Quantum Bombshell

“Is this it?” Came a woman’s voice from a computer.

“It would seem so.”

A man stood before a screen watching a video of a town surrounded by woods and streams. The screen was projected from a large command console, one the man barely did anything with unless absolutely necessary.

“So, are you going?”

“No, not yet. I want to see what’s happening. I don’t know how long its been, and I have no idea what the state of things are right now.” The man explained as he turned away from the screen and settled in a chair.

He leaned his head back before closing his eyes and trying to relax, he began to let exhaustion take him.

The night was well lit, but the trees made for good cover. There were small horses wearing armor here and there walking around the woods.

Nothing gave him away as he moved from tree to tree, shadow to shadow. Not a twig snap, not a rustle of bushes, or branches. Nothing but a strange chill wind with a few dead leaves falling to the ground.

Marl and two other stallions were walking through town, they had just gotten done with some drinks and decided now was the time when o man ponies were busy with the distraction on the other side of town.

It didn’t take long to head out of town and find their way over to a home that looked as if it had once been a large wooden wagon. Which, in fact it had once been a wagon. Years ago when it made it to Ponyville, the former owners had decided to remain in there and remove the wheels and allow their family to grow.

Over time, when their kids grew up, they got the mind to travel and left home. Those that returned seeking to set down their roots were allowed to claim the home from their parents who had once more, before their end desired to travel. The home was built upon more and more, the only thing which remained constant was the large field to the side which had a fence built around it and housed herbs and plants not always for consumption in meals.

Many ponies had taken to visiting this home, once upon a time where they traded for potions for ailments, at least until the hospital was built. The home still held those who sought to brew, but now the plants and brew were traded by travelers and the elderly.

Cede, was now the youngest, and as far as she knew, the last of her family. She didn’t mind, she hardly felt a desire to travel at all. When she did, she sometimes just took what she had and traveled to any number of the cities of Equestria to trade, usually finding homemade remedies were not as big as her scented candles, and oil perfumes. It didn’t take long to change what was needed to keep up with the times.

Her heart, as it were, had always been in Ponyville.

She heard the laughter, and shushing of the stallions as they got closer. She heard them making their way through the back garden and growled to herself at the loss of the plants.

She expected them to enter through the door from the garden, but she heard them break a bottle and laugh. They were looking to destroy her main source of income. She had enough preserved she could go at least a season without anything new, but if they ruined the soil, it would be much harder to cultivate it properly once more to grow the plants she needed.

The soil had been set by her ancestors when they took root her, and in their own way used magic to cultivate different types of soil in a small area to grow all the plants they needed at the time.

They had left only one book, an old diary, of the process, but had been used so often it needed to be re-written. The only problem was, it was written in a form of code with the old ponish language; which old ponish was already a difficult language for even those few who could understand it.

She didn’t want to deal with that, not at a time like this. Cede walked over to a counter and grabbed a small green bottle and took a swig of it before setting in back down onto the counter, grabbing a lantern, and a small bag of brown leather with some old twine tied around it. She walked to the door facing her garden and opened it.

Outside in the dark, she could see Marl, and two other stallions. Marl was near the door, while the other two were messing around trying to play games, purposefully tearing up the ground around them as they ran towards one another.

Mar turned as he noticed the light shifting behind him.

“Ah well if it isn’t the stuck up cracked egg. Hey boys, here’s the girl I told you about, wanna come to give her a greeting? I think she’s a little eager to have some fun.”

One of the stallions, yellow fur with a green and blue two tone mane and tail walked up next to Marl. “Don’t mind if I do, especially if she’s as tight as you say.”

The other stallion stumbled over, obviously heavily under the influence of their drinks and not able to properly hold it.

“Say, sheeze pretty. Very easy on the eyes.” The stallion started laughing in a crude way, somehow thinking himself a comic genius, despite not saying anything funny at all.

He stood bit shorter than his friends, and had orange fur with a sandy brown mane and tail.

Cede didn’t care for any of them, she would just give them a fair warning and be done with it.

Lifting up her lantern, as if trying to get a better look at the stallion approaching her, she suddenly moved and blew out onto the flame. Rather than the flame blowing out, it seemed to explode, fire and some sort of liquid spraying all over the green stallion.

“Ah, what the buck!” He screamed as he stumbled back. He desperately worked to get his eyes clear and roll on the ground to put out the fire, while his drunken friend charged at Cede.

With him, she tossed down her lantern the flame already going out, and grabbed the leather pouch in the darkness and threw it at the stallion.

He coughed as the powder inside it broke out and all over his face.

“Ahh! It burns. Why in Celestias name?” He cried out as he stumbled back, before falling over and cried like a foal while rubbing at his face. “Oh, its worse. Why is it getting worse?” After which he started coughing once more, even harder as his body tried to breathe.

“Some light burns, and a hot powder mix in some oil that clogs his pores. Simple enough to treat if you get your friends to the hospital now and leave me and my garden alone. I will even refrain from telling Mist about this, incident. You can just tell her some ponies jumped you guys. Buck, you can even make yourself out to be the big brave hero. Just leave me alone.” Her voice was filled with false enthusiasm, coupled with thick sarcasm as she gave him a look of death.

“Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Here’s the thing, my boys and I want some fun with you, and we are not leaving until every whole in you is-”

“Ack!”

The sound of one of his friends choking, and liquid spilling out behind him stopped Marl. He turned to see the green stallion looking a them both in shock before looking down to see his guts spilled out beneath him.

“I- wha?” Was all he was able to say before he fell over.

His other friend was being held up by his head, while something large with glowing limbs stood behind him.

Glowing eyes, and a wide mouth suddenly ripped into his throat.

“What the buck is that thing?”

Marl stumbled back as his friend struggled, blood spilling out before a claed hand reached around and began to tear into his flesh. Once his was ripped open, the thing dropped him and knelt down and began to feed on his corpse.

Cede had seen enough and already run back inside, leaving Marl and his friends to whatever fate had ins tore for them.

She grabbed what she thought might help her after blocking the door, put it all into a pack. Once she was done, she ran to her front door and opened it just slightly to take a look out.

She jumped as there was the sound of something heavy hitting her other door. She didn’t hesitate as she immediately took this moment to run. She was in full panic mode, her eyes wide, but enough of her mind that wasn’t screaming over what she had just seen was trying its best to guide her to someplace safe. The only place she could think of, inside the town of Ponyville.

Whatever beast that was, she had no idea, she needed to find help.

She was almost to the bridge into ponyville when something hit her back and tripped her. She grabbed a small jar and shook it, waking up the fireflies within and saw the head of the green stallion. She looked up to see faint lines glowing, slowly approaching her as if a predator of the night stalked its prey.

Her heart hammered in her chest, and the only thing she could do was to think of Mist, and running.

She picked herself up and started, only to feel something like a claw dig into her flank. She screamed before grabbing her satchel with her mouth and full on swung it back a her attacker.

The contents that were in glass shattered and a small explosion like a bomb going off tore her bag apart and sent small shards of glass into her.

Screaming again she took off, the claw had released her and she ran as fast as she could screaming as loudly as she could.

‘They can talk, wear armor, have their own language and form of civilization. If you can even call it that. But nice mix of things to make a dry powdered bomb. Aside from that, this hunt is boring me.’ Watching the pony running through the pathway between the buildings, lights appearing in the windows. He turned and looked around before moving off at full sprint and gaining distance quickly.

Max paced back and forth in Twilight’s castle. He was getting worried and scared now.

“Maxwell, calm down.” Twilight called to him. She was also getting concerned. She had not heard from Celestia, or any of the guards. They were under orders to bring those on the outskirts of town to her castle

Max either ignored her, or hadn’t heard her. At this point, he seemed even worse off as when he paced he started mumbling to himself, sparks of his horn jumping out around him.

“Girls, please, I need somepony to calm him down.” Twilight asked the two sirens nearby.

“Why?” Jake asked, “He has a wife and two children out there. I think it’s reasonable if the guy blows off a little steam so long as he doesn’t hurt anyone. He looks like he’s passed steaming kettle and settling on volcano.”

“Jake, Max is a lot different to the rest of the ponies of Equestria. He learned a different form of magic altogether than we did. Dangerous magic that could end up hurting ponies if he loses control.”

“Fine, then point him at the dangerous invisible wall. Maybe he can do more than you, and won’t hurt any of you.” Jake was getting agitated with being cooped up, and more.

“Hey, don’t ya’ll be talking to Twilight like that.” Applejack rebutted.

“Why? What did she do out there? What did Celestia do? What did any of you ponies do? From what I heard, a lot of nothing.” Jake looked around at the ponies.

Fluttershy was hiding, quietly whimpering and crying from behind her chair. Applejack was ready to take him down, with Rainbow Dash right behind her. Pinkie immediately made her way to Fluttershy, trying to speak comfortingly to her while making a balloon animal, Rarity was not a pony for confrontations but she looked at Jake as if seeing him for the first time and receiving a good impression.

The doors opened, “Jake, if somepony as powerful as any princess were to use magic on something they did not know of nor understand, then the consequences would be dire, or worse. I would have imagined, from what you told us about, how you came to be you would understand a bit of caution.”

Jake opened his mouth, eyes lit with anger. He wanted to argue with Celestia as she approached him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“I understand the concept of being at the side, while having to put as much trust as you can into the hooves, or hands of another with no clue as to what the outcome will be.” At this moment, Celestia looked to Twilight, who had tried her hardest to keep herself from being brought down by Jake’s words, while also continuing to pour through books right beside her. Celestia could see the tears appearing at the edge of her eyes, a single page being flipped back and forth. “Our experiences and outcomes may have differed, but we both know when someone is outclassed by a problem until they can figure it out and overcome it. What I’m trying to say, Jake,” Celestia lowered her head, to keep him from thinking she was looking down on him. “There are times when action is necessary, and there are times when intelligence and wisdom can persevere.”

Jake looked down of course she was right, she was referring to the incident. He couldn’t place what was wrong, he just had an uneasy feeling that was leaving him on edge and quick to anger.

“Princess Celestia, what of our sister, and niece and nephew?” Adagio asked as she had finally gotten Max calmed somewhat. Aria had him a little further away and was speaking to him in quiet hushed tones.

Celestia turned and smiled before looking to the door. Her horn glowed and the doors swung open as another pony of light blue with similar mane and tail streaked with a darker shade.

The mare was accompanied by two celestial guards, each carrying a basket.

“I guess I really was expected. HI!!!” She called out before being nearly run over as Max seemed to appear out of nowhere and tackled her in a hung.

“Yes, I missed you too hun. But, I’m having trouble breathing with these newly crushed ribs.” She gasped out.

“Sorry.” He said simply as he released her.

Jake closed his eyes and silently berated himself before turning and announcing to all present, “Well, I have to say right now, I’m sorry. I’m being more than out of line on something I know nothing about. I…” Jake stopped as his whole body shook.

“Jake, what’s wrong?” Twilight had looked up hearing Jake’s apology before seeing him seem to begin to break down.

His eyes seemed to dart about before he stumbled and fell to a knee. He threw his hands out trying to grab onto something, anything to catch himself. He felt soft fur and flesh, and his vision was filled with whiteness.

Celestia looked at Twilight and placed a wing around her, “I hope you can understand Jake. I feel he may be using such harsh words because he has heard so much of how each of you have helped Equestria so frequently, and he himself feels useless.”

Twilight sighed before glancing up at Celestia, trying to offer a small smile. “It reminds me of when the map called Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash to a friendship problem in Griffonstone. I had wanted to go, so badly, but I had to stay behind. I had to put trust and faith in my friends to do something that was more important than just a simple desire to study and collect relics. I already had, and still have trust and faith in them, all of them. Jake, he only had one friend, who put his life in danger, even if it wasn’t intentional.”

Celestia smiled and nodded as she gave Twilight a gentle squeeze with her wing. The closest, at this time she could come to giving a hug.

“I’m startin ta wonder if these humans are all quick to anger. No offense, but I’m beginning to catch a pattern.”

“Well, each of us deal with the things we have been through differently. Each of us grow and learn from life and death experiences that make each of us unique. It also helps when you have those who are close to us to help burden things in friendship. Imagine trying to always face danger and threats to your loved ones, time after time. Or having a situation where it seems a friend who you shared everything with, betrays you. There are so many things that are difficult to deal with. Given what our friends have been through, it will take a long time to ease their burdens, even longer to heal from their deep pain.”

“Well, it is said Time heals all wounds.’ Isn’t that correct Princess?” Rarity offered looking up to the regal white alicorn.

“Exactly, Miss Rarity.”

"Um, Twilight.” Came a timid voice beside her.

Twilight turned with a smile to see Fluttershy, “Have you been able to make any headway in regards to the barrier?

“Well, with the tests I performed, it seems magic would be rather useless against this barrier. At least the magic we know of,” She amended before glancing up to the other side of the room where Max had fallen asleep surrounded by the sirens, and his two foals. “I was able to pick up a trace of what I believe to be the proper energy signature for the barrier. However, to be sure, I will need time. Time to work it out and to test what I have just to be sure. Princess Celestia, have the guards encountered anything from the other side of the barrier?”

Celestia levitated a scroll with the reports of the night so far.

“We have come across nothing so far, but if this proves to be nothing, or even something I know you will want proper documentation for your records. Oh, and sorry no room for pie charts.” Celestia said almost teasingly with a wink.

Twilight blushed and tucked the scroll away, “I’ll, uh take your word on that, Princess. Thank you.”

Not much happened at least until about an hour later, some of the guards helped a young Earth Pony into the room. She explained what had happened with the creature.

Twilight and Celestia got word to the guards, before enacting, for everyponies safety, a curfew.

They didn't want to take a chance of a pony getting caught outside where this thing could easily get to them in the middle of the night.

This, unfortunately would have undesired effects on those few businesses that were open late into the night.

Once everything was settled, and Twilight set things up to give a quick and easy explanation to those who asked, Celestia left to begin getting word to other cities as an additional precaution.