Trailside Banquet

Despite the afternoon sunlight, the AAZ remains misty with morning dew. A possible sign of a chronal anomaly? Starlight would note in her journal, intending to research into this further. The group approached the border with slight confusion at the glaringly unusual weather pattern.

“Rainbow, weren’t the weather ponies supposed to clear up the morning dew?” inquired Twilight, asking her friend about it as they crossed, the spongy floor beneath her hooves catching her slightly off guard.

"Trust me, Twilight. If there was a spot we missed, it's not because we didn't try. You heard Celestia--no pony is allowed to cross these borders, and that would obviously include the weather team." replied Rainbow Dash, a slight annoyed tinge in her voice. It was one thing to call her a lazy pony, but a whole nother thing to accuse the Cloudsdale weather team of following suit.

“It’s alright, sugar cube.” comforted Applejack, sensing Rainbow’s tension. “Twi didn’t mean nothin’ by the query. Maybe it's a good thing? Somethin’ for research?”

“You’re right.” spoke Twilight. “Maybe leaving the weather around the Anomalous Zone to its own devices would help further future studies.” She turns to Starlight. “Starlight? What time is it currently?”

“It is…2:17PM.” she replied briefly looking at her pocket watch and noting the time down in her journal. “Why do you ask?”

A slight breeze rolls in from the direction the group faces, and with it, a slight aroma of metal. The air became significantly colder. A shiver rolls up Twilight’s spine as she speaks. “I-it should be something we keep track of, for Celestia’s sake.” As the group travels deeper, the path begins to turn to one direction, despite always being a straight path ahead for as long as everypony there could remember it. Starlight noted the winding path next to the time, and reminded the group to be careful.

The twisting, blackened trees of the Anomalous Zone part into a clearing, and the path stops. In front of the group is a campsite.

“Weird,” piped up Starlight. “There shouldn’t be anypony in here except for us. Even on my solo expeditions, it is literally only me.”

“We should keep our guard up then. Girls, Elements on.” commanded Twilight in the most regal voice she could muster, hiding her fear.

As the ponies don their Elements, Twilight observed the campsite, carefully watching her steps. The campsite appeared as though it had been recently and suddenly abandoned. Pots and pans were scattered, tents were halfway collapsed, and the remnants of a fire resided in the middle, having been extinguished for what Twilight could tell had been days. As she approached the old campfire, she made a mental note that the remnants of the burnt wood left no ash, but a strange crystalline residue that shimmered with every color in the spectrum.

“Whoa! Take a look at this, you guys!” shouted Spike from behind Twilight. She whipped around to look at what the dragon was pointing at. The fabric of the tents appeared to be dissolving before the very eyes of the ponies there, breaking down into a fine dust that lifted into the air with the slight, metallic breeze. Starlight furiously notes this down. “Quick, Spike! Take a sample of the ash!” requested Starlight, handing him a vial. Spike carefully scooped up some of the dust within the vial, careful not to get any on his claws.

Twilight turned to the group, and noticed that Fluttershy - usually bringing up the rear of the group behind Pinkie Pie - was not there. “Girls, where’s Fluttershy?” Twilight asked the group.

Pinkie would be the first to notice the yellow mare. “Over there!” she pointed with a hoof. Fluttershy didn’t address the commotion. “I’ll check on her.” continued Pinkie, approaching her.

As Pinkie approached, she cocked her head slightly in both curiosity, and confusion. Fluttershy appeared to be absentmindedly standing in the corner of the campsite, staring off into the distance.

“Fluttershy? Are you feeling alright?” inquired the pink pony. Slight feelings of worry began to build up in her stomach as she stood next to her friend.

“I hear them.” replied Fluttershy in a monotone, trance-like voice.

“Who?” continued Pinkie, her curiosity intensifying. She hadn’t heard anyone outside of her friends, and if there was somepony out there, they had to help them.

“The animals…I hear them calling out to me.” Fluttershy muttered, “They’re different now….changed….”

Pinkie could only continue her questioning, confusion intensifying. “Different how, Flutters…?”

Fluttershy’s voice began to shake, her eyes widening. It was here that Pinkie noticed the intense silence as she spoke, the world around her becoming foggy, as though a cloud fell on top of the duo. Pinkie found herself unable to move. Unable to look away.

“Their cries…it’s like they’re in pain. But it’s not just pain….it’s like the Zone is speaking through them.”

“F-Flutters, we haven’t seen any animals since we entered the forest...” Pinkie replied, trying to break free of whatever spell she and Fluttershy found themselves under.

Fluttershy cocked her head toward Pinkie in one sudden motion, a warped smile on her face. Her eyes were glazed over, staring through Pinkie. Pinkie, reminded of her nightmares, felt a chill run up her spine. Pinkie jerked back in abject horror at the movement.

Fluttershy spoke once more, “Oh they’re here Pinkie…they’re watching us. Afraid. But observant. Soon my friends. I can help you….Soon…”

Suddenly, a flash of lightning, and Pinkie was alone. The forest around her, Fluttershy, her friends. All gone. All that was left was the campfire, now burning brightly with a greenish flame.

“Do not stray from your course, little one,” came a voice from a figure sitting by the campfire. Pinkie recognized the figure immediately.

Zecora??? thought Pinkie, her mind flooded with all kinds of burning questions, none of which she had an answer for.

The zebra sat still by the fire, her striped coat blending in with the grayish brumous air around her. In fact, the only thing that seemed to separate her from completely blending into the brackish fog was the same brown cloak she had on before and her walking stick with the mysterious red ruby, shining like Celestia’s sun. Pinkie observed her with macabre fascination - the rays of the gemstone hitting her face in an awe-striking manner.

“Zecora? Where did you come from?” inquired Pinkie, narrowing her eyes, trying to focus on the zebra. The soupy atmosphere made it hard to do so. Her mind felt fuzzy, like she tried pulling her thoughts out of a spider’s web. Zecora nods to Pinkie, a knowing smile forming on her lips.

She speaks to Pinkie in the same rhythmic speech that’s all too familiar to the mare. “The answers you seek lie ahead, but tread carefully, or you risk losing your head.”

Then, as though her job here was done, Zecora snuffs out the fire, and with it, Pinkie is surrounded by darkness.

“...PINKIE!” shouted Twilight. Pinkie opened her eyes, shaking her head violently.

“Huh-wha….where…” began Pinkie, confused out of her gourd. What was that? A dream? Where was I?

“Are you okay?” asked Twilight.

“I…I don’t know Twilight…where…?” Pinkie looked around. There she was, back at the campsite like nothing happened. Starlight was quietly writing notes about the ash. The other ponies were walking around, continuing their search for Fluttershy.

Twilight’s voice trembled with barely-contained frustration as she tried her best to explain the situation to Pinkie. “Pinkie, Fluttershy wandered off. We have no idea where she went. You said you were going after her, but then you just stopped, right in the middle of walking, like -- like something pulled you out of focus for a second.”

Twilight’s breath hitched as she rubbed her temple with her hoof. “I’ve been trying to snap you out of it for what feels like forever, but Starlight insists it’s only been ten minutes.”

Her voice wavered, and her eyes darted around, scanning their surroundings before fixing on Pinkie again. “You were muttering Fluttershy’s name under your breath, and then you--” Twilight’s voice cracked as she continued, “--you said ‘Zecora?’ like you saw her or something! But Pinkie, we haven’t seen any sign of Zecora since we’ve been here. None.”

Twilight’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide with worry as she lowered her voice, repeating the question. “Are you… Are you okay, Pinkie? What’s going on with you?”

Pinkie just stared at Twilight as she spoke, unable to formulate any sort of explanation for what just occurred. A slight ringing in her ears became audible, along with a pulsing frontal lobe that was increasingly noticeable. “I…I need to lie down, Twilight.” spoke Pinkie, holding her hoof against her head as a severe migraine began to develop.

“I found ‘er!” shouted Applejack, “she’s with a critter!”

“Oh, thank Celestia!” replied Twilight, a wave of relief washing over her. “I’ll be there in a minute, AJ. Rainbow Dash, you mind grabbing Pinkie? She’s clearly out of it - probably something to do with the Anomalous Zone.”

“No problem, Twilight!” replied Rainbow Dash, trotting up against Pinkie and lifting her up against her back, “come on, party pony.” Pinkie silently consented to the ride, as she found herself as out of it as the morning after a Summer Sun Celebration.

Fluttershy turned to the group approaching her, her smile as warm as melted butter and her eyes as soft as a turquoise pillow. “Girls, you’re here!” she would say, then her face became full of focus as she observed something on the ground. “I need a cloth, some rubbing alcohol, and a bandage. I have the cutest little creature here who’s oh-so-hurt.” She picked up the creature to show the group.

The ‘little creature’ Fluttershy referred to winced slightly at being picked up. A pair of ruby-red eyes stared at the group, as shiny as polished jewelry against the inky blackness that was its fur. The creature resembled a jackrabbit at a glance - long limbs, tall ears that tapered to a point and a small twitching grayish nose. Its back was hunched and its silhouette was lean and wiry. A set of antlers sat on its brow, gnarled bone as black as obsidian that curled into themselves much like the twisted branches of the burnt trees that surrounded the group.

To the yellow pegasus, despite its appearance, it was simply another creature in need of help. She examined the back forepaw the rabbit held close, the jagged tear and dried blood standing out starkly against the matted, starless night sky of its fur.

“Oh, you poor thing…” Fluttershy murmured to the rabbit, cooing over it like a mother to her foal. Her heart ached with sympathy as she spoke, her gentle voice melting into the unnatural silence of the forest. “there, there…it’s alright, little bun. I won’t hurt you.”

Rainbow Dash, being the fastest of the group despite the extra weight of Pinkie, approached the mare with the requested items. “Here you go!” she would say with enthusiasm, happy to help her friend. Seeing an opportunity for rest, she would turn to the group and suggest the idea. They agreed, not seeing an issue with it as Fluttershy worked her animal tending skills. Rainbow Dash sat Pinkie down next to Fluttershy, which gave Pinkie a full view of the mare’s handiwork.

Pinkie’s brain pounded against her skull as her gaze drifted to the small, trembling rabbit in Fluttershy’s hooves. A shiver ran down her spine as Fluttershy wiped the rabbit’s wound with gauze. It’s…just a bunny, she told herself, though the thought held no weight to it. The rabbit turned its head to Pinkie, staring at her as it underwent its medical procedure, not wincing at all as alcohol cleaned its wound. No…through me… thought Pinkie. Why does it have to look at me like that? The bunny’s eyes - red and sharp like bloodied broken glass - seemed to peer straight through her, like it knew something Pinkie didn’t.

The pain behind Pinkie’s own eyes throbbed to the timing of her heartbeat, each pulse feeling like a tiny explosion in her head. She blinked hard, trying to clear her vision, but it didn’t help the headache. In fact, it seemed to Pinkie that the headache only grew worse the longer she stared at the rabbit. Like staring into an unknown void. And the void stares back, with crimson mockery.

The world began to spin as drowsiness mixed with her migraine. The throbbing in Pinkie’s head turned to a dull, muffled thrum and she felt herself swaying. Pinkie slumped to the ground before she realized she was falling asleep, her vision fading to black as the strange red glow of the jackalope's eyes was the last thing she saw. The pressure in her skull receded slightly as unconsciousness took over her. As she fell asleep, the last coherent thought she had was half-formed and fractured:

Just…a bunny…

Pinkie woke up to the sound of a crackling campfire. It was nightfall; the infinite blanket of stars and the silvery claw of the moon shone through the canopy of trees. Her nap was dreamless, and her headache was nothing more than a slight swim of vertigo. She raised her head, finding herself wrapped in a blanket on top of a sleeping bag. She saw Twilight quietly sitting by the makeshift campfire, recording data on her notebook with Starlight. Applejack was making a mental note of their supplies. Fluttershy tended to the jackalope, wrapping a wing around the little bunny who was like Pinkie but a moment ago: asleep. Rainbow Dash, with Spike on her back, hovered above the campsite, scanning for any potential dangers. Rarity was brushing Pinkie’s mane as the mare raised her head.

“Ah, good, you’re awake, darling. Feel better?” asked Rarity, putting away the hairbrush. She too, huddled under a blanket for warmth with Pinkie, sipping on a cup of tea.

“I am. Thank you for asking, Rare.” responded Pinkie, fully getting up. She stretched, shaking what little weariness she had out of her. She walked toward her saddlebag, which was gently perched against a log, and rummaged through it. After a while, she pulled out something unexpected - a small, travel-worn guitar. Its wood was scuffed from years of use. Pinkie sat against the log and strummed the strings, causing the others to glance up curiously.

Twilight chuckled, seeing her friend up-and-about and in better spirits. “Where’d you get that?” she asked, with a faint smile across her face.

Pinkie looked up sheepishly. “Oh, I’ve had it for a while. One of those ‘just in case of emergencies’ kind of things. And tonight feels like one of those ‘need some music’ kind of emergencies.” The group paused their duties to sit and listen to the mare play. Pinkie gently strums a chord, the soft sound of the guitar breaking the stillness of the metallic air of the impromptu campsite. Applejack leaned against a rock, listening with a peaceful smile. Fluttershy hummed along with the tune, the jackrabbit leaning against her. Rarity lets the melody along with the tea soothe her nerves.

Pinkie played an old folk song - a simple, calming tune that she learned from somepony she can’t quite remember a long time ago. Her hooves glided over the strings with ease, her usual exuberant nature replaced with a quiet, serene focus. As she played, she glanced up at the stars and let her thoughts drift to the friends around her and the times they’ve had together. For a few minutes, the group is able to forget the potential danger around them and the strange phenomena they’ve encountered.

As Pinkie finished the song, Rainbow Dash smiled and said, “Pinkie Pie, that was exactly what we needed. Good call.”

Twilight smiled and affirmed Dash’s words, “Yeah, thanks Pinkie.”

Pinkie shrugged with modesty, “Hey, we all need a little party from time to time. Even if it’s a quiet one.”

As the group settled down for the night, the haunting folk melody lingered in the air. For the Mane Six, it was a reminder of the bond they share. A bond that has carried them through countless challenges before, and they hope will carry them through this one.

Twilight quietly dipped a feather in ink, the lantern’s flames flickering silently as she and Spike were the last ones awake. Spike pulled out some parchment for Twilight from her saddlebag, and Twilight began to write as though it were a timed essay - with haste and expeditious intent.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I hope that the ongoing discussions with the Changelings have been successful. I wanted to send you an update on our second expedition into the AAZ. We're safe for now—well, as safe as one can be in a place like this. We ‘ve set up camp for the night and plan to head back to Ponyville in the morning. With that said, though, there are a few developments that I must bring to your attention. Nothing immediate, but deeply unsettling.

Before we started our second expedition, everypony gathered at the Castle of Friendship. All of us seemed to be suffering from various levels of insomnia. It turns out that we’ve all been having nightmares - records of which will be included in this letter for Princess Luna’s analysis - and believe this may be caused by the AAZ’s influence. I’d like to ask if she would be able to visit us, even if just in our dreams, to provide us with guidance. Without a good night’s rest, it’s only going to get more difficult to research what’s out here.

During the expedition, we stumbled across what appeared to be an ordinary, abandoned campsite. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly remarkable about it at first, and we didn’t recognize the site or have any clue of who might have been in the AAZ before us. But as soon as we approached, the entire site - all of it - disintegrated into ash. I have collected some samples for further study back at the Castle, but I can’t shake the feeling it was some sort of a response to our presence - like the area is aware of us.

There’s something else, Princess: Pinkie Pie. She hasn’t been herself since we reached the campsite. She seemed distracted, and just stopped in her tracks - completely still and staring off into nothing. I tried to get her attention for almost ten minutes, and when she finally came to, she was murmuring something about Fluttershy and Zecora. We haven’t seen Zecora at all since the second expedition. She didn’t make much more sense after she came to, and developed a severe migraine. She managed to rest, and is in better spirits, but I’m keeping a close eye on her. I fear what is affecting her could be contributed to the AAZ in some manner.

Speaking of Fluttershy, she found a small creature during our expedition - a strange looking black jackrabbit. The wound on its rear leg is deep - deeper than any wild creature should be able to bear without going into shock - but it made no reaction as Fluttershy tended to its wound with what medical supplies we brought with us. She insists on bringing it back to her cottage for more care. I didn’t have the heart to refuse her. Besides, it could be worth examining, to give us some clue as to the mysteries of the AAZ.

I wish I had some clearer answers for you, Princess. The deeper we go, the more questions I have, and the fewer answers I’m left with. But Starlight and I will continue to record everything we can, no matter how miniscule. I want to believe we’re still in control and not blindly stumbling into the void.

We’ll keep pressing forward - I know there’s something waiting for us out here. I just hope we’re ready for it.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle