacle. The dead patches of gray that she could see on the creature were changing, rapidly regenerating back into skin and scales. With every passing second, Twilight felt herself relaxing against her will. It felt wrong in every way, her instincts screaming at her to get away, but her body unable to do any more than twitch. Her hooves felt heavy, and she was content to let them fall limply by her sides whilst she savoured the pleasant numbness spreading through herself. The world swirled and stretched, and in front of her the tentacle continued to drain a purple glow from her. Twilight was on the ground again, though she couldn’t remember falling. She felt the life seeping out of her like a trickle of water from a broken pipe. As time passed, the feeling became lighter still, or it might just been her senses pulling tricks on her. Feeling more lightheaded than ever, as if she was floating in the air, Twilight pricked her ears uncertainly as a voice called out to her, sounding far in the distance. Twilight Sparkle! TWILIGHT! It was somepony familiar, and after a while Twilight thought that it sounded like Princess Celestia. It was Princess Celestia! She was here. Here to guide Twilight through her darkest hour in the night. If only she could see her beloved teacher one more time... but through her hazy vision, Twilight could only make out the grass under her, stained with dark splotches that looked out of place. Paint, she thought dully, somepony must have dripped paint there. She didn’t have energy to figure out why. Resting her head on the soft grass, Twilight closed her eyes. Her body slumped forwards, and in the same moment the forest filled with a blinding white light. In the distance above, Princess Celestia angled her wings and banked sharply, streaking down to the forest. She knew there was no time to lose. Initially headed for Ponyville, she had veered off course when something had caught her attention—a single purple spark, shooting out of from forest and spiralling erratically to the sky. The sea of pointed treetops sped towards her in a blur, rising faster and faster as the cold night wind swirled and buffeted the ethereal hair of her mane. Still, Celestia willed herself to travel faster. Speed was of the essence now. The treetops crashed into her in a great mass of leaves and branches. Celestia squeezed her eyes shut as the scratchy leaves whipped against her face. Breaking past the layer of trees, the branches snapping under her like brittle fingers, she finally landed on the ground with a firm thud. Folding her wings and straightening, she opened her eyes to scan her surroundings. It was even darker under the forest canopy, where the moonlight settled in small patches among the leaves, but even then Celestia noticed something massive and black coiled up in a small clearing ahead. A smaller shape was trapped within, and as the monster unravelled itself, the shape flopped to the ground like a discarded rag doll. In the next few seconds, the vague pony figure twitched its limbs a little before finally falling still. Celestia felt her blood turn to ice. As her fears worsened, she sent up an illumination flare to the area, only to see her student lying crumpled on the ground, her coat almost losing its lavender hue. A gasp escaped her lips. “Twilight Sparkle! TWILIGHT!” A hollow, rattling breath pulled Celestia’s attention away. The creature had turned its attention towards her now. It locked its hungry eyes on her, taking a step toward her on its mismatched limbs, and then another. Setting her horn aglow, Celestia lifted her head and stood her ground. This monster had ruthlessly crushed her student. There was no remorse, no pity. After years of passive calmness, her composure shattered like fragile glass and power surged from deep within her chest. “Die, wretched beast!” she growled. A burst of pure, white-hot magic erupted from her horn. The air flashed and cracked as magic zigzagged through it like electricity, forking out into tiny pulses before converging back into one. With an explosion of light and thunder, the pulse connected with the creature’s scaled body, but almost immediately the sound grew warped and then muted, as if it had been somehow absorbed. The creature twisted around itself. Its black scales festered as if they had a life of their own, and the protrusions on its head emanated a violet light. A gasp escaped from Celestia, and a thought emerged: stolen magic. A wave of energy travelled up to the crooked appendages, and a blast of violet laced with black flames shot towards her. Stunned, Celestia failed to dodge the attack, taking the blast squarely on her chest. She stumbled backwards, her coat smoking and a charred patch of black on her. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Celestia straightened up, preparing for any further attacks. She knew it wasn’t her own magic being used against her, but it felt just as familiar, because it had once belonged to her student. Now a dark force had defiled it, and the mere thought of that vile creature violating Twilight’s magic made Celestia burn with cold fury. All of a sudden, the monster shot up towards the trees, disappearing among the dark canopy. Seconds later another streak of purple emerged, leaving a thin trail of smoke and as it ripped through the air towards her like a missile. Another appeared from the branches just behind, and then even more shots followed a distance away. Eyes trailing the magic bolts heading towards her, Celestia ignited her horn, and a powerful shield of magic was created around herself just moments before the bolts could incinerate her. She watched grimly as the blasts smashed violently against the barrier, sizzling like acid. Celestia knew that she would not be able to hold up forever, but there wasn’t a need to. True enough, there was a pause in the assault, the air left with nothing but thin wisps of smoke. Celestia seized the opportunity for a counter attack, charging up her magic. A brilliant orb of light was produced, rising up from the tip of her horn. As it gathered more energy, it grew brighter. Reaching a peak in height, it slowed to a stop, hovering above her like a miniature sun. There must be no veil of darkness for the monster to hide under. As more power surged into the orb of magic Celestia felt her mane and tail changing, becoming lighter and more ethereal like translucent clouds of sparkling silk. Her coat glowed with a pristine, majestic white. Then the miniature sun above exploded with blinding white light, producing a shockwave that rippled past her and through the forest, obliterating the very darkness, stripping the leaves off the trees and turning them to dust. Deep rumbles echoed through the ground long moments after. A crack came from above and Celestia caught a glimpse of the creature, its scales smoking. Although the elements of harmony were no longer in her possession, Celestia knew what she had to do. The draconequus had to be destroyed once and for all. Channelling her magic again, she produced a disc of pure energy. Several sparks of electricity danced along its surface, and more appeared with each passing moment. The spell grew stronger, and the more power that was fed into it, the more it seemed to need. Streaks of light appeared among the grass and trees, and the stray magic from the surrounding environment was rapidly pulled into the energized disc, being transfigured into showers of sparks. All the while, Celestia was well aware of the draconequus travelling between the dark branches, moving closer to her. She could only hope that the spell would be completed in time. Multiplying themselves, the sparks danced and swirled in electric blue waves. When the material seemed to be made out of nothing but sparks, the mystical substance warped and bent, and six individual blades extended out from the middle, the disc itself forming a centrepiece. As the magical input began to ebb, each of the blades hardened and cooled. A loud crack interrupted from the branches above. In a flash, the draconequus lunged at her with a terrifying screech. The six-bladed star hovered firmly in Celestia’s grasp, glowing in whites and golds. A quick swish, a mighty swing. Celestia felt grim satisfaction as she felt her magic slice through flesh. The creature let out a strangled sound as it fell to the ground, writhing and slithering backwards as black liquid oozed out of its wound. Seizing the chance, Celestia pushed the attack. She wielded her weapon by its centerpiece, sending it flying back and forth in a blur of light. Strike after strike landed on the draconequus, slicing through its scales and spurting out blackness. She could show no mercy, not after what it did to Twilight. Despite Celestia’s relentless attacks, the creature managed to lunge forward in a counterattack. The glaive swung towards its jaws, and to her horror the magic faltered, warping the weapon’s shape as easy as bending a feather. With a violent tug, the glaive flew out of her grasp and disappeared into the black abyss of the draconequus’s maw. A wave of dizziness washed over Celestia. She staggered back, feeling the a part of her power lost, draining away from her mane and coat. With wide eyes, she watched the draconequus curl around itself in a quivering mass. She knew something was not right with it. In a brilliant flash of light, the creature exploded into huge plumes of orange flames. The creature thrashed about in agony as the fire tore into its body, screeching like a tortured soul from the depths of Tartarus. Hardly aware of having been thrown back by the force of the explosion, Celestia pushed herself up, watching with mixed wonder as the creature was consumed by the great fireball. With a final roar, the draconequus crashed to the ground, its body disintegrating into ash within seconds. It was all over in a few minutes, the forest falling silent and the blue of dawn breaking through the bare canopy. Celestia limped past a number of smoking trees and blackened bushes, staggering to the side of the clearing, where she could make out Twilight’s still form among the grass, the unicorn almost looking like she was asleep. Crouching down, Celestia could only stare at the terrible injuries on Twilight’s body. Her coat was drained of color and matted with dried blood, most coming from the deep puncture wound on her chest. Celestia couldn’t help but think that Twilight had been fed upon on like lowly prey. Taking deep breaths, the goddess closed her eyes as the reality of it all came down upon her. She lowered her head, her shoulders slumping forwards in defeat. It mattered not how long she would remain there, or how the sky fell stagnant in dawn, holding for the sun to be raised. Nothing seemed to matter all that much anymore. Celestia brought her face close to Twilight’s broken body, nuzzling her soft, faded coat. A stray tear seeped out of the goddess’s closed eyes, rolling down her cheek. “May the light guide your soul, Twilight Sparkle,” she murmured. Gradually, Celestia became faintly aware of a light shining through the dark curtain of her eyelids. It was soft, almost teasing, like warm rays of the morning sun. With a growing curiosity, she cracked open her eyes. Back at the clearing a glowing purple orb was rising from the ash, its diameter no bigger than the base of her hoof, drifting towards Twilight’s body. It rested above the unicorn’s chest for a few moments, before disappearing into her coat. The light vanished, and everything fell still under the inky blue of dawn. SunriseOoo Sunrise ooO Twilight felt nothing but cold. When she opened her eyes, there was nothing more than vast black space that stretched on for eternity. Coldness. Emptiness. With a growing uneasiness, she realized that she couldn’t feel her hooves or her neck or any other part of her body. Her composure snapped away like brittle twigs in a storm. Help! she yelped suddenly, but even her voice was missing. No, let me out! Let me out! Twilight couldn’t run or hide or scream. Even the most primal functions had been torn away from her, leaving only her consciousness to float aimlessly in this boundless oblivion. Minutes passed, or maybe even hours. There was no way to keep track of the passing of time, so she could only wait, regardless of whether she wanted to or not. But then there was something at last! Something, something strange seeping into the blackness. A swirl of lavender it was, spreading and blooming like an ethereal flower. Twilight sparked with delight. Anything was better than the plain darkness. Watching the lavender swirl and diffuse out, she thought it looked a bit like adding those colorful drops of chemicals to flasks of clear water back in the laboratory. Lavender was a nice color, she thought. Actually, she was really fond of lavender; it was so... her! The fact that not many ponies had lavender coats was something that she was secretly happy about. Twilight smiled inwardly as the lavender continued to spread. How strange it was to be sitting here, thinking to herself and watching color cover her vision. Then the lavender stopped spreading, and a drop of blue appeared—barely noticeable at first—spiralling and growing like a whirlpool from the deep oceans. A few moments later, a deep red was added, as lush as the roses on Hearts and Hooves Day. Now three colors occupied the space, spreading out like spilled paint. Yet as Twilight watched, still more colors appeared. Bright bursts of sunflower yellow broke through the mix, followed by shades of blues and greens. Twilight wanted to laugh in joy as she watched them dance and swirl around her in a beautiful kaleidoscope. The colors spun around as if turned by a circular wheel, faster, and then faster still. In a breathtaking moment, they combined to form a pure white light, which grew brighter and brighter until it burned into her vision, and then the world fell into darkness once more. “Twilight Sparkle, do you hear me?” a soothing voice whispered into her ear, as if lulling her out of sleep. Slowly, Twilight became aware of her body. As her senses returned, she could feel the soft beat of her own heart, and her legs, pained and frozen stiff from the cold. She felt as if she had been forced to run halfway across Equestria until she had collapsed. “Oh Twilight... I was so afraid for you,” the voice spoke again. Twilight found herself nestled against a soft, white coat. As her battered lungs worked to sustain her body, the light breaths she exhaled formed puffs of mist in the cool dawn air. A chilly gust of wind blew over her, and Twilight pressed closer like a newborn foal, eager to let the warmth seep into her ice-cold body. A large, feathered wing draped across her side, tucking her closer, its color just as pristinely white as the coat. “Princess...” Twilight whispered. When her vision became clear, Twilight saw her beloved teacher, face creased in worry. “Princess, I don’t understand. How did you find me?” For a few moments Princess Celestia remained silent, inclining her head towards the grey dawn breaking through the canopy. “It’s a long story, Twilight Sparkle,” she said at last. “Do you remember what happened?” Twilight gave a small nod. Shifting uncomfortably in her soft bundle of fur and feathers, she said, “I didn’t know what was happening. I was being attacked by this creature, and I didn’t know where it came from, or even what it was.” Twilight briefly remembered running through the forest, desperately searching for help as the fear in her heart grew to overwhelm her. The dreadful monster felt as real as ever, with its misshapen pony head and blood-red eyes, and the final moment when its rotting claws sunk into her flesh like knives. Only when the princess’s feathers grazed her coat was she pulled her back to reality, and Twilight realized that she had been lost in her imagination. “We must head back to Ponyville, to get your wounds treated. Come Twilight, follow me.” Princess Celestia rose to her hooves and began to walk through the forest. “Do you know what the creature was? Where it came from?” Twilight asked, wincing from the cramps in her legs as she walked beside the princess. “I knew about the draconequus from a long time ago,” Celestia began. “Ponyville was but a small settlement village at that time, and when I entered it one day I felt a dark, alien presence that had not been there before. That’s where it all began.” The princess slowed down her pace as she spoke. “You see, what the source of evil was, I couldn’t be certain, but I did know that something was happening to the unicorns, and only the unicorns. Some ponies said that the unicorns were cursed, while others spoke of spirits attacking the victims in their sleep. The ponies were afraid, Twilight—afraid of a nameless horror that hunted them one by one, and it was my duty to protect them, as it always has been. So at the break of dawn the next day, I ventured into the Everfree forest, where the evil was at its strongest. Yet searching for it was harder than I imagined. Days were spent tracking it down, until finally a series of imprints on the ground made by no known animal was found, and I knew it must have come from the monster itself, eventually leading me to its lair in the heart of the forest.” “You fought the monster?” Twilight gasped. “But if it’s been defeated once, how could it appear again?” Twilight felt her coat crawl with ice. “Does this mean it won’t ever truly be dead?” “No, thank goodness no, Twilight. The reason why it appeared again... Well, it was because of me.” “You?” Twilight came to an abrupt stop. “What did you do?” The princess slumped forwards as if a huge weight had been placed upon her. “I... I’m so sorry, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, shaking her head. “I never intended for this to happen. It was all due to a terrible mistake on my part, for instead of destroying the creature completely, I wielded the Elements of Harmony to form a spell prison around it. Foalish!” The princess raised her voice to a shout, her face crumpling into a frown. “Foalish and weak of me! The one spell that was thought to be impenetrable. I was too blind to see that even strongest spells could crack, too arrogant to set in place extra precautions.” Princess Celestia bowed her head as she calmed down, and even then she looked as majestic as a princess should. “I have to accept full responsibility for what I’ve done. It was all my fault.” They strolled through the woods in silence, and Twilight let the moment pass between them, dropping her gaze to the ground and wondering what she could say to comfort her teacher. She began to realise that the new pieces of information were fitting together like parts of a jigsaw. Things were making sense for once, yet there was always still something else missing. “Princess, could I ask just one more question?” “Certainly, Twilight,” Princess Celestia said, “I am indebted to you for more than just answers.” Twilight felt a small wave of heat rise up to her cheeks. She hadn’t thought Princess Celestia would ever have herself be obligated to just an ordinary unicorn like her. “I... I was just wondering why nopony knew about what had happened, if your story is true. There was only this old book I found that helped.” “Yes, a black book with gold letters, unless I am mistaken.” Twilight glanced at her in surprise. “How did you know about that? Do you have one as well?” “Yes, and I know who wrote it.” Celestia said, “That is a book solely on the draconequus, written shortly after the incident in Ponyville. At that time, the town council insisted on keeping the dark truth a secret, and only a small group of scholars were allowed to document the creature into writing. Since then, the books were said to have been passed down. When I found a copy at the Royal Canterlot Archives, I knew it must have been the same one in your letter. Though, I’m not sure why your library seems to have one as well.” Twilight’s shook her head, her brows creased. “I don’t know why, Princess.” It frustrated her to say that, and she kneaded the soil in distress, crumbling it into powder beneath her hooves. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Twilight,” Celestia said in a gentle voice. “Do not trouble yourself over it.” As the trees thinned out and gave way to tall grasses, Twilight knew they had reached the edge of the Everfree Forest. A great slope stretched down in front of them, and beyond that the quaint little houses of Ponyville dotted the landscape. I’m back home, Twilight thought as she looked over Ponyville, a light breeze caressing her face. It’s all over. She turned to look at Celestia, who was standing a distance away with her head angled up to the stagnant grey dawn above. The princess took a deep breath, and exhaled out in a cloud of mist. She flared out her wings, her horn glowing as she reached out for the meridians that linked her to the high heavens. A golden helix of light shot out from the princess’s horn and stretched far beyond what Twilight could see. Gradually, the sky began to turn from grey to pink and then to gold. The first rays of sunlight streaked across the sky like bright paint on pale blue canvas. A while later, the sun appeared, a huge ball of fire on the horizon. It was the most beautiful sunrise Twilight had seen in her life. -The End-
The Three Circles“Quills... check! “Parchment... check! “Magnifying glasses, refractive lenses, stopwatch, vernier scales, micrometer scales, sextant, photometers, quadrant, gnomon... check! “Ah yes, the telescope...” Twilight grinned at the massive, sixteen inch telescope in front of her. “Check!” “And now, it’s time to begin... researching!” Twilight jammed her eye into the telescope’s eyepiece, adjusting the metal knobs carefully with both hooves and bringing the red moon into focus. It hovered like a ghostly red orb in the night sky, partially hidden behind thin wisps of clouds, in contrast to the bright stars that surrounded it like tiny, sparkling diamonds. Twilight rotated the telescope on its stand, sweeping past the blanket of stars and noting any anomalies before focussing back on the red moon. “It’s really strange,” Twilight whispered. She had heard about a lunar eclipse before, but had never gotten a chance to actually see one. Tonight was special. And of course, thanks to her monstrous telescope, she could magnify everything twenty times larger. Which made things even more special. The young scientist felt a smile creep onto her face as she fiddled again with the knobs, zooming in until she could see the craters and scars on the moon’s surface. Eclipses are strange, but nice, she decided. Nice. She turned the word over in her head. Today had been nice for her too, and by that she meant that everything had went smoothly according to schedule. She had finished all her chores for the week, and with Spike on a visit to Canterlot, she was left her peacefully alone in the library. To do research! Now, she could read that book on eclipses and watch it happen at the same time. Feeling a little dizzy with excitement, Twilight flipped open her book, Everything You Need to Know About Lunar Eclipses. She levitated her trusty notepad in front of her and jotted down some notes. “A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth, such that the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly,” Twilight narrated. “The red color arises from the bending of the Sun’s rays...” As Twilight wrote, she was faintly aware of how clearly she could hear her quill scratching on the parchment. Below her balcony, the streets of Ponyville were deserted except for one or two lonely pedestrians. She supposed it was because nopony felt too comfortable walking late at night under the ominous-looking moon. “Ah dunno Twilight... Granny Smith used ‘ta tell me some nasty tales of things happenin’ during eclipses.” Twilight sighed. Applejack, being as superstitious as ever. It was bad enough that mare believed in the ‘Pinkie sense’ phenomena, which... Twilight frowned. ...which turned out to be pretty accurate actually. But that was after much, much, much evidence. She still hadn’t figured out how the heck that worked anyway. Well, unlike Applejack, Twilight considered it nothing less than a privilege to be able to observe the eclipse. This would be the first time in over a thousand years, according to the archives. Twilight’s gaze drifted up from the quiet streets to the red moon. She felt a small shiver pass through her spine as she stared at the ghostly orb, but she gave herself a shake and it was gone as quickly as it had come. Miles away, the dark moon hovered like a dismal sentinel in the sky, sending shafts of its pale rays onto the treetops of the Everfree forest. Beyond the forest’s edge, large stone statues stood in a desolate graveyard. They were once part of a beautiful sculpture garden that had occupied that very same spot. But over half a century, seeds from the Everfree forest had found their way into the grounds. Gradually, the forest began to take the sculpture garden into its corrupted woods, leaving only the statues as a vague reminder of what the gardens once had been like. The grounds were eerily silent, as if all life had deserted the area, and a single statue lay out in the open. Its body was carved long and snakelike, ending in a monstrous, unearthly head. The moonlight settled on the stone, its pale rays bending and gathering together on its surface like iron filings to a magnet. The statue began to look uncannily realistic under the light. A single crack appeared on the stone, not more than a centimeter long. It began to deepen and lengthen, as if being cut by an invisible blade. A second crack appeared beside it, extending and deepening just like the first. Seconds later, a third crack appeared, and then a fourth. Fueled by the shafts of lunar light, the cracks and fissures worsened still, joining up along the statue and merging into a web. Bit by bit, the stone crumbled and peeled away, breaking off and falling among the tall grass. A figure emerged from the crumbling stone, barely noticeable in the darkness of the night. It lingered on for a while, before slithering deep into the Everfree forest. Twilight Sparkle lay in bed after a long night of stargazing. She couldn’t fall asleep, despite how tired it had left her. The sky outside was black, and it had to be a few hours past midnight. She shifted under the covers, poking her head out and snatching a quick glance at the alarm clock. She was right—it really was a few hours past midnight. Twilight gave out a sigh and flopped back onto the bed. She closed her eyes, focusing on the darkness behind her eyelids. The feather mattress hugged her body snugly, its shape gradually adjusting to her body weight and making her sink deeper and deeper into its soft material. Wrapping the covers around her, she completed a blissful cocoon of warmth. “Such soft, cottony beds...” the unicorn murmured, somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, as her head sank into the pillow. Moments later, Twilight was tugged out of sleep again. She flicked an ear in annoyance at whatever was bothering her, and then she decided she could use that ear for better things. She heard the chirping of crickets coming through her window, mixing with the rustling leaves of the library’s branches, and a faint scratching sound came from inside the library itself. Probably some animal managed to sneak in, she thought, swivelling her ears to pinpoint the source of the disturbance. Her library was a tree, after all, and lots of small animals loved to live in trees. The sound was coming from the main floor below. It was probably one of those squirrels that lived in the library’s branches; they had come in plenty of times before. She would even lay out pieces of fruit for them, watching them munch on the healthy treats. This one sounded a little different, but at any rate, there was nothing that she could do about it now, because her bed needed her desperately; she could almost hear it calling out to her. “Oh irresistible sweetness,” Twilight whispered, caressing the bedsheets. “I’d never leave you for some scratchy sound.” Hmm, speaking of which, what happened to that sound? It had disappeared, leaving only the chirping of the crickets. A single hoofstep cut through the silence of the night, and Twilight bolted upright, her bed forgotten. That was no squirrel. Somepony was down there, and she had to do something about it. Twilight threw off the covers and rolled out of bed, landing on all four hooves with a solid thud. Quick, think, Twilight.Thinkthinkthinkthink! Twilight fell back to her natural solution for most of life’s problems. Okay, things to do when something bad is happening at night: Item one: Identify the ‘something bad’. Twilight gulped. She really needed to redo this checklist, because that wasn’t a very good idea. Getting that information meant that she had to go down to have a look, which meant that she would be exposing herself to the threat, which could lead to undesirable results. But then again, this was her library. She ought to know what’s happening in it. Or maybe that could wait till tomorrow. It depended on who that pony was. Twilight listened to the strange sounds echoing from below, beginning to suspect some sort of burglary taking place. She must have forgotten to lock the door while Spike was away, leaving it wide open to strangers. A burglar was inside her house, possibly armed and dangerous. This was serious business. Item two: Devise strategies to avoid the threat. Twilight thought for a moment. She turned to face her bedroom door, lighting up her horn. Concentrating hard, she directed a swirling pulse of magic at it, surrounding the door with a faint purple aura. Slowly, the magic seeped into the wood, its glow disappearing into a spell lock. Okay, that ought to work for now. Twilight knew she wasn’t going to go down to have a look anytime soon, and hopefully, that pony wouldn’t come up the stairs either. She sat facing the door, waiting for the danger to pass. It wasn’t till the early hours in the morning that the sounds faded away, and she was able to fall into an uneasy sleep. Celestia stood at a white semicircular table, surrounded by professional-looking ponies, all wearing clean, white lab coats. These scientists were the best from all of Canterlot, experts in the fields of magical studies and science, and they looked ready to prove it. “Your highness, we were correct in our hypothesis about lunar eclipses containing magic,” a grey stallion began. He was wearing the Royal Canterlot Crest, a mark that identified him as the lead scientist of the team. Celestia’s brow creased. “This might be of a concern, Aether Scroll. Have you searched deeper into it to see what its effects are?” “Yes, and this should interest you,” Aether said, motioning at the table. A simple experimental setup was laid out, consisting of an empty beaker, a vial, and a dish. The dish held pieces of a faded gray solid, and was elevated up on a tripod stand. Celestia shifted her attention to the vial beside it, clamped by a holder. The substance it held seemed to be a light, semi-transparent liquid that pulsated with a faint red glow, resembling the colors of the eclipse last night. “Go on,” Celestia said, her eyes lingering on the vial. “Well...” Aether Scroll shifted uncomfortably on his hooves. “In truth, we haven’t been able to explain a lot of what’s happening. But it seems like there’s potential in this one. Let me do a quick demonstration to show what I mean.” The group of scientists proceeded to put on clear plastic safety goggles, as if they had rehearsed this long before Celestia’s arrival. She was passed a pair as well. “Here we have a sample of Trioxychloromethyl Pentoxysillicate... ” Aether began confidently, redirecting her attention towards the scraps of faded grey solid. Celestia gave a light laugh as she slipped on the glasses. Apparently the scientists had decided that inventing a few new terms would make up for their lack of a proper explanation. “Commonly known as stone, or fossilized grass to be exact,” another scientist offered. Aether tutted. “Partner, the princess obviously knows what that is. Furthermore, it is not simply stone; it is a very specific type of—” “I do know what that is,” interrupted Celestia, not wanting to hear the scientists bicker, “but it is necessary to familiarize myself with the terms of the laypony. Please, carry on.” She gave them a smile of encouragement. “Of course, your highness,” Aether said. “Moving on, we are now going to add a sample of moonlight from the eclipse.” He reached for the vial, holding it inches above the dish while gently uncorking it. With a delicate hoof, he proceeded to invert it, pouring its contents over the grey scraps. The faint red liquid vaporised the moment it came out of the container, becoming a light, almost intangible gas that slowly floated down to the dish like a heavy cloud of mist. It didn’t spread out the way normal gases do, instead collecting and flowing towards the dish. Once touched by the strange cloud of gas, the scraps began to change in color. Gradually at first, the stony grey became lighter and lighter. The process began to speed up, warping and turning the scraps into bright green. The gas disappeared, leaving behind blades of healthy, green grass. Celestia stared, her interest now piqued. Magic, as shown yet again, was a strange element, appearing in the unlikeliest places and always filled with surprises. She levitated the dish towards herself, pulling out a single blade of grass from the pile and examining it. “Very interesting. Aether, I trust your team to continue working on this discovery. Find out as much as you can, and keep me updated.” Celestia returned the blade of grass to the dish. “It is an inconvenience that I could not have done this myself. My regular duties will always take precedence over additional research initiatives. That being said, do not hesitate to ask me for assistance if you need to.” “You can rely on us, Princess. I daresay we’ll have ourselves a breakthrough in no time,” Aether said, touching a hoof to his chest proudly. “Excellent, and do find out what other types of fossils are affected as well.” “Of course, your highness.” Celestia folded her goggles and set them neatly down on the table. “Well then, if there are no further queries, I will take my leave.” With a small smile on her face, the sun goddess made her way out of the room. A light, frantic knocking on the library’s front door woke Twilight up in the morning. “I’m coming,” the unicorn groaned. She pushed open the door and stumbled out of her room. Her vision was blurry, as if she were looking through a pair of fogged-up goggles. Still, she managed to navigate her way down the stairs, blinking occasionally to clear the bleariness from her eyes. She gave herself a rough shake, flinging away the last remnants of sleep that clung on to her coat. “Come in.” The small golden knob of the front door wobbled as the pony outside tried it. “Twilight, the door’s still locked.” It was a delicate, silvery voice, sounding as if it belonged to a refined mare. “Oh, oops,” Twilight mumbled as she flicked the lock, swinging the door open with her magic. “Hi, Rarity! What brings you here so early in the morning?” “Forgive me, Twilight. I’m terribly sorry to bother you.” The fashion designer sounded as if she was bringing some great inconvenience, while her eyes began drifting over to Twilight’s messy bed-mane. “I didn’t wake you up, did I? I was just thinking of borrowing one of your splendid reference books for a very special client arriving later.” “Oh sure,” Twilight said. “Come on in.” She watched as the white unicorn trotted into the library before closing the door and flicking the lock shut. Twilight stared at the small metal lock. It was odd that she had needed to unlock it in the first place. Twilight gasped. Especially since that was how the pony got in last night! The burglary! She had to— “Twilight, I thought you would usually be up much earlier, being the ever so hardworking pony that you are.” “Yes, yes,” Twilight cut her off impatiently. The events from last night flooded back to her, but she didn’t want to cause any unnecessary alarm to her friend just yet. She needed time to work things out, to find out what went missing. Twilight turned back to her friend. “Um Rarity, tell me if you find anything unusual around here, anything at all—broken windows, for example.” Rarity gave her a curious look before shrugging it off. “All right, darling. I’ll take note of that.” She ran a hoof through her mane and headed off to the reference books section. Twilight moved off in the opposite direction, checking for signs of a break-in. She scanned the windows, shelves, everything. To her surprise, things were intact and completely normal. Even the books remained neatly arranged on the shelves just like the night before. Twilight stopped, tapping a hoof to her chin. It looked like there was no evidence of a break in to her, but she knew that there were sounds coming from the library last night. Or at least she thought she knew... Twilight let out a long sigh, wondering if it could all have been a really bad dream. Her sleep-deprived mind struggled to keep up with all her thoughts, punishing her with a throbbing headache. “Why, what have we here?” Rarity’s voice echoed from the other end of the library. “Hold on, I’m coming!” Twilight dropped her thoughts, turning around and cantering over to Rarity. “What is it?” Twilight skidded to a halt next to Rarity, who seemed to be inspecting the oak floor of the library. When she noticed it, Twilight felt a chill run down her spine. A strange marking had appeared, carved faintly into the wood. It had a simple design, consisting of a large circle, followed by a medium sized one, and finally, a tiny little circle. Three circles, their centres aligned side by side in a neat row. “There’s another one here,” Rarity said. Twilight looked to see another symbol several hoofsteps away, identical to the first. She stared at it, not liking the idea of strange symbols appearing in her library, especially ones that she wasn’t familiar with. “Twilight, were you planning to draw these”—Rarity flicked her hoof—“things all over your library?” She had spotted several more of the markings, and clasped a forehoof over her mouth, her eyes widening at the impending fashion disaster. “It really doesn’t suit well,” she continued, removing the forehoof and setting it down. “At least you’ve only gotten a few... We could cover them up, and then I’ll give you some marvellous design patterns that you could use for your whole library.” Twilight was too focused on the symbol to give a response. She traced the thin lines of the three circles with her hoof. From the look of how perfectly rounded they were, she knew that they couldn’t possibly be muzzle-carved. Or horn-carved, perhaps? No, not even unicorns could have that level of accuracy with their tools, despite having a better grip thanks to their magic. To top it all off, they actually looked familiar, as if she had seen them before. “Twilight, is there something bothering you?” “Oh... No, nothing,” answered Twilight, her eyes still glued to the ground. “Well, it does appear that you are busy,” Rarity sighed. She had already picked out three consecutive volumes of Elements of Design whilst waiting. The fashion designer glanced at a large clock hanging on the far wall of the library, remembering why she was here early in the first place. “I’d best be going now,” Rarity decided. “I simply cannot imagine being late for my appointment, you know.” Giving a weak chuckle, she headed out of the library, the three heavy tomes floating behind in an aura of light blue. Hardly noticing, Twilight paced round and round. First, it sounded as if somepony was around here last night. And the very next morning these shapes appear on the floor... Twilight swirled the information around in her head. Though she found it difficult to imagine how that pony managed to carve such perfect shapes, at least it would explain the scratching sound. There were still many unanswered questions: Why would somepony do that? How did he or she get into the library in the first place? What do these symbols even mean? Grabbing her notepad, Twilight traced out the shapes as accurately as she could. Satisfied with the sketches, she turned to the giant shelves that occupied every spare corner in her library. Books filled up most of the shelves, arranged from the base till the top rows, and the shelves themselves almost scraped against the ceiling. She would find the answers to the symbols in one of them, because that’s what books were for—answers. And I’m sure I’ll have them in no time! Hours later, the unicorn had massed up a pile of discarded books that was several times larger than herself. Still more flew out of the shelves, each given a quick scan before being unceremoniously dumped on the pile. While Rarity had a knack for picking out small details, Twilight realised she could easily scan through book titles and get a rough overview of their contents. None of her friends were convinced that it was a hidden talent though, and Rainbow Dash had cleverly dubbed it as another ‘epic egghead habit’. Twilight huffed in annoyance, magically flinging yet another book away. “This is ridiculous.” The unicorn grabbed the next book from the shelf. “But you know what?” she said, staring at its rich brown covers. “I’m gonna continue searching! Because one does not simply give up in the middle of research.” Twilight looked at the number of shelves that had yet to be searched through and her eye gave a dangerous twitch. It was going to be a long day.
Close EncountersOoo Close Encounters ooO The sun sank below the horizon in Ponyville, dragging its last amber streaks from the sky. The tree’s sprawling branches swayed lazily in the breeze, its leaves gradually losing their beautiful gold as the sunlight faded from the sky. Moments later, a pair of golden sunbirds dove into its leaves, returning to their nests for the night. Within the library, a purple unicorn rummaged through the shelves. There were only a few categories of books left, yet she hadn’t accomplished anything. None of them seemed to have any relevance to the three circle symbol. Twilight paused for a moment, shaking her head vigorously from side to side in an attempt to uncross her eyes. Her mane promptly returned to the straight, neat hairstyle she favoured. She levitated up her checklist again. “Right, next section. And it’s none other than...” Her face fell. “Ugh... here we go.” Reluctantly, Twilight dragged her hooves to the very end of the library, where she had hidden this particular section. It consisted of books that were as unscientific and unreliable as fiction, but she wasn’t allowed to dump the two sections together, as much as she’d love to. Twilight listened to the steady sound of her hooves against the wooden floor, sending echoes throughout the room. She reached a dead end and stopped. The shelves around her had lost their gleaming layer of varnish, the wood becoming dull and plain. Searching the first shelf, she found a single line of letters set into the dusty old wood, cursive and emerald green in color. Myths and Mysteries The tomes looked as old as the myths that were hidden in them, their once lush and bright covers now faded. Part of the blame fell on Twilight herself, who had never quite gotten around cleaning up this section. She claimed to be too busy—too busy cleaning up the Chemistry section. Twilight’s eyes landed on a familiar-looking green tome, the word ‘Supernaturals’ filling up half the spine. Feeling a smile creep onto her lips, she pulled it out to inspect its covers. “Natural remedies and cure-alls that are simply... super,” Twilight read aloud. She could proudly claim to know everything inside, having flipped through from cover to cover after her traumatic Poison Joke incident. It remained as the one and only useful book that she had found from this section. “The only useful one out of... an entire category? Compared to hundreds under the Chemistry section.” She giggled at the contrast, slotting the book back and continuing her search. As she idly shifted the books around, Twilight began to feel a little guilty about neglecting these shelves. Her eyes fell on a particularly ancient-looking black tome that had collected a fine layer of dust on its cover. Sitting inconspicuously on top of another stack of books, it would have gone unnoticed, if not for how old and worn-out it looked. “Gee, I really should clean this place up.” Twilight carefully lifted up the book, a few frayed threads dangling from its bent spine. She sucked in a breath and blew the dust off its covers. A row of thick golden letters made up its title, engraved into the hard covers and forming a single word that gleamed against the light. Twilight didn’t understand what the word meant, so she proceeded to flip the book open, peeling away the first page from the front cover. “Whoa...” Twilight’s eyes grew wide. There were three perfect circles in the middle of the yellowed page. She grabbed her notepad, flipping to the sketches she had made earlier in the day. The proportions of the circles matched exactly. Right... totally unexpected, Twilight thought. She brought the book to the table, getting her quill ready. By the end of today, she’d know exactly what all of this was about, and her efforts would finally pay off. Grinning, she thought of how silly it had been to waste so much time on a few symbols. Perhaps she was about to find out just how insignificant they were.With that thought in mind, she flipped to the next page. The paragraphs of writing were faded from age. Some of them were well on their way to becoming illegible. But worst of all, not a single phrase was in Equestrian. “Horseapples...” she cursed, scanning through the rest of its yellowed pages and trying to find something, anything that she could understand, but it was no use. Twilight felt cheated. The library that she had relied on for so long had failed her, only able to cough up an ancient tome that just had to be written in another language. She left the book on the table and trotted up to where the markings were engraved on the floor. The three circles seemed clearer than she remembered them to be. Their sizes were in a strangely familiar ratio, with the biggest being disproportionately large. Twilight was certain she had seen something like this before, perhaps even having drawn something similar, but she couldn’t remember its meaning. “Darn these things. I could have spent all this time studying more about eclipses—ˮ Twilight stopped abruptly as something clicked in her mind. She snapped her attention back to the three circles. An idea had formed in her head for a split second before disappearing. “Eclipse... something about an eclipse...” she struggled to recall the thought, staring at the circles, aligned side by side in a straight line... Then realisation hit her like a brick. “I got it!” the young mare shouted, her voice echoing around the library. She levitated the notepad in front of herself. Grabbing a quill, Twilight scratched an ‘S’ inside the largest circle, followed by ‘E’ and ‘M’ for the next two circles. It was definitely correct—no pony would deliberately draw the circles sizes in that ratio without a good reason. She had drawn it before. Wondering why she didn’t see it earlier, she flipped to her notes made on the previous night. There, on a single page, was a diagram of the Sun, Earth, and Moon, represented by circles. A horizontal line passed through them, showing that they were exactly in line. “Woo!” Twilight released a cheer of pure joy. “Nothing gets past Twilight Sparkle!” She bounced around in a circle like a little filly, but stopped when she realised how it was making her head spin a little. “Phew...” she panted, “no idea how Pinkie Pie does that twenty-four seven.” The discovery was rather insignificant though. All Twilight knew was that the symbols were somehow connected to the eclipse that had happened last night, but she was just too tired to find out what else could be extracted from the book. The exhausted unicorn lay on the floor and flipped lazily through the worn out pages, her chin resting on a hoof. She looked for nothing in particular, but noticed that there were a few sketches and diagrams in the book. Her eyes glanced across a particularly unusual one. She peered at it, trying to make it out. The sketch was drawn in pencil, much like the way the young scientist would do her own scientific drawings. But instead of being clear and informative, Twilight couldn’t make out what the artist was trying to show. It was too terribly drawn, with stray lines all over the worn out page, as if as a result of being erased and redrawn many times. The fact that it was starting to disappear due to age didn’t help either. Twilight brought the book to the flickering candlelight, hoping that it would become clearer. The light shone across the paper, revealing more of the strange drawing. Was it some sort of creature? She noticed the shape of its head seemed to resemble that of a pony. But no, it couldn’t be a pony. Not when everything else about it was far from being pony-like. Slowly, she began to see more and more of the creature. There was a claw here, some hoof-like stub over there, and what looked like its body was sickeningly long and thin, stretching unnaturally across the page. Twilight felt the hairs on her coat rising. It looked like some warped version of a foal’s drawing. One didn’t need to be a zoologist to know how weird it was—it would be impossible for it to move on those limbs alone. “Doesn’t even make sense,” she murmured. The artist seemed to have realised this as well, not bothering to add further details or color to the freakish drawing. Twilight examined it for a few more seconds before deciding to stop for the night. A friendship report still had to be completed, and she didn’t want to lose more sleep over it. As Twilight switched off the lights and headed up the stairs, she failed to notice the faint red glow the symbols on the floor were giving out, previously drowned out by the bright lights. Celestia was completely exhausted. She stretched out on the Princess-sized bed, extending her massive wings across the deep purple covers. The velvet covers felt softer than her feathers. Shifting her head, Celestia looked at her younger sister perched by the window. She knew Luna would be wide awake for a few more hours, having a remarkable supply of energy at night. Sometimes, she wished that she could have that too. The moon princess was sitting up straight, looking attentively out into the night. She glanced back for a brief moment before returning to gaze outside. “How did your meeting go, sister? Share it with me.” “We can talk about that tomorrow, Luna.” Celestia brushed a foreleg lazily across the covers. “Right now, I really need some—ˮ A soft pop interrupted Celestia as a scroll dropped onto the floor. “...sleep.” With a weary sigh, the sun goddess levitated the scroll towards her, unfurling it to reveal Twilight’s Friendship Report. She flipped through the pages, and confirmed that sleep wouldn’t be anytime soon. Celestia crawled off the bed and spread out the report on her desk. She peered at the lines, willing her ancient brain to focus. Cramming in all that extra eclipses research was taking its toll on her. Dear Princess Celestia, Twilight began, her impossibly straight and neat hornwriting somehow making the report even duller to read. Today I learnt an important lesson about friendship... Bit by bit, Celestia read through the report, stifling the urge to skip lines. She ran through all five pages, not missing a single word despite her exhaustion. After surviving Twilight’s report, she forced herself to write a reply. Celestia rummaged around her desk, looking for her quill and parchment, just to realise they were right in front of her all along. “Um... Tia? Were you not going to sleep?” Luna’s voice penetrated into her head. It sounded a little distorted. “No,” Celestia said. “I must finish this first.” The mentor imagined her student at the library, eagerly waiting for a reply. What kind of teacher would she be if she neglected Twilight’s work in favor of her own private matters? She would never want to disappoint Twilight, the pony that trusted her completely, that looked to her for guidance. Twilight, her most prized pupil... Celestia pressed the quill onto the parchment, straining to steady it. Dear Twilight Sparkle... Then she fell face-first on the table, snoring lightly. The air was cold, colder than last night. It was carried by a constant breeze through the window, managing to chill Twilight even under the blankets. She curled herself into a ball of fur and shivered, partly due to the cold, and partly due to the terrible nightmare she was having. The dark Everfree forest sped past her, its tall trees looming around her as she ran, blocking out the moonlight and plunging the area into darkness. Twilight knew something was watching her: some unknown horror that raced amongst the shadows, rustling the leaves and causing the occasional snap of a twig. But every time she shot a glance back to see what was chasing her, she could only make out shadows flitting among the trees. The rustling sound grew fainter and fainter as she galloped. Eventually, she slowed to a trot, stopping to lean against the rough bark of a tree trunk. Putting a hoof to her heaving chest, Twilight fought to catch her breath. Just then, a faint whisper was carried by the wind from the branches of the very same tree she was leaning on. The unearthly snake-like voice spoke, just loud enough for her to make out above the sounds of the forest. “Twilight Sssparkle....” Clack... Clomp... Twilight’s eyes burst open, darting wildly around the bedroom. She found herself drenched in cold sweat, the vividness of the nightmare still haunting her. Clomp An involuntary gasp escaped her lips. It was those strange hoofsteps again, echoing up to her room from the main floor below. She had been so sure that the mysterious pony wouldn’t return. What wasit this time? What was he searching for? Clack “T-that didn’t sound like a hoofstep,” Twilight whispered. Instead, it sounded more like a claw than anything. Clomp Twilight crept out of her bed, which creaked from her weight. The events from the nightmare plagued her mind, causing it to conjure up all sorts of terrifying possibilities and sending her into a panic. Maybe... maybe he wasn’t after the library, but searching for me instead? She whimpered at the thought. “Okay, okay... calm down Twilight. Nothing bad is going to happen. You just need to do what you did before.” She closed her eyes, forcing the fear away. She focused her magic, lighting up her horn against the darkness and repeating the spell from the night before. The magical lock was a simple spell; it didn’t require much time or effort to produce, and yet it had always been reliable. And that was exactly what she needed at the moment—something reliable. “Nopony would get past that....” Sshhhhh... She gulped at the new sound. “...unless it’s not a pony.” It seemed as if something was being dragged along the floor... or perhaps, something was dragging itself along the floor. Shhhh Twilight hated it. She hated the sound. She hated the thing making it. Worst of all, she hated being so desperately alone. Somepony needed to be with her, to assure her that everything will be all right by tomorrow. But of course, no pony would come to her rescue. Clack Clomp... Shhh... Hesitating for a moment, she pulled out her Smartypants doll from where she kept it tucked under the bed. Perhaps if she could imagine it to be somepony, she wouldn’t feel so alone. It was the only form of company she could think of. The old doll was a little disfigured from being squashed under the bed, a few threads hanging uselessly from it. But none of that mattered at the moment. Twilight hugged it tightly to her chest anyway, rubbing the soft fabric against her coat and treasuring every bit of comfort it could offer to her. “Oh Smartypants... I’m so scared....” The doll, of course, offered no reply. Clack Clomp... Shhh... Clack Clomp... Shhh... The sound continued, now forming an eerie rhythm that was carried easily through the air. Twilight listened in fear, still clinging tightly to Smartypants. The sounds seemed to be getting clearer and clearer... then terror gripped at her chest when she realised exactly what was happening: It was coming up the stairs. She needed to get out of the library, right now, and to move as far away as possible from that wretched thing coming for her. It was getting closer—she could hear it coming. Exiting through the door was out of the question. Only a really brave pony or a really foolish one would try that. But yet, something had to be done fast... and the only other way out of the bedroom happened to be through the window. Clack Clomp... Shhh... Smartypants slipped from her hooves, landing on the floor. Wait a minute... Ican teleport! Even the obvious took a while to be realised as fear wrecked her brain. Twilight needed to concentrate in order for the spell to work. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm her fraying nerves. Her horn began to spark with an unsteady flow of magic, flickering like a faulty light bulb. She steadied it, feeling it flow warmly through her to the tip of her horn. All of a sudden, her concentration was shattered to pieces as a loud thud came from just outside her room. She heard the door’s spell lock being sucked away by some unknown force, disappearing with a faint pop. The magic in her horn fizzled out as she lost focus, leaving the room in complete darkness once again. Twilight dived deep under the covers of her bed, curling up into a trembling ball of fur. She was trapped, utterly trapped, right in her own room. There was absolute silence now. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the thing on the other side to burst in, but it didn’t. Nothing happened for a few heartbeats. A creak came from the door—a prolonged, eerie creak that pierced through the silence and chilled her to the bone at the same time. Twilight flattened herself under the covers, desperately hoping that she blended in well with the darkness. Perhaps the thing wouldn’t be able to spot her at all, especially in this light. As the seconds stretched out, Twilight began shifting very, very slowly. She lifted up the sheets by a fraction of an inch and risked a peek out. It was impossible to see anything in the darkness, no matter how hard she strained her eyes. But things changed when the clouds shifted outside, letting in a faint shaft of moonlight that was enough for her to make out the chilling outline of a pony head lying in the doorway. “EEEEEP—ˮ Twilight swiftly stifled her scream by jamming a hoof into her mouth, but she did it with so much force it felt as though a few teeth might have been loosened in the process. Her eyes watered in pain as she kept them fixed on the grim sight. The pony head on the floor began to move, slowly sliding into the bedroom. It lifted itself above the ground, floating in the air. It was, in fact, not just a pony head, but something far worse. From the strange shadows stretching across the floor, it looked as if the head was actually connected to some sort of long and thin body. Twilight closed her eyes as she fought to gain control of her hammering heart. She didn’t know if the shadows were playing tricks on her. Frankly, she’d rather it be just a pony head, instead of this horrifying nightmare that could hardly be seen in the darkness. When she opened her eyes again, the head was facing away, which probably meant that it had failed to notice her. Twilight needed to get a better view of what it was. She began to adjust her weight, carefully shifting it to one side of her body. Then, she proceeded to slide her hooves along the sheets as softly as she could into a more comfortable position, adjusting her neck at the same time. Her bed-roll-shift was almost completed without attracting any attention. She felt a wave of relief as she re-balanced her weight, then all of it vaporized as the bed gave off a loud creak. The pony head froze at the sound. Oh... oh nonononono. Please, pleeeassee don’t, she prayed. It flicked out something long and black from its mouth, as if trying to taste the air for her presence, much like how a snake picks out the scent of its prey. It paused, flicked out its tongue, and paused again. Twilight didn’t dare move a muscle. She saw it taste the air again, this time a little slower. To her horror, the head began to turn slowly, twisting back by an unnatural degree to face her. A wave of cold pierced through her entire body as she locked eyes with a pair of haunting blood-red orbs which she assumed were its eyes. The monster was staring right through that tiny crack in the sheets she was peeking out from. Every instinct screamed for her to run, but her muscles refused to budge. She was too scared to scream, too scared to cry; too scared to do anything except watch in horror. Then she realised that she couldn’t move a muscle. The creature began to advance on her. It slithered up to the bed slowly, taking its time, as if it knew Twilight couldn’t fight its petrifying stare. Clack... Clomp Clack... Clomp Her mind blanked out as it drew closer and closer. Perhaps she was falling into unconsciousness, she wasn’t quite sure. Suddenly, the covers were ripped back and Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs. She regained control of her body and darted out of bed, running away from the thing as fast as possible. She reached the end of her room and turned around, pressing her back against the wall. All around, the shadows were moving. She searched the room for the the pony head. It was gone. Twilight kept her eyes in front and felt around the wall, not daring to turn around. Her hoof bumped into the cold metal frame of her window. Barely thinking, she bucked it open and clambered over the sill. She shot one last glance behind, just in time to see the blackness racing toward her. Not wanting to know what it was, she kicked off into the empty air. She floated for a split second before beginning her dreadful fall. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Twilight flapped her hooves frantically in the air, trying unsuccessfully to imitate a pegasus’s wing beat. Searing bolts of pain erupted all over her body as the library’s branches whipped against her. As she tumbled through the air, the wind howled in her ears and she felt as though her heart was stuck somewhere along her throat. There was a brief pause, followed by a sickening thud. A tremendous amount of pain exploded in her chest, shooting through every fibre in her body to her hooftips. It blasted her mind out of control and sent her eyes spinning. She couldn’t yell in pain, having all the air in her lungs knocked clean out of her. Twilight knew that her library was supposed to be about one to two stories high, yet it felt as though she had fallen from the moon. Twilight lay on the ground, gasping and heaving for air. Every time she took a breath, a fresh wave of pain coursed through her lungs. Her coat stung from the gashes caused by the library’s branches, but she was more concerned about something else. The monster... It’s still around. Collecting her final reserves of strength, Twilight lifted herself to her hooves. Her battered body burned from the various cuts and bruises, yet she continued on to limp away as fast as she could. She couldn’t afford to sit here and wait for the monster to finish her off. Even the dark, deserted streets of Ponyville were more welcoming than her library. Twilight headed to the streets. Ponyville, being a small and quiet town, meant that not a single soul would be out at this time to lend a helping hoof. Instead, the trees loomed around her, forming dark silhouettes against the moonlight. She didn’t find the mild breeze comforting either. It blew coldly against her coat. Sometimes, it whistled past her ears in a strange manner, as if carrying some sort of whisper. Back in Twilight’s bedroom, something snatched up Smartypants from the floor. A black mass wrapped itself around the doll, sucking out a very faint purple aura from the fabric before tossing it far away to the corner.
Safety in NumbersOoo Safety in Numbers ooO Knock... knock “What?” Rarity’s eyes fluttered open. Two round cucumber slices tumbled down from them, bouncing off the bed and landing on the floor. She sat upright for a while, confused. Knock... knock She blinked a couple of times. The last remnants of sleep faded as her mind kicked into action. “Oh...wow! How very thoughtful of somepony to visit me,” she said, “...at four in the morning?!” She rolled to the edge of her bed, flipping herself over and landing on the floor in a heap. “These ruffians just don’t learn how not to interrupt a mare’s beauty sleep, do they?” she grumbled, pushing herself up from the floor. Rarity stomped towards the feeble knocks on her door. Who would have the gall to commit such an atrocity? she wondered. Who could have failed the see the enormous ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ sign that she placed—oh so deliberately—on the door? There was not much time to spare. She needed to clock up the eight hours before the sun rises. It would be unforgivable if she didn’t get her eight hours of sleep. Absolutely unforgivable. “It is time to get rid of this nuisance.” She grabbed the door firmly while an evil smile appeared on her face. WHAM! She flung the door open with all her might. It was meant to startle the other pony, punishing her for the crime she was committing, but instead, Rarity was the one getting the shock. “Oh my stars! Twilight! Whatever happened to you?” The purple unicorn was crouched in the frame of the doorway, making her look smaller than usual. Her coat, usually a bright lavender, was darkened by dried blood and covered with deep scratches. Her mane was no better, messy and filled with bits of mud and grime and leaves. Twilight’s lower lip trembled, as if she was on the verge of tears. “I...I...” “Twilight...” Rarity bent down to nuzzle the unicorn. “Twilight darling, what happened?” The purple unicorn’s constricted pupils darted around in fear, as if expecting something to pounce on her the moment she opened her mouth to speak. She refused to give an answer, shaking her head and kneading the floor in distress. Finally, unable to hold it off any longer, the unicorn began to sob pitifully, tears streaming down her cheeks. Rarity stared, stunned—first by Twilight’s appearance, and now by her sudden breakdown. Perhaps that wasn’t the best question to start off with, she concluded, giving herself a mental kick. She, being the most sensitive out of all ponies, should have known better. Did she just make Twilight cry? How could she? She turned her attention back to Twilight. “I’m so sorry Twilight... here, why don’t you come inside?” she offered, helping Twilight to her hooves. The purple unicorn used a fore hoof to rub away her tears. Her voice was quivering. “I-Is it safe?” “Why, of course it is!” Rarity felt her stomach tightening. It was unnerving to see Twilight like this, the usually confident unicorn now reduced to a fearful little filly. Something terrible had happened to her. And the sooner I find out what it was, the better. Back in the Carousel Boutique, Rarity rummaged around her drawers for medical supplies. “Ah, here we go,” she said, lifting up a plain white box with a red cross painted over it. Her horn glowed briefly, pulling out a small bottle of ointment and some bandages. Collecting the items, she returned to Twilight. The unicorn was sitting quietly on a cushion, lost in her own thoughts. Her tears had since dried up. Thankfully. Watching her cry had been... heartbreaking. Twilight’s eyes shifted to the bandages levitating towards her. She managed a smile, her expression softening. “Thanks...” “No worries darling. You just sit back and relax.” Twilight shifted to her side, allowing her impromptu caregiver to check over her injuries. Rarity winced a little at the sight of blood. It made her feel slightly squeamish, and she had put off any idea of being a nurse for this very reason. It also meant that she wasn’t good at First Aid. Rarity uncapped the small bottle of antiseptic liquid, looking uncertainly at it, as if it was some sort of strange potion meant exclusively for witchcraft. “Heavens... okay, I think this might hurt a bit.” She levitated the bottle over Twilight’s flank, carefully squeezing a few drops of the yellow liquid onto her coat. The unicorn flinched a little, but tried her best to keep still, watching the medical oils seep slowly into her coat. Rarity proceeded to cut off a length of bandage. She noticed the long, blood-crusted gashes along Twilight’s sides and shot a glance at the purple unicorn, who remained as quiet as ever. “Well Twilight, aren’t you going to tell me what happened?” Twilight pawed the floor uneasily with a fore hoof. “Well...” she began slowly, “it all started with... with...” Her violet eyes widened as she replayed the events in her head. Then, she let out a gasp and shook her head. “I don’t feel like talking about it,” Twilight said, keeping her gaze locked on the floor, suddenly interested with the speck of dirt that Rarity had somehow failed to clean up. Rarity knew better than to squeeze out information and traumatize her friend further. She held her overwhelming curiosity back. Give her time, she’ll open up eventually. Silence fell over the two ponies as Rarity continued to bandage up Twilight. The soft crackle of burning wood came from the fireplace, broken by the occasional purr from her pet cat Opal, sleeping on a rug next to her. Not knowing what actually needed to be treated, Rarity simply wrapped up every single scratch she found, including patches of coat that simply had a bit of dirt on it. The lavender unicorn couldn’t seem to care less, her head starting to droop from exhaustion. After a few more minutes, Rarity was finally putting on the last lengths of bandage. By this point in time, she had—quite unnecessarily—eaten through three large rolls of the material. “Okay, I’m done!” she let out a breath of relief, taking a step back and looking at her work. “Huh?” Twilight snapped her head back up. Layer after layer of bandages covered her entire body from head to hooves. She could have passed off as a mummy pony from the movies, if not for her little purple horn sticking out. Noticing Rarity stifling a laugh, she heaved herself up and hobbled awkwardly to a mirror. “Heh... I look ridiculous!” Twilight chuckled at her reflection, lifting a hoof to prod at the bandages. “Well, I’m not exactly a qualified caretaker, you know...” Rarity muttered defensively. She flicked her mane in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. “Anyway, it doesn’t look too bad, you’ll be better in absolutely no time at all!” Rarity wasn’t quite sure how her two statements were supposed to be linked together, but that didn’t matter. “Yes... thanks for all your help, Rarity.” Twilight stumbled across the room. “It must have been a really long”—she stifled a yawn—“night for you...” Twilight caught sight of the couch, groggily making her way towards it. “I think I’ll just be getting... some sleep now...” Without another word, Twilight collapsed onto the floor, a few hoofsteps away from her intended destination. Rarity rolled her eyes. She made her way over to Twilight. With a grunt of effort, she lifted the unicorn above the ground. Bit by bit, she dragged her closer to the couch, straining from the weight. Dear me... Twilight hardly stirred throughout the process, her head rolling around as her hooves trailed along the ground. Finally, with one massive effort, she heaved the unicorn onto the cushions. She proceeded to shift Twilight around, attempting to move her into a comfortable position. She let out a breath. “Twilight, if you had collapsed any further away, I can assure you that you’d be left on the floor, and the pony sleeping on the couch now would certainly be me.” The unicorn carried on with her slumber, blissfully unaware of her. Rarity watched the steady rise and fall of Twilight’s chest, beginning to feel drowsy herself. She reached for the blanket, pulling it over Twilight’s body, grabbed a second blanket for herself, and lay down on the floor beside Twilight. Through the window, the first rays of dawn were beginning to pierce through the sky, turning it a light shade of blue. So much for that ‘eight hours of sleep’, Rarity thought. Twilight groaned. Her body was aching all over. And she had a splitting headache. It felt as though she had fallen through the air, at terminal velocity, and landed on the ground with a splat. Well, actually, that’s pretty much what happened to her earlier last night. Perhaps not at terminal velocity though. She twisted around on the cushions, refusing to open her eyes. The sunlight showed no mercy, relentlessly trying to pierce through the comforting darkness behind her eyelids. And worst of all, she felt a cramp creeping up her left hind leg. Urgh... great! She raised the leg high up in the air, waving it around for a few seconds. Her muscles stretched and flexed in response, easily working out the cramp. Ahh... much better. She let out a sigh of relief as her leg flopped back down on the cushion. For the moment she just wanted to lay there in the warm sunlight, with nothing on her mind. She licked her lips. Her throat felt dry. Then, a single thought popped up. Water. I need water. If only she could make a glass magically pop out at will. That would be the best thing ever. Finally, giving up on her sleep, she cracked open an eye. The strong rays of sunlight flooded her vision, instantly bringing back her headache. Twilight groaned and shut her eye again. Not a good start for a day. Relying on her other senses, she slided off the cushions, steadying herself on her hooves. Water... She tripped on a blanket lying on the ground. Pushing it away, she squinted around for the bathroom, butting the door open with her horn and stumbling inside. Her throat felt so, so incredibly dry. She turned on the tap, and was rewarded by the sound of water splashing against the sink. Ahh... water! Twilight eagerly lapped up the sweet, refreshing goodness, proceeding to splash some on her face. Eww... what’s this tissue stuff all over me? She opened her eyes, staring at the pony in the mirror, whom stared right back at her. “WHAARRGG!!” her reflection screamed. Its face was covered with an expression of shock, and also with quite a lot of bandages. The material was dripping wet with water. Twilight began to tear away at the bandages. She had forgotten about Rarity’s not-so-spectacular First Aid attempt. “Twilight? Twilight darling are you alright?” After a second or two, the fashion designer pushed open the bathroom door, a look of concern plastered on her face. “Yes, I’m fine. Just got a bit of shock from... that pony.” Twilight jerked an accusing hoof at the mirror. She paused. “Er, I mean... myself. That’s right,” she corrected quickly. Must have lost a few brain cells from the fall last night. Rarity gave her a strange glance. “Well... anyway, I prepared breakfast—or lunch rather. Come get it while it’s hot!” With that, she trotted back out of the room. Twilight peeled off the remaining pieces of bandage. She felt surprisingly calm despite what happened last night. The feeling of dread was gone. Perhaps she felt safe, especially with Rarity around. Hmm... Rarity! I’ve got to tell her everything... She hurried out of the room. Rarity sat across the table, listening to Twilight’s story intently. “So, you were attacked by some creature, and you have absolutely no idea what it was?” Twilight drained the last few spoonfuls of vegetable soup. The scorching liquid slid down her throat and sat pleasantly in her stomach. She munched on a chewy bit of celery as she thought. “Well, I thought I saw a pony head.... But its body was really long. Like, unnaturally long. And it had really scary red eyes.” “Twilight darling, are you sure it wasn’t—well—just a pony? I mean, you yourself admitted that it was too dark to make out anything. And ponies have red eyes. Rainbow Dash, for example.” “Rainbow Dash has red irises, not red eyes. The eyes looked like...” she tapped a hoof to her chin, searching for a fitting description, “they looked like... like that of a cockatrice!” Rarity pondered at her answer for a while. “I haven’t seen a cockatrice’s eyes before, Twilight. I believe only Fluttershy and yourself would know what it looks like... when you got turned into stone and such.” Twilight gave an involuntary shudder as she briefly recounted the experience. “And how about the book that you mentioned earlier?” Rarity asked. “It’s sitting in the library. I can’t understand what it means though, it’s all written in a weird language.” Rarity took a sip from her bowl of soup, making sure not to slurp out of habit. She set the porcelain bowl down on the oak table. “Well, did you not try a translation spell?” Twilight tapped her hoof to her chin. “A translation spell... I suppose it might work. I’ve forgotten how to do it though, because I’ve never needed it.” ..because all science reference books are updated yearly and written in plain old Equestrian thank you very much. Twilight sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to learn it again.” “Oh, that won’t be necessary, dear.” Rarity smiled and puffed out her chest, trying to mimic a certain cyan blue pegasus. “Your totally awesome friend can help you with that. I’ve used the spell before, on those historical fashion books I borrowed from you the other time, just before Spike got that horrendous growth spurt.” At the back of her mind, Twilight had the feeling that she would probably end up learning it anyway. But there were much more important things to be dealt with at the moment. She drummed her hooves on the table, turning this new piece of information over in her mind. It swirled around, weaving out a few ideas. A new course of action began to form. “Okay, so I’ll drop in the library.” She paused, giving an involuntary shudder. “...I’ll drop in the library, grab the book, come back here, and you’ll help me translate it. Then, I’ll read what it says and find out what this is all about.” She thought aloud. “If it’s bad, we’ll get help from the rest of our friends, if it’s very bad, we’ll have to inform the police or something. Or maybe go to Princess Celestia for help.” The ‘if it’s good’ scenario was long gone. Rarity dabbed at her mane. It was something she did subconsciously while in thought. “Why not just write a letter to Princess Celestia now?” “Well... no harm getting the book first,” Twilight said. “Anyway, I’ll be back within an hour.” Twilight made her way to the door, only to be swiftly blocked by Rarity. “You can’t go out like that!” she exclaimed, indicating at the bandages hanging off from Twilight, along with her dishevelled mane. “I’ll get it for you. And besides, you’re injured.” “Actually, I feel fine.” “I insist.” “Well, in that case... thanks for helping me again, Rarity. I really owe you a lot.” Twilight admitted. “It’s my pleasure, dear.” Twilight felt a tendril of uncertainly worming its way through her. Something told her that allowing Rarity to go off alone wasn’t a good idea. “But... you’ll be careful, okay?” “Oh, of course I will, Twilight,” Rarity laughed as she headed out of the door. “It’s just me getting an old book. Surely nothing could possibly go wrong.” “Yes, nothing would go wrong. Just... be careful.” Rarity pushed on the door. It opened with a dull creak, revealing a large circular space that made up the library’s ground floor. Hundreds and hundreds of books filled the shelves, which lay stacked against the walls, or lined up neatly in rows. They gave the air a pleasant smell of wood and paper. Everything seemed perfectly normal, despite what had apparently happened last night. See? she thought. Nothing wrong here. Rarity didn’t know what to make of Twilight’s story. Being attacked by a hideous monster with a pony head in the middle of the night? Impossible! If somepony told her that, she would have immediately dismissed it as absolute nonsense. Well, unless that pony was Twilight Sparkle. That mare had seemed really frightened last night. Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed something glowing on the floor ahead. Curious, she trotted up to have a look. The small red glow became closer and closer. It was the symbol. The very first one she found three days ago. It was much clearer now. But then, she knew carvings didn’t simply get clearer. Rarity stretched her neck closer to the floor, until it was inches away from the marking. Upon closer inspection, she realised that the three circles weren’t just glowing; they were burning, and had actually burnt themselves deep into the wood. Rarity felt a cloud of uncertainty forming in her. She didn’t like how these strange symbols acted, as if they had lives of their own. Oh, forget about those creepy things, Rarity. Get the book, and get out of here. Then she realised she didn’t know where the book was... or even what it looked like. Great... It has to be somewhere obvious. Perhaps on a desk or something.She began to scan around the library. Twilight’s practicality was there in her furniture. There were lots of neatly arranged rectangular tables, but nothing fanciful. The mare did seem to have a taste for wood though, which explains why she lived in a tree. Rarity searched through the area, finding cluttered stacks of notes, parchment, and other small things, but no ancient looking book. Maybe it’s in her room. She moved quickly up the stairs, eager to get the job done and get back home. She found Twilight’s room and pushed the door open. The first thing she noticed were the bits of white fluff on the floor. Looking ahead, she saw that the mess was concentrated in the middle of the room. A tattered grayish-brown object lay there, white fluff spilling from its wounds. Rarity moved towards it, levitating up the object. It looked like a doll, a familiar looking one. Smartie... Smartypants. Yes, Smartypants. That was what Twilight called it. Rarity examined the giant slash wounds on it. The doll was missing an arm, a few shredded bits of cloth and stuff left from it. The remainder of the doll drooped in her magic. It had lost most of its stuffing, as if it had been snatched up and swung violently around. The fashion designer stared at it, feeling her uncertainty worsening into fear. The book,get the book. She tore her eyes off the doll, doing a few quick scans across the room. There it is! An exceptionally old looking book, lying open on the study table. Rarity grabbed it with her magic, sending it flying across the room towards her. With the book floating by her side, she hastily made her way out. Her hooves sent echoes through the air as she descended the stairs, and the library below was unnervingly quiet. Well, libraries are supposed to be quiet. The small wooden door that made up the library’s main entrance was in sight. It brought her a tiny bit of relief, especially after finding the doll. She trotted towards it, glad that she would soon be leaving the library and all the terrible things in it. Halfway across the room, she heard a clear flapping of wings. A light flutter, probably made by a small creature. Rarity instinctively ducked her head and jumped under a table. The fluttering stopped abruptly, making her even more nervous. She knew there were plenty of small but deadly creatures that existed around, such as a cockatrice. The frightened unicorn’s heart pounded against her ribcage as she considered the possibilities. She wanted nothing more than to leave this dreadful place. Rarity locked her eyes on the library’s exit. It was still a fair bit of distance away, but that won’t stop her. The black book was lying on the floor, where she had dropped it earlier. Okay, run on the count of three. Rarity crouched under the piece of furniture, feeling the solid wood under her hooves. One... Two... THREE! “YAARRRHHH!” Rarity made a final, desperate dash towards the exit. She ran as fast as she could, her hooves pounding against the floor. The wind blew against her mane, getting the hair in her eyes. She swerved, snatching up the book between her jaws before continuing on. It was close, about ten metres away, and soon it was reduced to five. Four metres... Three metres... Two... One... She burst through the door. A huge wave of relief crashed over her as she ran out into the bright sunlight and out onto the street. Oh Celestia... that was the most frightening experience EVER. Rarity spat out the book and panted from the mad dash, her limbs and jaws aching. She looked at the library, wondering what that fluttering was about. Well, thank goodness that’s over. Flicking a strand of hair out of her eyes, she levitated the book and made her way back to the Carousel Boutique. For once, she wasn’t concerned about the mess her mane was in. There was a flutter of wings again in the library. Something small flew out of the open window on the second floor. It landed in the branches outside with a soft rustle. A set of large yellow eyes peeked out from the swaying leaves. They fixed themselves on a pearl white unicorn as she hurried down the street, tracking her every move until she moved out of sight.
A Tale of DarknessOoo A Tale of Darkness ooO Twilight jumped in fright as Rarity burst into the Carousel Boutique, hitting her head painfully on one of the antique lamps that hung from the ceiling. She winced, lifting a forehoof to massage the bruise on her head. “Ow...” “I got the book!” Rarity shouted. She waved the old tome in front of Twilight’s face, breathing heavily. “Oh okay. Thanks,” Twilight said, plucking it from its field of light blue magic. She shifted her gaze to her friend, noticing her unusually messy mane. Beads of sweat had collected on Rarity’s forehead, and below that, her eyes had widened in fear, their pupils becoming constricted. Twilight tilted her head to one side in confusion. “Um... are you feeling okay?” “No!” Rarity burst out. “It was horrendous, ghastly, absolutely vile! Why, first there were those terrible symbols from last time, glowing all on their own! Then I found that doll of yours, gruesomely ripped to pieces. And when I finally got hold of the book, something was flying around and tracking me down. Heavens, if I had to spend one more moment in that library...” Twilight was finding it hard to keep up with Rarity’s spluttering. “Wait, what did you say? The symbols were glowing?” “Yes, certainly. Glowing and burning, actually.” “That’s strange. They wouldn’t be doing that if they were just carvings...” Twilight’s eyes narrowed, “meaning that those symbols must have magic in them. They could have been cast by a unicorn, or... or...” she gulped in fear, “...or whatever that thing was.” Twilight levitated the book in front of her and trotted back to the oak table. She set it neatly in the middle as Rarity came up beside her. The large golden letters gleamed against the light in contrast to the black covers that they were engraved on. It was time to move on to the next step in her plan. “Okay Rarity, are you ready to cast the translation spell?” “Now? Well, I am able to do it now actually. It is quite a simple little spell, really. Just watch me.” Rarity lighted up her horn. She surrounded the black book with her magic. The light blue glow around the book grew steadily stronger and stronger, turning into a hot, bluish white. The book began to float, hovering a few inches above the table. Twilight watched as Rarity worked her magic. She knew that a spell like this wouldn’t need much effort. The bearer of the Element of Magic chewed on her lip, noticing the excessive and unsteady flow of magic from Rarity’s horn. No, channel the magic slowly. Don’t burn the pages. ...oh Celestia, I really hope she doesn’t burn the pages. Twilight could see something happening to the large golden letters on the book’s cover. They began to vibrate, squiggling and squirming about their positions. Magic continued to pour in, causing the book to tremble lightly in the air. Its letters simmered, as if placed over some sort of magical fire. Gradually, they began to melt before her eyes, forming thick golden liquid with the same consistency as glue. Better not drip any of that, or I’ll be reading junk with missing letters. To her relief, not one drop of the liquid fell off the black covers. It moved around, as if being pulled by gravity, joining up and pooling in several spots side by side, roughly equal in size. The spots of liquid cooled off, beginning to mould themselves into distinct shapes. Twilight realised that she biting hard on her lip and quickly opened her jaws. She gritted her teeth instead and focused on the shapes. Eleven spots of gold began to harden into eleven recognisable letters. They engraved themselves back into the book, with the same thick, block-like font style they had previously, forming one single, simple word. Draconequus The two mares stared at it. “Dra-con-e-quus.” Twilight murmured. A confused look appeared on her face. She cocked her head to one side, looking at the title from an angle, which didn’t help to draw any further inspiration of course. Twilight shot a glance at Rarity, seeing a similar expression reflected there. None of them knew what that word meant. “Well, I definitely did the spell right,” Rarity said defensively. “Even well done, if I may say so.” “Yes, nerve-wreckingly well done,” Twilight agreed. Her lower lip throbbed in pain, but at least the book was still in one piece. She picked the it up, giving it a tentative sniff. It had a stale, musty smell—the type old books usually gave out. Twilight ran a forehoof over the cover, feeling the subtle depressions made by the engraved letters. The cloth-like surface of the hardcover was soft and frayed, but its bulk remained sturdy. She tapped it twice, producing two solid knocks. Rarity continued to wait patiently by her side. “Right.” Twilight finally flipped open the cover. The writing was cursive and hard to read. But none of that mattered much, because everything was now in perfect Equestrian. Twilight eagerly began to read the faded text, feeling like an explorer that had just dug out an ancient treasure map. Little is known about the creature cast in stone... It seemed to be some sort of cryptic poem. She didn’t quite understand it and skipped to the next part, finding another mass of vague literature. It wasn’t helpful either. Twilight had intended to find simple, solid facts, not some mysterious verses that hardly told her anything. Flipping through the first few pages, she landed herself on what appeared to be an event log consisting of short passages and outdated articles from newspapers, reports, and other sources. That was what she needed—facts from reliable sources. Or reliable looking sources at least. Rarity decided to squeeze in beside her. Together, they began to read the lines of cursive writing. A burglary took place in Red Ruby & Diamond Star’s Jewelleries. The jewellery shop was reported to have been ransacked, presumably over Monday night. The store owners, Red Ruby and his wife, Diamond Star, claim to have up to fifty thousand bits worth of jewellery missing. However, the unicorn couple were puzzled to find that valuable gemstones, such as the fifty carat Fire Ruby, remained untouched. They noted that the majority of the stolen items seemed to contain enhancer spells and other traces of magic. The Fire Ruby was not known to have contained magic, leading to a possible explanation of why it was not stolen. Police began searching for leads to this mysterious magical-gemstone loving thief two days ago. However, a police spokespony reported that investigations were not yielding results. Officer Ice Heart confirmed the statement, adding that efforts were ‘frustratingly fruitless’, and that they had found ‘zero evidence’. However, he added later that the store owners noticed several ‘strange markings’ on the floor, which they claimed were not there the day before. They were assumed to have appeared overnight. ─Equestria Daily, 10/5 --- A team of researchers claimed to have spotted an unusual set of tracks appearing in the Everfree forest. Originally on a project to investigate the self-governing characteristics of it, the team stumbled upon the tracks in the mid-west region of the forest. The group’s head, Dr. Greenleaf, decided to pursue the trail after a brief discussion with his fellow researchers. As quoted from True Wonder, a junior member of the team: “We found these really weird imprints on the ground... like some footprint combination of two or more different animals. At first we thought of a cockatrice or something... but there were markings made by a hoof as well. It didn’t make sense! I thought it was some observational error. But when we followed the trail further, the different imprints appeared to have a distinct sequence, and remained the same distance apart, meaning that they had to belong to the same creature. I’m thrilled that we’re gonna search for it. This is so exciting!” The research team announced that they will set off again on Wednesday to further the investigation. ─Equestria Daily, 11/5 --- A letter to the Police Headquarters, Canterlot Sir, All is well in Ponyville. We have not much to report, except a few petty thefts. The suspects were, of course, promptly arrested. Our force strives to uphold its flawless reputation at all times. On a side note, The Night Guard Border Patrol reported a strange sighting while on duty. It was approaching Moonhigh when they heard the rustling of leaves from within the Everfree Forest. They suspected that a large creature was hidden among the leaves, but could not identify it due to the darkness of the night. Conflicting accounts of what the creature could have been were given. But they identified a set of ‘gleaming red eyes’ staring at them from within the forest. Shortly after the incident, two of the guards submitted in their resignation forms. I hope that this update was found to be useful, and I await your response. The subsequent update will be sent next Thursday, as usual. Yours sincerely, Officer Brightheart --- Dr. Greenleaf and his team of researchers, the group that discovered the ‘unusual tracks’ in the Everfree Forest, have since cut short their trip and returned to Canterlot. They did not reveal the outcome of their research. Instead, ‘safety reasons’ were cited for the termination of the project. Members of the group declined further commenting. ─Equestria Daily, 14/5 --- A letter to Officer Ice Heart (misplaced in a document folder): Ice Heart, I’ve returned early from Dawn Patrol, because most of the other guards were so focused on getting the job done and reporting back. They’re a pretty boring bunch of ponies to hang out with sometimes. Anyway, I saw something weird on the way back. It was like... some small sack of fur, lying on the grass. No pony else noticed it, so I went to have a closer look. I think it was actually the corpse of a squirrel. I wasn’t sure, because it didn’t quite look like a squirrel anymore... It looked like the poor creature had been sucked out dry from the inside, and even the colour of its coat had turned into a sickly grey. I didn’t have the time to examine it further, because my patrol was leaving. And wandering alone near the Everfree was the last thing I wanted. I can take you to see it if you want. I don’t mind getting a second look too—it’s sick! Your friend, Leafwhistle --- An urgent report was filed to the police department five minutes past midnight by a young mare. Apparently, the mare was taking a regular midnight stroll when she heard ‘unnaturally high pitched’ screams coming from the Everfree forest. She could not pinpoint the exact location of the source, but described it as ‘bloodcurdling’. Hours later, similar complaints were filed to the department, all reporting about the same unnatural screaming. The residents claimed that the screams subsided only in the early hours in the morning. ─Equestria Daily, 17/5 --- For the first time in years, a murder has taken place in Ponyville. Police barricades sprang up along Orange Grove Street, cordoning off an estimated 20 by 20 metre area. When reporters flocked to the scene, they found it to be completely shielded off from view, and were denied entry. An officer on duty took queries from reporters, explaining that the nature of the crime was ‘particularly gruesome’ and ‘unfit for news’. He could not reveal the details of the crime, except that paramedics had pronounced the victim dead upon arrival. However, rumours have it that the victim was a unicorn mare, and was also said to be the owner of a Jewellery shop... Twilight slammed the book shut, her hooves trembling. “Twilight, you don’t mean to tell me that those symbols I saw...” “I think they’re markings,” Twilight croaked, feeling as though a ball of ice had been shoved down her stomach. “Markings to mark me out... I-It’s hunting me, and when it gets me, it’ll... it’ll...” She gulped down the rest of her sentence, feeling nauseous from fear. “I need to write to Princess Celestia.” “Good idea, let me get you the quill and parchment,” Rarity said. She moved shakily to the stairs. Twilight pushed the book away cautiously, as if it was some sort of dangerous object. “I think I’ll just go and—” She paused abruptly, flicking up her ears. Rarity looked back at her. “Is there something wrong?” “Not really, I just think something has been flying past the window a couple of times.” The two mares began to look at the square windows all around the boutique. Rarity’s eyes were wide open, and she shifted from side to side on her hooves. She stiffened in fear as the flutter of wings was carried through the air. Something had zipped past the an open window behind them. “Oh my stars... It’s that sound from the library!” Rarity whispered under her breath. The fashion designer spun around, magically slamming the boutique’s windows shut. She did the same for the other windows around the boutique. The room fell into an abrupt silence as the sounds from outside were cut off. Twilight shuffled around and tried to keep her eyes on all the windows at once. She knew that anything that followed Rarity all the way from the library couldn’t be any good. Thump Twilight whirled to face the window behind her, pricking her ears and holding her breath. There was nothing there, at least from where she stood. Twilight inched her way forward, curiosity getting the better of her. Behind her, a second set of hooves followed. The amber rays of sunset was streaming in through the glass, forming a faint orange square of light on the floor. Twilight stepped past it and reached the window, feeling another coat brush against hers as Rarity stood beside. Together, they looked through the small square panel of glass. A single tawny brown feather was falling outside, making its slow descent to the ground. Twilight stared at it, her violet pupils shifting lower and lower down as they tracked the feather. Leaning in closer, she peered at it go down, her snout pressed against the cool glass and leaving a small wet mark on it. THUMP! Twilight screamed as something smashed itself against the window, mere centimetres of glass separating it from her snout, something small and brown. Jerking her head away, she spun around and bolted away with Rarity. Together, they jumped behind a couch for cover. “What was that?!” Rarity cried. Twilight crouched behind the cushions, her heart still pounding. If not for the glass, it would have landed squarely on her face, whatever it was anyway. She recalled the oddly shaped brown mass, and then the tawny brown feather. Both had seemed a little familiar. Moments later, a sheepish smile began to form on her face. “I think that was Owliscious.” Rarity stared incredulously at her. “What? Are you absolutely sure?” Twilight trotted back to the window. She pushed open the glass and poked her head outside, looking around for her feathered assistant. The sun was setting outside, the fiery ball sinking behind the rooftops of several tall houses. She scanned the area, but the owl was nowhere to be seen. Puzzled, she pulled her head back inside. “I thought it was Owliscious...” Just at that moment, as if to prove her right, the small brown owl shot through the open window, barely missing Twilight’s snout for the second time. It tumbled through the air and completed its undignified entrance by crashing onto the oak table. It recovered quickly, flapping its wings and rising into the air. It moved a short distance before settling down onto one of Rarity’s plastic clothes stands beside the window. At this moment, the owl decided to give his signature greeting to the pair of mares staring at him. “Hoo.” “Oh thank goodness it’s just you Owliscious!” Rarity sighed in relief. “Was that you earlier at the library?” “Hoo?” “You had me absolutely terrified back there you know.” “Hoo.” “What? Who?” “Hoo.” Rarity’s eye gave a little twitch. “I think I’ll just be getting the quill and parchment,” she muttered. She turned around and trotted away. Twilight couldn’t be more relieved to see her assistant. “Oh Owliscious, it’s so good to see you! Something awful has happened. My whole life is in danger. I don’t even know what I should do.” Twilight raised a hoof to stroke the small owl’s back. Its glossy feathers evened out as her hoof ran along them. “But I’m going to ask Princess Celestia for help. She will know what to do. Yes, of course she would! And it won’t be too late. Everything will turn out fine...” The owl seemed indifferent to Twilight’s words. It faced out of the window, its back turned towards her. “I’m scared, Owliscious,” whispered Twilight. It gave no response. “Owliscious?” The tawny brown owl remained still for a few moments. Then, keeping its body still, its head began to rotate slowly, twisting and turning backwards. A terrified scream pierced through the air from down below. Twilight! With the quill and parchment enveloped in her magic, Rarity sped down the stairs. “Twilight! Are you alright?” The purple unicorn was crouched low to the ground. She shielded her head with her fore hooves. “It’s Owliscious! He... he scared me.” Twilight’s voice quivered. She blinked a few times, pulling herself together and rising off the ground. “Sorry for overreacting like that. I think I’m fine now.” Rarity looked around for Twilight’s feathered friend, but she couldn’t find it anywhere. “Where did he go?” “He flew off. I must have startled him when I screamed,” Twilight said guiltily. She took a deep breath and exhaled out. “I’m fine,” she repeated. “Darling, you have to tell me what happened.” “It’s hard to explain...” Twilight levitated the quill and parchment from Rarity. She set it on the table and began to scribble down her letter, forming line after line of writing. Her face screwed up in concentration as she tried her best to translate everything into words. Satisfied, she rolled up the parchment and lighted her horn, enveloping it in a cloud of purple magic. A moment later, the scroll disappeared with a faint ‘pop’ sound. Twilight fell back on her rump with a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted off her. “Okay, all we have to do now is wait for a response.” Back in the Canterlot castle, Celestia was flipping through an exceptionally long report. Her team of scientists were, without a doubt, trying their best to find out the inner workings of the eclipse, but she could see that they were not making much progress. Celestia scanned through the final page of the report, littered with complicated magic formulas just as most of its earlier pages were. The sun goddess was familiar with these already, being a master of magic herself. Yet, her face creased up in worry as she read the report. She felt like she was missing something, something important, and that bad things would happen if she didn’t find it out soon. Just then, a tiny scroll popped up inches from her face, its parchment slightly crumpled as if the sender wrote it in a hurry. It was one of Twilight’s Friendship Reports again, which Celestia found odd, because Twilight had already sent one this week. “My dear Twilight, as hardworking as ever,” Celestia sighed. Feeling a little guilty, Celestia placed the scroll carefully on top of her growing pile of royal business letters. She couldn’t afford to read extra bits of homework when there was such a serious matter at hoof. Her thoughts returned to Aether’s strange experiment. She couldn’t quite put her horn on what was wrong, but gut feelings nurtured over thousands of years shouldn’t be dismissed easily; they had somehow grown to be accurate over time. Perhaps she would have to take this matter into her own hooves... Celestia caught sight of Twilight’s Friendship Report sitting on top of the pile of letters. The little brown scroll looked meek compared to the other scrolls underneath it, with their crisp white parchment and shiny golden seals. Ironically, it was that little scroll that held the most importance in her heart. “Tomorrow night, Twilight. I promise.”
Signs and SymbolsOoo Signs and Symbols ooO Symbols... creatures... and a book about a dreadful hunter of the night. Twilight paced round and round inside the Carousel Boutique. A day and a half had passed, but there was still no response from Princess Celestia. How long more will it take? How long more before the creature strikes again? “Calm down Twilight,” she muttered to herself. “You need to relax.” Twilight continued her pacing, her hooves rhythmically clacking against the hard marble floor. She couldn’t relax. Not when there was some monster after her, hungering for every last drop of blood in her veins. There had to be something that she could do at the moment. Sitting nearby on a plush sofa, Rarity gave a concerned look. “Twilight, perhaps it would make you feel better if we head down to talk to our friends? They might have some ideas on what to do.” Twilight stopped abruptly.Her friends! She needed to warn them about this. They were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Together, they had overcome countless challenges all on their own, ranging from hydras to dragons all the way down to the tiny but destructive parasprites. Together, they would be able to fend off this new threat. “Rarity! You’re right!” Twilight grabbed the unsuspecting unicorn from the sofa and spun her around. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about that earlier! We need to warn the others and prepare the Elements of Harmony.” She paused for a moment. “We should get moving at once.” Rarity shook her head to clear the dizziness away. “You mean, right now?” “Yes of course, Rarity. Right right now. There’s no point waiting here any longer.” “Well, alright then. I suppose we could pick up Sweetie Belle from her school on the way. She’s going for a day of adventuring at Sweet Apple Acres. Let me grab some things and I’ll be ready to go.” Half an hour later, the pair left the designer dress shop, walking side by side, beginning their long journey east towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Apple Bloom! For the last time, stop yer mucking around out there and come have lunch. The food’s getting cold!” Applejack yelled, propping herself up on the farmhouse window. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she scanned the apple orchard for her younger sister. There wasn’t hide nor hair of that young filly, but Applejack knew she must be hiding somewhere among those apple trees. “Just a minute, big sis!” yelled back a faint high-pitched voice, coming from a distance away. “I found something really cool over here!” Applejack snorted in disbelief. Her sister’s version of ‘something really cool’ tended to range from large bugs to oddly shaped apples, and judging from where the voice came from, she wouldn’t be back for lunch anytime soon. Applejack dragged her forehooves off the window sill, turning around and heading towards the dining table. She would deal with that filly later, when she gets back. The rest of her family was already gathered for lunch. “Apple Bloom is still playin’ round in the orchard,” Applejack announced as she took a seat. A delicious feast was laid out on the table in front of her: crunchy apple salads, apple oatmeal sandwiches fresh from the oven, some of Apple Bumpkin’s leftover apple bumpkin, and a freshly baked apple pie for dessert. “Ah... fillies these days,” Granny Smith began wistfully. “I remember when ah was a filly, ah used to run all day around the barn! Day an’ night ah played, full of energy and not a worry on my bloomin’ mind. An’ there was this one day I found a funny lookin’ worm which I showed to mom and dad, and another day I found some odd little creature... ” Granny Smith continued to ramble on with her story, not knowing or caring that nopony was listening to her, rocking on her squeaky old rocking chair as she spoke. Applejack filtered Granny Smith’s voice to the back of her mind until it turned into an incessant drone. Feeling a little guilty, she glanced at her brother across the table. The giant red stallion sat motionless in his seat, playing on his natural poker face. Applejack blinked a few times at him. Sometimes she felt that her brother was a little on the odd side. “Uh... whelp,” she began uncomfortably. “Let’s dig in, shall we?” She began to load the salad onto her plate. The farmer scooped a heaping spoonful of greens into her mouth, munching on the leaves and various pine nuts. The dressing matched perfectly, giving the leaves a light, tangy flavour that seeped onto her tongue. It was just the right proportion of leaves and stems, giving the salad gave a pleasant crunch without being too fibrous. Applejack shovelled another spoonful into her mouth. “Mmumph... thish shalad is reaully good.” Granny Smith stopped with her story and gave a proud smile. “Yer got that right, young lady! This is yer Granny’s favourite recipe, an’ it’s the best every time.” “Eeyurp,” Big Mac added. Finishing her plate of salad, Applejack moved on to the sandwiches. She had decided to give the apple bumpkin a miss, unable to recall the last time Apple Bumpkin had actually visited them, let alone bringing apple bumpkin along with her. Two sandwiches later, her stomach felt ready to burst. But she caught sight of the delicious, creamy, sugar-coated apple pie. A few minutes later, an extra large slice of pie was added to her stomach, and Applejack decided that she had enough apples to last a lifetime. Ugh, so much apples, she thought, heaving her bloated stomach off the chair and lumbering past Apple Bloom. The filly had just slipped into the room and begun on her meal. Applejack gave her a sharp glare before moving to the front porch of the farmhouse. Perhaps walking around a bit would help in digestion. ...Do apples digest well? Applejack reached the large red stable doors that made the entrance to the farmhouse. Rearing up on her hind legs, she balanced her weight comfortably on top of the half-doors. A pleasant breeze blew lightly against her mane, causing a few strands of coarse hair to fall over her eyes. She casually brushed them away with a hoof. Being built on a hill, the farmhouse offered a great view of the surrounding landscape. Across the expanse of grassland, white Lalang flowers danced in the wind, forming specks of white among thick grasses that grew up high up to the knee. Further in the distance, she could make out the gray stone of one or two other farmhouses. Beyond that, the massive red and white dome of the Ponyville town hall peaked above the clusters of tiny straw-colored houses, gleaming against the scorching midday sun, marking out the heart of Ponyville. Her gaze drew back to the farm, tracing the long, winding dirt path that cut through the grasses and connected the farm to the rest of town. Applejack noticed three colorful ponies moving along the track. The first was a small white filly bounding excitedly on the path, and close behind her strolled a pair of unicorns, one purple and one white. Applejack felt a grin appearing on her face. She could have recognized that pair of unicorns from anywhere in Equestria. The purple one had a distinct straight cut mane, and the pearl white one had a brilliant purple mane and tail. Applejack snorted, even able to notice the pearl white unicorn’s elegant gait at this distance. That’s her all right. “Apple Bloom,” she called back to the dining table, “We have visitors coming. Hurry up and finish yer lunch!” An hour later, Applejack was gathered together with Twilight and Rarity around the dining table. Big Macintosh had gone out to work on the farm, while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had galloped off to see the ‘really cool something!’ from earlier on. “So, how have y’all been?” Applejack began, “Twi, I hope you’re not fussin’ over all those books as usual.” She noticed the grave look on the her face. “Twi? Somethin’ wrong?” Twilight took a deep breath. “Applejack, I am in deep trouble, and I need your help. Something really bad is happening.” Applejack could feel a bewildered look forming on her face. “Uh, what now?” As if on cue, Rarity raised a hoof to her forehead and let out a little wail. “It’s horrible, it’s scary, it’s the worst. Possible—” “Twi,” Applejack began impatiently. “Ah hope this isn’t one of yer I’ve-got-no-time-to-reschedule-my-schedule problems again. Because the last time ya went all crazy over it.” She rubbed her temple as she recalled the event. “It wasn’t pretty.” “No! It’s much more serious this time. It’s... it’s... urrrhhh...” Twilight dragged a hoof across her face in frustration. “It’s really bad. I was attacked by some creature.” There was a brief moment of silence, before Applejack slowly raised an eyebrow at her. “You were attacked... by a creature?” “Yes.” “What kind of creature?” “I... I don’t know.” “What did it look like then?” “Well, I couldn’t see it clearly.” At that moment, Rarity chipped into the conversation. “Please Applejack, you’ve got to believe her. I would admit that I too was a bit skeptical to begin with, but I am utterly convinced now, and... well, scared.” Applejack took a moment to consider it all. “Ah dunno Twi, this all seems a little out of the blue. Ah mean, there's a mighty lot of monsters in the Everfree forest, but shouldn’t other ponies be aware if there’s one of ‘em’s lurking around town?” “Okay okay, I’ll tell you everything I know and then we’ll work things out from there. Let’s see...” The lavender unicorn scrunched up her face as she tried to recall the facts. “First I woke up to the sound of something big rummaging around in my library, right in the middle of the night. And then the next morning I found symbols on the wood, which happened to match up with this old book right here.” She undid the delicate star-shaped metal clasp of her saddlebags, levitating out the old black book and floating it across the table. Applejack plucked it out of the air and raised it up in front of her, examining the large gold block letters engraved on the cover. “I read some rather disturbing passages from it, which I think are actual facts. I have written a letter to Princess Celestia informing her of this. She has yet to respond.” Applejack … “Uhh, you trust this book, Twilight?” From its appearance, Applejack wouldn’t have trusted one word of it. The book looked as if it had been trampled on by somepony, buried underground, and dug out a decade later. She wondered if the pages would drop off if she held it in her hooves for too long. “Yes, of course,” the unicorn said, giving a nervous gulp, “...some of the stuff that has happened matched up with the passages in it.” Applejack was reluctant to depend on some old tome from Celestia knew where. She vaguely remembered some age-old saying about not judging books by their covers, but she brushed it off. “If there’s anypony I would go to for a problem like this, it’d be the police. Twilight, we should get you there. They deal with this stuff all the time.” “Well, I think we should see what Fluttershy has to say,” Rarity began. “She has got to be the best when it comes to strange creatures. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to pay her a visit, would it? We have to let the others know what’s happening too.” Applejack nodded slowly. “Hmm, yes we should. There’s something else I want to ask that filly. You know, the two of us were supposed to have tea earlier today, but she never showed up. It’s not like Fluttershy to fall out on me like that.” “Alright then,” Twilight said, levitating the book back into her saddlebags and locking the clasp. “Let’s head off to Fluttershy’s.” Sweetie Belle trudged through the thick, coarse grasses between the farmhouse and the apple orchard, careful to avoid the dark patches of half-dried mud. Apple Bloom was yards in front, racing ahead of her in excitement. Sweetie wished that Apple Bloom would slow down. Beads of sweat were starting to form on her forehead, and her coat felt hot and sticky. She squinted up at the fiery afternoon sun above her, and then back down when the light burned her eyes. “So what’s this ‘really really cool thing’ you wanted to show me, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle called out, wiping her forehead dry. At least she would be under the shade of the apple trees soon. “I can’t just tell you that! You’ll have to see it for yerself.” Sweetie hopped over a rotting tree trunk. She was entering the orchard, and it was about time she did! The sunlight was beginning to scorch her coat, and that made her feel as if she was wrapped with a particularly scratchy blanket. She stumbled under the shade of the apple trees, her hooves caked in mud. With Apple Bloom still way ahead of her, Sweetie Belle struggled to catch up. “Will you give me a few tries to guess what it is?” she asked. Beneath her hooves, the coarse grass began to thin out, making for the trees. “Sure,” Apple Bloom said, slowing her pace down. “Here’s what we’ll do. You ask me a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, and I’ll give you a simple ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer. Nothing more, okay?” “Okay. Let me think.” Sweetie pondered for a little while. “Is what we’re looking for... big?” “Nope!” Apple Bloom laughed. “I’ll give ya two more tries. If not it’ll never end.” Sweetie Belle smiled. She didn’t need two more tries. There were only a few things that were small, found in an apple orchard, and lame enough for Apple Bloom. She sped up to a trot, finally reaching up to her yellow-coated friend. “I know what it is! I bet it’s some boring bug or insect.” “No it isn’t,” Apple Bloom said. “Bugs are lame. One try left. Hey, we haven’t decided what you’ll do if you lose.” “Well, we haven’t decided what you’ll do if I win,” Sweetie Belle countered. She began to look around the orchard for inspiration. There were apple trees on all sides, and nothing but apple trees further up. So much for inspiration, Sweetie thought sulkily. The ground was covered by fallen leaves. Occasionally, she found bright red apples peeking out, their color contrasting against the dull brown of the soil. Pulling her mind back on track, she focused hard about what Apple Bloom could possibly have discovered. There wasn’t much to see in the orchard besides for bugs and apples. Perhaps it had something to do with apples. “We’re here,” Apple Bloom announced. Sweetie Belle broke off her thoughts, raising her head up and looking around. Trees were all around her as usual. “Huh? I don’t see anything special.” “No, it’s over here.” Apple Bloom waved towards a small bush. Animal, bug, or fruit, Sweetie Belle guessed. Curious about what could possibly be hiding there, Sweetie Belle made her way over, standing beside Apple Bloom. Her friend nudged the leaves, grinning excitedly. “What’s that? I can’t see it.” Sweetie Belle stretched her head into the bush, pushing away at the branches. At last, she managed to get a good look at the strange round object inside. “A gray apple?” Sweetie Belle blinked a couple of times, staring at it. There it was, the ‘really cool something’, nestled amongst the rotting leaves, similar to an apple in every way except its shade. She rolled the fruit out of the bush, moving it around several times and giving it a close inspection. “I’ve never seen a gray apple before.” “Heh, me neither,” admitted Apple Bloom, scratching the side of her head. “But it’s still pretty boring,” said Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom gave a shrug, and then her face lit up with an idea. “Let’s break it open!” “Good idea!” Sweetie looked around, quickly finding a sharp, flat stone which she levitated over to Apple Bloom. “Here, use this.” “Maybe we’ll find some sort of treasure inside, like what happens in those stories that Granny used ‘ta read to me when I was much little.” “Littler,” Sweetie Belle corrected. “That’s not even a word.” Sweetie Belle brought a hoof to her forehead in frustration. She levitated up and stone and prodded Apple Bloom with it. “Let’s just cut open that apple.” “Okay.” Apple Bloom picked up the stone, holding it firmly in her jaws. With her mouth full, she had to mumble from the side of the stone. “On ‘er count of ‘hree?” Sweetie Belle nodded at her. “Onee... Two... ‘hree!” Apple Bloom brought the stone down swiftly, striking the apple right in the middle and splitting it into two clean halves, exposing its insides clearly. She dropped the stone with a soft thud. “Whoa! It’s like completely, completely gray.” Similar to its skin, the rest of the apple was gray—flesh, seeds, and everything else inside. The two halves lay on the ground, as if the very essence of its color had been sucked out. Sweetie Belle eyed the drops of gray apple juice trickling from it. “Now that’s cool. A little creepy, actually.” “Psh, this? Creepy?” Apple Bloom scoffed. She grinned, giving Sweetie Belle a playful nudge. “Yer becoming a bit of a chicken, like Scootaloo. I bet this little thing here is as harmless as a heart-shaped leaf.” Sweetie raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Oh, really?” “Yeah.” “Well then, Apple Bloom ever so strong and mighty. Are you up for a challenge?” Still wearing a big grin on her face, Apple Bloom lowered her head and put a hoof to her chest, speaking in a low voice. “The mighty Apple Bloom accepts yer challenge, for there is nothing she can’t handle.” Sweetie Belle picked up a halve, noticing a trickle of gray apple juice oozing out from its flesh and dripping down its side. “Well, I dare you...” With a light swing, she threw the half to Apple Bloom, who caught it expertly. “...to take nice a bite of that, and tell me what it tastes like.” Apple Bloom’s grin shrunk by a few molars, and Sweetie Belle’s widened by a few more. Fluttershy’s cottage, the most tranquil place in Ponyville. Set among the lush ferns and greenery, the cosy house was the perfect getaway from the noise of the city. It had a rounded mushroom shape, a thick cover of greenery that making up its roof. Tiny bird houses hung by the windows and on the surrounding trees, swaying like colorful lanterns in the wind. A distance out in the front, an orange pony wearing a light brown Stetson hat was flanked by a pair of unicorns. She trotted across a short stone bridge that linked to the cottage, soft grass beneath her hooves. Below her, a tiny stream cut through moss-covered rocks and water weeds. The therapeutic babble of water flow mixed with the crisp, fresh air and forest scents. A place like this was perfect to sit back, relax on a lawn chair, and let the worries wash away. Well, small worries at least, thought Applejack. Reaching the cottage, she raised a hoof and gave three light knocks on the door. She took a step back and adjusted her Stetson. “Fluttershy? Are you in there?” A few moments later, Applejack stepped back up to the door and called out again. Her voice rang out clearly, and then there was silence once more. Applejack exchanged glances with Twilight and Rarity, and the unicorns gave a simultaneous shrug. Slightly confused, Applejack put an ear against the wood of the door. Movement could be heard inside. A creak of the floorboards, a shuffling of hooves, and then she picked out a quiet sob. Applejack took a sudden, sharp intake of air. “Fluttershy!” she called, trying to force open the door. She cursed when it refused to budge. “What’s wrong?” asked Twilight. “That poor filly’s crying inside.” Applejack placed her ear against the door again. “C’mon Fluttershy! Let us in!” A series of light and rapid footfalls approached the door, followed by a click. Moments later, it swung open. But instead of Fluttershy, a diminutive white bunny stood at the doorway. It managed to conjure an impressive scowl on its face, folding its short arms and tapping a hind leg on the ground impatiently. “Oh... hi Angel.” The bunny made a quick series of gestures with its arms, crossing them over his chest and shaking his head vigorously from side to side. “Wait, but...” began Applejack, taking a step forwards. Sensing her attempt to gain a quick entry, Angel made a hasty grab for the door, swinging it shut. Applejack jerked her head back just in time to avoid a flattened snout. Her ears rang from the sound, and her heartbeat quickened for a few moments. How that tiny bunny managed to slam the door with so much force was beyond her imagination. “Geez, not even friends allowed I guess,” she muttered. A voice wailed from inside, sounding like Fluttershy’s. “Alright, my turn,” Twilight said, stepping up to the door. Her horn glowed for a brief moment, the magic swirling along her body. With a flash of purple light and a loud bang, the unicorn disappeared. Applejack heard the lock being undone again. The door swung open, revealing Twilight on the other side. The unicorn allowed herself a small smile as she motioned quietly for them to enter. Giving a nod of approval, Applejack trotted inside. She took the lead, with Twilight behind her and Rarity bringing up the rear. Together, the three ponies shuffled towards the quiet sobs. “Wonder what it could be this time...” Twilight whispered. “I hope she’s going to be fine,” said Rarity from the back. As they entered the living room, they found Fluttershy crouched in the corner, sobbing away. Angel stood beside her, resting a tiny white paw on the pegasus’s back and patting her softly. Then, upon noticing the three of them, Angel’s face scrunched up into a scowl again. “Fluttershy dear... what happened?” Rarity began, rushing forward. Ignoring the piercing glares from Angel, Applejack trotted up to the sobbing pegasus. There seemed to be a tiny white cot lying in front of her, but they didn’t think about it. Fluttershy cried pitifully, too upset to think about the sudden appearance of the three ponies around her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, a few drops dripping onto the floor. She gasped after a few moments, sucking in a breath of air to sustain her sobs. “It’s gonna be okay... we’re here,” Twilight offered. “Hey, sugarcube.” Applejack gave an encouraging smile, looking deep into the pegasus’s swollen eyes. “Just calm down for the moment, okay? Everything will be fine.” At this, Fluttershy gave them a tiny nod, holding back a few strangled cries. “Slowly there, give yerself time. Don’t you feel the slightest bit better?” “...a little,” she whispered. Applejack sighed. “Fluttershy, you can’t be locking yourself up like this when yer feelin’ down, you have to tell us so we can help you.” She shifted her gaze to the tiny white cot. “Uh, what’s that?” Fluttershy’s lips quivered. She looked on the verge of bursting into tears again. “I... I don’t want to talk about it.” She spread out her frail wings, using them to form a protective shield around her face. Twilight and Rarity were staring at the cot as well now. It was the smallest cot Applejack had ever seen, perfectly sized for the bundle of white cloth that lay inside, as if custom-made for it. As she moved closer to have a look, she could see how well-crafted it was. The edges of the sides had been sanded down, evident from how the cloth made soft curves instead of ledges. The cloth itself was of good, thick quality, and bright white like the napkins Rarity insisted on wearing during meals. It was, all in all, a dainty, unoffensive little thing, which baffled Applejack all the more. “May we have a look at this, Fluttershy?” said Twilight, sounding more hesitant than confused. The pegasus buried deeper under her wings. Her entire frame gave a noticeable shudder as she let out a soft, tortured squeal, as if somepony had drawn a knife across her back. The squeal dragged on for moments too long, dropping into a low moan as her breath drained out of her lungs. She began to sob again, the sounds muffled within a tight ball of fur and feathers. Applejack gritted her teeth and tensed up her withers. She didn’t like to do this but... Curiosity, she decided, was a force to be reckoned with. She gave Twilight a sharp nudge and hissed into her ear. “Open it!” Twilight casted a nervous glance at Fluttershy before turning to the cot. Quickly, she lighted up her horn, using her magic to lift a corner of the cloth by fraction of an inch. The small mound beneath the cloth didn’t move, and it didn’t look like it would be moving. “No idea what this is, girls,” she whispered. “But here goes...” Twilight straightened the cloth and carefully levitated it out of the cot. As the gruesome sight was revealed, Applejack wished that she it had been left covered up. Her stomach began churning and she felt as though she would be puking out the apples very soon. She noticed Twilight’s face losing its color as well, and the purple unicorn backed away slowly. But Applejack couldn’t take her eyes off it so easily, as much as she had wanted to. “It’s Mister Mousie,” Fluttershy whispered. Several things were very wrong with Mister Mousie. For one, it was as if the color had been completely sucked out from the poor creature, leaving it with a dull gray. Its fur, though originally gray, looked a few shades lighter, and it looked like a furry pouch of gray skin. Applejack wondered why it looked like it was too small and too furry. She had seen plenty of mice back in the barn. This one had too much skin and fur, but it didn’t start off that way. Staring at it for a few more moments made her see the grim reality of it all. It wasn’t a problem with the mouse itself. It wasn’t too small or too skinny or too furry. Instead, it was because it had been sucked out from the inside, leaving it nothing but a bag of skin and fur. And then there were its eyes... Beady, small, dull, nestled in its excess of hair, but alive, they followed Applejack as she stepped back. The closest experience she could think of was when Winona fell sick and almost failed to pull through, but even the look in her eyes hadn’t been so awful. Somehow, something in the pit of her stomach churned at the sight of those dead drops of black. She tasted bile at the base of her tongue. Her remaining lunch would be coming up next. “Washroom,” she said curtly, trotting off. Applejack butted open the door and emptied a few servings of apples into the sink. Coughing and retching, she rinsed her mouth under the tap, trying to get the acidic tang off her tongue. Feeling a little weak, she stumbled out to join the rest, the scent of vomit still lingering in her snout. “Didn’t miss anything, did I?” Applejack said as she walked back into the room. Not that she minded missing anything, actually. She felt terrible. Maybe the rest were coping better than she was. Applejack looked around the room for her friends. Sitting at the exact same spot, Fluttershy was staring emptily into space as if in some sort of trance. Beside her, Rarity was lying motionless on the floor. Great. Just great. One’s completely lost her mind and the other isn’t even conscious. Wait, where’s Twilight? Applejack looked around the room again. She saw the purple unicorn sitting alone, back turned towards her. “Twilight,” she called out. “You okay there, sugarcube?” As she moved towards Twilight, she noticed the purple unicorn staring at a few sheets of parchment laid on the ground. Beside the sheets of parchment, a black book was lying open, the same one Twilight had brought along earlier. “Applejack, I don’t know what to do. All these things happening... I need Princess Celestia’s help, but she’s not here.” Twilight ended off with in a strained voice. “What’s happening, Applejack?” Applejack placed a hoof on the unicorn’s withers, only to realize that she was quivering. “She has always been there for me...” Twilight whispered. Applejack gave her a tight hug and looked into her eyes. “We need to head off to the police. Right now.”
An Old Police StationOoo An Old Police Station ooO Ponyville Police Station. The best in town, the sign claimed. Those who lived in Ponyville knew, of course, that it was the onlypolice station in town. There was hardly enough crime to keep it active, let alone a second one. The station’s waiting room had exactly one place for a pony to wait: a comfortable, ratty couch before the front desk, sagging until it almost touched the floor. A single policepony sat behind the desk, munching on what most policeponies would munch on the job: doughnuts. Semi-retired police officer Steel Heart had lost count of how many of those delicious treats he had popped into his mouth, but he carried on anyway. They’re smaller-sized than the normal ones, he reasoned, so they don’t mess with my health that much. He popped yet another sugar-coated donut into his mouth, careful not to get any crumbs onto his greying moustache. Why do they have to make these things so nice and bite-sized anyway? He wondered if the sugar was just going to add on to the flab around his flanks. Probably, yes. That bothered him a little. I used to be as fit as a fiddle, fresh out of cadet school. Back when cases needed solving, and ponies needed saving. Those were the days.... He heard the soft jingle of bells from the door and looked up, eyebrows raised. What’s this, a visitor? A violet unicorn mare stepped into the room, looking a little dazed and lost as her eyes wandered around. Behind her followed an orange earth pony, a faded Stetson hat over her coarse blond mane and a smile on her face that gave her an air of confidence. Finally, a white unicorn with a deep purple mane strode into the room. The first thing she caught sight of was the couch before the front desk, to which she wrinkled her nose at in disapproval. The violet unicorn caught sight of him, her eyes brightening. “Is this the police station?” “What’s left of it,” muttered Steel Heart. She cocked her head a little to the side. “Huh?” Steel Heart pushed away his box of doughnuts. This group of ponies looked a little familiar, as if he had seen them on the newspapers once. He studied the unicorn in front of him, medium-short in stature and a bit plush, trailing his gaze along the streak of bright pink and purple down her forelock. She had a pair of deep purple irises. ...Which are kinda pretty, actually. He shook his head and coughed. “Uh, how may I help you, Miss?” The young mare nodded and placed a hoof on her chest. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends, Applejack and Rarity.” She removed the hoof from her chest and indicated at the two ponies beside her. “We have a case to report, officer.” “Oh, alright. Give me a moment to prepare my... uh... stuff.” Steel Heart gave an embarrassed smile at Twilight, straightening his crumpled uniform over his flabby stomach. He opened a drawer under his desk, pulling out a few sheets of paper and laying them out in front of himself. Noticing that there were no quills, he reached his hoof back inside the drawer, searching the corners. Where are the darn quills kept? He closed the drawer and pulled open another, frantically searching around as the three mares watched. Not here... not there... “Are you looking for something, officer?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, just give me a minute or so...” He stood up from his seat, and then proceeded to crouch on all fours, bending close to the ground. He searched the floor, inspecting the tiles for any fallen quills, but he only found clumps of gray dirt and a few dead beetles. “Um... officer? I see some quills on the table, if that’s what you’re looking for.” “What!” Steel heart jerked his head up and knocked it painfully against the desk. Muttering a series of curses under his breath, Steel Heart clambered onto his chair. “Where are they?” Twilight indicated a space hidden behind his box of doughnuts. Steel Heart pushed the box to the side in irritation. Behind it, three quills were placed neatly in their holders, brand new and perfect. “Celestia damn—” he blurted, stopping when he noticed the stunned expressions of the mares across the desk. “Uh... Thanks, Miss Sparkle.” He carefully pulled out one of the quills, staring at it intently. He looked back at Twilight with her distracting purple eyes. “Okay, I’m ready, I think. Took a while, didn’t I?” Steel Heart gave a weak chuckle. “Right, the case you wanted to make. Fire away, Miss Sparkle.” With that prompt, Twilight began to tell him how she had apparently been attacked at night, along with the appearance of strange symbols in her library, as well as an ancient book filled with mysterious fairy tales and poems. Steel Heart listened, trying to capture all the information being given to him. He was pretty sure he missed out one or two bits, but he had the overall gist of it. “...and so we came here, officer, hoping you could help us,” Twilight finished. Steel heart remained silent for a while, scratching his chin in thought. He put his quill away and looked at her. “I hate to break it to you, Miss, but there is absolutely nothing I can do to help you.” The three mares exchanged glances before looking back at him. “There ain’t nothing you can do about it?” Applejack echoed, frowning as if she had heard it wrongly. “Whatd’ya mean nothing? You’re the police!” “Well, yes we are,” Steel Heart said nonchalantly. “You see, the ponies that work here don’t deal with the sort of things your friend’s talking about. We can’t help you on that... Like you said, we’re police. Not ghost busters, not demon hunters.” He almost sounded bored saying all that, dragging out his sentences in a slight drawl. The old policepony had his fair share of such cases, and this one seemed like any other. He examined their faces, which were decidedly a mixture of shock and confusion, to which he raised up his hooves in a defensive gesture. “Hey, it’s not that I don’t want to,” he added in quickly. “Our new policy doesn’t allow us to.” Applejack raised one of her eyebrows even higher, until it almost touched her forelock. “Yer new... policy?” “That’s right. I’ll explain. Here, have a seat.” He motioned to the black swivel chairs opposite him. Once his visitors were seated, he began his story. “About ten years ago or longer, we had an unusual case thrown at us. A young group of colts claimed to have seen a demon or something. They rang up the police, telling us how terrifying and dangerous it was. We organized a small search patrol immediately, setting out to investigate the area where the creature was said to have been sighted. Two hours later, that patrol came back, calling for reinforcements and a massive search party. They had found blood near the area, and even a few odd-looking tracks on the ground.” Steel Heart spoke in a low, deep voice, moving his hooves around in the air slowly as if he was telling a particularly frightening story. “So we called up half the entire force to search for it, afraid that ponies might be attacked.” He paused and gave a tired sigh, the energy draining out of him as his shoulders slumped forwards. “Guess what? All our efforts were wasted. Turns out the whole thing was a fake. The colts created that mess themselves. They made the strange tracks, and the labs showed that the spilt blood was from a chicken, not a pony.” The three mares were fidgeting uncomfortably, as if somepony was brushing their coats the wrong way up. “It’s not so much the time wasted that got the top officers pissed.” Steel Heart rubbed his temple with a forehoof. “A bank robbery occurred during the search. There weren’t enough forces to react to the distress alarms because the entire force was out in a damn search party. That’s how our new policy came about.” “But that’s just one prankster!” Applejack stomped her hoof, suddenly glaring daggers at Steel Heart. “Yer can’t make yer varmit policies from jus’ one prankster!” Steel Heart’s looked bewildered. “One? Missy, these cases have been popping up for ages. I’d be assured that you weren’t even born before they had started.” Steel Heart leaned back, his chair giving a strained creak of protest. “Yeah, let me finish my little story and it’ll make more sense. Well, let’s just say that the bank robbers managed to escape out of town and were never caught. Shortly after the incident, the whole darn town caught wind of our mishandling of the issue, and that meant that things weren’t going to end well for us. Of course, they didn’t. I can’t figure out how that small bank robbery escalated to a to a full blown distrust of the police force by the townsponies, but it kinda did. The poor chief took a beating, and he promised to stop all this nonsense once and for all, by removing all police involvement in anything supernatural.” "I... I guess that makes some sense.” Applejack admitted grudgingly. “I can see the reasoning behind it,” Twilight nodded at Applejack. She turned to Steel Heart. “Is there really nothing you can do to help us, officer? Maybe a little advice on what we could do?” Steel Heart tapped his chin in thought. “Hmm... I don’t really know. Because, to be honest, I don’t believe any of this demon monster creature crap. It just doesn’t make much sense, and it hasn’t happened before.” He frowned a little as a thought struck him. “Well, we did have a real creepy case in the past, but that was so long ago. It’s become more of a legend now, and I even don’t know how much of it is actually true.” “Could you tell us about it? I think it might help us.” said Twilight, stepping forward. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and her deep lavender eyes showed a hint of uncertainty. Steel heart paused. “I... uh, I’m really not sure about that, miss. You know, we policeponies aren’t supposed to be talking about past cases to strangers and all that... especially unsolved cases.” He frowned, suddenly noticing how uneasy Twilight seemed. “And you don’t look so keen yourself, so—” “No, no! I’m fine,” Twilight insisted. “Mhm, yeah. She’s fine.” Applejack confidently patted the purple unicorn on her head. “You go ahead and tell us that story.” Steel Heart looked at them suspiciously for a few moments, but he decided to ignore it. It wasn’t often that he had an audience for his storytelling sessions anyway. He adjusted himself on his seat, and it squeaked louder than ever as it struggled to hold his weight. Leaning in closer to the three mares, he began on his second story. “Okay, so this is how the legend goes, if I remember correctly. It all started off with a mysterious call to the police. Heh, all cases begin that way, don’tcha think? There was a break-in at a small shop selling gems or something. Just your average old case... ‘cept that the thief was stupid enough to leave a few markings behind.” Twilight’s jaw dropped open, and the color drained from her face. “The markings!” she blurted out, “What did they look like?” “Uh... I’ve no idea, Miss,” Steel Heart said, raising a bushy gray eyebrow at Twilight. “This happened flippin’ years ago, remember? But there’s nothing worth talking about there, because the detectives couldn’t make anything out of it. In fact, they couldn’t find any leads at all from the evidence they had collected. Heh, they could only wait for something else to happen... and something else did happen I tell ya, something big. A week later, the gemstone sellers were murdered. Their bodies were all gray.” “Horseapples, ah don’t like how this story is going,” Applejack commented. Steel Heart burst out into a hearty laugh. “Filly, nopony likes how this goes.” He paused for a moment. “Anyways, as I was saying, the bodies turned up all weird and gray. Seems like the killer was real sick in the head, and probably a unicorn too, since ya need magic to do all that weird stuff. So more agents were called in, and the case was taken over by the Hearts. Now, these fellas were some of the best in town. They worked hard on the crime scene, dusting the floors, looking for prints and hairs. But even the great Hearts were stumped by the lack of clues. Unable to find anything useful, they declared the case a mystery.” As the policepony spoke, he subconsciously fiddled the metal name tag above his left breast pocket, as if it carried some sort of importance. “A week later, a second murder case popped up. The victim was killed the same way. Now they knew they had a serial killer on the loose, and he was damn good, leaving nothing but those quirky markings. The Hearts were becoming desperate. In the following few weeks, new murders would pop up, all leaving no clues whatsoever. Then, all of a sudden, the string of murders stopped. Just like that. “The residents of Ponyville grew suspicious. They thought that the killer was lurking among them, biding his time. They wanted revenge, and they didn’t think the police were making much progress. Things got real nasty when they took matters into their own hooves... Real, real nasty.” Steel Heart saw his box of doughnuts sitting forlornly on the table. He stretched out a hoof and pulled out a doughnut. It had gone soft and greasy from standing out in the air, but he didn’t mind. “You know, all that mistrust between those town fellows... kinda goes to show how important harmony is in Ponyville. It’s pretty darn important,” he said to himself, taking a bite off the doughnut and chomping in front of the three mares. “Harmony. Without that, things just mess themselves up into some sort of chaos.” He waved the half-eaten doughnut at them. “You girls want some?” Rarity crinkled her nose and shook her head, refusing it politely. Steel Heart shrugged, popping the remaining chunk into his mouth and swallowing it down whole. The three mares were sweating, their pale faces evoking a playfully sadistic grin on Steel Heart. “Okay, that’s all I’m going to tell you for now,” he laughed. “You three like my story, I’m guessing.” Applejack planted a firm hoof down on his desk in response, a serious look on her face. “Officer, we’re in real trouble. You gotta help us.” Slightly taken aback, Steel Heart went on the defensive. “I really can’t do anything, even if I wanted to. My superiors would never mobilize the police to go around searching for something that you can’t even describe.” “But this is different! We aren’t mucking around and faking up some darn story. We need help.” Applejack paused, her face inches away from Steel Heart’s. “Isn’t this the place to go for help?” “I’m can’t, Miss Applejack. I’m sorry.” The earth pony lowered her head in resignation. “Yes... no, I’m sorry. You’re right, you are only the police.” She paused in silence for a few moments. “We’ll be on our way now then. C’mon Twi, let’s go.” Steel Heart watched the three mares leave. He couldn’t help but feel as though he had done something wrong. But no, that couldn’t be it. He was doing his job well. We’re police. Not ghost busters, not demon hunters... The old police officer found himself fiddling with his metal name tag. He unpinned it, examining his name engraved there in block letters, and then he knew that there was something else that he had forgotten to tell to the three mares. Princess Celestia walked along the deserted, dimly lit hallway. On either side of her, enormous black marble walls stretched high up to the dark ceiling. “Eclipse,” the sun goddess murmured. “An eclipse that turns fossils back to life.” She felt the marble under her hooves, strong and sturdy. If only she could be like that too. All she felt at the moment was uncertainty. “Fossils,” she thought aloud. “Fossils that turn back to life.” She made a turn to the left, entering a smaller hallway of marble. “Specific fossils that turn back to life.” The hallway ended with a pair of heavy double doors, stretching at least twenty hoofsteps wide on either side, rising all the way to the ceiling. A full-grown red dragon could easily fit through the set of doors and Celestia suddenly felt a little small, like a bug entering a tunnel. Strange magical symbols were carved along the edges of its frame. They pulsed in time with one another with the amber color of dying coals. Celestia came to a stop in front of the doors. She levitated out a small gold key from under her wing, inserting it into a small keyhole that was placed conveniently low enough for ponies to reach. The key was given a burst of magic, which seeped through its shining gold and into the metal. A few mechanical clunks came from the door. Slowly, the gears turned and it grinded open, revealing a dark void beyond. Celestia stood in front of the doorway, setting her eyes on the darkness before her. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through it. The sun goddess entered a massive chamber. Within it, two long rows of giant candles hung by the sides, each illuminating a small portion of the gleaming black walls, which gave off a soft sparkle against the candlelight. The twin rows of candles extended all the way to the back, the flames getting smaller and smaller until they were only flickering pinpricks of light at the end of the vast space. In the middle of the chamber, thousands of rectangular silver lecterns occupied the floor, placed in neat rows and columns. Each of the holders contained a single tome, bound and secured tightly using thick metal chains. Above her, a rectangular slab of old wood floated in the air, almost pony-sized. The Canterlot Arcane Library, it read, the words inscribed into the wood. Celestia took her time to marvel at the place. This hardly looked like a library at all. The walls of the chamber, for example, were made out of rare black diamond crystals, a queer material that functioned as a magical barrier, perfect for preventing thieves from teleporting into the chamber. She knew how important the tomes in this library were to her scientists and scholars, and to herself as well. The walls had else something hanging on them—old paintings, mostly of mythical creatures and beasts, just above the row of candles. On one, a phoenix spread its wings out in a stunning display of light and fire. And next to it was an Ursa Major, fully grown and towering above the trees, and after that... Celestia couldn’t make out what was after that. She stepped closer, squinting at the painting. “Oh... my,” Celestia murmured. She stared at the dark and murky serpent-like shape for a long moment, recalling how she had fought the creature long ago, sealing it up for eternity. Ever since then, it was thought to be nothing more than a myth or an old mare’s tale. Inspiration struck, and Celestia let out a small gasp. She knew what she was actually looking for now. The sun goddess ran along the aisle, counting down the number of lecterns she had passed. At row number forty-six, she turned right and moved ten spaces down, arriving at a silver stand that looked identical to the rest. Inside it sat a plain, black tome, its title a single word engraved in chunky, gold lettering. Celestia snapped the tome away from its chains. Turning around, she hurriedly made her way out of the library, and the giant double doors grinded shut behind her. Midnight fell upon Canterlot Castle, bringing with it a gloomy silence. One by one, the castle lights began to extinguish as the servants and workers turned in for the night. A single pony hurried through the dark Canterlot Castle hallways. He raced past the magical torches that hung on the walls in a row, burning with ethereal purple flames. Every now and then, light from the flames or the moon outside would catch onto him as he flitted past more corridors, turning his stone gray coat into silver. The pony raced up a spiral staircase that led to the highest point of the tower, finally entering through a small hallway connected to it. “Halt!” “Who goes there?” He froze, looking up to see a pair of massive unicorns guarding a door ahead, their sharp armor glinting in the moonlight. “It’s me, Aether Scroll. I need to speak to the Princess.” He moved up to the door, but the guards stopped him. “The Princess is busy,” the larger of the two guards growled in a deep voice. “Come at another time.” Aether Scroll glared at him, trying to catch his breath. Precious moments were ticking away, and he didn’t rush halfway up the castle just to be turned away like that. These guards were wasting his time. The scientist shook his head in frustration. “Look. It’s in the middle of the night. Do you pair of scatterbrains think I would be here if I didn’t have anything urgent?” Taken aback, the guard opened his mouth to argue, but he stopped, exchanging a glance with his companion. They shared a few words with each other before turning to him. “Very well,” the larger guard conceded. “You may enter.” Aether Scroll whipped his head up, raising his eyebrows. He didn’t expect the guards to give in so easily, but he didn’t mind. Wasting no time, he trotted up to the door, pushing it open and slipping quietly inside. A wave of warm air greeted him as he entered the room. He inhaled a breath of it, letting the pleasant, sweet smell fill his nostrils. Looking around, he could see that everything was kept as neat as ever. Books were stacked neatly inside a personal bookshelf, placed against a wall. A princess-sized four poster bed stretched out at the other side of the room, its cream colored sheets pulled neatly over the mattress. Lavish, deep purple curtains were drawn to the sides and tied to each of the posters. “Ah, good evening, Aether Scroll.” Princess Celestia’s voice made him jump a little, and he spun around in its direction. She was seated behind her golden study table, storing a few sheets of parchment away so that she could give her full attention to her visitor. “How is the magic running on your side?” Aether’s reply came out as a stammer. “Good, your highness. Very good.” Celestia glanced at him, her brow slightly furrowed. “Then why the grave expression on your face, old friend?” Her voice was soothing, like a mother speaking to her child. Aether Scroll looked at her in surprise. He didn’t realize that he was giving that expression. He tried forced out a lopsided grin, and it earned an affectionate smile from the princess. “Have a seat, Aether. Tell me what is bothering you.” Aether’s expression darkened. He stepped past the cushioned chair offered by the princess, pulling out a ripped sheet of paper from his saddlebags and slapped it on her desk. “Princess, this is going to concern you just as much as I,” he said, pushing the paper slowly across. The Princess frowned at him, picking it up carefully with her magic as if it was harmful. She gave it a long look, seemingly deep in thought. “Draconequus,” Aether Scroll interrupted. “It’s a sketch of a Draconequus.” “Yes Aether, I know.” She levitated the paper back to him confidently. “I understand your concern... in fact, I was a little worried myself.” Celestia pointed a hoof to the seat again, and this time Aether dropped himself onto it. “A painting down in the Arcane Magic Library triggered my memories, and I had to research on it immediately,” she continued. “The creature that you see here has been cast in stone. It was placed under a seal, a strong one at that. It is highly unlikely that the eclipse could have affected it, magical or not.” Celestia smiled at the scientist. “I will schedule a patrol of guards to check up on the statue in the morning,” she continued. “I assure you that I’m right—” “I have already sent off a team of pegasi guards to check the statue,” Aether Scroll interrupted again. “It’s missing.” The Princess remained silent for a few moments. “Missing? How is that even possible, Aether?” She rose up from her seat, a grave look in her eyes. “We are not talking about an ordinary spell here. I used the Elements of Harmony to create it, and that should have been strong enough to last. How could the seal have been broken?” “Princess.” Aether faced her, holding her gaze. “Spells, even the strongest, cannot stand up to one thing: the test of time. Decades have passed since it was formed and the magic has worn out over the years. Furthermore, the elements are no longer connected to you, the spellcaster. At this very moment, its power stands distributed among six different ponies, and you’re not even one of them.” Aether Scroll shook his head slowly. “The magic from the eclipse must have been the spark that finally broke the seal.” Celestia began to pace around the room, her eyes narrowing until they became tiny slits. A drop of sweat emerged from just under her ethereal forelock, sliding down the coat on her temple before getting trapped within her brow, disappearing among the hairs. She hardly noticed. “Princess,” Aether pressed on, “We must act at once. There is a magic-seeking monster on the loose in the Everfree forest.” He glanced at the ripped sketching lying on the table. “Ponyville now lies in danger... and we both know who the most magical unicorn there is.” ...and we both know who the most magical unicorn there is. The words seemed to echo around her head. Celestia barely heard what her lead scientist said after that. Instead, she paced slowly around the room, oddly captivated by putting one hoof in front of another. Her horseshoes clacked against the marble, forming a lifeless rhythm that she latched on to. It would help to calm her down, she hoped. A strange feeling was creeping up on her. It was cold, foreign, but yet vaguely familiar. The same feeling she had when she discovered the return of Nightmare Moon. One that she hadn’t experienced in years. Celestia felt the dreadful numbness all around her. Her mind was in a haze, and she needed a few moments to pull herself together. Looking slowly around the room, she caught sight of a large pile of royal business letters, rolled up into neat scrolls and each sealed with a shining golden Canterlot crest. A small crumpled scroll was at the top of the pile—Twilight’s friendship report. Celestia’s eyes brightened for a moment, before her expression changed into a frown of confusion. She lifted up the tiny brown scroll with apprehension and took her time to unfurled it. She was hardly aware of Aether Scroll leaving the room, for reasons that she didn’t hear. Celestia didn’t even hear the door shut, with all her attention focused on the letter. Inside, the lines were hastily written, its words slanted and scrawled, but still readable. Princess Celestia, I need your help. Something is after me. Something that lurks in the shadows and hides among the trees. Deep red eyes was what I saw, darker and colder than anything. It pierces through me, through my mind and soul. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what it wants. I’m scared, Princess. I don’t feel safe anywhere anymore. Strange things are starting to happen, and I don’t know what’s coming next. But I’m holding it out... holding it out together with Rarity in her boutique. I’m holding it out, waiting for you... I don’t have much time left. You’re my only hope, Princess. Save me. Splotches of black ink stained the paper as the quill broke. Any remaining notes in the letter would have been lost in the spill. Celestia lingered on Twilight’s last few lines. Her writing was more scrawled than ever, as if her quill was shaking badly as she wrote. “Twilight...” She noticed one last piece of information just below the splotches of split ink. Three circles drawn in a row, the largest on the left, followed by a medium and small one. “What have I done...” Celestia levitated over a sheet of parchment and slapped it down on Twilight’s emergency report. She grabbed a quill with her magic and began to write. “Hold on, my dear Twilight. I will be there for you,” Celestia murmured as she scribbled a hasty reply. She stopped suddenly, her quill floating in midair. The icy feeling crawled over her coat like a nest of ants, but there was something else added to it, something that was hot and becoming hotter. It came from a deep place in her body, growing steadily within her chest, smouldering and then burning like a fire. “I should have been there for you.” Celestia gripped the parchment with her magic, and before she knew it, she had incinerated it into a mess of burning scraps on her table. It didn’t seem to matter. She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing the fire up to the tip of her horn. Spinning around in a flash, she released a blinding white bolt of magic. It pulsed through the air, blasting away one of the beautiful stained glass windows in her room. Her gaze hardened at the thousands of sparkling pieces flying through the air, a single thought on her mind. Nothing will hurt Twilight Sparkle. Celestia cantered towards the broken window. She burst through the remaining shards of glass that still clung on to the frame, spreading her massive wings in the air and flying out into the night.
Never-ending NightOoo Never-ending Night ooO In the darkness, Twilight Sparkle opened and closed her eyes. She did it once, twice, a number of times more. As far as she could tell, it didn’t make that much of a difference. Everything was pitch black around her. Letting her eyelids slide shut, Twilight lingered on the darkness behind them as she lay on her makeshift bed. She couldn’t find sleep. At least, not since the first night she sought safety in the Carousel Boutique. There was something about that story told by Steel Heart that made it swirl around her head. A story that was passed down through generations of police ponies. It was similar to that tale from the ancient black book: markings at the crime scene, symbols at the jewellery shop. A mysterious gemstone-loving thief and a cold-blooded murderer. They were connected. They had to be. Actually, now that she thought about it, everything was connected... the book, the symbols, the horrible death of Fluttershy’s pet. Twilight reached around for her pillow, bringing it close. She wrapped her legs around it firmly and pressed the soft fabric comfortably against her belly, as if she was hugging a friend: a soft and cuddly one. Feeling all troubled and shaky wasn’t going to help. She needed to take one thing at a time, to work things out slowly. Twilight took a deep breath in and exhaled out slowly. Her bed was next to one of the boutique’s windows, and placing it there was a good idea. She could listen to the pleasant calls of the crickets, the gentle rustling of the leaves in the light breeze as they brushed against one another. But a few minutes later, the peace was broken by a shrill cry, sounding from a distance away. Twilight raised her head, flicking up her ears. She heard the cry again, similar to the first. Feeling a little unnerved, the unicorn crept up to the window beside her bed and peered out. It was pitch black outside; she could only make out vague shapes in the darkness, that of trees and bushes. She wasn’t scared. No, she wasn’t. It was just that her dumb imagination was playing up on her. Terrifying, shapeless beasts materialized in her mind, ones with sharp teeth and claws, with horns and spiked tails. Ones with haunting red eyes... Twilight didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t need to. All she needed to know was that cries in the middle of the night were made by nasty things, maybe monsters even. And that meant that she was not going out to investigate on it. The unicorn clambered back onto the mattress and ended up standing on it awkwardly. She briefly considered waking Rarity up, but the mare would end up spending the rest of the night fussing over her. It was difficult to pin a large, fearsome monster to a rather... high-pitched cry like that. Twilight rubbed the side of her head with a hoof at the inconsistency. Blinking a number of times, she sat on her haunches, wrapping her tail around her hooves. Be more reasonable, she told herself. Monsters don’t make cries like that. The sound could have been made by a young filly, lost in the middle of the night. She nodded vigorously at herself, liking the idea. Then, her smile evaporated as she realized that she didn’t like the idea at all. What if it WAS made by a young filly lost in the middle of the night? Twilight couldn’t just leave her alone there, if that was the case. She shook her head and looked back out of the windows. And it’s so dark outside... Where are the street lights? Did they stop working? Twilight decided that the odds of that happening along with the unusual cries in the night were about one in a thousand, and when she saw that the lights had indeed stopped working, she decided that she probably had the worst luck ever. There was be a patch of forest across the street, as far as she could recall, and parts of it would have been lighted up by the street lights. Or should have been, rather. The cry sounded again, and this time it sounded as if it had come straight from the dark patch of forest. Possibly a cry of a tiny filly, a scrap of fur curled up under a massive tree, shivering, scared, maybe even wounded. Twilight had an idea of how that must feel like, having gotten lost as a filly once. She had abandoned her brother’s side along a crowded street in the Canterlot Bazaar. It had seemed like a perfectly fine thing to do, until she jumbled up her bearings. Things had gone downhill from there, and she had spent the whole day frantically searching around the sea of ponies for a familiar face. Ponies had bumped into her, knocking her off balance and sending her tumbling to the ground. It wasn’t until moonrise that the crowd had cleared out, and she was found crying at the end of an empty row of pushcarts, a large purple bruise covering the side of her face. She had been only twelve then. Now, the all-grown-up Twilight shivered at the memory. That had to have been one of the worst days of her life, and she wouldn’t wish it upon anypony. Okay, she decided. I can’t just ignore that. It’s time to pony up and check that noise out. Not wanting to wake Rarity up, Twilight moved around the boutique in the darkness, feeling her way to the door. She gently pushed it open with a forehoof, stepping out into the quiet night. The cold air seemed to cut into her throat as it filled her lungs. She stepped onto the hard, unforgiving sidewalk, and then continued across the cobblestone street. In the mornings, the street would be busy with merchants pushing their carts of goods to the market, but now, not a single pony was in sight. Her hooves knocked into a few loose pebbles along the way, causing them to skitter in front of her. She didn’t like the tiny and unpredictable noises they made. It took longer than expected because of her fear, but Twilight eventually reached the other side of the street. The dark forest stretched out in front of her. As she moved up to edge of the trees, she picked up the cry again, sounding a little closer. The unicorn looked nervously at the darkness ahead. She could make out shapes inside, black against black. She couldn’t tell what they were. The silhouettes of trees and bushes, or the outlines of unknown terrors? Suppressing a nervous gulp, Twilight cautiously made her way into the woods, her legs trembling ever so slightly and feeling a little like jelly. It was only a small patch of forest. She knew that. It didn’t matter that she had never went in before; she couldn’t get lost inside. And even if she did, it wasn’t dangerous like the Everfree. As Twilight continued on, the canopy of the forest gradually shielded the moonlight away, plunging the area into darkness. Tall grasses were beneath her hooves, throwing tiny dew drops on her fetlocks. Some of them had interlaced themselves into deceptive traps, waiting for a pony to become snared in their thorny vines. Once or twice, Twilight had unwittingly gotten caught, and the grass held on in twisted satisfaction as she struggled frantically to free herself. The unicorn narrowed her eyes at the grass, her hooves feeling a little sore. She bent down to lick the cuts around her hooves, much as Rarity’s pet cat would do, but there wasn’t any taste of blood. Instead, the drops of dew came off as pleasant icy bursts against her tongue. She smacked her lips in surprise, straightening up and continuing on to navigate her way between the woody trees and bushes. The forest looked the same no matter where she looked. She didn’t know how long she continued on like that, but she knew that she would be reaching the cries soon. They sounded close now. Eventually, she came across a small forest clearing. Padding up to it, she pushed past the line of trees and moved into the open space. Around the edges of the clearing, the trees were illuminated by the soft light of the moon, shining brightly in the patch of sky above. Twilight wondered if the sound could have been coming from somewhere around here. She couldn’t make out much, except for a few bushes growing in the clearing. One or two in the middle looked a little odd in shape. At least she could be thankful for the bright moon tonight. It gave her a slight edge of confidence, as if there was something nice watching over her. Twilight walked to the center of the clearing, feeling comfortable with testing out a spell or two. Focusing her magic to her horn, she formed a brilliant ball of light at its tip. The white star bathed a huge radius around her in light, turning the trees and bushes at the edge of the clearing a pale silver. Standing in the open space, Twilight wondered if she was making a wise choice. Probably not, she figured. Her magic would attract the attention of anything nearby. She quickly toned down the light until it was just bright enough for her to see, Twilight scanned the treeline, making sure that the shadows stayed where they were. Look, there’s nothin— Twilight spun around, noticing the leaves of the oddly-shaped bush in the middle of the clearing swaying, as if it had been disturbed. A dull creak came from its branches, and then it fell silent again. Something had moved it. That was why the bush was oddly-shaped in the first place—because something was hiding within. It was watching her, waiting to pounce. Its next meal was a juicy purple unicorn. If she didn’t do something she would be— Enough! Twilight gave herself a mental kick. She being so ridiculously paranoid. This was just a small patch of forest, nothing like the Everfree. Shaking her head in exasperation, Twilight inched towards the bush, despite the panic fluttering in her chest, straining to place one shivering hoof in front of the other. The light at the tip of her horn pulsed erratically as it fed off her fears. Trying to ignore it, Twilight raised her head higher up, letting the light shine into the bush at an angle. Stretching her neck forward, she could make out the dark outline of something hidden inside. A bushy mane, and then a snout, roughly equine in nature. A filly was trapped deep inside the bushes, with a yellow coat and a red tail. Then she saw a torn shred of an oversized bow tie hanging from the filly’s head. Twilight let out a surprised gasp. “Apple Bloom! Is that you?” The filly made a noise that fell between a croak and a whimper. The leaves of the bush budged a little as she moved. “Oh my gosh! What happened to you?” Twilight extinguished her horn. Without thinking twice, she used a foreleg to thrust the branches aside. Something sharp pierced deep into her skin, and Twilight drew back with a yelp. “Twilight...?” Apple Bloom called out uncertainly. Her voice had gone all raspy, as if it had cracked from too much shouting. “Help... help me.” “Oh, oh no! Are you tangled up really bad? How did you even get in there? Did you slip and fall into the bush?” All of a sudden, the little details seemed to be important as Twilight danced frantically on the spot. “Please help me, Twilight. Please...” “Don’t worry! I-I’ll find a way to get you out.” Twilight reached out a foreleg again, but paused halfway as she remembered how it had gotten pricked. Drawing it back sharply and rubbing her foreleg, Twilight realized that it did feel a little sore, and she tentatively held it up in the air. She lighted up her horn again, taking a look at her leg, which seemed perfectly normal. Then she promptly shifted her gaze to the bush and saw the sharp something that had pierced her. “Oh my gosh, these bushes are really prickly,” Twilight whispered, her eyes widening at the gleaming black thorns wrapped around the branches of the bush. Apple Bloom merely let out a weak sob in response. Twilight looked anxiously at the dense web of crisscrossing branches. “If your coat’s gotten caught up in them, I think I’m going to have to break these away one by one.” Wrapping her magic around the nearest one, she moved it experimentally. It was stronger than it looked, almost a strong as a vine. She bit her lip, knowing that she would need more force to pry it open. Concentrating her magic into a thin band of purple, Twilight looped it experimentally around the branch in a ring, bending the branch at an angle. It shivered under the pressure before finally giving in with a loud snap, and Apple Bloom cried out in pain. “I’m sorry!” Twilight exclaimed, “What happened?” “It hurts... it hurts.” Twilight looked anxiously at the tangle of thorny branches. “I’ll try to be more careful. not to move those around so much.” She focused on her next woody target, bending it more slowly this time. Her magic pulsed ever so slightly as she strained to keep a steady force on the branch. Apple Bloom twitched as it broke, but said nothing. One by one, Twilight painstakingly worked away at the branches, placing the woody pieces neatly in a growing pile next to her. Twilight pressed on, feeling her concentration straining. Eventually, the thorns were removed from Apple Bloom’s coat. Once the filly had enough space, she squeezed her way out of the bush, careful to avoid brushing her coat against more of the thorny overhangs. “Thanks so much Twilight.” Apple Bloom said in a hoarse voice, examining the scratches on her coat. “Ah would have been stuck here till morning if you... if you hadn’t come along.” Twilight nodded, then she groaned and sat down on the grass. A bad headache was starting to form just beneath her horn. She rubbed her temple, attempting to bring back her focus. “Ugh... I’m feeling a little dizzy now. I think I might have used too much magic. ” Apple Bloom shot a worried glance at her. “That needed a lot of magic?” “Yes, the branches are stronger than they look. It took a lot concentration to remove them, and carefully too, without pricking you.” “Oh...” Apple Bloom hung her head in shame. “Ah’m so sorry.” “It’s fine, Apple Bloom.” Twilight pushed herself up to her hooves. “What were you doing out here at this time anyway?” “We were playing hide and seek,” mumbled Apple Bloom, a sheepish look beginning to creep on her face. “Ah fell down a slope and ended up in the nasty bush there. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo probably thought that I had run off halfway or something. They didn’t come looking for me.” “Hide and seek at night?” The filly hung her head lower. “It was in the evening.” “Apple Bloom, you know that’s not safe...” “Ah’m so sorry, Twilight.” Apple Bloom shifted uncomfortably on her hooves. “And if it helps, Ah promise never to do that again.” Twilight gave a tired sigh. Her head was hurting badly. “Let’s take you back to Sweet Apple Acres.” She began to head back to the village, making sure that Apple Bloom was following close behind. Twilight couldn’t imagine why the Cutie Mark Crusaders would choose to play hide and seek in the forest. An added level of fun, maybe? Tracking through the vegetation and all. Maybe she would done it herself if she was younger. The unicorn blinked twice. Or maybe not; she would have stuck to reading. The bookworm and the filly continued along the dark cobblestone street and further out to the edge of town. Twilight kept within a few hoofsteps of Apple Bloom, casting occasional glances down at the filly to see that she was alright. Soon, the familiar shape of the farmhouse came into view, silhouetted against the moon, a long winding dirt path cutting across a field of tall grasses and leading up to it. Twilight noticed the soft yellow light coming from its windows. “You can leave me here, Twilight. Ah’ll head home myself.” Twilight looked from the farmhouse to the filly. “Are you sure? It’s just a short walk in.” “Ah... Ah don’t want you to hear Applejack scold me.” The unicorn paused. She bent down and gave Apple Bloom a soft nuzzle on her cheek, looking into the filly’s large, liquid eyes. Twilight gave her a comforting smile. “Hey... Applejack’s just worried about you. I’m sure she just wants to tell you that.” “I know,” Apple Bloom murmured. Twilight touched the filly’s forehead with her muzzle. “But she will never stop you from playing altogether, because we all need to have our fun.” The mare smiled and tapped a hoof to her chest. “Even us older ponies. She just wants you to be careful when you run around. You wouldn’t want to run into that bush again, would you?” Apple Bloom giggled in spite of herself. “No, of course not! That nasty thing.” “Don’t you think it was lucky that I found you?” Twilight continued. “Actually, I was a little afraid of entering the forest to begin with, but I realized that the cry sounded a lot like a filly’s, and so I decided to have a look around.” She closed her eyes and gave a soft sigh, as if letting out the last remaining flakes of fear. Things were all settled down now. “It’s been a long night,” she said, turning to Apple Bloom. “You should head home now.” The filly nodded obediently and gave Twilight a last nuzzle. “Thank ya so much Twilight. I really owe you a big one.” She turned around and began to walk towards the path. “Remember, stay safe!” Twilight called out. “Got it!” Twilight stood on the edge of the field, watching the filly make her way on the dirt path. She hoped that Apple Bloom had learnt a valuable lesson about safety tonight. A few minutes later, the unicorn gave a light giggle. Actually, she had learnt a lesson of her own as well—one about overcoming her own fears. Twilight stood there for a moment longer, the smile gradually fading off her face, her ears beginning to droop. Now that she thought about it, she was really tired. Her headache was back and her legs were aching from all that walking. She felt like lying on the ground there and then to sleep. Or maybe stay in the farmhouse for the night. The exhausted unicorn paused, giving that idea a few moments of serious thought. But a few moments later, she realized how bothersome that would be for Applejack. Twilight dropped her head as her hopes deflated like a punctured balloon, turning around and beginning the long trek home. Twilight had no problem finding her way back, despite how everything seemed to become darker still. The moon must have become dimmer. But that didn’t matter, she was only a short way from the boutique, walking along the small cobblestone street with the forest at her side. And when she reached it, she would give her hooves a wash and head straight to bed. Perhaps she would look up on those thorny bushes too, if her schedule allowed her to tomorrow. Twilight took a shortcut through along the edge of the woods. As she dragged her hooves against the grass, she let her head hang in exhaustion, her gaze wandering to the ground passing underneath her hooves. She noticed, almost lazily, that a dark spot of mud had splattered over a few long blades of grass, staining them black against the moonlight. Twilight sighed, reminding herself once again to scrub her hooves thoroughly with soap when she got back. Without much thought, she took a few steps back to look at the spot again, only to discover that it was actually a drop of liquid that had partially dried up. Twilight stared at it dumbly for a few seconds, her mind foggy and throbbing in pain. She decided to smear it against the grass, and it turned dark red in color. A gasp escaped her lips, then she winced as her head responded with a hissing bolt of pain. Her thoughts snapped back to Apple Bloom. Was she bleeding? Was she that badly hurt? How deep were her scratches? Were the thorns poisonous? ...What if they were? Twilight danced on her hooves, and her head screamed in protest as she fretted about the blood and the thorns and Apple Bloom. Through her scrambled mind, she tried to recall how the bush looked like. A bush, a big one. With black thorns. Big bush with black thorns. Big bush, black thorns. Her headache forgotten, she raced back into the forest, under the thick canopy and around the tree trunks. She skidded to a halt, suddenly remembering an old spell she had picked up years ago. Spreading her legs apart into a defensive stance, she squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating the magic into her horn and feeling it collect into a thick aura. When she opened her eyes, her horn was glowing ruby red. A simple sweep of her magic revealed similarly colored specks on the ground, sparkling like miniscule jewels amongst the undergrowth, too small to form a direct trail, but enough for her to follow. Confident that she was being led to the bush, Twilight moved deeper into the forest. It felt as though the trees were growing closer together, their trunks scraping against her coat and depositing bits of scratchy bark between the soft hairs. Ducking under more branches of woody fingers and moving around a set of warped tree trunks, she struggled to keep track of the tiny specks of blood. The clearing wasn’t too far in, and it shouldn’t be, but it was difficult to gauge how much distance she had covered. She slowed down a few times to catch her breath, taking in the musky scents of the forest with the icy air. Keeping her spell up, she scanned the ground. The blood seemed to come in little droplets now. She spotted one on a leaf, an irregular spot, glowing crimson red against her magic. Stretching out a foreleg, she pushed the leaf with the tip of her hoof and it tilted sideways. The blood rolled off its waxy surface and fell to the grass in a fat drop. Twilight felt a tinge of disgust mixing with her fear. She hated seeing split blood like that. It made her spine tingle. The blood couldn’t have come from Apple Bloom. The filly couldn’t have been that badly injured. Twilight knew she would have noticed that. And the blood was fresh... Feeling confused, Twilight continued on, stumbling around in the dark forest. Her headache had formed a dull cloud of pain around her sleep-addled mind. Then, as fast as lightning, a thick length had caught her around the neck, rapidly tightening around her throat. A snake! A SNAKE! Her hooves sprang up in reflex, desperately trying to wrestle the vile creature away. Terrifying seconds passed before she managed to throw it off, collapsing to the ground in a crumpled heap. Panting, she looked around wildly. Then, she saw that the snake wasn’t a snake at all, but a low hanging vine. Her eyes narrowing at it, Twilight raised a hoof and prodded suspiciously at the living rope. Her throat felt sore now, and she had the feeling it would stay that way for a good few hours. Twilight lighted her horn for a brief moment. She didn’t need to keep the spell up all the time now, only using it when she needed to. As she trekked through the forest, she noticed specks of dark on the leaves and the grass. But now they looked more like dark splotches. Whatever it was, Twilight knew that she was close to it. She stepped over a thick branch that had broken off, one leg over at a time. She didn’t want to get cut on all those sharp pieces. Then she wondered why were there were broken branches lying around. In front of her, the splotches of blood had formed a rough trail. Looking further ahead, she realized that she could recognize the patch of forest there. Those trees marked the entrance of the clearing. Twilight raced towards the clearing, her spine back to its tingling. Suddenly, the trail of blood veered abruptly to one side, continuing into another part of the forest. Twilight slowed to a halt and frowned in confusion, looking from the stains to the clearing and back to the stains. Then, she abandoned the trail and continued straight ahead into the clearing. She crashed through the line of trees and into the clearing, cantering to where the black thorny bushes would be, or should have been. Standing in the middle of the clearing, Twilight looked at the mess of splinters and twigs at her hooves. Leaves lay strewn around the ground, along with pieces of stem, bark and branches. The bush had been completely destroyed, with some parts of it even being uprooted, leaving its roots exposed. Twilight picked her way around the mess, staring at the pieces of wood. Did I do this? She wasn’t sure. Maybe that was why she had been so exhausted after freeing up Apple Bloom. The amount of energy spent must have been enormous. She levitated up a broken branch. It had its top half sliced off cleanly, as if by a blade. There were smaller cuts running along its length, and bits of stem had been gorged out. I didn’t... make these. Twilight was sure she didn’t. She had broken the branches, not sliced through them, and she definitely didn’t uproot anything. It looked like the bush was the only thing destroyed. All the rest of the vegetation had remained untouched. Twilight’s throat felt a little dry as the mystery deepened. She thought of the splotches of blood again, and how they appeared to be fresh. They couldn’t have come from Apple Bloom. That would have been all dried up by now. That was a good thing... was it? She remembered that the trail of blood had veered off to the side. She hasn’t taken a look around that area yet. Maybe she should. Twilight placed the branch down. She retraced her steps back to the treeline and into the forest. It didn’t take long, and with a flash of her horn, she found the dark stains on the grass again, which glowed briefly from her magic. She veered away from the clearing, following it closely. Not twenty hoofsteps later, the splotches collected in especially large patches on the grass a distance away, black against the lighter gray of grass. Squeezing around a giant tree and pushing through a thin curtain of vines, Twilight moved towards the dark patch. She lignited her horn and used it as a source of light. Something small and furry lying in the middle of the patch, hidden among the clumps of blood-stained undergrowth. Her stomach tightening, From what she could make out, it was a tiny scrap of fur that had once been a possum. The poor creature had been crushed against the ground, its blood splattering the grass around it. Twilight stared at its body, lifeless and broken and gray. A wave of terror crashed along her spine. It was here, lurking around in the dark forest. The monster. The thing that blended in the shadows. The one with haunting red eyes and a freakish head. Snapping her head up, Twilight spun around sharply, looking at the trees that loomed around her. She didn’t know why it had come here. There was nothing here. It was supposed to be a small forest. It was supposed to be safe. She had only used a few spells for light and a few more on the bush. And now that bush had been shredded to pieces. The hairs along her spine stiffened, and her muscles began to tense up. The horrible feeling spread through her body down each of her four hooves. Her magic. Some of it would have lingered, especially after the huge amount she had channeled into breaking its branches. Hardly daring to breathe, she stood on the spot. Her throat felt dry. The shadows didn’t seem so still now. Yet everything was quiet. Too quiet. Twilight felt her wits snap under the pressure. Letting out a terrified scream, she began an adrenalin-powered dash back to the clearing. She would have sworn that sharp rustles burst from the trees in response. Sounds that did not belong to her. As Twilight burst into the clearing, she looked frantically around at the line of trees, wondering which direction was the right way out. Oh Celestia, oh Celestia... They looked all the same. Everything did. She couldn’t think of where to go. There was something coming from a distance behind. Unnerved, she picked out a bunch of trees that looked familiar and cut across the clearing, moving towards and then past them. She dived into the dense forest once again, tripping on the roots and getting caught among the treacherous vines. The branches clawed at her mane and her coat, as if displeased at her escaping. The unicorn ran through the forest, certain of the shadows and rustles that followed her. She had lost her bearings again, but there was no time to think. Keeping her attention split between the movements in the woods and untangling herself from the trees and bushes, Twilight wondered if she was nearing the edge of the forest. She needed to get out of this place fast, perhaps move out to the open, where she could see things clearly... Where there were houses and ponies and help. It was supposed to be a small patch of forest; she kept telling herself that. Why do the trees look so different? Twilight looked around at the hideously warped trunks and crooked branches. Something was not right. In fact, something was very, very wrong. She was familiar with these crooked trees. They belonged to a different area and a different forest. Acting on impulse, Twilight made a sharp turn, her hooves digging into the earth as she changed direction. The trees were the same no matter where she looked, twisted and corrupted. The dark woods sped past her, tall trees looming around her as she ran, blocking out the moonlight and plunging the area into darkness. Twilight knew something was watching her, some unknown horror that raced amongst the shadows, rustling the leaves and causing the occasional snap of a twig. But every time she shot a glance back to see what was chasing her, she could only make out shadows flitting among the trees. The sounds grew fainter and fainter as she galloped. Eventually, she slowed to a trot, stopping to lean against the rough bark of a tree trunk. Putting a hoof to her heaving chest, Twilight fought to catch her breath. She was stuck in the middle of the with strange things all around and no help. It was like living in a nightmare. Twilight Sssparkle... A snap. Another snap. A series of deliberate, slow crunches, the sound of grinding bone and popping sinews. Twilight jolted her head up, turning in a clumsy circle, trying to look everywhere at once. She caught sight of a few bushes trembling. Seconds later, a figure stepped out, pony-shaped in the darkness. It looked to the left, and then to the right, as if trying to orientate itself. The pony shape took a few steps forward, its belly wobbling ever so slightly. It moved under the moonlight, revealing an old pony in a navy blue uniform, a few bloodied scratches on his coat where the uniform had been ripped apart. It was Officer Steel Heart.
The Darkest HourOoo The Darkest Hour ooO As the cold hung heavy in the air, the two ponies looked at each other, their breaths coming out in puffs of swirling mist that vanished quickly. Around them, the crooked branches of trees reached out like blackened claws. Twisted trunks were flecked with strange warts and bumps, swirling and morphing into convincing wooden masks of hatred. The trees came alive in a sea of wicked faces. Hollow eyes tracked the ponies that dared stop in their corrupted woods. “What are you doing here?” Steel Heart asked, meeting her gaze. “But officer,” Twilight stared at the pony, “how... how did you even get here?” In a twisted irony, the pair had been facing each other in the police station only hours earlier. A moment of silence passed between them, and several pairs of luminous eyes gathered like lanterns in the darkness. “Miss Sparkle,” the old policepony said, “a report of a missing filly came in at midnight. I suspect that she might have wandered into the Everfree forest.” His tone was as cold as ice. “What? But we’re not even in the Everfree,” Twilight said. She looked at the trees around her. “Are we not?” The policepony’s voice sounded strangely hollow. As wind blew, the branches rubbed against one another in a ghostly song. Somewhere above, a crow let out a harsh caw, and another echoed from a distance away. Twilight took a few steps back, her eyes growing rounder and rounder. “We’re in the Everfree Forest... are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?” “I’m searching for the filly,” Steel Heart said, turning away. Suddenly, Steel Heart snapped his head back to her, an expression of cold fury on his face. “What are you doing here?” the policepony accused, as if Twilight was responsible of all this. “You’re not supposed to be here. You didn’t happen to have come across a filly, did you?” Twilight creased her eyebrows in confusion, but suddenly she knew what the policepony was talking about. “M-Me? I don’t even—Oh! Of course, Apple Bloom,” she blurted, slapping a hoof to her cheek. “Yes, there was missing filly, officer. She’s safe and sound now, all the way back at home.” Twilight gulped, her pupils dilating. “But we’re not. Not safe at all, I mean.” “Where is the filly?” Ignoring the question, Twilight scanned the area, sweeping across the numerous pairs of eyes in the darkness. Her fur prickled uneasily. It wasn’t the eyes she was afraid of. “We have to move out of here, because something terrible is happening. This place isn’t safe. I think that there’s some kind of monster on the loose, the same one that I was telling you about earlier today.” Twilight looked around again. “If we hurry, we could get out before anything bad happens.” Beginning to walk in the direction that Steel Heart came from, Twilight paused. “Come on, you know the way out, don’t you?” To her surprise, a rough tug by the policepony pulled her back. “I want to see the filly.” His voice was hollow again. Feeling a little uncomfortable, Twilight shrugged away from him. “Um... the filly is back at her home in Sweet Apple Acres. But that’s not important—we need to get out of this place now.” She turned around to stare at Steel Heart. “Are you okay?” Steel Heart remained on the spot, as if in a temporary stupor. Staring for a few moments, Twilight used her magic to tug him along by his shirt, but the tension broke with a rip. She paused, lifting up the torn piece of his uniform. A small stain of blood was on the scrap of fabric, and Twilight looked from it to the policepony. “What... happened to you?” The policepony’s lips suddenly curled up into a dark smile. “The Everfree Forest does things to ponies.” Twilight nodded, backing away a little. She dropped the piece of ripped uniform with an involuntary shudder. “You’re right. Which is why we need to—” “I want to see the filly.” As she struggled to figure out his strange behaviour, Twilight could feel desperation beginning to seep into her. What was wrong with this pony? she thought. “Steel Heart, I’ve taken her home. I don’t understand what you mean, but if it helps, we can check on her later. We have to go now.” More pairs of luminous eyes had appeared. They filled the darkness in a variety of shapes and color. Some were small and yellow while others were deep orange with black, elongated pupils. Twilight couldn’t figure out what dangerous creatures they belonged to, but she knew it was unwise to linger any longer. The old policepony growled, and his response chilled Twilight to the bone. “You’re lying,” he hissed. “There is something that you’re hiding from me. I can feel it. You’re lying.” Steel Heart rounded up on Twilight, and she backed away instinctively. “I am not leaving until I solve this case,” he spat as his eyes glazed over, “till I redeem my name as one of the great Hearts like I should have been.” “But you’ve got it wrong!” Twilight pleaded desperately. “She’s at home. I can bring you to see her tomorrow!” “I am not leaving till I’ve found that filly!” As his voice echoed through the trees, the forest seemed to dip into an unnatural silence, as if some unspoken law had been broken. Countless pairs of eyes hung in the darkness like that of ghosts. “Please... please stop, Steel Heart,” Twilight begged in a strained voice. She looked from policepony to the glowing eyes. Steel Heart stopped suddenly, spinning around to face the depths of the forest. An insane glint formed in his eyes as he bared his decaying teeth in a snarl. “I will solve this case! I will!” With a howl that sounded like that from a lone wolf, he raced into the dark forest before Twilight could stop him. With him, a hundred pairs of glowing eyes vanished. Twilight Sparkle felt as if the air had thickened into a cloud of fog around her mind. As she stared at the spot Steel Heart had disappeared from, Twilight opened and closed her mouth several times, feeling confused and frightened and utterly lost. No, she thought. No, it’s not safe. He’ll get attacked. Something’s wrong with him. Help!I have to get help. A trickle of panic found its way into Twilight’s stream of fear and confusion. Help... She needed help, and then she could find Steel Heart. But only he knew the way out. She fell back on her haunches. Help. How in Equestria was she supposed to find help? There was only darkness and fear here, a few luminous eyes among the trees to keep her company. She needed to get out, but she couldn’t. She might be stuck here for hours more, surrounded by all sorts of dangers and terrifying monsters in the shadows. And what was that thing that had been chasing her, before Steal Heart appeared? It had sounded like the hideous pony-serpent thing, but she couldn’t be sure. There were so many things that were uncertain, so many dangers lurking around. She couldn’t even be sure if she would be able to see the sun rise again. Twilight dropped to the ground entirely, her breaths turning into quiet sobs. It was too much. It was all too much. She would give anything to have a friend here. Anything that could offer her a shred of comfort or security. Her friends... Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. It felt so long since she had last seen them. How long ago since they had last been together? Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy. Reciting their names in her head should have helped a little, but instead it made her feel lonelier than ever. She looked up, trying to imagine her friend was standing before her. Kind and friendly as ever, Applejack would have said something to comfort her: ‘Cheer up, sugarcube, bad things don’t last forever,’ or ‘Keep yer head up and keep going!’ Twilight knew the mare well enough. Applejack wouldn’t want her to give up like this. None of her friends would. That’s enough, Twilight decided. A heave, a push, and she was back on her hooves. She rubbed away the tears from her face, her throat feeling dry from crying. There was no more energy in her muscles, but still she forced herself onwards. Her friends were waiting back home. No sooner had she taken three steps, a disconcerting sound reached her ears, like the hollow cackle of an disembodied head. She peered in the direction of the disjointed sounds, almost forgetting the dangers around her. “Hello, is somepony there?” Clackclackclackclackclack... “Steel Heart?” she called out hopefully. A woosh, followed by a rustle of the leaves, as if moved by a ghost. All the remaining pairs of eyes in the darkness vanished at the sound, accompanied by a few terrified squeals of the creatures that they belonged to. After a second or two the air fell still. Then it was not still. A flurry of moving branches followed, jumping from bush to bush, finally coming to a rest in the darkness just beyond Twilight’s field of vision. And then she saw it: a single pair of blood-red eyes opening up. Twilight let out a scream, backpedalling on the forest floor and kicking up dead leaves in her haste. But her retreat was cut short as a hind hoof caught against a knobby root. She tripped, tumbling to the ground and rolling on the layer of dead leaves. There wasn’t time to scramble away. Hastily pushing herself up, she could only watch the horror unfold before her. The thing began to slither into the shafts of moonlight. Each of its limbs was a part taken from a different animal, hair giving way to black scales as they blended in perfectly to its serpentine body. It moved in a disturbing way, slithering and sliding as if controlled by a sick puppeteer. Twilight remained frozen, the blood draining from her face, and the hairs on her coat felt like they were crawling with insects. “S-stay back!” she cried out suddenly. Still the creature advanced toward her, two warped bone-like protrusions glinting on its head, one longer than the other. Several gray patches revealed themselves along the creature’s body as it drew closer, as if those areas had been turned dead into stone. Crouching into a defensive position, Twilight dug her hooves in the soil. “I-I’m not afraid of you,” she repeated in a shaky voice. A small thought at the back of her mind told her that she could never be as brave as a pony like Rainbow Dash, who wouldn’t have even tried escaping in the first place. Rainbow would have turned to fight the moment anything threatened her. Twilight clenched her jaws together, forcing a purple glow into her horn. Her resolve hardened as she thought about Rainbow Dash, and her horn glowed brighter. It didn’t matter that she was still trembling in fear. “I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!” A blinding beam of light erupted from her horn, filling the forest and engulfing her vision in a sea of white. Twilight was forced to shut her eyes, and she could only feel the intense heat warming her coat like the midday sun. As quickly as it came, the light died down. Twilight slowly cracked open her eyes and looked beyond her sizzling horn. To her horror, the creature appeared to be alive, its dark scales unblemished in the moonlight. Twisting its body, it reared up like a gigantic serpent preparing to strike. Twilight’s eyes widened. In defence, she shot a quick pulse of laser, the purple streak arcing up towards the creature’s head. But just before it struck, the creature’s maw opened, sucking in the magical energy as if it was just a gust of vapour caught in a web. A brief flash of purple emanated from the protrusions on its head. Then the monster lunged towards her in a flash. Snapping to her senses, Twilight dropped and rolled on the ground. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she heard the crunch of branches as the creature missed and crashed behind her. There was no time to catch her breath. Before she could react, a jagged tail swished through the air and wrapped around her body. A huge swing threw her up. For a brief moment she shrieked as she flew through the air, but her voice ended abruptly as she slammed against a tree and slided to the ground in a crumpled heap. She lay stunned, taking in a few ragged breaths as the world spun around her, a trickle of warm liquid creeping down from her forehead. Then she scrambled back to her hooves, looking wildly around. The creature had disappeared seamlessly into the shadows. Where is it? she thought, WHERE IS IT? Twilight pumped out multiple laser shots in a wild panic. They flew in all directions, bouncing off the trees. One went totally off, spiralling toward the sky. Yet she knew it was no use, after how it devoured her magic. There was no way to fight it, unless... She gasped, feeling a flicker in her mind, an idea caught like a fly in a web. Quickly, she forced her exhausted supply of magic out. A shapeless aura formed in the air, swirling and gathering together in a glowing sphere of light. As more magic was added, the sphere became brighter and denser. Twilight manipulated and plucked at her magic, stretching the mass into an elongated shape. It became denser still, flattening out and forming a sharp tip at one end and a rounded handle on the other. Slowly, the raw magic was beginning to take the shape of a weapon. Caught up in her work, Twilight didn’t see the black mass dropping out from the trees above. The next few moments passed in a flash. Twilight felt herself slamming against the ground. A flurry of teeth and claws followed as she flailed her hooves in the air wildly, but she was pinned helplessly against the ground. Sharp things plunged like knives into her soft belly. Twilight gasped, her pupils contracting into pinpricks. Warm blood spurted out of the wound, trickling down her coat. She didn’t scream or struggle. Instead, her stomach turned into ice, and the air seemed to drop into a frigid cold. Help, Twilight thought. A distance away, she could see her magical dagger evaporating like a wisp of vapor to the darkness. The claws withdrew with a sick squelching sound. A cold, scaled body coiled around her like a python of death, pressing against her body and squeezing the air out of her lungs. Twilight felt as if she was being lifted off the ground. Her weak lungs struggled to breathe, but only the vile stench of death and decay filled her nostrils. The blurred outline of a pony head hovered above, its snake-like eyes staring into hers. Its jaws stretched unnaturally wide, and behind its rotting fangs lurked a shapeless tentacle, blacker than night. “No, please... please... don’t.” Twilight’s said in a weak whisper. In one mouth swift motion, the ethereal tentacle wrenched her jaws open and shot down her throat. Twilight convulsed as the invader reached down into her heedlessly, squirming and slithering around her stomach, smashing against her ribcage from within. Twilight’s face contorted into a silent scream. As she writhed and thrashed about in uncontrollable spasms, she was faintly aware of a soft stream of magic flowing out of her and up through the tentacle. The dead patches of gray that she could see on the creature were changing, rapidly regenerating back into skin and scales. With every passing second, Twilight felt herself relaxing against her will. It felt wrong in every way, her instincts screaming at her to get away, but her body unable to do any more than twitch. Her hooves felt heavy, and she was content to let them fall limply by her sides whilst she savoured the pleasant numbness spreading through herself. The world swirled and stretched, and in front of her the tentacle continued to drain a purple glow from her. Twilight was on the ground again, though she couldn’t remember falling. She felt the life seeping out of her like a trickle of water from a broken pipe. As time passed, the feeling became lighter still, or it might just been her senses pulling tricks on her. Feeling more lightheaded than ever, as if she was floating in the air, Twilight pricked her ears uncertainly as a voice called out to her, sounding far in the distance. Twilight Sparkle! TWILIGHT! It was somepony familiar, and after a while Twilight thought that it sounded like Princess Celestia. It was Princess Celestia! She was here. Here to guide Twilight through her darkest hour in the night. If only she could see her beloved teacher one more time... but through her hazy vision, Twilight could only make out the grass under her, stained with dark splotches that looked out of place. Paint, she thought dully, somepony must have dripped paint there. She didn’t have energy to figure out why. Resting her head on the soft grass, Twilight closed her eyes. Her body slumped forwards, and in the same moment the forest filled with a blinding white light. In the distance above, Princess Celestia angled her wings and banked sharply, streaking down to the forest. She knew there was no time to lose. Initially headed for Ponyville, she had veered off course when something had caught her attention—a single purple spark, shooting out of from forest and spiralling erratically to the sky. The sea of pointed treetops sped towards her in a blur, rising faster and faster as the cold night wind swirled and buffeted the ethereal hair of her mane. Still, Celestia willed herself to travel faster. Speed was of the essence now. The treetops crashed into her in a great mass of leaves and branches. Celestia squeezed her eyes shut as the scratchy leaves whipped against her face. Breaking past the layer of trees, the branches snapping under her like brittle fingers, she finally landed on the ground with a firm thud. Folding her wings and straightening, she opened her eyes to scan her surroundings. It was even darker under the forest canopy, where the moonlight settled in small patches among the leaves, but even then Celestia noticed something massive and black coiled up in a small clearing ahead. A smaller shape was trapped within, and as the monster unravelled itself, the shape flopped to the ground like a discarded rag doll. In the next few seconds, the vague pony figure twitched its limbs a little before finally falling still. Celestia felt her blood turn to ice. As her fears worsened, she sent up an illumination flare to the area, only to see her student lying crumpled on the ground, her coat almost losing its lavender hue. A gasp escaped her lips. “Twilight Sparkle! TWILIGHT!” A hollow, rattling breath pulled Celestia’s attention away. The creature had turned its attention towards her now. It locked its hungry eyes on her, taking a step toward her on its mismatched limbs, and then another. Setting her horn aglow, Celestia lifted her head and stood her ground. This monster had ruthlessly crushed her student. There was no remorse, no pity. After years of passive calmness, her composure shattered like fragile glass and power surged from deep within her chest. “Die, wretched beast!” she growled. A burst of pure, white-hot magic erupted from her horn. The air flashed and cracked as magic zigzagged through it like electricity, forking out into tiny pulses before converging back into one. With an explosion of light and thunder, the pulse connected with the creature’s scaled body, but almost immediately the sound grew warped and then muted, as if it had been somehow absorbed. The creature twisted around itself. Its black scales festered as if they had a life of their own, and the protrusions on its head emanated a violet light. A gasp escaped from Celestia, and a thought emerged: stolen magic. A wave of energy travelled up to the crooked appendages, and a blast of violet laced with black flames shot towards her. Stunned, Celestia failed to dodge the attack, taking the blast squarely on her chest. She stumbled backwards, her coat smoking and a charred patch of black on her. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Celestia straightened up, preparing for any further attacks. She knew it wasn’t her own magic being used against her, but it felt just as familiar, because it had once belonged to her student. Now a dark force had defiled it, and the mere thought of that vile creature violating Twilight’s magic made Celestia burn with cold fury. All of a sudden, the monster shot up towards the trees, disappearing among the dark canopy. Seconds later another streak of purple emerged, leaving a thin trail of smoke and as it ripped through the air towards her like a missile. Another appeared from the branches just behind, and then even more shots followed a distance away. Eyes trailing the magic bolts heading towards her, Celestia ignited her horn, and a powerful shield of magic was created around herself just moments before the bolts could incinerate her. She watched grimly as the blasts smashed violently against the barrier, sizzling like acid. Celestia knew that she would not be able to hold up forever, but there wasn’t a need to. True enough, there was a pause in the assault, the air left with nothing but thin wisps of smoke. Celestia seized the opportunity for a counter attack, charging up her magic. A brilliant orb of light was produced, rising up from the tip of her horn. As it gathered more energy, it grew brighter. Reaching a peak in height, it slowed to a stop, hovering above her like a miniature sun. There must be no veil of darkness for the monster to hide under. As more power surged into the orb of magic Celestia felt her mane and tail changing, becoming lighter and more ethereal like translucent clouds of sparkling silk. Her coat glowed with a pristine, majestic white. Then the miniature sun above exploded with blinding white light, producing a shockwave that rippled past her and through the forest, obliterating the very darkness, stripping the leaves off the trees and turning them to dust. Deep rumbles echoed through the ground long moments after. A crack came from above and Celestia caught a glimpse of the creature, its scales smoking. Although the elements of harmony were no longer in her possession, Celestia knew what she had to do. The draconequus had to be destroyed once and for all. Channelling her magic again, she produced a disc of pure energy. Several sparks of electricity danced along its surface, and more appeared with each passing moment. The spell grew stronger, and the more power that was fed into it, the more it seemed to need. Streaks of light appeared among the grass and trees, and the stray magic from the surrounding environment was rapidly pulled into the energized disc, being transfigured into showers of sparks. All the while, Celestia was well aware of the draconequus travelling between the dark branches, moving closer to her. She could only hope that the spell would be completed in time. Multiplying themselves, the sparks danced and swirled in electric blue waves. When the material seemed to be made out of nothing but sparks, the mystical substance warped and bent, and six individual blades extended out from the middle, the disc itself forming a centrepiece. As the magical input began to ebb, each of the blades hardened and cooled. A loud crack interrupted from the branches above. In a flash, the draconequus lunged at her with a terrifying screech. The six-bladed star hovered firmly in Celestia’s grasp, glowing in whites and golds. A quick swish, a mighty swing. Celestia felt grim satisfaction as she felt her magic slice through flesh. The creature let out a strangled sound as it fell to the ground, writhing and slithering backwards as black liquid oozed out of its wound. Seizing the chance, Celestia pushed the attack. She wielded her weapon by its centerpiece, sending it flying back and forth in a blur of light. Strike after strike landed on the draconequus, slicing through its scales and spurting out blackness. She could show no mercy, not after what it did to Twilight. Despite Celestia’s relentless attacks, the creature managed to lunge forward in a counterattack. The glaive swung towards its jaws, and to her horror the magic faltered, warping the weapon’s shape as easy as bending a feather. With a violent tug, the glaive flew out of her grasp and disappeared into the black abyss of the draconequus’s maw. A wave of dizziness washed over Celestia. She staggered back, feeling the a part of her power lost, draining away from her mane and coat. With wide eyes, she watched the draconequus curl around itself in a quivering mass. She knew something was not right with it. In a brilliant flash of light, the creature exploded into huge plumes of orange flames. The creature thrashed about in agony as the fire tore into its body, screeching like a tortured soul from the depths of Tartarus. Hardly aware of having been thrown back by the force of the explosion, Celestia pushed herself up, watching with mixed wonder as the creature was consumed by the great fireball. With a final roar, the draconequus crashed to the ground, its body disintegrating into ash within seconds. It was all over in a few minutes, the forest falling silent and the blue of dawn breaking through the bare canopy. Celestia limped past a number of smoking trees and blackened bushes, staggering to the side of the clearing, where she could make out Twilight’s still form among the grass, the unicorn almost looking like she was asleep. Crouching down, Celestia could only stare at the terrible injuries on Twilight’s body. Her coat was drained of color and matted with dried blood, most coming from the deep puncture wound on her chest. Celestia couldn’t help but think that Twilight had been fed upon on like lowly prey. Taking deep breaths, the goddess closed her eyes as the reality of it all came down upon her. She lowered her head, her shoulders slumping forwards in defeat. It mattered not how long she would remain there, or how the sky fell stagnant in dawn, holding for the sun to be raised. Nothing seemed to matter all that much anymore. Celestia brought her face close to Twilight’s broken body, nuzzling her soft, faded coat. A stray tear seeped out of the goddess’s closed eyes, rolling down her cheek. “May the light guide your soul, Twilight Sparkle,” she murmured. Gradually, Celestia became faintly aware of a light shining through the dark curtain of her eyelids. It was soft, almost teasing, like warm rays of the morning sun. With a growing curiosity, she cracked open her eyes. Back at the clearing a glowing purple orb was rising from the ash, its diameter no bigger than the base of her hoof, drifting towards Twilight’s body. It rested above the unicorn’s chest for a few moments, before disappearing into her coat. The light vanished, and everything fell still under the inky blue of dawn.
SunriseOoo Sunrise ooO Twilight felt nothing but cold. When she opened her eyes, there was nothing more than vast black space that stretched on for eternity. Coldness. Emptiness. With a growing uneasiness, she realized that she couldn’t feel her hooves or her neck or any other part of her body. Her composure snapped away like brittle twigs in a storm. Help! she yelped suddenly, but even her voice was missing. No, let me out! Let me out! Twilight couldn’t run or hide or scream. Even the most primal functions had been torn away from her, leaving only her consciousness to float aimlessly in this boundless oblivion. Minutes passed, or maybe even hours. There was no way to keep track of the passing of time, so she could only wait, regardless of whether she wanted to or not. But then there was something at last! Something, something strange seeping into the blackness. A swirl of lavender it was, spreading and blooming like an ethereal flower. Twilight sparked with delight. Anything was better than the plain darkness. Watching the lavender swirl and diffuse out, she thought it looked a bit like adding those colorful drops of chemicals to flasks of clear water back in the laboratory. Lavender was a nice color, she thought. Actually, she was really fond of lavender; it was so... her! The fact that not many ponies had lavender coats was something that she was secretly happy about. Twilight smiled inwardly as the lavender continued to spread. How strange it was to be sitting here, thinking to herself and watching color cover her vision. Then the lavender stopped spreading, and a drop of blue appeared—barely noticeable at first—spiralling and growing like a whirlpool from the deep oceans. A few moments later, a deep red was added, as lush as the roses on Hearts and Hooves Day. Now three colors occupied the space, spreading out like spilled paint. Yet as Twilight watched, still more colors appeared. Bright bursts of sunflower yellow broke through the mix, followed by shades of blues and greens. Twilight wanted to laugh in joy as she watched them dance and swirl around her in a beautiful kaleidoscope. The colors spun around as if turned by a circular wheel, faster, and then faster still. In a breathtaking moment, they combined to form a pure white light, which grew brighter and brighter until it burned into her vision, and then the world fell into darkness once more. “Twilight Sparkle, do you hear me?” a soothing voice whispered into her ear, as if lulling her out of sleep. Slowly, Twilight became aware of her body. As her senses returned, she could feel the soft beat of her own heart, and her legs, pained and frozen stiff from the cold. She felt as if she had been forced to run halfway across Equestria until she had collapsed. “Oh Twilight... I was so afraid for you,” the voice spoke again. Twilight found herself nestled against a soft, white coat. As her battered lungs worked to sustain her body, the light breaths she exhaled formed puffs of mist in the cool dawn air. A chilly gust of wind blew over her, and Twilight pressed closer like a newborn foal, eager to let the warmth seep into her ice-cold body. A large, feathered wing draped across her side, tucking her closer, its color just as pristinely white as the coat. “Princess...” Twilight whispered. When her vision became clear, Twilight saw her beloved teacher, face creased in worry. “Princess, I don’t understand. How did you find me?” For a few moments Princess Celestia remained silent, inclining her head towards the grey dawn breaking through the canopy. “It’s a long story, Twilight Sparkle,” she said at last. “Do you remember what happened?” Twilight gave a small nod. Shifting uncomfortably in her soft bundle of fur and feathers, she said, “I didn’t know what was happening. I was being attacked by this creature, and I didn’t know where it came from, or even what it was.” Twilight briefly remembered running through the forest, desperately searching for help as the fear in her heart grew to overwhelm her. The dreadful monster felt as real as ever, with its misshapen pony head and blood-red eyes, and the final moment when its rotting claws sunk into her flesh like knives. Only when the princess’s feathers grazed her coat was she pulled her back to reality, and Twilight realized that she had been lost in her imagination. “We must head back to Ponyville, to get your wounds treated. Come Twilight, follow me.” Princess Celestia rose to her hooves and began to walk through the forest. “Do you know what the creature was? Where it came from?” Twilight asked, wincing from the cramps in her legs as she walked beside the princess. “I knew about the draconequus from a long time ago,” Celestia began. “Ponyville was but a small settlement village at that time, and when I entered it one day I felt a dark, alien presence that had not been there before. That’s where it all began.” The princess slowed down her pace as she spoke. “You see, what the source of evil was, I couldn’t be certain, but I did know that something was happening to the unicorns, and only the unicorns. Some ponies said that the unicorns were cursed, while others spoke of spirits attacking the victims in their sleep. The ponies were afraid, Twilight—afraid of a nameless horror that hunted them one by one, and it was my duty to protect them, as it always has been. So at the break of dawn the next day, I ventured into the Everfree forest, where the evil was at its strongest. Yet searching for it was harder than I imagined. Days were spent tracking it down, until finally a series of imprints on the ground made by no known animal was found, and I knew it must have come from the monster itself, eventually leading me to its lair in the heart of the forest.” “You fought the monster?” Twilight gasped. “But if it’s been defeated once, how could it appear again?” Twilight felt her coat crawl with ice. “Does this mean it won’t ever truly be dead?” “No, thank goodness no, Twilight. The reason why it appeared again... Well, it was because of me.” “You?” Twilight came to an abrupt stop. “What did you do?” The princess slumped forwards as if a huge weight had been placed upon her. “I... I’m so sorry, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, shaking her head. “I never intended for this to happen. It was all due to a terrible mistake on my part, for instead of destroying the creature completely, I wielded the Elements of Harmony to form a spell prison around it. Foalish!” The princess raised her voice to a shout, her face crumpling into a frown. “Foalish and weak of me! The one spell that was thought to be impenetrable. I was too blind to see that even strongest spells could crack, too arrogant to set in place extra precautions.” Princess Celestia bowed her head as she calmed down, and even then she looked as majestic as a princess should. “I have to accept full responsibility for what I’ve done. It was all my fault.” They strolled through the woods in silence, and Twilight let the moment pass between them, dropping her gaze to the ground and wondering what she could say to comfort her teacher. She began to realise that the new pieces of information were fitting together like parts of a jigsaw. Things were making sense for once, yet there was always still something else missing. “Princess, could I ask just one more question?” “Certainly, Twilight,” Princess Celestia said, “I am indebted to you for more than just answers.” Twilight felt a small wave of heat rise up to her cheeks. She hadn’t thought Princess Celestia would ever have herself be obligated to just an ordinary unicorn like her. “I... I was just wondering why nopony knew about what had happened, if your story is true. There was only this old book I found that helped.” “Yes, a black book with gold letters, unless I am mistaken.” Twilight glanced at her in surprise. “How did you know about that? Do you have one as well?” “Yes, and I know who wrote it.” Celestia said, “That is a book solely on the draconequus, written shortly after the incident in Ponyville. At that time, the town council insisted on keeping the dark truth a secret, and only a small group of scholars were allowed to document the creature into writing. Since then, the books were said to have been passed down. When I found a copy at the Royal Canterlot Archives, I knew it must have been the same one in your letter. Though, I’m not sure why your library seems to have one as well.” Twilight’s shook her head, her brows creased. “I don’t know why, Princess.” It frustrated her to say that, and she kneaded the soil in distress, crumbling it into powder beneath her hooves. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Twilight,” Celestia said in a gentle voice. “Do not trouble yourself over it.” As the trees thinned out and gave way to tall grasses, Twilight knew they had reached the edge of the Everfree Forest. A great slope stretched down in front of them, and beyond that the quaint little houses of Ponyville dotted the landscape. I’m back home, Twilight thought as she looked over Ponyville, a light breeze caressing her face. It’s all over. She turned to look at Celestia, who was standing a distance away with her head angled up to the stagnant grey dawn above. The princess took a deep breath, and exhaled out in a cloud of mist. She flared out her wings, her horn glowing as she reached out for the meridians that linked her to the high heavens. A golden helix of light shot out from the princess’s horn and stretched far beyond what Twilight could see. Gradually, the sky began to turn from grey to pink and then to gold. The first rays of sunlight streaked across the sky like bright paint on pale blue canvas. A while later, the sun appeared, a huge ball of fire on the horizon. It was the most beautiful sunrise Twilight had seen in her life. -The End-
