Okay, Victory Dance the Unicorn here, bringing you my second published story and the first one I actually hope to finish.
This is NOT the kind of story I'm used to writing. It will not be a happy story. Few good things will happen. It gets very bad very fast. I already know how it will end, though, and it's gonna be awesome. That being said, I considered adding graphic descriptions, but decided against it. So nothing too awful. Here we go!
It was a bright and beautiful day in Ponyville. The sky was a vibrant blue unimpeded by clouds, and everypony was out enjoying the delightful weather. Twilight Sparkle, who happened to be out gathering groceries with her number one assistant Spike, was particularly happy with the sunshine. The past few days she had been inside studying, and Spike had only managed to get her out of the library by pointing out that there was no food left.
She smiled and picked out a few choice tomatoes, ignoring Spike's complaints that tomatoes were his least favorite fruit-classed-with-vegetables ever, and couldn't she at least buy a couple sapphires or rubies or topaz sprinkles. As she walked, she happened to pass by a table where Fluttershy was sitting. The small yellow pegasus was daintily eating a cup of sorbet. At the same table the Cutie Mark Crusaders were loudly enjoying some messy ice cream cones.
"Hey Fluttershy, nice to see you in town today," Twilight greeted her friend. "What are you doing with the fillies?"
Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, I'm giving them a little treat today. They were very good; they helped me clean the chicken yard." She returned to her sorbet as the Crusaders all started shouting at once.
"We were really good!" Sweetie Belle blurted over her strawberry cone.
"None of the chickens even got out!" crowed Scootaloo, her face a mess of chocolate.
"Well, 'cept fer Scootaloo!" Applebloom laughed out loud, dripping her vanilla ice cream everywhere.
The three suddenly were deathly still. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were staring at Scootaloo's flank, where a shape had appeared. The mark was nothing discernible; it was a mass of white and brown. Scootaloo beamed.
"My cutie mark! I got my cutie mark! WOOHOO!" She leaped into the air briefly.
Applebloom scrutinized the mark. "What is it? It don't look like anything ah ever seen!"
"I recognize it!" Sweetie Belle giggled. "It looks just like a chicken turd! Scoot, you got your cutie mark in in cleaning up chicken poop!" She fell over laughing.
Scootaloo scowled and swiped a hoof over her flank. The cutie mark came right off, and the little filly made a face when she licked her hoof clean.
"It's just a combination of mine and your ice cream, Apple Bloom..."
The three fillies burst out laughing. Twilight shook her head in amusement at the girls' antics and left the table. As she walked away, she very nearly bumped right into Rarity, who was sporting atop her head a gargantuan golden hat covered in yellow and orange feathers and red trim.
"Oh, Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to collide with you. My goodness, your hat!"
Rarity beamed. "Quite alright, Twilight Sparkle. Do you like it? It's my new design for this year's line of sun hats." She adjusted the vibrant thing on her head. "It's made to resemble the actual sun! Glorious, is it not?"
Twilight smiled and nodded, while Spike spoke up. "I think it's the most beautiful thing you've ever made, Rarity," he said dreamily.
Before Rarity could reply, Twilight hurried her dragon helper along. They really did have more groceries to buy, and the warm weather threatened to spoil her tomatoes if she didn't get home soon. She passed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who were playing marbles by the side of the road. She had half a mind to stop and greet them momentarily, but they appeared to be REALLY into their game. She finished picking out her vegetables and went on to fruit. At the apple stand, she was greeted by a familiar freckled face.
"Howdy, Twilight!" Applejack grinned. "Come to try our wares, have ya?" Twilight nodded, and Applejack began picking out some bright red apples. "These here are the best o' the orchard. Fer a good friend, on th' house!" She loaded the apples into Twilight's saddle bags.
Twilight blushed. "Applejack, I can't do that. You worked hard to grow these apples, you deserve payment."
"Besides," a deep voice boomed behind the two mares. "Ye cain't be goin' out givin' apples willy'-nilly ta yer friends without at least askin' me, AJ." Applejack gulped and turned to smile sheepishly at her older brother.
"Er, sorry Big Mac," she said.
Twilight paid for the apples and turned to leave when he was apprehended by the oldest Apple family member, Granny Smith. "Well, if it ain't Twibright!" she cackled. "Ah habben't seen th' lakes o' y'all sence the Habbergot th' Ackleroid!"
Twilight nodded, not understanding the old mare at all, and left quickly to hide in the cluster of other fruit stands. She chuckled to herself while picking out the last of her groceries. What an odd bunch of friends she had, but she sure did love them. She let Spike get a single emerald for being good, and started home with her food.
There was a sudden rumble.
Twilight looked up. Not a cloud in the sky, it couldn't be thunder. She looked back down, and happened to glance toward the edge of town at the same time there was a loud scream. She gasped in horror the moment she saw them.
Large figures were approaching, seemingly from the direction of the Everfree Forest. They were like nothing Twilight Sparkle had ever seen before; tall, walking on two legs, clad in a gray armor of sorts. There were a lot of them, all holding large objects like thick metal branches. The entire town square was silent and still as the creatures advanced, nopony seeming to know what to do. Twilight wanted to scream and run, but she didn't want to induce a panic... these things, she felt, could not be good, but she couldn't be credited as the first one to be afraid.
The atmosphere was silent and thick with tension as the horde came into the town center. The crowd of ponies stood still, and the creatures came to a stop. Their faces were obscured by helmets, and it was impossible to tell what they looked like underneath. They looked almost... familiar, and when Twilight realized what book she had seen something resembling them in her stomach turned into a pit of dread and her legs became almost jelly. All of a sudden the silence was broken when a little colt came galloping through the crown into the clearing between the two groups, oblivious to what was going on. Immediately the closest creature raised the branch it was holding and pressed a trigger. There was a loud crack and a sharp squeal and suddenly the colt hit the ground, twitching in a pool of blood.
The clearing exploded. At the same time the Ponyville citizens began screaming and running, the creatures began chasing them, producing ropes and nets. Horrified, Twilight scooped up Spike, dropped her wares, and started running. Confusion and fear disoriented the ponies, and it was impossible to tell where to run. Daisy, Lily, and Rose found themselves surrounded, and screamed as each of them were systematically dragged to the ground and bound with ropes. Time Turner, the town's official time keeper, was attempting to calculate the nearest exit from the town when a rope came around his neck and tightened. Terrified, he kicked and struggled as he, too, was brought to the ground. Lyra and Bon Bon ran towards a nearby house, when both hit the ground hard after ropes were tossed around their legs. As Bon Bon's head hit the pavement, she lost consciousness.
Mayor Mare scrambled atop her speaking platform. "Keep calm everypo-" was all she managed to get out before another loud bang caused her to slump over in a puddle of blood.
Fluttershy saw the mayor's death and panicked. Her wings useless, she scrambled to hide before remembering the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Mustering all her courage, she looked around for them.
"Girls?! GIIIIIIIRLS!" she screamed.
Nearby, Cup Cake was sobbing uncontrollably as she and Carrot Cake raced into their home to gather the twins. Cup Cake had no sooner grabbed her frightened infants than a pounding at the door revealed that the creatures were attempting to enter Sugar Cube Corner. She screamed and looked to her husband, who looked at the door, her, and back to the door.
"Run." he said.
Cup Cake gasped. "What? No, I can't leave you!"
"Muffin, take the twins and run! I'll hold them off, just GO!" He shoved his wife out the back door and turned to face his attackers.
As Cup Cake heard the bang, she willed herself not to black out.
Applejack was in a panic. In the commotion her cart had been knocked over and she couldn't get out. She struggled before Big Macintosh managed to demolish the cart with a well-placed kick. When she got up, she realized they were both surrounded by creatures holding ropes. Ready to fight until the end with Big Mac, she stood her ground. Suddenly she felt her brother's strong body knock her flying. She ended up pushing one creature to the side before hitting the ground. She stood up, out of the circle, and turned to face her brother. His eyes were heavy and misted, and they said go, save yourself. She cried out in pain before obeying and running. Big Macintosh felt the first rope slip around his neck, but he turned and snapped it like thread. Over and over, ropes came around him and each time it became harder to break away and try to kick his attackers. The next time a rope looped itself around his leg he could only struggle. More and more ropes, around his legs and neck and hooves, and soon he found himself unable to move at all. Defeated, Ponyville's strongest stallion fell to the ground.
Applejack ran out of sight of her brother's struggle before remembering somepony and turning back. As she did, she witnessed a horror that would scar her forever. She froze at the sight of the blood, and nearly fell over. After a moment she was shaken awake by Rarity, who in the commotion had lost her hat. "Darling, run!" Rarity shrieked. "We have to get away from here!"
"G... gaaanaa simmm..." was all Applejack could mumble before Rarity exasperatedly dragged her friend towards the exit.
Fluttershy could barely see, blinded by tears and sweat. Finally she located the three little fillies, partially surrounded by creatures and clinging to each other for dear life. She desperately tried to muster the ability to go and save them. She tried, she really did. She struggled and cried and screamed at herself to move, save them, mooooove! Nothing worked. Her hooves would not allow her to go any closer. For once, her fear had completely overridden her drive to protect her friends. Cursing herself, the first time she had ever cursed, Fluttershy ran like a coward.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo stared as they watched Fluttershy run away from them. Giving up on being rescued, the Crusaders closed their eyes and huddled together, feeling a net scoop them up and hold the three of them aloft. Scootaloo opened her eyes for a split second and saw a flash of multicolored light suddenly hit the creature holding the net and send it flying. The three fillies hit the ground and in a split second Scootaloo had been lifted again. She looked up through her tears and saw her hero carrying her to safety. Rather than feeling grateful to Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo kicked and shrieked, desperate to get back to her friends.
"Let me go! Let me gooooo! My friends, they're back there!" Scootaloo struggled, causing Rainbow Dash to sway and roll in the air.
"Hold still, you little twerp!" Rainbow Dash barked back at her, and the little pegasus hung quietly in dejected silence until she was set on the ground.
Colgate stepped out of her home, hobbling towards the mysteriously loud commotion. She couldn't move very fast – the cast on her recently broken leg rendered her lame until it healed. Only today could she stand to put any weight on it. All at once two large... things came up behind her. One slipped a rope around her neck and said something to the other questioningly. The second thing shook its head and raised a large metal stick it was holding to her head. Confused and scared, Colgate looked up. There was a sudden noise, louder than anything she had ever heard, a flash of amazing red and white light, and suddenly everything was pitch black.
Rainbow Dash flew back into the fray to find another friend – and when she came upon Pinkie Pie, she sighed and tugged the mare away from the alligator Pinkie was attempting to lead to safety.
"Pinkie, we have to go!" Rainbow hissed.
"Just a minute! Come on, Gummy!" the pink pony insisted, dragging the unresponsive reptile.
"No, Pinkie Pie! We have to GO!" Rainbow Dash yanked Pinkie away and began dragging her.
"Wait, Dashie! No, Rainbow Dash, stop! GUMMY!"
Pinkie Pie struggled and screamed, tears streaming down her face as she relented and ran with Rainbow Dash away from the precious friend she had raised from a baby. As she ran, another bang sounded from behind and a fiery, searing pain shot through her hind leg. She screamed and fell and Rainbow Dash raced back, hoisting her friend up and carrying her towards the exit.
"Rainbow Dash, what happened?" Pinkie Pie wailed.
Rainbow's eyes were filled with tears. "I... I don't want to look." She sobbed and ran faster. "I don't want to look at ANYTHING!"
The two squeezed through the north exit and followed the panicked crowd into the Wild Wild Woods, the northernmost part of the Everfree Forest. At the head of the group galloped Twilight Sparkle, her head held high despite the terror on her face.
The destination: Canterlot.
End of the first chapter!
Any predictions on what these mysterious monsters could be? Probably. Anyway, this was a pretty harsh way to start the story, but this is going to be pretty fast-paced. I hope you liked it! Chapters should be updated once or twice a week!
In the meantime,
I'm Victory Dance and I approve this message.