My Little Pony is the property of Hasbro. No Copyright Infringement is intended or profit made from this work of fiction. Story may not be reproduced without my permission.
My Little Pony: Dragonstorm
Masquerade landed shakily, her breath pounding in her ears, her mind still reeling from the horror of what she'd just witnessed. Her green mane was dishevelled and snagged with leaves and twigs from her desperate flight through the forest, trying to outrun the nightmare that had taken her friends. She looked behind her, expecting to see the dark whirlwind closing in again. However, there was nothing except the green plains of Dream Valley. She could still hear the screams of her friends and the look of terror on Megan's face as she was swallowed by the darkness, screaming at them to get away. With an effort, Masquerade shook off her fear and guilt, forcing herself to think calmly. She needed to return to Dream Castle, in the hope that anybody else had managed to escape.
She soared over Dream Valley as low as she dared, straining her eyes for any movement. However, she saw nothing and minutes later she touched down in the courtyard of Dream Castle, calling out;
"Hello! Anybody here?"
"Masquerade, is that you?"
A voice answered, making her spirit's rise.
"Gusty?!?"
Masquerade called, looking up at the ramparts where the Unicorn was staring down at her and she soared up to land next to her friend, nuzzling her gently. White with red and green hair, Masquerade had always considered her one of the most regal-looking of the Ponies.
"Gusty, are you okay? Did anyone else make it back?"
"I'm not hurt." Gusty said, the same worry that Masquerade felt, visible in her eyes.
"Come on, the others are in the Main Hall."
Masquerade followed Gusty through a door and along stone-walled passages, until they reached the Main Hall. Inside, Masquerade saw Fizzy, Shady and Whizzer, as well as Baby Lofty and Baby Ribbon sitting close together, looking very lost and alone. Masquerade's heart sunk as she realised that their Mother's must not have managed to escape. There was also a small number of Bushwoolies huddled in the corner. Masquerade thought she recognised some of them, although the Bushwoolies didn't have discreet identities, as such; rather, the enjoyed a low-level collective mind. She greeted her sisters warmly, with Fizzy and Shady both fighting back tears and Whizzer unusually sullen, before turning to the Babies.
"Hello, sweethearts." She said gently, sitting down beside them.
"Hi, Masquerade." Baby Lofty said, in a small voice. Baby Ribbon just looked up, her lower lip wobbling.
"Alright, sweeties; I'm going to need you both to be strong. But, that can wait. I know you're both scared and you miss your Momma's and that's fine. Tears are nothing to be ashamed of."
Baby Lofty gave a choking sob and both Babies buried their heads into Masquerade's mane, wailing.
Masquerade whispered soothingly to them, until their sobs abated and they settled down.
"Now, I want you both to listen to me carefully. We're going to find your Mothers, no matter what it takes. Okay?"
Both babies nodded and Masquerade said:
"Good girls."
She walked back to the others:
"Is this everyone?"
She asked Gusty quietly, who nodded.
"If anyone else had escaped, they'd have made it here by now."
"What are we gonna do now?" Fizzy asked
"There's only one thing we can do." Masquerade answered.
"We've got to see the Moochick."
Gusty didn't relax until they had set foot outside the Mushroom, home of the Moochick. As one of the wisest and most powerful magical beings in Dream Valley, he had protections around his home that she hoped would keep out the whirlwinds if they came back. Gusty looked back at the Baby Ponies, who were sticking close to Fizzy and Shady. Masquerade had suggested leaving them behind at Dream Castle, but Gusty refused to let them out of her sight, now.
Shady was also sticking close to the Babies, and Gusty felt another pang of sympathy, as Baby Shady was also among the missing. It was hard enough not think about Baby Gusty; she could only hope that they were all together, wherever they were.
As always, there was no sign of the Moochick, for he rarely left the Mushroom.
"Mr Moochick"
Fizzy called, and the door to the Mushroom opened, revealing the face of the Moochick, his white beard as bushy as ever. Upon seeing the Ponies, he gave them a serious look, before slamming the door sharply. Seconds later, they door re-opened and the Moochick said.
"Inside, inside, quickly."
Inside, the Moochick's study was much the same, wooden tables and shelves covered with dusty books, cracked rolls of parchment and metal boxes with sturdy-looking locks. The Moochick gestured for them to sit around his table, while he raced around the room, talking rapidly.
"I'm glad to see that you are safe, my friends. With everything that's happened, I was afraid for you."
" 'Safe' is a relative term, Mr Moochick. We're the only ones that managed to escape. Everyone else..." Masquerade's voice cracked, slightly. "Everyone else was taken."
The Moochick nodded sadly;
"Nowhere is safe in Dream Valley anymore. Even my power may not be strong enough to stand against this evil."
That worried Masquerade; the Moochick had always been strange, but this was the first time she had seen him nervous, almost on the verge of panicking.
"What 'evil', Mr Moochick?" Masquerade asked.
"I don't know." The Moochick admitted.
"This all seems familiar, from long ago. There's so much history to remember, even for me."
"Never mind that now, Mr Moochick. We need to know if our friends are okay, and where they are!" Gusty said, angrily, drawing a reproachful stare from Masquerade.
The Moochick, however, seemed unfazed by her tone.
"Finding them may not be so easy. With such powerful forces involved, my magic may not be strong enough."
The Moochick took a box off one of the shelves, tipping out an assortment of stones onto the table.
He hurriedly arranged them into a circle, clearly following some logic that the Ponies did not understand.
When he had finished, he waved his wand over them and the air seemed to ripple, creating a surface like a mirror, filled with blurry shapes and streaks of colour flowing across it, although nothing was recognisable.
The Moochick muttered under his breath and the mirror flickered, changing to show an image of figures huddled in a dark cave. Almost immediately, the image vanished again. Despite the brief glimpse, Masquerade had recognised Megan and several Ponies, including Windwhistler and Paradise. The Moochick tried again several times but the image did not appear. Eventually, the Moochick shook his head, regretfully.
"I'm sorry, my friends. Something is preventing me from finding them."
"Can't you do anything to help, Mr Moochick?" Fizzy asked.
"I'm sorry, I..."
The Moochick stopped as the mirror flickered, clearing to show an image of a young man, well-muscled with short, spiky black hair. The Moochick waved his wand over the mirror, but the image stubbornly refused to clear.
"Mr Moochick, who is this?" Masquerade asked, staring vividly at the image.
"I have no idea. However, if the mirror shows him, then he may be helpful to you. I think you need to find him."
"Great. One person in the whole world. How hard can he be to find?"
Gusty asked, sarcastically.
"Now that the mirror has found him, I can send you to where he is."
The Moochick took a small, green crystal from another box of the shelf and held it over the mirror. The crystal glowed and a small spark jumped from the mirror into it. The Moochick fixed the chain around Masquerade's neck and stepped back.
"This crystal will take you to where he is, and bring you back to Dream Castle when you're done. When you want to return, just think hard about Dream Castle and the crystal will do the rest. Are you ready to go?"
The Ponies nodded and the Moochick pointed his wand at the crystal, which glowed, the light expanding to envelope the Ponies.
When the light faded, Masquerade felt a breeze stirring her mane and opened her eyes. She found that they were standing on a large mesa, carved out of the side of a mountain. They were so high up that clouds were visible below them and the sun was shining brightly. After checking that everyone was accounted for, Masquerade decided that Fizzy, Shady and Whizzer should stay put with the Babies, while she and Gusty explored. Feeling the sun on her mane, Masquerade was ambushed by a sense of guilt for enjoying herself while her friends were in danger. They made their way across the mesa, scrambling up ledges and jumping over gaps, until Gusty suddenly threw herself flat. Masquerade followed her lead, moving closer to Gusty.
"What is it?" She whispered.
"I think I've found our mystery man." Gusty replied. "Down there."
Masquerade followed Gusty's gaze over the ledge they were lying on and saw a young man like the one they had seen in the Moochick's mirror. He seemed about sixteen years old, as far as she was any judge, and was dressed in a dark red t-shirt and grey jogging trousers. He was doing a form of exercise that neither Pony recognised, although it seemed to involve a lot of punches and kicks. Finishing a fluid sequence of movements, he walked towards a sports bag, reaching into it to draw out a Katana, a curved Japanese sword.
Both Ponies exchanged a look that seemed to say 'oh great'.
"And he's got a sword. I feel so much better."
Gusty muttered.
"The Moochick thought he could help us. He wouldn't have sent us here if he thought that we'd be in danger."
"I dunno; the Moochick isn't always that reliable."
"We don't have much choice, Gusty. Come on, let's go and talk to him."
Masquerade leapt off the ledge that they'd been hiding on and landed lightly, Gusty right behind her.
"Excuse me!" She called out and the figure spun round, the sword held ready.
"We just..." Masquerade began, but the figure turned and ran, sprinting away at a speed that took Masquerade by surprise.
"Gusty!" Masquerade called, launching herself into the air. They couldn't afford to lose him, not after coming all this way. Using her wings, Masquerade was easily able to keep up, while Gusty had to work harder. However, she was able to wink over the more difficult terrain, allowing her to stay in the chase. Masquerade swept round a corner, and found that they'd reached a dead end; clear drop on one side and a vast cliff wall on the other. However, that was not deterring the stranger, who had already started climbing, with the ease of one who did such things regularly. Seeing an opportunity, Masquerade flew closer, trying not to spook him.
"Excuse me; I don't mean you any harm. I just want to talk."
The figure ignored her, increasing his pace. Unfortunately, safe climbing and haste do not go hand in hand. Mistiming a grab, he was left hanging by one hand.
"Hang on!" Masquerade called, moving in to help. The figure swung his fist towards, driving her back again. The movement, however, tore his grip away and he plummeted towards the ground. Masquerade swept in, catching his wrist in her teeth, straining to keep him from falling. Ponies were remarkably strong, but she was fighting against a lot of kinetic energy. Suddenly, she felt the weight lessen and felt a strong wind whipping through her mane. Looking down, she saw Gusty standing below, using her magic to create a whirlwind to support the stranger. Swiftly, Masquerade lowered him to the ground, releasing his wrist and landing a few metres away. The figure was still watching them warily, though he didn't seem about to flee again.
"Why did you help me?" he asked, levelly.
Magicstar was taken aback; it wasn't a question she'd been expecting.
"Why wouldn't I? You were in danger."
The stranger nodded and sat down, cross-legged.
"Why did you run from us?" Gusty asked.
"Past experience, I suppose. I've had my encounters with, no offense, unusual creatures and I've learnt to be cautious. Where do you come from?"
There was something about his forthright nature that put Masquerade at her ease.
"Our home is Dream Valley, another world very different from yours."
"And why are you here, in my world?"
"What's your name?" Gusty asked.
"Jake Scott." He answered, slightly confused by the change in track.
"Actually, Jake, we've come looking for you. We need your help."
Something flashed across the figures' eyes for a second, and he said:
"Why'd you come to me?"
He asked, cautiously.
"Our friends have been abducted, and we were told that you'd be able to help us."
"I don't know who told you that, but I'm not in the hero business anymore."
Silence reigned at this pronouncement, until Gusty said:
"If you're okay, Masquerade, I'll go and fetch the others."
She gave Masquerade a wink and winked out.
"There's more of you?" The stranger asked, and Masquerade nodded.
"A lot less of us than there used to be, since our friends disappeared."
Masquerade said, sadly.
At that point, Gusty returned with the others, leading the Babies towards the stranger and Masquerade noticed the look that he gave them. Despite his suspicion, he seemed taken by the Babies, unable to resist paying them some attention.
"Hi, guys. I'm Jake. Who are you?"
"I'm Baby Lofty."
"My name's Baby Ribbon."
"Nice to meet you. Your parents are lucky to have such great kids."
Baby Ribbon's lip wobbled and Baby Lofty burst into tears.
"Whoa, guys, what's wrong?"
Jake asked, clearly distressed.
"Their mother's disappeared, too." Gusty said, her voice slightly cracking and Fizzy and Shady moved in to comfort the Babies.
Jake looked down for a minute, before getting to his feet and walking towards the Babies.
He reached down to ruffle the Babies' manes, saying;
"Don't worry, kids, we'll find your Mothers. I promise."
Turning to Masquerade, he said;
"Alright, I'm with you."
End of Chapter 1
Hope everyone enjoyed that. Comments, reviews and constructive criticisms will be most welcome.