Chapters SaddlesoapOpera
Sheeting rain poured down the windows and obscured the view beyond them, isolating the rural cottage so completely that it might as well have been at the bottom of the sea.
Fluttershy huddled next to her modest hearth, wrapped in a patchwork quilt and surrounded by birds and small animals wriggling to get a larger share of the warmth. As gloomy as the scheduled weather made the afternoon, Fluttershy was content to be warm and dry and safe, surrounded by her grateful charges.
She was half-asleep when a knock at her front door broke through the white noise of the rainstorm.
It was a heavy, scraping sound, less like the rapping of a hoof and more like a great weight heaved against the door and sliding downward.
Fluttershy squirmed out of her quilt and got to her hooves; the animals scattered in dismay.
“H-Hello…?” she asked tentatively.
The only reply was a second scrape lower down the door.
Fluttershy swallowed and then trotted over to the door.
“Is… is somepony there?”
No answer came.
She took one more step toward the door and then pressed her ear to the painted wood.
A gentle male voice on the other side of the door spoke up over the hiss of the rain:
“Young one, fair one, willst thou let me in? The rain, the rain! It soaks me to the skin. ”
Fluttershy frowned; despite the stranger’s soft tone, some nameless worry made the back of her neck prickle.
“U-Um, I would,” she said in reply, “b-but it’s just that I have a lot of animals in here. I… I’m not sure I have room for another Pony.”
“Kind one, sweet one, ” answered the voice, “thou and I know well… thy cottage’s warm floor is as clear as a bell. ”
Before Fluttershy could respond, a small chime rang out.
It was a soft sound, but it hummed past the door and tingled in the Pegasus’s bones nonetheless, spreading numbing warmth in its wake. Fluttershy’s eyes widened and then dimmed, her eyelids drooping. All around her, animals curled up and fell asleep. She sighed giddily and leaned against the door for support as her knees grew weak.
“Young one, fair one, willst thou let me in? ” asked the stranger once more.
Fluttershy nodded, and muttered: “The rain, the rain… it soaks you to the skin… ”
She opened the door.
Something hulking but swift raced past her, bringing with it a rush of wind that blew out some of the candles in the cozy living room.
Fluttershy stumbled backward, falling down on her rump.
The creature had a dusky brown hide topped by a sharp, spiky mane that looked more like tall grass than hair, and it stood on paws with sharp, hooked talons. A small bronze bell hung from a cord around its neck. The dark thing loomed half-again Fluttershy’s height, staring down at her with piercing green eyes that seemed to glow in the sudden gloom. It spoke again, its tone still soft and purring:
“Shy one, mild one, canst thou make a meal? The more I stand and wait, the hungrier I feel! ”
Fluttershy stared up into the thing’s emerald eyes, squinting to focus as she swayed drunkenly.
“Um, all right,” she said, “I have some bread, and daisies, some carrots…”
The creature shook its long-muzzled head.
“Plump thing, ripe thing, ” it said, its voice now a low and menacing growl, “friend to every beast… THOU shalt make a satisfying feast! ”
The creature’s long muzzle spread open impossibly wide, revealing a lashing tongue and a vast array of razor-sharp fangs.
Fluttershy looked into the gaping maw and tilted her head. “Oh,” she said absently. “Okay…”
She trotted forward.
“TOKA, PEPO! TOKA! ”
The shout echoed over the storm, and brought with it the sound of galloping hooves.
An instant later, a grey-and-white striped mare wearing golden bangles on her leg and a tall, carved-wood ceremonial mask on her face skidded into the room, followed by a thin-legged brown female equine with shining violet eyes, a pair of spiraled antlers spreading back from her brow, a Cutie Mark made up of crossed zig-zagging lines, and several colourful sashes wrapped around her lean frame.
The sudden arrivals broke Fluttershy out of her reverie; she took one look at the beast before her and then shrieked in terror.
The creature closed its enormous mouth, turned to face the pair, and grunted in irritation. It gently flicked the bell around its neck with a claw.
The same humming chime rang out once more, but this time its echoes fell flat.
The striped mare lightly tapped her mask and waved a front hoof in an ah-ah-ah gesture.
The creature scowled, inhaled, and unleashed a deafening roar.
The other female’s antlers ignited with a smoky lilac radiance, and a magicked stone-tipped spear hovered into view.
The striped mare nodded in approval.
“Demon, your hunter has come far in chasing you,” she said. “But now you will surrender, or she will run you through!”
The creature’s only answer was a snarling lunge for the magic-user.
The beast and the hunter both tumbled out into the rain, but only the hunter rose; her spear was lodged deep in the creature’s broad chest.
Back inside the cottage, the striped mare removed her mask and then trotted over to the trembling Pegasus.
Fluttershy gasped and jerked out of her cringe as she caught a glimpse of the mare.
“Zecora! It’s you!”
The Zebra smiled. “I’m sorry that our visit was so scary, Fluttershy. But without us, this could well have been the day you die!”
Fluttershy squeaked. “Wh-what was that m-monster?”
Zecora turned and looked out the door; outside, the hunter kept her distance as the beast’s carcass dissolved in the rain like so much sugar-glass.
“It was a deadly spirit – a creature of the wood. It charmed you with its bell, and planned to eat you where you stood!”
Fluttershy’s lower lip quivered. “Oh, my! How awful !”
“Yes – it’s good the fight is over, but there is more work ahead. Evil can still linger, even when it’s dead.”
She trotted outside, stopping on the opposite side of the beast’s melting remains from the hunter.
The hunter nodded at the large tree not far from the cottage.
“Usipoziba ufa… ”
Zecora frowned, but then nodded. “… utajenga ukuta. ”
The hunter approached the tree; she magicked up a small pouch from among her sashes.
Zecora trotted over to stand next to her. She hung her head, and softly said:
“Great Old Tree, though we wish you well, we can leave no place for this taint to dwell.”
The hunter lashed out with the pouch, and a fine powder dusted the tree’s trunk.
As the bluish dust blended with the rain, it began to eat away the tree’s bark, and then the soft wood beneath it.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy had crept out into the rain, curious in spite of herself about her friend and the newcomer’s actions. Her eyes widened as the old tree creaked, groaned, and began to fall. She yelped in surprise as the tree crashed down, and she leaped backward without thinking.
Her rear right hoof skidded on the noxious puddle the decaying creature had left behind, making her stagger and almost fall before she righted herself.
Zecora and the hunter turned at the sound of Fluttershy’s cry.
“Stay back, my friend!” shouted Zecora. “The taint will stay until the rains wash it away!”
Fluttershy surreptitiously scraped her gooey hoof clean on the grass and then nodded nervously.
When the old tree had been completely corroded, Zecora and the hunter followed Fluttershy back inside the cottage.
“Um, if you don’t mind my asking,” said Fluttershy, “why did you kill my tree? Was it because of the monster?”
Zecora nodded. “Yes. Shujaa chased it far and wide – the tree gave it a place to hide.”
“B-But, your friend…” Fluttershy gulped. “… killed it , didn’t she?”
“She did, but don’t you know, my friend? Death is not always the end.”
“Oh,” replied Fluttershy, somewhat at a loss.
The hunter, Shujaa, watched the exchange in silence.
“Again, I’m sorry for the row,” continued Zecora, “but we should be going now. The hunt has been a fearsome test, and we both could use a rest.”
“Well, all right, then,” said Fluttershy. “Thanks again for saving me.”
The Zebra and her companion trotted back out into the rain, headed toward Zecora’s home in the Everfree Forest.
Fluttershy closed the door behind them, and then yawned; with the tension of the moment gone, fatigue piled on her like stone saddlebags.
She toweled off in the bathroom and then trotted up to her bedroom. She collapsed on the bed without even shifting the quilt. She was softly snoring in moments.
As Fluttershy slept, the tiny, thorn-like tooth embedded in her right hind fetlock silently burrowed deeper, painlessly sinking past her yellow hide.
She shivered in her sleep, her legs twitching as if galloping. Her eyes remained closed, but fear pinched her features. She clenched her whole body – her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her teeth grinding – and then she fell still and silent, sleeping as peacefully as a newborn foal.
Fluttershy half-smiled and sighed contentedly in her sleep as green, grassy shoots grew up among the strands of her mane…
Kavonde
Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes with a smile. Today was going to be a good day.
She went through her morning routine eagerly, with a quick shower, a few practiced flicks of a brush through her mane, and a breakfast of oats and daisies. As she ate, she gazed out her bedroom window and breathed in the clean, cool air left by last night’s storm. Rainbow Dash and her team had arranged the pleasant little downpour perfectly, and Twilight had drifted off to sleep to the cozy sound of rain tapping away at the leaves and limbs of the Golden Oaks Library.
She turned away from the view as Spike shuffled up the stairs, burdened down by a canvas backpack as tall as he was. “Hey, Twilight,” he said as casually as he could manage, straining to hide how winded the climb had made him. “Just seeing if you were up. I’m gonna go... ”
“... Help Rarity find gems?” the unicorn finished, raising an eyebrow.
Spike blinked. “How’d you know?”
“Because you’re up before noon, and I didn’t wake you,” she answered with a grin. “Besides, you’re wearing perfume.”
The little dragon flushed. “It’s not perfume! It’s cologne! Big Mac let me borrow it!”
“Uh-huh. Well, just be careful, Spike. Rainbow Dash said there’s been some strange pony seen outside of town the last couple of days.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine,” Spike grumbled. “Besides, strange ponies don’t worry me. She’s probably just a nice weirdo like Zecora.”
“Spike ,” Twilight reprimanded, “Zecora’s not a ‘weirdo.’ She’s very knowledgeable and wise.”
“She has creepy masks in her house, and she rhymes all the time.”
“Well, yeah. But she’s not weird . She’s... eccentric.”
Spike scratched his head. “Isn’t ‘eccentric’ just a nicer way of saying ‘weird?’”
Twilight levitated a pillow and threw it at him. He raised his arms to deflect the blow, laughed, and headed downstairs, the backpack making him wobble slightly.
After finishing her breakfast, Twilight reviewed her to-do list for the day and headed out. The first few items on the agenda were simple: bring a few books to Cheerilee’s classroom, pick up groceries for dinner, and drop off her weekly letter to her parents at the post office. It was beautiful outside, the rays of the sun lancing through the remaining wisps of dark cloud and a cool breeze teasing at the edges of her mane, and so she let her pace slow to a casual trot as she made her way to the schoolhouse.
She could hear Cheerilee speaking from halfway across the playground, with the clear, sweet “teacher voice” she used whenever her students were around. Twilight stopped at the classroom door, watching her friend work.
“Now, then,” the teacher said, turning from her blackboard to address her foals, “who can tell me something about Zebrica?”
An orange hoof shot up. “Yes, Scootaloo?”
“There’s lions there!” the little pegasus exclaimed.
“Very good, Scootaloo.” The teacher smiled as several other hooves shot up. “Snips?”
“And elephants!”
“Wonderful! Silver Spoon?”
“And blood diamonds!”
Cheerilee froze. “Uh... well. Yes.”
“An’ that’s where Zecora’s from!” added Apple Bloom. The yellow earth pony paused and blushed, realizing she hadn’t been called on. “Sorry, Miss Cheerilee.”
“That’s correct, actually,” she smiled, clearly relieved to have the topic of the international black market jewel trade deflected. “Zecora, as I’m sure most of you know, moved here from Zebreca several years ago. She’s very knowledgeable about the traditional medicines and folklore of her people, but you should know that Zebreca is a very large place, with many diverse cultures.”
She trotted over to her easel and nudged the first sheet of paper off, revealing a rough map of the southern continent. She paused for a moment to let her students look at it, then pointed with her nose at the northern edge. “A very large portion of Zebreca is taken up by the Sandhara Desert. Now, it isn’t all sand dunes, like you see in some books. Parts of it are habitable and even rather nice, especially along the Neighl River. Though many different creatures live here, including some ponies, the largest country in the Sandhara region is Camelon, home of the camels. Can anypony tell me about camels?”
Sweetie Belle’s hoof shot up. “They’re big, and they’re smelly, and they spit a lot!”
Cheerilee’s teacherly smile faltered for just a second. “That’s... okay, can anypony tell me about their culture ?”
“Well , they developed the universal mathematical alphabet that we all use, and made a lot of major discovers in the fields of medicine, chemistry, metallurgy and astronomy. Some camels still live nomadic lives, traveling from oasis to oasis and making their livings as traders, though this romantic image of them has largely been abandoned thanks to technological advancements in irrigation and sanitation, leading most camels to live in large cities, which are instantly recognizable by their distinct and beautiful architecture.”
All eyes turned to the door, where Twilight stood, blushing. “Um. Hi, everypony. Cheerilee, I brought those books you asked for.”
“Thank you, Twilight,” the teacher said, just a hint of wry amusement in her voice. “Class, say hello to Twilight Sparkle.”
“Hi, Twilight Sparkle,” the foals said in chorus, aside from Apple Bloom, who offered a hearty “Howdy, Twi!”
The unicorn smiled embarrassedly as she walked to the front of the room, levitating the books she’d brought out of her saddlebags. “Let’s see, one copy of The Culture of Camelon , one copy of The Zebras of the Savannah , and one copy of The Kudu: An Examination of a Mysterious Species .”
“Are we gonna have to do book reports?” Scootaloo groaned.
Cheerilee’s eyes widened in theatrical surprise. “Why, that’s a wonderful idea, Scootaloo! Thank you for the suggestion!”
The foals groaned. Scootaloo muttered to herself and slid down in her chair.
Sweetie Belle looked at her friend, then raised her own hoof. “Um, what’s that last thing Twilight mentioned? A cuckoo?”
“Kudu,” Twilight corrected. “The kudu live in the southernmost parts of Zebreca. Nopony knows much about them, as they’re very secretive and rarely leave their lands. Local legends suggest they have a lot of magic there, but also a lot of spirits--kind of like ghosts--both good and bad.”
“Whadda they look like?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Well, they look a lot like us, though they’re smaller and usually have earthy coloration. They’re not really related to ponies like zebras are, though, but they do have cutie marks. They also have long, spiraling horns that rise straight back from their heads, with female kudus’ horns usually being a little shorter.”
“Oh!” squeaked Sweetie Belle. “Like Zecora’s new friend!”
Every eye in the room turned to Sweetie Belle, who blushed. “Um, I saw them walking together yesterday. They looked like they were looking for something important, so I didn’t bother them. I... really liked her scarves.”
Twilight blinked. “There’s... there’s a kudu in Ponyville?! And she’s friends with Zecora?!”
“Um... I guess so.”
Cheerilee staggered back from her friend’s intense gaze as the unicorn’s head whipped towards her. “OkayCheerileesorryforinterruptingpleaseenjoythebooksgottagonowbye!”
Twilight burst out of the classroom at a full gallop.
Fluttershy was hungry.
That wasn’t a strange occurrence in and of itself, but really, she had never been this hungry before in her entire life. It felt like her stomach was made of rough bark, and the walls were trying to scrape eachother clean. It hurt. It made her feel weak and nauseous. She didn’t even want to move. She didn’t even want to open her eyes.
“Angel Bunny?” she called. Her voice sounded hoarse and low. That’s strange , she thought. “Angel Bunny, I’m really sorry to bother you, but I think I caught a cold from that storm last night, and... “
She heard the soft thump of the rabbit’s feet landing on her blankets. Gingerly, she opened one eye.
Angel went pale, leapt straight into the air, and dashed away.
“A-Angel?” she asked. She pushed herself into a sitting position, looking around for her little companion. After a moment, she spotted a pair of white ears sticking up from behind a picture frame. “Angel, what’s wrong?”
He poked his head around the side of the frame, gulped, and pulled back.
“Oh, dear, I must look awful ,” Fluttershy said sadly. She raised a hoof to straighten a lock of mane, and froze. Her soft, yellow coat had been horribly discolored; it was now a dark, dusky brown. And... what was that at the end of her hoof? Were those... those were claws ...
Fluttershy squeaked, bolted out of bed, and ran to her bathroom mirror. A moment later, she screamed. Angel, concern overcoming his fear, bounded into the room after her.
The pegasus stared in open-mouthed horror at her reflection. A grotesque muzzle filled with razor-sharp fangs stared back at her. Its face was framed by long, curly ropes of what might have been grass or ivy, aside from the wicked little barbed thorns growing here and there. Her light blue eyes had turned an intense, glowing green. And a little brass bell hung around her neck.
“Oh, oh no ,” she breathed. The monster. The horrible, rhyming thing that attacked her last night. It had used some sort of magic in its bell to convince her to open her door, to let it even, even to feed herself to it. Zecora and that strange hunter--Shujaa?--had arrived just in time to save her. Zecora had said it was an evil spirit that Shujaa had chased all the way from her homeland. And then they’d... they’d killed a tree . Because anywhere the spirit could have taken root had to be destroyed.
Destroyed .
Fluttershy stared at her twisted reflection, panic rising in her chest.
Aethraspex
Rainbow Dash casually bucked away a dark cloud that had somehow escaped from last night’s storm. Flying through the crystal clear breeze and the warming air was like a dream. The world presented itself to her, every hill, lake and cloud waiting patiently to be explored. She saw Rambling Rock Ridge in the east, where it seemed the sun hung directly overhead, and banked to fly towards it. As she suspected, Rarity and Spike were there, crawling along its open dust fields in search of gems.
“Oh, do be careful darling,” Rarity was saying to the digging dragon, “All that horrid mud will ruin your cologne.” This compliment made Spike turn a bright red and briefly stop digging. The soil was still soft from the rain, so it wasn’t hard work, but he nonetheless gave it his all. Suddenly Spike struck upon an emerald, one of the largest they’d found so far, and held it to the sky. It was so clear that he could see a pony diving from the sky like a missile on the other side.
“Rainbow...?” Spike muttered.
“It’s a lovely gem, Spike, but are you sure there’s more than one colour...?”
Rainbow Dash landed in the mud with a splat. An inescapable wave of mud flew in every direction. Rainbow, somehow, mostly escaped the mess, but when she turned around she saw her friends were less fortunate.
“Hey Spike! Rarity! What’s u-?” Rarity’s eyes met Rainbow’s in a stare that could match Fluttershy’s. “Are you alright, Rar?” she asked.
“...Rainbow Dash.” She responded.
“Don’t worry, I can fix this,”
“Oh no you don’t!” she cried. Spike had already leapt on Rainbow before she could fly away. Both crashed back into the mud while Rarity slowly backed away from the tussle. “Pardon me Rainbow Dash,” she asked once they had stopped playing, “But what in Equestria brings you out here?”
“Oh, right, heh. Have you guys seen Fluttershy? I checked around her place this morning but I couldn’t find her. Angel seemed pretty panicked though, and the door was beat up.”
“I’m afraid I haven’t seen her since yesterday.”
The gentle jingle of a bell rang across the ridge. Everypony suddenly snapped to attention, looking for the source of the sound. Though they hadn’t had an incident with the diamond dogs since Rarity was captured, they couldn’t be too careful. Rainbow spread her wings, Spike raised his claws and Rarity thought of some complaints. They heard the jingle again, louder this time.
A claw, scratched and gnarled, emerged from behind a bush. Next came a nose, nostrils flared wide and pressed against the ground like a dog. Behind the nose was a pair of glowing green eyes and long rows of crooked sharp teeth. Finally, almost hidden by the thorny ropes growing like weeds from its head, was a small collar with a bell. It dragged its dirty brown body out into the open with long and heavy steps as if it carried a great weight. It stopped, and one of it’s eyes swiveled onto the three companions.
“What is it?” Spike asked.
“I-I’ve never seen such a thing before...” Rarity replied.
“Was this the strange pony you said you saw, Rainbow?”
“Does that look like a pony to you?”
Somehow, the land went dark. The monster charged, twisted sounds of horror issuing from its mouth. Rarity squealed and threw a nearby rock in vain. Rainbow flew in full speed. Spike, after a moment’s hesitation, followed. With a mighty uppercut, Rainbow landed the first blow, but the beast brushed her aside with a single back-clawed swipe. Rainbow spiraled off like a swatted fly and the creature hardly paused for a breath. Spike skidded to a halt, turned, and ran the other way.
Too bad Spike’s stubby legs were no match for the creature’s thumping bounds as he was snatched up into the creature’s maw. Much more fortunately, his thick dragon hide saved him from its needle-sharp teeth. He stood fully upright between the creature’s jaws, raking at whatever exposed flesh was within reach. This hurt, apparently, and the thing writhed about like a snake on fire as it tried to get the dragon down its throat.
Meanwhile, Rarity searched frantically for a solution. She searched Spike’s canvas backpack, through her own wagon, even on the ground but only found sandwiches, gems and mud respectively. Something cold splattered onto her nose and began running chilling lines down her muzzle. She looked up to see some lost part of last night’s storm blocking out the sun. She looked back to the creature, then to Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow!” she called, “Rainbow, quick, the clouds!” She watched as the pegasus, clearly winded, struggled to lift her head. “Clear the clouds dear, you must!” she called again, a little louder. Rainbow looked up and understood. In a sudden gust of feathers she launched herself into the air and punctured the thick layer of clouds.
A spot of sunlight brightened the ground. It quickly became larger and larger, engulfing first Rarity, and then Spike and the monster. The thing froze. Seeing a single ray of sun made it turn its head and hiss furiously. It spat Spike back out and sprinted for the cover of the trees, it’s tinkling bell quickly fading to silence. Rarity caught Rainbow as she fell she fell exhausted from the sky and hurried over to see to Spike. Neither were hurt too badly.
“What was that?” Rainbow asked as she clutched her bruised ribs.
“I don’t know dear, but I think we should tell Twilight about it.”
Twilight was huffing by the time she arrived at Zecora’s hut. She could hear at least two voices behind the zebra’s door, and the window revealed somepony wearing a large, dusty cloak. She ran up and knocked on the door. The voices went quiet, briefly allowing the sounds of the forest to fill her ears. Finally Zecora opened her door a crack and pressed her eye against it. Upon seeing Twilight she seemed to relax, widening the door invitingly.
“Twilight Sparkle, come in and have a rest. But please excuse me, I have another guest,”
Twilight trotted tentatively through the threshold, her hooves makes a soft clip clop against Zecora’s wooden floor. On the opposite side of the hut, Zecora’s guest came into view. Like Sweetie Belle had said, it was a kudu, and she was watching Twilight with dark eyes shrouded beneath the hood of her cloak. A thousand questions leapt to the front of Twilight’s mind, but all she could do was stare.
“Some sort of introduction must be shown, Shujaa is the name by which this kudu is known,”
“Why, hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle” Twilight said, placing a hoof on her chest. The kudu nodded her head, allowing Twilight a glimpse of her spiraling horns behind her head. Shujaa then faced Zecora and launched into a string of incomprehensible syllables. Suddenly Twilight regretted giving all those books to Cheerilee about Zebrica, one of them might have helped her translate kudu. Luckily, Zecora could more than help in that regard.
“Shujaa is pleased for you to have met, but the short time she has here is her true regret.”
“Oh, she’s leaving? But I have so much to ask her about her magic and culture. Do you really have cutie marks? What’s the southernmost part of Zebrica like? What are you doing here in Equestria?”
Zecora and the kudu exchanged a meaningful glance, then began talking again in their foreign language. Twilight watched in fascination, her head bouncing back and forth between the speakers if only to confirm who was speaking. The language had an almost musical lilt to it and, though she wasn’t sure, they might have been conversing in rhyme. Finally, Shujaa reached her muzzle into the folds of her cloak and produced a small satchel tied at the top with string. She trotted over to Twilight and dropped it into her hoof, giving one more nod to Zecora.
“Shujaa came here for a spirit from her homeland. She chased it far over sea and sand. Now the demon has been destroyed, staying too long she would like to avoid. But if her assistance further you seek, that charm will take you to Zebrica in under a week.”
“Thank you...” Twilight said as she stared up at the kudu before her. It occurred to her how tall kudu were compared to ponies, which made her feel timid somehow. For the first time too, she noticed Shujaa’s soft, confident smile. Shujaa turned to leave at last.
“Wait!” Twilight cried, “Before you go, can I ask you just one thing...?”
It was getting dark but Fluttershy finally woke up. Around her, birds were chirping gently in their birdhouses and small furry creatures scurried to make their nightly preparations. Angel bunny was standing in front of her with a worried look on his tiny face. Behind him was her cottage, the door swinging on only one of its hinges, the other seemingly clawed off.
“...Angel?” she croaked. Angel suddenly embraced her in a heartfelt hug. He might have been crying. Something on her jingled.
Fluttershy groaned. The wrenching hunger she had felt this morning had been replaced with a sickening fullness, as if some creature’s carcass was gathering flies in there. Not only that, but every muscle ached and her head felt like it was splitting. She forced herself to look at her... hooves, they were back to hooves. She felt somewhat relieved, but that didn’t change the taste of blood swilling around her mouth.
The worst part was, she didn’t know how much of it was hers.
Hoopy McGee
Twilight trotted back into Ponyville in the early evening, deep in thought. It was a pity she hadn’t had more time to talk to Zecora’s friend, the kudu named Shujaa. Meeting the enigmatic shaman from southern Zebrica had been both fascinating and frustrating, because she had left almost immediately after Twilight had met her.
There were so many questions she’d wanted to ask! But only one that the kudu had answered, albeit using Zecora as a translator.
Her thoughts once again turned to the charm in the small satchel that Shujaa had given her. Part of her itched to bring it into her lab and dissect it, to see if she could figure out how the charm worked. Another part of her was worried that she might need it, if she ended up having to seek out Shujaa in her homeland.
“Twilight!”
Spike’s voice broke her out of her reverie. She turned to see a mud-coated Rarity hauling a wagon with an equally filthy Spike riding in the back, atop a load of gems. The little dragon jumped off of the cart and ran up to her, wide-eyed.
“My goodness, what happened to you two? Are you alright?”
“No time for that, darling,” Rarity said, grimacing at her filthy mane. “There is some strange creature hunting around Rambling Rock Ridge. It seems fairly dangerous. It almost ate Spike!”
“What?” Twilight replied, alarmed. “Spike, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” the dragon said with a shudder. “I’m going to have nightmares about it for a while, though.”
“All right, tell me what happened,” Twilight said, her horn flaring with a quick cleaning spell.
“Oh, thank you dear!” Rarity said as the mud flowed off of her mane and coat. She still looked disheveled, but not nearly as bad as before.
“What about me?” Spike said, and Twilight smiled before turning the cleaning spell on him as well.
“Come on,” Twilight said. “Let’s head to the library, and you can tell me all about it.”
The water from the stream was blessedly cool as Fluttershy simply submerged her entire face into it. Pulling her head out, she shook her mane, grimacing as the motion aggravated the pain in her head and neck, and caused her headache to spike alarmingly.
With a sigh, she leaned back down to the stream and taking in a mouthful of water. She rinsed it around her mouth, then spit a stream of red back into the gently moving stream.
Blood. She stared at it, wide-eyed and frightened. Was it her blood, or something else’s? She didn’t know. She felt her stomach roll with nausea as whatever she’d eaten lay unpleasantly in her gut.
She put that out of her mind, as well.
Rinse, and spit. Rinse, and spit. She repeated the action until, eventually, the red faded enough that she finally felt herself able to relax. Still, there was a taste of blood in her mouth, and so she ran her tongue around the interior.
Several places were raw, injured. Fluttershy heaved a shaky sigh of relief, knowing that the blood was hers, and not some other creature’s.
Her stomach rolled again, reminding her that it may not all be hers. Her memory turned to the belled collar that had been tangled up in her mane when she’d awoken just a few short minutes ago. She had pulled it out, staring at it with both confusion and vaguely-remembered horror, then dropped it there in front of her ruined cottage door before bringing herself to the stream.
She collapsed on the bank of the stream outside of her cottage, crying miserably. Angel patted her, desperate to comfort the miserable pegasus.
What was happening to her?
Twilight listened as her friends, now comfortably seated in the Books and Branches library, related their tale.
The mud that had covered them both was easily explained by a crash from an over-enthusiastic Rainbow Dash as she cleared away the last remnants of the previous night’s storm.
However, the creature that had attacked them soon after sounded unfamiliar, and incredibly dangerous.
“You’re saying it had a rose bush growing from it’s head?” Twilight asked, confused.
“No, darling,” Rarity explained patiently. “I said it’s mane looked like thorn-covered vines. I never mentioned roses.”
“It tried to eat me!” Spike added proudly. “But I clawed up the inside of its mouth pretty good, and it ended up spitting me out.”
Twilight smiled fondly at the proud-looking dragon, though inside the thought of something eating her number one assistant filled her with a mixture of creeping horror and a smoldering rage.
“And the sunlight drove it away?” she asked.
“Yes, once Rainbow Dash cleared the remaining cloud cover. It seemed frightened, or perhaps hurt, by the sunlight.”
“So, it will be more dangerous at night than during the day,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully with a hoof. “What happened after that?”
“Rainbow went off to look for Fluttershy once again. She was concerned because she hadn’t seen the poor dear since yesterday.”
Twilight felt her heart freeze in her chest.
“You don’t think... Do you think this creature could have gotten to her?”
Rarity dropped her teacup, wide-eyed.
“Rainbow Dash did say that Fluttershy’s door was beaten up,” she whispered.
Twilight bolted to her hooves, and Rarity did the same. Spike looked between the two mares, confused.
“We need a search party, now.” Twilight said. “Rarity, go get the mayor. Spike, get my map of Ponyville and all the surrounding areas.”
Rarity nodded and galloped off, while Spike started rummaging through a shelf for her map.
A thought ate at the back of her mind. Shujaa. The intimidatingly tall kudu shaman with the gentle smile had come here from her distant homeland, chasing some sort of a spirit or demon. What if it wasn’t actually dead? What if it was still out there?
Once again, she pictured the small tied satchel in her saddlebags, containing a charm that Zecora said would transport her to Zebrica “in under a week”.
A week might be too long, especially if Fluttershy was in danger.
She dismissed the thought from her mind as irrelevant. The first step, obviously, was to find out what happened to Fluttershy. Anything else was secondary.
Spike brought the map, and Twilight laid it out on the table, taking a ruler and marking out a series of grids.
They’d search everywhere on this map, if they had to. Twilight was determined to see that it was so.
The sun was setting. Fluttershy watched as the horizon dimmed and the light faded. Her skin felt hot, itchy. Uncomfortable. Strange.
She fell to her side, and Angel bunny, who’d been with her the entire time she’d been awake, scampered away warily, hiding in a hole underneath her cottage. Fluttershy felt a moment of sadness at her little friend’s fear of her before the pain came on her once again.
Her vision blurred. Somewhere in the back of her mind, on the edge of her hearing, was a laughing, or a howling. It was hard to tell which. It sounded wild, raw. Mournful and joyful at once, and barely sane.
Angel bunny watched with helpless frustration and terror as his friend twitched and moaned on the path outside of her cottage.
Twin green eyes flashed open, glowing in the darkness. Hooves separated, becoming gnarled claws. As the last light faded, Angel saw the bright yellow coat fade into an ugly brown.
Jagged teeth flashed at him from the shadows, and then the beast, its nose pressed to the ground, snuffled its way away from the cottage.
A look of determination crossed Angel’s features. He followed, though from a great distance, ready to flee at any moment.
When somepony was in trouble, Ponyville set to with a will. It was one of the things that most impressed Twilight Sparkle about the citizens of this small town. Nopony was left behind, nopony who was truly in trouble was left to fend for herself.
Ponies trickled in, and she sent them out in groups of three to the various grids marked off on the map, making careful note of who went where in order to avoid covering the same ground twice. Pegasi were sent out both as arial search parties, and to keep the groups in contact with each other.
She ached to go out and start searching, herself. One of her closest friends could be in danger, and here she was, stuck in the library. Objectively, she knew that the search would be much more effective if properly organized, which also represented their best hope to find her friend.
Emotionally, it was taking every effort of her will to avoid galloping wildly out the door.
Please be safe, Fluttershy, Twilight thought earnestly. Please come back to us.
Owlor
Mayor Mare couldn't have been more proud of the town, Twilight had been very clear that there was... something in the woods. The description was muddled, something about a thorny mane or a rose for a head, but she didn't need any more information to know that this was bad news. Yet almost the entire town had willingly joined the search for Fluttershy, knowing full well the risk involved.
With the help of Twilight she had divided the entirety of Ponyville into massive grids, most of which where already being searched by a trio of volunteers each. But the more dangerous squares of the Everfree forest needed a special strategy all on its own.
Assembled in front of the town hall were a small crowd of combat-ready ponies, speaking excitedly amongst themselves and the mayor couldn't help but shudder slightly at how fierce they looked. She wouldn't want this level of fierce determination set against her -again- and she had to remind herself that these ponies where on her side.
She put on her serious face as she trotted up onto the stage. The podium had been removed and in its place was a stand holding a map of the Everfree Forest. Mayor Mare looked very much like a drill sergeant as she stood in front of the map, holding one hoof in the air to silence the masses.
”Thank you all for coming, we're going to need each and every one.” The mayor coughed and swallowed her political instincts to use diplomacy and euphemisms. ”I'm not going to lie, if we want any chance of coming out of this alive, we're gonna have to be smart about this. I had Twilight draw up this plan for us, and I want it to be followed to the letter, okay?”
The crowd nodded nearly in unison as the mayor produced a red marker from her saddle back. She draped her left hoof around the cap, but couldn't get a good enough grip for it to open. She flipped the marker over and tried to open it with her mouth, but to no avail.
She fumbled with it as she noticed the crowd growing impatient. Beads of cold sweat appeared on her brow and she she could feel the image of her as a competent leader erode rapidly in front of everypony's eyes.
A light appeared at the edge of her field of vision and a green glowing hand appeared on stage. It grabbed the cap between its thumb and index finger and neatly screwed it off. The mayor breathed a sign of relief and turned towards the source of the magic, a cyan pony beaming a helpful smile.
”Thank you, Lyra!” she said.
”I'm glad to help!” Lyra replied and the hand did a ”V”-sign. ”I can help you write too if you want, just tell me what to do.”
The mayor frowned at this, still sensing the wound in her commanding presence.
”No thank you,” she replied. ”I appreciate it, but I don't need your help. She put the marker in her mouth and went up to the map.
”Arrarrh, irsh ee o-u-e ef arh oh-e-orerh” the mayor said as she drew a rough circle around part of the forest. The crowd murmured and a more blunt pony yelled out: ”Hey, miss mayor, we can't friggin hear you!”
The mayor blushed violently and held the marker up to Lyra's magic hand.
”Here Lyra, come up on stage and help me write with this thing.
”Yay!” Lyra jumped up, defying all laws of gravity.
”Allright, as I said, first we bring the entire group to this part of the forest here.” she pointed and Lyra’s glowing green hand completed her rough circle. ”After that we split up into six groups, going out from the center and then back together gain a few miles east.”
The mayor gestured with her hooves and Lyra followed her instructions obediently, drawing a neat wave-pattern across the map.
”Each group leader will have the checkpoints marked on their maps, and we won't continue unless everypony is assembled at each checkpoint, you got that? I don't want to lose any more ponies.” The mayor smirked to herself, having regained some of her lost credibility.
The crowd didn't exactly stomp in applause, but they did emit various appreciative roars. Among those she could hear an indistinct ”yee-haw!”
”I already told you, Mrs. Smith,” miss Mare scolded the green pony that was the source of the yell. “You do NOT qualify as a combat-ready mare!”
”You wanna come down here and say that to my face, young lady?!” the old mare exclaimed and got ready to sprint up the stage with all the speed and graze of Tank the tortoise, but her grand-daughter held out a hoof to stop her.
”Please granny,” Applejack told her determined granny. “Ah I know you wanna help, but we don't wanna put more ponies in danger.” Granny Smith snorted in displeasure but eventually resigned.
On stage, the mayor turned back to Lyra.
“That will be all”, she said to the unicorn. “Thanks for your help.
Lyra gave the red marker back to the mayor and jumped back into the crowd as the glowing hand disappeared in a shower of sparkles. The mayor looked back towards the crowd with stern eyes.
”Be careful!” she pleased. ”There are monsters in the Everfree forest, everypony knows this, and they are not going to be happy about us barging in like this. With a little luck we'll find Fluttershy an complete the search before we rile up the really big ones.”
“And with a little more luck, Fluttershy will actually be alive,” she added under her breath. ”So, any questions?”
”Yeah, what group are you going to be in?” the outspoken pony from before probed.
”Well... let's just say I...” the mayor blurted out, stumbling on her words.
”You're gonna stay behind aren't you?” the pony from the crowd asked and miss Mare felt a knot in her stomach.
”I do wanna join in, I really do. But I'm too important to the town to risk.”
”So, you're saying we are expendable?”
”Goodness, no! I'm just saying that I haven't had time to instruct a replacement yet but I promise you I'll help out in any way I can.”
The crowd grumbled a bit at this, but ultimately decided to accept her excuse.
”Alright,” the mayor began to announce and produced a scroll from her saddle back ”Are each group leader ready?” she unfolded the scroll and started reading out the names.
"Applejack for Combat group A?” A stetson hat appeared from the crowd.
”Yee-haw!” Applejack exclaimed.
”Rainbow Dash for combat group B?” At first the mayor was afraid that the pegasus pony was missing as well, but looking up, she found her perched on a cloud right above the crowd.
”Let's rock 'n roll!” RD said and struck a determined pose.
”Pinkie Pie for combat group C?”
”Here I am!” Pinkie's voice rang out from behind the map, startling the mayor.
”What are you doing here?” she asked.
”I slipped trough a plot-hole,” Pinkie Pie informed her. ”Isn't this exciting?”
The mayor just sighed and kept on with the list.
”Rarity for Combat Group Sunflower.... is that really what you wanna call it?” Rarity flicked her hair back at this.
”I found it much more charming than simply naming it after a letter, don't you agree?”
Mayor Mare ignored this and searched for the next name.
”Rose for combat group... well, rose. I gotta admit,” she added to the frail pony. ”I did not expect you to join with the combat group.”
”Well, you know what they say, every rose has its thorn,” Rose said with a sly smile.
”Well, they aren't not thorns, they are prickles, outgrowths of the epidermis, but anyway... Cranky Doodle Donkey for Combat Group 'I ain't naming this after no flower'. I'm glad to see that the donkeys of the town decided to pitch in.”
”And I'm glad the town at least acknowledges that we donkeys live here as well when there's work to be done,” Cranky said sarcastically.
”Allright, every pony... and donkey... seem to be here,” the mayor concluded. ”Go right ahead, you guys. I'll meet up with you afterwards.”
It was stalking the woods, with a mind like an arrow that pointed her towards the bare essentials of survival. But somewhere under that rancid brown hide and that thick skull rested the leftovers of a more complex mind. Silver fumes of abstract thought spiralling helplessly around its head as the baser instincts drove It forwards, towards the nearest living target.
A bird was resting on a small rock, wings still hurting after a bad fall. It appeared from behind the bird, like a huge imposing shadow framed by a mane made out of thorny wines. A second after Its presence became known, it launched itself towards the prey, catching the animal in Its claws.
The fumes in Its head became restless, they trashed against the sides of Its narrow consciousness wrestling for control. One of the internal blows hit frightfully close to Its being and a small nugget of information crossed over. The fumes had a name, 'Fluttershy'
”Stop. Futtershy,” It demanded in its own simple mental language.
”I'm not gonna let you hurt a poor innocent bird!” a small, squeaky voice sounded in its head.
”Must. Eat.” The fumes once again dissipated, but the distraction had proven enough for the bird to find an advantage. The would-be prey wrestled out of its tight grip and It could only stare at the bird disappointedly as it flew away in a panicked, zig-zagging flight path.
The town was hauntingly empty as the mayor made her way to her office, yet she still looked behind her shoulder several time. This was not an aspect of her former life she wanted her citizens to see
Once in her office, she approached the rather gaudy picture of herself that hung above the desk and promptly tore it down. A thousand bits worth of paint and mare-hours came crashing down on the floor, revealing a large wall-mounted safe.
Inside the safe was a pink jumpsuit, outfitted with hoof-mounted blades and shoulder-mounted guns and a bottle of aged ocean water. The mayor suddenly realized that it had been ten years since she had even looked at this gear. It was like meeting an old friend you had fallen out of favour with, only the friend in question was yourself.
First thing first, the mayor grabbed the bottle of ocean water and drained it in one swoop. Her younger self had been very forward-thinking and had known precisely what she needed to be able to don this get-up again: liquid courage.
The outfit slid on nicely, although it was a little tight around the stomach, reminding her that she wasn't the mare she used to be. Out from one of the legs fell a pick cloth, her trusty mask. She tied it over her face and pulled the hood of the spandex suit up.
”The Pink Avenger rides again, I guess,” she muttered to herself. The salt water did its best to block the most painful memories.
Behind the jumpsuit in the safe was a small mirror and she admired herself in it. Her grayed mane would be a problem, it was distinctive enough for ponies to recognize her. Without hesitation, she grabbed a pair of scissors from the top drawer of her desk and cut the offending bangs off, hiding the rest of the hair under the hood.
There was a knock on the door, and the mayor froze up. Some of her old instincts returned and she looked around the room for a place to hide, cursing the day she chose hot pink as a signature colour for a sneaky ninja suit. In a fit of clarity, she tossed the torn canvas over the safe, hiding it just in time for the doorknob to turn.
”Miss mayor!” Twilight yelled from the door frame. ”I just discovered a flaw in my plan, you'll.... who the hay are you?”
Twilight dropped the document she was carrying as she gazed towards the mysterious pony in the middle of the room.
”I... my name is of no importance,” the mayor said, affecting a growly voice like the female version of those ponies in the western movies she loved as a filly. ”I used to be kind of a hero around these part until... well, that's in the past. But I heard about your trouble and hoped I could make up for it by helping you and your town on your search."
Twilight looked sceptical, and the mayor couldn't help but notice the strange locked around her neck, which was glowing faintly as tough it was warning its bearer about something.
”What did you do to the mayor?!” Twilight said and put herself in a combat-ready pose that looked extremely out of place for this unicorn intellectual.
”She's safe, don't worry about her, I'll help you find Fl...” miss Mare stumbled on her words.”This friend of yours that's missing,” she corrected herself. ”If you'll let me.”
Twilight surveyed the strange masked pony as one of her hooves reached for the locket when the talisman stopped glowing, some of the harshness in the librarians eyes disappeared.
”Okay, she said. ”But I'm watching you! We need to catch up with the others, you see, there's a flaw in my...”
”No time!” The mayor interrupted her, being fully aware of how neurotic Twilight could get and not wanting to waste her precious time on a minor hang up.
”If the description I got from the mayor is accurate, I think I know where to find this thing, I've encountered it before.” the masked mare announced. ”And I don't know if I can take it myself, but I'm bloody well going to try!”
Candlelight
Ponyville was empty of its usual cheerful life by now, since most of its denizens had volunteered in the search, and the rest stayed at home, closing all doors and windows, daring not to even look outside. The search parties followed the plan and swept through the town and its close surroundings. Yet as they roamed the empty streets and fields, they already knew they weren't going to find anything, for it was obvious where the missing beauty and the beast resides. Which is exactly where our two mares were headed, galloping through town as fast as they could.
"But, who are you, anyways? And why isn't the mayor coming?" Twilight questioned the pink-suited mare running next to her.
"I used to be called the Pink Avenger, back when... well, long ago. And I told you, the mayor is--"
"And where did you encounter such a thing before?"
"Uhh, somepony began to mix their gardening habits with unicorn magic, and the results went haywi--"
"How are we going to fight it? And what if none of the search parties find it or Fluttershy? Do you think she's still alive? What happens if--"
"Twilight, please! I can't even hear my own thoughts beside you!" the mare lashed out, even though she much preferred not to actually hear them.
Silence filled the verbal vacuum, calling memories to flood the mind of the mare in pink. She couldn't suppress them forever, drink or no drink. The same concern worn by faces, the same unnerving questions asked, the same answer given, the same result bound to happen: the victim is never found. Ten years of distance and the same menace reoccurs: she couldn't let it end the same way. But what if she really was right, and the beast took over the victim, not just merely consuming them? What else is there to do than to end it? Now she remembered why she turned to politics instead of keeping up this double life: leading the town as mayor held much fewer moral burdens than being its caped champion.
She snapped out of her heavy thoughts as they came near the edge of the Everfree forest, for the wind had carried a rather unlikely sound to her ears: the sound of an argument raging. Age had caught up with her sight, because until they came closer, all she could make out is an elder pony arguing with a stetson hat.
"Ah told'ya granny, and the mayor had told'ya too, ya can't come with us or ya mi' get hurt!" Applejack almost shouted by now.
"Dont'ya raise yer voice like that when ya talkin' to yer elder, young lady! Why in my time Ah--"
"Oh, Twilight, thank goodness yer here! Ya gotta take granny-- uhh, who's tha friend o' yers?"
"Hay, Ah recognise that fancy getup anywhere! Yer tha Pink Flamingo! No, wait... tha Pink Cupcake! Or... aww, shucks, I forgot again." said Granny Smith disappointed.
"Twilight, can you escort Mrs Smith back to the Orchard?" asked the mislabeled mare.
"I'm on it. Come along now, Granny Smith."
"... Or was it tha Pink Panther? Naah, sounds more like a fancy jewel than a 'ero..." the elder mare wondered on as she was gently led away from the group.
"Thank'ye miss, we've been at it for a mighty long time now. All tha others 'ave already split up into groups, so we gotta hurry if we wanna catch up with tha one Ah'm supposed to lead."
"Great, so we're on our own until we bump into a combat group - or the beast."
"Or Fluttershy." Applejack suggested, to which the masked mayor didn't give an answer.
They swiftly entered the eerie woods as the sun descended behind them. Inside the forest was dark as it is, and now even the last glimpse of Celestia's caring presence had gone away, making way for her sister to guard the sky. Princess Luna had the burden to contain the things that consumed the dreams of sleeping fillies, the stuff of nightmares, to keep them still and forbidding them to walk the land. She silences most of the world to let them slumber, and envelops them in the impenetrable night, so they wouldn't be seen by the innocent living in the light.
Yet even Luna couldn't do a thing against the bold and the foolhardy willingly seeking out their fears and their doom, those that meet slender trees growing upside down and gaze into the empty darkness far too long. The one our ponies seek is quite unlike the rest of the host of forgotten beasts, this one isn't ancient nor too complex, yet it resembles all three of plant, beast, and pony, all at once. But now it's time to resume to our two mares, lost in the woods in the unforgiving night.
"Ah can't see a thing in this dark. How long 'ave we been goin'?" asked Applejack, concern seeded in her voice.
"Not long enough."
"Uhm, Ah don't think it's a good idea to-- hay, where've ya gone to?" from concern grows anxiety.
"I'm right besides you."
"No yer not, yer-- oww! Huh, a spike. Or a thorn. What kin' of plant has thorns like this?" from anxiety
"..."
"Pink Avenger??" grows fear.
"..."
"..." from fear
"..."
"What are ye?"
Grows nightmare.
Minutes later, The mayor heard hasty hoofsteps coming towards her. She hid behind a tree and patiently waited for the moment, wait for it, wait for it, jump. She wrestled her target down and held a hoof-mounted blade against its throat. After some pleading and moaning, she recognised that it was Applejack.
"What happened, what were you running from? And why are you covered with cuts and thorns?"
"It got me! The thing, it-- Behind ye!"
Slash, slash, shriek, away it crawls.
"We need to pursue it before-- AJ?" the mayor turned behind, seeing Applejack knocked out cold from the blood loss.
"Oh, no, not again! Give me an election or donkey immigration policy to work on, but not this!"
She knew all too well if she doesn't get help for her friend very soon, Applejack will pass away. But if she doesn't find her prey soon, it will flee again, condemning her to an eternal cat-and-mouse game in the dark. Or worse, it will turn the forest against her, and the denizens within. For she knew what it was, a plant with a basic id to steer and drive it, in the body of a pony who by now, for all intents and purposes, counted as dead.
"Fluttershy! Come here this instant!" with infernal anger boomed the voice of the Pink Avenger.
Nothing.
"Fluttershy!!!"
The forest froze in fear. As if expelling from itself an outcast creature, it produced the summoned beast in front of her. It struggled and trashed around, but it couldn't break free of the strong tree-roots that kept it entangled.
The basic shape of a pony of brown color, with a throng of thorny vines for a mane, and a rose for a head. And its jaws, decorated with huge thorns as if fangs, capable of shredding any animal or pony to pieces. She knows this, for such an act was witnessed by her before. It looked just like she remembered.
The Pink Avenger grabbed it by the throat, disregarding the vicious thorns, slammed it to the ground with all her might, and began her deadly monologue.
"With every word I cut you off, off this night, off this life. *slice*
Let every vine be decoupled, all the wrong that you uphold. *slash*
I know you now, you let the weak let out the shriek, *stab*
Erase their mind, embellish them with brownish hide, *cut*
Crowning them with raging thorns, denying them their mortal forms, *jab*
Hiding gentle, soothing matter,
In green blood flowing I now scatter,
Your healing blood I now draw out,
To mend the wrong and clear the doubt,
To make the town I love remember:
I am again, the Pink Avenger!" *slash*
"Wh-What happened? What's that thing doin' there?!" asked Applejack, able to lift only her head off the ground.
"Calm down, dear, you've lost a lot of blood, I--"
"Is it dead?" Applejack pointed to the severed head and the minced remains of the beast.
"Yes, it is dead."
"Great, now the only thing left is ta find Fluttershy." Applejack said with a relief, letting her head back on the ground.
An uncomfortable silence fell.
"Wait, yer not tellin' somethin'. Out with it."
The answer came not from the Pink Avenger, but from the surrounding forest: it gradually became louder and more alive, one roar at a time. Shrieks of ponies all across the forest were heard, along with the fleeing sound that shook the earth, a stampede of primal fear. Soon, the darkness around them was lessened by the lights of millions of big and small pairs of eyes of all kinds, everywhere.
"What in tarnation is happening?!"
"There was a price for saving you from your wounds, and for slaying our foe. I called out the forest, I called out the name of the beast, and I declared guardianship of the surrounding region, the town. Even though I knew what that entails."
"An' what does it entail?"
"The forest is awakening, as all the things hidden within it."
"But, it's still night! That means everything in the night is awakening! What are we gonna do?"
"I think our best bet is to find the others and visit Princess Luna, but if even she can't do anything about this, then--"
"Then we're done for! All of Ponyville is done for!"
"No. All of Equestria is done for."
darkironpony
Just then a menacing growl erupted from all around them. The Pink Avenger and her companion were promptly surrounded by viscous timberwolves.
"I guess telling Princess Luna about the problem will have to wait," the Pink Avenger said slightly annoyed.
"But if we don't tell them soon all of Ponyville will be in chaos!" Applejack yelled.
As Applejack yelled her companion took inventory of the enemy's numbers. Six against two. I don't like these odds, she realized.
"Exactly but we can't do that if we allow ourselves to be devoured by these beasts," the Pink Avenger said readying herself with her blade to face the timberwolves.
"Okay," Applejack replied nervously.
"Get ready because here they come!" the Pink Avenger said as two timberwolves advanced menacingly. One came from the front and the other the back.
The Pink Avenger caught the eyes of the creatures.
Their eyes gleamed with an intense love. Love to hunt. Love to stalk ones prey. Yes these creatures throughly enjoyed being the predator. They act just like all the politicians I've dealt with in the past. That means this should be easy the Pink Avenger thought.
"Applejack. It seems like they won't let us do this the easy way. So get my back and I will get yours," she ordered authoritatively. She felt herself smile at that. Sometimes I forget how much I liked the freedom to order ponies to do stuff they could do immediately. Maybe that is why I decided to become the mayor. It has been so long I can't even recall, she thought.
As Ishe thought this a wolf launched itself at her left side. She froze. Darn. My hesitance. I should have been able to.
Her thinking was interrupted as she saw Applejack buck the beast back.
"I got ya back Pink Avenger," she said smirking. "And now we're even."
"I can live with that,"the pink avenger replied with a grin of her own. Amazing! Even with the massive blood loss she can fight. The apple family members' strength never seizes to amaze me, she thought.
The other wolf pounced towards Applejack. The Pink Avenger ducked underneath the monster. Her blade tore into the bark of the enemy. With a grunt of effort she launched the timberwolf up a few feet.
"Applejack he is all yours," the pink avenger said rolling away before the monster could land.
Applejack's face turned to one of resolve as she unleashed a vicious buck to the timberwolve's jaw. It landed hard against a tree.
"Well that takes care of one. And one was injured," she thought aloud. "Applejack our next course of action is to attack that injured timberwolf."
"Ya sure 'bout that?" she asked unsure of my plan.
"If we do we can convince them they are the prey. If we do that we can get to Ponyville quicker," the pink avenger explained. "And the quicker we can get the girls. Well except Fluttershy. Ya sure you haven't seen her?" she inquired.
"I'm sorry Applejack your friend is gone. That 'thing' got her. I am sorry I couldn't save her. Listen if we don't move fast the rest of your friends will end up the same. As well as all the citizens of Ponyville and we can't let that happen!"the pink avenger yelled.
Applejack could only stare at her in shock. That probably was the incorrect way of telling her. Darn it. The time I have spent being the Pink Avenger has erased all the tact I gained in politics. I forgot how being the mayor helped me, the Pink Avenger mentally scolded herself.
In desperation the Pink Avenger spun myself around the five remaining conscious wolves. She made sure as she went around all the wolves saw her eyes."You aren't going to hurt anypony! You hear me!? I killed that beast and I can do the same to you!"
The largest wolf howled at that. The others backed away. Their eyes however refused to go anywhere. "What did ya do?" Applejack asked me.
"Well first I killed a beast that was terrorizing Ponyville. Next I challenged all the beasts in the Everfree Forest to try and take Ponyville. Then we were surrounded by timberwolves. And finally I convinced the leader of the pack to a fight," I said not quite believing it myself.
The pack leader angrily pounded at the ground.
"Fine ah can take this timberwolf like I took the others," Applejack said marching up to meet the pack leader. The leader barked at her angrily. Applejack gave me a look of skepticism,"What is he doing?"
"I issued the challenge. He must want to fight me," I said smugly.
"Well I outta," as she said that the other timberwolves were moving back up.
"Applejack. How about we give the pack leader what he wants. We don't want him angry," the costumed pony reasoned stepping up.
"Applejack hold this for me," I said hoofing her my blade.
"But shouldn't ya use it?" she asked.
"Probably but it may anger him. and like I said we don't want to make him angry," she reasoned. She began walking towards her foe.
The leader barked again and the pack returned to their previous positions farther away from them.
Her eyes and the leader's locked and they ran towards run another. She evaded a deadly bite turning towards his left side. The costumed hero bucked him once right on the left side of his face.
The leader howled in pain. Not wanting to lose momentum the pink hero jumped towards a nearby tree. She used her hooves to push away from the tree.
As she neared the leader she grabbed his head with her two front hooves. She flipped him and slammed him onto the ground.
The leader picked itself up and angrily lunged at her..
"Ahhhhh!" she yelled shocked.
The leader connected his teeth with her right hindleg. She could feel it tear through her skin. All she could do was shout in agony.
"Pink Avenger!" Applejack yelled worried.
"I can't die here," she muttered to myself. She looked towards Applejack and saw the other timberwolves were locked onto her fight. The pack had almost forgotten about Applejack. One still was staring at her.
The leader tore flesh from her hindleg. It then went for her other hindleg. With a burst of strength she jumped over the leader.
As she did that she once again grabbed its head. With a roar of pure anger and pain she twisted the leader's neck. With an enormous crunch that echoed throughout the entirety of the Everfree Forest the pack leader met his demise.
The pack in anger all rushed at her. "Applejack. Get to Ponyville! Save it and your friends! Find princess Luna and correct my mistake!" she begged as tears fell.
"Pink Avenger," Applejack said throwing something towards the timberwolves.
"Don't worry about me just go now!" the costumed mare yelled backing up to a tree. "I'll be fine. Save Ponyville! Go now!"
She nodded and took off running. "I would have really preferred a donkey immigration policy," Mayor Mare muttered to herself as she saw Ponyville's last chance for survival run towards it.
"Maybe I can die here," she mused to myself. She felt her sword near her. Applejack. Thank you, she thought grinning. "Then again I don't have to go alone."
overdonefictions
The Pink Avenger quickly rolled out of the way of the oncoming wolves. Several of them tumbled to the ground in a comical heap. Another tried to get at the Pink Avenger while she was on the ground in a prone state. Luckily, she had been prepared for this and raised her hooves, landing a swift kick in the stomach. The poor wolf rolled backwards like a quarter on a tilted table. The wolf whimpered a bit an limped into the forest. The Pink Avenger felt bad for a moment, before being assaulted by more wolves. The Pink Avenger was tired of these petty wolves, with their petty fangs, petty claws, petty bad breath, and petty growls. She decided to finish this in one swift move. Grabbing the first wolf by the paw in her hooves, she began to spin him around, creating a pink and brown tornado of extreme force. The other wolves were sucked into it, howling and wailing in fear. The Pink Avenger released the wolf she had grabbed and sent the tornado flying into the Everfree Forest. Another job well done.
The Pink Avenger pulled out a clipboard and flipped through a checklist. She grabbed a red pen and marked off "animal cruelty to tha extreme." before placing the clipboard back in wherever superheroes keep random junk.
The Pink Avenger left the dark, dreary, Everfree Forest for a lighter setting, the Light Bulb Factory. (Ba-dum tsh.) The factory itself had been long abandoned and the inside of it contained several empty crates. The Pink Avenger opened one of the crates and climbed inside, pressing a hidden switch, taking the "ele-crate-or" down to basement level. Waiting there was Professor Luna.
"Luna. I'm the hero this city needs."
"And I'm not a real professor."
The Pink Avenger gasped in shock. "What? But what about that time you helped me on that test?"
"I'm good at math."
"Very well then, we shall discuss this at a later time. Where is Super Spike?"
"On the toilet."
Nearby, groans and grunts could be heard from the bathroom, where a Massive Dump of Justice was being made. Pink Avenger knocked on the door.
"Super Spike? Are you okay?"
"I am pooping."
"Really?"
"No. Not really. I wanted to see if Luna would assume I was pooping if I made grunting noises."
"Okay then. Can I come in?"
"No. I am actually pooping. that was a joke."
"I get it. HA!"
Laughs were had by all three of them, especially Luna, for she appreciated a good poop joke. A large plop resounded from the echoing tiled floors of the Bathroom of Justice, followed by a flush and the sound of hands being lathered and rinsed in the correct manner (Superheroes have to set a good example.). Super Spike emerged from the Bathroom of Justice and entered the General Gathering Area of Justice where his friends were all waiting. Scuffling noises could be heard outside the Secret Basement of Justice. The Pink Avenger opened her mouth to say something, but Super Spike spoke first.
"Don't worry Pinkie, I finally got Twilight to be our maid. Now I can finally get her in that suggestive costume."
Luna's eyes went wide at the thought of a Suggestive Costumed Maid Of Justice. Another excellent idea from Super Spike. Maybe the same tactic could be used in her own home? Luna shuddered at the thought. She was a tiny bit afraid of the thought of the entire royal guard staff in suggestive maid outfits. The Ele-crate-or finished its descent into the Secret Basement of Justice and there stood Twilight Sparkle. Twilight grinned at Super Spike, but not in an erotic way, more like an evil grin of a super villain. Super Spike realized what he had done.
"Oh no."
"Fool! You let me, the powerful MagneTwilight, into your Super Secret Basement of Justice!"
"Look out!" Super Spike cried as he dove for cover.
MagenTwilight grabbed the Super Swear Jar of Justice using her magnetic powers, pulling out all the bits from the jar and flinging them behind every sofa cushion in the entire Super Secret Basement of Justice! Diabolical! Super Spike cursed, dropping a bit in the jar as he did so, they would never find all of the coins! Super Spike used his power of X-Ray Vision to try and find all the coins, but when money is lost, it turns invisible, so even he could not see them.
The Pink Avenger became extremely frustrated at the loss of the coins. She was hoping they could get a Manetendo Wii for the Super Rec Room of Justice, and now those dreams were shattered. The Pink Avenger decided to throw a wad of paper at MagneTwilight in frustration. The wad went sailing across the room, bopping MagneTwilight on the nose. MagneTwilight was surprised by this, and responded by grabbing The Pink Avenger's keys and the TV remote, and throwing them behind the Big White Refirgerator of Justice, where they were sucked into the Negative Zone that exists behind all refrigerators.
The Pink Avenger pouted in unrelenting rage, a pout so disheartening that even Professor Luna and Super Spike felt a little bad, and they didn't even do anything. Nevertheless The Pink Avenger pouted forcing MagneTwilight to say something she never thought she'd ever say.
"Pinkie, maybe we should play a different game."
"I think you're right Twilight, you're too good of a villain. We should play PIRATES! We can all be a crew and we can go pillage Rarity's booty!"
The group yarred in unison. And thus, Captian Pinkhair began sailing the seven seas, along with Pegleg Spike, Lunavigator, and Twilight "Flintlock" Sparkle.
Outside the abondoned light bulb factory that was now their galleon, the quartet pretended to be on smaller dinghies to sail to Rarity's Caravel Boutique. (aren't I clever?)
The boutique loomed on the distant ocean, where a flag of three diamonds could be seen. Pinkhair and her crew neared the Caravel. They knew they wouldn't need the galleon, Rarity would never expect a surprise attack. The small dinghy moored on the Caravel, and Pinkhair and her band of miscreants climbed up onto the deck. Rarity looked extremely surprised to see them, but before she could say anything, Twilight pulled out an (imaginary) pistol and shot her in the gut! Rarity collapsed/fainted on the ground. Pegeleg Spike Began tying her up, and Pinkhair pillaged her sweet candies and juice boxes, tossing them all onto the dinghy. The crew returned to their trusty vessel and headed back to the galleon to put Rarity into the Brig.
Rarity had awoke halfway through the return journey and began whining. Luckily Pinkhair and her crew were conditioned against such tactics, so Rarity's wails were in vain. The galleon had plenty of space for Rarity, considering it was a lightbulb factory. Rarity made herself comfortable after realizing they were playing a game, joining the ranks of the Pirates. Yarr!
benxlabs
And as we temporarily take leave of our heroine’s situation, we focus on another galaxy! Travelling through the cosmos, faster than the speed of light, breaking Einstein’s theories in 10 seconds flat, we arrive in an entirely different and very universe! And thus begins our journey toward side-tracking from the actual story, which doesn’t really matter since it has probably already been sidetracked at least four times. How very, very meta of this story to be like one of those astronomy documentaries you see in those domey theaters, right? Well, prepare yourself, because I have no idea what else to write!
A dark, hooded pony watched the antics of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. They were once again fighting an uprising caused by Discord’s chaotic magic. The hooded figure grinned. A red glow emitted from under his hood. He chuckled softly. “And so it begins...my little ponies...” Then he chuckled.
“Honestly, Twilight! All we need to do is whip out those harmony necklaces and beat Discord’s sorry butt, right?” Rainbow Dash was impatient.
“Honestly, Rainbow! It’s not that easy! The Elements of Harmony have disappeared again, and Discord’s twisted everyone’s personalities hither dither!” Twilight retorted.
Meanwhile, as the mane 6 argued about such trifles, a more important matter approached even closer. Discord lounged on his throne of cotton candy and chocolate, casually surveying the battlefield. Unbeknownst to him, he was merely a pawn. A pawn in a greater game. A much greater game. The hooded pony grinned from afar. They were playing right into his hands. This game was his.
All of Ponyville was in chaos, just as Discord wanted. The Mane 6 were completely helpless without those puny necklaces. Discord grinned and continued his “renovation”. In the royal castle of canterlot, the Princesses were starting to become concerned.
“Sister, thou sayest that our champions are in trouble?” Luna spoke in her traditional old english.
“Yes...unfortunately. We may have to actually take part in this battle Royale. However, I sense there is something more to this than meets the eye.” Celestia narrowed her eyes.
“What dost thou imply?” Luna questioned.
“I mean that there might be someone else behind the curtains.” Celestia continued.
“Why dost thou speaketh in Shakespearean? We cannot fathom thy meaning!” Luna continued her futile questioning.
Celestia could only sigh. “Perhaps you ought to stop skipping out on your weekly Modern Speech classes, Luna.”
The hooded figure sat atop a throne of skulls. The skulls were all of various animals, most of them ponies. He gazed into a glowing orb that showed him the happenings of the world. He saw the mane 6 having trouble defeating Discord, and smiled. A new era was coming. An era without such petty things as good and evil. An era...where power was everything. Underneath his hood, his mouth curled into a wolfish grin. Waving his arm, 6 golden necklaces floated into the air. “Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Honesty, Kindness, and of course, Magic.” The pony snarled. The necklaces shattered. Then the pony laughed.
“Buck it, Twilight! Buck it all! Where the hay are those Elements? Discord didn’t hide them, since he would have left a riddle or something like that.” Rainbow Dash was getting very frustrated.
“Hang in there Rainbow! We might not have to use the Elements to defeat Discord. Remember when Chrysalis attacked? It was my big brother and Cadance who finally defeated her!” Twilight began to ponder. Perhaps there was hope for them after all! But alas, even the master of logicians has flaws in their plans. Love defeated Chrysalis, who was arrogant in her power. But love is a strong emotion, easily twisted to good or evil. And it is love who gives rise to the greatest evil.
“Cellie, dost thou honestly think our presence is required on this battlefield? We have not done battle with our own two hooves for...16 score!” Luna whispered to Celestia.
“Don’t worry Luna! We can do this! Just believe in yourself!” Celestia responded.
“But I have spent much too long on the moon. My power may have decreased somewhat, wouldn’t thou agree?” Luna was not convinced.
“Ah, just give it a break. If we don’t do anything, we’ll be looking at cotton candy clouds the rest of our lives!” Celestia was starting to get impatient.
“But would that not be beneficial? We would have a reliable source of food for the rest of eternity, albeit a sweet and unhealthy one.”
“...” Celestia had no comment.
The hooded pony watched all with amusement. “So the great alicorns have set out themselves? That is a rare occurrence...a rare occurrence indeed. But not unanticipated. There is no need for an alteration of plan. The path to a new world remains clear and open.” Once again, the pony laughed.
Perhaps you consider this strange hooded figure mysterious? Strange? Evil, even? Although the royal census prides itself in its completeness and accuracy, there is one exception. Yes, that hooded figure. His past is clouded in darkness, and is unknown to all. His mere existence is information known only by the two Princesses. So how did this dark creature come to be? And why does he wish for such a world ruled by power? Is not such a thing ridiculous? Is it not the antic of a storybook villain?
In order to better understand the actions and thoughts of the hooded figure, one most delve deep into his past, even before his childhood. This pony of darkness was born of the king of a rich empire and the queen of a criminal network. Such a thing is unheard of in history books, but it has happened before. When the child was born, it was immediately cast aside. Neither side had love for it. Neither side had any use for a child, as they had chosen heirs of their own. And so the child was abandoned before he even knew love.
Just from this, you can see why he might harbor just a little hatred. Just a little.
Angelson1992
Hmm, a brand new stage has been set for our chaotic little play, and now it’s my turn to tell the tale of this day. At stage left sits the villain, archetypically mysterious and overflowing with madness and malice. From stage right flies the princesses, beloved heroines ready to fight for their charges. And center stage, can’t forget, battles our brave band of bearers against a force, not of evil, but of chaos and change unfettered.
Now that I’m done waxing lyrical, let’s get to the story. Shall we?
In the lair of our mysterious villain, a blinding whiteness was currently bleeding through the marble walls of the central chamber. The light’s recession to levels appropriate for unrestricted sight marked the successful completion of the arcane spell that our antagonist was casting. One might wonder exactly what spell is so important to complete when there are princesses, spirits of chaos, and element bearers to deal with. The answer to that is actually surprisingly simple, a teleportation spell. After all, what better way to make sure that the Elements of Harmony won’t become an issue than teleporting their fragments all across not only Equestria, but the entire planet?
A long sigh escaped the lips of our cloaked villain. Not one of exhaustion, he had long since evolved beyond the point that such a simple spell would cause him any form of strain, but one of satisfaction and anticipation. Satisfaction came from the fact that he had completed step one: Nullify the Elements of Harmony. Anticipation came from the imminent implementation of step two: Nullify the Princesses of Equestria. An almost roguish smile soon followed the sigh as he contemplated all the things that he had to do and the time he had to do it in. Even with literally all the time and space in the world to work with there were so many places to be and things to do; well that had a simple enough solution.
In one heartbeat, the sound of four hoof steps became twelve, and in the next beat, the sound of twelve became silence.
The ride in the chariot towards Ponyville had been an awkward affair for the lunar princess. Her elder sister’s dogged refusal to acknowledge her attempts at conversation being the main source of aforementioned awkwardness. It seemed that Celestia has appreciated her remark from before their departure even less than she first realized. Princess Luna drew in a deep breath as she braced herself for the task of earning back her sister’s favor, partly for the reason that it was important that their teamwork be at its best, but also for the morbid reason that she would much rather their final words to each other be something more positive if any unfortunate events were to come to pass. “Sister…” she waited for some acknowledgement of her attention but the only hint that she was heard was the instinctive flick of Celestia’s ears towards the sound of her voice. She soldiered on anyway, “We hath realized that our words may have been in improper taste for the time being, but we were only trying to find a source of humor in the face of this serious occasion.”
Despite her words, the expression of consternation and irritation refused to extricate itself from Celestia’s visage. Luna huffed inwardly as her own irritation began to mount and decided to try a different path for redemption; her sister had just been complaining that she was skipping her modern speech classes. She took a small step forward for emphasis, “Cellie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you when I made that joke. I thought that maybe livening the atmosphere would…” her statement was cut off at the knees by the sudden glowing of Celestia’s horn and then brutally curb stomped by the small pieces of cotton fluff covered in golden magic that exited her ears.
“I’m sorry Lulu, were you saying something?” the expression of concerned innocence on her face looked far too perfect to be sincere. The fact that Luna’s extremely accurate rendition of a gaping goldfish only seemed to make the corners of her mouth twitch upwards wasn’t a point in her favor either. If she weren’t so intensely aware of the inherent hypocrisy, Luna would have lectured her on the idea of proper time and place. As it stood, all that she could do was huff indignantly and fight down the smile that dared to try to form on her face.
Celestia was indulging herself in some light laughter for yet another successful prank against her sister when she noticed an incongruity in her senses. All of her senses agreed that she was moving in a chariot except for her sight which stated that the landscape was no longer moving beneath them. “Luna,” the authority, the seriousness, and the slight hint of worry snapped the lunar princess out of her temporary funk and at attention in less than an instant. Luna’s brief inspection of her environment revealed similar incongruities to her as she prepared herself for the worst.
It was the worst that revealed itself in the form of two shadowed ponies casually lounging on the opposite seats from them. There had been no flash of light, no sound of moving air, or blur of advanced speed. One instant, the seats had been bare of life and in the next they simply weren’t. Celestia reacted to the intrusion of their privacy with surprising civility, “Who are you and why are you here?” They were simple questions with enough power and authority behind them to cow an Ursa Major into answering.
It was too bad that the two identical figures before them simply did not seem affected by any of it. “Princess Celestia,” the voice was surprisingly respectful from someone who was almost certainly their enemy, “You really don’t recognize me? I used to be one of your favorite advisers. Have we really grown that far apart?” The tone of voice and sad expression would make someone believe that he was truly offended if it weren’t for the burning malice that shone brightly from his eyes.
“Hey now,” the second incarnation of robed mystery spoke up while seemingly comforting his doppelganger, “Time takes its toll on everyone, and it has been quite a few years since you left.” Celestia wasn’t an idiot of any measure. When the first hint to their identity was given she had immediately begun searching her memory of anyone that could fit this pony’s description but searching through eons of experiences was easier said than done. The two cloaked figures didn’t seem very keen on waiting for too long however and the last brother to speak addressed the two princesses before him, “You really don’t remember us,” he sounded as unsurprised as he was unconcerned, “I suppose that we can be nice and give you one more hint.”
Celestia focused the full force of her gaze on the two before her as her mind ran at full gallop. The finality of that last statement implied that this last clue would make it overwhelmingly obvious who their enemy was and she knew from experience that the first step to defeating one’s opponents was understanding them. Luckily, or unluckily depending on your point of view, the last clue to their/his identity did not disappoint. In an elegant motion worthy of the most prestigious of royalty, the cloaked figure they had been conversing with revealed, of all things, a simple pocket watch.
It really was just a simple pocket watch. It didn’t glow with some obvious ethereal power. It wasn’t made of the finest crystals and precious metals. It didn’t even appear to be overly valuable from its well-used appearance. In fact, the only distinguishing feature on this particular watch was the series of archaic, alien inscriptions on its gold-brass cover but that single feature was more than enough to send comprehension, revulsion, and shock shooting through the hearts of both sisters.
Shock has an unfortunate habit of giving way to unrelenting rage far too quickly for the good of many. Equally unfortunately, Luna falls within this category of many. Before sense could have a chance to reassert control over her faculties, a raging torrent of dark blue flames was already racing forward to incinerate the entire half of the carriage that the two dark figures still rested on. Interestingly enough, instead of the more talkative doppelganger taking action, it was the recently silent one that seemed to simply materialize a small paper fan in his hoof and simple wave the flames from existence. Even as the thought of such a powerful attack being so effortlessly thwarted settled in her mind, Luna could not help but notice the similar make, modeling, and inscription that the fan shared with the watch.
The fan-wielding, cloaked figure opened his mouth to playfully admonish Luna about the dangers of casting powerful spells in confined spaces when he was unceremoniously cut off by Celestia’s deathly calm monotone, “You come before us carrying the stolen artifacts of our parents…” it really should be impossible to put as much contempt into a monotone as she had, “I finally remembered you name.” Without a single waver in breath or speech, Celestia’s voice seemed to slice through the air as she spoke his name for the world to hear …
It really is beautiful in the mines of Canterlot. The walls themselves are practically made of the most radiant of gems and no one seems to ever come down here anymore. If it weren’t for the sheer scale of this place, he would be tempted to think that this would be a simple and enjoyable excursion, but he was never that much of an optimist. In fact, if he had thought that this would be a simple mission, he would not have needed to bother releasing Discord to distract the elements or giving two clones some of his most powerful magical artifacts to distract the princesses. But it would be worth it when he found what he came for.
A simple inspection of the area allowed him to pinpoint his location on a mental map born of experience, reading, and study. A single step forward was taken; the first step of what was sure to be many in his meticulous search for the lost artifact he searched for. A twisted facsimile of a smile wound its way on his lips as he began his search in earnest and began the final phase of his plan.
For after all of his treachery and thievery, he would show this broken world why it was the powerful that ruled and brighten this world cast in shadows with his glorious light.
lolcatsmanseven
Inside the Royal Carriage, the atmosphere was saturated with tension, and had any mortal been near, they would have soon found themselves overwhelmed. Princess Celestia, who was not a mortal, was unaffected as she addressed the two copies by their true name.
“It’s been a long time, Gestalt.”
The two ponies sitting across from her shared a small, condescending smile. Their forms became blurry, and it became difficult to tell where they ended, and where the air began. They quickly drifted towards each other, until there was only a single one facing the two Princesses, with a watch in his left hoof and a fan in his right.
“Well, I guess you do remember us. And tell me, do you remember how we came to be?”
At this, Celestia’s gaze softened, and she averted her gaze to the left of Gestalt. It was clear that she was reliving a memory she’d rather not. Luna looked at her sister with a trace of concern. “Tia?”
Gestalt’s gaze hardened, and his glare bored into the withdrawn monarch. “Yes Tia, why don’t you explain to your baby sister how you created us.”
Against her better judgment, Celestia began to explain to Luna how Gestalt had come into this world during her long absence.
The countless gems and crystals created a dazzling series of miniature spotlights from the meagre light of a small ball of energy floating above a cloaked pony’s head. Despite requiring only a minimum concentration of energy and magic, the simple spell generated enough light for him to effectively search the Mines of Canterlot. Although, it was less of a search than a journey, as he knew exactly where his treasure was hidden.
Taking many sharp turns, and descending through many tunnels, the only sounds were his hooves striking the hard stone floor. There were signs of other ponies having been there before him, and here and there one might have been able to discern hoof prints in the rubble coating the floor. As he descended further into the welcoming maw of the caverns, the shadows cast by his light grew longer; and the light itself seemed to shrink, and pull into itself for safety.
Whereas at the entrance to the mines, the walls had been cleanly cut and the floor worn smooth by the countless hooves of miners, the passage he was now traveling down was more akin to a wound in the earth. The corridor maintained an even width, but at irregular intervals portions seemed to have collapsed in on itself partially. Nowhere was the path completely obstructed, yet multiple times the figure was forced to remove stones and dirt with his magic.
Finally, when it seemed that the passage could get no rougher without disappearing completely, it ended. The cloaked figure walked up to a simple, mahogany door. He drew back his hood, revealing gleaming, pupil-less eyes with a black sclera. Raising a single hoof, he opened the door.
“But, what kind of magic could create such a thing out of so many ponies?”
Luna’s question hung in the air for several seconds. She looked to her sister, but she just stared off into space, apparently still reliving Gestalt’s creation. When it became clear that the Monarch of the Sun wasn’t going to answer the question, Gestalt helpfully interjected.
“It didn’t, at least not right away. Our very consciousnesses, our souls, were torn apart, and scattered. We flew with the clouds, we ran with the streams, and we were buried in the earth. We became a part of the land itself. But something happened to us, and we began to condense into one form. We became solid, and your sister can tell you what happened next.”
Celestia closed her eyes for several seconds, and when they opened, they had regained their previous intensity. She again made eye contact with the being across from her, and responded in a firm voice, “Once regaining solid form, he began to rampage, taking the innocent lives of many. I confronted him, and learned what I had created that fateful day. I vowed to put his souls to rest, but I couldn’t. All I could do was scatter him again.” At this, she paused for a moment, as if to collect her thoughts.
Gestalt seized upon this gap, and raised the pocket watch to eye level. Luna’s eyes immediately locked upon it, and it took all her self control to not become enraged again. However, Gestalt didn’t seem to notice, or at least he didn’t care, about Luna’s reaction. Instead, his gaze was firmly locked upon Celestia, to see if she would rise to his taunt.
Celestia spoke in a matronly tone, though it was clear there was long buried pain behind her words, “I truly am sorry for what happened to you, and I promise that this time, I will put your souls to rest.” She stood up from her seat, an action mirrored by her sister, and her horn began to glow.
“Even if you possess the tools of the Creator, our father, you cannot stand against the sun.”
The light floating above the cloaked figure’s head did little to illuminate the room beyond the door. Putting slightly more effort into his spell, the glowing mass of energy doubled in size, and cast proportionally more light.
The harsh glow fell upon rows of stone caskets lining a raised dias. The cloaked figure stepped towards the casket closest to him, and swept the dust away with a gust of magic. He manipulated the light in order to make the writing on the top of the casket readable. It read:
HERE LIES STONEHEART,
A LOYAL GUARD, AND FRIEND
UNTIL HIS FINAL BREATH.
The figure stepped to the next casket, and read its inscription. He read several more, and found that all said nearly the same thing. Frowning, he walked to the dias, and found a stone of pure ebony, with an inscription describing the room he was searching. It detailed that he was standing in a tomb of the heroes of Equestria. It was a monument consecrated by the saints of an era long forgotten to the repose of those who had paid the greatest price.
He smirked upon reading the word ‘price,’ and turned back towards the stone coffins. Even now they were attempting to protect their beloved princesses. However, their efforts would be for naught, as he again resumed his search.
Finally, he found the engraving he had been searching for. Using his magic, he casually lifted the lid away from its base, and carelessly tossed it to the side. He looked inside the coffin, and smirked. “We figured he would have had it buried with him, taking one last memento of his love even to his literal grave.”
As he reached inside, the light from his spell illuminated the epithet on the lid he had so carelessly tossed aside.
HERE LIES TENDERHOOF,
WHO THOUGHT LOVE WAS WORTH EVERYTHING,
AND GAVE EVERYTHING FOR LOVE.
All that remained of what had once been a beautiful Royal Carriage was a smoldering wreckage far below on the ground. It had been destroyed by the combined might of Gestalt, Celestia and Luna. The two princesses were hovering side by side a hundred yards away from their adversary. They looked much the same as when their conversation began.
The same could not be said for Gestalt. His cloak was gone, revealing his pure black eyes, and he had several scorch marks in his short fur. He was still holding the pocket watch and fan, but the fan had several tears, and the watch was cracked. He was panting slightly.
Celestia called out across the distance, “Are you ready to end this? Even with the Tools of Creation, it’s hopeless. Please, just let this end.”
Gestalt’s shoulders started shaking, then his head, and he let out a deep, slightly manic laugh. “We guess even with these trinkets we still can’t match up. Well, it’s good then that these aren’t what we are relying on.” And he smiled confidently at the two alicorns.
Celestia and Luna drew back slightly, puzzled. The Tools of Creation had been wielded by their father as he created the world. They were two of the most powerful magical artifacts in existence, so did that mean he was after one even more powerful?
Luna responded first. “What are you relying on then, that could hope to match the might of the sun and moon?”
A light suddenly appeared in Gestalt’s eyes, and a flash of memories from deep underground passed into his mind. He relived the experiences of one of his many selves, memories of finding a simple hand mirror in an ancient tomb. His confident smile grew, until it was a full grin splitting his face.
“Well, since it appears we’ve already found it, I guess there’s no point in hiding it. We are using the Eye of Truth.”
If Luna’s reaction to the Tools of Creation could have been described as ‘snapping,’ then her reaction now was a complete melt down. Her eyes glowed a deep blue, and ambient energy flowed out of her body.
“You would desecrate the grave of my beloved, and steal the symbol of my greatest failure? Any mercy I may have felt for you is gone.” Any pity she felt for the creature in front of her had vanished, and she readied herself to destroy it once and for all. Her dark blue aura began to flow towards the tip of her horn, and condense into a solid ball. She grit her teeth from exertion, as her sister mirrored her action.
Gestalt smiled. “It’s fitting, isn’t it? The very thing that made you become Nightmare Moon is going to be used to destroy y-”
His taunt was cut off by the release of the energy being compressed at the end of the princesses horns. Their pure magic took the form of two narrow beams, one from each horn, that instantly shot through the torso of Gestalt. Instead of being destroyed by the intensity of the attack, Gestalt’s body became less distinct. He was disappearing into the air very air, and left only a few parting words.
“We are the land, and very soon, it will burn.”
Ferlathin
Silence. Silence and darkness.
“Is... is it gone?” Luna asked as she gave her elder sister an inquiring gaze. Celestia did not answer, instead she just stared blankly towards where Gestalt had been standing. Luna trotted over to her sister. “Tia?”
Celestia finally snapped out of her absent state and slowly turned her head towards her sister. She sighed. “Yes. He is indeed gone. However, the things that he set in motion... they will most likely happen. We need to figure out what he meant by those last words. ‘We are the land, and very soon, it will burn.’ “ Celestia coughed.
Luna looked with surprise at her sister. Usually, Celestia never got ill. “Are you alright?” she asked.
“Yes. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. We need to hurry back to Canterlot to start our research.” Celestia turned around and started into a trot. “Are you coming, sister?” she said.
“Momentarily. I just wanted to see if there’s anything left of the Tools of Creation.”
“There shouldn’t be. Our powers are vastly superior to them, hence they should have been destroyed.”
“But even if there’s but a small piece left, we could take it to the castle and keep it as a memory, you know.”
“A fair point, sister. Ponies should know of, and remember, this day. See what you can find, then. I’ll be on my way, and we’ll meet up at Canterlot. Okay?”
“I’ll be right behind you, sis!” Luna said and trotted towards the place where Gestalt had been defeated. It took but a moment to find the Tools of Creation, or rather, what was left of them. The fan was in pieces, several pieces. The pocket watch was beyond recognition as well. Luna gathered what she could and just as she was about to turn back to catch up with her sister, something caught her eye. She brushed off some dust, and took a careful look at the object.
The Eye of Truth.
At first glance there was nothing extraordinary with the simple hand mirror. However, Luna knew the magic that resided within it and she figured that such a powerful artifact shouldn’t be left out here, in the middle of nowhere. She easily convinced herself that it was better protected in the royal castle of Canterlot.
Celestia cantered through the hall. She didn’t like rushing, but alas, being hasty was of the utmost importance. She turned left, away from the corridor and started trotting up a spiral staircase. A few minutes later, once she had gotten all the way up, she sighed in relief. She greeted the guards positioned outside the room with a nod as she entered.
The secluded area of Canterlot library. It had been years since she last used this section of the library, due to its exclusiveness. She took a deep breath and continued further in. The air was dry and the only light sources were lit candles scattered around the room. Celestia felt troubled, the most she had felt for a very long time in fact. She just had to find the book, if only she could remember where she had put it. She stopped for a while and let her memory take her back to a similar place, many, many years ago.
Meanwhile, Luna had just arrived at the Castle. She brought the small fragments of the Tools of Creation to the Hall of Memories, where she placed them inside a glass box, like many other such artifacts. Since they had lost their power there was no harm in putting them on public display. She did however not display the mirror, since she had another plan for it: To study it more careful in a place where she would not be disturbed. She trotted to her room and placed the mirror on her desk. She made sure to have all curtains drawn, just to make sure nopony saw what she was doing.
Yet before she could actually start studying it she needed to make sure that Celestia knew that she was back, and see if there was anything she could do to help her in her study. Luna already knew where she’d find her sister, in the oldest, most secluded part of the library. She trotted out of her room and started making her way to the library. After a short while she realized that she had not set any guards to watch over the entrance to her room. Usually it was not needed, since she knew that nopony would ever enter her room without permission, but this time, she felt that any extra protection would be well spent. Lost in her own thoughts she bumped into a passing stallion.
“Oh, excuse me, Princess.” he said, “I must have been lost in my own thoughts.” He held out his hoof to help her up. She let his hoof drag her back on four. Luna shone up.
“Shining Armor! You were actually the pony I was looking for!” she exclaimed.
“Really?” Shining Armor said with a hesitating look. “What can I do for the moon-princess today?” He recalled the several favours asked by that very mare standing in front of him. Many had ended up with him being on night watch just to keep her company, others... with questionable outcome. All that had taken place before he got married, however. He shook his head to get the thoughts out of his mind.
“I know what you’re thinking. This time it’s not that kind of favor I’m looking for. If you wouldn’t mind, could you just stand guard in front of my room? Just until I get back. It won’t be more than a couple of hours.”
Relieved that the favor was nothing but actual guarding he said, “Sure. I’m having the evening off.” He quickly added, “I didn’t have anything planned for tonight anyways.”
Luna trotted up the stairs to the library. She really wanted to get back to her room, to study the artifact in peace, but she knew that Celestia needed her.
“Celestia is here, right?” she asked one of the guards at the entrance. He replied only with a nod. She continued further in and found her sister. Celestia stood there, staring with a blank expression at seemingly nothing. “Sister?” Luna said.
“...” Celestia kept staring into the distance.
“Tia? What’s wrong?” Still there was no reply from her sister, and Luna started to feel a little bit worried. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Celestia snapped out of her absent state. She coughed twice and looked at her sister.
“Oh, you’re here, good.”
“Sister! What’s wrong! Why do you keep coughing? Tell me what’s going on!” Luna said.
Celestia spoke as softly as she could, “As I said before. Do not worry about me.”
“But you seemed to be so... distant.”
“I was. I looked deep into my memory, to remember what happened that day, many years ago. And I remembered. I need to get back out there, there’s something that needs to be retrieved.”
“Back out where?”
“Where we defeated Gestalt. The mirror that he held. It has far more power than I thought. It may look innocent, but in his possession that mirror could be devastating. I can only fear what happens if any mortal gets his or her hooves on it.”
Luna gasped. “What’s wrong?” Celestia said.
“I... I took the mirror.”
“You did what !?”
“I only wanted to study it... I didn’t know it was that dangerous. It’s in my room, we can go get it right away. I put our best guard on duty protecting it, so nopony should have gotten close.”
“Well thought, little sister. But who will protect him from it ? We need to get there right away. Hopefully nothing bad has occurred, yet.”
The two rulers of Equestria rushed out of the secluded library tower and swiftly descended the stairs. They literally flew through the many halls and corridors leading back to Luna’s room. Once there they noticed that the door to the room was ajar. Slowly, they approached the door and peeked inside. Shining Armor stood in front of the desk, holding the mirror between his two hooves and looking at the reflection. “S-so... many...” he stuttered to himself. Above him was transparent creature floating in the air.
As Celestia saw the creature she immediately entered the room, “Gestalt! Leave that poor stallion alone!”
Shining Armor turned around, took one look at the princess, and smirked. “Oh, but I will not. This one suits my interests perfectly.” His voice was far from his own, it sounded really elderly. It was as if Gestalt talked through him. “It’s not my fault that your little sister brought the innocent little artifact to the heart of Canterlot.”
“You planned this all along, didn’t you!? Pretending to have been defeated so we’d lower our guard.”
“Hmm... That thought did cross my mind, yes.”
“It doesn’t matter. I will destroy you here, once and for all. And by doing so, I’ll free Shining Armor from you!”
“Celesta, Celestia. Please. Let’s be reasonable. Neither you nor I want you to do that. I advice you to reconsider.”
“Bah! Have I not learned to ignore your counsel?” Celestia said angrily and closed her eyes in focus. Her white horn started glowing immensely, bathing the room in magical light, and after a brief charge she focused a powerful beam on Shining Armor. However, before it could reach him the beam shifted colors and a black taint started to blend in with the white. “What!? What’s going on!” Celestia exclaimed, and focused even more magic into the attack. After several seconds of struggling the white gave in to the black and the beam turned around to head for the alabaster alicorn.
“No!” Luna despaired, too slow to interfere.
The beam hit Celestia, who fell to her knees in a gasp of pain. “Are you alright, sister!?” Luna said.
“Foolish pony. What did I tell you? Haven’t you seen the signs? How is your cough anyways, heh. With that sickness in your body you’ll never be able to keep your royal glow pure white.”
“I... I still had to try, didn’t I?” Celestia said. She was filled with both anger and disappointment. She should have foreseen this.
“Yes. Yes you did. That was the amusing part.” Gestalt said and chuckled briefly before it turned into coughing. “Now... Enough of this foolery.” He turned around towards the window.
“You... you’ll let us live?” Celestia said.
“Yes. Why not? What could be a better punishment for a ruler than to see her land fall in front of her eyes, whilst she can do nothing to prevent it?” Gestalt said and trotted to the window, opening it with a flick of magic. Before taking off he turned to the princesses and said, “This will be the last time you’ll see me. However, despite the fact that I will not be seen, my work will indeed be witnessed. And mark my words; We are the land, and very soon, it will burn. ”
With those words, he took off.
Celestia was now weaker than ever before, she couldn’t even stand up without help from Luna. Later that night, Luna kept her sister company in the bedroom.
“Luna...” Celestia said.
“Yes, Tia?”
“It’s time.”
“Time for what? ... Oh, you mean...”
“Yes, I do.”
“But... At such a young age...”
“I know. But we don’t have any choice, do we?”
“I agree. I’ll leave my duty of the stars to its rightful owner.”
“Finally, the trinity will be complete. The moon, the sun and the stars together.
Spike burped. The magic scroll fell down onto the library floor and he quickly picked it up. Hmm. The Princess never sends a message this late... he thought to himself. “Twilight! There’s a message from Princess Celestia!”
Twilight descended the stairs hastily and said, “Go on, read it!”
Spike cleared his throat and began to read aloud;
Dear Twilight,
Your presence is required at the royal castle in Canterlot
immediately. Should you so choose, you may bring your friends.
There’s a train leaving Ponyville at 06.00 tomorrow. I can not
stress how important it is that you come as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Celestia and Luna
Merc the Jerk
“Oh my,” Twilight quietly said, re-reading over a letter Princess Celestia had sent moments ago. “This does seem to be a problem.”
The night suddenly seemed far darker and ominous than it was mere moments ago--the late night letter suddenly arriving from the Princess not helping the unicorn’s ease in the slightest. Twilight took to pacing in an effort to calm down.
Spike glanced over at the mare. “That letter was pretty vague on why it was so important to get to Canterlot. What do you think this is about? Is Discord free again? Chrysalis?” His face paled. “M-maybe they’ve finally ran out of doughnuts at Joe’s,” He put a shaky hand to his face. “I-I need to sit down. I'm having a panic attack.”
“Spike, stop joking! This is serious!” Twilight snapped. She rose, heading towards the front door. “I'm going to gather everypony!”
The group sat at Twilight's library as the mare came back with Applejack. Dash was nodding off at the corner of the expansive floor, Rarity was drinking from a cup of warm coffee, the pink curlers and pink bathrobe a stark contrast to her normally ladylike demeanor, Fluttershy was quietly speaking to Owlowiscious, and Pinkie Pie was... being Pinkie Pie—she had squeezed into one of the bookshelves and watched Twilight enter the room with childlike wonder.
“Now, I ain't one ta ask too many questions but--” Applejack stifled a yawn. “What in the hay ya need us out an' 'bout here for?”
Twilight marched forward, using her magic to levitate a scroll penned in Celestia's urgent writing.
“Dear Twilight,
Your presence is required at the royal castle in Canterlot
immediately. Should you so choose, you may bring your friends.
There’s a train leaving Ponyville at 06.00 tomorrow. I can not
stress how important it is that you come as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Celestia and Luna.”
Applejack raised her brow, scratching at her blonde mane. “Sounds pretty grim, sugarcube. I can't say I'm happy leavin' Mac with the lion's share of chores tomorrow, but I'm comin' with. Seems like it might be somethin' one pony alone can't handle.”
The unicorn nodded her thanks.
“Sounds like it could be dangerous, and exciting, and thrilling and totally awesome ! In!” Dash smugly smirked, tapping her hoof to her chest.
“I-I dunno... it could be dangerous and exciting and... m-most of what Rainbow Dash just said,” Fluttershy quietly whispered, hiding behind her mane.
“Well, that may be true, but I for one am not leaving this poor soul alone with only two ruffians for company,” Rarity pointed out, holding her head as high as possible. She levitated a drink of coffee towards her lips and sipped at it once more.
“After we take care of... whatever we need to take care of, let's throw a party!” Pinkie giggled. “Victory parties are best parties!”
She paused, putting a hoof to her chin and gazing towards the corner of her sight. “Well, no. Maybe birthday parties? Anniversaries? Barn mitzvah's? Winter wrap up parties? Everyday parties?” Her face grew panicked. “Weekend parties? School parties? Maybe traveling parties? Jewelry parties? C-Celestia, I don't know! There's too many of them to count!”
“Every party's the best party when you're involved,” Twilight offered, trying to calm the energetic ball of energy.
“I like that answer!” the pink pony replied, nodding chipperly.
“Well, since you girls are here, we might as well throw a slumber party!” Twi exclaimed, smiling euphorically.
Applejack and Rarity exchanged an uneasy glance.
“Uh, a-alright, Twi. But ya gotta remember: we gotta get up bright an' early ta catch that train. So I'd say we should jus' hit the hay right about now.”
“A valid point, Applejack.” Twilight nodded, turning and trotting up the stairs. “I'll get some spare blankets, make yourselves comfortable, everypony.”
“Excellent save,” Rarity whispered under her breath to Applejack.
“Every once in a while I can do alright,” the farmpony quietly said back.
The train came at six'o'clock on the nose and the mares boarded it, none of them having a clue what they were about to go up against.
The castle town of Canterlot was busy as usual, even at this early morning. Bakers, bankers and brick-layers all pleasantly bid one-another a good morning over a cup of coffee and a newspaper. Up ahead in the distance, the castle stood proudly, a gem among a town of gems. Twilight gave a nod to her friends, and they traveled towards the distance.
Luna tensely paced inside the deserted throne room, glancing repeatedly at the imposing double doors leading to the rest of the castle. She felt like a clock far too wound up, and every click of her hooves on the well polished, white marble was a reminder that time was of the essence.
Finally, those double doors opened and in came the six elements of harmony.
“Good morning, Princess,” Twilight said. She gave a low, humble bow, as did everypony else in the room. The goddess of the night shook a hoof in protest.
“Hold thine head high, young Twilight. 'Tis foolish to believe thineself or thine friends below me. If anything, I should be bowing to thou.”
“How about we all jus' stop with the formalities an' get on with it?” Applejack suggested, rising her head.
“We concur,” Luna said. She sighed, moving to take a seat at the royal throne. “As thine group can tell, Celestia is absent from the royal throne room.” The dark mare stared hard at everypony present. “She has fallen ill.”
Twilight raised a brow. “She can get sick?”
“Not naturally. Disease and fever do not grace the brow of the Sun Goddess.” Her face scrunched up in troubled thought. “T'was a curse brought upon by a creature called Gestalt. One that shall grow stronger with each day it remains unchecked.”
“Gestalt, huh? Sounds like the name of a Daring-Doo villain,” Rainbow Dash quipped.
“He is an ethereal being of great power, and a monster of malicious intent. Using a magical hand mirror, he possessed the body of a guard and struck down Celestia with a bolt of magic.”
“Is she...?” Twilight trailed off, afraid to voice her thought. Luna wanly smiled.
“Nay, Twilight Sparkle. As mentioned, she is merely struck with a debilitating affliction. One that no balm or rest can hope to reverse. In order for her body to recover, and to preserve the safety of Equestria, the creature known as Gestalt must be slain.”
“Then what are we waitin' fer? Let's start ourselves a lill' posse an' round the fella up,” AJ said, stamping a hoof to emphasize her point.
“'Tis not that easy, unfortunately. The body Gestalt possessed was none other than our brave captain of the guard: Shining Armor.”
Twilight visibly winced, flattening her ears as a black pit formed in her stomach. “N-no,” she quietly whispered.
“I'm sorry, Twilight, but we might have to...” Luna let her silence speak volumes.
“Why not just use the elements of harmony? I-it worked when you were all... scary,” Fluttershy offered, flinching when she saw everyponies attention drawn to her.
“Because this beast is beyond redemption. Even upon my darkest hour, I had no blood grace my hooves. That creature, however, knows nothing of harmony. In fact, the last words he spoke as he feld out a window to parts unknown were, 'We are the land, and very soon, it will burn .'
“He is a creature of no remorse. And that is why we may have to end the life of Shining Armor in order to bring out his incorporeal form again.”
Twilight looked down, concentrating. “One night,” she said.
“Would thou repeat your words? We did not understand.”
“Give me one night to study before we begin looking for him. I know my brother's magical aura, I could follow it like the back of my hoof. J-just give me a night in the royal library—I'm sure I can find a spell that could separate Gestalt from my brother, somehow. Please .”
Luna gave pause, then nodded, magic surrounding her horn for the briefest of moments. “Twilight Sparkle: We have sent a message to the guards of the archives. The entire room is open to you—do as you see fit. On the 'morrow, We humbly ask that thou begins your quest. We would accompany you, but We--I ” she corrected, “Find myself unable to, due to Celestia's illness.” She gave a nod towards the door. “You and your companions are dismissed for now. I may speak to everypony later today, if time allows.”
“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight said, bowing deeply once more. She turned to leave.
Luna seemed to reconsider. “Actually, young Twilight; We would ask that thou speak to us alone for the briefest of moments.”
The unicorn turned around once more, giving a nod over her shoulder to the rest of her friends. They went on without her, exiting the room.
“Was there something else, Princess?”
Luna rose from the royal seat, moving toward the large windows. Sunlight spilled through the glass, the alicorn winced at its brightness. Twilight wordlessly joined Luna by the windows.
“Thou truly are an amazing mare,” the black mare said. “Despite thine youth, you've proven thineself on numerous occasions to be a reliable friend, and a more than adequate leader.” She turned, staring at the unicorn. “There is power in threes, Twilight Sparkle, thou can see it even in untouched nature.” Luna shook her head, her mane falling gently at her side. “What I'm saying, Twilight, is that some day, one sooner than later; thou will become our third—thou will live up to thine namesake and become the bridge between the land of day and the land of night.”
LimeAttack
Twilight simply stared out into the rising morning sun, letting Luna’s words sink into her mind. Finally, she sighed. “So you mean to say that I will be to twilight as you and Princess Celestia are to night and day? That’s...” Twilight struggled to find any proper way to bring her thoughts into clarity.
Luna turned and prepared to start a day of court. “It is somewhat wrong of us to lay so many items of such great magnitude on,” she made a conscious effort to correct her outdated speech, “your shoulders. However, you would have learned such eventually, and we feel it better that you know now rather than later. We have noticed that surprises do not work well when combined with life-changing news.” As the clock struck eight o’clock that morning, Luna took a deep breath. “Remember your duty, Twilight Sparkle. Gestalt must be slain if Celestia is to recover. We pray that you are able to discover a way to do such without having to...” She trailed off as if neglecting to say the worst would prevent it from happening.
Twilight paced somberly away from the windows as the great double doors to the throne room swung open, letting the general public in for court. She passed them without a second thought, mind far too wrapped up in twists and knots over the gravity of the situation. My own brother... Why would such a vile creature enslave my own brother? I only hope that I can find a way to split Gestalt from him, or it may be that he will take the ultimate sacrifice for his Princess.
After a long day of training with the others, Twilight now found herself standing in front of the grand entryway to the Royal Archives. The vast collection of ancient and more current knowledge held so many closely guarded secrets and spells that guards patrolled it all around the clock--Serpent Division guards at night and Picassa Division guards during the day. It came as no surprise to Twilight that the shelves and scrolls had been specifically enchanted to repel dust because not even cleaning staff could enter the Archives without the explicit permission of royalty. With this in mind, she trotted into the vast maze of chambers.
Her first stop came in the section devoted to history. She inspected every last scroll, looking intensely for that set of symbols that se knew so well. When she finally came across a scroll written by Starswirl the Bearded, her face drooped when she unfurled it. A jumbled mess of symbols and scribbles covered every part of the parchment. “Mooneighsian? I didn’t even know that this language actually existed!”
After a trip to the translation section, she now had four scrolls lain out before her. From Modern Equestrian to Old Equestrian, then from that to Lunatian (another made-up language) and finally from Lunatian to Mooneighsian, the three scrolls accompanied the one she actually wanted to read. With a hefty sigh, she set to work riddling out the ravings of a true genius.
When the morning sun broke the horizon, the entire group of six sat ready and waiting at the castle’s airpad. Rainbow Dash flexed her wings, trying to get Fluttershy to do the same, and Pinkie Pie bounced around the the edge of the large, circular structure. Meanwhile, Twilight discussed the plans and what she had discovered with Rarity and Applejack.
As she used a quill and parchment to make notes and images, Twilight delivered a somewhat brief synopsis of what little she had learned of Gestalt. “So far, I’ve discovered a few key facts about this... thing. It feeds on the mind of whatever it inhabits, eventually jumping to another a few days later. That was, of course, until Starswirl the Bearded sealed him inside the hand mirror. Now, this was many thousands of years ago--before Discord, even. All of this time, Gestalt has been festering in the mirror, slowly losing all of the knowledge it had acquired over the millennia of his existence. That’s why it couldn’t be slain. At the time, it knew so much about magic that no existing form could kill it. However, Starswirl the Bearded made up a spell completely from scratch and used it to imprison Gestalt.”
Rarity nodded, slowly grasping the concept. “So, what is this spell you are referencing?”
Twilight chuckled. “Oh, even if I -did- know it, it wouldn’t work again. No, I have to make up a spell as well, with the help of these.”
As Twilight pulled the Elements of Harmony out of a jeweled box, Applejack frowned. “Now Twilight, I know you haven’t gone crazy and such. Princess Luna literally jus’ told us yesterday that they wouldn’t work on that thing.” The unicorn simply chuckled.
“I’m not using them. I’m going to study their magic and use some of it to create a weapon of sorts that can finally slay Gestalt. I’m going to need everypony’s help, though. It has to use a part of every Element’s magic to work completely.” By this point, everypony stood around Twilight and they all nodded their heads in acknowledgement.
“Whatever it takes!” Rainbow Dash put her hoof out in the center of the group, soon met by five others.
“We will do it together.” Twilight smiled as Rarity offered the sentiment.
“And then we’ll have a huge super awesome party afterward!” The group fell into laughter as Pinkie Pie threw a bunch of confetti in the air. Just then, the royal blacksmith wheeled out a specially crafted sun chariot.
Twilight walked over to the stallion and gave him a hug. “Thank you so much, Apollo. It means so much that you would take the time to do this.”
The gruff face turned into a smile. “Anything for my favorite niece.” He bust out laughing.
“I’m your only niece,” Twilight deadpanned. Soon after, she realized the joke and grinned sheepishly, turning to her friends. “Alright girls, load up! It’s time to track down the oldest being known to pony kind!”
On the long flight, the group constantly offered what assistance they could to Twilight as she tried over and over to perfect every last mote of mana used for the spell. Despite her constant restatements of how awake and alert she was, Twilight fell asleep first when the group stopped over on a mesa for the night.
Around midday on the morrow, the group landed in front of a large cave. The mouth seemed natural enough until Twilight took a few steps inside. The entire opening had been carved out of solid rock, leaving the walls smooth and glossy from the immense magical energy it must have taken to do so. With a touch, Rainbow Dash found the walls still hot to the touch. “There’s no way a pony could have done this.”
As she stared down into the belly of the beast, she reminded herself of Gestalt’s true name. If she worked it right, she could separate the being from Shining Armor and temporarily chain it to the physical realm. Ud’lufuce, Ud’lufuce, Ud’lufuce...
psp7master
Twilight concentrated all her magic, channelling it through her horn. A simple inspecting spell, nothing too elaborate. She closed her eyes, feeling a whirlwind of power building inside her, a whirlwind that might be too difficult to handle, shall something go wrong. She had never felt an emotion so intense; so pure, and so dark at the same time. It seemed as if her magic had somehow got out of her control and was leaded by some mysterious puppeteer concealed in the shadows of her own mind.
Hello, Twilight.
“Huh? Who’s there? Who are you?” the lavender unicorn demanded aloud, making her friends exchange concerned glances.
I am you.
“What are you talking about?!” Twilight was becoming impatient: she had business to do! She had to save her brother, and the whole Equestria, from-
Oh. Of course... That makes sense, Twilight thought.
There, there, the voice in her head replied. You needn’t speak to talk to me. You don’t want to worry your friends, do you?
The unicorn could swear she could sense thick mockery in Gestalt’s tone.
What do you want from me? she thought, gradually feeling more and more enveloped in the magical darkness that filled the cave.
“Twilight?” she heard Rarity’s concerned voice. Then came the others; but those she did not hear. Her friends were becoming distant, their voices flowing away, their silhouettes consumed by the shimmering blackness.
Now, that’s better, isn’t it?
No, it is not! Twilight retorted, losing her composure. Give me my friends back, and, for buck’s sake, give me my brother back! she practically roared inside her head.
“Um... Twiley? I am here...”
The unicorn turned round, only to see Shining Armor standing right behind her, a confused expression on his face.
“Shining!” Twilight exclaimed aloud, galloping towards her brother; but, no matter how fast she ran, the distance between them didn’t seem to shorten. Finally, the lavender mare ran out of breath and stopped, breathing heavily. A feeling that something was wrong didn’t leave her head for a single second.
Uh-uh, the voice laughed. You want to reunite with your brother, little Twiley? Then you have to join me!
That was his trick, Twilight realised. Gestalt was feeding on ponies’ souls, much like changelings were feeding on ponies’ love. But while changelings were countless minions of one powerful queen, Gestalt was his own master - and a terrible one at that. It wasn’t her brother that he was after, no; Shining Armour was only a bait, a lure for the Elements of Harmony to follow.
“Giiiiiirls!” Twilight yelled on top of her lungs.
They can’t hear you, Twilight, the mocking voice replied in their stead. They are too busy fighting illusions of their own device.
“Of your own device,” Twilight retorted aloud, hoping that maybe, if she just kept on talking, Gestalt would loosen the grip on her friends.
Oh no, dear Twiley! The terrible voice laughed, and that laughter resonated all around the cave, making the lavender unicorn shiver slightly.
“Twilight?” a soft, scared voice reached the librarian’s ears; it was terribly near, but at the same time seemed so distant.
“What is this eternal racket?” another voice demanded, lady-like tones filling it with grace and elegance.
“Woah nelly! Ah can’t say that was laughter! Our pigs c’n laugh better!”
“Show yourself so I can kick your ass, Gestalt!”
“Woooo! It’s very scary, Mr. Gestalt - or shall I call you Luce? I know your friends call you Luce and would really like to be your friend because I like making friends everywhere and this is the end of the story and-”
“Giiiirls!” Twilight demanded, eager to play upon the beast’s mistake as quickly as possible. “The Elements! Now!”
The Bearers immediately understood everything and channelled their powers through the enchanted gems, their Elements flowing freely, all aimed at one goal - Gestalt.
Twilight closed her eyes, losing herself in a tidal wave of magical power containing both the spell to destroy Gestalt for good and the surge of her Element.
Waves of magic lit the cave, radiating fury and passion.
Channelling Loyalty.
“Aaargh!” Gestalt cried aloud, no longer able to mess with the ponies’ minds due to the amount of pain he’d received.
Channelling Honesty.
The beast screamed, his ethereal body aching in imminent torture.
Channelling Laughter.
“Mercy!” Gestalt cried out, feeling his grip on Shining Armour weakening, which made him only more pathetic in his own eyes.
Channelling Kindness.
“No. NO!” Ud’lufuce sensed the pain in his body fade gradually, replaced with terrible guilt and embarrassment - the power of Kindness had successfully evaded him up to this moment.
Channelling Generosity.
Gestalt was not sure what had just happened. He knew that he no longer held Shining Armour - may he be damned - nor did he have any power over anything, even his own body. But the pain was gone; and it scared him. For the first time in his existence, he had been scared, and terribly at that.
Am I... dead? the dark being wondered idly.
“No,” Twilight’s voice resonated across the cave. “Not yet.”
Channelling Magic.
The cave erupted in a show of colour and a whirlwind of magical energy, collapsing, its remnants vanishing in the rays of Friendship Cannon, rocks being thrown away for miles.
Twilight fell down on the ground, breathing heavily. They... did it?
“Twiley!” a concerned voice reached her ears, and she raised her head, only to see her brother, alive and well, approach her, his eyes shining with concern.
“Shining...” Twilight smiled, sudden fatigue overwhelming her. “Are the girls all right?” she wondered with a yawn, feeling her eyelids grow heavy.
“Yes, they are,” the stallion replied. “How are you ? You look terrible!” he exclaimed, eyeing his sister, who just shifted uncomfortably and rolled over.
“I’m fine,” she replied. She looked at the blue sky. Birds were diving through it happily, exchanging sweet melodies with each other. Celestia’s sun radiated warmth and happiness all around Equestria, soothing the cold ground, making small critters abandon their slumber and once more come out from their homes, rubbing their sleepy eyes. Clouds were gracefully drifting across the sky, untouched by pegasi, bathing in their own glory and stateliness.
Twilight wanted to run aimlessly, sunshine trickling down her coat, or feel the breezy rain cover her whole, or fight the wind as she raced it.
But right now, she needed only one thing. Now that everything was over, she could finally allow herself a few minutes of rest. Just a few minutes...
“Everything’s fine,” Twilight repeated before closing her eyes, drifting off into the world of peaceful dreams - a world devoid of any nightmares.
Das Ende
