Stranger Magics

by GMSeskii

Rating: everyone
Tags: Doctor Whooves, Granny Smith, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Rarity, Adventure, Horror, Cheerilee, Big Macintosh
Length: 68477

In Ponyville's past, before the Rainboom, the quaint little town suffers a crisis. Ponies start to disappear, a mysterious mare comes into town, and the lights of Everfree dance. Friends and enemies alike will face monsters and conspiracies...

Ponyville before the Rainboom...

A simpler town from a simpler time. Sure, sometimes something would come out of the Everfree for a bout, but for the most part, everything is pretty normal and relaxed for the quaint town. To most of the residents, this is exactly the way they like things: simple, ordered.

There are others who think the monotony is boring and scream to the heavens asking for adventure.

There are still others who know better - that adventure is around every corner in this town, and it is not as pleasant as many would like to believe.

Ponies are going to start disappearing. There will be a monster, a conspiracy, a crisis. But, for now, none of the ponies are aware of the excitement coming their way. The colts and fillies are preparing for a party - an event rather hard to come by these days. Perhaps they will enjoy their party, perhaps not, it really doesn't matter.

What matters is that danger is out there, and their eyes are about to be opened.

While this is inspired by Stranger Things, this is not a crossover.

Should update every Monday now.

-GM, master of STRANGER THINGS.

Published 2017-07-23 14:30:05 UTC
Last updated 2017-10-24 12:10:14 UTC

I - Surprise Party

In the Everfree Forest, even midday is as dark as dusk. The dark shades of green and purple wore by the diverse plant life absorbed so much of the natural sunlight that the blue bioluminescent flowers provided the more illumination than the orb of fire. This deep in the Everfree, they might well have been the only light. Silence ruled the forest, keeping all deathly still. No wind, no scurrying animals, not even a slight rustle of leaves or creak of a tree. The only motion at all was that of the eerie blue specks of magic that drifted around as if haunting the grounds. The Everfree Lights.

The serenity was broken by repeated thumping - thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump - the sound of a four legged creature moving at full gallop. The sound was joined by the rustling of leaves whipped through too quickly, the cracking of branches as they were shoved out of the way, and the rumbling of dislodged rocks. The creature was moving in a blind panic, fleeing from an evil. Intense breathing presented itself, going in and out faster than the rhythm of the steps. The magical lights were excited, ending their lazy drift in favor of vigorously vibrating.

A pony burst into the clearing, eyes open in abject terror, the primal emotion in where all thought is overridden with the need to escape and survive. He was an earth pony in a white labcoat, both he and his clothing scratched up from the panicked running. His mane was blue and looked like it may have once been held in a short ponytail, and his deep orange eyes matched the color of his short fur, the color screaming against the blue lights around him.

He did not stop running upon coming to the clearing - he began to run faster now that the ground was even beneath his hooves. He ignored everything around him - the trees, the dirt, the large blue flowers he plowed through, and the specks - everything was nothing to his mind, he was not able to pay any attention at this time, even if he should have been. Had he been able to control himself, he might have noticed the Everfree Lights increasing in energy and motion exponentially. He might have noticed the patch of poison joke he was running through. He might have noticed the large rock hidden beneath the flowers.

But he didn't.

He tripped right over the stone, landing face-first into the poison joke, pollen flying everywhere. He gasped - inhaling so much plant matter that he began to choke. To his credit, he still tried to run through the convulsions, but progress was slow. Too slow.

A sound rang through the clearing, the magical lights of the forest all stopping their motion in a single instant. It was a horrid combination of noises that had no right to be together - paper tearing, rubber bands stretching, tires popping, chalkboard scratching, and the death thrall of a mare.

He knew it was right behind him. He didn't feel it and he didn't dare look behind himself to check, he just knew. He forced himself to stop coughing - effectively ceasing all breathing - and ran forward.

He didn't make it a single yard. Something loose, smooth, warm, and semi-intangible grabbed his hind leg - and he was gone, little evidence remaining that he'd been there in the first place. There had been no scream.

The Everfree Lights resumed their lazy, haunting movement, and silence returned to the forest. Far above, the sun looked down, oblivious to what had happened beneath its warm gaze.

~~~

A young purple filly put a hoof over her eyes and attempted to look at the sun. "Rarity, does Celestia move the sun in the middle of the day, or does it do that on its own?"

The equally young white unicorn known as Rarity let out an exasperated groan. "Berry, how should I know?"

Berry put her hoof down and cocked her head in Rarity's direction. Rarity was sitting motionless on a swing, an expression of intense boredom plastered on her smooth face. She was sitting in such a way that the smallest disturbance was likely to knock her onto the ground - and no matter how much she insisted the pose was 'graceful,' it still looked absurd.

"Well," Berry said, "you shouldn't. It was a thinky-question. Something to think about."

"Berry, does this look like a face that does thinking?"

Berry raised an eyebrow. "No, but you did make that cart-"

"That's not the point," Rarity huffed. "If I wanted a thinky-question I would have asked for one."

"You seemed bored. I was bored. Figured I'd start something."

Rarity just let out a pained noise.

"Rarity, come on!" Berry blurted. "You're home alone! You can do anything, and you're just sitting here moping about how bored you are!"

"I knoooooooow!" Rarity wailed. "Isn't that terrible? I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime and I'm squandering it!"

"So go do something! Let's..." She glanced at her blank flank. "...Go and try to get our cutie marks!"

Rarity shot Berry a look. "...Really?"

"It's not that dumb of an idea!"

"It's pretty dumb. What would we be if we spent all our time looking for our destinies? They come when they come, looking for it would just be part of some cruel game."

Berry laid down in the grass and shrugged. "Eh... I guess so. I bet I could gather the troop and do something else..."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "I don't want to do normal things Berry! I want to do something... New! Classy! Something my parents would gawk at if they found out!"

"Kiss a stallion," Berry suggested.

Rarity facehooved - and then toppled out of the swing. "Ugh... Something that isn't stupid, Berry."

"Maybe we could make a game out of insulting my intelligence, see if you can get any better at it?"

Rarity gawked at Berry for a few seconds before succumbing to her inner desires and letting out a chuckle.

Berry comically raised her ears. "Oh, what's that I hear? An appreciative noise? From Rarity?"

Rarity tried in vain to hide her smile. "You aren't funny, Berry."

"There is much evidence to the contrary, my fabulous companion. I was serious by the way, try to insult me in a way that's actually creative. Come on."

"...What?" Rarity said, confused.

Berry rolled her eyes. "Oh, say, like this. Ahem. 'Berry, you're so stupid you couldn't dump water out of a bucket even if it was on your head' or something like that."

Rarity blinked. "...Er ...Berry, this is stupid."

"Weak. Needs more words."

Rarity furrowed her brow, concentrating. "Berry, you're so stupid you should... eat paint?"

Berry raised an eyebrow. "How can you be so bad at this? You trade insults all the time with the others at school!"

"I like you, I don't like them. Simple as that."

Berry blinked slowly, then shrugged. "At least you're honest."

There was silence once again. Rarity climbed back into the swing and Berry rolled onto her side. Minutes later, a smile came to Berry's lips. "You know, maybe we don't have to do anything. Maybe we could just sit here in the sun and relax. Take life in. We're just kids. We don't have to fill our lives full of-"

"Berry?"

"Yes, Rarity?"

"What did I say about getting deep?"

"Don't?"

"Yes. So don't. Even if you might be right. There is a certain... something to this. The sun is rather elegant."

Berry grinned. "Yeah..." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Sitting up, she saw to ponies coming towards them. "Ugh..."

"What?"

"No more relaxing. Vinyl and that... new kid are coming over."

Rarity fell out of the swing again. "...Tree Hugger," she said venomously. She quickly dusted herself off and fixed her mane. "Bad enough she steals my spotlight at school, now she comes here? This will not stand!"

"Careful though, Vinyl's pretty up there with the teens."

"I wasn't born yesterday, Berry, I know how this works." She put on the fakest smile in the history of ever. "Hello, girls! nice to see you!"

"Hey there Rars!" Tree hugger said with those lazy eyes and infuriatingly calm smile of hers. Rarity twitched at the nickname, but Tree Hugger didn't notice. "How's it hangin'?"

"Just fine. Berry and I were learning to appreciate relaxation."

"Oh, that's, like, so awesome! Getting closer to nature..."

Vinyl gave Tree Hugger an odd look.

"What? It is! Just stop to appreciate it all..."

Vinyl facehooved, shaking her head. She nudged Tree Hugger, encouraging her to get on with it.

"Oh, right. We hear that you have the house to yourself tonight?"

"That's right. Home alone," Rarity confirmed, punctuating it with a slight 'harumph'.

"Perfect! You see, Vinyl's usual party location got closed down by the mayor, and she's got that itch to lay down some siiiick beats. So, we were wondering if you'd like to host a party."

Rarity frowned. "...Who would be coming to said party? Just you teens?"

"Rars, dude, calm down, I'm only thirteen here. You can invite anypony you want and, like, it'll be a group thing. Join the kids and teens in sick beat harmony!"

Vinyl started nodding so vigorously that her shades threatened to fly off her face.

Berry turned to Rarity and nodded slowly. Rarity made a decision then and there but pretended to ponder it for a while - looking at all three mares around her, slowly, just to make them sweat. "Fine. You can throw the party, as long as it gets to be mine, not yours."

Tree Huger shrugged. "Hey, long as VInyl does music, I've gotten all I needed to. Is tonight best?"

Rarity smirked. "I like that idea. Tonight it is. Berry, spread the word!"

Berry saluted. "All the usuals?"

"All the usuals. And whoever else you find as well. Not Derpy though. I don't want her to set foot in my house."

Tree Hugger frowned at this remark but didn't comment. Berry ran off into town to spread the word. Vinyl ran into Rarity's house to begin setup.

Rarity looked right at Tree Hugger. "I'm going to win."

"Oh, you're going to have a competition? Radical."

Rarity blinked, then shook her head. "Sure. Competition. In fabulousness and popularity!"

"Some kind of best partier vote?"

"...Sure," Rarity said, exasperated. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make sure Vinyl isn't tearing my house apart."

"Oh come on, she's not that intense."

Rarity was already walking away, shaking her head. There was no way Tree Hugger was that oblivious! It had to be some kind of act - yet another cunning ploy, designed to ruin Rarity's resolve. Well, she'd show her, Rarity was going to come out on top here and there was nothing anypony could do about it.

~~~

Ponyville's schoolhouse was a small establishment that hadn't changed for decades - and wouldn't change for decades to come. There were a dozen or so seats within, all facing a single chalkboard at which the teacher stood. The pony who fulfilled this role had changed over the years - and was often swapped out in the middle of the day as the elementary crowd was replaced with the high school. At the moment it was a spectacled brown mare known as Miss Scroll.

"Now, class..." she said, scribbling a problem on the board. "What is the integral of three x squared?"

Predictably, one purple-pink hoof shot upwards. The hoof belonged to a mare with green eyes and quite the frizzy and angular manestyle.

"Somepony besides Cheerilee?" Miss Scroll asked. No other hooves went up. She sighed. "Well, if nopony's going to volunteer..."

Cheerilee waved her hoof as rapidly as she could, trying to get it even higher than her stature would allow in the vain hopes Miss Scroll would change her mind. To her left, the pink and blue twins Aloe and Lotus chuckled at their friend's antics. Cheerilee rolled her eyes at them, hoof still held high.

"Bulk," Miss Scroll said, pointing at the muscular white pegasus in the front row. The entire class turned to look at him like a pack of hungry scavengers. His impressive muscles flexed subconsciously and his wings twitched - he froze up.

"Bulk? Answer the question."

"Uh... Uh... Uh..." He reeled back in his chair, eyes darting left and right as if he were attempting to look at his own brain to find the answers. "...Nine x cubed?"

Cheerilee chuckled. He'd actually been close! But now it was her time to shine. She shook her hoof with her other hoof, only for Miss Scroll to pass over it. Cheerilee let out a sigh and planted her face into her desk, her frizzy mane now splayed all over her head. She still kept her hoof in the air despite this.

"Macintosh."

Cheerilee looked over at the red stallion just in time to see him draw a sharp breath. He glanced over to his lanky yellow-orange friend for help, but Carrot just shrugged.

"Macintosh?"

"Well, you see Miss Scroll, Ah've been busy on the farm as of late and these fancy mathematics just flew in and-"

"Stop stalling. Answer."

"Well, uh, three x squared huh? Well, if I remember what we did last month or something we were taking the number down and giving the letter a kick in the side, so to do that in reverse, Ah'd just think of some interestin' way to work backward and Ah'd..." Cheerilee watched Big Mac's eyes go wide as he realized he knew the answer. Her heart sank - once again, she wouldn't be allowed to prove herself. She lowered her hoof, defeated.

Big Mac cleared his throat and grinned. "...and that'd mean the answer's x cubed Miss Scroll."

Miss Scroll made a soft 'tsk' noise. "So close, I'm afraid that's wrong though."

Cheerilee's hoof shot back into the air, prompting both Aloe and Lotus to facehoof. Miss Scroll nodded, her expression resigning and hopeless. Not that Cheerilee noticed. "...Yes, Cheerilee?"

"X cubed plus C!" she announced.

"Correct," Miss Scroll said, "now sit down while I explain why..." She began to discuss the finer points of an integral, losing most of the class but having Cheerilee's apt attention, at least for a time.

Aloe nudged her. "You take this so seriously," she said with her bizarre, strangely distant-sounding accent.

Cheerilee whispered back, not taking her eyes off the teacher. "Shh, I'm trying to listen."

"You already know this!"

'You never know when you might miss an opportunity to make it because you weren't paying attention."

"How ironic," Miss Scroll commented, "chiding your friend on not paying attention, which results in you not paying attention."

Cheerilee flushed, releasing a panicked 'eep!' from her lips. The entire class let out a chuckling chorus, even Aloe, who was likely in just as much if not more trouble.

Miss Scroll continued. "Now, because of this..."

The doors to the schoolhouse were kicked open with a loud thunk, stopping all conversation and drawing all gazes to the back of the room. Berry stood there, her small purple frame breathing heavily. "Oh.. Good... Didn't... Miss you..." She wiped the sweat from her brow. "I was afraid class would be over!"

In that moment the bell rang. All the students - save Cheerilee - began to scramble out of their seats.

"WAIIIIIIT!" Berry yelled, holding her hoof out to them. "Vinyl's holding a party at Rarity's place!"

Miss Scroll just sighed and rolled her eyes, as if to say 'took long enough.'

Berry continued. "I don't know the details, but I know it's tonight and open to the whole school! Spread the featherin' word!"

The teenaged ponies were no longer rushing to leave - they were just staring at Berry, processing what she'd said. Lotus broke the silence. "The entire school? That'd just be... awkward."

"Tree Hugger's coordinating it all, don't worry about that."

Aloe and Lotus lit up like candles. "Oh in that case..." Aloe said.

"...we'll be there!" Lotus completed.

And with the affirmation of the twins, roughly half the class said "yeah!" and surged out the doors, quickly leaving only Cheerilee and Miss Scroll behind.

Cheerilee looked nervously at Miss Scroll. "So..."

"Just go," Miss Scroll smirked. "You're off the hook. Have some fun, and loosen up a bit, stop trying to prove yourself so much. You won't be young much longer."

Cheerilee grinned, the weight of the words completely lost on her. "Thanks, Miss Scroll1"

"I'd give you some extra homework but we all know you'd secretly enjoy it."

Cheerlinee giggled on her way out. "Yeah, I would!" She galloped out into the afternoon air, romping through the grass to reach Aloe and Lotus. "Wait up!"

"Oh! You got out!" Aloe said, mildly surprised.

"You coming tonight?" Lotus asked.

"You betcha! Wouldn't miss it for anything!" Cheerilee said.

Lotus laughed. "Not even an opportunity..."

"...to get out of this 'country bumpkin town'?" Aloe completed.

Cheerilee rolled her eyes. "Real funny girls. I mean, if something short notice turned up, yeah, I'd jump ship, but that never happens..."

Lotus chuckled. "Weren't you just chiding us for ruining 'opportunities?' Hrm?"

"That... That was different," Cheerilee said. "The day is done, it's time to relax. Plus, when was the last time this 'country bumpkin town' had a party?"

"Vinyl played some music two weeks ago," Aloe offered.

"Pfft," Cheerilee sputtered. "That wasn't a party, what was general Vinyl stuff. No, what we have here tonight is a legitimate celebration where there will be fun like they have in the big cities!" A faraway look came over her. "It'll be a taste of my future..."

Aloe looked at Lotus with a quizzical look. Lotus gestured with her hoof, rotating it around her ear and sticking her tongue out.

"...Real funny, you two. I'm not crazy."

"Probably delusional!" Lotus suggested.

Aloe nodded in agreement - then lit up suddenly. "Oh! We should dress up! We can get our manes done and bring out the dresses..."

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't we just stand out? This is Vinyl we're talking about. A dropout. She has really low standards."

Aloe shook her head. "Judgemental, judgemental..."

"She is right though," Lotus affirmed. "We can't wear anything fancy to this. It'd just make an unnecessary scene."

"I still want a hooficure. That's not fancy."

"Yes, of course, we'll do the standard daily treatment, just no dresses!"

Cheerilee nodded. "Great!" She pulled the twins in for a hug. "Girls, this is our party. We will be on top of the world. It'll be the... oh let's shoot for 'best night ever,' why not."

The twins rolled their eyes. "Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic?" Lotus asked.

"This is my last year of school," Cheerilee said. "I'm out of here first chance I can find. This might be the last big chance to see some fun in this place, Celestia knows when another one will show up."

"Yep, overdramatic," Aloe said.

"Fitting that this is being held at the fussbucket's place," Lotus added.

"Oh, don't tell her that! The little ones can be vicious!"

"And we can't be as well?"

"Oh, of course we can, it was just a..."

"...cautionary tale."

"Yeah!"

Cheerilee rolled her eyes. "You two are amazing, you know that?"

The twins stood up on their hind legs and leaned against each other, front legs folded. They shot Cheerilee smug looks.

Cheerilee chuckled. "Now who's being overdramatic?"

~~~

"Blast!"

Roseluck rolled her eyes. "That's never a good thing to hear." The redheaded mare knocked on the grate with her pale hoof. "Dooooctor?"

The Doctor - a brown stallion with an hourglass upon his flank - opened the metal grate. "Ah! Rose! I am afraid now's a bad time, you see, the space capacitors on my house have gone a little fritzy, producing far too many infinite hallways and impossible geometries!"

"Wait, so..." Roseluck put a hoof to her chin. "Not only is there more than usual, but you want there to be some in the first place?"

"Oh of course! Need to have some excellent uncertainty in life! A good impossible staircase in your own home will accomplish just that!" A spark went off behind him. He glared at the insulting wires and grit his teeth. "I just re-welded that wire..."

"Have you tried reversing the polarity of the neutron flow?" Rose grinned, raising her eyebrows.

"Funny. I mix up my words one time and you never let me forget it."

"Poke it with the screwdriver, then."

"...You're not being helpful. In fact, I'm almost certain this is the opposite of helpful."

"Oh really? Hadn't noticed."

"Honestly I don't know why I deal with you some times..."

"I'm young, cute, adorable, and just crazy enough to go along with your insanity, but not crazy enough that nothing fazes me. Am I close?"

The Doctor blinked. "...You sure you're not psychic?"

"Not anymore!"

"What did I tell you about ambiguous sentences?"

"Your tail is on fire."

"No, Rose, that's a-"

"Doctor, your tail is on fire."

The Doctor looked down at his tail. The very tips of it had caught fire from the sparking wires, a thin trail of smoke rising up from the hairs. "Great whickering stallions!" he declared, leaping out of the open grate and rushing outside. He leaped into his yard and rolled around in the grass, snuffing out the flames. The first thing he did after that was check his tail. "Oh thank goodness, you're fine! Ah, what would a stallion do without his tail..."

"Uh... Doc? You okay?"

The Doctor turned to his side. Standing there was an adorable little gray pegasus with wall-eyes, looking at him with concern.

The Doctor grinned nervously. "Oi, Derpy! I'm just fine, needed to do some... 'romping' in the grass, yes. I was just overcome by the urge..."

"He almost burnt his butt off!" Roseluck called from the front door of the tiny blue house the Doctor called home.

Derpy put a hoof to her face and giggled. "Playing with fire is dangerous Doc, you told me that!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I wasn't playing with it anyway, I was fixing things."

"With a blowtorch!" Roseluck called.

"What's a blowtorch?" Derpy asked.

"A thing that shoots fire much more dangerous than regular fire!"

"I was not using the blowtorch at the time Rose!" the Doctor countered.

"But you were befooooore!"

"Oh for the - nevermind. Derpy! What brings you here?"

Derpy brightened considerably. "Oh! There's great news! There's a party being thrown tonight, and mom said I could go!"

"Really? Excuse me, I may be a bit behind the times, but aren't you a bit... Young for a crazy party?"

"Oh, Carrot and Golden are going to be there, I'll be fine."

The Doctor blinked. "...Rose? Is it normal for that diverse of an age group to party?"

"This is Ponyville," Roseluck said with a shrug. "You take any opportunity to party you can get. We don't really have anyone to organize them regularly."

"You should fix that."

"I would say the mayor was working on that, but we all know he's not and probably isn't smart enough to do so even if he wanted."

Derpy gasped. "You shouldn't say that!"

Roseluck rolled her eyes. "Kid, there's a looot worse things I could say. 'Great whickering stallions' for one."

Derpy giggled while the Doctor facehooved and grumbled. "Relentless, Rose, you're relentless!"

"Relentless Rose. I like that name. Perhaps I'll use it."

"Of course you would..." The Doctor shook his head. "Well, Derpy, I'm glad about the party, but why are you here?"

'Don't you see Doc?" Derpy's eyes went wide. "I'm not 'cool' because mom was always keeping me home! No adventures! No intense playing! The most exciting thing I did in the last two weeks was go into your house and explore! Which is really cool, but the other kids don't believe me about it!"

The Doctor sighed. "You know, I could talk to them..."

"Ew, no, then they'd hate me," Derpy rolled her eyes - a rather dizzying motion to watch. "But with this party, I can finally show that I don't suck!" She flew into the air and did a loopdeloop. "And it was so awesome I just had to come tell you!"

The Doctor smirked, scruffing her mane. "Where's it happening?"

"Across the street! Rarity's house!"

The Doctor looked over at the house across the street. He saw Vinyl dragging a large speaker system through the front door. Rarity and... that new green girl were talking about... something and pointing at a table. Rarity looked upset, though she almost always did as far as the Doctor could tell.

"Excuse me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Rarity mad at you or something?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, that was just the silly cart race, I'm sure she's all fine now!"

"Well, far be it from me to stop you. Conquer this party with the might of a... a.."

"A what?"

"The metaphor escapes me at this moment."

"Manticore!" Roseluck yelled.

"...Good enough."

"Yeah!" Derpy cheered. "I'll be like a manticore! Woot woo!" She flew off with the biggest grin on her face. The Doctor smiled as the little filly shrunk into the distance, waiting a minute before heading back to his house. He shut the door, positioning himself in front of the window. He stared at Rarity's house for a while.

Roseluck blinked. "...We're going to sit here and watch that house all night aren't we?"

"Yep."

"Doctor, you have zero resistance to adorableness."

The Doctor smirked. "And I have yet to regret that, my dear."

"Funny. I'll make some popcorn. Teenagers can do some stupid things at parties, I want to be prepared." She walked deeper into the house. "You might want to fix that sparking wire though! I can't find the kitchen!"

"Oh! Right!" He scrambled back into the grate. He took one look at the broken wire and knew what was needed.

A blowtorch.

~~~

"Ah'm tellin' ya, all we have to do is sneak out through the window! They'll never know!" Applejack said, munching on an apple, the light of the evening sun reflecting off it with a deep yellow glisten.

Big Mac shook his head. "Applejack, Ah want to go to the party as much as you, but there's no way in Tartarus Mom n' Dad will let us go."

"That's why Ah said window ya dum-dum! Yeesh, you have any brains in there?"

"Nope, but Ah do have a nice ability to buck apple trees." With a swift kick, he knocked all the apples of the tree next to him. "And that, my little orange sister, is why Ah don't need brains."

Applejack scratched her muzzle. "Ah can do that too you know!"

"A perfect buck to a tree, all the apples in a bucket? C'mon, you ain't got nothin' like that yet. You're still little."

Applejack huffed, bucking a nearby tree. Several apples fell off into a basket, but more than three dozen remained in the tree.

Big Mac chuckled. "See?"

"You still admitted to not havin' any brains."

"Ah didn't say you had any either. Crawling out a window? The noise that'd make..."

"The noise you'd make on account of you being so big and strong."

"Nothing good comes without a price."

"Ugh, fine, how about we tell them we're going to spend the night at the Harvests'? They're going to the party and will back us up!"

"Mom'll know straight away we ain't bein' truthful."

"Then let me all the talkin', ya mule! Ah've gotten away with lots of stuff!"

"Oh, like you 'got away' with releasing the pigs?"

"They never proved anything!"

"Mhm. Sure, whatever you say. Ah'm not goin' along with this until you get an actual good idea."

"Well, besides just asking them and gettin' shut down I don't have any more ideas, picky."

"So we ain't goin'!" Big Mac retorted.

"Luna, you give up so easy..."

They wrapped up their apple-harvesting work and walked back towards the house in silence for the next little while as the sun began it's descent below the horizon. Applejack sighed when they passed through the gate.

"Look..." Big Mac said. "Ah know these things don't happen that often, and it probably would be an absolute 'ton' of fun, but... We've got rules and parents for a reason. And Ah don't think we should disrespect them like that."

"Yeah..."

"But you know what? We can still ask. They'll probably say no, they'll probably call us crazy for asking, but who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky."

Applejack nodded slowly. "Better than nothing Ah suppose..."

Big Mac walked up to the front door, gulping. Hey, Mom? Dad? We don't get to do much fun stuff around here, and it just so happens that a friend of mine - Vinyl's not really a good friend though - some friends of mine, Carrot and Bulk, are going to this party run by Tree Hugger, you know, that new kid in town? Apples, this sounds awful...

The front door of the house burst open. The Apple's parents rushed out, saddlebags on their backs packed with supplies for a long trip, panicked looks on their faces.

"W-what's going on?" Big Mac stuttered.

"Cousin Orange's farm experienced a rogue storm, mess-up from the weather department," their mother, Buttercup, said.

"We're rushing out to help," Bright Mac added, shifting his saddlebags to a more comfortable position.

"We'll be gone a few days, maybe a week. Granny knows what chores need to be done and the farm shouldn't need too much upkeep this time of year..."

"Buttercup, we have to go!"

"Yes, yes, love you two, don't burn the farm down!" And with that the couple galloped off down the road to the train station, leaving their two children to process the rapid sequence of events.

Applejack blinked. "...We didn't ask them."

"Eenope."

"They're gone. Just left us like... that."

"Eeyep."

"Could we, you know, just... go?"

Big Mac frowned. "Well, Ah don't know, we should probably respect them..."

"But we won't know for sure! C'mon, Granny sleeps like a rock, we should get up and make a break for it!"

Big Mac nodded slowly. "Maybe... Ah'm likin' this plan a lot better than the last ones..."

"Ah knew Ah'd get a good one eventually!"

"So how exactly are we goin' to deal with Granny?"

"Tell her everythin' your plannin'."

Applejack and Big Mac turned to see Granny standing in the doorway, tapping her hoof.

"Uh..." Applejack gulped. "Nothing! We were talking about... Chores! Right, chores?"

Big Mac facehooved. "Ignore her. Granny, uh, we were wondering if you would let us-"

"This is about that party ain't it?"

Applejack blinked. "How did...?"

"Applejack, there's less than five hundred ponies in this town. Ah know everypony here. Word travels fast."

"So uh..." Big Mac continued, swallowing hard. "We were wondering if..."

"You could go? Hm... Well it's at night, with a bunch of young and stupid ponies, and that delinquent Vinyl is basically running it... And your parents specifically told me they didn't want you going before they left... A responsible parent wouldn't let you go..."

Applejack and Big Mac drooped.

"Good thing Ah'm a grandmother. You only have one childhood, youngins. Go relish in it."

Applejack grinned from ear to ear. "Really?"

"You can count your boots on it!" Granny grinned back.

Big Mac frowned. "But what about-"

"Ah'll deal with your parents if they find out. My mind hasn't started goin' yet!"

Big Mac laughed. "Thanks, Granny."

"Go to your friends. Have some fun. Ah'll keep them farm from burning down for one night."

"We should go tell Carrot. Form a troop!" Applejack suggested.

"...Another good idea," Big Mac said. "Where in the world do they keep coming from?"

"My vast intelligence."

Granny found this utterly hilarious, collapsing onto the ground in a laughing heap. Applejack narrowed her eyes, "...Let's go before we make her bust a rib."

Big Mac rolled his eyes. "Sure. Bye Granny!"

"Heheheh... Have fun, you whippersnappers!"

"We will!" They trotted off down the path into the orange light of the setting sun.

Granny chuckled to herself. It was either going to be the best night ever for them, or the worst, and both would make good stories to tell later. Not to mention the two of them would get to live a little. She closed the front door and went to cook some dinner. Spaghetti would be good for tonight since she happened to have a pantry full of the stuff. She sung and danced as she cooked - sure, she got a little sore as she moved, but she wasn't that old yet. She wouldn't let herself be that old.

She realized about ten minutes into the process that she was cooking for five again. "Well, whoops, Ah've done and mixed up the portions!" She shrugged. "Guess Ah'll just have to find someone to share it with. The pigs always appreciate a nice red sauce..." She looked outside - the sun had just barely finished its trek below the horizon and light was rapidly diminishing. "...It takes a lot longer to make spaghetti than I remember... Pigs are probably preparin' to sleep now. I wonder what Ah'll do with all this food now..."

She felt something wash over her. Her bones shook and trembled, and everything suddenly looked brighter to her. "...Wha?"

She saw little lights appear, lazily floating around her house. She shook her head - magic sparks rarely came this far out of the Everfree Forest... She chuckled. "Must be a magic surge," she said, turning around. "Forest must look amazing right now."

She frowned. The Everfree forest was dark - just as dark as normal. She shook her head - why would there be Everfree Lights here and not in the forest they were supposed to be in? It didn't really make sense. And the lights were moving faster...

"Odd," she said. "Why are you only here? That doesn't make a lick o' sense..." She swatted one with her hoof and it lazily drifted away. "That feels just like a Light... Ah feel it in my bones!"

The sparks didn't respond, merely deciding to move slightly faster.

"Ah don't know why Ah'm talkin' to you..." She turned back to her spaghetti, taking it off the stove and turning the heat off. She set it on the table, annoyed to find the sparks following her - shining brighter now. Or was it just that everything else had just gotten darker? It was a little hard to tell.

"Okay, there's fishy, and then there's concerning..." Granny muttered, on her guard now. "Got a spirit here? Show yourself!"

The sparks were vibrating extremely rapidly now, faster than Granny had ever seen one of them move before. It was like they were trying to break something.

And then there was a noise...

Something thumped against the front door, and all the sparks vanished in an instant. The lighting returned to normal and everything was fine.

"...Huh," Granny said, taking a few moments to process the odd event. She then walked to the front door and opened it.

Outside in the cold twilight was a white pegasus with a poofy yellow mane. The mare was passed out, mangy, covered in dirt, and looked like she had just spent the day in a forest. There were even a few branches sticking out of her tail, and a glowing blue flower petal in her mane.

Granny wasted no time. she laid her hooves on the pegasus and dragged her in. "Let's get see what Ah can do for ya', poor thing. Got some extra spaghetti for if you'd like it."

The mare mumbled something about the sun but didn't open her eyes or become aware of her surroundings, instead remaining limp. Grany could tell she was distressed about something all the same.

This poor soul... What had happened to her?

~~~

"Oookay!" Tree Hugger said, marching into the center of the room. "I think we're ready to open this can of sick beats!"

Rarity stood alongside the slightly taller filly, nodding slowly. Her family's living room had been adorned with glowsticks hanging by strings and a number of tables filled with various snack foods and punch. The sofas and chairs had been moved to the side to make a 'dance floor' in the center, and Vinyl's giant DJ station stood towards the back wall, the two giant speakers dominating the attention of all who stood within the room. There was a laser machine hung between the two speakers, above Vinyl herself.

Vinyl took a disc out from under her disc table and placed it on top. She pressed a few buttons, testing the tones to see if they were correct. She lit up upon completing all the tests - everything was as it should be. She gave the disc a scratch, tried a few lasers, then gave a hoof pump to signal readiness.

"Good... Good..." Tree Hugger said, nodding slowly. "Do you have the stuff Berry?"

"I have all the punch. All of it," Berry said, saluting as she did so. "We have starfruit, strawberry, coconut, tropical, orange cream, blue, and the... green stuff that you brought over."

Tree Hugger nodded. "Great! I think we're ready to throw open the doors!"

Rarity held up a hoof! "Hold it!" She pointed at the ceiling. "There's no disco ball."

"Huh," Tree Hugger said. "...I could have sworn I put one up..."

Vinyl shrugged.

Rarity smirked. "Yes, yes, I have no idea what happened to it. But we do have a chandelier in the dining room that could be rotated with what should be an easy spell." She stared at Tree Hugger, her grin growing.

"Huh, that's a good idea. Cool, Rars. You're more into this than I thought!" She gave Rarity a friendly slap on the back before heading with Vinyl into the kitchen.

Berry sauntered up to Rarity. "That looks like it went pretty well."

"No it did not!" Rarity hissed. "I did not swipe the disco ball just so she... she'd like me! I'm better than her and she needs to know that!"

"Uh... I swiped the disco ball for you. You didn't do that."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Still... I need to do something to dent her..."

Berry rolled her eyes. "Look, we made our move already. There's going to be a party Rarity. Maybe you should try to enjoy it?"

Rarity scrunched her muzzle. "...Fine."

Tree Hugger and Vinyl came back into the party room, the crystalline chandelier carefully held in Vinyl's magic. "Don't drop it, dude..." Tree Hugger cautioned. Vinyl just nodded, expertly attaching it to the ceiling and setting it to spin slowly with her magic. She grinned, giving Rarity a pat on the back.

Rarity shot Tree Hugger a smug look. Tree Hugger chuckled and smiled back, prompting Rarity's lips to curve downward. Rarity facehooved. "Let's just open this party up already."

"You two can get the door," Tree Hugger said, rising up to her hind hooves. "I'll be dancing."

While Vinyl leped back behind the booth, Rarity ran to the door and threw it open, just as the sounds of light dubstep started. "Welcome all, to my party!"

Cheerilee, Aloe, and Lotus were at the front. The twins giggled. "So adorable!"

Cheerilee shushed them. "Girls! Come on! Ahem..." She turned to Rarity, smiling sheepishly. "Which way?"

"Right to the left as you walk in!" Rarity said.

"Or just follow the sounds of dubstep," Berry added.

Cheerilee cocked her head to the side, flinging around her impressive frizzy mane. "Gladly. This is going to be awesome!"

"Oh, it most certainly will be!" Rarity said, waving as they entered. The filly then turned to the next group. "Hello, Hello! Why is that Thunder Lane I see before me? Heavens, what brings you to a place like this? Oh..."

The two greeted several ponies as they came in - and all of them looked really excited to see her and the party. Rarity was shining with pride by the time Big Mac arrived with his group - Applejack, Carrot, Golden Harvest, and Bulk. Bulk was having trouble keeping up with the rest of his friend. "Hey! Wait up!"

"You hear that?" Applejack said. "That's the sound of the world's laziest athlete!"

"Hey! It's not my fault I'm so heavy!"

Carrot raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that Bulk?"

"Uh... YEAH!"

"Oh no..." Golden covered her little ears. "Make him stooooop..."

"Ah can tell you right now that that'll never happen," Big Mac said. "Why, he was doing that 'YEAH' thing when we first met back in kindergarten. Wasn't as big then, but Ah'm pretty sure he was louder."

Golden's big filly eyes got bigger than they had any right to be. "No way... How's that even possible?"

"SWEAT!" Bulk yelled.

"And Ah now have no further desire to talk about this. Hey Berry, Rarity."

"Hello, and welcome to the wondrous party!" Rarity grinned.

"Someone's in a good mood," Carrot observed.

"Let her have this," Berry said. "She needs to eat up attention at least twice a week or she gets cranky. I'm hoping this'll carry her into next month."

Applejack and Golden chuckled at this. Rarity shot Berry a look. "I'm standing right here."

"That's what makes it funny!"

"I'm afraid I don't see how..."

"CAN WE GO IN YET!?" Bulk shouted.

"Oh! Yes of course! Follow the music!" Rarity grinned.

Golden looked up at Carrot. "I'm going to hang with Berry, okay?"

"Okay," Carrot said. "Just don't leave the house."

"I won't!" Golden trotted up to Berry and the two embraced. Rarity rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm sure you two can watch the door," Rarity observed. "I'm going to enjoy my party!" She trotted in slightly behind Big Mac and his friends.

Golden looked at Berry and giggled. "...Enjoy? Her?"

Berry shrugged. "Yeah, I really don't expect her to - welcome to the party Sparkler, follow the music - she's got this 'I'm better than Tree Hugger' thing going on in her head. I think she may be incapable of understanding that her 'rival' just doesn't care!"

"Biiiig surprise," Golden muttered. "Oh, hey Flutter, lookin' good! ...Why do you still hang out with her, Berry?"

"I owe her a lot," Berry said, "and I kinda think she'd fall apart without me to talk to."

"I don't envy you, Berry."

"Eh, I'm just a kid. Plus, it's kinda fun managing her antics."

"You're crazy."

"What else is new?"

Then the next partygoer arrived - and Berry's cheerful face fell like a stone.

"...What is it?" Golden asked.

Berry pointed at the pegasus outside - Derpy. "Hi Berry! Hi Golden! Some party huh?"

Golden blinked. "...What's wrong with Derpy? She's nice!"

"And Rarity has is absolutely, utterly, monstrously peeved at her!" Berry blurted.

Derpy gasped. "You shouldn't say the P word!"

Berry bit her lip. "Yeah, I know, just... Look, Derpy, you should probably just go before Rarity sees you or something."

Golden blinked. "Is she really that mad?"

"She put multiple days worth of work into that cart," Berry said. "And Derpy just trounced her effortlessly."

"Totally awesome, by the way!"

"Thanks!" Derpy grinned.

"Yeah, it was, but Rarity rarely works hard on anything," Berry continued. "She could go nuclear on you for 'ruining' the one thing she bothered to devote herself too."

Golden frowned. "Berry's probably right Derpy... This could end badly."

"I'll just stay out of her sight then!" Derpy said.

Berry shook her head - 'Derpy' and 'stealth' were not two words that went together. "That... probably won't work."

Derpy glared. "...I had to convince my mom to let me come here! I'm not turning my back now!"

"Derpy..." Golden sighed. "I'm sorry but..." A spark of magic floated in front of her eyes, distracting her thought. "...Huh?"

Berry blinked, walking closer to Golden. "What is that?"

"I dunno, it looks sparkly. Mom described something like this in her tales of the Everfree Forest once..."

"What's it doing here?"

"I have no idea, Berry, but - hey where's Derpy?"

There was no sign of the gray pegasus. Ruby paled. "Oh no..."

Inside, Rarity was dancing with Thunder Lane, grinning madly. Maybe there was something to 'just having fun'. This was great - dancing, singing, talking - who cared about Tree Hugger? This was her party, and she was going to have the best night ever. Ever. She was mainly at ease because Tree Hugger was dancing with Bulk right now, and that just looked so stupid and awkward that there was no way anypony thought Tree Hugger was awesome in that moment.

"You go girl!" Cheerilee called to her.

Rarity twitched. Leave it to Tree Hugger to figure out how to appease the older crowd. Rarity dropped Thunder Lane and moved to the punch table Cheerilee was at, attempting some recon. Aloe and Lotus were staring at the green concoction Tree Hugger had made. "I'm going to try it," Aloe said.

Lotus shrugged. "Your funeral."

"Come on, whatever's in it can't be that bad."

Tree Hugger had somehow managed to break off her dance with Bulk and come to the table. "Wheatgrass puree with some extra special ingredients. Healthiest thing on the planet." Rarity panicked - she couldn't ask about Tree Hugger when the mare in question was here! Truly, she was dealing with a mastermind of the social relations game... Rarity didn't know what she had been expecting.

Lotus fixed Tree Hugger with a quizzical look. "...Bet it tastes gross."

"Oh yeah," Aloe added, sniffing it. "Most definitely."

"It is an acquired taste," Tree Hugger admitted. "But you could always try new things..."

Aloe downed a drink of it in one gulp to the surprise of Tree Hugger and Cheerilee. She gagged. "Well... that was nasty." She put her hoof over her stomach. "Ooogh..."

Tree Hugger laughed. "You really aren't supposed to drink it that fast! It has spices!"

"No kidding..."

"You okay?" Cheerilee asked.

"I'll be fine... Hoo boy..."

"I suggest the blue drink for a palette cleanse," Tree Hugger suggested. "Bit odd, but it's soooo refreshing."

"Thanks..." Aloe began to chug the blue punch. Tree Hugger smiled, said her goodbyes, and walked back into the regular party.

Lotus watched Tree Hugger leave and pursed her lips. "What is she? Thirteen?"

Cheerilee shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that she's great. Look at this! nopony but her could get the kids and us having fun together! No offense to present company of course."

Rarity twitched. "...None taken..." she lied through her teeth.

Cheerilee took no notice of Rarity's 'plight.' "She's just that... right age, you know, where everypony identifies with her."

"It's also nice she's so laid back!" Lotus added. "She's just always so calm and level-headed!"

"Yeah - glad she moved here."

"Me too."

Rarity slowly walked away. Well, she had enough information now, not that she liked it...

"I... I think I'm going outside," Aloe said suddenly.

"Oh?" Lotus questioned.

"Think I'm going to be sick..." She rushed out of the house at high speed.

"If I meet any hot guys I'll be sure to tell you!" Lotus called after her sister. She did not respond with anything coherent.

"You know all the guys in Ponyville," Cheerilee observed.

"Yes. Yes I do. Yoo-hoo! Big Mac! Come try this punch~!"

Rarity tuned them out, ignoring the heavy breathing of Big Mac as she passed him. Rarity headed over to the swarm of foals her age that were trying to make a dancing pyramid and having marginal success. She considered becoming a part of the misguided stack of kids - but all thoughts of this were banished when she saw who was on top, held up by Applejack's hooves.

Derpy.

The little ball of anger and stress that was Rarity almost became unhinged right then and there. She was a hair's breadth from unleashing her anger in front of everyone. But no - her desire to maintain her image won out. She took a breath - and lit her horn. The cherry punch was enveloped in a light blue magic and thrown through the air. By the time anypony saw it, there was no trace of Rarity's magic on it.

It hit Derpy square in the back of the head, dousing her in a torrent of red fruity juice. She yelled out in panic, spastically flapping her wings. Rarity let a smirk come to her face - ponies were already pointing at the sputtering spectacle, and many were stifling chuckles. At least something was going right tonight.

And then Derpy hit the chandelier.

Parts of the ornate decoration shattered on contact, scraping Derpy's back. The loose connection to the ceiling snapped, beginning the substitute disco ball's descent to the dance floor. Ponies scrambled out of the way with barely a second to spare. The chandelier hit the ground in a tremendous shower of shards and sparks.

The music stopped. Everypony was silent.

Derpy stuck her head out of the pile of kids she was in. "Uh... I... Just don't know what went wrong?"

Then Rarity snapped. "You buffoon! You've destroyed my chandelier! Do you have any idea how much that cost? My parents are going to grill me alive for this and it's all your fault!"

"But I..."

"You're leaving! Now!" Rarity yelled, grabbing the pegasus with her magic and dragging her away.

"But..." Derpy looked around, eyes pleading. Tree Hugger looked like she wanted to say something, but averted her eyes. Applejack gulped and hid under her hat. But perhaps most heartbreaking of all was Golden moving to help her - and Berry stopping Golden with an outstretched hoof. Golden took one look at Berry's slowly shaking head and turned away.

Rarity dragged Derpy out of sight, just before the pegasus started crying. Rarity threw Derpy out the door and scowled. "You... You..."

Derpy said nothing, she just kept sobbing.

"You have no right. Do you have any idea - no, no you don't." She looked around to see if the coast was clear. Upon seeing it was, she leaned in and whispered a single, nasty word in Derpy's ear.

Derpy stopped crying instantly. She ran, flying across the street as fast as she could manage.

Rarity nodded to herself. A job well done, in her book. She went back inside - Vinyl was cleaning up the glass with her magic.

"Should we leave?" Rarity heard Carrot say.

"I don't know..." Cheerilee responded.

"No, don't leave," Rarity said, standing up on the DJ table. "I may be completely ruined now, but you know what? this is still a party, and we never get one of these. So let's put all this riff-raff out of our minds and get back to it!"

Tree Hugger nodded slowly. "She's right dudes, we can't let a disaster get in our way! Man, we're ponies!"

Vinyl leaped back to her station and started playing the dubstep again.

Rarity smiled. That had worked out pretty well, considering.

~~~

Granny set spaghetti in front of the pegasus mare. The mare simply stared at it with her faraway, lavender eyes.

"Oh c'mon, it'll get cold if you don't eat up!"

The mare glanced at Granny for a split second - but hastily looked away the moment eye contact was established.

"Now listen to me, you've got nothin' to be afraid of!" Granny chuckled. "What's a little old mare like me going to do to you?"

The mare made eye contact - and held it. She blinked slowly. Granny felt as if she were under the watchful gaze of a princess deciding her fate. A normal mare would have found this unsettling. Granny just chuckled. "Oh, quite the game you got there missy!"

The mare blinked, still expressionless. She slowly turned back to the bowl of spaghetti in front of her. She took a long, deep sniff of it, wrinkling her muzzle. She touched it with her white hoof, the red sauce staining her fur. She held up the hoof in front of her eyes, contemplating deeply the red sauce upon it. Her left eye twitched involuntarily. She reached her tongue out and licked the sauce off her hoof. Her pupils contracted, eyes opening wider than Granny had thought was possible. The mare's wings spread out to maximum length.

She blinked.

"Good, ain't it?" Granny smirked.

The mare looked down at the bowl in front of her. She nodded slowly. Then she lifted the bowl in her hooves, brought it to her face, and started eating it faster than a parasprite.

It was Granny's turn to blink. "...You must have been hungry there."

The mare put the emptied bowl down, her face marred with red sauce. She turned her gaze to the larger bowl of spaghetti Granny had spooned the portion out of.

"By all means, take it!" Granny laughed, taking a small bite from her own plate. "Celestia knows you need it!"

The mare downed the contents of the bowl, eating enough for four ponies in under two minutes. She let out a huge belch and tossed the bowl over her shoulder upon completion, where it shattered.

Granny stared blankly. "...Er..."

The mare looked at the half portion Granny still had on her plate, eyes betraying eagerness. Granny shrugged. "Eh, sure, Ah have a bowl to clean up anyways..." She grabbed a broom and dustbin and started cleaning.

The mare easily downed the half-portion and finally folded her wings back up. She stepped down from the table and went to a couch. The moment she set foot on it, she yawned, falling asleep a few seconds later.

Granny chuckled. She poured the broken bowl into the trash and sat in the rocking chair alongside the couch. She watched as the mare slept.

"Ah wonder who you are..."

~~~

The Doctor looked out at Rarity's house. "That pink girl is still out there..."

"Alone," Roseluck reminded him.

"She's been heaving over that bush for quite some time..." the Doctor muttered. "What are they serving in there to give her such indigestion?"

"Normal teenage stuff."

"That does not fill me with confidence."

Roseluck rolled her eyes. "It was probably just some bad punch or something. Relax."

"Maybe you're right."

"I'm always right."

"I seem to recall needing to explain a lot to you-"

"And then I got better than you. The student exceeded the master."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Exaggerations are your forte."

"Yeah," Roseluck agreed. "Look at those floating lights! Vinyl's little light show must be pretty impressive."

"Of that, I have little doubt. Though if her little magic sparks are leaving the house perhaps she could exercise some constraint..."

"Doctor-" Whatever Roseluck was going to say got cut short - for the front door of Rarity's house was flung open, revealing Rarity and Derpy. The Doctor could see Rarity scream at Derpy for a bit before getting close. Whatever Rarity said, it made Derpy bolt for the Doctor's house.

Roseluck sighed. "Well..."

The Doctor got up and opened the door for Derpy. The gray filly stumbled in, crying. "She... She... She.. She called me a... a..." She couldn't bring herself to say it.

The Doctor twitched. He had a few choice words for Rarity at that moment, but he put them aside. He brought Derpy close and took her further inside the house. "There there... Why don't we talk about this over some ice cream? That'll be good right?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Here you are. Rose, go get her mother."

Rose nodded, setting out into the night. As she left, she could hear the Doctor begin to ask Derpy what happened.

Roseluck took one look at Rarity's house. The party seemed to still be going on - through the lights outside the house were gone, as was the pink mare that had been outside. She probably just got over her queasiness.

~~~

Aloe coughed up the last contents of her stomach, steadying herself against an outside wall. She was vaguely aware of Rarity yelling something, but by the time she had her wits about her, the encounter was all over.

She blinked - noticing that there were dozens of excited magical sparks vibrating around her rapidly. A new trick of Vinyl's? Probably. They were beautiful. Really accentuated the night, giving the slightest glow to the darkness. She found them... peaceful.

At least until she heard the sound. She let out a small cry - it was too much for her taxed brain to comprehend. Her sense of hearing outright failed her, unable to process the sound, getting only bits and pieces - a horn honking, a revere chalkboard scratch, curtains tearing, a soft and eternal whine...

The Everfree Lights all stopped moving. There was a soft, orange light shining from behind her, casting her in silhouette, giving her the appearance of an angel in the darkness.

She turned around. She saw the ghastly presence for only the slightest of moments.

She vanished before she could formulate a scream. The thing, the Everfree Lights, Aloe - all of them gone without a trace in a single instant.

Intense dubstep could be heard, muffled marginally by the walls of the house. The night was cold, dark, lonely, and above all-

-uncaring.

Author's Note

Well, let's see how this story goes over.

If you haven't watched Stranger Things yet, you should totally go do that as soon as humanly possible. There's not any spoilers here and it's not required to understand the story, it's just a really good show.

The entire thing - ten chapters - IS first drafted, but because of LIFE I will not be able to keep a weekly update schedule like you're used to.

-GM, master of VIEWS.

II - Sunrise

The Everfree had many deep, dark corners within its leafy grasp. The clearings - if the spaces within the flora could even be called clearings - were shrouded by a choking magical shadow in most places. Usually, the softly glowing flowers and magic sparks would provide a sparse amount of light - but not in one particular clearing that was far too large and round to be natural. In this place all plants had been cleared out and all sparks banished.

Along the edges stood tall, red crystals that absorbed every single Everfree Light that dared approach the premises. Not a single glowing intruder got through - from the sides or above. It was a perfect magical net. Inside this ring of protective crystals were ponies - lots of them. Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies; male, female; young, old, though notably there were no children. All worked in the wreckage that surrounded them.

it was evident there'd been a disaster recently. Where a dozen or so concrete buildings had once stood, now there were only three - and all but one looked hastily thrown back together. The ponies sifted through the rocks, pulling out magic crystals and giant folders of paper, looking at everything closely. Salvage was important - even the non-valuable items and rubble were gathered up and sorted for reuse. The ponies in labcoats looked the most frantic out of all of them, clearly the least prepared for this sort of work. The rest were some measure of panicked, worried, depressed, or disheartened.

Something had scared them.

Standing at the edge of the clearing at a higher elevation than the rest was a yellow unicorn. She stared down at the slow, methodical work, her face straight. None could tell what was going on behind those red eyes of hers. Her ears gave no indication either, simply moving around to let her bright red and yellow mane flow in the soft breeze.

She saw an Everfree Light get captured by one of the red crystals. Something about the event made her lips twitch ever so slightly.

"Ma'am..." a pony addressed her. She nodded for the stallion to continue. "There's been... 'evidence' in Ponyville."

The yellow unicorn nodded slowly. "Find out everything we can."

"Yes, Miss Shimmer."

~~~

Applejack woke up coughing. The horrendous fit of her lungs woke Big Mac in the room across from hers. Tired though he was, he leaped out of bed. In his rush, he forgot to open his door and busted it down instead.

He opened Applejack's door, running in. "What is it?"

Applejack was out of bed, standing, but holding her head and coughing. "Wh... What did we do last night?"

"Ah..." Big Mac blinked. He remembered... A lot from early in the night. The chandelier... Talking to Lotus for a long time... Then not much. "Ah really don't know."

Applejack groaned. "I feel like old fertilizer..."

"That's normal for you."

"Yer a riot," Applejack coughed out. She wobbled over to her door.

"Now, you probably need some rest-"

"Big Mac, you busted your door down. Again."

"-Now Ah don't want to hear any excuses, you are still a kid and Ah've got to make sure you - wait what?"

Applejack coughed. "Door. Broken. In hallway."

Big Mag followed her gaze. "So it is."

"Sure Ah'm the one who needs sleep?"

"We both could stand a bit of extra shuteye..."

"Big Mac, Ah've got school. Your classes might start in the afternoon but Ah gotta get goin'." She coughed again, the motion forcing her to stop in her tracks. "...After breakfast."

Big Mac found he couldn't argue with that, so they made their way to the main living area.

"Do you... remember gettin' home?" Big Mac asked.

"Eenope. Ah don't even remember leavin' the party." She coughed. "Agh my darn throat..."

Maybe you should lay off a bit of the talking, give your voice a rest."

"And let you do all the talkin'? That's a pretty bad idea, even for you."

Big Mac rolled his eyes and entered the living room. "Mornin' Granny," he addressed the sleeping green form in the rocking chair. "Mornin' stranger on the couch-"

Big Mac and Applejack stopped dead in their tracks, staring right at the white pegasus on their couch. She stared back, eyes wide, but face otherwise expressionless. She didn't move an inch. Was she even breathing?

Big Mac turned to Applejack. "What do we do?"

"What do we do?" Applejack coughed. "You're the oldest!"

"But you have the ideas!"

"Ah'm busy coughin' up a storm!"

"Ah busted down a door with my head and Ah may have a concussion!"

"My voice is about to go out and I don't believe that!"

"It sounds perfectly fine to me!"

The pegasus stepped off the couch, prompting an end to Applejack and Big Mac's conversation. The two of them froze as she approached. They could make out her bruises and scratches now, as well as a back leg she didn't put any weight on. She sniffed.

Applejack started a coughing fit at that exact moment, prompting the pegasus to launch backward and knock the couch over.

"Bwha-huh-bah?!" Granny blurted, coming out of her sleep. "What happen- oh." She looked from the dazed pegasus to her grandchildren. "Ah must have dozed off there..."

Everypony was silent, looking to Granny to make some sense of the situation.

"Oh fine, Big Mac, Applejack, Ah found this poor soul on our doorstep last night after you left. Bruised, battered, and everythin'. Took her in and fed her, gave her a couch. Mysterious mare, these are my grandkids, Big Mac and Applejack."

Applejack started coughing again. This time, instead of reacting in shock, the pegasus approached her cautiously. Applejack looked into the wide purple eyes and saw... sadness. Intense sadness.

"You sound sick," Granny observed.

"Ah'm pretty sure Ah am," Applejack admitted.

"You're staying home from school today."

"But Granny Ah need to talk to-"

"Ah let you go to a party last night, don't push it, missy."

Applejack nodded, devolving into coughing again. She tensed when she felt something foreign caress her - a white wing. "Uh..."

The mare seemed to realize she had done something wrong and backed away, looking downward.

"Oh, uh..." Applejack coughed. "It's okay! Ah just wasn't expectin' that."

The pegasus made no indication she'd even heard. She just sat still, wings folded, not making any further eye contact.

Granny sighed. "Somethin's happened to her, we'll just need to give her time."

Big Mac blinked. "Time? ...You can't mean..."

"Ah'm not turnin' her away and Ah get the impression she has nowhere to go. So unless she proves herself dangerous or something' Ah'm gonna show a little kindness."

Big Mac looked at the silent mare. For the briefest of moments, he saw her eyes - pleading, begging, wishing for anything. Anything at all. He sighed. "...Okay Granny."

"Actin' like you had a say in the matter. Humph! She was stayin' whether you liked it or not."

Big Mac nodded. That was true.

"Now, Ah'm gonna put Applejack back to bed. You go take care of farm chores for the day. Northwest field looks like it has some ripe ones."

Big Mac nodded. "Ah'll see what Ah can get done before school."

"Good. Come on, Applejack."

Applejack moved to object but was subjected to another bout of coughing. She groaned, walking back to her room with Granny, making no further comment.

Big Mac took a moment to stare at the pegasus. The pegasus stared back at Big Mac.

"Do you... talk?"

The pegasus didn't move.

"Riiiiight... Well, Ah'll be outside then." He walked out, taking the path down to the northwest field. Most of the apples weren't ripe, but he could see a few red, glistening orbs in the leaves. He'd have to be careful how he bucked today, didn't want to dislodge the green ones. He moved to the closest tree, set up a bucket, and kicked. Three red apples fell down from the tree into the basket. He smirked, taking a step back to admire his work. The pegasus was standing right alongside the tree, staring at him intently.

"Waugh!" He yelled, jumping back. She jumped back as well, but the two of them recovered from the surprise quickly. "You scared me!"

The mare gave no acknowledgment. She turned and started walking around another tree, looking at the red apples in it. She glanced from the tree to Big Mac and back to the tree. She blinked.

Then she turned around and bucked the tree, wings splayed.

Three apples fell from the branches. All of them hit the ground instead of the basket, and only one was ripe, but she had bucked a tree.

She turned to Big Mac and smiled ever so slightly.

He stared, slack-jawed. "Well, ain't that somethin'! Only earth ponies are supposed to be able to do that! You're pretty strong!"

She blinked, as if thinking this over. Then she walked back to the house.

Big Mac shrugged. Maybe he could teach her how to really buck a tree. She had the strength, he knew it... If she really had nowhere to go she could be a great help on the farm. ...After they figured out who she was, of course.

~~~

The younger class was seated, bored out of their minds while Ms. Scroll told them about their homework assignments, scribbling down numbers and sentences upon the chalk board that a little over half the students would bother to remember. They all leaped out of their seats the moment the bell rang - caring much more about freedom that homework - scrambling for the door. Many of them looked really tired - Thunder Lane was even asleep at his desk; others were tripping over their own hooves as they scrambled out.

Rarity had just gotten outside when Tree Hugger trotted up to her.

"What is it?" Rarity asked, downplaying her ire at seeing Tree Hugger's face.

"Sorry about your chandelier, Rars," Tree Hugger apologized, appearing legitimately bothered by it. "I mean, the party was awesome, but your parents... Is there, like, anything I can do?"

"Can you replace the chandelier or make my parents vanish?"

Tree Hugger shook her head.

"Then I'm really not certain you can do anything. I hope you'll remember what I did for you and your party when I'm rotting in my room for eternity."

Tree Hugger nodded. "I will. I'll make sure the whole school remembers as well. I can do that - for whatever reason, ponies like me."

Rarity took in a sharp breath. "Yes. You do... that."

"Whatever I can do to make it up to you. Say, me and Vinyl are going to do a thing tonight. Much smaller gathering. I could..."

"I think I've had enough of parties for a while, even little ones. Though it was fun." Inwardly, she cursed herself for letting this tidbit of information out. Tree Hugger's smile just made the burning sensation within Rarity heighten.

"Yeah, I guess there is such a thing as too much party... See you around, totally stay in touch!" She trotted off.

Berry tapped Rarity on the shoulder. Rarity freaked out, whirling around like she was being attacked. When she saw it was just Berry - and Golden in tow - she relaxed. "Celestia! How'd you get there!?"

Berry and Golden exchanged glances. Berry shrugged. "We've been here the entire time."

Rarity blinked. "Oh, yes, right, of course..."

Golden smirked. "You seem to have a problem."

"What problem? No problem! Why are you even talking?"

Golden rolled her eyes. "It was just Tree Hugger."

Rarity twitched. "Oh... Her..."

Berry blinked. "You... Really are having trouble with this, aren't you?"

"Trouble with what, dear?"

"Need I spell it out? Nevermind, stupid question, of course I do. One: Tree Hugger is providing that boost in popularity you wanted. Two: she's being extra nice to you because of that chandelier. Three: you hate her guts for no good reason. SO you're... conflicted! That's it."

"I am not!"

Golden facehooved. Berry just let out a breath of air. "Fine, nevermind, just know that everypony thinks you and Tree Hugger are the best of friends right now."

Tree Hugger waved at Rarity from across the field. Berry smirked. "Including Tree Hugger."

Rarity shivered in disgust. "...I think see the problem..."

"You have a serious denial issue?"

"Do not!"

Golden cracked up, trying in vain to stop the mad giggling.

Rarity glowered. "Remind me again why I put up with you and your hillbilly antics!?"

Golden stopped laughing, processed the insult, and started laughing again.

"Simply wonderful..." Rarity muttered.

Berry sighed. "Did you at least enjoy the party last night?"

"As a matter of fact I did," Rarity emphasized. "After that disaster, I guess I just... cut loose or something. It was great fun."

"Maybe you should thank Derpy then?" Golden suggested.

Rarity bristled. "Wasn't that fun. I'm still dead."

"Oh, I still think you should."

The three fillies looked up to see the Doctor standing over them, Derpy at his side.

Golden paled, hiding behind Berry and Rarity.

"Doctor..." Rarity said, recognizing her neighbor. "Care to tell me why?"

Berry nudged Rarity in an attempt to calm her down, but the gesture was pointless.

The Doctor's glare deepened. "You used a certain word in her presence."

"So?"

"You should say sorry, or I will tell your parents."

Rarity laughed. "Doctor... Whatever, I'm already dead when they get home. I have serious doubt it could get any worse. So perhaps you should stop threatening me before I call for Miss Scroll?" She put the smuggest of all smug looks on her face. She loved this part - when the adults realized they were trapped and awkwardly had to pull out.

"I can get you a replacement chandelier by tonight," the Doctor said.

Rarity's smugness vanished. That wasn't supposed to happen. "...You can?"

"Yes. I can. But there are a few conditions."

Rarity bristled. "What are they?"

"First, apologize to Derpy."

Rarity shivered. "...Done. Derpy, I'm sorry I kicked you out and called you names."

Derpy nodded slowly.

"Next?" Rarity asked, ready to get this ordeal over with.

It was the Doctor's turn to look smug. "You will let Derpy play with you and your friends."

Rarity tensed. "For how long?"

"As long as she wants. And you have to be nice to her."

Rarity shook her head. "No deal."

"Death by parents..."

Rarity growled. "Preferable to what you're suggesting."

The Doctor shrugged. "Fine by me. Suffer. And once you're done suffering, then, and only then, will I tell them about what you said to Derpy."

Rarity began to turn red with rage - this wasn't fair! She was supposed to be the one in control! But first Tree Hugger and now this?! Of all the-

Berry nudged her. Rarity heeded the message this time. She took a breath and stamped her foot on the ground. "Fine, Derpy. You can... Hang out... With us..."

"Yay!" Golden cheered, leaping out from her hiding spot and tackle hugging Derpy. "You don't have to hide anymore!"

"Ha! Yeah!" Gone was the depressed filly; only the cheerful pegasus remained.

The Doctor nodded. "Good choice. The chandelier will be back by nightfall. You girls have fun now!"

"Oh, we will Doc!" Derpy cheered. "What do you guys wanna do? Huh? Huh?"

Berry looked at Rarity - a filly who was not ready to answer questions. Rarity coughed. "Well how about we get out of here, the older kids are coming in."

"Oh! We could go to my house! I have a lot of cardboard boxes!"

Rarity groaned, letting her head hang down. "Fine. We'll go to your darn - I mean darling house, hahahah!"

The Doctor just smiled at her - and walked away.

"This is it," Rarity said. "I've doomed myself to living Tartarus."

"It won't be that bad," Berry said. "Derpy's a little off at times, but she's nice and she's not 'trying' to steal your popularity! Bonus!"

Rarity nodded slowly, taking up position in the back of the group while they headed for Derpy's house.

~~~

Cheerilee was one of the first to arrive at the schoolhouse. She did notice the Doctor talking to Rarity - and quickly decided it was none of her business. She took up a position to the side of the school doors, waiting for her friends. Aloe and Lotus weren't there yet, but they were rarely as early as she was. She just leaned against the schoolhouse wall attempting not to nod off.

That had been quite the party last night... She had danced with Carrot most of it, though she switched more times than she could remember. Most of it was a blur...

She became fully alert when Carrot walked into view. She stood up straight and tall, trying to make her frizzy mane look at last somewhat organized, attempting to force herself awake.

"Hi, Carrot!" She waved. "...And Big Mac!" She added as an afterthought.

"Why hello there Cheerilee!" Big Mac called. "Uh... Have you seen Lotus?"

"Nope, the twins aren't here yet," she said, not taking her eyes off Carrot.

Carrot gulped. "Uh... Hi, Cheerilee!"

"Hi..." Cheerilee muttered, wobbling slightly.

"...You okay?" Carrot asked.

Cheerilee sighed. "Yeeeah..."

Big Mac facehooved. "Oh for the sake of apples... You're not used to long nights are you?"

"Noooo... But I could be!"

Carrot laughed nervously. "Erm... Yeah! that'd be... Nice."

Cheerilee giggled again. Oh, he was just so adorable! How he flushed... Nervously looked to the side... smiled... Had Cheerilee been more aware of herself she would have realized that she was being rather stupid and ditzy, but she was not, and was frankly incapable of any form of objective self-analysis at the moment. She was so out of it she took no notice when Big Mac turned away from the two of them, ears raised. She just stared at Carrot, leaning in...

In her mixture of fatigue and hormone-induced-inebriation, she slipped and fell face-first into the ground. "Ow..." she muttered.

Carrot helped her up. "...Sure you're okay?"

"Oh, you farm types are always built better. I'm just tired Carrot. And..." She perked up her ears. "...Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" he said, pushing his ears up as well.

They could hear someone calling in the distance. Big Mac looked at them and frowned. "That sounds like Lotus."

Sure enough, the blue mare charged into the schoolyard, mane frazzled and eyes haunted. It was starting for everypony to see her like this - she was very particular about her appearance. Few had even seen her with an unkempt mane at all. Or, for that matter, this disoriented. Or arriving at school without her sister.

"Aloe!" She called, frantically running to the schoolhouse. She grabbed Cheerilee by the shoulders and shook her. "I can't find Aloe! Have you seen her!?"

"N-No..." Cheerilee said, backing up from her friend. Aloe was missing? How was that possible - the twins were almost inseparable.

"You? Have you seen her?" She prodded Big Mac.

"Ah'm afraid Ah haven't."

"Me neither," Carrot said, gulping.

Lotus took a step back and shivered. "I... I had hoped she'd be here... This..."

"Where was the last place you saw her?" Big Mac asked.

"The party... She stepped out because of her stomach... I... I thought she had gone home..."

Cheerilee stepped in, giving Lotus someone to cry on. "There there... We'll find her. Can you think of anywhere you haven't checked?"

"I aleady... The house... The salon... Here... Those were the places she'd be! I... I even checked Rarity's house again..." Her tears freely flowed down Cheerilee's back. "Oh Cheerilee! What if something terrible has happened to her!?"

"Sh... Sh... It'll be fine... She's somewhere...This isn't a big down..." Cheerilee consoled.

"Excuse me..." The Doctor said, walking up. "Your sister has vanished?"

Lotus nodded slowly.

"Would she, by chance, look exactly like you but pink?"

Lotus' eyes lit up. "Yes! Have you seen her?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not recently, I'm afraid. I did see her outside the party last night. Lots of Vinyl's lights were around her - you know, the ones that look like Everfree Lights?"

"Did you see where she went?" Big Mac asked.

"Again, sadly no. I became occupied by other matters, I am sorry. Derpy came to my house after the incident, and when I looked back she wasn't there anymore."

Lotus shuddered, gripping Cheerilee tighter. "Something happened to her..."

The Doctor looked left and right - was he nervous? "Now, I'm sure it's nothing like that. Look, how about you two go take this up with the Mayor? See what can be done. I'll explain everything to Miss Scroll, don't worry about school."

Lotus nodded slowly. "Yeah... Let's do that..."

"You sure you can?" Big Mac asked, holding her hoof.

"I need to find her."

Cheerilee nodded. "We... Should get going. Thanks, Doctor."

"I do what I can," the Doctor bowed.

Cheerilee led Lotus along, the two walking through town in silence. Normally, Cheerilee would be talking about Carrot, and how obviously smitten Big Mac was - but such conversations were for normal days when nothing was happening. The time at hand demanded such things be put aside for later. There was a point at which relatively trivial things were pushed completely out of their minds, and something of real importance could take its place - finding Aloe. That was it.

Nothing less. Nothing more.

They found the mayor asleep on the porch of city hall. He was a middle-aged white stallion whose name nopony could seem to remember.

"Mayor?" Cheerilee called.

The Mayor snored.

"Mayor!" Cheerilee yelled.

He still did not stir, his snores actually getting louder. Almost as if he were purposefully drowning them out.

Cheerilee carefully released her hold on Lotus, sure the blue mare was now able to carry herself. CHeerilee walked up to the rocking chair the Mayor was in and tipped it forward, knocking the Mayor out of it. He was 'awake' before he hit the ground, but that didn't stop him from landing flat on his face.

He grunted. "What do you want?"

"Aloe is missing!" Cheerilee snapped. "You need to do something!"

The Mayor sighed, standing up. "Look, all requests must be made through my secretary-"

"Are you... For real? A mare is missing and you want us to make a request!?"

"Look, calm down. You'll need to go to her and file a missing pony report. She knows the procedure better than I." He righted his chair and climbed back into it. "I seriously doubt I can help."

Cheerilee's face turned red with rage. She raised a hoof to smack him across the face - but Lotus stopped her. "Let's just go to the secretary Cheerilee."

Cheerilee's anger melted. "O...Okay Lotus." The two walked into City Hall. Cheerilee found herself wondering how Ponyville could have elected such a buffoon. What had they been thinking?

The two of them walked through the main room, shelves lined with files on all sides. Situated in front of them was a desk at which a yellow mare with a curled blue and pink mane sat. She looked up at them - she looked about their age, Cheerilee would have even said younger had the mare not been sitting at such an official looking desk. Cheerilee didn't recognize her at all - and she knew the face of everypony in town. Perhaps not the name, but the face. This mare was completely new. "Uh... Who are you?"

"Bon Bon," she said, giving the two of them a warm smile. "I'm the new secretary from Manehattan." She saw the tear-stained face of Lotus. "Oh no... What's happened?"

"Aloe is missing!" Lotus called out.

Bon Bon nodded solemnly. She pulled up a typewriter and put in a piece of paper. "I'm so sorry. I'm going to need to ask you a few questions, all right Lotus?"

Lotus nodded slowly. Cheerilee put her hoof around her friend.

"Where was she last seen?" Bon Bon asked, typing away on the typewriter quickly - as all earth ponies had to do with such devices to get anything done. Amazing as the devices were, hooves were awkward to use with them.

"Outside Rarity's house," Cheerilee answered, "at the party last night. She was having stomach trouble. The Doctor saw her from across the street with some of Vinyl's lights."

"Did he see what happened to her?"

"No."

"Were there any problems or drama at home or at the party?"

"No! We.. We were happy... The drama didn't come until after she stepped outside... Rarity threw a fit at Derpy, but... Not important..."

Bon Bon nodded, clacking away. "Was she sick from something at the party?"

"Tree Hugger's... Green juice. It didn't sit well with her."

"So, she went outside and never came back in. Have you looked for her?"

"Yes!" Lotus shouted. "Everywhere! I've spent all day looking for her!"

"Easy, easy," Bon Bon said, hooves up. "I just need to ask these questions so I can help find her, okay?"

"O...kay..."

Bon Bon took the sheet of paper out of the typewriter and laid it on her desk. She stamped it. "Okay... We can't actually declare her missing until tomorrow-"

"WHAT!?" Cheerilee blurted.

"I'm sorry! It takes a full 24 hours of disappearance for this to go through! I shouldn't even be typing it up yet! But I will act on it as soon as I can, okay?"

CHeerilee was about to let loose, but Lotus stopped her. "Let's just go, Cheerilee."

"...Okay," Cheerilee said.

"Thanks, Bon Bon."

Bon Bon nodded sagely. "I'll do everything I can."

Lotus walked out of the Town Hall and sat on the porch, ignoring the Mayor and staring straight ahead.

Cheerilee sat down beside her.

"I... Cheerilee I can't just sit here and wait..."

Cheerilee nodded. "I know. I'll help you look, okay?"

"I already looked everywhere... Ponyville isn't big..."

"Well, there has to be somewhere you didn't look. We could go around kicking in doors..." Cheerilee furrowed her brow, trying to think. Where could Aloe be? Where would nopony think to look?

She looked out towards the edge of town, beyond the Apple family farm.

"Everfree Lights..."

"Hm?" Lotus grunted.

"The Doctor said Vinyl's tricks looked like Everfree Lights. But I don't think Vinyl would use her magic outside, and I don't remember anything like that in the show... What if they weren't hers?"

Lotus blinked. "Do you mean..."

"We should at least check out the Everfree while we wait for that report to go through."

"Cheerilee, the Everfree is dangerous."

Cheerilee nodded. "all the more reason we should go on now... ...Or after we pack some gear, anyway."

Lotus raised a hoof to object - and then lowered it. Cheerilee saw her realize what this all meant. "...Let's go. We need to find her. Fast..."

Cheerilee smirked. They headed back to her house. Cheerilee knew deep down that this was extremely stupid and dangerous. But they had already tried seeking help - it was time to put matters into her own hooves.

And much like earlier that day with Carrot, she was rather incapable of objective self-analysis at the moment.

~~~

The Doctor dragged a wheelbarrow across the street. His load was impressive - a crystalline chandelier identical in every way to the one that had broken last night. It was a brilliant thing to carry in broad daylight since sun rays reflected through the facets into vibrant rainbows.

Roseluck coughed to grab his attention. "...Remind me why you went through so much trouble to get... this..."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all!"

"You know what I mean."

"Well, I made a deal. I fix Rarity's chandelier problem, and she fixes her Derpy problem."

Roseluck raised an eyebrow. "No way that could backfire."

"Oh, of course, it's bloody blackmail. But it's better than nothing. Not to mention there's something I want to look into here..."

"Oh?" Roseluck asked. "That disappearing girl?"

"Yes." He walked up to Rarity's front door and pulled a small, metallic rod out of his tie. The rod glowed a soft blue at the tip. With a quick point of the rod on the door's lock, it made a satisfying clicking sound. The Doctor pushed the door - but it didn't open.

"...Huh." He said.

Roseluck chuckled. "I think you just locked it. Thought the sonic was smart enough to avoid that?"

"Har-de-har," the Doctor muttered, using the sonic screwdriver to open the lock. He pushed the door open and dragged the wheelbarrow in. He went straight to the dining room. He took a moment to observe his surroundings - the ceiling was bare. Six screw holes were the only sign a chandelier had ever been there. He frowned. "...Going to need a ladder..."

Roseluck blinked. "Doctor, there's literally one in the open closet over there."

"Ah! So there is! I was just testing you."

"Roseluck huffed. She grabbed the ladder and dragged it over to the Doctor. "So, why are you so interested in her disappearance?"

"It was those lights... hand me the chandelier will you?" Roseluck delicately lifted up the crystal object and the Doctor took it from her decidedly left delicately. "I don't think Vinyl has an Everfree Lights trick, nor do I think it would get out of the house if she did. Screws please."

Roseluck handed him the screws, which he fumbled with, trying to keep the chandelier on the ceiling. "Hm... How am I going to screw these in..."

"It's called a sonic screwdriver for a reason isn't it?"

The Doctor blinked. "I do seem rather absent-minded today don't I?"

"More like preoccupied," Roseluck said. "I can see those cogs in your head turning, trying to figure out what you missed, where she could have gone."

"Think I'm worrying too much?"

"Not at all. A lost kid and unusual circumstances... Sounds like just the thing for you to set your mind to."

"Yes... Yes it does!" He smirked, stepping down from the ladder - the chandelier was in place and perfect. He folded the ladder up and put it away. "Let's go check outside."

The two left through the front door and circled to where they had seen Aloe the night before. There was a faint stink coming from behind a bush that smelled of fruit and grass.

"She was not having a nice breath of fresh air..." Roseluck observed.

"It would appear not... I say, does this patch of grass look odd to you?" He pointed with his hoof at a circular patch of grass that was yellowing, dying.

"Look," Roseluck said, pulling down a branch of a nearby tree. "The leaves on the tip of this are dead..."

"Like something sucked the life force out... Or just cut it off..." the Doctor pursed his lips, looking closely at the leaves. Parts of them looked like they had been torn apart from inside... "Something's going on here, that's for sure..."

"Any of the usual suspect?"

"No... That's what's bothering me. This doesn't even look similar to anything I've encountered..."

Roseluck bit her lip. "Do we need some equipment?"

"I don't believe so. I do think we need to find us some Everfree Lights..."

"...We're going into the Forest? Again?"

"Again," the Doctor grinned. "Oh come on Rose, it'll be fun!"

"We will need equipment, Doctor," Roseluck insisted. "I am not going back there without some preparation!"

"If you insist."

"I do!" Rose turned and ran to the Doctor's house to start her rummaging. The Doctor chuckled - this could take a while.

He tried not to think about what dead grass implied about Aloe...

~~~

Granny was humming a little ditty to herself in the kitchen, something about raining and washing necks. She energetically stirred a pot of soup, the yellow broth wafting a sweet smell into her nostrils. She cracked a few eggs into the pot, letting the drops congeal into long wisps of cooked egg.

Egg-drop soup was wonderful for colds. so was chicken soup, but Granny wasn't about to go slaughter a chicken just because Applejack was sick. That'd mean fewer eggs!

She took the pot off the heat and poured a small helping into a bowl. With a spring in her step, she moved through the house to her granddaughter's room. Granny could hear the coughs from a fair distance away, each heave tugging at her heart and slapping her peppy mood away bit by bit. No grandmother could stand to see their grandkids sick, it just wouldn't do. Sure, sickness wasn't likely to be fatal in this day and age, but Granny could never be too careful.

Granny slowly opened the door. "Applejack, your Granny's got some egg-drop soup for you..."

Applejack was in the bed, asleep despite the coughing. Her jaw was hanging open and her mane was splayed everywhere - she looked pale. Applejack wasn't what made Granny stop in her tracks though - it was the pegasus. The white mare was sitting on a stool, one of her wings caressing Applejack. her face was, for once, not stoic or skittish; her frown was deep, her eyes filled with sorrow. She didn't even seem to know Granny was there

Granny coughed. "Ahem?"

The mare turned to look at Granny and saw the soup. She backed away from Applejack sheepishly. Granny looked at her with scrutiny for a few seconds - she couldn't trust this strange pegasus with her sick granddaughter, could she? What was behind those sad eyes?

Granny pushed the thoughts back - it was time to attend to Applejack. "Hey, Ah got soup."

Applejack slowly opened her eyes. "Oh." She coughed again. "...Thanks..."

Granny helped Applejack sit up and gave her the bowl. "This is a nasty cold you got."

"Mm-hm," Applejack managed, carefully sipping the soup between coughs. After about six sips she put it on the bedside table. "Ah... Don't feel like it."

"That's okay, long as you drink every last drop later!"

Applejack let out a soft laugh which prompted another sequence of coughs. With a moan, she ducked back under her blankets, trying to rest.

Granny sighed. "Ah wonder..." She turned to look at the pegasus. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Woah, it's okay there, she's just sick. She'll get better."

The pegasus nodded slowly, looking past Granny to the lump that was Applejack.

"...You have any kids?"

The mare nodded, as if by reflex, but stopped herself. She shook her head with much more conviction. With a sharp breath, she closed her eyes tight as a lockbox.

"Oh... Ah'm so sorry, ain't nopony who deserves that."

The pegasus opened her eyes. She approached Granny and sniffed, a look of puzzlement crossing her sorrowful features.

"Ah'm part of a really large family myself. You've only seen two of my grandkids. Ah have several dozen now, just a bunch of bundles of joy. Ah... Ah've been around long enough. Seen a lot of them grow up."

The pegasus stood, attention focused entirely on Granny for once.

Granny chuckled. "Well. Let me tell you about little Braeburn, such a rascal. Lives down with my third eldest down in Appleloosa, trying to start a new frontier farm like Ah did back in the day. Braeburn seems to have it in his little head that he's some destined hero. This idea gets him into all kinds of trouble. One time, when Ah was visitin', he had set up some pie-flinging device to keep the 'disgustin' girls' away from the 'great artifacts' of his room. That pie didn't hit me, oh no, it hit Big Mac. Oh, what a day that was!"

A small smile began to creep up the pegasus' face.

"...More," she said.

Granny blinked, startled by the sound of the mare's voice. It was a high pitched sound that would have felt better in somepony younger and much more innocent.

"You can talk."

The pegasus nodded slowly, looking guilty.

"Oh no, it's not a bad thing! You have a beautiful voice. Just surprised, is all."

She nodded slowly, unsure.

"Well, you want more stories? Filly, Ah've got a century's worth here. How about... Oh, my son Red..."

Granny spun tales for her mysterious guest for the better part of an hour. She spoke of the many exploits of the Apple family ranging from her own discoveries of zap apples to the exploits of her many descendants, she always found something else to tell the white pegasus. The stranger began to smile brighter the more stories were told - even letting out a few harmonious laughs towards the end. The sound was delightful - short, sweet, and the perfect noise to get Granny laughing as well in her much rowdier fashion.

"...And that's how my aunt always told us Equestria was made!" Granny concluded. The pegasus clapped in response. Granny shook her head and sighed, suddenly, drawing a look of concern. "...Look, much as Ah like doin' this, Ah got things to do. Sorry." She turned to look at Applejack. "Such a sweet thing..."

The pegasus nodded.

"Can Ah trust you with her?"

The pegasus nodded again without hesitation.

"Good. Ah think you're an okay sort. Try to smile a little more though, will ya?"

She nodded, once again waiting over Applejack.

Granny turned to leave the room-

"Surprise."

Granny looked at the mare. "What?"

"Surprise... My name."

Granny broke out into a grin. "That name sure suits you."

Surprise smiled. She gave no indication she had anything else to say. She just focused on Applejack, watching like a guardian angel...

III - Deep Everfree

Reconstruction was progressing along nicely, considering what the clearing had looked like that morning. All but one of the concrete buildings were standing again, circling around the space in a ring formation. Where ponies had been moving haphazardly before, now there was order. Work has resumed - the business calming the frightened ponies.

Sunset Shimmer stood on top of the central building examining the encampment as a whole. She could see progress - but she could also see piles of rubbish, ruined devices, and useless paper shreds. The imperfections seemed to stare back at her, taunting.

"Miss Shimmer?" Somepony called, climbing up the stairs to the room Sunset was on. Sunset didn't turn to look at them.

"Yes?"

"We were right. It is still out there. And we know for sure it was in Ponyville last night."

"What are the details?"

"Everfree Lights and a disappearing girl."

Sunset nodded slowly. "Have the premises been examined?"

"Yes. The readings are as expected."

"Mhm. Have their paperwork stall. We don't want them digging around until we get this under control."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Any word on our escapee?"

"We've found nothing."

"Keep looking. I don't need to tell you why this is important."

Sunset heard the pony leave. The hoofsteps gave away a nervous demeanor. Sunset knew it wasn't just because of he own fiery presence.

Sunset focused on the red crystals at the edge of the clearing, watching the Everfree Lights sucked into nothing, keeping them 'safe'.

Sunset was fairly certain that the crystals were actually useless. But seeing as her ponies were already panicked enough, she kept that piece of information to herself. She had to carry the terror alone.

~~~

Elsewhere in the Everfree Forest, two mares trotted along without the foggiest idea of what they were doing. Cheerilee knew they were looking for Everfree Lights and then maybe - just maybe - they'd find Aloe. They had found neither of those things, of course - instead, they'd just found trees. Nothing but trees and an unnatural darkness to the forest, as if the light had been choked out.

"Aloe!" Lotus yelled suddenly. "Aloe!"

"Shhh!" Cheerilee hissed. "There are pony-eating predators in these woods! You're telling them where we are!"

"How else are we supposed to find her!?"

"Look for the lights and go from there."

Lotus twitched. "They could be anywhere!"

And they probably won't be helpful... Cheerilee sighed. "Look, we're just here for a... quick-ish search, to see if she's here. Tomorrow there'll be an actual search party and we'll find her that way."

Lotus shook her head. "You can't know that."

"No, I don't, but I can know they'll do a lot better than us."

"With the Mayor?"

"There are other, more experienced ponies," Cheerilee said. "Some who probably know how to navigate the Everfree. Unlike us."

Lotus made no response. She just kept walking forward, keeping her eyes peeled for anything of note.

"...Lotus?"

"I... I just want to keep walking and looking right now okay?" Lotus glanced at her friend with a pained expression that told her not to push the issue.

"It's... Okay." Cheerilee said, gulping hard. This was a bad idea on so many levels. The more she thought about where she was and what she was trying to do, the more she realized how stupid they'd been. Were being. It was unlikely they'd find anything about Lotus, for one, even if they could find the Lights. Then there was the plethora of wild magics, dangerous predators, and mysterious plants. To top it all off, Cheerilee wasn't completely sure that just walking backwards would actually get them out of the Forest.

This had been an ill-planned and doomed endeavor from the start. She just didn't want to tell Lotus that - not now. The poor thing looked ready to break as it was. Cheerilee didn't have the heart to shatter the last shreds of hope.

In addition, Cheerilee had also begun to wonder what could be done. Even if the search party was made, or that Bon Bon did something else, how would they have any better luck? Ponyville was without any trace of Aloe, and Cheerilee was finding it harder and harder to believe Aloe'd somehow found her way into the Everfree Forest all the way from Rarity's house - especially while sick.

Something must have happened to her there. Was she foalnapped? That was all Cheerilee could think of that made sense and she really didn't want to ponder it, but in the silence of the forest there weren't many other options. Who'd even want to take her? And why?

Cheerilee gulped - she couldn't keep going like this. She was going to have a breakdown eventually. "...Lotus?" she said again.

"No, I'm not going back. I'm going to find my sister. We'll find those Lights and she'll be right there, waiting. Like... Like..." She choked, stopping in her tracks. A few tears fell from her eyes, splashing on the ground. "Cheerilee... Why is everything so wrong?"

"...I can't answer that. I don't think anypony can."

Lotus looked Cheerilee in the eye, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I... I know we should go back. Get out. But what if she is here Cheerilee? What if we go now and then she's gone forever? What if we doom her by going back?"

Cheerilee pulled Lotus in, crying herself. "Lotus... We can't know..."

Lotus made a bunch of incoherent noises, failing to form words. She stomped on the ground and squeezed Cheerilee tight enough it hurt. She couldn't express what she needed to - it was impossible.

Cheerilee held her friend tight, trying not to fall apart herself. Aloe was missing, gone without a trace, and they were sitting in a forest where something might try to eat them at any moment. It had been quite the day already...

Crunch.

Cheerilee's ears perked up. Lotus felt her friend's entire body tense. She let out a "Hrm?" noise, fear already taking over her vulnerable mental state.

"Shh..." Cheerilee said, looking left and right for the source of the noise. She was pretty sure she hadn't imagined it - the sound was far too crackly and detailed to be 'just the wind'. She was unable to see anything, even though she could hear some leaves rustling ominously.

"Something's here..."

Lotus almost passed out at those words. Cheerilee steadied her friend as well as she could, but considering how shaky her own legs were, it wasn't of much help.

The rustling was more prominent now - though Cheerilee was unable to tell if it was closer or just not sneaking as well. She could tell that it was coming from the left, sliding through the trees slowly and deliberately, but there was still nothing to see.

Cheerilee motioned for Lotus to go to the right. Lotus took a few cautious steps with Cheerilee sneaking along behind her.

Then Cheerilee heard growling.

"Keep moving..." Cheerilee whispered, picking up the pace slightly. The sound of rustling leaves kept getting closer. She stole a look behind her and gasped. Two yellow, predatory eyes stared back at her from the shadows of the trees.

"Run!" Cheerilee yelled, booking it. Lotus ran faster, keeping a few yards of distance between her and Cheerilee. Cheerilee focused entirely on following Lotus as fast as possible. She attempted to ignore the sickening, powerful crunches of tree branches being torn off behind her by something large.

Cheerilee leaped over fallen branches, ducked beneath low hangers, and swerved around bushes, trying to keep up with her more athletic friend. The attempt was pointless. Her gallop was uneven, she kept stumbling over uneven stones, and tears had started to blur her vision.

Why...

She hit a log, tripping head over tail into a stingbush. She barely noticed the prickly pods sticking to her coat. Her attention was completely occupied by the beast standing over her- it was a catlike creature with a powerful jaw, fiery mane, and draconic wings. A manticore.

Cheerilee screamed.

The manticore decided that the noise was annoying. It opened its tremendous jaws, revealing rows upon rows of pointed teeth designed to sink into flesh and tear off a delicious morsel. The beast exhaled, filling Cheerilee's nostrils with a putrid stench as it leaned in for the kill.

Before the beheading could be completed, the beast let out a powerful roar right in Cheerilee's ears. It took her a few moments to realize it was roaring in pain - a crossbow bolt had hit it square in the shoulder. It ran away into the forest without another look at Cheerilee.

She blinked. "...What?"

A pale mare with a red mane leaped down from a nearby tree. "He almost got you there."

"...Rose!?" Cheerilee gawked. She barely recognized the mare - she was wearing a hard safari hat and four large combat boots. Her saddlebags were filled to the brim with bolts, sticks, rope, and even a few daggers. Mounted on her chest was a crossbow designed to fit around her neck so it could be fired with her mouth, positioned expertly so as not to interfere with the water canteen slung next to it.

"Yeah. Hi!" Roseluck smiled. "What are you doing out here?"

"Well, Lotus and I were... Looking for Aloe," Cheerilee sighed. "I know it's stupid but we couldn't just do nothing..."

"It's not stupid," the Doctor said, coming out of a nearby bush. He was the exact opposite of Roseluck, wearing nothing but his tie. "It's what we're doing, after all."

Cheerilee blinked. "...Really?"

"Yes. Though we are admittedly better prepared to do so."

Cheerilee nodded. "I know... We shouldn't be in the Everfree..."

"Definitely not!" Roseluck confirmed. "You could have been eaten. You really don't come out here unless you know what you're doing!"

Cheerilee looked down at the ground. "But... Lotus had to do something... I couldn't just let her go alone." Cheerilee sat bolt upright. "Oh no! She's alone!"

Roseluck blinked. "Right. Stay here, I'll go get her." She galloped off in the direction Lotus had gone, leaving Cheerilee alone with the doctor.

The Doctor grinned. "So, want to keep looking?"

"...Yes," Cheerilee nodded rigorously. "Will Rose be able to find us though?"

"She's overprepared. Of course she will. Easy." He turned around, walking in a seemingly random direction. "Come along!"

Cheerilee blinked, trying to process the quick turn of events and failing. She shrugged. "So... Do you two do this sort of thing a lot?"

"What sort of thing do you mean?"

"Venture into the Everfree Forest?"

"Oh," the Doctor's expression shifted to one Cheerilee recognized as somepony choosing their words carefully. "We've been here more than our fair share, yes. Haven't been in a while though."

"Has it changed much?" Cheerilee asked with concern.

"Oh, some here, some there. The Forest is in a constant state of magical flux to balance the harmony output elsewhere in Equestria. It cannot stay the same, that's against its nature. But at the same time, a lot of things are familiar. Sure, rivers change and clearings move, but trees are the same trees, the rivers still exist, and the magic still flows..."

Cheerilee blinked. She had no idea what half of that implied - or really meant, once she thought about it some more. "Uh..."

"I know what I'm doing and you don't need to be worried, basically."

Cheerilee didn't buy it. She'd always considered the Doctor to be a bit queer, but she was just now realizing she was walking through danger with a likely mad stallion. Even if he did know what he was doing, did she even really want to be here?

"Oh look!" the Doctor called, pointing ahead. Cheerilee followed his hoof to a small light floating around aimlessly - an Everfree Light.

Cherilee shook her head. "So... we found one. Now what?"

"We've found Light country, so now we go that direction until we get closer to the center of it! That way we'll find more!"

"Okay..." Cheerilee said, raising an eyebrow. The Doctor didn't notice the skeptical gesture, for he had seen two more Lights slightly to the left, so he went towards them. This process was repeated a few times until they were surrounded by over a hundred of the lazy magical lights.

The Doctor smirked. "Told you I knew what I was doing. Oh, how you doubted me."

"...Is this how you talk to Rose?"

"...Eh, more or less," he admitted. "Come along! It's time to investigate! Look for clues! Anything odd!"

Cheerilee pointed at some blue flowers. "These?"

"Poison joke, completely normal! Don't touch them, they're cursed."

Cheerilee pulled her hoof back before she made contact. "Good to know..."

"The flower's exceedingly common in these woods. Who knows, you might already be cursed! Wouldn't that be something!"

Cheerilee's eye twitched involuntarily. "Greaaaaaat..."

While the Doctor began inspecting trees, bushes, and a few crystalline structures Cheerilee let her eyes study the Everfree Lights themselves. The innocent blue sparks moved slowly, like carefree bits of pollen in no rush to get anywhere. She followed them through the forest.

"...Hey, Doctor? Where do the Everfree Lights go?"

The Doctor looked up from a dragonfly shaped rock. "Huh? They don't go anywhere, they just drift around until they run out of energy."

"Then why are they all going that direction?" Cheerilee pointed.

The Doctor followed her gaze. "Great Whickering Stallions, you're right, they are going that direction. Odd..." He started walking with them, Cheerilee following close behind. They walked for maybe two minutes before they saw it.

A huge clearing lined with red crystals that sucked the Everfree Lights out of the air. Within the clearing were a few dozen buildings, most of which looked quickly hobbled together. There was trash and debris everywhere giving the impression that the place was recovering from a destructive calamity. Ponies in official labcoats walked around, either emotionless or nervous. There were no smiles.

Atop the building in the center was a giant Equestrian flag.

"...Government base..." Cheerilee said, freezing in her tracks. "We shouldn't be here."

"Oh, most definitely not," he snickered, pulling a small metal rod out of his tie. He walked closer.

"What are you doing!?" Cheerilee hissed.

"Investigating?"

"A government base!?"

"What's it look like?" he said, showing no sign of hesitation.

"No! Stop! I won't be a part of this! I'm not a criminal!"

The Doctor blinked. "I thought you wanted to find Aloe?"

"Please," Cheerilee groaned. "What are the chances the government, Celestia's government, took her?"

"Pretty low, but they might know something."

"No, you're crazy, I'm crazy for coming with you! We aren't going to find her by walking aimlessly through the forest or by trespassing on government property!"

The Doctor frowned. "I'm still going in."

"Not with me you're not! I'm leaving!"

"You shouldn't be in the forest by yourself Cheeril-"

"Oh really? I didn't know!"

The Doctor sighed, putting away his screwdriver. "Fine. We'll go back and wait for Rose."

Cheerilee knew what went unspoken - he was going to come back himself later. She shook her head in disapproval. "You really are insane..."

"It comes with the territory," he shrugged, walking past her back the way they came. She followed in silence, stopping only when they finally returned to where the manticore had attacked.

Cheerilee fumed in silence. This Doctor... he just, he had less common sense than she and Lotus did! Go charge into a government base? Crazy! That was something that nopony would do. Especially not in Ponyville... Lotus could never know about the base, Cheerilee decided. She wouldn't be able to stop herself from going in, screaming for Aloe. There was no way that could go well. Cheerilee would have to say they found nothing.

Just as she solidified this thought, Roseluck appeared, alone.

Cheerilee panicked. "Where's...?"

"Back in town. Ran most the way back. I just took her out since we were close, came back here."

"Well, now take me back," Cheerilee insisted.

Roseluck looked at the Doctor. "...You found something."

"Yes," the Doctor began.

"No. We didn't," Cheerilee huffed. "Let's just go."

Roseluck shot the doctor a look. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. Cheerile turned away from him, scowling.

"Okay..." Roseluck said. "This way. Watch yourself, Doctor."

"I will!" he said, waving them off. The moment they were out of sight he galloped back to the government base and took out his sonic screwdriver. He was going to break in there and get some answers.

~~~

Granny Smith was sprucing up the kitchen, leaving no speck of dust behind in her cleaning onslaught. She had already taken care of all the animals and had plans to go out apple bucking after she did some of the lighter work. She hummed a ditty to herself, feeling rather pleased. Admittedly, the outer appearance wasn't perfectly honest. She was worried about Applejack like any grandparent would be, and Surprise was just rife with mysteries that had no answer.

Speaking of the white pegasus, she had just walked into the kitchen with a full bucket of apples. She set it at Granny's feet, acting like a cat that had just brought prey as an offering.

Granny laughed at this display, grabbed an apple, and took a bite. "Now what do you think you're doing missy?"

"Bucking apples," she said, smiling.

Granny laughed. "Ain't no pegasus that can buck apples, I know that for sure." Granny caught something in Surprise's eye. "What did Ah say?"

Surprise looked away and said nothing.

"Look, Ah'm sorry - oh, maybe you're confused. Y'see, bucking apples is about us usin' our earth pony magic to kick apples out of trees into very specific buckets. Just pickin' 'em doesn't count. Still, thanks for the help."

Surprise nodded slowly.

"Though, bring the next basket to the barn if you're gettin' another one, kitchen can't hold too many apples. Ha!"

Surprise blinked in confusion.

"Ah have an odd sense of humor sometimes, Surprise."

"Mhm," Surprise mumbled.

Granny let out a small laugh that awkwardly died. "Surprise... You're doin' chores."

Surprise nodded.

"...You're not plannin' on leavin', are you?"

"...No?" she said, unsure.

"Well, Ah won't kick you out, you can stay if you want, but Ah've learned that hidin' from your problems rarely pans out well. Why, one time I tried to hide from my folks in the Everfree forest! Almost got eaten by a manticore. Not the first - or the last - time Ah tried hidin' from things, but it sure is pretty memorable."

Surprise looked ashamed.

"Surprise, no manitcores here. You're safe. Just think you should consider facin' your problems, whatever they are."

"...How?"

"Depends on the kind of problem, frankly. If you ran away from somepony, you can go back and apologize. Or if someone's tryin' to mess with you, Ah could give them a talkin' t-"

Surprise grabbed Granny by the shoulders, eyes suddenly very intense. "No! Bad ponies. Dangerous ponies."

Granny blinked, shock evident on her face. "...Really that bad huh?"

Surprise nodded slowly.

"...Huntin' ya?"

"...Yes."

Granny sucked in a breath. "Great..." Some bad poines were after Surprise and they had the pegasus absolutely terrified. Which meant they were willing to do nasty things. And if Big Mac or Applejack were in the way... Not to mention her son and his wife when they came back from their trip...

She'd worry about that later. She couldn't just turn Surprise away, but she'd need to take a more active role.

"Alright, Ah'm goin' to help you solve this however Ah can."

Surprise smiled.

"Ah'm goin' to find those bad ponies and call in some... favors you might say. Ah could get this entire town rallied behind me if Ah wanted."

Surprise shook her head.

"...Why not?"

"They're here."

Granny frowned. "Now, Ah know everypony in town. None of them would be after you. They're not all the best, if you know what Ah mean, but they wouldn't hurt a sweet little mare like-"

Surprise extended a wing. A soft purple glow extended from it, and a magical aura surrounded a nearby apple. She levitated it into her grasp and stared blankly at Granny for several seconds.

Granny gawked at the magically moved apple. "...You're somethin' special, ain't'cha?"

Surprise nodded.

"You really did buck those apples... My Word..." Granny sat down in a chair. "Ah'm still gonna help you, you can trust me on that, Ah'm just... This makes things mighty complicated."

Surprise nodded.

"Can you tell me who they are?"

Sunset paused for a moment, looking out the window at the glow of the sun. She glanced around the room for a moment before shaking her head profusely.

Granny put a hoof to her chin, trying to think of a way out of this. She wasn't going to get who they were from Surprise - if the poor mare even really knew - and they may or may not be in town right this very now. She would have to be careful. Very careful, considering what Surprise's existence might mean. Only ponies she knew she could trust...

Granny looked at Surprise. "How good are ya' with those fancy powers of yours?"

Surprise thought for a moment, and then made an apple tree outside light on fire.

Granny Smith was impressed.

Big Macintosh, on the other hoof... He walked in the door and said, "WOOOOOOAH what in Tarnation!?"

Surprise panicked at the sudden loud noise, tossing him outside with a simple flap of her wings.

Granny facehooved. "Darnit. Surprise, stay here." She galloped outside to see Big Mac running away at high speed. "Big Macintosh you get your toosh back in here!"

"Ah'm sorry Granny, but Ah can't do that! She's crazy!" He ran for the gate, finding his path blocked by a Surprise that definitely hadn't been there a second ago. "AUGH!"

Surprise winced at the loud noise but continued blocking his path.

"Granny! She's tryin' to keep me here! See!?"

"Yes, Big Mac Ah see. She's scared."

"Ah'm pretty sure she just teleported! What in Equestria is she afraid of!?"

"There are bad ponies after her!"

"Ah can see why!" Big Mac moved further from Surprise. "Granny, Aloe's vanished."

"...What?"

"She vanished the night of the party, under mysterious circumstances, the night Surprise showed up.

Granny blinked. "She'd never hurt her."

"You sure? You sure she isn't involve-"

"Now listen here Big Macintosh, Ah promised her Ah'd help with this, with those bad ponies, and Ah'm not backin' up on that! Ah've seen nothing but a lovely, carin', scared mare who doesn't know what to do!"

Big Mac tried to keep his eyes even with Granny's, but he faltered. She continued on after he looked to the ground. "We are both going to help her and that's final."

"...But what about Aloe?"

"Ah'm sure the Mayor's Office is doi-"

"Sound ghost," Surprise said.

"...Say what now?" Big Mac asked.

"It took her."

"...Where?"

Surprise closed her eyes, spread her wings, and furrowed her brow. She made a whimpering noise and passed out.

Granny rushed to her unconscious form. "Poor thing's overtaxed herself... This ain't natural Big Mac."

"Sound ghost?" Big Mac said. "What's that? Some kind of legend?"

"There are many weird legends about ghosts, BIg Mac, perhaps you should keep a more open mind."

Big Mac bit his hoof. "So... Assuming she's tellin' us the truth..."

"She is."

"Right. Then some kind of ghost or something took Aloe."

"And when she tried to find out where, she passed out because of your question!"

Big Mac backed away from Granny. "Yeah... Right... Ah need to tell Lotus..."

"Don't mention Surprise, somepony in town is after her."

"...Her name's Surprise?"

"Yes it is. Now go," Granny sighed. "And be safe will ya? Ah'm starting to get a real bad feelin' about all this."

Big Mac gulped. "Ah feel you there... You be careful too."

Granny facehooved. "She's not dangerous!"

Big Mac nodded quickly and dashed away.

Granny shook her head. "What am Ah gonna do with that boy...?"

~~~

The sun was setting when Roseluck and Cheerilee finally got out of the Everfree Forest. "Lotus headed right for home soon as I got here," Roseluck said.

"Mhm," Cheerilee said, brushing a few sticks out of her mane. "...I'll be going then."

Roseluck shook her head at Cheerilee's distant demeanor. "Okay. I'm going back in. See you around...?"

Cheerilee didn't respond - she just walked into town. A few ponies shot her inquisitive looks - her normally frazzled mane was ruined, her body was bruised, and she looked nothing like her normal self to them. She didn't care - let them enjoy the new unusual look all they wanted. The holes they were boring into the back of her skull didn't matter - she just needed to get to Lotus, to tell her friend that she was fine.

She trotted up to the twins' house and knocked. Their parents answered - a pair of red and dark blue ponies.

"Oh," the red one - the father - said. "...Cheerilee."

"Please tell me Lotus is here," Cheerilee pleaded.

"...Yes, she's fine," the mother said, smiling sadly. "She just..."

"You took her into the forest right?" the father asked.

Cheerilee sighed. "Yes..."

"She step in any poison joke?"

"I don't think so...?" Cheerilee frowned. "It's possible... Why? What's wrong?"

Before either of them could respond, Lotus ran into the doorway. "Cheerilee! She's talking to me!"

"...Who?" Cheerilee asked.

Aloe, Cheerilee! Aloe!" Lotus dragged Cheerilee into the house, through the halls, and into the living room. Cheerilee had been in the room countless times before, and yet, she was still impressed each time. Lining the shelves were brooches, necklaces, and other bits of jewelry filled with naturally glowing magic gems that sparked all the colors of the rainbow. It was the mother's collection.

Lotus pushed Cheerilee's face close to a large topaz crystal. "She's talking through this!"

Cheerilee blinked. "...Lotus..."

"Just watch this! Hey! Aloe! You there!?"

Nothing happened. The crystal did nothing whatsoever. Cheerilee turned her focus to Lotus. "Lotus, I-"

"Did you see that?" Lotus interrupted.

Cheerilee shook her head. "Uh... no?" Something did flash out of the corner of my eye. "And even if I did, these gems flash all the-"

Cheerilee saw Lotus's look; one of barely restrained despondency. Cheerilee gulped. "But... You're her twin sister, I suppose you know best..."

The topaz crystal flashed twice- convincing Cheerilee that it was all just random magic fluctuations like she'd learned about in school. They happened all the time - not that anyone really knew why.

"Aloe..." Lotus said, staring into the gem. "What happened to you?"

Seeing Lotus fixated on the crystal, Cheerilee backed out, looking at the parents. "I don't know if this is poison joke or... not. She's not doing well... hasn't been doing well." She sighed. "How are you two doing?"

"Our daughter's missing, how do you think we're doing?" the father demanded.

"Dear!" the mother called out. "She's just being nice!"

"She dragged Lotus into the forest! This is probably her fault!"

"It... Might be," Cheerilee said. "I'm sorry. I'll go now."

"You best," the father said.

Cheerilee walked out of the house and sighed. Now Lotus had gone mad - and Cheerilee didn't know what caused it. Her? The forest? the attack? Rose? All of the above?

All she knew is that she was really glad Lotus didn't know about the Doctor and that government base... She wasn't in a good decision making position.

"Uh... Cheerilee? What're you doin' standin' outside Lotus' house?"

Cheerilee blinked, realizing Big Mac was standing in front of her. "Oh! Uh... I came in to check on her. She.. isn't doing so well."

"Well, Ah came here to tell her somethin'-"

"You probably shouldn't. She's barely keeping it together. She's positive she's talking to her sister through a magic crystal. I just..."

"...Well, A talkin' magic crystal does seem kinda odd, but..."

"But!?" Cheerilee snapped. "Oh my gosh you're actually wondering if it's true or not!"

"Well, it's not the weirdest thing that I've heard or seen lately, Cheerilee."

"Such as?"

"Well there's this pe- pony Granny knows that says... things sometimes with her weird magics. Said Aloe was taken by a sound ghost or somethin'. So Ah was goi-"

"You were going to tell her that!?"

"Uh, yeah? Wouldn't you?"

"She does not need to hear that right now! She's crazy, headstrong, and likely to follow any random idea religiously! She should not be told about Everfree lights, secret government bases, or sound ghosts! She's had enough!"

"...Secret government bases? What?"

"None of your business. You should go. Find someone else to share your crazy with."

Big Mac lowered his head. "...Okay..." He slowly slinked away.

Cheerilee bristled the moment he was out of her sight. Sound ghost. What even was that?

~~~

"Geist," Berry said.

Derpy took her gaze off the setting sun. "...Geist?"

Berry shrugged. "Yeah. Geist."

"A Gest isn't scarier than a shadow manticore," Golden huffed.

Berry raised an eyebrow. "...You don't even know what I'm talking about, do you?"

Golden said nothing.

Derpy looked deep into Berry's eyes. "What is it?"

Berry smirked. She pointed at the Everfree Forest. "A Geist is the lonely soul of a pony long dead, forced to wander the world, substanceless, for eternity. They cannot do anything - cannot even be seen! All they can do is watch... And they are always watching..."

Derpy shivered. "Even now?"

"Yes! There could be three here right now and we wouldn't know!"

Rarity huffed. "Don't be silly. Geists aren't real - just like all the other creatures you come up with."

"How would you know?" Berry asked. "If you can't see or feel them, how could you say they don't exist?"

"Because it's stupid. This whole thing is stupid. Why are we out this late anyway!?"

Golden glared. "We're going to see Applejack. You know, one of those uncultured farmer types who happens to be sick?"

Rarity rolled her eyes. "I'm sure she'll be fine..."

"But us going to see her will make her feel better faster!" Derpy said.

There were so many things Rarity wanted to say about that particular comment but she knew it was in her best interests to keep her mouth shut.

"Why are you turning red?" Derpy asked.

Rarity bit down on her lip - hard. Derpy's idiocy was infuriating. If she said one more thing...

"Hellooo? Raaaaaaaarity?"

Berry rushed in before Rarity could explode. "Leeeet's give Rarity some space okay Derpy? Think we can do that?"

"Okay!" Derpy said, smiling like the dork she was. The positivity only grated against Rarity further. She couldn't believe this was her life now - hanging out with Derpy. She found herself wondering, once again, if she should just face her parent's wrath instead of suffering through this...

Berry left Derpy next to Golden before turning back to Rarity. "You're welcome."

"It'd be better if you could get her completely away."

"You could go back home."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "You don't think the Doctor is watching us?"

Berry rolled her eyes. "He's not a Geist, Rarity."

"Oh please, don't bring that thing into this."

"I'll have you know that was based on a real thing I read about - poltergeist. Magic spirit that moves things around."

"That just makes it less original," Rarity snapped.

Berry blinked. "Wow, you are even more crabby than I thought you were."

"Can you blame me?"

"Well, yeah, it's pretty easy to do that."

Rarity grumbled. "Gee, thanks."

Berry smiled. "I knew I'd get a thank you out if I tried hard enough."

Rarity moaned. "What is my life?"

"Maybe you should try to look on the bright side! This'll get you... points with the others! Getting past your differences-"

"That behavior is only 'in' because Tree Hugger says it is..."

Berry sighed. "You are too fixated."

Rarity said nothing. She just looked ahead, following Golden with a simple trot.

Derp squeaked, pointing to the Everfree Forest. "I see a light!"

Golden blinked. "Well, whaddya know, there's somethin' there."

"I wanna go get it!" Derpy shouted, flying away in a dizzy path towards the distant blue speck.

Berry sighed. "I'll go get her..." She ran after the gray pegasus in the dim light of dusk.

Rarity shook her head. "That pegasus..."

"Is a much better pony than you."

Rarity twitched. "Golden, dear, care to repeat that?"

"You heard me."

"Oh no, you see, I couldn't have, since I could have sworn you said that idiot was better than me, and that's just absurd!"

"'S what I said though."

Rarity cocked her head and smiled. "care to explain how that is?" A few soft blue lights illuminated her face, giving it a more sinister look.

Golden raised an eyebrow. "You're a stuck up pig who doesn't like anything, treats even her friends like trash, and cares far too much for a 'popularity' that doesn't even exist!"

"Ah, psh, as if. You just don't understand class!"

"Maybe you don't understand class!" The light had started vibrating around them with increasing rapidity. "Pretty sure being fancy doesn't require bein' a jerk!"

Rarity laughed."Oh you are just a little ball of hate aren't you?"

Golden shook her head in disbelief. "How far in denial are you?"

Rarity sneered. "Golden, you see, it's you who are in denial. It's just that I'm better and you're jealous. So ha to-"

A sound rang through the dusk air. The two fillies froze, noticing the dozens of now perfectly still Everfree Lights surrounding them. The screaming, scratching, shredding, skittering, sucking sound forced the two of them to their knees and their ears to their heads.

Rarity looked at Golden - and saw something reflected in the filly's eyes. It was orange, casting an intense glow in the darkness. Spirals of energy wafted from the edges of its form - a form blurred by Golden's terrified tears.

Then Rarity saw the limb - it reached over her. It wasn't a hoof, hand, tentacle, or claw. It was a jagged, pointed shape reminiscent of lightning, shaking with every variation in the sound. Its four pointed tips were outstretched, the spirals of energy trailing back behind Rarity. Patterns of circles within circles appeared within the energies, the complexity completely beyond Rarity's understanding.

It grabbed Golden. The filly let out a painful scream the moment the vibrating limb touched her.

"Golden!?" Rarity heard Berry yell from somewhere nearby. "Golden!?"

Golden was pulled behind Rarity with one swift motion. The orange glow was gone in an instant. It was night, the brightest light coming from the dispersing Everfree Lights.

Berry and Derpy rushed in a second later. Berry looked around frantically. "Where's Golden? Where's golden? I saw something orange and... and... What happened-" she stopped short. "...Rarity? Are you crying?"

Rarity nodded slowly, the two streaks of fluid flowing down her face.

"Rarity...?" Berry put a concerned hoof on her friend's face. "What...?"

"Geist," Rarity said, eyes distant.

IV - Treasure in the Wind

The Doctor was a master of getting into places he really shouldn't be getting into. Usually, he was forced to use the sonic screwdriver to enter any given location, but in this instance that wasn't necessary. Clearings couldn't really be locked and what passed as 'security' was either busy cleaning up the rest of the mess or was the Everfree Forest itself. Secluded bases always got overconfident. They probably didn't even realize those red crystals of theirs were creating a trail of magic sparks right to them. Or maybe they did know and were just paranoid about something worse. The idea sent chills down the Doctor's spine and brought a smile to his lips - how exciting!

He made his way past the red crystals simply by walking. Nopony paid him any mind - they were watching for something other than him. Those few who noticed him looked confused for a moment, but when they saw his official looking tie and confident stride, they determined that he must belong there. The Doctor carefully positioned himself behind a building before anypony who was supposed to question newcomers noticed him. The structure he found himself behind had a single door and window. Looking inside he saw several desks covered in beakers and gem powder. Many of the concoctions sparkled with vibrant energies. The lab wasn't up to snuff in the safety department, but given the state of the base itself, he supposed he couldn't blame them.

The Doctor knew he needed information - but he didn't know which of the buildings would house the files. He knew he couldn't just peek into the windows of every building - that would be far too conspicuous. He needed a faster method...

He looked carefully at the ponies walking around - scientists, guards, mages, construction workers... But those weren't what he was looking for. He found what he needed in a small earth pony with huge glasses rushing out of a building with a pile of files in his saddlebags. The stallion's expression and demeanor told the Doctor he was haggard, overworked, and inexperienced; an errand-boy intern type. Perfect

"Excuse me!" the Doctor said, walking up to him in such a way that his form was kept out of the sight of most other ponies. "Where are the files?"

"Th- the what?"

"The files! I gave you them a few hours ago, where are they?"

"Uh... I'm sorry who are-?"

The Doctor reached into his collar with an exaggerated huff and pulled out a blank piece of paper. The intern didn't see the paper for what it was though - he saw an I.D.

"...T-terribly sorry sir, I... I don't remember being given them. I... I would have put the files in there, sir," he said, pointing.

Luckily the file building was only two structures away. The Doctor wouldn't have to be in the open for long to get there. He put his piece of 'blank' paper away, gave the intern a wink, and trotted briskly towards it, careful to keep up his confident authoritative stride. It was locked - but it was no match for his screwdriver. The door popped open with ease, revealing an inside that was a single large room filled with rows and rows of files. He shut the door behind him, locked it, and double checked to make sure he was alone.

After his secrecy was assured, he began to open files. He found financial records first - no help there. Curiously, some of them had been burnt and one page was stretched in an odd, distorted way, missing several chunks as if they had been torn out by some force. Like the leaves he had seen at Rarity's house.

The Doctor shook his head; they were involved in the disappearance of Aloe all right, or at least they had encountered what had taken her. He needed to find out what they knew.

He moved to another section, combing through dozens upon dozens of lab results. Most were relating to distilling magic itself down to a pure essence. There were many successful attempts at distilling the magical essence of a unicorn, alongside marginally less successful attempts on pegasi and earth pony essences. The Doctor was surprised to find that any of the latter had been successful at all. None of this told him what the tests were for - or how they could have played a hand in Aloe's disappearance. Pony magic wasn't that strong.

He found their files on the unusual magics of the Everfree Forest - the Lights, manticores, poison joke - they even had a file on the Tree of Harmony itself and a few other phenomena the Doctor hadn't even heard of. But none of it was what he was looking for - just a dead end.

He found another set of experiment logs - this time ones that used the distilled magics on various test subjects to see what would happen. The file was ripped out of his hoof before he could get any further into it.

He found himself face to face with a fiery unicorn, none other than Sunset Shimmer. She was livid. "What's all this?"

The Doctor smiled, producing the 'blank' paper once more. "I was under the impression you were told I was here, Miss Shimmer."

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Doctor Turner, S.M.I.L.E.? how interesting. If I didn't have a file on you already I probably would have fallen for this."

The Doctor blinked. "...Excuse me?"

She lifted the 'blank' paper into the air with her magic, scrutinizing it. "Not a trace of magic on it... Quite the device..."

"Are you-"

Sunset took a file out of a nearby top shelf. "Time Turner. Otherwise known as the Doctor. Male. Earth pony. Brown. Lives at 232 Blue Street in a small blue house. Occupation is assumed to be a sort of inventor, but no income has ever been successfully traced. Has been living in town for as long as anypony can remember, even the ancient residents. Has an uncanny understanding of science and magics, and is rumored to have a spacial distortion in place within his house. In a possible intimate relationship with one Miss Roseluck..."

The Doctor flushed despite himself.

"...I could go on. We know a lot about you - and what we don't know makes you very, very interesting." She glared deep into his eyes. "I don't know what you are, but I'm extremely excited to find out."

The Doctor blinked. "I am afraid that's not going to happen."

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because I'm about to do something really stupid." He grabbed a nearby shelf of files and threw it overtop of her. Overcome with surprise, Sunset was unable to stop it from toppling her over. The Doctor ran out the now-unlocked door and galloped towards the treeline.

"Stop him!" he heard Sunset roar. He stole a look behind him - already magic bolts were flying in his direction alongside more than a few sharp spears and arrows. They were certainly serious about stopping him. But luck was on his side - he had a head start and everypony was a terrible shot. He leaped into the Everfree forest, jumping over a patch of poison joke.

"Ha!" he shouted. "You should consider upgrading your security!"

"Oh, trust me," Sunset said, hitting him with a fire-bolt from the side. "We will."

The Doctor groaned. "Teleporting is overpowered."

"So's mysterious paper," Sunset retorted, letting a smirk come to her face. "Now, we're going to go back to base and I am going to personally get some answers."

"It was the aliens all along," the Doctor offered.

"Playing games won't get you far."

The Doctor stood up and shrugged. "You'd be surprised."

A dart shot out of the darkness, hitting Sunset in the neck. Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. "You little..." She passed out, hitting her head on a nearby rock.

"Ooooh..." the Doctor hissed. "That's going to hurt in the morning..."

Roseluck came out of her vantage point, putting the blowgun away. "...What were you thinking!?"

"Infiltrate a base and get information. We need to go, now." He grabbed her and bolted into the foliage.

"...She was somepony important wasn't she?"

"Sunset Shimmer."

"I just tranqued the Princess's Protege!?"

"Yes. Don't worry about it, she'll be fine later."

"She might have a concussion!"

"That base has a doctor."

"Not anymore!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Let's move - back to town."

Roseluck sighed. "Did you find anything?"

"They've encountered whatever it is that took Aloe - I'm fairly sure it did a number on them. But she found me before I could dig deeper. They were experimenting on pony magic essence. That's all I really found out."

"So all we know is that there is something else going on? Great."

"One step closer to finding her."

Roseluck chuckled despite herself. The two raced through the forest in the dead of night.

~~~

Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Surprise all sat at the front of Applejack's bed, watching the sick filly. She wasn't coughing as much anymore, but she still felt terrible.

Applejack opened one of her eyes. "...Ah can't get to sleep with y'all watchin' me like hawks."

Big Mac blinked. "But..."

"Out!" She tried to yell - but instead ended up breathing harshly and coughing. Still, the three ponies did as asked, shuffling out into the hallway.

Big Mac shot Surprise a look. "Can you do anything?"

"Big Macintosh!" Granny chided. "If she could have she would have!"

Surprise nodded in affirmation.

Big Mac bristled. "Fine. She could at least be helpful, maybe. Tell us more about this Sound Ghost. Tell us how to get Aloe back."

"Big Mac!"

Surprise drooped. "...Sorry."

Granny shook her head. "You don't need to be sorry, sweetie, you've been through a lot. We shouldn't ask you for anything."

"She's sure asking us for a lot Granny..."

"You have no right to talk about her like that Big Mac! Ah'd watch my tongue if Ah was you!"

Big Mac decided it was a good time to shut up. He still shot Surprise an accusing look whenever Granny wasn't looking at him.

Then there was a knock at the door - a panicked, rapid, relentless knock.

"Hide," Granny told Surprise. Surprise didn't even need to be told - she ran into Big Mac's room, hiding in the dresser.

Granny grabbed a fire poker from a nearby closet, ready to defend her home if need be. She and Big Mac walked to the front door and cautiously opened it.

Berry Punch and Derpy fell through. "You gotta help, Granny!" Berry shouted. "Something took Golden!"

Granny dropped the poker. "What was it?"

"It..." Berry shook her head. "Only Rarity actually saw it..."

Granny looked behind the two fillies to the small, white form sitting a fair distance back. Rarity was staring through Granny Smith at seemingly nothing, a haunted look in her eyes.

"Geist..." she muttered.

Granny walked out to her. "...Rarity, what did this Geist look like?"

"Orange. Bright. Swirly." She gulped. "I... Only saw the claw that... It was right behind me! I could see it in her eyes! It wasn't..." She started crying. "The noise..."

"There there... We're going to go look for her. Big Mac, get the cart and put on as many metal pots and pan as you can."

"Yes Granny," Big Mac said, rushing into the barn.

Derpy blinked. "What are you doing?"

"Ah'm gonna wake the entire town up for this. We need to act fast if we wanna catch this Geist. Not waitin' a day..."

Rarity was shocked out of her stupor at the loud crescendo of clanging noises coming from the barn. Big Mac rushed out, towing a cart adorned with dozens of metallic pots, pans, and spoons. Four lamps dangled from the cart, one along each edge, lighting up the nearby area.

"Hurry up and get on!" he shouted.

Berry and Derpy wasted no time following his orders. Granny had to nudge Rarity into the cart herself. "Hit it big Mac!"

Big Mac took off at a gallop through the night, purposefully running unsteadily so the noise would be louder. Granny started yelling. "GET YOUR REARS UP EVERYPONY! WE'VE GOT A MISSING FILLY! REMOVE YOUR POSTERIORS FROM YOUR COMFY BEDS AND GET OUT HERE! PONYVILLE, GET UP! WE AREN'T GOING TO LET THIS GO! WAKE UP! MOVE YOUR TOOTERS!"

She went on like this for several minutes - the entire journey. Rarity only heard parts of it - she was busy reeling in her own mind, her thoughts of the thing. The Geist. The vibrant orange hue was burned into her eyes - such a harsh contrast to the darkness surrounding. The circles and swirls tied together in patterns she could not forget - or had she? Was she remembering the patterns incorrectly? What if she was - why did it matter? Why did the thought of not remembering bother her? What was that shape in Golden's eyes - a tear through the wind... A claw reaching for her...

No, wait, it was Golden who was stolen, not her. why had she thought that? It probably had something to do with those circles. Those spiraling circles... Or were they just spirals?

Rarity put her hooves over her head, unsure of what to think - unsure of what happened to her.

The cart lurched to a stop, snapping her out of her daze momentarily. Rarity looked at the gathered crowd - they looked worried, and a few were angry. This was not surprising.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Mayor yelled.

"There's a missing kid - Golden Harvest!" Granny answered. "We need to move fast, while there's still time!"

The Mayor tried to hide his annoyed grimace. "Why do we need to do this now?"

Granny hefted Berry up. "Something took her, Feckless! These fillies saw it!"

Berry gulped at Granny's sudden prompt. "Uh... I didn't get a good look, but it was orange and bright. Rarity was closer to it..."

Granny nodded. "And poor Rarity has been traumatized by what she saw. So here's the deal - Big Mac, take Carrot, Cherry, and Bulk back to the road, search there right now."

"Yes, Granny! You heard her - Carrot, Cherry, Bulk, let's go!" He galloped off, the three ponies racing after him without hesitation.

"As for the rest o' you, Ah know you're tired, grumpy, and sick of this. Shut that part of you up. We need to work fast if we want to find this kid. We'll split up into groups, each going to a different area - the Town, the farms, the Everfree, the hills, the ridge, the Whitetail, everypony can do their part!"

"I'll lead the Everfree team!"

Granny looked down at the yellow earth pony below her. "Thank you... Er..."

"Bon Bon. Recently arrived from Canterlot. I'm the Mayor's new secretary."

"Good, you know what you're doing then." She looked out into the crowd. "Ah'll take the farms. Anypony else?"

A few hooves shot up and Granny selected the next leaders. She organized the entire able and awake town into the groups in a matter of minutes. "Remember, this thing - which we are calling a 'Geist' for now - is probably dangerous! Be careful! But above all, find that filly! Look for the orange glow! Now go!" The groups spread out. As Grany went to the farms, she turned to the three fillies still in the cart. "Y'all should just stay here and keep your heads down. We'll find her."

"Or it will find you..." Rarity said.

"Ah'd like it to try somethin'," Granny said, leaping off the cart. "All right! First, check the Harvest fields! Mac should already have the Apple ones. Anypony on this side of my hoof head to Pumpkin's..."

Berry looked at Derpy. "We have to do something!"

"What? Granny said stay here!"

"Crazy mare..." Rarity muttered.

"Okay, you need to snap out of it!" Berry said. "it can't have been that bad!"

"The spirals Berry! They were circles! Intricate!"

Berry took a step back, startled. "S-sorry."

"Sorry? What about the swirls?"

"Stop talking about round shapes!" Berry blurted in a terrified squeak.

Rarity twitched. "I... I... Uh..." She grabbed her head. "This is all wrong..."

"Yeah! A thing took Golden!" Derpy said.

"It didn't look right... Argh..."

Derpy frowned. "The Doctor knows things about circles. I've seen a lot in his house. We should look for him!"

"And why should we listen to you!?" Rarity demanded.

"Rarity!" Berry chided. "At least it's something! I didn't see him in the crowd. Where would he be, Derpy?"

"His house, maybe," Derpy said. "We should go look."

"Weren't you saying just a minute ago to stay here?" Rarity asked.

"Changed my mind. Come on!" She flew into the night. Berry leaped out behind her, following. With a pained groan, Rarity leaped out of the cart as well, thoughts of orange occupying her mind. To her, the journey to the Doctor's small blue house was almost instant.

Derpy knocked on the door - it was locked. She banged on it with her hooves. "Doctor? Rose? You there?"

No response.

"...They might have gone away..." Derpy said.

Rarity blinked. "Hrm?"

"They often leave for a while without saying. I dunno where they go."

Berry put a hoof to her forehead, groaning. "...Let's try something else."

"Do we know anyone good at finding?" Derpy asked.

"Granny's got that covered," Derpy said. "I think we need something more magical."

Derpy looked at Rarity, then at her horn. She shook her head.

"What?" Rarity said.

"Not magical enough, sorry. Do we know any other unicorns?"

"Vinyl," Berry offered.

"Can we go back to the part where I'm not magical enough?" Rarity blurted.

"Rarity you can barely lift a tub of ice cream and a spoon," Berry said. "We need more magic than that."

Rarity grit her teeth. "You know I can lift more than that - bah. Fine. Think Vinyl has enough?"

"Er... No... I think we need something more mystic..." Berry's eyes lit up. "Oh! I know! Wait..." She glanced at Rarity. "...Ooooooh you aren't going to like this."

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "...What is it?"

"Well, this pony I'm thinking of knows a lot about mystic herbs, spirits, the vibrations of the universe... She likes nature and tree-"

"No!" Rarity interjected. "Absolutely not! We do not ask her for help!"

"Rarity!" Derpy said. "We've got to try everything to find Golden and that Geist!"

"Yeah, we're going," Berry said. "You can stay behind and wallow for a while."

Rarity bristled. "Fine! Fine, do it your way! To the Tree Hugger! Betray me! Don't let me stop you!" She sat down on the Doctor's front porch and refused to budge.

Berry looked pained. "Rarity... I-" She shook her head and set her face. "You know what? Nevermind. Derpy, let's go!" The two of them ran off into the night.

Rarity sat, alone. She scratched her muzzle and squeezed her eyes shut. She shivered.

Orange.

She slapped herself in the face, trying to drive the orange away. It didn't work. "Fine!" she said, standing up. "I'm coming!" She galloped after them. Her call made Berry pause and turn around. When Berry saw Rarity coming a smile came to her face.

"You don't have to like her, you know."

Rarity grumbled. "I know. Just get going before I change my mind."

Berry took the time to give Rarity a friendly nudge before resuming her gallop to Tree Hugger's house, a small building that was only recently constructed. Berry slammed her hooves on the door. "Hello? Tree Hugger?"

The door slid open, revealing an interior dancing with shining laser lights. "Oh! Hi girls. Vinyl and I were just testing some new lights."

"No time for that - we've got an emergency!" Berry shouted. "Some... thing took Golden!"

Tree Hugger lost the serene attitude instantly. "Why aren't we out looking?"

"Rest of the town is already doing that. We need to try everything though."

Rarity sighed. "Let's just get to the point. You know a lot of mysterious mysticism mumbo jumbo. Can any of that help us?"

Tree Hugger frowned. "It depends... What happened to her?"

"Some orange thing tore through... something to grab her!"

Tree Hugger nodded profusely. "I have no idea what that is."

"Just great..." Rarity muttered.

"We're calling it the Geist!" Derpy offered. "It has spirals, apparently.

"Big help, Derpy," Rarity muttered.

Tree Hugger coughed. "I may have an idea on how to help. Though... Vinyl! Cut the light show, time for that seance-like thing I did last Tuesday!"

Vinyl cut the light show and raised an eyebrow at Tree Hugger.

"Dude, calm down, it's for a good cause. We won't bring the wrath of the spirits on us again."

Rarity blinked. "Wait. What did you do last time?"

"Ordered a taco," Tree Hugger said as she grabbed some purple glowing herbs off a shelf. "Not important, we're not channeling spirits anyway, making more of a mind-link."

Vinyl facehooved.

"Vinyl, it's totally okay. Just relax. it may sound more dangerous, but that's very unlikely. Unless, of course, this Geist comes after-" Tree Hugger stopped the thought before it completed. She drew a circle on the floor with blueberry juice.

"Uh..." Rarity shook her head. "I have many questions..."

"Asking questions leads to a stressed life," Tree Hugger said. "Just don't question it. I can feel your questioning vibes from over here, Rars." She shot Berry a look. "You too. You're worse."

Berry smirked. "I... Yeah."

"Derpy's got the right idea. Just be eager!"

Vinyl pointed at herself.

"...You're just used to this by now."

Vinyl shrugged.

"Not cool vibes, man..."

"Tree Hugger, can we focus?" Berry interrupted.

"Right, right..." She lit a cylinder of strawberry incense on fire, placing it in the center of the circle. She then drew a star out of mint jelly. "Okay, so... Fate smiles on us, we have the fire we need. Everypony find your center self and sit on one of the star's points."

"...What was that first part?" Rarity asked.

Tree Hugger sighed. "Just... Sit on a point and try to be okay with yourself."

"I am not okay!"

"Man, don't I know that."

Rarity wrinkled her nose. Tree Hugger doubting her? Oh, she'd show her... Rarity walked up to a point, sat down, and closed her eyes.

She saw the patterns of the spirals.

She managed to ignore them for the moment.

Tree Hugger nodded. "Good. The vibes are aligning. Vinyl, Rarity, light your horns but don't cast any spells. We just need to resonate with the surrounding magical aura to activate the circle..."

Rarity and Vinyl did as asked - and the circle lit up. Tree Hugger raised her hooves and changed. "Alla balla challa dalla ehlla falla galla... Pest a skrim Butes Harambe le Ponk!" She clasped her hooves together and the air went still. "Take us to the one who was taken by the beast!"

And then Rarity was somewhere else.

She opened her eyes. She was standing in a black expanse, the only other thing visible to her being Vinyl. the unicorn's face had no shadows, as if illuminated on all sides perfectly by a light that didn't exist. The ground beneath them was solid, but distant - as if she couldn't fully touch it.

Rarity took a step back. "...Was this supposed to happen?"

Vinyl shook her head at first - then decided a shrug was a better response.

"Great. Just great. This is what I get for dealing with Tree Hugger..."

Vinyl sighed.

"Oh, taking her side, are you? All of you, the-"

Suddenly there was a pink pony standing before them. Her eyes were wide and her jaw was hung open in shock.

"...Aloe?" Rarity asked.

"Y-yes. Are you here to take me home?"

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "Actually... We were looking for Golden. Have you seen her?"

"N-no..."

"...Do you know where you are?"

Aloe shook her head. "It's all so... Bright. I... Can see it all. So close... Yet so far... I... I don't know."

Vinyl put a hoof out to comfort her - but it passed right through Aloe's body. She shivered. "C-can you tell Lotus I'm okay for now?"

Vinyl nodded.

Rarity frowned. "...Did you see the swirls?"

Aloe nodded. "They... They are everywhere. I can see them now. I always see them."

"Can you see the Geist?"

"The... The what?"

"The thing that took you."

"...I lost it. I think." She glanced behind her at seemingly nothing. "Oh no..."

Rarity frowned. "What?"

The orange claw swirled into existence with its intense patterns dancing in front of their eyes. It moved for Aloe's tail-

-and then Rarity and VInyl were back in Tree Hugger's house. The two of them were awake - the other three were out cold.

Rarity shivered. "The... The swirls..."

Vinyl lit her horn and drew one of the swirls in the air, glowing with her blue magic. Rarity stared at it - she was sure the design was perfect, but it didn't feel the same. Not as... alive.

"Stop," she said. Vinyl obliged.

Tree Hugger groaned, opening an eye. "Did it work?"

"You got the wrong pony. We found Aloe," Rarity said.

"Aloe?" Berry said. "...Oh my Celestia the Geist took her last night!"

Derpy woke up suddenly. "AAAAAAH I SAW A GIANT EVIL UNICORN!"

"Just a dream," Tree Hugger said. "...Probably." She glanced at the clock. "We've been out three hours."

Vinyl tapped her hoof on the ground and fixed Tree Hugger with a look.

"Riiiiight, we should tell Lotus. Let's move it." Tree Hugger grabbed several jars of blueberries, mint jelly, and strawberry incense. "I have a feeling we're going to need a lot of this stuff."

"And me!" Rarity said. "Only Vinyl and I got to see it - you need me."

"Uh, yeah, dude, totally got that already. Come on, let's check her house."

~~~

The Whitetail Woods were a very different sort than that of the Everfree Forest - not only were they smaller and sparser, but they were also much more welcoming. Even under the cover of night they were still serene and filled with the calm life of the night. Owls hooted, a deer woke up and went back to sleep, and a family of badgers prowled around.

The serenity was disturbed by the constant movement of ponies - they held torches and lamps, calling out Golden's name and stomping through the forest in a sweeping pattern. They had been at it for hours - almost the entire forest had been covered by this point. They were essentially just sweeping back to where they had started.

Cheerilee and Lotus were near the front. They weren't even talking to each other - they were just searching. Cheerilee had tried to convince Lotus to go back home but the earth pony would have none of it. She still thought Aloe had spoken to her through the crystal - and she still thought she was supposed to do something.

Cheerilee called for Golden and thought back to Big Mac - he'd mentioned a sound ghost. Now apparently it was actually real and had a name - the Geist. Granny Smith was convinced there really was something out there. Cheerilee shook her head - when she'd wanted excitement, she hadn't wanted friends and children to be stolen away...

She couldn't help but feel she asked for this.

"Golden!" Lotus yelled. "Golden! ...Aloe!"

Cheerliee sighed. This wasn't good for Lotus. She needed to be sleeping, to be thinking clearly; not charging out into the woods again...

"That's it!" their leader - Sparkler - yelled. "We've searched the entire woods. Report back to Granny Smith!" Her squad of twenty-some ponies followed her lead out of the woods and towards the more rural parts of Ponyville. There were murmurs, concerned glances, and many guilty and pitying expressions directed towards Lotus.

Lotus bristled. "They have no idea..."

"Hey, Lotus, calm down," Cheerilee said.

"Why wasn't there a search party for Aloe huh? She's been gone a full day - and we're looking for some kid instead of her! what makes Golden better than her?"

Cheerilee gulped. "Nothing, Lotus-"

"Then what is the deal!?"

"...I think this just had Granny behind it-"

"Oh, it did..." Lotus scowled, falling silent. The two stayed close behind Sparkler, soon meeting up with the group combing the farms. Sparkler headed straight for Granny while most of the rest of the group formed out to match Granny's formation.

"Nothing in the woods," Sparkler said.

"Any Geist sighting?" Granny asked.

"No. We searched the whole Whitetail Woods, it's not as big as it looks. We called her name the whole time."

"Golden, Golden, Golden..." Lotus muttered.

Granny looked up at her. "Lotus? You shouldn't be-"

"Everypony always telling me I shouldn't be somewhere! Why can't I do what I want!?"

"You ain't thinkin' straight!"

"I can think just fine!"

"Lotus..." Cheerilee put a cautionary hoof on her friend.

Lotus shrugged the hoof off. "Tell me, where's Aloe's search?"

"Listen here Lotus..." Granny started.

"Oh believe me, I am."

"You didn't see your sister carted off by some monster. You didn't see anything at all. She was just missing. Ah have a scared filly, two mysterious disappearances, and more than a few things that suggest somethin' strange is goin' down! nopony had that yesterday! so shut your darn yapper and maybe help us find this kid - and who knows, maybe we'll find Aloe too!"

Lotus shook in fury. She ran off into the night.

"Sorry!" Cheerilee shouted, running after her friend.

"Do what you need to do..." Granny sighed as she watched the two mares gallop off into the night, back to Ponyville. She shook her head. This was why she hated these things. Not only did a pony vanish, but it was starting to tear everypony apart. She would not stand for this, but it was looking more and more like a search party wasn't going to help. Whatever this Geist was, it knew how to stay out of sight.

"Big Macintosh!" she called out.

Big Mac ran to her. "Yes?"

"Get yourself back home to Applejack. Ah'll stay here and search but Ah don't think we're gonna find nothin'."

"Not even a sighting of this thing..." Big Mac said. "What, does it just take one pony a night?"

"Maybe. We'll figure it out. Check in on our Surprise, see if that's got something."

Big Mac blinked, processing what Granny was saying. He galloped off.

Granny peered into the night and shook her head again. This kind of thing happened to Ponyville every decade or so. Whenever things got this stressed, they'd only get worse before they got better.

Her experience was not always a comfort.

~~~

Big Mac walked back home with his head hung low - he didn't know what to do. So much had happened in just a day. He'd had a wonderful party time with Lotus, then Aloe vanished. Then Surprise showed up, then Applejack got sick, and then Golden vanished. Carrot was an absolute mess - he had torn apart the Harvest farm with zeal and tears in his eyes.

Big Mac found himself looking or orange glows among the apple trees and the barn, even though they had looked here already. there was still no sign of the Geist or Golden. None at all.

At least he could get back to Applejack and make sure she was okay - even though Surprise had turned out to definitely be right, he still wasn't sure he trusted her. She was too much of an unknown - and he didn't like unknowns. He looked at their house, smiling. A light was on in Applejack's bedroom - she probably couldn't sleep with all the excitement.

Wait...

That was a very orange light.

Big Mac's brain switched into panic mode - he shot towards his house as fast as his hooves would carry him. He heard noises that were somehow both metallic and rubbery at the same time coming from the room. He heard a scream - Applejack. It was hoarse and sick, but still very terrified.

Then he heard a yell - a voice he didn't recognize at first. The window was blown out, the orange form of the Geist shoved into the open night air. It was bright and had many limbs; all at sharp, impossible angles. But something about it kept Big Mac from seeing much else. It just... wasn't all there, and parts of it vanished and re-appeared like their own existence was indefinite to them.

Surprise flew out of the window and yelled again, both her front hooves alit with fire. She hit the Geist - passing right through it, but also moving it into the air with a flap of her wing. Big Mac saw her wing alight with purple-pink energy and create a shockwave that forced the Geist's ever-shifting form even higher into the sky. It directed a single limb at Surprise...

...And it fell into nothingness, gone without a trace.

Big Mac shouted. "Applejack!?"

"She's fine," Surprise said, her voice losing the conviction she'd been screaming moments before. "Out. In bed." She flew in a loopdeloop, back into the room through the blown out window. Big Mac ran through the house, down the hall, and into his sister's room. She was out cold- the experience had been too much for her. Surprise was cradling her in her wings, looking down with concern.

"You... You..."

"I needed to protect her. And..." Surprise frowned.

"You did! You defeated it!"

Surprise shook her head.

"What? It's gone! I saw you-"

"It left," Surprise said. "It's still out there."

Big Mac sat down, guiltily looking at Applejack. "It... It's still out there?"

"Yes. Powerful."

Big Mac put a hoof to his head. "This... This is all a bit much. She's okay! But two ponies are gone! Did.. Did it go wherever it took them?"

"...Probably."

"Where is that?"

Surprise shook her head sadly.

Big Mac opened his mouth to push, but his eyes fell on Applejack sleeping in Surprise's wings. she was sick, cold, and her face was fearful. Big Mac drooped.

"Ah... Ah'm sorry Surprise. You did good, you've always been doin' good. That was some fancy flying out there."

"It was always my dream. Flying. The breeze... The clouds... The wind... it was my childhood... Nothing..."

Big Mac blinked in confusion. "Uh...?"

Surprise just smiled and said nothing.

"Y'know... If you like flyin', you should do it more. I can watch Applejack for now. Go out and do some flyin'. Nopony's watchin' now."

Surprise blinked, then set Applejack down. She gave Big Mac a soft smile - and took off into the sky. He saw her do impressive tricks akin to those he'd see the Wonerbolts do at that show he went to once. He smiled - she was good.

But he knew whatever dreams she might have had were no more now. She was just too different for them to pan out. There was too much going on around her.

V - Unconventional Means

The base deep within the Everfree Forest had gone dark - no lights, no movement, no active crystals. Nothing but pure darkness in a forest of magical shadows. The ponies had risked their own precarious safety for the sake of remaining hidden. They could see the search party in the distance - the lights of many concerned ponies searching through the forest. Any of the fearsome creatures of the Everfree fled from the sheer volume of ponies trudging through the trees. Even the most terrible of manticores wouldn't take those odds. There was going to be an outbreak of poison joke the next morning, in both ponies and manticores. The plants did not discriminate.

The search party moved to and fro, north, south, east, and west - but despite their thorough searches, they completely missed the clearing and a few other key locations. Sunset herself wasn't at the dark base - she was elsewhere in the Forest, in a location where the light was intense despite the night. Harmonious energies abounded, whipping her mane back and forth. A powerful, stationary object reflected in her eyes, the orange glow complimenting her color scheme.

The swirls danced...

A pegasus scientist landed behind her. "Miss Shimmer?"

"Yes?" She asked, not removing her gaze from the glow.

"The search party is looping back to Ponyville. We remained undetected."

"Resume normal operations in an hour. The Doctor?"

"We think he escaped back to Ponyville already. We are watching closely though."

"Darnit," Sunset muttered. "He knows too much..."

"He doesn't know about this place."

"We don't know what he saw. He might. which is a chance we can't take. He doesn't understand."

"Of course."

"Send word to our agent. She is to find the Doctor and tail him everywhere, but not to arrest him. Find out what he knows and what he's up to, and only order capture when the opportunity is right."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sunset continued staring intently at the swirls of orange. Her lips remained straight and she didn't blink.

The patterns beckoned to her.

She refused the call. Now was not the time.

~~~

"Lotus!" Cheerilee called out, galloping through the streets of Ponyville after her distressed friend. The blue mare wasn't hearing any of it rationally - she continued bucking up dust for Cheerilee to inhale. The particles got stuck in her already ruined mane and made her cough but Cheerilee wouldn't be deterred that easily. She pressed on. "Lotus!"

Lotus let out an exasperated grunt, running the rest of the way to her house. The lights were off - but five ponies were waiting in front of the door, talking amongst each other.

"Hey! There she is!" Derpy said, pointing at Lotus. "Hi!"

Lotus paid them no mind whatsoever. She charged through them, bolted through the front door, and ran for the magic gems.

"Uh..." Berry said, raising a confused hoof.

"She's had a rough time, be nice to her," Tree Hugger said.

"She hadn't said anything," Rarity muttered.

"It was the vibes."

"You and your vibe-"

Cheerilee interrupted the spat before it truly began. "Why are you even here?"

"Rituals," Tree Hugger said, patting Vinyl on the side while jiggling the jars of jelly, juice, and the incense with a quick motion.

"I made contact with Aloe-" Rarity began.

"You and Vinyl," Derpy corrected. Vinyl nodded in agreement. "Since you forgot."

Rarity twitched. "...We made contact with Aloe. She's alive, and the Geist thing took her. We were going to talk with Lotus about-"

"No! absolutely not! Do you see how much this is damaging her!?" Cheerilee shrieked.

"Dude, Cheerilee," Tree Hugger said. "Take a chill. She's going through a rough time and we're trying to help her find her sister. I'm no expert on her, but just my basic vibe-sense tells me she'll be fine once you find her sister."

Cheerilee wanted to object - pretty strongly - but she knew she couldn't. She looked at Vinyl. "...You sure about this?"

Vinyl nodded in affirmation.

Cheerilee shook her head. "She's... She's almost broken completely. I mean, will this really help?"

"She can tell us what Aloe's words mean and perhaps provide other answers or questions or stuff," Tree Hugger said. "We're going to make contact again."

Cheerilee resigned herself, nodding slowly. She wouldn't have even considered this yesterday - would have dismissed it as completely crazy and made up. But given the events of tonight... Maybe.

Lotus ran out, magic crystal in hoof. It was blinking like mad. "What does this mean!?"

"It means we need to get to work," Rarity said.

"...it actually does. Nice, Rars," Tree Hugger said.

Rarity bristled. "Just start making the circle."

Cheerilee raised a hoof the moment Tree Hugger started making the star out of mint jelly. "Okay - what is this?"

"Communication circle," Tree Hugger said. "We can connect our mind waves to Aloe's. And a good way to solidify that-" She grabbed the blinking gem from Lotus. "-is to use an object close to her."

Cheerilee blinked as Tree Hugger alongside the incense. "Wait, that is Aloe talking!?"

"I haven't the faintest idea. But it'll give us a connection, seeing as this is one of her things. I think."

"You think?" Rarity inquired. "Can't you be sure?"

Tree Hugger shrugged. "It worked before without the gem, though only you unicorns could see anything for whatever reason."

Lotus shook her head. "...We're contacting my sister and I won't be able to see her?"

"Probably not," Tree Hugger admitted, "unless the gem does more than I'm thinking it will. "

Lotus twitched.

"If you're part of the circle though, your energies will be closer and you might see something. Derpy, Berry, how about you sit this out so these two can get closer."

Berry nodded, stepping back with Derpy.

"Let us convene. Everypony on a point... Enter a state of serenity..."

Cheerilee sat on one of the star's points - the jelly was still wet. She could feel the blueberry juice next to it staining her coat, a feeling that made her shiver. She worked through it despite this, emptying her mind.

Tree Hugger began to chant. "Alla balla challa dalla ehlla falla galla... Pest a skrim Butes Harambe le Ponk!"

What in Equestria did that mean? It sounded like gibberish. Cheerilee was becoming less and less sure about this.

Tree Hugger clapped her hooves. "Take us to the one who was taken by the beast!"

The next thing Cheerilee knew, she was waking up. The sun was streaking in through the window. The mystic circle had dried completely into the floor and the incense had burnt out. Lotus' parents were standing in the doorway with livid expressions on thier faces.

Cheerilee gulped. "Uh... Hi..."

"GET OUT!" the father roared, grabbing Cheerilee by her mane and tossing her outside where Berry and Derpy were nervously waiting. A gash opened up on Cheerilee's cheek, causing her to scream out.

"Dear!" the mother chided.

"They still need to get out!"

Tree Hugger shook her head. "No worries... We'll just leave. Our vibes are clearly messing up the place..." She walked out, a shaken Vinyl and Rarity coming out behind her.

"Wait!" Lotus yelled. "What did you see?"

Rarity opened her mouth but was shut down by the father. "No! We're done! All of you, scram and leave my daughter alone!" The front door slammed in their faces. They could all hear Lotus screaming at her parents, but she never came charging out the front door.

"...That was a great idea," Rarity remarked.

"That depends," Tree Hugger said. "Did you learn anything new?"

Vinyl nodded slowly and Rarity shivered. "She... Wasn't as active this time. She looked tired, worn out. She said she was there with us, watching everything, triggering the crystal flashes - but that it was getting harder."

Cheerilee gawked. "So, what, is she a ghost!?"

"Wrong ritual for that," Tree Hugger said. "...I think so anyway. Never actually contacted a ghost."

Vinyl raised an eyebrow.

"The taco incident was not what it seemed."

"Doesn't matter," Rarity said. "I asked her if she felt alive, she said yes. Though less than usual."

Cheerilee frowned. "So... She's not a ghost, but she was there with us and her life is slowly draining...? Why am I listening to you?"

"Because rampaging Geist," Berry said. "Nopony has been found with conventional means, so we've got to think... outside the box."

Cheerilee took in a deep breath - was she really doing this? Was she going along with the crazy? Why was she even resisting? Not only were two ponies missing but she herself had wanted more excitement in her life only a few days ago.

"Fine. I'm in. So, how is she not a ghost and yet we can't see her?"

Rarity's eyes widened. "Oh... The Geist seemed to come out of nowhere. Right behind me by tearing through something with its swirls..." She shivered.

Tree Hugger put her hooves together. "So... Maybe what we have here is a thing that hides in plain sight!"

Berry paled. "...I seriously nailed the description of this thing by complete accident. Is it also a lost pony soul?"

"Huh?" Cheerilee said. "What is she talking about?"

"Shortly before we were attacked I told a made-up-on-the-spot-story about a geist creature you could never see but was always watching..."

"How do we save somepony if we can't see them?"

"Magic," Rarity said, pointing at her horn. "Vinyl and I got this." Vinyl smiled sheepishly.

Cheerilee sighed. "If only there were more unicorns in town..."

"I think we need to gather more information," Berry said. "Since Golden was taken the same way as Aloe, we should probably try to contact her now. Maybe go to where she was taken?"

"Let's check Rarity's house first," Cheerilee said. "Maybe we can use your... magic ritual weirdness to find something."

Derpy clapped her hooves together. "This is just like one of the Doctor's adventures!"

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "I seriously doubt that. This kind of thing doesn't happen around here."

~~~

"You know Rose, I think my adventures may follow me around," the Doctor mused.

Roseluck rolled her eyes from her perch in a tree at the edge of the Everfree. "There's nothing to suggest this is your fault."

"Oh, I don't think it's causally related, but you have to admit, this is rather similar, don't you think?"

Roseluck shrugged. "You are right there. Mysterious assailant that defies explanation, secret government base, and a confused general population. That about sums up most of our escapades."

"The only difference is it happening here - this town hasn't shown any signs of being a place for this until now."

Roseluck raised an eyebrow. "We're right next to the Everfree Forest, you know, the thing that surrounds the Tree of Harmony? Of course it'll attract attention."

"I just didn't think now was the time," the Doctor said, pursing his lips. "See anything?"

"That agent of theirs must be really good. I don't see anypony acting like they're supposed to be tailing us, or even looking for us."

"Two options. One: they suck at tailing and we're just paranoid. Two: They're scarily good at tailing and we need to take every precaution."

Roseluck gulped. "I vote for precautions. What's the plan?"

"To effectively lose a tail of this hypothetical caliber you need to lead them on a wild goose chase, let them think you've let your guard down, and then..." He looked around, frowning. "Actually, just follow me. For all we know it's a unicorn with bat-hearing."

Roseluck nodded. "Okay. Good point. Lead the way."

"Remember, we don't want to interact that much with the ponies of Ponyville. We have to sneak around them as well."

Roseluck pulled a bandana out of her saddlebags and tied it around her face. She also threw a cloth over her cutie mark and messed up her mane. "Got it."

The Doctor chuckled and feigned fear at Roseluck's appearance. "The horror! The horror!"

"Funny," Roseluck muttered. "You should disguise yourself as well."

"Where we're going we don't need disguises."

Roseluck facehooved. The Doctor grinned. "Follow my lead." He put on a confident expression and walked out of the Everfree Forest, walking like any normal pony would, except carefully arranging his path to be behind bushes, trees, and sheds as often as possible. Roseluck acted more like a ninja - visible only for the slightest of moments between objects of cover. They slowly made their way back to town - taking the long path, avoiding pony traffic. They set down behind an abandoned house, looking around with paranoid expressions.

"Where to?" Roseluck whispered.

The Doctor pointed at a nearby cart of vegetables being carried through town by a large mare. He pulled Roseluck out the moment it passed, and they walked in its shadow for some time before ducking into the shadow of another house.

Roseluck looked at the Doctor, a questioning expression on her face. He shook his head, leading her around the building. he leaped into a bush, uprooted it, and slowly started inching across a think alleyway. Roseluck simply leaped across it in an instant. They made their way to the back of a large building further into town. The back door was locked - but that didn't mean anything to the Doctor. He unlocked it with the screwdriver, letting Roseluck in. The building was bare of design and filled with dozens of unopened moving boxes.

"Why here?" Roseluck asked.

"This is just where we let the tail think we're confident. We're actually headed to-" He froze mid-sentence. A blue rectangular prism was sitting on top of a box in the middle of the room. He picked it up - and grinned.

"What is that?"

"A message. Change of plans, we're heading home."

Roseluck frowned. "...Interesting."

"So... we can use the cart again. Come on." He trotted up the stairs, opened a window, and leaped into the dumpsters below. Roseluck followed without question. They laid in wait - until the vegetable cart mare passed by with a second cart. They moved in time with it once more, stopping only when the cart made an unexpected turn. They jumped into a nearby bush - from which they could see the Doctor's house. They were about to make a move when they noticed movement on the other side of the street, at Rarity's house.

Six ponies - Vinyl, Cheerilee, Tree Hugger, Rarity, Berry, and Derpy - walked out, looking dejected, like they had just failed at something. The Doctor furrowed his brow. On one hoof it looked like Derpy was successfully indoctrinated into the group. On the other, they must have been doing investigations of their own and were finding nothing. He sighed - the bystanders were always hurt the most.

Roseluck put a comforting hoof on his back - a reminder that they always tried their best to help ponies. The Doctor nodded. They laid in wait until the six girls were out of sight - then they rushed to the Doctor's house. The Doctor unlocked the door with his key and they were inside in less than a second.

The Doctor set the blue prism on a nearby shelf, smirking. There was an identical one right next to it.

"Okay," Roseluck said. "What was the big plan?"

The Doctor put his hoof on a nearby lever, grinning. "Let me just say that I am a genius. Time to break the rules." he pulled down the lever.

Roseluck's eyes widened - then she smirked as well. "That will throw them..."

"We could just be annoyingly paranoid," the Doctor said, grabbing the other blue prism and sticking it into his collar. "But it never hurts to be too careful!"

He pressed a few buttons, and a strange stretching, grinding noise could be heard...

~~~

Rarity looked up at the sun - it was afternoon already! Time passed quickly when you spent hours at a time in a dream-state stupor...

The six of them were currently headed for the place Golden had been taken - there were no stories or much conversation this time around, just six grim faces. The ritual at Rarity's house had been a failure - Rarity and Vinyl had sat, waiting for something to come to them in the black expanse - but nothing ever did. All they had found, in the end, was a dead patch of grass and an unusually warped tree limb. None of them wanted to contemplate what that might mean.

Rarity may not have liked Golden - or, heck, anypony all that much - but she was still a pony in danger. Rarity just couldn't be fine with that, no matter how hard she tried. So she allowed herself to travel with Tree Hugger and Derpy, the two mares she liked least in the world. Infuriating idiot and inexplicably popular.

...Maybe. Berry had a point - maybe Tree Hugger really wasn't trying to be popular. The escapades of last night definitely supported that. For whatever reason, this only made Rarity angrier - how dare Tree Hugger get what Rarity wanted so much without even trying?

Rarity shoved that thought away - there were other things to worry about. The circles, the spirals, the Geist... And then there was Cheerilee, who had just gone along with all this. Cheerilee had a reputation for being the ordinary, thoughtful, down to earth pony who did far too well in school. For all her dreams and wishing for greatness, Cheerilee was just a plain mare despite the outrageous manestyle. Rarity had never really attempted to understand Cheerilee before today - she wasn't really her target audience - but still...

"Hey, Cheerilee, what weird stuff did you see? What got you to this point?" Rarity asked out of nowhere.

Cheerilee blinked. "Uh... Well there was the blinking gem, the disappearances..."

Tree Hugger frowned. "...There's something else, isn't there Cheerilee?"

"Oh..." Cheerilee smacked her lips."Uh... Okay. We went to the Everfree forest. There were... Things there."

"What kind of things?" Rarity pushed.

Cheerilee looked down. "Nothing helpful..."

Vinyl gave her an accusatory glance.

"Really! we can't do anything with it!"

"What is it?" Rarity deadpanned.

"...There's some secret government base in the Everfree that was attracting the Everfree Lights. The Doctor wanted to break in. I just left."

Berry twitched. "That's information we could have used hours ago!"

"What are you going to do? Break in?"

"Maaaaaaybe...." Tree Hugger mused, scratching her chin.

"Nah, the Doctor totally has it," Derpy said. "He's used to breaking in and out of places. We can just talk to him when he gets back."

Rarity stared at Derpy. "...What kind of pony is the Doctor?"

"Clever!"

Cheerilee blinked. "Okay, fine, we'll talk to him about it when we see him. Let's not go into the Forest to break into a government installation."

Berry thought about this for a moment and eventually nodded in agreement. "Fine. We're still going to contact Golden though. Rarity?"

"Over here," Rarity said, pointing off the edge of the path to a patch of dead grass. "It happened here."

Cheerilee frowned. "Just like at your house... Dead grass..."

"That just confirms it was the Geist," Berry said, contemplating. "There's no flat ground. Tree Hugger, how are we going to make the circle?"

Tree Hugger frowned. "Man, I'm not sure. Maybe we could, like, mow this grass down?"

"Okay!" Derpy shouted, leaning down and taking a voracious bite of the greens.

Rarity recoiled. "Derpy! We do not eat grass off the ground!"

"You have a better idea?" Berry asked.

Rarity frowned, glancing to Cheerilee. The teen wasn't any help. Rarity sighed. "I'm not stooping that low."

"C'mon Rarity! It tastes pretty good!" Derpy said through a mouthful of grass.

Rarity facehooved. "I'll be averting my eyes thank you."

Cheerilee hesitated only a moment before digging in herself, everypony else eating without so much as a question. soon they had razed a roughly circular area.

"...That was surprisingly delicious," Cherilee observed.

"It's fresh grass eaten the way nature intended," Tree Hugger said. "You all should totally try some more often."

Rarity gagged. "You mean to tell me that you do this regularly?"

"Only when ponies aren't looking since it's considered a bit 'off'."

"So you are playing the game!"

Tree Hugger blinked. "What?"

Rarity sighed. "Just hurry up and make the circle already."

"Sure thing!" Tree Hugger spread the ingredients, lit the incense, and sat at a point. Berry, you can stand guard today."

Berry nodded. Tree Hugger, Vinyl, Cheerilee, Derpy, and rarity took their places in the circle. Tree Hugger performed the chant once again and clasped her hooves together.

Rarity and Vinyl were in the darkness again.

Rarity cleared her throat. "Golden! You better be in here you little-"

"Hi Rarity."

Vinyl and Rarity turned around to see the familiar - and yet not - form of Golden Harvest. From an initial glance, it was impossible to tell what was wrong with her. But Rarity knew something was off from the start. Golden's eyes were unblinking, face straight. Her posture was far too perfect, her mane arranged in a comically perfect proportion. The ears on her head weren't swiveling to pick up sound - they stayed straight up, alarmed, contrasting with her stoic face. Had Aloe been like this? No - Aloe'd had expressions. But Rarity didn't think her ears had moved either...

Rarity approached Golden, looking into her eyes. She soon saw the real difference - the swirl patterns deep within her irises. "Circles..."

Vinyl pulled Rarity back, shaking her head.

"But-" Rarity began.

"She's right," Golden said, her voice undeniably her own, but it was spoken too slowly, each word eerily drawn out to the syllable. "They're bad. You should run from them."

Rarity blinked. "W-what?"

"I went towards them instead of fleeing. Look where that got me."

Rarity moved forward again. "Where did it get you?"

"It got me."

"What does that mean Golden?"

Golden dissolved before their eyes, decaying into a mess of the cyclical pattern. Her yellowish body began to glow, shifting to a deep orange. Other circles shot from Golden at all angles, encasing her in a... shape. Then the sound met their ears, shaking their minds with its impossible contradictions. With the tearing clanking squishing, the Geist fully coalesced before them, standing tall amongst the pure blackness.

Vinyl's jaw dropped; Rarity could only see the patterns wafting off the impossible body. It grabbed both of them in a separate claw. The two of them felt the neon lines tear into their flesh, anchoring into their minds...

Vinyl and Rarity woke up with a scream. The others remained asleep.

"That's not supposed to happen," Berry said, running over to them. Big Mac was with her, a concerned and confused look on his face.

Rarity breathed heavily and rapidly. "It... It grabbed us! I felt them..."

"What?" Berry asked.

"The Geist. It wasn't happy to see us..."

Vinyl began to panic, scampering around crazily, trying to communicate something.

Big Mac reared up. "Woah! Calm down! What is-" Everypony froze. Despite it still being afternoon, they saw Everfree Lights forming around them. The punishing laser of the sun dulled their luminosity but there were more than enough for the lights to draw attention.

"Move!" Big Mac yelled, picking up the sleeping Cheerilee and running for the Apple Farm.

Berry picked up Derpy and Vinyl picked up Tree Hugger. Rarity just booked it, running after big Mac, face strained. She felt something tug at her - welcoming, inviting. The warm embrace of orange...

Her run slowed. Berry and Vinyl passed her within a few seconds. Rarity found herself pausing, turning back to the Lights. They were getting extremely agitated, approaching terminal instability. She found herself anticipating what was to follow...

Vinyl grabbed Rarity with her magic. She protested - but there was no way to escape the mare's strong telekinesis. She was torn away. With sadness in her heart, Rarity witnessed the Lights dissipate - waiting for another opportunity. Tears started to fall from her face.

She had no idea why she was crying.

~~~

"Ah couldn't find either of them Surprise..." Granny sighed.

"Sometimes all you can do is try."

Granny rocked faster in her chair. "Ah'm not the type to give up, y'know."

Surprise nodded. "Neither am I. I... They need to pay for what they did."

Granny frowned, concerned. "Y'know, Ah'm all for that, but revenge is a dangerous path wrought with all sorts of pain and suffering."

"I know. But I can't be free with them out there..." She glared out a window. "...So they have to pay anyway..."

"You think you can tell me who they are now?"

Surprise looked at the sun - and then at a plate with the mark of Celestia on a nearby shelf. "I... I... They uh..." She shook her head. "...S-Sorry."

"Hey... Hey... We aren't in a rush."

"But we are. They're looking for me. I... Just..." She looked at Granny, pained. "You won't like what I have to say."

Granny shook her head. "Ah already know it's somepony Ah know - cause Ah know everypony here - it just hurts to not know who, y'know? Ah thought better of most of 'em... Someponies are going to be a horrific dissapointment.."

Surprise gulped, fidgeting with her wings. "It's... uh... It's..."

There came a pounding knock at the door. Surprise leaped into the air and ran into a cupboard, closing it behind her. Granny sighed - she had been so close to getting Surprise to open up. What an inopportune visitor. She opened the door. "Yes?"

The Doctor and Roseluck quickly rushed into the house and shut the door behind them. "Why Granny! nice to see you! we need to ask a favor of you!"

Granny was already suspicious. "...Yes?"

"We're on the run from the government! Can we hide here until I make a plan?"

"We went through considerable trouble to lose our tail," Roseluck said. "...I think."

Granny shrugged. "Well, you're always welcome to hide here from your problems, but you do have to tell me what's happening that has the government after you." She sat back down in her rocking chair, glancing quickly at the cupboard Surprise was quietly hiding in. The Doctor and Roseluck got on a couch together.

The Doctor began. "Well, Granny, I was looking for Aloe in the Everfree and I found a government base at the end of an Everfree Lights trail. I, of course, broke in and investigated. I found a lot of files on pony magic experimentation and I'm positive they have something to do with the disappearances. Unfortunately before I could get to the really juicy files I was stopped by none other than Sunset Shimmer."

Everypony heard a pained yelp come from the cupboard. The Doctor looked at it, quizzically. "...Granny..."

"That was nothin', just ignore it."

The Doctor whipped out his screwdriver, popping the cupboard open. Surprise yelled in surprise, blowing the Doctor over with her powers.

Roseluck leaped out of her seat and armed a blowgun. Surprise flapped her wings, burning the blowgun to ash with a single thought. Roseluck drew a blade, entering a readying stance.

"Everypony stop!" Granny yelled. Roseluck looked at her in confusion, the Doctor in curiosity, and Surprise with conflict.

"Look, Surprise, Doctor - Ah think you two are hiding from the same ponies!"

Roseluck blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Doc, you said they were experimenting with pony magic?" Granny asked.

"Why ye-" the Doctor looked at Surprise, eyes widened. "...They wouldn't."

"Experiment on live ponies? Ah think they did," Granny said.

"That's barbaric!" the Doctor said. "The technology to do such a thing safely doesn't exist today!"

Surprise backed away nervously.

"Surprise..." Granny said. "You don't need to run. They can help us - help you."

Surprise looked at the Doctor, surveying him.

The Doctor smiled back at her warmly. "I'm not going to bite, so long as you don't either."

Surprise recoiled from his outstretched hoof, shaking her head rapidly.

"Okay... We don't have to be friends. But maybe we can still talk." The Doctor sat down. "I'm the Doctor. That's Rose over there, she travels with me. We recently had a run in with Sunset Shimmer, had to escape, flee from her base. She wasn't happy with us for breaking on, saw right through our tricks. She hates us now. Does she hate you?"

Surprise nodded at first but then shook her head.

"Ah. It's complicated. Of course. I know what that's like... Well, she hates me. Got close to some of her rather sensitive secrets, so she drove me out with fire. Tried to catch me as well, but I'm just too clever for that."

Roseluck rolled her eyes.

The Doctor continued. "Are you one of those secrets?"

Surprise nodded slowly.

Granny put a hoof to her head. "Ah'm sorry. Am Ah supposed to know who this Sunset is?"

"Personal protege of Princess Celestia," the Doctor said.

Granny's eyes widened. "...Yer tellin' me that Princess Celestia is condoning experiments on ponies? No! There's no way that's right - Ah've met her, and Ah'm a pretty good judge of character!"

"I know her as well," the Doctor said. "I find it unlikely she knows exactly what's going on."

Granny clapped her hooves together. "That's it! We can get this whole mess sorted out if we just tell Celestia what's going on! Git her to stop that Sunset."

"We'd need proof though..." the Doctor turned to Surprise.

"No," Surprise said with conviction.

"Don't worry about it Surprise," Granny said. "Ah'm sure we can find other proof."

"Easily enough," the Doctor said. "It's possible we could even get her to believe us on our word. But that's risky."

Roseluck facehooved. "This doesn't solve the real problem - ponies are being taken!"

The Doctor shrugged. "Sunset is definitely involved, but Celestia could take time to act, time we don't have. ...Maybe."

"Ah'll just organize the town again, assumin' you know where the base is," Granny said.

"Oh, you bet your chairs I do!" the Doctor said.

"You mockin' me boy?"

"...Er, no," the Doctor looked around sheepishly. "Do we know anything about the disappearances?"

"The Geist," Surprise said. "It takes them."

The Doctor frowned. "Do you have anything to do with this... Geist?"

Surprise shook her head. The Doctor frowned. "Well what can you tell us about it?"

"It's orange," Granny said, "looks weird, has claws or somethin' pointy, appears from nowhere and drags ponies in, and has weird circles around it."

The Doctor froze. "...circles? Circles, spirals, and curves all in a fractal pattern?"

Granny blinked. "...Yes? Ah haven't seen it myself."

The Doctor suddenly looked afraid. He glanced out the window.

"What is it, Doctor?" Roseluck asked.

"I... I don't know what this means. Great whickering stallions, I don't know what this means!"

"...That's bad," Granny said.

"No kidding. If I don't know... What are the chances anypony knows? We are facing something... fundamental. I... I need more information. Information we don't have time to gather."

Granny frowned. She'd known the Doctor for as long as she could remember. She knew he wasn't a normal pony - he never aged, he always knew more than anypony, and he carried himself unlike anyone else. He always had a jovial confidence with him - even when he was being serious. Granny had never seen him like this, not even in a town crisis. He was terrified of something.

"Doc, Ah have to know. Why are the circles so bad?"

"Why, why?" he laughed. "Oh, why indeed... It means we're facing something tied into the fundamental nature of magic itself. We might as well be fighting the force of gravity! I'm not even sure how such a thing can exist... This 'Geist...' I don't know what, how, or why, but I know it's bad and it's tapped into an unlimited source of power."

There was silence.

Surprise went back into the cupboard, hiding from the stress.

~~~

Outside the Apple family house, a bush rustled. Inside the bush was a certain yellow earth pony with pink and blue curls. She lowered her binoculars, the slightest smirk on her face.

Bon Bon - or, more accurately, special agent Sweetie Drops - didn't know how the Doctor had pulled that 'in two places at once' trick, but it had been a welcome challenge to trace. Not only that, but the reward at the end of the tunnel was even sweeter.

She had located their other target.

It just kept getting better and better.

She reached into her mane and unfastened a small crystal from her hairs. She tapped it on the ground twice - each hit prompting a dull flash of red light.

Now all she had to do was wait.

The cavalry would arrive soon.

VI - To Grandmother's House We Go

Sunset Shimmer trotted up to one of her scientists. "Care to be part of an experiment?"

The blue unicorn looked up. "I am rather busy Miss Shimmer..."

"It'll only take a few seconds." She held up a sheet of paper.

"Why are you showing me your ID?"

"It's not my ID," Sunset said. "This is a piece of paper confiscated from that Doctor." She put it behind her head and pulled it out again. "Now?"

"...M.D. Shimmer... That is impressive."

Sunset nodded. "I believe it somehow sees my mental state and the mental state of those who see it, creating an image that best serves the desires of the user."

"It's not emitting any magic at all."

"That's perhaps the most curious part. What I would give to see more of the Doctor's gadgets..."

The scientist nodded before quickly returning to his work with the various magic-essence filled potions, the only difference from prior was that his expression was slightly more thoughtful.

An intern ran into the building. "Miss Shimmer!"

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"The com crystal just flashed - twice!"

Sunset's eyes widened. She ran out into the base proper, wasting no time. "I need a squad ready pronto! Agent Sweetie Drops has located both of them." She lit her horn, pinpointing her agent's precise location. Outside Ponyville, near the Forest. "They're at the Apple Farm! Move it! We don't know how much of a window we have!"

She herself didn't need to ready anything - she just stood, impatient, while a dozen ponies scrambled to equip armor, weapons, and saddlebags. They were all professional - each and every one had graduated the Academy - but the fact that they weren't already ready annoyed her. They could be solving two of their three problems right now, but as far as anypony knew this extra time spent preparing would ruin the mission. But Sunset also knew that heading out early would only make it worse...

She'd just have to suffer in silence while her subordinates scrambled around. If she wasn't so excited about the prospect of capturing the Doctor she would have been screaming at them to hurry up. They were thankful for her good mood.

~~~

Cheerilee slowly became aware of a rapid bumping motion happening beneath her and the wind whipping through her mane. Was she moving? She didn't feel like she was moving her legs... Was that fur under her stomach? Was she riding somepony?

She opened her eyes to see a blurry bunch of fields pass her by. She could see out of the corner of her eye red fur - was she on Big Mac? Why was she on Big Mac? Why were they running?

She groaned, rolling over - not stopping to think about the wisdom of her action. She hit the ground hard, waking her right up. She let out a pained cry.

"Oh no you don't!" Big Mac said, swiftly grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and tossing her back on him. She sat upright, not yet aware enough for the fear to kick in. She looked around - Berry and Derpy were alongside them, Berry's zigzagging wobble indicating she was far too tired for this. Derpy was flying in a haphazard manner as well - though Cheerilee couldn't tell if that was from her exhaustion or just the way she flew normally.

Slightly behind them was Vinyl - a mare who looked like she would be screaming curses if she was able. A groggy Tree Hugger was on her back, somehow managing to hold onto the blue name with a lazy hoof. Rarity was held in Vinyl's magic, a mixed look of displeasure and horror on the filly's features, the look of a mare who wasn't sure if she was traumatized or not.

Cheerilee quickly looked away, holding fast onto Big Mac's mane - she didn't need to stare into Rarity's eyes anymore. She felt it would be possible to get lost in them...

"Dudes..." Tree Hugger moaned. "What happened?"

"Geist! Lights!" Berry shouted. "It tried to find us! It didn't like us talking to Golden - not at all!"

Vinyl nodded rapidly, pulling Rarity in front of them. The white filly glared.

"Woah... Vinyl's right, it's doin' something to your head Rars," Tree Hugger said.

"I am perfectly fine Tree Hugger!" Rarity spat.

"You are not!" Berry yelled back. "You had to be dragged away from the monster! It wouldn't let you run!"

"Maybe I was just... thinking!"

Berry let out an annoyed yell. "Of course it had to be you!"

"What does that mean?"

"Enough!" Big Mac yelled. "We can argue later - right now let's just get to Granny and figure out what to do!"

Cheerilee turned this idea around in her head. Granny had already tried to do something and it had failed. They'd all tried something - search party, forest trekking, rituals... All of them had gotten only scant bits of information, not enough to make a solution. They knew painfully little about the Geist and they were no closer to finding Aloe than when they started. All they'd gotten was huge drama...

Was the universe trying to tell them something? Trying to show them that they should stop before the damage was too much? Or was it telling them something else, something about each other?

She didn't get to vocalize her thoughts - Big Mac arrived at his house, barreling over the front door. "GRANNY!"

Granny, Roseluck, and the Doctor were all sitting in the living room. Granny grunted. "Big Mac? What is-"

"Geist!" He said. "These girls were doin' some ritual that... uh..."

Vinyl nudged Tree Hugger. She cleared her throat. "We were contacting the minds of Aloe and Golden through a special ritual. The Geist really didn't like it when we found Golden... apparently." She yawned, prompting Vinyl to facehoof. "Hey, I've been awake for all of two minutes, give me a little slack, some chill..."

"So they're still alive!?" the Doctor asked.

"Definitely," Tree Hugger said.

"Golden didn't seem right," Rarity added. "The Geist has her."

Vinyl nudged Tree Hugger again. "Not Aloe though - Aloe's free, able to see us and interact with things like crystals. She's, like, out of phase with the waves of reality..."

The Doctor blinked. "...That's actually a rather apt description, great whickering stallions... It seems as if it's turning them into magic..."

"What does that mean?" Roseluck asked.

"I really don't know."

Derpy gasped. "But... Doctor! You always have an idea!"

"I just have an idea a lot more often than regular ponies, Derpy. I'm not perfect..."

"B-but we were supposed to find you and fix everything! You... You know about the base."

Cheerilee nodded. "Yeah. You did break into that base. Did it go well?"

"Depends on your definition of 'well'," Roseluck answered.

The Doctor sighed. "Look, I found that they were experimenting with pony magic on ponies. They made some... mistakes. I think they did something, I just don't know what... They would have needed to dip into magic itself somehow..."

"How do you know that?" Cheerilee demanded.

"Because swirls and circles have been described!"

Rarity rushed up to him. "What do you know about that!?"

The Doctor recoiled. "Wha...?"

"She was the one who saw it closest, Doc," Granny said.

"Great whickering stallions... it's really gotten to you."

"I'm fine you old coot!" Rarity snapped. "What do you know?"

"...Can you show me one of the circles so I can tell you what it is?"

Vinyl nodded - creating a circular pattern with her blue magic. Tree Hugger stared at it. "You know, that'd make some pretty sweet decor..."

Rarity muttered. "It's not the real thing."

"No..." the Doctor said. "It's not, it's just a rough approximation of what you saw..."

"Approximation of what? Get on with it!" Big Mac urged. "Ah don't happen to like bein' in the dark when the answer is right in front of me!"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. This is what magic itself looks like fundamentally, a series of circles within circles within circles spiraling off into infinity. Whenever we draw it or write spells in cyclic notation, we make nothing but an approximation. Precise magic cycles should be impossible for us to depict for centuries! But... Something's happened that's allowing pure magic into the world at large, which should be impossible. Magic needs anchors to exist, but it's here anyway, burrowing its pattern into our minds... our thoughts..." He frowned, looking closely at the cycle Vinyl had created. "This... oh my, my cyclic notation is a bit rusty, but this looks like part of a fusion spell."

Big Mac huffed. "And what in tarnation does that mean?"

"Well, it'd be the kind of spell the government was working with, for one."

Cheerilee let out a breath. "This... This is all crazy. Magic monsters? Government conspiracy? These - these kinds of things don't really happen!"

The Doctor shook his head and sighed. "They do - they just tend to happen to other ponies. Don't worry, I think I can handle this now... With this information, I can probably cook something up with Rose here."

"Now hold your horses!" Granny interjected. "Ah dunno what your idea is Doc, but Ah see a lot of ponies who have been through too much to just stop and let you take care of it now. We've got friends, family, and ponies with many unique skills standing here now. We've all been working towards one goal these last few days - let's stop working separately! Let's leave behind any grudges-" she stopped to look at Cheerilee in apology "-and git to work! None of this hogwash 'Ah work alone' business! We can be a team Doc, get that in your head!"

The Doctor stood speechless. "...Well, I..."

Roseluck smiled. "Looks like you don't know everything."

"It would appear not... All right, who's in?"

Rarity shrugged, Big Mac nodded, and Cheerilee paused. Was she really going for this? Was she really joining up? And yet, despite these thoughts, she nodded. She was in. She wondered how much she'd regret this later.

Berry raised a hoof. "We're going to have to throw conventional plans out the window. Any normal plans, we shouldn't even consider."

Big Mac laughed. "Ah'm already agreein' to work with little kids."

"Children are often more in tune with reality than adults," the Doctor said.

Tree Hugger laughed. "You. You're the wise one. Totally."

Roseluck snorted at this. Granny grinned. "Well, in the interests of sharing information, Ah want y'all to see so-" Her ears perked up suddenly. "Wait..."

A spear was pressed to the back of her head. "Don't. Move."

Granny didn't move, but she didn't freeze in fear either. "Bon Bon? You?"

"Yes," Bon Bon said, stepping out from behind Granny. "None of you move."

The Doctor reached into his collar and Big Mac readied himself.

"I have the place surrounded," Bon Bon said, voice eerily calm. She narrowed her eyes. "None of you have an escape route."

Cheerilee glanced out a window. She saw two heavily armed guards standing at attention. "...She's telling the truth... ...Hey wait- you kept us from Aloe!"

"You wouldn't have found her anyway," Bon Bon said. "Stand down."

Derpy glared at her. "We can take you!"

"Are you crazy!?" Rarity shouted.

"Yes," Roseluck said, reaching for a weapon of her own.

"Are you really going to try to fight with children present?" Bon Bon asked. "I don't want it to get ugly, but if it does I don't think I can keep them out of the way."

"Then just let 'em go!" Granny shouted.

"You misunderstand. Their being here is good for us. You won't fight with them around. We don't want a fight if we can help it."

Granny looked at Big Mac, frowning. "If we surrender, what are the terms?"

"We leave you be as long as you turn the Doctor and Surprise over to us. After that, we promise to forget this ever happened."

Granny furrowed her brow. "Ah'm pretty sure the Doc'll turn himself in at this point... But who's this Surprise?"

"Don't play dumb. I saw her talking to you and the Doctor under an hour ago. Where is she now?"

"No idea."

Cheerilee raised a hoof. "Uh... I've been here a while and I haven't seen anypony names Surprise."

"Same," Tree Hugger said. "Never been around such a cloud-like presence here."

"I believe you two," Bon Bon said. "Granny was just about to introduce her when she noticed me. So Granny knows where she is."

"Ah do not!"

"Who were you going to introduce then?"

"My granddaughter, Applejack. She's sick in the floor above. She was attacked by the Geist last night and it didn't take her."

"Okay!" A new voice declared - one much less calm and level-headed. "Talking is getting us nowhere!" In a flash of yellow and orange, Sunset Shimmer appeared in the middle of the room. She moved like fire - rapidly, aggressively, and yet graceful. Every part of her was held with intense power and determination, and despite being shorter than Big Mac everypony felt like she loomed over them. She shot the Doctor a glance, telling him it'd be his turn soon. But for now she grabbed Granny with her magic, pushing her into a wall. "Where is Surprise, Smith Apple!?"

"N-no idea..."

Sunset pushed harder. "You are an aging mare. This can't be good for your body."

Big Mac lost it. "You leave Granny alone!" He charged Sunset - only to be stopped by Bon Bon. She tapped him on the muzzle, stopping him in his tracks. Taking advantage of his instinctual hesitation, she tapped him in two places on his neck, two in the chest, one in the back, and one on the hind legs. He collapsed onto the floor, unable to move his limbs. "W...Wha?" He was unable to comprehend how the mare much smaller - and maybe even younger - than him had taken him down in just over a second.

Bon Bon didn't feel the need to explain anything. She just watched the horrified ponies while her boss continued her interrogation.

"Smith..." Sunset pushed harder, cracking a hip bone. Granny barely moved at the pain.

"Miss Shimmer, this is gonna get you nowhere," Granny spat.

Sunset twitched - but she was smart enough to know Granny was right. She healed the elder mare's bones with a quick spell and set her back down on her chair. "All right, let's try another method." She lit her horn, teleporting a certain sick filly in front of her. "If not for yourself, what about your granddaughter?"

Granny paled. "You wouldn't..."

"She would!" The cupboard door flew open, revealing Surprise with an expression Granny had never seen - unabated rage. She used her power to throw Sunset outside through a solid wall. She enveloped Applejack in her protective wings.

"...Surprise! You needed to hide!" Granny yelled.

"Done hiding!" Surprise yelled, grabbing Bon Bon in her magic and tossing her out after Sunset. "Can't happen again!"

Cheerilee gawked - had she just seen a pegasus use magic? What in Celestia's name was going on?

"Okay!" The Doctor said. "Guess we're fighting!" he drew his screwdriver. "Kids, in the kitchen, unless you're in the mood to face trained government soldiers!"

The Doctor's suggestion never got put into action - Sunset teleported back into the room and shot a beam of solar fire at Surprise. She blocked it with a magic shield, spreading the flames to the house.

"Give it up Surprise!" Sunset yelled, magical layers and sparks forming around her horn as she strained it. "Come back to us - you know it's best!"

"Never!" Surprise screamed, throwing multiple objects at Sunset from all sides - all of which were incinerated. Roseluck attempted to attack Sunset with an axe but was stopped short by Bon Bon, who was wielding much more professional weaponry. Using a latch at the hilt of her blade, Bon Bon tore the axe from Roseluck's grip. Distracted, Bon Bon was unable to stop the laser from Vinyl's horn. She fell backward into Sunset, exciting the magical sparks further. Sunset's fierce burst of magic was momentarily stopped. Surprise tossed the tearful Applejack to Granny. "Run!"

"Not leavin' you now!" Granny yelled, kicking a guard coming through the doorway. "Not like Ah can leave anyway!"

Berry ran up to Cheerilee, tossing her the end of a rope. "Hold this!"

"Huh...?"

"Just hold the peeving rope!" Berry swore as loud as she could.

The shouted expletive did the trick - Cheerilee held it in her mouth tighter than she'd ever held anything before. Berry ran the rope to the other side of the room, the fault line quickly tripping two incoming guards. "Yeah!"

Cheerilee blinked. That... That had worked.

Sunset roared, lighting the floor around her on fire, sending many more sparks flying. Tree Hugger grabbed a jar of paste from a nearby shelf and tossed it onto the ground, counteracting the blaze. Bon Bon went after the green leafy mare, taking her down with a swift motion, but she was bucked by Granny before she could get any further. Granny was next - receiving a fireball to the back that knocked the wind out of her.

Rarity and Derpy were hiding under a countertop, huddled and crying, fearful for their lives. Neither of them were fighters and neither of them were all that brave. All they could do was watch and hide while their friends fought. At first, they had put up a valiant effort, but it was becoming obvious that they were no match for trained swords, a special agent, and a master magician. Powerful though Surprise was, she wasn't able to overcome everything at once and protect everypony.

"Just give up!" Sunset yelled, the lights flying everywhere rapidly. "Somepony is going to get hurt and it'll be on your hooves! Turn yourself in and we can walk away!"

Surprise's lip quivered. She lowered her wings.

Granny stood up, groaning. "Surprise! No! Don't throw it-"

"I'm glad I came," Surprise said, glancing at Granny. "I can't hurt you all for just me." She walked towards Sunset, the magic lights dancing around them.

Wait... Lights...

"EVERFREE LIGHTS!" Rarity shouted before Cheerilee could formulate the thought. "GEIST!"

Never in the history of Equestria had an identical look of panic crossed the faces of so many ponies in a single instant.

But the warning came far too late.

The sound forced all ponies save Surprise to wince audibly. The shattering of fleshy organs spliced with the sound of somepony eating paper while crying. The ululation of cinderblocks dripping through the crack of a hoof. A horn playing a quick ditty to the tone of dominos falling into pudding. Before their eyes, a narrow crack of orange formed in the air, seemingly flat at all angles. Four orange protrusions jutted out from it, taking the shape of claw-things, cyclic magical energies pouring off every face. The flat - and yet not - points pulled out the rest of the body. A powerful, churning swirl of fractals appeared within the world of the living, sharp edges of the ever-appearing shape sometimes giving the illusion of teeth where there was none. Powerful, ever-shifting circles of all shapes and cycles dug into the eyes of all present, daring them to find the depths of the pattern.

Rarity took a step forward, eyes wide. She would have gone right to the Geist right then and there had Derpy not held her back.

"No! Don't Rarity!"

"Let go of me you heathen fool!"

"The 'fool' has the right idea!" Tree Hugger said, throwing green salt on the ground in front of Rarity. The Geist didn't care about the ritualistic protective mineral - its pointed limb shifted right over the sand towards the white mare. Despite the jerking motion, the limb moved slowly, almost casually. This was a creature with no fear.

Roseluck leaped in front of the claw, driving a blade into it - a blade that passed right through it, losing a few shreds of metal on the journey. "Oh..."

Surprise lifted her wings, pulling the Geist back from Rarity. The Geist threw a second claw-thing at Surprise, forcing her to the wall like a powerful wave. Sunset came to her rescue, disintegrating the Geist's glowing point with a beam of pure magic.

"Yeah!" Berry shouted.

The claw-thing came back in an instant, giving no indication it had ever been gone. Cyclic patterns sparked off of it, tearing parts of the wall, roof, and floor away.

"Run!" Surprise yelled.

"Fall back!" Bon Bon shouted. The guards didn't delay - scrambling through the exits as fast as they could. Roseluck swept up Derpy, Tree Hugger, and Rarity, herding them out a door as well.

The Geist was not happy with this turn of events - it lunged through the wall after them, tearing a few shreds of wallpaper as it passed through it. It jerked after the fleeing ponies with a strange mixture of alien motion and mathematical grace.

Sunset screamed. "Oh no you don't!" She latched onto the Geist with a deep red chain of flames. She tried to pull back - but was only dragged along with the creature's movement. She was forced to teleport out of the house to avoid being smashed through a wall.

The Geist flung itself at Rarity once more, all four impossible limbs pointed at her in every possible configuration. Rarity wrestled against Roseluck's embrace, trying to let the Geist take her.

Surprise wasn't having any of that. She drove the Geist back into the house with a gust of air, collapsing the eastern half of the structure.

Bon Bon threw some magic grenades and Sunset created a miniature sun around the Geist - but any damage they did to the being was simply undone without so much as a strain on the Geist - it simply moved faster and faster, becoming more and more annoyed with them.

Granny grabbed Big Mac and Applejack, moving them out of the crumbling structure of their home, the setting sun matching the color of the spreading flames. Big Mac was slowly getting feeling back in his legs. Vinyl pulled up alongside them, biting her lip before moving to help Big Mac move.

The Geist burst through the defenses again, going for Rarity once more. Berry cried out. "Rarity! Fight it!"

Cheerliee grabbed Berry. "Stop it! She's lost it! We have to go!"

"But-"

"We'll save her later!" the Doctor said. "When we get Aloe and Golden! But we need to get out to do that! Come on!" the three of them ran into the Everfree Forest, the Doctor in the lead.

Rarity finally leaped out of Roceluck's hooves, opening her eyes wide and grinning. "Take me! Take me already! Let me see the beauty!" She had no idea why she was crying.

The Geist was a second away from granting her request when a blue laser shot it from behind. Vinyl shot it a glance that said 'remember me?'

The Geist did, in fact, remember her. It folded through space, appearing before her in a single instant, reaching out to her. Vinyl shot the front of the claw-thing with a laser to minimal effect. Surprise, Sunset, and Bon Bon charged from behind - but the Geist elected to shift space in such a way that Surprise barreled into Granny while Sunset and Bon Bon were driven into a nearby field like some recently planted produce.

Roseluck took the opportunity - grabbing Rarity and running far away, Tree Hugger and Derpy in tow.

Vinyl stood before the Geist, shooting a laser nonstop at the approaching claw-thing, straining herself. She was going to burn through her magic soon, and it didn't even seem to be doing anything.. Nothing...

Granny tossed Surprise off her - the pegasus was out cold. She set Applejack down and went to hold Vinyl's hoof. "You can do it! Show this beast who's boss!" She stared the impossible creature right down its center. "Show it a taste of its own medicine!"

A lightbulb went off in Vinyl's head. She stopped trying to push the Geist itself away - instead, she pulled. Wafting blue cycles began to emanate from her horn, affixing themselves to the orange cycles, overtaking their color. The orange mass of the Geist began to fold into her own blue patterns, bestowing her with energy...

The Geist recoiled before she could take much. It let out a scraping, shrill, giggle sound. It shook in rage, folding itself into existence behind them.

It wasn't going to leave empty-handed.

Before anypony realized what was happening it grabbed little Applejack - and fell through existence, taking the filly with it. It appeared over the wreckage of the Apple house.

"Granny!" Applejack screamed.

Then they were gone.

Big Mac's jaw hung open. Vinyl stared in shock. Suprise let out a wail of agony despite being unconscious.

Granny did none of those things.

Granny stamped her hoof on the ground and ground her teeth together.

"Oh... This means war, Geist... You better prepare that bumblin' shape of yours because you just took my family. Ah will hunt you down, Ah will find you, Ah will save my granddaughter, and then you will wish you'd never been born! You hear me you impossible freak!? Ah am gonna remove your very desire to live! Ah'll beat it out of you!"

"G-granny..." Big Mac said, not sure what he was more scared of - the Geist or Granny.

"Big Mac, get up, we're going to regroup and save your sister." She huffed. "This will not stand." She glanced at the dazed forms of Sunset and Bon Bon in the distance, pulling themselves out of the field. "...You two better hope Ah'm done when this Geist's gone, cause you're next on my list..."

"Granny... Let's just leave now..." big Mac said, standing up.

"Oh, Ah'll leave. But Ah'll be back!"

~~~

Rarity was in despair upon Roseluck's back.

She had been so close. She had felt the reverberating echo of perfection before her - but it was not to be. How could Vinyl not have seen - the Geist was meant for her! Unless...

Unless she had wanted the Geist for herself.

"VINYL!" She cried through her tears. "VINYL YOU LITT-"

"Vinyl's not here right now," Derpy said, taking a moment to fly alongside Rarity and Roseluck. "You shouldn't yell about somepony unless they're right there."

"I am going to wring your sorry little neck with your own two wings!"

"Much better!"

"RRRRRANNNNGURRARAAAA!"

"Rars, dude, calm your vibes," Tree Hugger said.

"Calm my vibes!? You are asking me to calm my vibes!?"

"Yeah, just let it go..."

"How about I let you go off the edge of a ravine!?"

Derpy turned to Roseluck. "...What's wrong with Rarity?"

Rarity twitched. "Oh, sure! Act all concerned!"

Roseluck sighed. "I don't know. The Geist's patterns have affected her differently than the rest of us... I'm not sure why, or how, or what it means. I'd have to ask the Doctor." She bit her lip. "And I don't know where he is right now."

"He got away!" Derpy said. "I know it!"

"Or maybe the Geist got him!" Rarity spat. "Or he's being burnt to a crisp! Or impaled!"

Derpy, for the first time ever, looked angry. "He got away!"

Rarity sneered. "Oh, you know that's just wishful thinking, idiot! If you're certain he got away then you're more of a fool than I gave you credit for!"

Roseluck shook her head at Derpy. "Don't listen to her, she's not in her right mind."

"Oh, am I?" Rarity jumped off Roseluck's back and stopped the group in its tracks. "Am I? I've been forced - by the Doctor - to hang out with this filth before me! This gray, disgusting, mangy, feathery, idiotic numbskull of a pony who can barely fly straight! I hate her! I hate her more than I did before because the Doctor forced this on me! In a way, you could blame all this on him, thinking he could control me! I probably would have forgotten about her in a few months otherwise, but now that's definitely not happening!"

Roseluck didn't have a comeback to this. Derpy was just crying.

"Look, Rarity..." Tree Hugger began.

"You want me to go off on you too? Because believe me I like you only slightly better than the numbskull over there!"

Tree Hugger shrugged. "Yeah, well, I know that."

"...You do?"

"Yeah. I'm not stupid. I just don't care. I learned that caring about what other ponies thought of me only led to my own suffering, Rars. I just live my life the way I want and it seems to work out fine."

Rarity twitched. "How can you win a game you aren't even playing!?"

"I have no idea. I don't think it's a worthwhile game anyway."

Roseluck shook her head. "Okay, look, we don't have time for you all to whine and yell at each other. We need to move. They'll be after us, so we need to find a safe place."

"The Doctor's," Derpy offered, her usual positive demeanor still vacant from her features.

"...We'd be safe, but we wouldn't be able to leave safely once there... You know what, who cares, we can leave the problem-solving to the others, we have our own issues. Let's go!" She picked up Rarity again and ran to the Doctor's house. Rarity didn't try to stop her this time.

Rarity felt empty. But she had just said to Derpy and Tree Hugger's faces what she'd always wanted to - where was the gratification? Where was the satisfaction? She gave up a lot of her positive exterior to let that out! Would there be any reward for that?

Did Tree Hugger have a point? The best way to win was not to play?

She couldn't even comprehend that.

What did it even mean?

She knew that she'd be able to figure it out... If only she could be one with the pattern...

Rarity's mind drifted off. She was barely aware of Roseluck pulling a strange key out of the deepest part of her bags and opening the Doctor's front door...

~~~

Berry was sitting on Cheerilee's back, exhausted. She might as well have been asleep. Cheerilee herself was trotting through the Everfree Forest, the Doctor leading the way in front of her.

She wasn't sure how to process what had just happened - they had all met up, started talking about some kind of plan to find Aloe and stop the Geist, and then the government showed up. Then the Geist showed up and everypony ran...

The Geist.

It... it was terrifying to behold, and she wasn't sure why. Besides size, it wasn't all that assuming. The claw-things were simplistic and there was no face to speak of. The patterns were beautiful and the fractals in the center were true works of art. But every time she thought of them she was filled with a dread and pushed further pondering out of her mind.

Maybe that was a good thing, seeing what had happened with Rarity...

She found herself thinking of that Surprise pegasus - an experiment of the government gone horribly right, apparently. A pegasus with magic... Powerful spells... One of the only ponies who did anything to the Geist at all. Cheerilee knew Surprise was important, but she didn't know quite how yet.

She sighed. "Doctor, where are we going?"

"Into the Everfree," he said. "I have a hunch."

"Are you taking us to the base!?"

"Great whickering stallions, no! I don't think we could learn much from them even if we could get in. I have... a hunch about the Geist."

"We're going after the Geist?"

"No. Well, hopefully not, anyway..." He scratched his chin. "I just had an idea about where it might have come from... What Sunset might have done..."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Well, I could be terribly mistaken. I'd rather not confuse you with needless information."

Cheerilee pursed her lips, saying nothing further. She took a moment to check Berry - the filly really was sleeping peacefully now, snoring softly on her back. The last few days had just been too much for the poor pony. Cheerilee wished she could fall asleep as well - but she was in the Everfree Forest with the Doctor again. She had to keep a careful eye out - she wasn't sure what to think about the stallion. he was smart, eccentric, and definitely mad. He had put them in danger, but he had gotten them out of it...

He was the reason the Apple farm had been attacked - they were after him after all - but he had a lot of information as well that was essential to finding Aloe...

He was on their side, yes, but was that a good thing, overall?

Great. Night was falling. Night in the Everfree couldn't be good.

~~~

Sunset and Bon Bon watched the Apple home burn from the edges of the Everfree Forest. Soil was still stuck in their manes and both were rather bruised and battered. The two just observed as the townsponies put out the raging blaze with some effort, plunging the night into darkness. The moon shone down upon them, the mare in the moon seeming slightly more menacing than usual.

Sunset growled. "We had them. And then they escaped."

"We could not have predicted the 'Geist's' presence."

"Perhaps not..." She shook her head. "We need to initiate some more direct measures. This town seems rather effective at banding together. Let's make use of that."

"How so?"

"Make wanted posters for Surprise. Blame her for the burning of the farm. The ponies will want retribution for the slight against one of their founding members."

Bon Bon grimaced. "You... You sure you want to do this to her?"

"She made her choice, Agent. Now she'll have to pay for it." Sunset closed her eyes and sighed. "This was not how things were supposed to go."

"None of us expected this."

Sunset nodded slowly. "...We're going to fix this. This is our mess, and we're going to clean it up." A smirk slowly crept up her face. "And I have an idea that might help with that... Get on those posters, I'm going on a little outing."

With that, Sunset Shimmer stood up and walked towards town, anticipation on her features.

Bon Bon just stared at the wreckage, frown deepening.

VII - Fate's Arrow

The sun rose the following morning just as it did every morning. With the herald of Celestia's power in the sky, the town of Ponyville slowly stirred to life. Ponies yawned, thanked the Stars for a peaceful night's rest, and set about their days. News of the Apple family's house burning down circulated through the town like wildfire - nopony knew where the Apples were and those who had fought the fire in the night confirmed there had been no bodies in the blaze.

The Apples had been expected to turn up by morning. They hadn't - and the entire town's peaceful morning turned into a semi-panicked one. The perfect state, Bon Bon thought.

Bon Bon marched up to the Mayor. "Ahem. Mister Mayor?"

The Mayor didn't take his gaze off the window - a crowd of ponies had gathered around town hall. "They all expect me to say something."

"I've got you covered," Bon Bon said, shoving a sheaf of papers into his hand. "I gathered some reports - this wasn't any 'Geist.' It was a criminal, a pegasus by the name of Surprise. She was seen around the house at the time of the fire."

The Mayor blinked. "...So I can just blame it on her?"

"...She did do it, Mayor."

"I know when we're pulling stuff out of our rear ends," he muttered, taking the papers. "Let's see... a speech and a hundred wanted posters with... a five thousand bit reward?"

"The Crown will pay that."

The Mayor shrugged. "All right then." He cleared his throat, reading over the speech again. "Time to work my magic then sleep the chaos away."

Bon Bon nodded. "That would be best."

The Mayor adjusted his tie and opened the main doors, walking into the sun with a solemn expression Bon Bon knew was forced. She herself held back - she didn't need to be associated with this in any way.

As the Mayor trotted up to City Hall's podium, the crowd murmured nervously - a few even tried to speak up, but the Mayor ignored them. He set the posters on one side of the podium, his speech on the other. "Ladies and Gentleponies, calm yourselves. I have with me today something you have lacked over the last couple of days - an explanation. Answers for your burning questions and fears. This 'Geist' we have all been hunting for is not a supernatural being at all - but a pony."

The crowd let out a collective gasp - how could a pony take those children? What of the Apple family? "The wanted criminal Surprise, a pegasus whom you can see on these posters, was seen around the scene of the Apple Family fire, doing unsavory things. She has been reported by Celestial agencies to be in possession of powerful magic artifacts and a deceitful personality." He held the poster up higher. "We need to, as a town, pull together and take this mare into custody. If anypony sees her they should report it immediately, and she will be dealt with. The five thousand bit reward will be divided among all who give accurate tips. We will take her in and make her tell us what she's done with our citizens."

He looked out at them all with a stern expression. "Tell everypony. Give these posters out to your friends, your family, and even apparent strangers. Look in every nook and cranny. She won't be able to hide from us forever - she will be forced to come out into the open. Let's find our ponies - let's take this criminal in!" He raised his hoof high into the air. "We will not fall to petty deceivers!"

The crowd let out a resounding "Yeah!" The Mayor threw the posters out into the sea of ponies to be gathered by the eager hooves, wings, mouths, and horns. He turned back into City Hall long before the ponies dispersed.

"Well done, Mayor," Bon Bon said.

"That speech was rushed and those flyers weren't very eye catching. You had all night to dream these up, Bon Bon."

Bon Bon frowned. "We just got the information today..."

"Fine, don't tell me. Pretend like you really are just my secretary." He sat down in a chair and leaned back. "I really couldn't care less. Just get this over with so I don't have to give any more speeches, kapeesh?"

Bon Bon nodded. "Of course. This shouldn't take long."

"Mmph," the Mayor grunted, already losing interest.

Bon Bon trotted out of his presence, a tad bewildered at his apathetic and yet observant attitude. She found herself wondering (not for the first time) why the ponies of the town allowed him to be mayor.

"He was right."

Bon Bon looked to her right - Sunset was there hiding behind a shelf.

"How so?" Bon Bon asked.

"The speech was weak. Granted, it did the job - and that moron can make anything sound good if he wants - but it didn't have the usual effort."

"We're in a high-stress situation and are operating on no sleep," Bon Bon admitted. "A weakness, yes, but our opponents face the same issues."

Sunset nodded. "But of course. And we have more resources."

"Didn't do much against the Geist."

Sunset frowned at the recurrence of the moniker but didn't comment on it. "Luckily for us, that thing isn't on either side - it hurts them just as much as us."

Bon Bon pursed her lips. "I suppose. Do you need me to do anything?"

"Not yet. But when you receive word of Surprise, see to her personally."

"And anypony she's with?"

"Unimportant unless the hypothetical ponies include the Doctor. Capture them or don't, I leave it to your judgment." Sunset glanced out a window, frowning. "I have to leave now. I am waiting for... something."

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow in curiosity but didn't ask. It was not her place to pry into Sunset's business.

~~~

Filthy Rich walked back from the address a little bewildered. Never in his years in Ponyville had anything like this happened. Criminals? Children missing? The Apple Family house destroyed? Magic artifacts? Ponyville was the quintessential image of a peaceful, small town where nothing ever happened. Now there was tragedy - horror.

Was he safe here anymore?

He looked at the wanted poster in his hoof - the image of Surprise was hoof-drawn but lifelike. The reward was large - and there was an impressive number of official Canterlot seals along the bottom edge.

Should he try to find this pegasus? He didn't have much to offer the hunt in the way of skills - perhaps he could pay for a bounty hunter? No - by the time they got here, the problem would have blown over. Not to mention they were likely to run with the info themselves for the money...

He shook his head - he'd just head back to his home and wait out the storm, hoping this Surprise would never show up. He smirked at the thought of home - a safe place amongst this chaos, a place he hadn't seen all night due to a late business deal. And, well, the fire and the chaos. A nap seemed like a good idea to him at this juncture.

Looking ahead, he saw his home - a two-story building all to himself with a small shed behind it. He didn't plan on living alone forever, but it was his for now, he might as well enjoy it. He trotted towards the front door, opened it, sights set on the stairs to his room. However, he was unfortunate enough to allow himself to listen. He heard a noise. A soft clang had come from his shed.

It was probably nothing, he thought. Still, he turned around, intent on investigating the shed, just to alleviate his sudden unsettlement. He looked at the old worn down shed - he really needed to spend something to fix this up. He put it on his mental checklist as he creaked the rusted metal doors open.

The shed was dark and filled with normal shed things - garden implements, tools, brooms, a small workbench, and other things he never used. But that was not all that the shed contained - there were strange things. Chiefely, there was a small white pegasus sitting in the middle of the shed, staring right at him.

Rich glanced from the pony to the poster in his hoof, to the pony again, and back to the poster. He began to back out of the shed slowly.

"Filthy..." he heard Granny say. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough to make her form out. "Don't..."

Rich didn't know what was going on - he couldn't process Granny, Surprise, or any of it, he just knew he had to get out before something unpredictable happened. He turned tail and ran out of the shed, no destination in mind.

He did not get far. Vinyl grabbed him with her magic and yanked him back into the shed where Big Mac was waiting to hold him still. Rich didn't struggle - he just froze, unable to reason out what was going on. A strange criminal, an old friend, her grandson, and some teenager were all in his shed! It didn't make sense!

"Get ahold of yourself Filthy!" Granny said, shaking her head. "You weren't home so we slept in your shed!"

Rich did nothing but sweat profusely. Granny sighed, nodding to Big Mac. He released Rich - and Rich decided not to bolt. He just breathed in and out heavily. "Granny... why did you sleep in my shed?"

"Hiding," Granny said, picking up the wanted poster. "Seems we weren't paranoid either. They really want her back."

"Five thousand bits!?" Big Mac gawked. "Ah - that's outright crazy talk! Ah'm not sure the entire town has that!"

"Filthy does, several times over," Granny said. "...You aren't involved, are you?"

Rich shook his head. "...Involved in what? You're the ones hiding in my shed with a criminal!"

"She's bein' framed for... Whatever it is you were told she did." Granny frowned. "They told you she took out our house didn't they?"

"Er... Yes...?" Rich put a hoof to his head. "...Are you saying the Mayor lied to the entire town?"

"Ah wouldn't put it past him," Granny said, handing the poster to Vinyl. "Though it goes a bit higher than that."

Rich sighed. "I'm not going to like this am I?"

"Not at all," Big Mac affirmed.

Granny nodded. "Eeyep, it's gonna be a doozy. Surprise here is an innocent pegasus who was experimented on by the government, we think without Celestia's knowledge. She escaped - they want her back. We also think this Geist is related to the experiments as well..."

Big Mac put a hoof on Rich's back. "Yep. It's a bit hard to get, or even think about, and Ah don't even pretend to understand it all. Ah just know Surprise here's good, and that the Geist took my sister - and we ain't lettin' that stand."

"Applejack's been taken?!" Rich blurted.

Granny nodded solemnly.

Rich put up a hoof. "You don't need to explain anymore. I'll help however I can."

Surprise looked at him and smiled. It was oddly unsettling. "...Thank you."

"You're... Welcome?"

"Mhm... House?"

"Huh?"

"She wants in the house," Granny said, popping her spine into place with a stretch. "Makes sense, considerin' we slept on a dirt shed floor."

Rich nodded. "Can't imagine what that was like..." he walked out of the shed, leading the four of them into his living room. "Can I get you all anything?"

"Breakfast..." Big Mac muttered, rubbing his eyes. Vinyl raised her hoof the moment he said the word, frantically pointing at herself and to the kitchen.

"...You're going to cook?" Rich asked.

Vinyl nodded - and then ran into the kitchen without waiting for permission. Rich blinked. "What a peculiar young mare..."

"You're tellin' me," Big Mac muttered. "She can't stand quiet - 'parently it just keeps her awake. And pacing."

Rich nodded. "Well then..." He sat down in an armchair. "This... Forgive me, it's all a bit much. I give my word to help you regardless, but... What is going on? The government? A wanted pegasus? I mean..."

"Ah can't tell you everythin' Filthy - cause Ah dunno everythin' myself." Granny let out a nervous chuckle. "Ah'll try to keep it simple. A few days ago Surprise here showed up on our doorstep broken and battered, and we, of course, took her in. Then ponies started to vanish, three now that we know of. Well, through a lot of events that aren't important for you to know - we and a few others found about a government base in the Everfree Forest runnin' experiments on pony magics and stuff. Where Surprise was tormented."

"The government tormenting a young mare?" Rich said in disbelief. "Do you... have any proof?"

"Well, if she's in the mood..." Big Mac said, glancing at Surprise.

Surprise looked up, motionless for a moment. Then she lifted a wing and levitated a bit off a nearby shelf, twirling it in front of her eyes with her magic. She glanced back at Rich, sending another shiver through him. He was convinced she could see into his soul.

"That's not natural..." he admitted. "But it-"

"The Doc busted into their compound, found files," Granny said. "We don't know where he is now but we know he saw them."

"...Good enough." Rich shook his head. "This is... Wait, if she's not making ponies disappear...?"

Big Mac growled. "The Geist is what we're callin' it. Some magical hoo-ha of a creature that has somethin' to do with their secret experiments but we dunno what. It destroyed our house, our home, and has taken three now. And we have no idea how to stop it."

"Magics... Weapons... Cleverness... Me..." Surprise said, eyeing everypony. "All powerless..."

"So we're going to charge into the Everfree, find the pony in charge of this mess, give her a nice talkin' to, and find out what's goin' on," Granny summarized.

"Granny," Big Mac said, "we need a better plan."

"You could address the town," Rich offered. "Vouch for Surprise."

Granny furrowed her brow. "My word versus Feckless'... Could work, but they could stop us before that happened. Bon Bon followed the Doctor, and Ah know he used every trick he had to throw her off. We gotta be crafty..."

Rich raised an eyebrow. "Bon Bon's with them? That... explains why she headed the mission into the Everfree. So she could control the search... Keep the base hidden."

Vinyl walked back into the room with a bowl of scrambled eggs, dishing some out for everypony before sitting down next to Surprise. Surprise involuntarily put a wing around Vinyl as she dug into the breakfast.

Rich frowned. "So... Let me see if I understand here. Applejack was taken by this Geist - and your only connection to this beast is that government base."

"And we dunno where it is," Big Mac said. "All the ponies who saw it got separated from us when the house went down. Doc... Rose... Cheerilee, Ah think. Surprise doesn't know either, she sorta ran out blindly."

"Have you looked for the others?" Rich asked.

"Can't," Granny said. "We'll be seen..."

"I can find them," Surprise said, closing her eyes. "Blue house... Forest..."

"That'd be the Doctor's group in the Everfree..." Granny observed.

Rich blinked. "...She can see that far? She really is something else..."

Surprise looked away from him quickly.

Rich sighed. "All right. I'll go to the Doctor's house. See who I can find."

Granny shook her head. "Filthy, Ah've already asked too much of you. You don't-"

"Granny, I'm always in... situations that you never fail to help me out of. It's time for me to return those favors." He adjusted his tie. "Anyone I should avoid besides Bon Bon?"

"Sunset Shimmer, she's the boss," Big Mac said.

"Everfree Lights," Surprise added.

".....Hm?"

"They summon the Geist. Maybe," Big Mac shrugged.

Granny shook her head. "Okay Filthy, Ah can see you've got the idea in your head already. Just find out where the base is. We'll take care of it from there. We'll be in here, planning."

"Ain't that the truth..." BigMac said.

Rich nodded, putting on a hat and heading for the front door. "Stay hidden and safe." He closed the door behind him and took a step outside.

A wanted poster was shoved into his face. "Do you see this Richy?"

Rich tore the poster off his face revealing the form of Spoiled Milk. "Ah. Milk... I'm not blind, I know I have her in my house."

Spoiled Milk twitched, gesturing through the window. "Why weren't you shaking in your boots? Why aren't you running to Town Hall?"

"Granny Smith vouched for her, that's all I need," Rich said. "I'm running an errand for them."

"You're letting the world of an old mare get in the way of five thousand bits?"

"It wouldn't be right to claim the reward for an innocent..."

Spoiled Milk raised an eyebrow. "We both know your record isn't spotless, Richy."

Rich nodded solemnly. "I know. But Granny is one of those mares I wouldn't betray. She's helped me too much and I know her too well. it's time to return those favors. I'm sure you understand."

Spoiled Milk looked ready to argue - but then she hung her head in defeat instead. "Yes. I... I do. You and your attachments..." She smirked. "I suppose that's one of the reasons I like you."

Rich smirked as well. "It's not exactly the rarest trait around here."

"I said one of the reasons."

Rich nodded. "I'll see you tonight. This shouldn't take long. Just, give them some space, okay Milk?"

She shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Rich nodded, embraced her, and set on his way.

The moment his back was turned Spoiled Milk's expression soured. "Sometimes you don't know what's good for you, Richy... But that's what I'm here for." She trotted off, leaving the house with four ponies under the delusion that they were safe.

~~~

Rarity woke up on a shelf.

A shelf.

The Doctor's house was huge - on the inside at least - why couldn't Rose have found another bed!? Oh sure, she'd claimed the 'Tardiwhatever' had a mind of its own and just decided beds weren't going to be found this time, but that was stupid.

Rarity groaned and rolled over - off the shelf and onto the hard, metallic floor. She groaned again - this time in physical pain.

"You okay Rarity?" Derpy asked, crawling out of the bed she'd shared with Roseluck.

"Just... Peachy..." Rarity grumbled, rubbing her temples. She didn't see stars - just the pattern. Everywhere. She shook her head.

"Rars, I told you I'd take the top shelf," Tree Hugger said, crawling out of her much lower shelf, tossing a sheet to the ground. "You really needed to get more rest."

"No I did not you... you... Oh nevermind. Done with that." Rarity stood up and walked over to the side of the bed, ripping the blankets off - waking Roseluck up instantly.

"We're awake," Rarity deadpanned.

"I... see that," Roseluck said, rubbing her own temples as she sat up. "Anything happen?"

"Rarity fell out of a shelf," Derpy said.

"And then I proved myself capable enough to rip the bedding off in one fell swoop," Rarity huffed.

"Uh... Okay...?"

"Just let it go, move on..." Tree Hugger said. "We've got a day ahead of us."

"Don't get your hopes up," Roseluck said. "They know we're here - we can't go outside without risking them getting to us. But I have the only key besides the Doctor, so they can't get in."

"So we just... wait?" Derpy asked.

"Until something happens, yes," Roseluck said, walking out of the bedroom and into a long octagon-shaped hallway. "We are completely safe from them in here though, don't worry."

Tree Hugger shrugged. "I suppose this place is big enough to explore..."

"Er..." Roseluck glanced at a sealed door caked in a strange red substance. "That may not be the best idea. It'd be wise to stay as close to the front room as possible."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "So the Doctor lives in a dangeorus house? Color me surprised."

"It's pretty cool though!" Rarity said. "Bigger on the inside!"

"He probably had some stage magician bend the magic in this place."

"There's no magic here at all!" Derpy shouted with glee. "The Doctor's so amazing he doesn't need it!"

"Derpy..." Roseluck said, stern.

"Oh... Um... Nevermind..."

Rarity raised an eyebrow as they passed through a room filled with statues of books and a broken thing that looked a lot like a giant salt shaker. She wasn't sure what she should ponder more - all the bizarre and outright alien things in this place, or the fact that Derpy apparently wasn't supposed to talk about it...

Rarity realized she probably wasn't supposed to be here.

Thit was an interesting thought - what could she find here? Something about the cycles? She had seen some strange symbols in one of the doors that looked oddly similar... Perhaps she could find something here if only Roseluck would turn her back. Unfortunately, the mare was apparently well-versed with children and was watching all three of them like a hawk. Rarity wasn't sure she could be clever enough without Berry to help...

Berry...

Where was Berry now?

Safe? In danger? Out on some adventure? being snarky and restless? Telling some other pony what was wrong with them?

Rarity shook her head, pushing the thoughts back. Berry could handle herself - she was much more cut out for an adventure of this sort than Rarity was. It wouldn't be surprising if Berry came to tell them it was all okay, that everypony had been found, that Sunset had been defeated, and that the Geist was gone.

And she'd they had found the magic cycles for her.

She stopped walking suddenly, turning her head to examine an engraving on a steel podium. There were no words, just a single glyph composed of circles within circles within circles eerily cycling around each other like an art form. Rarity barely registered Roseluck walking to her side. "...Does it remind you of the cycles?"

"...Yes but... No? It looks... Wrong."

"Well this is a strawberry summoning spell," Roseluck said. "It's here because in this room the Doctor ate strawberries for whatever reason."

"You need a reason to eat strawberries?"

Roseluck blinked - and laughed. "No, I suppose not... There are many of these engravings around. I'm sure you've seen them. They all represent a spell of one kind or another. He never uses them - he can't, after all - but he still finds them fascinating. The language of magic truly is beautiful."

"Yes... It is. But it just looks... Incomplete," Rarity admitted. "There should be more."

"There is - but any smaller details aren't needed. Horns naturally do the fine-tuning on that level, or so I hear. Even the best mages have no need to use the most minuscule."

"Why...? Why leave out some of the beauty? Why destroy it?"

Roseluck frowned. "...The Doctor has seen what happens to those who indulge themselves in the full magic. He won't tell me what happens to them, or what they do, but I know it's dangerous."

Derpy frowned. "...Really?"

Tree Hugger scratched her chin. "This Geist is totally more dangerous than we think it is, isn't it?"

"...Maybe," Roseluck said. "But we're safe from it in here. This thing has kept out creatures must worse than that Geist."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Roseluck rolled her eyes. "A story for another time, perhaps. Come along, the main room's this way." The three young mares followed her through a large library - with a window in it. Rarity found herself looking out at the Stars. ...It couldn't still be night outside, right? And the Doctor's house didn't have a window this big on the outside...

What was it?

She decided not to ask Roseluck. She'd probably not get an answer - or worse, get more talk about the patterns being bad. The Geist was bad - Rarity was sure of that right now - but the circles that made it up... They were precious, beautiful. She would find them... Be with them... She just had to wait for the right moment.

At least, they returned to the main room filled with much more familiar implements - the plasma ball, the central tube, the incomplete flying machine, the bag of ball bearings, and numerous other odd things. Derpy relaxed at the familiar sight while Tree Hugger looked around curiously. She approached a device with a lot of levers near the center of the room.

"Uh... Tree Hugger?" Roseluck called. "Don't mess with that, I'm not sure what it'll do."

Tree Hugger obliged, instead entertaining herself with the plasma ball. "Woah... Duuuuude..."

Rarity rolled her eyes and trotted up to the window - she could see Ponyville in the late morning. She could also see numerous ponies walking around, although there was less than usual. Most were pensive, and a few were looking at posters Rarity couldn't quite make out. Her own house across the street was abandoned, empty. She looked for anypony suspicious who might be watching them. She found none.

She saw her parents walking down the street, however.

"Oh no..." Rarity said.

"What is it?" Roseluck said, panic evident in her voice.

"My parents are coming home right now. I'm not there. This is so bad I don't even know..."

Roseluck sighed in relief. "Oh. That... Isn't dangerous."

"They're going to kill me!"

Roseluck shook her head. "I'll take the blame if it comes to it. You don't have to worry about anything from your parents. I do worry about them though, it's not going to be easy for them."

Rarity took a few seconds to register what Roseluck was worried about. Her parents weren't going to be able to find her. They weren't going to be able to see her - and she wouldn't be able to see them.

She started pounding on the window. "MOM! DAD! MOOOOOM! DAAAAAAD!"

Tree Hugger acted first, pulling Rarity away from the window, covering her mouth. Rarity fought back but the older filly held on tight. Rarity realized she was just too small and weak to break out - she sagged in defeat.

"Tree Hugger!" Roseluck yelled. "You don't need to do that, it's soundproof!"

"Oh..." Tree Hugger let go. "Sorry, Rars."

"Sorry? Sorry? You're saying sorry!" Rarity spat.

"Rarity..." Roseluck said.

"WHAT!?"

"You need to calm down. There's real danger out there and if you're with your parents, it will come to them because of you. You want to keep them safe don't you?"

"Y...Yes."

"Then we need to stay here, away from everypony, okay?"

"Okay..."

And then the doorbell rang. The four mares all jumped in surprise - who could that be?

Roseluck ran back to the window. A brown pegasus stallion held out a letter. "Oh... it's just the mail, no worries." She squinted, frowning. "What's he saying?"

The mail-pony held the letter closer to the window. Roseluck gasped at the signature on it. "It's from Granny Smith."

"...I think that's, like, important right?" Tree Hugger said.

"Yes it is..." Roseluck looked left, then right - nopony but the stallion was close to the door. She took in a deep breath. "Okay..." She quickly opened the door, grabbed the letter with her mouth, muttered 'thanks', and ducked back inside, slamming the door.

The door never shut fully - a powerful cyan telekinesis grabbed ahold of it, preventing it from closing. Roseluck whimpered and dropped the letter. "Oh no..."

Sunset teleported herself in front of Roseluck, sneering. "Hello there, Roseluck," she said, picking up the letter. "Amazing what this 'psychic' paper can do, no? It really did look like a hoofwritten letter from the old mare - written with just the right amount of rushed lines to suggest urgency."

Roseluck shrunk back, cursing herself for falling for it.

"Uh... What's going on?" the mail stallion asked.

"I paid you to deliver the mail, now scram."

The stallion obeyed, flying off quickly. Roseluck hissed. "...What are you going to do?"

Sunset leaned in, forcing Roseluck further into the house. "Why I think I'll invite myself in, what do you think?"

"There's nothing here for you."

"Oh my, such pathetic lies." she teleported herself into the middle of the main room, past the trap set up by Tree Hugger and Derpy - which was just a metal rod and a bucket. Sunset sighed. "Oh please, what do you take me for, an idiot?"

"...Wishful thinking," Tree Hugger admitted.

"Mhm... Don't you forget it. Now..." She turned to examine the four of them in turn. Seemingly satisfied with what she saw, she began to examine the interior. "Huh. It is bigger on the inside." She set out a magical ping. "A lot bigger..."

Derpy shrugged. "It's what they all say - even me!"

Sunset glared at the filly, shutting her right up. The fearful reaction brought a smile to the unicorn's malicious lips. "...Would anyone like to explain to me what all these devices are? The Doctor had paper that showed you whatever he wanted - I can only imagine what else he has... Roseluck, the levers?"

"No idea, he doesn't tell me everything," Roseluck answered.

"I have no doubt of that..." She grabbed Roseluck and levitated her into the air by her neck. "But you've seen him use it, whatever it is. You'll know what it does."

Roseluck gagged but gave no indication she was going to respond.

Sunset dropped her, a scowl on her face. She used the telekinesis on Derpy next, bringing forth tears from the tiny gray pegasus.

Rarity froze - she couldn't believe what she was seeing. A pony her age, being tortured by a mad unicorn. Was she next?

"Come on Rose, I know this one's the Doctor's favorite. What'd he say if you let me break... Oh, a wing? Break it beyond repair? Scramble some bones?"

"STOP! It's the control panel!" Roseluck shouted.

"Control's to what?" Sunset asked, lowering Derpy to the ground.

Roseluck sighed. "The house itself. Change it, tell it to do what you want. I can't tell you how to operate it - the Doctor doesn't even get it right all the time."

"Mmm... Good. What else can be found in here? Anything particularly interesting, Roseluck?"

"I wouldn't know."

Sunset shook her head. "I'm going to have to torment another one, aren't I? What about... The little unicorn?" Rarity's hairs stood on end as she was lifted into the air.

Rarity didn't even give Sunset a chance to squeeze. "The Doctor doesn't use magic! We're not even supposed to be in here! ...There's an interesting door down that hallway!"

Sunset looked Rarity in the eyes. "...This one has the right idea." With a flash of her horn, Sunset put Tree Hugger, Roseluck, and Derpy to sleep. "Lead the way, little unicorn."

Rarity shook - she was alone now. She nodded slowly, taking Sunset back the way they had come just a few minutes ago. Sunset's devious and cruel attitude vanished slowly after they started walking - the fiery unicorn found everything around them just so fascinating. Her eyes sparkled with the answers and questions getting just from a simple walk "There's no way anypony could construct this... So much learned writing and glyphs... Doctor, what are you?"

Sunset was stunned into silence when they arrived at the window. She ran to it - looking up, down, left, and right. A look of worry crossed her face. "There's no way..."

"Not it," Rarity said, walking down further, past the engraved podium. Sunset studied the glyph for a moment and cast the spell, a strawberry appearing in front of her.

"...Why?"

Rarity shrugged. "Do you need a reason for strawberries?"

"No..." Sunset admitted, furrowing her brow. "So many things..."

"Yeah, well, I can't show you much. I've only been here a night. This door caught my eye though..." She trotted up a ways and gestured to the giant sealed door with the red stains on it.

Sunset frowned. "That definitely helps keep something locked in."

"Don't you want to know what?"

"Perhaps..." Sunset lit her horn, unlocking the door with ease. "All that anti-magic on the outside and not so much as a spell on this..." She pulled the multi-ton door open with relative ease, looking into a small, dark room with a single object within - a pony-shaped suit. It was white, baggy, and had a few metallic bits, gadgets, and serial numbers on it. On the head was a fishbowl helmet.

Sunset blinked. "...A vacuum suit? For... space? How in..." She moved in, creating a small light with which to examine the suit.

Within the visor was a skull. Rarity leaned back in shock, but the skull only amused Sunset. "Found the skeleton in your closet, Doctor..."

Then the suit moved. It slowly stood upright, rising higher than Sunset herself. A synthetic voice said something in an alien language, droning - repeating it in a haunting fashion.

Rarity didn't wait around - she bolted. She could only hope the... skeleton-think could keep Sunset occupied. Why did the Doctor even have that in his house? What kind of crazy pony was he, leaving monsters around?

She decided she didn't care right now - she was just going to get out of here. She ran down the hallways, past the starry window, into the main room, out into the street. "MOOOOOM! DAAAAAAAD!"

Her parents rushed out of the house. Their worried expressions were evident. "Rarity?" her mother yelled, running to her. "Are you all right?"

Rarity ran into her embrace, crying. "I... I am now."

Her father looked her up and down. "What... What happened while we were gone?"

"Can we... Just go inside?" Rarity asked. "Please?"

"Yes, of course..." her mother said, taking her into the house and shutting the front door. "Oh Rarity, the entire town's gone mad!"

"Yeah... There's a magic monster running around... It takes ponies and it..."

Sunset appeared in the living room with a teleport flash. She was slightly signed - presumably from using fire magic in close quarters - and her horn was lit. "You little punk."

Rarity's father took a step forward. "You stay away from our daughter!"

Sunset blasted him with a fireball, knocking him out with ease. She turned to the mother next, ready to burn her - but something about the mare softened her expression. Examining her slightly bulging midsection, Sunset decided just to use a sleep spell instead of violent fire.

Rarity was crying - Roseluck had been right. She'd just brought the danger to her parents... Why didn't she listen? Why did this happen to her? She just wanted to be safe...

Sunset grabbed Rarity in her magic. "That was a pretty nice try - but it turns out shadow skeleton things in suits don't like fire. But now you've gone and alerted some ponies to your presence so I'm afraid I'll have to actually foalnap you and your friends now."

Rarity shuddered, glancing at her parents in worry.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "They'll be fine. You should worry about yourself. You crossed me."

Rarity said nothing - she just cried as she was teleported away.

~~~

"Hey, Ah just thought of somethin'... Surprise, can you tell us where the base is?" Big Mac said out of the blue.

She shook her head. "Ran out fast, remember?"

"No, not from memory. Try to find somepony who's currently there. Like you did with the others."

Surprise blinked - she hadn't thought of trying that. She didn't like thinking of the ponies from there... But she tried anyway. She projected a mental image of Sunset into her mind, tapping into the magics to find her connection. The unicorn was in town, near the Doctor's house. Sunset had difficulty seeing her clearly - Sunset had learned long ago to cloud herself from Surprise - but she was definitely in town.

Surprise had one other option: Bon Bon, the only other mare from the base who had a prominent signature. Surprise could see the agent clearly, talking to some reddish-purple snotty-nosed pony.

"Sorry," Surprise said. "Both in town."

Granny grinned. "Well, when they do go back we'll have them! Surprise, you're a life saver!"

"She's a backup plan," Big Mac said. "Where's Filthy, by the way?"

Surprise sighed - she was feeling strained already - but she pictured Filthy RIch in her mind and searched. His presence was weaker than the others, so it took a few minutes, but she found him near the Doctor's house, close enough to Sunset that the image was clouded. "Near the house."

"Thanks," Granny said. "Now you get your rest, we'll need you later. That base ain't gonna give itself a firm beating..."

Big Mac nodded. "Hear hear!"

Surprise shrunk back - she supposed she'd known this already, that they wanted her to come, but this was the first absolute confirmation. Could she go back? They needed to pay, that was certain... But could she brave that place? Dare to see what it had become? Dare to see where...

Vinyl nudged Granny and pointed at Surprise, shaking her head. Granny's gung-ho face softened instantly. "Oh... Ah'm sorry, Surprise. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Big Mac's confidence vanished instantly, but for once in his life he said nothing. Surprise sighed - she knew what he was thinking. Without her, they wouldn't stand a chance against the might of Sunset and her ponies. Surprise was the one with the power.

"I'll... Try." She owed these ponies her life - and there were fillies' lives at stake. Never again would she let one be taken because of Sunset. Never again.

Granny smiled and Big Mac let out a sigh of relief. Vinyl put a hoof on Surprise's back. Surprise smiled - she felt... good. Like she did when she soared in the sky...

"Thank you," she said.

"We should be thanking you," Granny observed.

Surprise shrugged with her wings. There was enough thanks to go around - they had supported each other through this mess and that was all that mattered in the end. She decided to rush them into a hug, dragging them all in with her magic and squeezing, a dumb smile on her face the whole time. She didn't see any other way to express exactly how she felt - words wouldn't come, as usual. They were never adequate.

The moment was ruined when the window behind them shattered. Surprise whirled around - ready to fight instead of flee. She didn't see anypony threatening out the window - but whoever it was saw her. Three darts found their way into Surprise's forehead, injecting her with powerful sedatives.

"Oh no..." she said, her vision blurring around the edges, legs weakening fast. She fell over, out cold, within a few seconds.

Big Mac, Granny, and Vinyl gasped. Surprise was down and out - and the existence of the tranquilizer darts suggested that Sunset's ponies had found them.

"What are we going to do?" Big Mac asked, looking around frantically. "They've probably got us surrounded!"

"Put up a fight," Granny said, baring her teeth. Vinyl lit her horn, preparing some spells.

The front door burst open - revealing Bon Bon and Spoiled Milk. "On thank you miss Bon Bon for taking care of that horrendous criminal! I couldn't believe it was in my Richy's house..."

Bon Bon shot her with a tranquilizer. Spoiled Milk stared at the dart with a confused expression. "Wha...?"

"You deserve worse, traitor. He trusted you," Bon Bon muttered, watching as Spoiled MIlk slumped to the ground. "Now. I want Surprise. You can let me have her, no questions asked, or you can just let me subdue you and then take her with me."

Granny ground her teeth. "Not happenin', missy."

"I could subdue the three of you even without this dart gun. Seeing as I have it, you should know this won't go well."

"Yeah, to Tartarus with that," Granny muttered. "Givin' up is not somethin' Ah'm likely to do."

Bon Bon sighed. "Can I give you anything to convince you not to fight?"

"Mah sister," Big Mac said.

Bon Bon frowned. "...One pony for another...? I... don't think you'd really do that. Regardless, we don't have her, but you have my word she will be returned to you when found. We will take care of this Geist."

"You did such an excellent job of that at the house," Big Mac muttered.

"It's only a matter of time. And you are all making it harder for us to do our job. Just cooperate and this will be over sooner."

Granny shook her head. "Nope."

Bon Bon sighed. Then she shot Big Mac with a quick dart. Vinyl shot a volley of magical lasers at the earth pony, but she slid under them gracefully and tripped Vinyl, jabbing her in a half-dozen locations to freeze up her body.

Granny bucked - hard - and made contact with Bon Bon's head, sending her dart gun flying. She herself rolled over on the ground a few times, ending up slightly dazed, but forcing herself to stand despite herself. Granny lunged forward, throwing well-calculated attacks that the much younger mare countered with ease. Bon Bon swung her back hoof around, catching Granny by surprise - but she made use of it. Granny rolled over on top of the outstretched limb, pinning Bon Bon to the ground. "This ain't my first rodeo, youngin'."

"Neither is it mine," Bon Bon rolled herself backwards with considerable strength, knocking Granny off her. She hit Granny's pressure points in quick succession, freezing her up. "That was harder than I expected, though. You should be proud of that."

Granny just grunted.

Bon Bon lifted the limp form of Surprise onto her back and walked out - leaving the other three incapacitated.

~~~

The Doctor, Cheerilee, and Berry all moved together deep within the Everfree Forest. There were no Lights - thankfully - but Cheerilee had no idea where they were going. She was pretty sure the base was to the left of them - far from the direction they were going.

"Doctor... Where are we going?" She asked for the umpteenth time.

"A hunch, that's where," he said, predictably. "An idea."

Cheerilee twitched. "Care to tell us what that idea is yet?"

The Doctor smirked. "Well... Seeing as we're almost there, why not."

Berry blinked. "Wait, you're actually going to explain what it is you're thinking?"

The doctor blinked. "Why, yes, why would that be surprising?"

Berry facehooved. "...You're a bundle of contradictions, Doctor."

"A paradox.... I say, that fits me rather well!" he chuckled to himself.

Cheerilee rolled her eyes. "Doctor. Explanation."

"Right, right. So there I was, back of the house, wondering what in the universe Sunset could have done to tap into magic itself. The methods to do so don't exist. She would need to have some sort of already existing connection to magic itself - something to exploit. Something that'd easily be able to screw up royally."

Cheerile raised an eyebrow. "...There's something in the Forest isn't there?"

"Oh, there most bloody well is!" He grinned.

"What is it?"

"Well, we're about to see!" He picked up his pace slightly, gleeful. Cheerilee found herself annoyed at his cheer amidst the danger and bleakness of their situation.

Berry nudged her. "You have the look again, Cheerilee."

Cheerilee shook her head quickly. "Oh? Well, I just spent the night inside a dark forest, following a madpony deeper into the center of powerful, dangerous magics on a hunch of his he won't even explain to me!"

Berry shrugged. "Yeah, but it's something to do. Better than sitting around waiting - or being captured. Or letting the Geist get us."

Cheerilee sighed. "I... Guess so." She shook her head, sagging.

"Hey, good news is you don't have to leave Ponyville for an adventure."

Cheerilee laughed softly. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing anymore."

Berry frowned. "Well... I'm having some fun despite it all. Maybe you should try to as well, lighten up a bit. It'll probably help us get through this."

Cheerilee blinked. "...Why are you the sane one here?"

"I just think a lot. And I have to deal with Rarity. It takes some doing."

"I can imagine..." Cheerilee admitted.

"Lo and Behold!" the Doctor called from up ahead. He stood atop a large rock, holding his hoof out towards an object in the center of a large clearing. It was a Tree composed entirely of crystal draped with strands of bead-like leaves and surrounded by serene, sparkling magics. A few black, thorny plants grew around the edges of the crystalline Tree and there were six conspicuous holes within the refracting branches.

The Tree, however, was not the most eye-catching thing in the clearing. A tear in reality was right in front of the crystalline flora, swirling in place a few feet from the Tree itself, flat and yet not. The haunting cyclical shape of the tear turned in the minds of all who looked at it, the orange patterns flowing inward to a center composed of fractal patterns folding in on each other into... something else. Something behind and yet on the flat plane at the same time.

"Great Whickering Stallions," the Doctor said. "A direct gateway to the Thaumic Fabric... Magic and matter changing places through this tear..."

Berry rubbed her temples. "It hurts to look at..."

"Of course it does. Our eyes were not meant to perceive such a thing. It drives us to madness..." He shook his head. "I would suggest entering, but that would be a bit outrageous. There's no way to know if it's stable enough to survive or not..."

"THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA!" somepony shouted from behind them.

"Or we could throw caution to the wind and find out right now!" the Doctor suggested.

Berry and Cheerilee didn't even need to be told - they had bolted the moment they were yelled at. Cheerilee galloped towards the vortex - the orange light glinting off her pupils, the energies blowing her mane around. She set her jaw, pushed through her intense headache, and leaped into it...

She, Berry, and the Doctor vanished within the swirling fractal pattern within seconds.

The single unicorn guard who had yelled at them gulped - he wasn't sure if this was good or bad. Probably bad...

VIII - The Thaumic Fabric

Sunset and Bon Bon stood in the clearing in the center of the Everfree Forest right in front of the orange vortex. Sunset was studying the magical patterns closely while Bon Bon was refusing to let her vision focus on the cycles. She knew with sight came danger.

"Sunset, what is our suggested course of action?"

"...Nothing. We can't risk sending anypony in after them. If we're lucky, they're already dead."

Bon Bon shook her head. "We were supposed to prevent death..."

"I know," Sunset said, grimacing. "The scientists think they could be alive, but we don't have enough data to know if is even possible to maintain a consciousness that deep within the cycles..."

"You want in, don't you?"

Sunset nodded. "The cycles burn into my mind, demanding that I enter and become one with the magic. I know all questions will be answered once I cross that barrier - but I cannot go. There is too much risk. It could be lies, it could be death... The Geist could be there."

Bon Bon nodded. "Do you believe closing it will stop the attacks?"

"No. Our portal here just gave it the idea. It does what it wants now."

"Even with Surprise back... We saw her fight alongside us. She was mostly ineffective. She was our solution. A solution that isn't going to work. How are we going to deal with the Geist, Sunset? What's the plan?"

"We're combing the Doctor's for things that can assist us. The researchers are having a field day."

"And what if that fails? What if we find nothing?"

Sunset growled. "You sure are asking a lot of questions... At that point, we'll throw all our research and hard work away and call in Celestia. But if we do that, all of this will be for nothing."

Bon Bon nodded slowly, looking away from Sunset. "This is all a big mess."

"You're telling me. I have to explain why I have a kid locked up."

"You can hold her for a day without declaring a charge, legally."

Sunset laughed. "I know that, but she's still a filly. And that's not going to look good..." She looked towards the dimmed sun. Even in the Everfree she could use it as a timer...

She only had a day. A day to find a solution of any kind. She shook her head - how had things gotten this bad?

~~~

Cheerilee slowly became aware of herself - the fact that she existed reasserted its presence in her mind. She was confused by this realization; why wouldn't she have known that before? Thinking back, she couldn't remember what there was a few seconds ago. She'd leaped into the portal, then there was a... strange feeling, and then just time without anything affixed to it. And then this feeling of awareness.

She realized with mild worry that she wasn't of anything but herself - no forest, no portal, no legs. She couldn't even feel her own legs? Nothing but her own consciousness existed, alone, drifting... Was she dead? Was this the afterlife - eternal loneliness?

She would have cried if she could. But she wasn't aware of any eyes, much less tear ducts by which to make tears. How was she thinking about this without a brain anyway? It sure felt like her head was throbbing...

Pain - physical pain. She almost became giddy at the realization. Pain meant she still was something, but what? That was the question. She actively tried to do anything - walk, run, jump, twist, shake, smile - but anything that required physical movement brought on nothing.

Then she tried to speak. "Hello?" The sound of her own voice scared her - how'd she heard without ears? How'd she even spoken it? She went back over her thought process - she had focused strongly and it had just "Come out!" She paused again - she hadn't been trying to talk that time, she was trying to think. Was she... broadcasting her thoughts? That would certainly be interesting... And odd.

"Hello? Berry? Doctor? Can anyone hear me?" she called out - receiving no response in return. It was just her mind in the darkness - or whiteness. She had no eyes, there was no color. She imagined herself in an expanse of orange; it might as well have become orange the moment she did so. She had fun imagining herself against different backdrops ranging from basic colors to a nice river before losing interest. She set it back to orange - it just felt right. There had to be more than just imagination and voices here... There needed to be something.

She set the backdrop back to black - as if closing her eyes - and tried to become more aware of things. It didn't take long to fully realize herself; she was a spark of energy without a body, able to use her mind to influence her own perception of the things around her.

Wait... there was nothing around her. Nothing.

She was aware of the empty space - a distance. A distance of her perception that was slowly growing, sharpening the closer it was to her essence. Closest to her she began to sense the cyclic patterns of magic itself, dancing all around in pleasant fractals. She found she could move herself relative to the infinitesimal strands and that she could bend the strands themselves as she moved, though she had no idea what the effect of that would be. As her perceptions widened even further she was struck by the intensity - the brightness - of all the magic around her. no matter if it was dense or sparse, complex or simple, it was almost too bright to take in all at once.

Maybe that was why she hadn't been made fully aware of it all at once? Because it would have been far, far too much? That made sense, in an odd way.

"Hello?" she called again. She saw her 'voice' flow through the cycles like ripples on a pond, traveling out of her perceptive sphere. This time she got a response.

"Can you hear me now Cheerilee?" the 'voice' translated in her mind quickly as the 'sound shockwave' hit her essence - it was the Doctor.

"Yes! Where are you?"

"Around. A spark, like you. I should be in your 'sight' range soon if you can hear me. Try to look for a particularly bright spot."

Cheerilee focused through her sphere of awareness and found him, a brilliant array of semicircles arranged in a sea-urchin-like pattern, shining brilliantly. "Wow..."

"You look the same. And so does Berry over to the left of you. Well, the left if you were 'looking' at me, that is, our senses are omnidirectional now. She can't see us yet."

Sure enough, Berry was just a little to Cheerilee's self-assigned left. Berry wasn't moving at all - she was sitting still, probably in darkness or a self-created backdrop.

"She going to be okay?"

"She'll come out eventually, don't worry. She's already said 'hello' so it shouldn't take that much time."

"Uh, what're these swirly things doing?" Berry said suddenly.

"See? Won't be long now. Cheerilee, tell me what you can see besides the two of us."

Cheerilee focused on everything she could, closely examining all the conglomerations of cyclical energy. She was pretty sure the sharp absence of patterns was the portal. The strongest concentration was right behind that - about as far as the Tree of Harmony was from the portal back in the Everfree Forest.

"The portal and the... Tree? Doctor, how... Where exactly are we?"

"This... Is the Thaumic Fabric, a world that exists alongside our own, where all magic resides. Here is an intricate fractal pattern of magic energies that spread out into infinity, congealing at certain points. You are right - that is the Tree of Harmony there. The other large magic signature you can see is Sunset. Once you become more attuned you should see Bon Bon Bon and the trees of the Everfree Forest. Eventually, you'll be able to see a fuzzy picture of the world we know, muddled by the brightness of everything."

"Why don't I get a headache from looking at the patterns now?"

"Ah, well... I'm not sure on that one. Probably a combination of many factors. Perhaps because our forms have changed into pure magic?"

"We're pure magic!?" Berry blurted. "Cool!"

"Ah, I see you can hear us now. Welcome to awareness in the Thaumic Fabric, Berry."

"Glad to be here! This is so awesome - I am now magic, like a unicorn! Ha ha!" She shifted the patterns around her, surrounding her sparky essence in a sphere of rings. "Hey... You think this does anything in the world? Like make a crystal flash?"

The Doctor paused. "Why... Yes! How... You can't even see the real world yet!"

"Aloe was doing it - talking by making a crystal flash."

"Yes... You could definitely do that, though you'd have to be here a long time before you could discern real-world voices again. I can't even do it yet. I know Sunset and Bon Bon are talking but that's only because the way their magic essences are reacting to each other. They could just be making expressions at each other for all I know.

"Probably talking about us," Cheerilee said. "Wait... If Aloe was using this, then... This is where the Geist has taken everypony!"

"Precisely!" the Doctor said. "They'll be here somewhere - all of them!"

"That means the Geist's here too, though..." Berry said.

"Then we'll just have to be careful. Adjust to our new forms and do something with them. Cheerilee, can you make out the magic of the trees yet?"

Cheerilee focused on the area around the Tree of Harmony - she felt the ground first, a slow drop off in magic. There was a slight increase in magic arranged in a more upright configuration in a vague circle around the Tree. "I can see trees but I can't make out any individual tree..."

"Good enough. Berry, how you coming along?"

"...The portal is just a hole. It looks so out of place."

"I imagine this is what drew the Geist to the real world..." the Doctor said. "...Whatever the Geist actually is."

"That's not a question I need an answer to," Cheerilee said.

"I'd like to know," Berry countered.

Cheerilee tried to shoot her a death glare but she just rippled the magic around Berry.

"...I don't know what that means, Cheerilee."

Cheerilee found this irksome. "...Don't worry about it. We should try to find Aloe."

"Where did she contact you?" the Doctor asked.

"Her house was the last place," Berry said.

"We used a ritual to contact her at several places," Berry added, "but that was us, not her."

"To her house then! Tally ho!"

Cheerilee blinked. "...Did you just say 'Tally ho'?"

"...Yes."

"Really?"

"Really."

"How do we... Get there?" Berry asked.

"Just will yourself to move," the Doctor answered. "You won't hit anything - all the patterns are intangible to us and each other. We can just pass right through everything, like this!" he took off straight in the direction Ponyville would be at a brisk gallop - without trees in the way or creatures to watch out for he covered a considerable distance. Berry took off after him with Cheerilee close behind.

The experience was unnatural. She moved in a perfectly straight line about a meter above the 'ground'. The view didn't rock as she moved, nor was there any feeling of 'wind'. The Tree and the portal soon dropped her perceptions, replaced only with the tall patterns she knew were trees. There were a few other shifting masses in the wood - probably animals of some sort, or flowers - but she was unable to discern what they were. She was still new to this; it was all an alien experience that was somehow intuitive, which bothered her. She felt conditioned to this place - like she belonged here. But she also knew how Rarity had been acting. This place was beyond dangerous to her mind and she knew it.

They came out of the forest soon enough, giving way to a large 'empty; space with minimal ambient magics. Buildings were odd 'dead areas' mostly devoid of magic with few notable exceptions. Cheerilee could see through the walls to the ponies inside. Unicorns shone the brightest, but smallest, all of their energy contained in the horn. Pegasi had two concentrations of magic, presumably one in each of their wings. Earth ponies were dull, but Cheerilee could actually make out pony shapes from the intricate spirals.

"This... is a lot to take in..." she admitted, sending her voice out into the world around her. It interfered with the cyclic forms of the ponies, but only slightly. Only one unicorn reacted in any way to the disturbance, twitching slightly in their motion.

The Doctor laughed. "Just wait until you get more clarity. Seeing the world in double with such intricacies displayed to your vision..."

There was a tremendous ripple in the entire aether - translating into their minds as the sound, the impossible sound of cracking, squishing, screaming, leafing, clearly a pattern that was meant only to exist here and not in the real world.

"...Geist," Berry said.

Then they saw it - saw it in its natural habitat. Here, it was an amorphous blob of spirals, eternally wrapping themselves tighter and tighter like a sack of spider eggs tied together by thousands of tiny rings. It moved in a graceful motion, swooping around town, using its sparse outer layers to feel, moving its intensely bright center carefully around the magical signatures of ponies so not to alarm them. The outer layers flexed, warped, and tested - tasting the magics of everything around it, driving chills up the spines of all it touched.

Cheerilee saw two somethings deep in the center of the creature. In normal space they would have been obscured by the extremely dense fractals in that part of the Geist, but Cheerilee's perceptions could no longer be blocked. There were two sparks - spark like herself. One was almost completely extinguished, nearly impossible to see, but the other was still bright, occasionally sending out a soft vibration.

Crying.

"Golden!" Berry yelled.

The outer layers of the Geist picked up on the voice waves, stretching out in Berry's direction, letting out a version of the sound that was predatory - angry.

Cheerilee froze - it could sense them by their communication. It knew exactly where they were now.

The Doctor appeared in front of Cheerilee, manipulating a few nearby swirls to display the word 'RUN'.

That was a good idea. Cheerilee took off - keeping her focus on the receding spark of Berry. The Doctor took up the rear position in the group flight. The Geist was faster - it threw caution to the wind, chasing right after them, cutting through the magical signatures of ponies with its immense girth, disorienting them considerably. The Geist didn't care - when in pursuit, stealth is not a consideration. Its outer layers detected the trail the three of them made with their rapid movements, using the small disturbances in the fabric to extrapolate their position. They may not have been talking anymore, but they no longer needed to.

The three blasted into the distance at their top speed - still slower than the Geist, which was using the power in its rear to propel itself forward at a higher rate. None of the ponies being pursued dared speak - it would just make their situation even worse. As it was, at least one of them was thoroughly screwed, destined to join Golden trapped in the center of the beast, slowly being drained to nothing like that other spark.

Then Cheerilee saw another spark - one outside the Geist, and behind it. The spark was manipulating the magic around it to give it a boost - enough to catch up to the Geist. It shook slightly - then made its move by speaking.

"Hey!" Aloe shouted. "Over here!"

The Geist evidentially recognized the voice because it dropped pursuit instantly and drove itself towards Aloe. Aloe slowly slid out of the way, barely avoiding being touched by any of the Geist's outer layers, successfully eluding the beast. It took off into the distance, pausing only once it realized there were no movement trails. It scrambled back, moving angrily, shaking the magic all around it with the sound. It found nothing - all four ponies were standing perfectly still. The chances of the Geist running into one of them by sheer luck was slim - and the Geist knew that. It slunk away, back to the town - back to observing ponies, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Aloe moved closer to them slowly and whispered. "Talk quieter. Don't put as much energy into your thoughts."

Cheerilee rushed Aloe, trying to hug her, forgetting that both of them were intangible at the moment. Cheerilee decided she didn't really care, Aloe was here. "Aloe... You saved us. You're all right!"

"Shhh!" Aloe hissed. "It may not have senses exactly like ours but it is very sensitive and smart. I was surprised I was able to pull that trick on it again. Might only have worked because you had it occupied."

"Perhaps..." the Doctor said.

"Have you seen Applejack?" Berry asked.

"She's been taken too? No... No I haven't..." Aloe fell silent.

"...You okay?" Cheerilee asked.

"Tired. Really, really tired. You can't sleep in this form - everything's just too bright. Maybe you literally can't sleep. I don't know. Ahaha..." She flashed rapidly. "I... I'm sorry, I've been here for days."

"I know. We've been looking for you."

"...Thank Rarity and VInyl for me, okay? They... Gave me some hope."

"We need to get you back to Lotus... Come on, we have a way back. There's a portal in the Everfree."

"We need to find Applejack! And save Golden!" Berry blurted.

Aloe floated back a short distance. "Golden's a lost cause. We can't do anything to the Geist, I'm sorry."

Berry was silent for a moment. "...Doesn't mean we stop trying to think of a way."

"Of course not," the Doctor said. "We can think about it while we find Applejack though. Where would she be?"

Berry thought for a moment. "I'd say either where her house used to be or wherever her family is."

"We should start looking then," Cheerilee added. "The less time we spend here, the better."

They heard the sound of the Geist - fainter, coming from somewhere far outside their perceptions. They didn't know what it meant, but they were terrified.

~~~

"What. Are we going. To do!?" Big Mac yelled suddenly, continuing pacing around Filthy Rich's house. Granny was sitting in a large chair, sagging like a dejected dog. Vinyl was in the other room, meditating. Spoiled Milk was sitting in a soft chair with a sneer on her face - she had been told to be quiet a while ago.

"Big Mac..." Granny said halfheartedly.

"Granny Ah'm not going to calm down! This hag here just ruined our one chance to do something! Surprise is gone, Filthy should have come back by now, and we have no idea where the Geist or the base is! We're stuck!"

"Ah know, Big Mac..." Granny said, leaning back. "Ah know..."

"Well, what are we goin' to do then?"

"Big Mac, Ah may be old and wise in the ways of the world but Ah have no idea. None! Kaput! Kapeesh! We're up the creek without a paddle and there's no way to get one!"

"Are you just giving up on mah sister!?"

"No! Ah never will! Shame on you for thinking so!" She glared deep into him. "Just because we ain't doin' anythin' doesn't mean it's hopeless. Somepony's out in the Everfree, probably doin' somethin' to deal with this problem."

Big Mac returned the glare. "Granny, they could also just be hiding out like us. Waiting for it to blow over. And Ah do not trust that Bon Bon to deal with things!"

"Trust? No. But Ah think she meant what she said, Big Mac."

"You think that matters?" he spat. "They care more about themselves and whatever their mission is than actually doing anything! They made Surprise what she is! That's messed up!"

"Ah'm not defendin' what they did!"

"You're tryin' to find excuses to justify doin' nothin'!"

"Do you have a better idea!?"

"Call Celestia! Call the town together! Literally anythin'!"

"We both know those won't work!"

"You were considerin' them earlier! And it'd be better than nothin'!"

"Would it really, Big Macintosh? Would it really?"

"Yes!"

"Yer a plumbin' idiot Big Macintosh!"

Vinyl appeared between the two of them, putting a hoof to each of their mouths. She solemnly shook her head. Granny and Big Mac both had the decency to look ashamed.

"Sorry," they said. Vinyl nodded in approval. Silence returned to the room. Spoiled Milk sat with a smirk on her face now.

"....What're you smilin' about?" Big Mac asked.

Spoiled Milk pointed to her mouth.

"You can talk when Ah ask you a question."

She took in an obnoxious breath. "I think you're all being melodramatic. You crossed ponies more powerful than you - and you got burned for it. That should hardly come as a 'surprise'. You took the aptly-named pegasus in. You knew she would be trouble, you had to. Why'd you do it if you weren't willing to accept the consequences?"

Granny frowned at her. "It was never supposed to go this far."

"Your own fault for not thinking it through then. Your little grandfilly is suffering for your hubris."

"You can shut up again," Big Mac muttered.

Spoiled Milk obliged without complaint. Her mood was much improved from before.

Vinyl's horn suddenly blinked on its own. Vinyl frowned at it, cocking her head in fascination. It blinked again.

"What is it?" Big Mac asked.

Vinyl said something in sign.

Big Mac sighed. "Granny?"

"Ah dunno, didn't even know sign existed until Ah met Vinyl. Ah haven't learned."

"Great... Is there any other way you can tell us?"

Vinyl shrugged. Her horn blinked again. She went in search for a piece of paper or something similar.

It was at this point Filthy Rich fell in the front doorway, panting. Twigs were stuck in his mane, his hooves were muddy, and he had a few dozen scratches all over him. He collapsed in a heap.

"Rich!" Spoiled Milk yelled in genuine worry.

The four ponies ran to him, but he brushed them away.

"I'm... Fine." He grabbed Granny. "You need to move fast."

"Why?"

"Rose, Rarity, Derpy, and that tree girl were all kidnapped by Sunset Shimmer. It took some doing - but I tracked them all the way through the Forest. Luckily she was too tired to teleport once they were there or I would have lost the trail..." he took a breath.

"Where is it Filthy?"

"Just north of the blue pit. You know where that is?"

"Yeah. Ah do. That's deep in the Forest, Filthy. How in Equestria did you...?"

"Full gallop..." Spoiled Milk dragged him to a couch which he promptly fell onto. "I... would help more but... I think I need to stop."

"You've gone above and beyond, Filthy. Get some rest."

"Where's Surprise?"

Granny bit her lip, glancing at Spoiled Milk. The mare was putting a blanket on Rich and doting over him. Granny shook her head. "She was captured. Ah'll tell you about it later, just let Spoiled here take care of you. We have to go. Big Mac! Vinyl! Let's move!"

Bic Mac and Vinyl were at her back in less than a second, ready. Vinyl's horn blinked again but nopony gave it any attention.

"Here's what we're doing," Granny said. "We're going to charge right over there, rescue Surprise, Rose, and all the others. Got it?"

Big Mac and Vinyl nodded.

"Let's get them - move your cabooses!" Granny galloped out the door, the two others close behind.

Spoiled Milk stared after them, features vacant.

"...Milk?" Rich asked.

"...She really is quite a mare, that Granny Smith..."

"She is, glad you agree," he chuckled softly. "I owe her so much."

"...I do as well... Now."

Rich smiled. "She has a habit of doing that. Don't feel obliged to repay her for whatever it was - she hates that - she just wants to see your good side."

Spoiled Milk nodded slowly, putting a towel on Rich's forehead. She had a lot to think about.

~~~

Rarity came to in a cell. The room was black, the floor was dirt, and iron bars split the square space in half. In the side Rarity was in she saw Roseluck, Derpy, and Tree Hugger, all in varying states of consciousness. On the other side of the bars was a locked chest - presumably containing their belongings. There was also a window in a door that told her it was still day - which day, though, she didn't know. Could be next week for all she knew. It was darker than she thought it should be.

She trotted up to the bars and lit her horn - she tried to reach through them but was stopped by some kind of spell. Of course, this cell had to be an anti-unicorn room. Her one thing, the pride of her race, useless, just like always. Her hoof was too large to fit between the bars and her tail was useless.

"Let me try," Derpy said, sticking her wing through the gap - but it didn't reach out far enough to do anything. "Aw..."

"Nice try girls..." Roseluck said, face grim. She examined the lock on the cell. "Did anyone have a hidden hairpin or anything?"

"I did," Tree Hugger said. "I think they found them all. Still looking though."

"I expected as much... Mine were gone as well... All of them..." Roseluck shivered at the resulting thought. "Usually this is the part where we try to escape ourselves but inevitably are forced to wait for the doctor to save us."

Rarity looked down. "Maybe that's a good idea this time..."

Roseluck sighted. "Rarity... You don't..."

At that moment the door to the room opened, revealing Bon Bon, Surprise on her back. The white pegasus groaned, shifting slightly.

"Back away from the cell door," Bon Bon ordered. The four ponies backed away as ordered, leaving Bon Bon enough room to unlock the cell and toss Surprise in. She locked it back up and left the building without a world, though she did fix Rarity with a pitying glance.

Rarity shook her head - why was that mare wasting her time feeling sorry for her? It was pointless.

Surprise groaned, opening her eyes slowly. The two orbs shot open in alarm when she fully recognized their presence. She recoiled instantly from the four of them, tossing the four of them to the far wall with a burst of magic. They were bewildered, but otherwise unhurt.

"Surprise!" Roseluck called. "Calm down! It's just us! We're captured as well..."

Surprise blinked a few times. "...Rose?"

"Yes. It's me. Rose. This is Derpy, Rarity, and Tree Hugger, remember?"

Surprise nodded slowly. "...Yes. The house."

"That's right. We hid out in the Doctor's house, but Sunset fooled us. You?"

"Rich's. Bon Bon. Darts..." She rubbed her neck and shook her head, trying to clear the sedatives out of her system. She found herself looking at the door, a pained expression forming on her face. "I'm back..."

"Yes..." Roseluck said. "You are. But you don't have to stay he-"

"I'm back!" She shouted, spreading her wings and pushing against the cell bars. They wobbled slightly from the strain but otherwise didn't budge. She created a few dozen energy spheres and launched them at the lock to no effect. She sent magic into her wings and tugged on the bars physically - but the spells vanished to nothing the moment they made contact with the enchanted iron. She roared, a sound that was painful to hear both physically and emotionally, sharking her cellmates.

"Surprise! Stop! It hurts! You're hurting us!" Roseluck shouted.

Surprise stopped instantly, curling into a ball. She rolled into a corner, crying and rocking back and forth, forth and back.

Roseluck sighed. "...Surprise, we aren't mad..."

Surprise gave no indication she even heard Roseluck - she just kept rocking back and forth eternally.

Tree Hugger shook her head. "That's one shaken up pony... She needs to learn to chill after this is over."

Derpy nodded in agreement. Without really knowing why, Rarity walked up to Surprise, looking at the pegasus with sad eyes. "I feel you."

Surprise opened a tearful eye to look at Rarity.

"I messed up too. Though, unlike you, I've been messing up constantly for a long time. I just didn't see it."

Rarity saw she had Surprise's full attention now. "All of this. I... I made it worse. I screamed at Derpy - nopony saw Aloe get taken. I screamed at Golden - she was taken. I refused help from Tree Hugger. I attacked everypony - even Berry. And then I wasn't strong enough. I saw into the cycles, leading the Geist right to that house... Then I couldn't take it, I ran to my parents and then Sunset... She..." Rarity choked on her tears. "She burned my dad Surprise! Because of me! If I had only been stronger... Or better... We may have been out of this situation by now! We might be home free! heck, I could not have caused so much fuss and never thrown that stupid party! Would that have helped? Would it!?"

Surprise pulled the unicorn filly into a hug. "Shh... It's okay... It's okay..." Surprise said with her soft voice. "I ran away. I couldn't return. I avoided. I gave up. I ran... I was weak. I never stood up to her. I didn't trust Granny." She hugged her tighter. "We all ruin everything."

Rarity laughed softly. "We do, don't we?" She choked, letting her tears flow freely now. She didn't care who saw anymore.

Rarity knew, deep down, only parts of this were her fault. Sunset and the government probably carried the most blame - but ponies like her and Surprise weren't blameless. If only they had been better... Well, things would have turned out much differently than how they were going now. Much differently...

Rarity pulled herself from Surprise, wiping her face. She turned to Derpy and Tree Hugger. "I'm sorry. I still don't like either of you. But..." She sighed. "I was still wrong."

Derpy smiled. "It's okay. I don't mind much anyway."

Tree Hugger smirked, sticking out a hoof. "We're good, Rars. You were the only one who really cared."

"Still..." She met Tree Hugger's hoof with her own, the bump echoing through the room. Rarity chuckled. "Can't believe I'm doing this..."

"The waves of the universe have a way of bringing surprises."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "You lost me."

"It happens."

Rarity nodded, turning to Roseluck. "I'm sorry for running off."

Roseluck shook her head. "Of all the things you did, that was the most understandable. Almost all fillies your age would run to their parents. I know I would have... I'm truly sorry for what you've been put through. You're... You're far too young."

"We'll see about that," Rarity said, turning to Surprise. "...Do you have anything to help us?"

Surprise closed her eyes. "...Granny is coming here. Can't find the Doctor."

Roseluck and Derpy froze. Derpy shook her head. "There's... No way the Geist got to him... is there?"

"If we could perform that ritual..." Tree Hugger muttered, looking out at the box of their belongings beyond the bars. "If only we had a way to get that..."

Rarity flicked her mane out of her eyes, trying to think of something. Her hair fell back over her face, annoying her at first - but then she grinned. "Hair lasso."

"What?" Derpy said.

"Surprise, take my tail hair, tie it into a lasso with that graceful magic of yours. Then we toss it around the box and bring it closer to us. We can use wings to sift through it since they fit through the bars..."

Tree Hugger smiled. "I like these vibes! Do me too, Surprise, I have some radical locks!"

Surprise raised her wings and cut off the tail hairs of both mares. She quickly straightened all the threads into a rope and fused them together with her magic. She tied it into a noose shape, smirking.

"Perfect!" Rarity said, rubbing her tail-less rear absent-mindedly. "Now throw it!"

"I'll do that," Roseluck said, grabbing the hair lasso. "I have experience." She twirled the rope above her head and let it fly - landing perfectly around the box. She slowly pulled it towards the bars, grinning.

Derpy clapped her hooves. "Yay Rose!"

"The Doctor doesn't choose just anypony to be his companion," Roseluck commented coyly. "Tree Hugger, what do you need for the ritual?"

Tree Hugger pointed out what she needed and Derpy dragged it out. "We also need a source of magic," Tree Hugger added.

Surprise raised a wing.

"...Yeah, I'm sure that'll work fine."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I suddenly have doubts."

"Well, it's always implied to be unicorn magic, but I'm sure I can make it work. Assuming it doesn't overload."

"...Sure," Rarity said, backing down. They didn't need her harping on them.

Tree Hugger set up the circle. "Okay, everypony sit down on a point of the star..." Everypony did so. "Surprise, give us some magic in the center."

Surprise did as asked - shooting magic into the center of the circle. Tree Hugger didn't even get to chant - everything went black instantly.

Surprise and Rarity stood in a place Rarity had grown familiar with - the empty darkness and the semi-present ground. The Doctor appeared before them, blinking rapidly. "...What?"

"Hey, Doc," Rarity said. "We're contacting you with Tree Hugger's ritual. You're not eaten by the Geist are you?"

The Doctor blinked. "Why... No! We found a way to the Geist's plane of origin. We're with Aloe!"

Surprise smiled. "Good!"

"What's happening on your end?"

Rarity shook her head. "We're sitting in a cell, the two of us along with Tree Hugger, Derpy, and Rose."

"Oh..." the Doctor said, biting his lip. "I probably shouldn't tell you much then, she might try to get it out of you. Know that Cheerilee, Derpy, and Aloe are safe. We're still looking for Applejack."

"...Golden?" Rarity asked.

The Doctor forced a smile. "Oh, we saw her too."

Surprise narrowed her eyes. "She's not safe."

The Doctor sighed. "...No, she's not. The Geist has her."

Rarity took in a sharp breath. "Okay... Okay... Do what you can."

"Already planning on it."

"And tell Berry I'm sorry. For... Everything."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "...Okay? Surprise, do you know where Granny is?"

"Heading here," Surprise answered.

"Okay... That changes things. I'm not sure if I'll be able to save you or not, so try to escape on your own if you can. And Surprise - I think you're the key to fixing all of this. I'm just not sure how yet. Okay?"

Surprise nodded.

Then they were back in the cell.

Sunset was standing over top of all five of them, furious. Her veins were throbbing, her breathing accelerated, and eyes twitching.

Rarity stood up, met Sunset's glare, and stuck her tongue out.

"...Time to make you re-learn what fear is, filly," Sunset growled.

Rarity shrugged. She was already terrified. She just cared less about it now.

IX - Surrounded by Secrets

Inside one of the base's buildings, there was a table.

On either side of the table was a pony.

On the far side was Sunset Shimmer, her front legs on the table, her hooves pressed together, her eyes narrowed and contemplative.

On the near side was Surprise - her wings and legs tied up with neon blue anti-magic ropes. Even without her powerful wings, she still managed to communicate her power with her deep, intense eyes that locked with Sunset's own.

Neither blinked for the longest time.

"...You know..." Sunset spoke first. "It didn't have to be this way"

Sunset didn't move an inch.

"You were doing good work here - work that, may I remind you, you volunteered for. We were on the verge of a breakthrough and you would have made history. The world would always remember us. But now...? Look where we are. We didn't trust each other, and it's all falling apart."

Surprise twitched visibly, a slight scowl forming on her face.

"All I did was for your own good."

"She's gone," Surprise blurted.

"Yes. She is. She was getting in the way. It had to be done."

Surprise refused to dignify that with a response.

"You can come back, you know. I'll take you back in. We can still search for the secret. Solve the mysteries of magic itself." Sunset paused. "...We could even give you more free time once this whole Geist thing is taken care of."

Surprise's glare didn't falter.

"Surprise..." Sunset said. "You won't get anything for defiance. You'll just be locked up. You can't pull out now, it's too far along. I will use you, willingly or not."

"Not," Surprise said.

"Can't you see it's in both our best interests to work as one? To be a team again? There is a monster out there - one we are responsible for!"

"You."

Sunset bristled. "You aren't blameless. I only went there because you stopped cooperating."

"You took her."

"Years ago! You should have gotten over it!"

"Over my daughter!?"

"You barely even knew her! How can that thing that had barely stopped being a fetus hold such control over you?"

Surprise screamed, trying to unfold her wings and failing. This did not stop the scream of utter rage.

Sunset slapped her. "You're a grown mare!"

Surprise growled. "...Hypocrite."

"You'd do best not to enrage me further."

Surprise stuck her tongue out. Making Sunset mad was exactly what she wanted.

Sunset knew this, and it just grated against her further. "Why can't you see? This is only going to give you living Tartarus!"

"Serving you was living Tartarus."

This gave Sunset pause, doubt crossing her face for a second. She shook her head - banishing the line of thought. "Fine then. We're enemies. It... It saddens me, but that's that." She folded her front legs again. "Cooperate or I start hurting ponies."

"You'll hurt them anyway."

Sunset frowned - she preferred a quiet Surprise by a long shot. "They'll be set free and left alone. You have my word."

Surprise shook her head. Sunset's scowl deepened. This pegasus really didn't believe her. But it wasn't like Sunset was lying now - she had meant every word she said since the start of this conversation! They would be let go. They had so little use to her, so long as they all agreed not to go running to Celestia...

Sunset leaned back in her chair, pursing her lips. "I guess I'll make them disappear then, to be fair. You'll never know what happened to them. They'll just be gone without a trace, leaving their close ones to suffer for eternity. Do you want that? Do you want to consign dozens of ponies to that torment? Cause you sure seem to hate it!"

Surprise cracked. "Me? Stop you from doing something horrible? Ha! Like I could! You're just psychotic and evil. Nothing I do is going to change that! Go ahead, I'll rest easy knowing I screwed you over like you screwed so many others in your filthy time on this planet!"

Sunset launched a fireball at her, launching the pegasus through the door and out into the base proper. "Agent! take her back to her cell! Now!"

Bon Bon did as was asked. She carted a giggling Surprise away quickly, leaving Sunset alone

The fiery unicorn sighed, looking at her own reflection in the window. Gone was the powerful mare she'd been barely a week ago - or even just a moment ago. In her place was a frantic mess who was unable to clean up her own mess. Make one hard call, a friend condemns you forever. Make one mistake, you might doom the world. You're cursed, Sunset. Her eyes were tired, her mane was mangy, her coat was dirty... it was all finally taking its toll on her.

She should never have let Surprise ever hold that kid. That was where everything started going downhill. The white pegasus had gone from happy with her place in the world to dissatisfied and defiant because of that one variable... Sunset didn't understand. She couldn't understand. That filly hadn't even been named. How had it caused all this!?

Bon Bon returned to the room. "Sunset?"

Sunset put on her commanding face. "Yes?"

"What now?"

"We question the others. Then..." she sighed. "If we can't think of anything, we're done."

"You don't think Surprise will help with the Geist?"

"...I think she'll do that - she hates it just like us - but... beyond that, nothing. Which means all our work is next to useless."

Bon Bon nodded. "I'm sorry."

Sunset's ears twitched. "I'm not admitting defeat this easily - bring me the other prisoners one at a time. After that, go find Granny Smith. She's formed a connection with Surprise. It's ripe to be exploited..." She smirked. "Yes... Yes, I'm not done yet, universe! I'll show you yet!"

Bon Bon looked at her boss with concern.

"Just see to it. It's time to fight."

Bon Bon obliged, leaving to grab the others.

~~~

Rarity was dumped unceremoniously into a chair in front of Sunset. Sunset grinned the grin that only a pony who had gone slightly mad could manage. "Hello, little Rarity."

"Hello, baconface," Rarity snarked.

"Right to the insults I see? Predictable bratty child."

Rarity narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

"So, you're the last one I need to talk to. Isn't that an honor? Roseluck wouldn't crack, that Tree Hugger never said anything that made sense, and Derpy just wouldn't stop crying. Seems you're all convinced I'm the bad guy. I'm not, you know. I'm trying to make Equestria a better place. I'm trying to stop this mess."

Rarity huffed. "Don't care."

"I should have expected as much from a child," Sunset shrugged. "Oh well. Let's just start from the top shall we? What were you doing in that cell?"

"Praying to the Geist not to eat us."

"Wrong. You were contacting the Doctor through a ritual," Sunset said. "I'm not clueless - I got that much."

"Want a medal?"

"Oh, that'd be nice, wouldn't it? A medal for little mean Sunset. Wouldn't that be fun."

"...I think you're losing it."

"You've seen the patterns too," Sunset said. "You know."

Rarity blinked. She felt it too. "...What's it feel like?"

"I can see the entire world but I know not what to make of it. I know I 'm close to understanding everything around me, but I cannot complete the puzzle. I am so close! I have the resources, the minds, the power! I just need a little more!"

Rarity grinned. "That's it exactly! You could use that portal!"

"What portal?" Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know, the one-" Rarity slapped her hooves over her mouth, whimpering.

Sunset smirked. "I suppose I'll answer the question for you. It's the portal at the Tree of Harmony - the one I created when Surprise had crossed the last line. The one that told the Geist how to get here. The one the Doctor and his friends escaped into. Apparently, it's perfectly safe. You were successful in contacting him."

Rarity refused to say anything.

"Afraid of telling me some more information? Letting something slip? Rarity, what would I do to you with such information? After the Geist is dealt with I will just let you all go. The only reason you're here now is because you might have something that can help. Can you think of anything?" Sunset looked at her with pleading eyes.

Rarity shook her head.

"Please, Rarity. I'm just trying to fix my mistake."

Rarity paused, looking sunset in the eyes. She still saw the mare driven to absurd methods by herself, but she also saw the tired and broken unicorn behind that. A pony that was probably on the verge of just throwing themselves into that magic portal regardless of any possible consequences.

Somepony like Rarity herself.

Rarity sighed. "Okay... They found Aloe. She's safe. Golden's in the Geist. Applejack's still missing. He specifically didn't tell me much, he knew you were going to question me."

"That's fine - his problem," Sunset said. "Anything else? Anything at all?"

She frowned. "...The cycles that make up the Geist are connection cycles. Or combining. Some magic of that kind."

Sunset's eyes widened. "...There's something I didn't know."

"Can you use it to stop it?"

"...I don't think so..." She rammed her head into the table. "Why doesn't anything work!?"

"You okay...?"

"No! I'm not okay! You can't tell me anything! Nothing useful from any of you! I can't use the Doctor's toys, I can't stop the Geist, it's all ruined because you can't think of anything!"

"I... I'm sorry..." Rarity thought very hard, thinking back. "Uh... I didn't get a good look but... Vinyl might have done something to it...?"

"What?"

"I don't know!"

"Come on! Remember!"

"I can't!"

"Are you going to leave me like this!?"

"Me? No I-" Rarity stopped in her tracks as she realized something. "Hey! I know this trick!"

Sunset blinked. "What."

"Take pity on me oh woe is me help me!" she growled. "Get over yourself."

Sunset leaned back - and smiled sinisterly. "Well, I guess I tried. Tried to be reasonable. Tried to get information and help legitimately. I always try that first - it's... a much better method. But you're all so convinced I'm the bad guy. Fine then." She slammed her hoof on the table, cracking it in half. "Time to fill my role."

She grabbed Rarity with her magic, squeezing her hard enough to prompt tears. She tore the door off its hinges and charged outside, drawing the attention of all the soldiers and scientists. She marched right to the holding cell, opening the door considerably more delicately than the previous one. She tossed Rarity back in, knocking her head against a back wall. "So! Here's the deal, prisoners! I'm getting desperate. I'm beginning to suspect you all have nothing useful to offer me - but you know what? I don't care! I'm done! Screw this, screw you. Surprise? You're now Geist-bait. Roseulck? I'm charging you with trespassing and treason. And as for you three kids, you'll go free. But you'll be sent far, far away from Ponyville, out of Equestria, so you'll never see your families again! And you know the best part? I can do all this without retribution! It'll all be legal! Just exploit the foster care system - it isn't hard. We'll find Granny as well - charge her with something - and then you're all done! All of you! You'll wish the Geist took you to that magical Realm! I certainly won't stop it if it comes to get you!"

"You monster!" Roseluck shouted.

Sunset sighed. "Sure. Fine. I'm the monster. You pushed me to this though. Until now, everything I did had a purpose. But nopony cooperated, and now we have this huge mess! So I'm done trying. My life is ruined, so is yours. Deal with it." She slammed the door shut, leaving the five of them alone in the cell.

Rarity trembled. "She... She's serious, isn't she?"

"There's... No way she can do all those things, right Rose?" Derpy asked.

Roseluck refused to respond.

Rarity gulped- she couldn't help feeling like this was her fault. Again.

~~~

The Doctor was leading the group of pony essences through the Thaumic Fabric, searching through the Everfree Forest for Grany's group. his vision had become completely adjusted to the Thaumic Fabric at this point; he could make out trees, manitcores, poison joke - and even insects if they were moving. The details were still muddled by the spirals. He doubted he could figure out what anypony was saying like this. But that probably wouldn't matter - what he had was enough. All they needed to do was find Applejack.

They were moving in relative silence - occasionally Cheerilee and Aloe would whisper to each other and Berry would ask the Doctor a question, but otherwise they moved in silence. They ignored the scenery - they just searched, searched, and searched. They'd covered most of the area Granny could be already.

"They're probably at the base by now," Berry said. The Doctor realized she was probably right - so he changed direction to the base without so much as a word. Aloe and Cheerilee followed suit.

The Doctor took a moment to reflect - here he was in the Thaumic Fabric with two beginners and a mare who'd been here far too long, trying to rescue a filly from a monster beyond anypony's comprehension. It was baffling to him - how could such a thing come to exist within the Thaumic Fabric? What was it? It sure didn't seem material... Magic needed something in the real world to be attached to, the only exception were things that had physically entered the Thaumic Fabric from somewhere else, like himself. What did it mean?

His ponderances didn't make it far - a spark appeared on the edge of his senses. "Hey!" he called.

The spark let out a voice wave. "Huh?" The unsure voice of Applejack came to his ears - soft, shaky, and scared. "...Doctor?"

"Yeah... It's me. Cheerilee, Berry, and Aloe as well."

"Hey!" Berry called. "You feeling okay?"

Applejack made a sniffing sound. "...Granny's ignoring me. I keep calling... Poking... Flashing... Nothing..."

The Doctor looked on ahead - he saw the essences of Granny, Big Mac, and Vinyl standing at the edge of the base's clearing, examining the ponies within closely. Applejack poked Vinyl's horn again, making its magics surge - but none of the three ponies looked at it. "What's wrong?"

Aloe floated in. "...They see it. They just don't know it's you."

"But why not?" Applejack cried. "I'm right here! I'm me!"

"Not right now you're not," Aloe said, monotone. "You're a spark of magic, l like us. We're not ourselves. Not even ponies."

Applejack made crying sounds from her spark.

Cheerilee flashed. "...How's she doing that?"

"Thinking tear sounds," Aloe said. "Crying on the inside, as it were."

"It - it's not funny!" Applejack blurted.

"...I'm not laughing."

Applejack fell silent, letting out the occasional sob. "I just want to be with them..."

"We can take you home!" Berry said, grinning. "We have a portal! it's actually somewhat close by!"

"Really?"

"Really," Cheerilee confirmed.

"Let's go now," Applejack said."Ah... Ah need Granny."

"We should check in on Surprise first," the Doctor said. "She'll be in... That building there. I can see her. Easily."

Surprise's signature in the Thaumic Fabric was unlike anything any of them had seen. She was as bright as a unicorn in all parts of her body. She seemed to flicker like the forms of the Doctor and company, giving her the impression of being both in the Fabric and the real world. The cycles of magic around her stretched with every breath she took, letting the Fabric know she was in charge.

The Doctor approached her. "Amazing... I wonder if this is what Celestia's shadow looks like..."

"Huh?" Surprise said - in a voice the Doctor could hear.

"...Surprise? Can you hear me?"

"Yes! - I hear the Doctor," she said, her spark sending out bolts of speech into the Thaumic Fabric.

"Amazing..." the Doctor said. "You're attached to the Thaumic Fabric somehow. I don't think anypony even knew! This explains so much! Surprise - can you see the patterns? The... Things I'm moving?"

"Yes," she admitted. "Only after I saw the Geist."

"So, you connected to it somehow. Or it just let you realize something in yourself... Yes..." He would have grinned if he was able. "She can close that portal!"

"What? Why'd you do that?" Applejack yelled.

"After we get back," the Doctor hastily said. "She can close it and stop any other 'Geists' from showing up. Part of the problem - solved!"

"Shush, trying to listen to the Doctor," Surprise chided somepony they couldn't hear.

"Right, right..." the Doctor shook his head. "We need to get you out of there, Surprise. We need to get you to the portal so no more ponies will be drawn to its mind-tearing grasp!"

"Right," Surprise said.

"How do we get her out?" Berry asked. "She's a super-pegasus! What can we do?"

"Granny, Mac, and Vinyl are making plans over there," Aloe said. "They aren't very good ones."

"Well then we'll just give them some assistance..." the Doctor grinned. "Applejack, do you mind waiting a bit before going home?"

"Ah... Ah think Ah can wait. And help. what do you need, Doc?"

"This is a top-secret military-science installation. There are going to be a lot of magical devices laying around. Unstable magical devices. So..." he smirked. "It's time to go haunting!"

~~~

Granny looked at Big Mac - then Vinyl. "You got the plan?"

"Eeyep!" Big Mac affirmed. Vinyl just nodded with a determined expression.

"Good. Before we do it - Ah want y'all to know how proud Ah am of both of you for comin' this far. Big Mac, you're makin' the whole Apple family proud. Vinyl, you had no reason to come help us at all, but you've stuck with us through this whole mess. You're a good kid - better than most adults!"

Vinyl smiled coyly.

"Now... We're gonna bust Surprise out and teach this dump a lesson or two. Then we're going to find Applejack and tell Celestia what her student's up to with all the evidence we can get! We're takin' this place down!"

"Yeah!" Big Mac cheered.

"Vinyl, you're up girl. Do your thing."

Vinyl lit her horn - creating a light that looked awfully similar to an Everfree Light. She sent it into the camp, followed by another magic light, and another. The lights drifted lazily into the camp, catching the eye of many ponies. The effect was instant - they began to panic. They glanced back and forth between what they were doing and the "Lights", but besides a few picking up weapons and taking up positions, the rest went about their work. It just put them on edge. Apparently, Everfree Lights didn't always mean Geist here.

"That's not distractin' them very well..." Big Mac said, frowning. "It seems to be makin' them more watchful if anythin'."

Granny scowled. "Can you agitate the lights Vinyl?"

Vinyl shook her head. She created a new one of a higher energy level, but couldn't alter it after it was created.

Big Mac facehooved. "We need a new distraction."

"We don't have one," Granny muttered. "We're just goin' to have to charge in..."

At that point, one of the laboratories exploded in a cloud of rainbow energy. The deactivated crystals on the opposite side of the clearing began flashing like mad and the horns of many unicorns started blinking rapidly. Chaos broke out - ponies ran around, trying to deal with the malfunctioning magic equipment, only to get a tingle in their wings or a flash in their horn. The earth pony workers were fine - but were scared by the panicked scrambling of the others. A laboratory window blew out, spewing red smoke into the sky.

"...What in Equestria...?" Big Mac said.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" Granny said. The three of them ran as one - making a beeline right for the prison building. Nopony paid them any mind - there was too much magical exploding chaos.

That is, nopony but Bon Bon. She launched at them from the side, tackling Vinyl to the ground. "Nice trick," she said. "But your Everfree Lights leave a trail."

Vinyl shot Bon Bon with a blast of blue magic. Bon Bon shifted to the side, dodging the bolt and kicking Vinyl right under the horn, stopping the magic flow to and from her brain. Vinyl froze in panic - she had never felt this before.

Granny and Big Mac continued running for the holding cell, ready to bust in the back wall - only thirty yards away. Bon Bon didn't waste time - she bounded after them, her extremely agile body making her much, much faster. She grabbed Granny's back legs and with a twist dislocated the limb from the old mare's hip. Granny fell to the ground with a howl of pain.

Big Mac kept running, eyes on the target. Fifteen yards. He knew Bon Bon was right behind him and that she'd have him subdued the moment she touched him. All she needed was one touch and she was in control - to make this all for nothing. All he needed to do was ensure he crashed into that wall... For Applejack.

His sister was lost somewhere with some horrible creature because of these ponies. And this particular mare had already made a fool of him - twice. He couldn't let that happen again - nopony made a fool of Big Macintosh three times. He heard her hooves hit the dirt behind him - light, agile, and precise. he knew she was going for his back legs, just like she'd gone for Granny's. She'd yank it out of his pelvis and he'd fall to the ground...

Unless he performed the most perfect buck in pony history.

He leaped into the air slightly, just enough to land forcefully on his front hooves. Pushing off the ground with all his might, he extended his back legs in the way he would if he were trying to fell a dead tree. Bon Bon had some time to react - enough to cover her face with her front legs, but not enough to get out of the way. Big Mac's back hooves made contact with her hastily arranged front limbs, pressing them into her face. She was sent flying backwards, end over end, landing on her rear in the dirt.

She got back up and continued pursuit immediately - but it was too late. Big Mac took four more bounds and crashed into the back wall with all his power. A properly constructed structure would have resisted his power, but this wall had been hastily slapped together only a few days prior. It wasn't soft, but it crumbled away from the impressive force big Mac brought to bear. He flopped into the cell, laying next to Surprise. "...Ow..."

Surprise wasted no time - she flew out of the opening and glared at Bon Bon. The agent stopped her advance instantly. The two stared at each other.

Bon Bon sighed. "You don't have to do this, Surprise."

"Yeah, she does!" Granny shouted. "Teach 'em all a lesson! get 'em to find Applejack!"

"The Doctor already found her!" Roseluck yelled. "She's fine!"

"Oh thank Celestia... Surprise. These ponies still need to pay."

Rarity called out of the cell. "I... No! They don't! They're trying to fix their mistakes!"

"They need to pay for their mistakes!" Granny shouted. "Give it to her Surprise! Do it!"

Surprise took one look at Bon Bon - then once to Granny, then once to Rarity. She blinked, power surging through her wings...

She pointed a wing at Bon Bon and launched her deep into the Everfree Forest. With the next wing she turned the rest of the cell to rubble. She rose into the air - staring down at all the ponies beneath her, watching them panic at the flashing magics and Everfree Lights. She raised a wing, destroying another building. The scientists began to flee and the soldiers turned on her, tossing spears at her and firing off lasers. She deflected them all with a magic shield.

Sunset made no appearance to challenge her. Surprise had free reign to do whatever she wished. Nopony could stop her. There might as well not have been an opposing force.

Rarity gulped. Ponies were getting hurt all around - she couldn't watch. She told herself she should just be happy she was free. She shouldn't worry a bit about what was happening to the bad ponies...

Ponies who just made some mistakes...

Next to Granny, BIg Mac shook his head. "Granny... This is wrong. We... Ah didn't think it needed to come to this."

Granny snorted. "She's not killin' them, they're fine. These ponies destroyed Surprise's life, experimented on ponies, and are responsible for the Geist. This place deserves to be wiped from the face of Equis."

Big Mac baked a few steps from Granny - he knew when not to question her further. This was the decision she'd made- he didn't have to live it.

Surprise razed the base to the ground - simply wiping away what she found annoying. She was done being submissive.

It was time to find Sunset.

~~~

Sunset Shimmer stood at the edge of the clearing with a clear bottle held in her magic. She took a swig and watched the base - her base - burn. all her work, all her sweat, all her tears, much of her life... Destroyed by a mare who hated her for trying to help her.

If only she knew. Sunset would never tell Surprise now - the pegasus had gone too far - but if Surprise knew... She'd lose all her motivation, her drive. She'd realize she was wrong.

But no - Surprise would never get that now. All of them - they were all dead to Sunset. Every last one of them had been a pain in her side for far too long. She was wiping her hooves of all this. She took another swig - and considered teleporting to the portal and jumping in, taking her chances with the Geist. She knew she'd be at home in there... That all her questions would be answered...

She felt it call to her...

She looked at the bottle - half-empty. She'd go when she was done - the portal could wait a few minutes. After all, she'd just lost everything. All she had left to care about were things she hated or hated her.

She'd tried to change Equestria, and it had rejected her.

So here she was. Watching it burn.

She had no idea what she was doing here. She had no more plan, no thoughts, no reason.

Why couldn't she take her eyes off the destruction?

~~~

"Well... There we go," the Doctor said, a little off-put by the destruction. "We... Should probably return to the portal now."

Cheerilee made no response - she couldn't take her eyes off the jarring waves Surprise was sending throughout the Thaumic Fabric. She watched as invisible blades cut through the patterns around her, shredding them - and her. She yelled, the force tearing at her being and tossing her a fair ways back. She felt her patterns come back together wrong. She still felt like herself, but weaker - looser. This is probably what Golden feels like except a whole lot worse. She made sure not to let any of Surprise's attacks go through her.

Aloe floated to Cheerilee. "I guess I was right."

"Huh?"

"Casting magic clearly destabilizes us," Aloe said. "I've felt weird around unicorns before, but it's strong enough here. I'm sure that, eventually, the magic power would loosen us to an absurd degree."

Applejack spoke up. "Do we need to leave?"

"Don't think it's enough to cause permanent damage yet - souls are powerful things. But I wouldn't want to be here for very long."

The Doctor made a 'hmm' noise. "Is casting magic in and of itself... Unnatural?"

"Can you imagine being stuck in here?" Berry asked. "Forever, without any sleep, slowly being drained away whenever a spell's cast near you... No wonder nothing lives here..."

"Except the Geist," the Doctor muttered. "It draws power from the Fabric itself. But..." He trailed off, mumbling to himself, deep in thought.

Cheerilee shook her head. "Let's... Just go. Get everypony home. We can worry about this later-"

The sound rippled through the Thaumic Fabric, alerting all the ponies to its presence - except Surprise. She was too occupied to pay attention to the Fabric.

Everypony who knew became motionless and silent as the Geist slid into view, floating along, following the trails Surprise was sending out. There was now only one spark within the Geist's core, the rapidly-dimming spirit of Golden. Nopony wanted to think about what had happened to the other one.

The Geist moved towards Surprise, grabbing her spark with its outer layers - but it found that it couldn't take her in. Not all of her was in the Thaumic Fabric, most of it was in fact somewhere else. The Geist knew exactly where. The outer patterns of the beast straightened, spiking into the Fabric, creating a field of Everfree Lights in the air, mixed alongside Vinyl's false lights.The patterns of the Geist began to excite the Fabric, moving the Everfree Lights ever more rapidly, swirling the ancient magics of the fractals around itself in a hurricane. The vibrations of the Everfree Lights did not do justice to how spectacular the portal looked from this end - a section of space folding in on itself until it became a hole. The Geist made the sound - the horrible, gnashing, leafy, scratchy, pouring sound - and rammed its core through the hole in reality. It appeared in the real world bit by bit, changing from an amorphous blob to the rigid many-limbed creature that was flat and yet not, with the light of Golden deep within its central fractal pattern.

It stood still for a moment, allowing all the ponies - the 'heroes', the 'villains', the scientists, the soldiers; Surprise and Sunset - to have a good long look at its horrifying visage.

And then it grabbed Surprise.

X - Sunset

Sunset blinked.

Almost poetic, the sight she was seeing. The Geist appearing just as the sun set on Sunset - both figuratively and literally. She laughed bitterly at the realization, taking another swig of her drink. The bottle was unfortunately empty. She looked at it, contemplative - seeing the form of the Geist grab Surprise through the clear glass. Her eyes widened - the gravity of the situation striking her all at once. The Geist was taking Surprise, perhaps their single greatest weapon against the unnatural being. Sunset hated Surprise with almost all her being right now - but was she really willing to let the pegasus be taken by the Geist where she would likely be lost? Would Sunset let Surprise have a fate in the cycles and answers Sunset wanted? Would she let the Geist win?

No... No, she wouldn't. She had been beaten, battered, and trampled enough as it was. The time had come for that to change. She was going to show the universe that she wouldn't just roll over and take it, not today. She was going out with a bang.

She tossed the bottle against a nearby tree, shattering the glass into a hundred pieces. She lit her entire body on fire, replacing her mane and tail with an intense flaming pyre. Her pupils contracted to minuscule proportions and her coat became white as the moon. Her rage was felt in the minds of all ponies within sight range - even the Geist gave pause.

This was its first mistake.

Sunset appeared in front of the limb that held Surprise, severing it from the Geist's body. It regrew almost instantly, but Surprise was already free. The pegasus pounded the Geist into the ground - only for it to fold-teleport itself above them. Sunset shot a deep red laser - a spell intended to kill - right at the Geist's center. All the limbs disappeared from the impact but the fractal core remained, impervious. The pointed claw-things returned, grasping for the two ponies once more.

Both Surprise and Sunset teleported out of the way, tossing entire trees at the beast with their power. The trees disintegrated into nothing when the touched the Geist's enraged form. The Geist didn't visibly slow from the impacts - it shifted to the ponies' location, trying to grab them from the sides, only to come in contact with dual magic bubbles. It crushed the shielding to discover they had teleported away. They fired lasers, making short-lived holes in the Geist's visage.

All in all, the fight was feeling pretty similar to the previous one. Two powerful mages with support from a bunch of weaker ponies with the Geist shrugging off everything, always intent on its target. This time it was a certain white pegasus instead of a white unicorn, a pegasus who the Geist had finally decided wasn't a threat and therefore was a great victim. It wanted her power badly, so badly it was willing to go through the inconvenience of a fight. Pain was nothing to a being like the Geist who had access to unlimited reserves of regenerative power.

Sunset roared, firing the death spell repeatedly. "Die! Die! Die!"

Surprise said nothing. She simply flew around the Geist in an attempt to confuse it, but it saw everything. Her maneuvers accomplished nothing whatsoever.

A unicorn scientist on the ground brought out a weapon on a still in-tact building: a tower with a bright yellow-blue crystal on top. A bolt of multi-colored lightning shot forth, impacting the Geist with an impressive glow of colors. There was no visible damage. Evidentially it was enough to irk the Geist seeing as the weapon - and the weapon storage building - was destroyed soon after.

It roared - tearing through the base once again. It did what it had done when it had first come through; it laid waste to the clearing, grinding the buildings into dust, letting the ponies know that any reconstruction they'd done might as well have been pointless.

It would keep going until it had what it wanted - a brilliant white pegasus.

~~~

Rarity leaped away from a flying chunk of wall and landed in a heap of dirt. She had long ago been separated from the rest of the group - she was just trying to survive while the giants clashed above. Fire, magic, and wind clashed, accomplishing nothing but destruction, staving off the seemingly inevitable conclusion.

Rarity told herself she'd tried - tried to talk to Surprise, tried to keep further destruction from happening... She also told herself that she could have been better. She could have stopped this if only she'd said something different to Surprise. If only... If...

If Surprise hadn't been so angry...

If Granny hadn't been so rash...

If Sunset hadn't been so broken...

Rarity came to the realization that everything had happened in just the wrong way. So much had to happen just right to get to this particular horror. It was just her luck that she was thrown into this situation where ponies kept messing up further and further...

A flaming rock barreled towards her from across the 'warzone'. She knew she couldn't dodge something that much bigger than herself so she just screamed. it was all she could do; a helpless gesture in front of impending doom.

To her relief she saw a blue magic aura surround the rock, forcing it to drop sharply to the ground, splattering dirt all over her. Rarity rubbed the dirt out of her face and grinned. "Vinyl!"

Vinyl trotted over to her, shielding them from a smattering of smaller rocks. Vinyl glanced from the Geist to Rarity, giving her a confused look. She made a swirling motion with her hoof.

"Oh," Rarity said. "...The spirals. I'd forgotten."

Vinyl frowned questioningly.

"I... I still want to see them badly, but..." She looked at the Geist. "...I don't think it'll take me there now. Not unless I somehow grab its attention - no! Bad Rarity! Geist equals bad!" She slapped herself. "Aaaaaaaaaaaa I wish I'd never seen those patterns..."

Vinyl nodded. She shot a few lasers at the Geist. It didn't pay them any attention - apparently, the two of them were smaller fish now. Or maybe the Geist had just forgotten about them after yesterday.

Vinyl shook her head, pointing at the Geist.

"...Do you have an idea?"

Vinyl nodded.

"...What?"

Vinyl flashed her horn a few times and motioned towards the Geist.

"...You want to move your horn closer to it!?"

Vinyl nodded vigorously.

"Are you crazy!? That's a wartorn landscape covered in broken magical devices! Are you sure you're not being influenced by the cycles?"

Vinyl nodded her head and tapped her temples - all while lighting her horn to stop incoming debris and a loose javelin.

"Does this have to do with what you did at the Apple house?"

Vinyl nodded, grinning a 'this is going to be so awesome' grin.

Rarity shrugged. "...Lead the way, crazy DJ. Try not to get us killed, okay?"

Vinyl smirked at Rarity and pranced off to get closer to the Geist.

A random soldier saw her. "Hey! What's she doing?"

"She's going to the Geist!" another answered.

"That can't be good! Get her!"

Rarity paled. "VINYL!"

Vinyl picked Rarity up with her magic and dodged a few thrown spears. She clenched her teeth and ran towards the Geist - but she wouldn't be able to dodge trained ponies forever...

Roseluck leaped over their heads, landing between them and the soldiers, two javelins in her hooves and a sword in her mouth. She stood there a moment, letting the soldiers take her angry presence in. Vinyl kept running.

The soldiers shook themselves out of their startled stupor, charging Roseluck. Roseluck met them, proving that either she was an amazing fighter or they were all oafs. She easily held her own against four at once, disarming one with the first hit.

Meanwhile, Vinyl and Rarity climbed over mounds of debris and trash approaching ever-closer to the source of the danger: The battle between Surprise, Sunset, and the Geist. Rarity gulped - she couldn't believe she was charging towards this thing again. Strange, since only a day ago she had wanted nothing more than for it to take her.

She looked at the fractal patterns swirling off the Geist as it fought. They tugged at her mind - but not as strongly as before. They seemed less welcoming and more... Normal, like they were unimportant. Like they were just a detail of a larger picture.

She put those thoughts out of her mind - she wasn't in danger of throwing herself into the Geist right now and that was all she needed to know. She could ponder deeply at a later date. She held onto Vinyl for dear life, looking up every so often to see how close they were. The Geist always seemed infinitely far away and yet close enough to touch them at the same time.

It gave her a headache.

~~~

Cheerilee would have gawked if she could. "Doctor! We have to do something!"

"Yes, yes we do..." the Doctor said, almost absent-mindedly.

"Doctor? What do we do?"

"I'm thinking Cheerilee... Why would it want her... Why does it want her brightness... It shouldn't need food... Why..."

"How does that help us!?"

The Doctor didn't respond - he kept thinking.

Cheerilee was overcome with exasperation. "Okay! Since the Doctor's gone all sicence on us, we're going to be the ones to do something. What can we do?"

Berry flashed. "The empty thing the Geist made is still there. The portal-thing."

Cheerilee strained her senses, though she didn't need to. The portal-esque emptiness was still there, a hole to the real world. Cheerilee approached it. "...Let's go!"

"And do what? We aren't exactly warriors," Berry reminded her.

"We'll get Applejack home," Cheerilee said. "That's what. The Doctor can follow us if he wants... after he stops thinking!"

"Mmm, yes..." the Doctor muttered. "Extracting energy from the soul over time... Hunts the brighter... But why?"

Cheerilee let out a sigh. "He's gone mad. Let's move." She took one last look at the Thaumic Fabric - the cycles of magic were no longer calm and graceful, but jarring and upset. The signatures of Sunset and Surprise were heavily disturbing the patterns to no end, but the Geist notably left a near-zero influence on the Fabric, instead creating more of a hole in the action, a calming focus. It was nothing like the world-shaking blob it had been while 'physically' on this side.

Cheerilee decided enough was enough - she tossed herself into the emptiness. Instantly she appeared in the real world as her normal earth pony self - scratches, bruises, dirt, mangy mane and all. She also appeared a meter above the ground - but she didn't notice this, even when she hit the trash beneath her. She was busy reeling from a feeling of loss - like a part of her soul has been taken away. Her heart skipped a beat and she missed a breath and her senses switched off for a split second in reaction. Her stomach turned. She couldn't keep it in, hurling on the damaged ground. After that though... things returned to normal. She stood up - shaky, nauseated - but in enough control that she wasn't in danger of falling over. She checked herself over, satisfied she was back to her old self. She missed the beautiful patterns of the Fabric already - but she had missed her body a lot more.

Berry came out next - experiencing the same pain Cheerilee did. Before Berry had even managed to stand up, Applejack appeared - and screamed. She fell unconscious, dropping into Cheerilee's hooves, limp - but breathing.

Ceerilee reasoned that Applejack had been in the Thaumic Fabric much longer so naturally she'd have a rougher time getting out.

Wait...

Aloe had been in there for days. How bad was it going to be for her?

Berry seemed to have a similar thought because she braced herself. Aloe appeared above them as her vibrant pink self. She screamed like Applejack had - but it wasn't in the fear the young filly had had, nor did Aloe fall unconscious. Aloe landed flat on her feet, shrieking in bloodcurdling rage. "I need to go back! I need to go back now!"

Cheerilee grabbed her by the shoulders. "Get ahold of yourself Aloe! That's the cycles talking! You're fine here!"

"You don't understand! I... I..." She collapsed in a heap, seizing up and shaking violently. Cheerilee shivered in horror - a friend she had been looking for for so long was having a seizure right in front of her. What could she do?

As it turned out, she didn't have to answer that question. The seizure stopped and Aloe opened her eyes.

"...Aloe?" Cheerilee asked. "Are you okay?"

Aloe shot her hooves up, grabbing Cheerilee's neck in a choke hold. "TAKE ME BACK!"

Cheerilee tried to mutter "I can't..." but her windpipe was too strained to even let that out - much tighter and her neck would break or her windpipe would completely collapse. She gagged.

"CHEERILEE IF YOU WERE EVERY MY FRIEND BRING THE CURVES BACK! BRING IT BACK!"

Cheerilee was in enough control of her faculties to know the portal still existed nearby, they just couldn't see it. She was even fairly sure she knew where it was and could climb back through it should she want. But she wouldn't tell that to Aloe. Not that she could anyway, in this state.

She'd just have to suffocate from her friend's chokehold.

Berry thwacked Aloe in the head, knocking her over and twisting Cheerilee's neck. Cheerilee yelled out - her neck didn't break, but it was definitely sprained. Sprained badly. She grabbed the fragile body part with her front hooves, breathing deeply and heavily, trying not to freak out or exasperate the intense, piercing pain.

Aloe twitched. "Why... I will... I'll..." She fell to the ground again, another seizure taking over.This time she did pass out - but only after emptying the contents of her stomach on the ground beneath her.

Cherilee was still breathing hard, trying to transfer oxygen into her body without intense pain. She couldn't stop staring at Aloe - staring in fear, wondering if the pink pony would suddenly shoot up again and try to kill her...

Cheerilee continued focusing on her breathing, but her head reeled. Whether it was from the traumatizing event or the cycles, Cheerilee didn't know. She also didn't care. She just needed a moment to sort her mind out.

It took her a while to realize that no, the Doctor had not come through with any of them - he was still in the Fabric.

What was he doing!?

~~~

Big Mac couldn't believe what he was seeing - or, rather, he couldn't comprehend. He'd seen the Geist before, not a day ago, and it looked the same then as it did now, more or less. Prior experience didn't make the Geist any easier to deal with mentally. It was still impossible, intricate, and moved as if the space around it just wasn't there. How Sunset and Surprise were fending it off at all, he didn't know. He did know the Geist didn't care about what they were doing. There was no danger to it after all.

Big Mac gulped. "That thing is going to rampage across Equestria... And there's nothing anypony can do to stop it."

Granny grunted. "Celestia'll do somethin'!"

"But what if she can't, Granny? What then?"

Granny looked at the rampant destruction around them, face stern. "...Ah dunno, Big Mac. Ah dunno..." A boulder landed near them, showering them in loose dirt.

Big Mac was about to respond, but then he saw Cheerilee on the other side of the clearing. He also saw Berry, Aloe, and... Applejack. He didn't say anything to Granny, he just took off, making a beeline straight through the warzone, eyes set on his sister laying in Cheerilee's hooves. he passed dozens of government ponies, a few of which decided to chuck a spear at him, though he dodged every throw easily. The greatest challenge wasn't going to be misguided government employees - it was the main fight he would pass uncomfortably close to. He crested a hill of dirt and reared onto his hind legs - the Geist had suddenly appeared directly in front of him, a lower limb sending out a shockwave that sent him back. He froze in fear momentarily - unable to move, but unable to take his eyes off the intricate patterns flowing off the Geist's limb. The claws swing wide, pushing him further to the side like a ragdoll. He wasn't even the target - the Geist had swung at Surprise once again, only to have her swerve around the pointed limbs, severing the sharp implements from the body with a razor gust of wind. The claw-things, of course, reappeared almost instantly.

The Geist folded itself away from Big Mac - towards an area where Sunset had set an explosion spell. Big Mac allowed himself to breathe. It was no longer close to him. He was aware of other things again but had to take a moment to solidify his bearing. He saw panicked and sobbing scientists, Rarity and Vinyl walking slowly towards the Geist, and Cheerilee holding Applejack. Once again, without thinking, he galloped towards Applejack, ignoring all the pain in his limbs. He roared - announcing his presence to Cheerilee. She looked at him with a mixture of awe, worry, and relief. "Big Mac!"

He ran to her and swiped Applejack from her legs. The filly was unconscious but breathing - and coughing softly. Still sick but very much alive.

"Thank you..." he said, tears flowing from his eyes. "Ah... You don't know what this means..."

"The Doctor did the most," Berry said. "We're just the mailponies."

"Where is the Doc?"

Cheerilee shrugged. "In the magic place. I have no idea what his deal is, staying there, stuck in thought..."

Big Mac didn't know what this meant and he realized he didn't care. He put Applejack on his back, nodded to the three mares - pausing over the form of Aloe - and ran back toward Granny. He took a more sensible route this time, moving around the edge of the combat zone. Fewer ponies paid him mind, and the danger from the debris was considerably less this far out. Applejack rested uneasily on his back, giving him a constant reminder that he was in charge of his sister's life right now. It was his responsibility to get her safely to Granny - and then home.

He was not going to let some Geist freeze him with fear, no matter how jarring those patterns on it were. He had a sister to save.

~~~

Granny saw nothing but Big Mac running back with her granddaughter for the longest time. The world exploded around her, ponies screamed, and the Geist made noises - but all of that meant nothing to her. Her entire world at the moment was her two grandkids - and only them. She held out a hoof, ready for them to come to her, to her embrace, to laugh, to finally be one again.

The world was fuzzy after that, but she saw Applejack was safe in her embrace, that the search was over, that everything was going to be fine. Her family was safe and everything was fine.

Applejack coughed, bringing Granny's senses back to the real world. The orange filly was still sick - and asleep. Her breaths were uneven and she was covered in dirt.

"We need to leave Granny!" Big Mac yelled.

Grany made no response. She looked up from her grandchild and took in the warzone. It hit her like it was something she hadn't seen before. While she had seen success, justice, and righteousness mere moments before, now she just saw pain, suffering, and cruelty. Dozens of ponies were laying around within her sight range, unmoving, defeated, one loose boulder or another away from being smashed to oblivion.

Granny realized suddenly that she had asked for this. She'd demanded Surprise give these ponies what they deserved. She'd been gleeful at the destruction. But that had been shallow of her. These ponies hadn't taken her granddaughter - she was right here in her hooves to remind her of that - it was just a mistake they made, like Rarity had said. It was very likely many of them had nothing to do with the Geist or the experiments. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And now they were in mortal danger from a monster. The same monster that had taken Applejack.

"Granny!" Big Mac yelled again. "We need to go!"

"We ain't goin' anywhere, Big Macintosh," Granny said, handing Applejack over to him. "There are ponies in pain here. We're going to help them."

"What? How?"

Granny walked up to a weakened soldier and lifted him onto her back. "Like this. We're gonna get these ponies out of danger."

Big Mag gulped. "That's a big job for two ponies... And your hip was-"

"My hip's fine, a dislocation is an easy fix, bah! And Ah'm sure Ah can find some others to help." She looked around, searching for mostly uninjured ponies and found one who looked like the most stereotypical intern of all time. "You! Intern! Help us move these ponies to safety!"

The intern blinked, hesitating for a moment. His training kicked in quickly - follow authority. He hefted a limp mare onto his back and began to carry her to the treeline.

"That's it!" Granny shouted. "Everypony, help those who can't help themselves! Carry them out of danger! Get a move on!"

About three soldiers heard her - and all three dropped their useless attacks and set to work. A unicorn cast a few shield spells to protect the relief effort from incoming debris and loose magic. They set the saved ponies behind the treeline, out of the clearing, away from most of the danger. Big Mac set Applejack alongside the others.

"All right!" Granny shouted. "Let's go back and get more! We're savin' everypony ponies! Move it!"

The soldiers, intern, and Big Mac wasted no time, charging back into the clearing to gather others. A few more soldiers and scientists joined their cause quickly, along with the group Roseluck was fighting. In an instant, every combatant involved with her made an agreement, stopped the duel, and went to help. Roseluck did the same herself.

Granny stared at the prone form of Applejack and smiled. "It'll all be fine, you hear?" Then she charged back into the warzone herself, running through the waves of the sudden relief effort. "That's it! As many as you can carry! The injured, the broken, the battered - all of them!" She picked up a pegasus - the crying, huddled form of Derpy - and ran back to the treeline. Already dozens of ponies were saved from the danger.

However, there were well over a hundred ponies in the base as a whole. They still had a lot of work to do.

"Don't give in! Don't fear the Geist! Just save them!" Granny shouted. "We're fixing this mess!"

~~~

The Doctor was still within the Thaumic Fabric, thinking in overdrive. There had to be a solution here. There had to be. What was the Geist? Why did it act the way it did? What was its weakness?

He watched it - how it moved in the Thaumic Fabric as a calming presence, draining energy directly from the fabric to reform itself in any instant it wished, stretching the patterns like a rope to fold space, and always grabbing for the form of Surprise. The brightest shining star. it should have no need to devour...

...Wait...

"What if it isn't a need?" he shouted to nopony. "What if it's a want?"

What could it possibly want it for? What did it gain from draining souls? what did-

Oh.

Oh Great Whickering Stallions.

He needed to tell somepony. Now.

He leaped through the Geist's portal, falling to the ground next to Cheerilee. He sputtered and gagged - the transition was quite jarring - and he tried to tell her something.

"...Doctor? What is it?" Berry asked.

"He's just crazy..." Cheerilee said, nodding to the soldiers who were taking Aloe to safety. "We should go help the relief effort."

"N-no!" the Doctor muttered, reeling from the lack of beauty. He managed not to hurl, but just barely. "I...I know what the Geist is! And why it does what it does!"

Cheerilee was giving him her full attention now. "Well, what is it!?"

"So, when magic is cast, in the Fabric you feel as if your essence is being spread out, disorganized, right?"

"...Yes?"

"What do you think would happen after, say, a few thousand years of that?"

Cheerilee turned to the Geist and paled. "You don't mean..."

"That used to be a pony - or dragon, or something similar. Probably some ancient mage that did something foolish and ended up stuck in the Thaumic Fabric, doomed to be torn apart over the eons. Losing every shred of what made them who they were, becoming another part of the Fabric itself, becoming a creature that fed off magic forever, connecting itself to the fractals just to ensure it didn't dissipate completely... becoming no better than an animal."

Berry gasped. "It is a lost soul..."

"I suppose you could say that, yes. The thing is, this also explains its other behavior. Why would it need to devour souls? It doesn't - it's not after us for food, for survival. It wants our minds - it wants to reclaim the intelligence and reason it once had. It wants to be itself again, by taking what it can from other ponies!"

Cheerilee shuddered. "That sounds horrible..."

"It is - it connects itself to the magic essence of ponies and slowly disperses the power through itself. And it works - the Geist has gotten more intelligent the more it's taken. It started out on a blind rampage that destroyed the base here several days ago, then switched to stealth and has now started seeking out particular targets now that it is able to fully realize it's invulnerable..."

"How does this help us stop it!?" Cheerilee demanded.

"The soul-draining can - probably, hopefully - be done in reverse! A unicorn could connect itself to the Geist and..." A large piece of ground hit him straight in the face, knocking him down and out.

Cheerilee and Berry stared down at him in shock. A unicorn could connect themselves to the Geist and do what?

"We need to find Vinyl," Berry said.

"I'll find her," Cheerilee said. "You need to get the Doctor to safety. Can you do that?"

Berry grinned. "I'm an earth pony, I can move a full grown pony, easily." She grabbed the Doctor's front legs and pulled him across the dirt. "Hurry! Find Vinyl!"

Cheerilee nodded - setting out into the warzone. The Doctor had already told her half of the plan... But she thought she had a pretty good idea of what needed to be done. She just had to find Vinyl... And not break her throbbing neck.

~~~

Vinyl and Rarity were absurdly close to the Geist. Vinyl was sitting, waiting for the perfect moment to make her move. She had her horn lit, ready to jump into action at a moment's notice. Rarity would normally be complaining about how stupid and dangerous this was, how the Geist, a few soldiers, Sunset, or Surprise could just hit them with crossfire. But she couldn't bring herself to do that - she could only stare at the Geist and its glorious, powerful magics. The patterns called to her - demanding she approach and be one with them. It was taking almost all of Rarity's focus not leap over Vinyl and ram herself into the Geist, just to feel the marks on her skin...

She sneered. "Hurry up, Vinyl."

Vinyl nodded slowly, leaning out of the rock they were hiding behind slightly, examining the Geist's movements. Sunset and Surprise had just moved nearby, so the Geist would probably fold into existence right next to them.

Rarity gasped - the Geist did, in fact, fold itself near them. As in right on top of them, its impressive orange girth hovering in place. It was already attacking Surprise again, so Vinyl only had one chance.

Rarity watched the unicorn leap into the air, horn ablaze in two layers of magic. Vinyl reached for the cycles on the Geist, trying to pull them into her own horn. They started to turn blue...

The Geist folded a claw-thing into existence next to Vinyl and flicked the diminutive unicorn away. She flipped end over end in ragdoll fashion, landing somewhere beyond the treeline, far beyond Rarity's sight.

Rarity froze - Vinyl, the mare with the plan, was out. And Rarity had no idea what she had been trying to do - so she couldn't just go tell anypony to try the same thing.

Their longshot had just been taken out of the picture. What were they going to do now!?

The Geist claw-thing landed right next to Rarity, showering her in dust. It was close enough for her to touch - and it begged her to. The patterns seemed to reach out, cycling towards her, asking her to join them in harmony. Welcoming.

Rarity took a step back. No. No, that wasn't her. She wouldn't succumb to this conditioning, even when all hope seemed lost. There had to be a way to fix this... She'd just have to figure out what Vinyl was trying to do.

She hadn't the foggiest idea how she was going to do that.

The Geist folded itself away, grabbing Surprise only for Sunset to tear the pegasus free once again. The Geist seemed to find this annoying, for it switched tactics and went after Sunset instead, unable to lay a point on her for now.

The battle moved away from Rarity, luckily sparing her any large debris. She shivered - it was going to get them eventually. Rarity could see the two ponies getting tired, getting sloppy. It was only a matter of time...

~~~

Cheerilee was panicked - she couldn't find Vinyl anywhere in the chaos. She could only see ponies scrambling to help the relief effort or trying in vain to harm the Geist. There was no white unicorn with a spiked blue mane anywhere in sight.

She stopped one of the ponies part of the relief effort - Tree Hugger. "Hey! Have you taken Vinyl out? I need to find her..."

Tree Hugger shook her head. "Sorry dude, haven't seen her. I'll ask around. Why you need her?"

"The Doctor needed a unicorn for an... idea. And she's the only one I think will help... It's something about connecting to the Geist and draining it."

"I'll tell her if I find her, don't you worry," Tree Hugger hefted a pegasus with a broken wing onto her back. "Don't stop lookin' though, it sounds like you're the one with our last-ditch attempt at turning this thing around. No pressure - stress will just ruin your demeanor."

"Telling me not to stress doesn't make me stress less!"

"Just chill," Tree Hugger said, galloping back to the treeline. Cheerilee twitched - chill? How was she supposed to chill? The fate of everypony was in her hooves right now and she really wasn't cut out for this! She...

...She saw Rarity in the distance, near the center of the fight. Cheerilee blinked. Hadn't she seen Rarity with VInyl just a few minutes ago? Maybe Rarity knew. She just had to get to her.

...Close to the Geist...

Cheerilee shook her head. Now was not the time to hesitate. She took off towards the Geist, tripping over her own hooves as she ran. She wasn't graceful, she wasn't careful, and she most certainly wasn't thinking this through, but she was determined. She leaped over heaps that were once buildings, injured ponies, and random trash - right towards the source of all magical death beams, hurricane-like torrents, and flying debris. She had her eyes set on the small white form of Rarity, ready to do whatever was necessary.

Then she really tripped, toppling head over hooves into the ground, slamming her head on a rock, shooting pain into her head and neck. She didn't pass out but the ringing in her head disoriented her for more than the fumble would have normally. She stood up, wobbling, and began to hobble toward Rarity. "Rarity?" she yelled, swaying from side to side. Her vision was blurring "Rarity!"

Did Rarity's ears even perk up? They must have - right. She heard Cheerilee. "Rarity! Where's Vinyl?!"

Rarity made no response - she wasn't even looking at Cheerilee, as far as she could tell. Cheerilee put a hoof to her head and collapsed to the ground once more. Her head throbbed, the pain of a hammer banging on her skull from the inside every second. She felt the world fade around her...

No... she told herself - she had to keep going. She stumbled forward, standing up and falling over and over again. "Rarity!" she yelled. "Rarity!"

Rarity really heard her this time, turning to look right at her. She moved closer - but froze, looking at something behind Cheerilee. She shook her head in fear.

Cheerilee frowned - she could see the Geist in front of her. What could be behind her?

She heard something whistle through the air. She was unable to process it - and thus didn't move out of the way. A spear lodged itself right in her shoulder.

For a moment, Cheerilee felt nothing. She just turned her head to see the spearhead almost completely buried in her. She pondered it with a quizzical look for a moment. She knew it was supposed to be dangerous, but for the life of her she couldn't remember why.

Then the pain hit all at once. She screamed in agony, toppling to her other side so the spear was straight up in the air. Once again, she felt like passing out - and she didn't think she could stop herself this time. But she would stave it off as long as she could. She turned her head towards Rarity, grunting at the pain in her neck, head, and shoulder. The little white unicorn had run to meet her. "Cheerilee! What is it!?"

"F-find Vinyl... Tell her... Tell her that the Doctor knows - the Geist can be defeated by a unicorn if... If they're connected and... Something... He wasn't able to tell me everything... Please... You have to find her... We have to beat and rain this Geist..."

Rarity bit her lip. "...Okay."

And with that confirmation of a job completed, Cheerilee gave out, losing all awareness. The handle of the spear still stuck up into the air.

The last thing Cheerilee was aware of before she lost all feeling was the beginnings of rain...

~~~

Rarity stood over the unmoving form of Chereilee, a pained expression on her face.

Well, Vinyl was gone, so she couldn't be told about the Geist, draining, and connecting...

Rarity's eyes widened, the image of fractal patterns in her mind suddenly turning blue. She knew exactly what Vinyl had been trying to do. She'd been trying to drain the Geist, just as Cheerilee suggested, by using her mental connection to the magic cycles...

...But Vinyl was still gone, and she was the one with the connection...

...Wait.

...Rarity had a connection.

She took a step towards the Geist. Then another. Then another.

"...I guess I'm really doing this..." She stopped trying to fight the calling in her mind. She submitted and charged towards the Geist, horn glowing brightly.

This was probably the stupidest thing she'd ever done.

~~~

Granny and Mac took a moment to breathe. There were at least four dozen ponies saved in varying states of injury, but all very much alive. They looked at their work and smiled.

"Big Mac... You were right," Granny said out of nowhere.

"Huh? About what?"

"A lot of things. You were also dead wrong about a lot of other things. But... That's okay. Ah was the same way."

"...Thanks?"

"You'd think Ah'd be old and wise... Heh. Turns out even Ah have a few lessons left to learn. Who knew?"

Big Mac shrugged and smirked. "Ah suppose Ah did."

"Don't push it, sonny."

"Right," Big Mac said, losing the cocky smile instantly. He turned, following Granny's gaze to the destroyed government base. It was unrecognizable now. All the buildings were torn down, only a handful of walls were standing, most of the crystals had shattered, and the flag of Equestria was nowhere to be seen. Small fires were appearing across the field, sending smoke into the sky. The darkness of the Everfree Forest intensified as the light of twilight dissipated and the heavens opened up. The lights from the little fires were put out rapidly by the accelerating deluge. The dirt became mud and trickles of water began to run through the trees. The clearing became a muddy swamp in only a few minutes, clinging to all who entered.

The only sources of light now were the Geist itself, the roaring magic spells going off, and an ever-increasing number of Everfree Lights. It was a truly dark hour.

Granny found her eyes drawn to the Geist, a being both flat and not, a brilliant orange glow that lit up everything near it, even without the help from Sunset's fire and Surprise's energies. There were only a handful of soldiers left assaulting the beast - most had abandoned the endeavor long ago.

Tree Hugger showed up, arriving next to Granny. "Hey, you seen Vinyl around?"

Big Mac shook his head. "Eenope."

"Not cool... Cheerilee has a message from the Doctor for her, some kind of last-ditch attempt to defeat the Geist. He said a unicorn needed to connect to the Geist to do... something."

Big Mac put a hoof to his eyes. "Ah don't see Cheerilee out there... Too dark..."

"Not good. I have this bad vibe, this bad feeling, you know, like that was the last shot there. Like, otherwise the Geist would be unleashed on the world and we'd be powerless..."

Granny frowned. "Tell the rest to look for Vinyl. See if we can get any of our own unicorns to figure out what that means as well." She watched the Geist fold itself around Sunset, only for her to break free in a fiery explosion. "Those two are gonna pass out from exhaustion soon! Make it fast!" She was about to head back out herself - but then she saw something.

A tiny blue light from a small horn heading right for the Geist. As it approached, Granny could make out the pony it belonged to.

Rarity.

"Rarity!? What in tarnation are you doin'!?"

"...Huh?" Big Mac said.

"Rarity's charging the Geist."

"...Awesome," Tree Huger said.

"She's going to get herself..." Granny didn't finish the thought - she could only watch.

~~~

Sunset Shimmer was in agony - the levels of exertion she was subjecting herself to were far too absurd for her body to handle for much longer. She gave herself another ten minutes before she just shut down, losing her fire and passing out. She was pretty sure the Geist knew this - after all, its efforts were now focused on her and not Surprise, even though Surprise was the Geist's goal.

Sunset roared, hurling another death beam at the Geist, once again to just be shrugged off. Sunset wondered, not for the first time, why she was even fighting. She knew it was pointless - the Geist was a horror beyond their capabilities to deal with. She was doomed anyway, already resigned to throwing herself into that portal later.

In the end, she realized she wasn't fighting for any real reason. She was just mad - and oh boy was this Geist a good punching bag. She covered her horn with a giant neon spike and rammed it right through the Geist's body. It didn't care - after she passed through, it grabbed her between its pointed claws. Sunset tried to free herself, but it had its spiral energies surround her. She groaned. "Surprise? Little help?"

Surprise took one look at the position Sunset was in and then looked away, returning to beating up the Geist the normal way, notably not attacking the limb Sunset was trapped in.

Sunset's jaw dropped, her expression horrified. "...No. No! Surprise! It'll win if you do this! You can't fight alone!"

Surprise paid her no mind, blowing the Geist to the ground once again. It folded through space, disorienting Sunset considerably. It shoved all its limbs towards Surprise and she barely avoided them all.

"I saved you! I've helped you fight this thing for a long time Surprise! I am not your enemy right now!"

"You've been my enemy ever since you got rid of her," Surprise did another attack, slicing off a limb only for it to grow back. "That will never change."

Sunset wailed in frustration. "You idiot!"

Surprise. "You're one to tal-" the Geist grabbed her, cutting her short. It stopped for a moment, processing the fact that it had finally caught both of them at once. It put the limbs holding the two of them close together; studying its prey.

"You've doomed us!" Sunset yelled. "We've lost!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have killed her!"

"SHE ISN'T DEAD YOU INSUFFERABLE REBELLIOUS BIRD-BRAIN!"

"...What?" Surprise said.

"I'm not a child-killer! I just had her taken from you and relocated to a rock farm in Northern Equestria! GAH!"

Surprise blinked. "W-why didn't you say anything?"

"You would have gone looking for her you... you... AUGH!"

Surprise fell silent, her face completely blank.

The Geist decided in that moment it was time to go - enough beholding the trophies. It took a step back towards the portal.

It was interrupted by a little white unicorn filly landing on the limb that contained Sunset. She lit her horn. "Here goes nothing!"

Sunset watched, baffled, as the cyclic patterns floated off the Geist's limb and towards Rarity's horn. The patterns changed from orange to blue, spreading out over her horn before dissipating into nothing. The claw-things themselves blurred slightly, weakening their grip...

Sunset and the Geist acted at the same time. The Geist grabbed Rarity - and Sunset made herself explode. The Geist was sent back while Surprise and Rarity were freed. Sunset caught Rarity with her magic. "What was that? What did you do?"

"I connected my magic to the Geist's using my image of the cycles! You can do it too, I think! Try to burn the Geist like you would magic! CONNECT!"

The Geist charged them again, but Surprise held it back. Sunset set Rarity down and grinned. "Thank you Rarity. You saved us. Saved everything. Now let me do the rest."

She knew exactly what she needed to do - it came naturally. She imagined the portal - the portal she had spent countless hours staring at, letting it bury itself into her mind. She let the patterns come to the forefront. She selected the connection and she fired off a line from her horn. The blue energy hit the Geist's limb head-on, contaminating its color. The swirls and patterns disconnected themselves from the Geist, unraveling it, draining the energy directly into Sunset's horn where it was simply burned to maintain the connection spell. She used the power to amplify the connection further, unraveling the entire limb.

The Geist roared in anger and surprise, severing the connection by folding itself to a new location. But the damage was done - the limb did not grow back instantly. There was no structure for it to form around - it had been burned like the magic it was and like it was trying to burn the little soul deep inside it.

Sunset prepared another connection spell - and then the Geist booked it, leaping toward its invisible portal. There was now a risk to its continued existence, so it would no longer stay here. Surprise teleported in front of the Geist and blew it back to Sunset with her power, but the Geist just folded itself behind her and leaped into the crack in reality, back to the Thaumic Fabric.

"Oh no you don't!" Surprise yelled, following it through. She entered the Thaumic Fabric fully, shining brighter than any light the Geist had ever encountered. It moved its amorphous shape towards her - leaving the closing of the portal unfinished. It would take Surprise a while to acclimate to the magics, after all, and it wasn't going to let a magic shockwave blow this pure prey away. It reached for her with its outer layers, stroking the brilliant light... Pulling her in...

The light that was Surprise fought back, launching the amorphous blob back through the portal into the real world. Surprise had been connected to the Thaumic Fabric for years - she had no need to acclimate to it. She'd just waited for the perfect moment to fool the Geist.

She flew back into the real world herself - and completed the act of shutting the portal. The Geist froze - it could make a new portal, but that'd take far too long.

It would have to fight for its life.

it aggressively launched towards Sunset, all its menacing limbs going right for her neck. Sunset teleported behind the Geist and formed another connection to it with a flick of her head. She sneered. "Your time is up Geist. I can burn through magic faster than anypony." The blue spirals shot into her horn, giving Sunset even more of a boost. She turned another limb into nothing, laughing all the while.

Then the Geist folded into her. Sunset screamed - she could feel the Geist's internal semipermeable body shifting around inside her skin She felt sick - and she couldn't focus, couldn't make the spell...

Rarity rammed her horn into the Geist, burning it with her own, lesser connection spell. It disoriented the Geist enough, allowing Sunset to free herself.

"Oh, 'let me do the rest' you say," Rarity mocked.

Sunset bristled but said nothing. She formed another connection with the Geist, disintegrating the particular limb that had been inside her. She still felt like her organs weren't in the right places. She took a moment to gag.

The Geist shot forth with its last remaining limb, planning on squishing Sunset like a pancake, but it was not to be. Surprise grabbed the Geist with her magic and slammed it into the ground. It folded itself above her - exactly where Sunset predicted it would be. The connection spell burnt away the last limb before the Geist severed the connection.

The geist was only slightly larger than a big stallion now that all which remained of it was the fractal-pattern core that continually pulsed with impossible energies. The Geist shook, warping space around it so drastically that the ground began to crack. Surprise and Sunset protected themselves, but Rarity was unable to resist the drastic changes. She screamed as her entire body was shifted in unnatural directions. Surprise rushed to tend to her - leaving just Sunset with the Geist's core.

Sunset grinned. Perfect. It was just her and her mess. She was going to clean this up like she'd always said she would. She tried to connect again, but the rippling of space skewed her spell off track.

"Oh, not going to make it easy on me? Good. Challenge accepted." She teleported herself behind the Geist and physically rammed her horn into its center - and didn't cast the spell. She burned the magic by direct contact. It roared the sound directly into her mind, but she didn't care. She was going to kill this thing, burn it into nothing. She-

The space-time distortions grabbed ahold of her and tossed her to the ground. About half of the core had been burned. It focused everything it had on Sunset, trying to tear her limb from limb with the distortions it could muster. Her already scrambled insides shifted around more and she felt sick.

She lit her horn. "No... You... Don't! I WILL DESTROY YOU!" she roared, firing the connection spell - and missing. Her fiery mane and tail went out. Her coat returned to its normal yellow color and she slumped to her knees.

She never got the chance to try again.

Surprise threw Rarity into the Geist, punching the remains of the creature with a small white horn. The Geist shrieked with the sound. It was unable to react. It had lost too much substance. It couldn't channel enough power at once to remove Rarity. It shivered, shook, and the sound rose in pitch until it was impossible to hear. The patterns disintegrated, devolving into Everfree Lights, nothing but ambient music in the air. It slowly dissipated, agonizingly, down to the small, dense center.

A center that held a single small filly, sleeping.

The last remains of the Geist vanished into the night, sending the Everfree Lights out into the sky, the blue colors reflecting through the rain. Surprise caught Rarity and Golden as they fell, setting them down softly on the ground.

Rarity smiled. "I... I did it! Haha!"

Surprise grinned. "Yes. Yes you did."

Ponies began to flood in from the sidelines - soldiers, scientists, Granny, Big Mac, and even a very disoriented Doctor.

Rarity smiled. "It's gone! Golden's back! We won!"

The ponies cheered. Hugs were given, Rarity was tossed into the air again and again alongside Surprise. Both of them were beaming and laughing.

Sunset just stood there, silent, separate from the sudden festivities. These ponies - her ponies - weren't cheering for her. Weren't even bothering to acknowledge all she did to make this happen. How could they?!

"Oh, they're all so great aren't they?" Sunset blurted. "They saved you! Not like they had help! Not like somepony else did all the work! Not like that somepony was by your side over and over again! Oh no!"

The crowd fell silent, startled by her rage-filled outburst.

Rarity frowned. "...Thanks, Sunset. You know what? Let's all give her some hoof, let's-"

"You know what? No. It's too late for that. Far too late! No one has treated me with any respect! I'm the bad guy, the reason, the sickness that needs to be taken care of! I know that's what you all think of me- don't fake it!" she growled. "You. All of you - particularly you." She pointed at Granny, the Doctor, Surprise, and Rarity. "Your lives are going to be a living Tartarus." She created a fireball in her magic. "In fact, I think I'll just take care of you right now!"

A tranquilizer dart hit Sunset between the eyes.

"...No..." Her eyes rolled back into her skull and she fell into the mud, her face frozen in disbelief.

Bon Bon walked into the center of the crowd, setting the dart gun on the ground. She looked down at Sunset, expression unreadable. She sighed deeply. "All of you... Go home. Forget any of this ever happened. We won't be bothering you again." She didn't take her eyes of Sunset. Both of the ponies looked betrayed.

"...That's a good idea, Agent," the Doctor said. "Everypony... go home. If you're from Ponyville, take your friends and family in the pile to the clinic. If you're the government... I'm sure there's an official clinic nearby."

"There is. Not telling you where," Bon Bon said.

Rarity blinked. "So... That's it? We just walk away and pretend it never happened?"

"That would be best," Bon Bon said, still refusing to look at anypony.

Surprise nodded. "She's right. Everypony... Let's go."

Granny sighed. "Well, Ah guess everythin' worked out..."

The crowd slowly dispersed, heading for the injured, leaving Sunset and Bon Bon alone in the rain. Bon Bon just stared at the form of Sunset for the longest time. She might have been there for hours. She didn't know, she didn't care.

But, eventually, enough was enough. Bon Bon turned around and walked out of the Everfree Forest, not looking back.

Sunset was left alone, defeated, on the muddy ground.

Epilogue

Cheerilee woke up with some effort. Her body asked her - no, begged her not to try opening her eyes and looking around, but she ignored this wisdom. She grunted, forcing her eyelids open, flooding them with the intense white light of the hospital.

"...Man why are hospitals so bright..." she muttered.

"...Are you awake?" a familiar voice asked.

"...Rarity?"

Rarity's face came into focus - a small, adorable smile present. "Yeah. It's me."

"...Why are you here?"

"Aloe and Lotus wanted a break and your parents are asleep in the lobby. I was here, so... I'm watching you."

Cheerilee shook her head slowly, grunting because of her very prominent concussion. She could feel the bandages wrapped around her head and shoulder. "...That doesn't seem like you..."

"You could say I'm turning over a new leaf, planning to start giving back to others." She smiled. "You helped save everypony, you know that?"

"Huh?"

"Your information helped us destroy the Geist. It's gone now - it won't be bothering anyone. Surprise closed up the portal as well, so no more problems."

Cheerilee let out a soft laugh. "Good... I think I've had enough excitement for a lifetime..." She breathed slowly. "Did everypony make it?"

"Everybody but the Geist. We even saved Golden!"

"That's good..."

"Anyway, I should probably go get Aloe and Lotus. They..."

"Are right-"

"-here!" they said, charging in the door, stupid grins on their faces. "Thank Celestia you're all right!" they said in unison.

Cheerilee chuckled. "Thank you. Celestia, It's good to see you both at once."

"We know, we wanted-"

"-to be the first ones in here!"

"We tripped a lot-"

"-in the rush."

The friends laughed and Rarity excused herself from the room, walking out into the hall. Tree Hugger, Berry, and Derpy were there, smiling.

"Hey," Rarity said, walking up. "She's awake and doing fine."

"Good," Berry said, hugging Rarity. "...We did good."

"No, we did awesome," Tree Hugger said. "We're a bunch of kids and we saved the world!"

"...The Geist didn't threaten the whole world..." Derpy said.

"The worlds a better place without that Geist though," Tree Huger said, then sighed.

"What is it?" Rarity asked.

"I'm moving again. Leaving this 'crazy unsafe' town." She shook her head. "I'll be gone by the end of the week."

Rarity put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh... Darling, that's unfortunate..."

"Yeah, but I guess I've just got to go with the flow sometimes. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

Rarity extended her hoof. "I'm sure we will, Tree Hugger. Take care of yourself."

"I will. I'm planning on becoming one with nature."

Berry blinked. "Uh... Girls? Tree Hugger's not leaving yet. Let's go have some fun while she's still here!"

"Yeah!" Derpy shouted.

Rarity smirked. "That does sound like a delightful idea now doesn't it?"

~~~

"So..." Granny said, putting down her tea. "...That was quite the adventure wasn't it?"

Applejack laughed heartily. "No kidding!"

Big Mac smirked. "Granny, what're you talkin' about, this tea party? Cause Ah'm sure if there was any other adventure, Ah've forgotten about it."

"You know what Ah'm talkin' about, ya kook."

Surprise sipped her tea, a smile on her face. "It was... Fun at times, wasn't it?"

"Eeyep. Also downright terrifying," Big Mac added.

Granny shrugged. "No good story is without conflict."

Applejack nodded. "Hey. Surprise, now that this is over, what're you going to do?"

Surprise smirked. "I think I'll enroll in the Wonderbolt Academy, see if they could use a pegasus like me. Though I need to pay a visit to a rock farm first..."

Granny smiled. "Ah'm so happy for you. You got her back."

"She has a family. Probably a better one than I could offer," Surprise admitted.

"Bah, you'd make a great mother!"

"Maybe... But she'll have a life already. I just want to see her, not take her," Surprise smiled. "Who knows how it'll go?"

"Just be yourself," Granny said.

"....How'd you know I wasn't dangerous when I came here?" she asked out of the blue.

"Ah have a way of knowing these things."

"Yeah. She's 'old' and 'wise'," Big Mac added.

Surprise smirked. "...Thank you all for all you've done for me."

"Don't mention it," Applejack said. "You needed help, we gave it. Well, I was sick for most of it, but you know."

They were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and two ponies charging in.

"Mom?" Big Mac said.

"Dad?" Applejack followed.

Buttercup hugged then. "Oh we were so worried! We heard that something terrible had happened in Ponyville on our way back... We got here as fast as we could!"

Bright Mac smirked. "I see the fears were unfounded... Oh, hello. Who's this, mom?"

Granny chuckled. "That's Surprise, and boy does she deserve her name. Sit down you two, this is gonna be some story..."

Buttercup and Bright Mac sat down - they knew when Granny was about to tell a story, it was going to be good. Even though Big Mac, Applejack, and Surprise knew the story already, they sat down attentively anyway.

"Now, this all began the day you two left..."

~~~

The Doctor closed the door to his house and locked it. Finally, he had gotten all those scientist ponies out - but his things were still out of place. He groaned. "Can I ever catch a break!?"

"Nope!" Roseluck said. "Sorry for letting them in. Again."

"Psychic paper's a cheat," the Doctor said. "You know it. That's why we use it."

Roseluck rolled her eyes. "Of course. So, what now?"

"Now we wait."

"For what?"

"When the Geist was destroyed, its essence spread out through the clouds, through everything, through the essence of reality itself. This area is now supercharged with energies and magics I barely comprehend. Sometime soon - probably within the next few months - that energy is going to be released somehow..."

Roseluck blinked. "...And what will that do?"

"I'm thinking it's going to change the destiny of this world - create a moment in time where everything changes. Something monumental is going to happen right here in this town. And I have a pretty good idea what's going to trigger it."

Roseluck blinked. "What?"

"A very particular Sonic Rainboom..."

~~~

The Tree of Harmony stood, glistening in the magical light at the center of the Everfree Forest, continuing its careful watch over the world.

Sunset sat a few feet away from it, tears flowing down her blank expression.

The Tree was beautiful.

It wasn't the portal.

The one thing she had wanted - the one thing she still held onto - it was gone. She would not be one with the magic. She would not find answers. No, they had to go and take that from her as well.

She yelled out in anger, shooting a fireball at the Tree to no effect. She clenched her jaw.

She was not going to stand for this.

She was going to find her own power - she'd search the archives, she'd question Celestia, she'd travel the world - and she wouldn't give it to the ponies of Equestria. She'd tried that once - look how they repaid her.

The power was to be for her now and the rest of the world was just going to have to deal with it. Bon Bon, Celestia, the Doctor, Granny Smith, Surprise... All of them.

Sunset Shimmer turned away from the Tree of Harmony and stormed out of the Forest.

She was done with this.

It was time to get what she deserved.

Credits

STRANGER MAGICS
THE END
Written by
G. M. Blackjack

Starring
Rarity as the Previous Diamond Tiara
Cheerilee as Asking For It
Granny Smith as We Need More Elder Main Characters
Big Mac as the Big Guy
The Doctor as the Time Enigma
Surprise as Experimental Volunteer
Berry as the Smart Guy
Derpy as the Stupid, but Precious
Tree Hugger as the Hippie In Training
Vinyl as Liquid Awesomeness
Lotus as the Torn Twin
Aloe as the Crazed Twin
Applejack as the Sick Kid Who Missed A Lot
Filthy Rich as the Old Friend
Spoiled Milk as the Absolute Worst B!@#$
Roseluck as the Companion
Sweetie Drops as Bon Bon
Mayor Feckless as the Insufferable
Sunset Shimmer as Then Let Me Be The Villain
The Geist as The Demogorgon

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro.
Stranger Things belongs to Netflix.
Any other franchises referenced belong to their respective owners.

Special thanks to… ...Ponygood for being the only guy to comment on this story while it was active. Huh. I guess this one was just not that popular. I don't know why. Well, congrats Ponygood!

This story was a bit of an undertaking with so many plotlines to keep track of. It was honestly a bit of an experiment to see if I could handle it all. I think it turned out pretty well. I am not planning a sequel of any kind, but if I get ahold of Stranger Things Season 2, who knows? Maybe inspiration will strike.

-GM, master of Things that are Strange

~~~

"Darling, all that was forgiven a long time ago."

Sunset let out a breath of relief and hugged Rarity. "I... I'm... Thank you."

Rarity sighed sadly. "Dear, you were trying, even back then."

"But I turned my back-"

"None of that," Rarity said, holding up a hoof. "You're a different mare now Sunset. You've changed."

"...Yeah. I have."

"You don't have to apologize to me. But..." Rarity put a hoof to her chin. "...I think I do know somepony who would appreciate an apology."

Sunset gulped - she knew who it was. "Lead the way..."

They left Twilight's castle and boarded a flying chariot. They talked, laughed, and reminisced during the trip to the cloud city. The conversation relaxed Sunset considerably - she had feared rejection. But she knew Rarity was not the pony she had hurt the most. They went to the Cloudsdale amphitheater, going backstage. They were stopped for a second, but Rainbow Dash let them in when she saw Sunset. She led the two of them to the locker room.

Surprise had sensed them coming long before they'd arrived - she was looking at them before they saw her. Her hair was electric, styled by the wind she flew in every day, and her uniform gave her an authoritative presence.

Sunset walked over to her and tried to speak. Instead, she broke down. She hung her head, unable to say anything as tears fell.

Surprise said nothing - she just lifted Sunset's face with her hoof and looked into her eyes. She smiled sadly.

Sunset smiled back. "I... I'm so sorry."

"I know."

In that moment Sunset knew everything was going to be fine.

In the doorway, Pinkie Pie appeared behind Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

"Watcha dooin?"

"Rebuilding bridges," Rarity said.

Pinkie nodded, glancing at Surprise with a knowing expression. Surprise returned it with a wink. Pinkie grinned. "Good."