CHAPTER 4
The moment Twilight and friends entered the library, Spike dashed ahead, already scrounging for a quill, a scroll, and some ink, tossing away empty bottles and ink holders. Meanwhile, Twilight and the others gathered around the large wooden table at the center of the library, the initial shock from what happened in town had yet to fully catch up to them. Twilight was probably the only one who had the full weight of the event sink in as she paced nervously, composing the contents of her letter in her head, which explained why she had no idea what to do and why she opted out to simply and immediately report to the princess. Spike had found everything he needed, and quickly scurried to Twilight's side, quill at the ready. Without a moment to lose, Twilight stopped pacing and recited her letter to Spike as he wrote.
"Dear Princess Celestia,
"There is an emergency in Ponyville that you simply need to know, as it could threaten not only Ponyville, but potentially Canterlot and all of Equestria. The unicorn Trixie has found a dark and powerful amulet in the EverFree, and used it to challenge me once again. This came as a complete surprise, as we believed that after the incident involving the Alicorn Amulet, Trixie finally realized the error of her ways and turned over a new leaf. But I believe that this newfound passion to defeat me came from the influence of the mysterious charm, and she has claimed it to be far more powerful than the Amulet. And after what was seen by myself and my friends, and by that extent a good majority of the citizens of Ponyville, this charm of hers is indeed much more powerful than the Alicorn Amulet. But there is more to this than just some magical item, and it's why I write to you now.
"While the magic of this charm, which I will call the Shadow Amulet for now, is powerful, but it is also completely alien, the likes of which I've never sensed or seen before. It is also saturated with evil, stained by darkness, and parasitic in nature. I am also convinced that the Shadow Amulet is cursed in some way, even possessed by an unknown, evil entity, but there is little evidence to conclude that just yet. Whenever Trixie used the Shadow Amulet to amplify her own, I could sense the Amulet siphoning a percentage of her magic, as well as her life force, and I'm afraid that if nothing is done soon, Trixie could be in mortal danger. The Amulet also seems to have a finite amount of magic that can be used at a time, because after Trixie whipped up a storm out of emotion, then levitating two full, two-story houses right out of their foundations, everything stopped, then she was tossed around in the air like an in-game tennis ball before coming back down to the ground, and before she could recover the Shadow Amulet recoiled and shocked her with what I could describe as the shadow magic that originates from the Amulet itself before being teleported away.
"I have no idea where Trixie was taken by this cursed charm, as I believe that the Shadow Amulet has a will of it's own, as well as a personal agenda of some kind, and I fear that today's events could be the heralds of even worse things to come if we don't find Trixie and help her. I'm afraid of what might happen in Ponyville and the safety of all of Equestria, but I'm terrified at the thought of what might happen to poor Trixie if we don't help in time.
"You're faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle"
Spike quickly finished with a "Done," before Twilight levitated the letter, sealing it with a wax stamp, then handing it back to Spike. He took a quick but deep breath before exhaling a green flame, the scroll quickly and completely consumed before disappearing, the cloud of sparkling, magical ash produced quickly disappearing. He and Twilight then joined the other's at the table, where all they could do now was wait patiently for Princess Celestia's response.
"Oh, this is bad," Fluttershy said nervously, putting her hooves on the sides of her head, "So very, very bad. I...I don't feel so well."
"Hey, it'll be okay, Flutters," Rainbow Dash said assuringly. She puts a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "If anyone's gonna know what to do, it'll be the Princess. I'm sure she's already read Twilight's letter and forming a plan as we speak."
Fluttershy looked to Rainbow Dash then around to her other friends, and saw in each of them a comforting look of hope and confidence in her words. She took in a deep breath, then nodded as she collected herself.
"Y-You're right," Fluttershy said, "Princess Celestia will know what to do, and then everything will be alright."
As Fluttershy calmed down, a thought came to Applejack that caused her to look to Twilight, something obviously something on her mind.
"Say, Twi'," Applejack said, gaining her friend's attention, "About whatcha mentioned in yer letter. Ya said that y'all felt like that what happened in Ponyville is only gonna be the beginnin' o' somethin' bad comin' our way. Yuh don't really think tha' somethin' worse is comin', do yuh?"
As Applejack asked her question, she gained everybody else's attention to the new direction that the conversation was going, and soon all eyes were on Twilight, waiting for her answer. She looked at each of her friends, then sighed after a pause.
"I don't want to believe that something will happen," Twilight began, "But it's not like I'm not expecting anything, either. You all felt the evil that radiated from the Shadow Amulet. We've never dealt with anything like this before, so I'm just keeping all options open." She paused as she waited for any objections. When none came, she continued. "I know it's not the answer you're looking for, but I have a really bad gut feeling that so long as that amulet is around Trixie's neck, disaster is going to follow her like a plague. And right now that evil is hanging over Ponyville like a veil, threatening everypony and everything here."
"Oh, oh!" Pinky shouted, shaking her hoof in the air like a schoolfilly who knew the answer to the teacher's question, "Is the veil made of silk? What color is it?! I wanna see it!"
"It's a figure of speech, Pinkie," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. The pink party pony sat back in her seat, a small pout on her face, which quickly melted as her unyielding smile returned to her face.
"Um, can I say something?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded, and she took a calming breath before continuing. "You said that the Shadow Amulet is cursed, and might even be possessed. Well, I-I just want to ask why you think that? That is, i-if you don't mind me asking."
"Of course I don't," Twilight said. She looks over her friends, who seemed to have thought of Flutershy's question as well while she asked it. "While I'm not fully convinced that it is possessed, there were several signs that support the theory. The first sign was when I tried to convince Trixie that she had no one to blame but herself for how things turned out. She showed signs that she was truly listening to me, but then she looked like she suddenly developed a headache, and soon all she knew was hate towards me. That means that the Amulet is affecting her mind, and is a classic sign of possession. The second sign was her eyes having changing color, but the third sign was the heaviest one out of all of them."
"And what would that be?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"The fact that Trixie teleported right after the relic recoiled against her," Twilight answered. Everybody looked amongst themselves, wondering why this would be the biggest sign that Trixie could be possessed. They were brought back as Twilight continued. "If the relic wasn't possessed, Trixie would've just fallen over unconscious after the recoil. The fact that she teleported away after the relic showed signs that it couldn't perform any more magic, with that same said magic demonstrates that the amulet is sentient in a way, meaning it stopped Trixie before the relic's dark magic could be completely depleted because it was aware of how much magic was left and didn't want her to go any further than she already had."
"That...actually makes sense, in a way," Rarity finally said, "But if it is aware of how much magic it has, then that means it has some level of intelligence, right?"
"Yes, Rarity," Twilight said, "And it also means that, unlike the Alicorn Amulet, it has a finite amount of magic that Trixie has access to before it shorts out. But with all the evidence pointing to an intelligently possessed amulet, there's also the slim, off chance that it's all simply how it was created. Spells and curses used to make the dangerous relic all the more so to its wearer, but it's still all just theories with no definite answer at this point." Twilight looked down, a look of guilt and sadness beginning to form on her face. "I just really wish I knew more, then maybe we could've helped Trixie."
Twilight trailed off as she began to tear up. Pinkie Pie quickly came around the table, and gave Twilight a big hug, and she answered back with her own.
"Don't be so doomy gloomy, Twilight," Pinkie said, "We'll save Trixie, and that's a Pinkie Promise."
"Thanks, Pinkie," Twilight said, letting Pinkie go and wiping away her wet eyes, "Really, I appreciate it."
Pinkie looked as if she was going to say more, but suddenly she froze up, and parts of her body began to shake and twitch. "Uh oh," Pinkie said, "Pinkie Sense!"
No sooner had she said mentioned this, everybody but Twilight quickly hit the deck, Pinkie jumping quickly to her left. And no sooner had she leapt to the side, as if on cue the front door to the library burst open, followed by a blur of orange, yellow, silver, and red that crashed into Twilight, sending her and the blur tumbling and crashing into the shelves that made up the opposite wall. Twilight slowly came to, and felt the heavy weight of whatever it is that came rushing in. She shook her head, regaining her senses, and saw the three familiar faces that make up the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their wagon. Scootaloo, the bright orange pegasus with a cherry red mane, came to her senses first, suddenly gasping and quickly jumping out of the pony pile to quickly dash to the door, slamming it shut and leaning herself against it, as if to stop someone or something from coming in.
"Applebloom!" Applejack shouted.
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity shouted as well. "What in the name of Celestia are you doing out of school?"
"Tha' goes double fer you, Applebloom," Applejack said, a light scowl starting to develop.
The two remaining Crusaders that were still piled on top of Twilight with the wagon and Scootaloo's scooter quickly snapped back, and almost like their pegasus friend they suddenly gasped, but then quickly darted for their respected older sisters and hugged them tightly and shivering, clearly afraid. The serious expressions on Rarity and Applejack were quickly replaced with concern, as both were now trying to comfort their distraught younger siblings. Rainbow Dash approached Scootaloo, putting on a concerned but serious face, wanting to get to the bottom of their sudden appearance.
"Hey, kid," Rainbow Dash said, "What the hay is going on?"
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo shouted, quickly pulling her into a hug, "Am I ever happy to see you." She then suddenly pushed the confused cyan pegasus up against the door, making her assume the same barricading position as she was in. "Don't you move from that door!" She quickly ran towards the nearest window and looked outside with an intensity that matched their fear.
Rainbow Dash stayed this way with her face twisted in a confused expression, then looked to Scootaloo. "Uhh, Scootaloo, mind telling me what exactly am I supposed to be keeping out?"
She was given no answer as the young pegasus remained fixated to the window. Rarity and Applejack took notice of this, and they and everyone else knew that it was out of character for Scootaloo to ignore her idol like she was, causing them to grow even more worried. Applejack looked down to the scared Applebloom, who has yet to let go of her, and began to pet her warmly.
"Applebloom, what in tarnation is goin' on?"Applejack asked, "What's got you and the other Crusaders so spooked?"
Appblebloom, a light yellow filly with a red mane that always had her signature pink bow in it, shook her head as she remained silent and continued to bury her face in her older sister's chest. Instead, Sweetie Belle, a silvery grey unicorn filly with a curly steely violet mane tufted just above her horn, and the sister to Rarity, answered.
"M-Monsters from EverFree!" Sweetie Belle shouted, fear ringing in her voice. "Big, ugly, black, and flat, disc-shaped heads!"
"It was terrible!" Applebloom shouted after Sweetie Belle did, "They chased us to the orchards before we lost 'em!"
When Sweetie Belle mentioned monsters, the shared fear from the three young fillies was spreading through everyone else, but in Twilight's case it hit like a ton of apples. She mentally facehoofed, mentally shouting at herself that she hated when she was right about certain things. Applejack stroked and petted Applebloom more to try an calm her down.
"Just try and tell us everythin' what happened, Applebloom," Applejack said.
Applebloom nodded as she sniffled and slowly released her sister, taking a step back and wiping her eyes dry. "Well, it all started when Miss Cheerilee cancelled school 'cause of what happened in Ponyville earlier. We all thought that it was 'cause of the big storm that came blowin' through and somepony lost their home, and when she told us to go straight home, she looked awful worried 'bout somethin'."
"We really didn't know what happened, so we thought we could try to get our Cutie Marks again," Sweetie Belle continued, looking up to her sister while still hugging her. "We got the idea of trying to get our Cutie Marks in bug collecting, so we went a little ways beyond the apple orchards where lots of butterflies fly around."
"We were fixin' to get packin' and head back to the club house when we didn't get our Cutie Marks," Applebloom continued again, "That's when we heard a loud, shrieking noise. We all froze up like ice sculptures for a moment before we heard it again, only it was closer the second time 'round."
"That second time gave us the direction that it was coming from the EverFree," Scootaloo said, the attention of all the older ponies quickly shifting to her. She continued to stare out the window for a moment longer before looking over her shoulder to the others. "From where we were there was a hill that blocked our view of the forest itself. We didn't have to wait long when we looked towards the hill, because as soon as we all turned to look, we saw them. We were frozen stiff, and would've stayed that way if it wasn't for Sweetie Belle screaming us back to our senses." She then turned her attention back out the window.
Sweetie Belle nodded and continued from there. "We all hopped into the wagon and Scootaloo took off at speeds that we'd never seen her go before. When we looked back, we saw the monsters were running and coming right for us! They were gaining on our tail, so we made our way into the apple orchards to lose them, but all the trees did was slow them down a little."
"When we got far enough ahead, we decided to hide in one uh the apple trees," Applebloom added, "Soon as we were dug in, them monsters were right below us. They were walkin' 'round like they were lookin' fer us, but we got lucky 'cause they never bothered to look up. After waitin' fer what felt like forever, they suddenly ran off."
"That's when we made our break back to Ponyville," Scootaloo said, still looking out the window, "We really didn't plan on where to go, but we knew that we had to find out just what those monsters were. And who else knows more about anything than Twilight? So, we ended up dashing our way here. And, well, here we are."
Applejack looked more worried than ever, and focused entirely on Applebloom. "Where did they run off to?" she asked, "What direction were they goin'? Were they...were they headin' towards the house?"
To Applejack's relief, Applebloom shook her head in response. "They didn't head that way," she answered, "If they had, we'd been right on their tail to warn Granny Smith and Big Mac 'bout 'em before we headed off to Ponyville. But we don't know where they ran off to. They just up and left the farm."
"So, if the big ugly monsters are not in Sweet Apple Acres," Pinkie Pie said, putting a hoof to her chin as she thought, "Then where did they go?"
Every pony present already knew the answer to Pinkie's question, but they were hoping and wishing with all their hearts that they were dead wrong. Sadly their wishes went unheard, for when Pinkie asked that very question almost immediately after Scootaloo began to shuffle nervously before coming down from her window perch.
"Guys, something's happening outside!" Scootaloo shouted nervously, looking over her shoulder. No sooner had she said that, everyone began to gather around Scootaloo and look out the window with her. Outside there was a panic going on, but due to the spell that canceled out outside noise, they couldn't really hear what was going on. They didn't need to hear anything to know that something was wrong, as ponies were dashing left and right all over town and screaming their lungs out, judging by their gaping mouths, as if trying to escape from something. Their attention was quickly grabbed by something that went flying from around the corner on the next street down and violently crashed on the ground.
"Wha' in tarnation?" Applejack exclaimed. There was a pause before she spoke up again. "Hey, that was the apple stand!" She stepped back from the window as she tipped her hat forward, then marched straight for the door that was now being barricaded by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "Outa the way, 'Bloom. Monster or no monster, nopony messes with our apple stand."
There was a brief pause as the two young fillies looked to each other, then back to Applejack as they hesitated. She was soon joined by Twilight and the others, with the exception of Fluttershy who was still next to Scootaloo and the window, as they flanked either side of her.
"We're not gonna let you go out there alone, AJ," Rainbow Dash said from her right, brimming with confidence.
"That's right!" Pinkie Pie shouted from Applejack's left, thrusting her hoof in the air. "Friends don't abandon friends!"
Applejack looked between her friends that surrounded her, then nodded and smirked a bit. "Thanks everypony." She then turned her attention back to the door, Sweetie and Applebloom already having stepped aside, before rearing. "Now let's go get those varments!"
With that, all five burst out the door, said door closing behind them as soon as the last pony left, in this case Pinkie Pie, who decided to bounce out instead of charging out like the rest, yet managed to keep up with all of them regardless. They were met with the screams of scared ponies and their clopping hooves as they ran around trying to find their way back to their homes in their panicked state. Applejack and the others made their way around the running crowd to the demolished cart, and the damage was much worse to see up close than from a distance. They didn't have time to inspect the damage, mainly because the cart was utterly destroyed so there wasn't any point, but also because they heard a scream coming from the same direction that the cart was thrown from, and soon they all ran towards the pony in distress, Rainbow Dash taking up a good lead as she flew right over and past the others.
She made a sharp right turn, and Applejack and the others soon made the turn as well, only to be met with Rainbow Dash as she stood there, frozen to the spot at the sight before her. The others ground to a stop as well, and all gaped at the first sight of the Crusaders' monsters. They were all black and tall, their height matching Celestia's, maybe even a couple of inches taller, but were hunched over and on all fours so the thought of their full height was staggering to them. They had long, slender forelegs and short, stubby hind legs, and didn't have any hooves, but instead had something that the only comparison they knew was to Spike's claws, but they were wide and spindly compared to his, with no claws to speak of at the tips. But the biggest eye catching feature for them was the large, disc-shaped stone slabs that were supposed to be their heads, with no eyes or mouth to speak of, but had dozens of small tendrils hanging from the bottom of their "face" and several large ones dangling from the top of their heads.
Twilight, though physically frozen, mentally counted six of these beasts as they tore through the center of town. Three were running around aimlessly through town, smashing and destroying property on various streets while scaring and chasing around and away ponies that had either yet to make it back to their homes or foolishly chose to stand and fight, only to prove themselves timid and flee or to be quickly swept aside. One was to the far right of the activities of the other three, fending off a brave pegasus colt, only to swat him out of the air and sent flying through the window of Quills and Sofas. Twilight and the others flinched as they watched the glass shatter, and didn't know if they should be terribly worried or relieved that the pegasus colt crashed into that particular store, seeing as there was a half-and-half chance that he either landed on the sharp quills or the soft, comfy sofas. The creature let out a victorious hiss before it decided to give chase to a nearby earth pony that had the unfortunate luck of running by too closely to it, both disappearing as they made their way down the street on their left, buildings blocking the view. The last two had cornered a pearly pink pony with a sea foam mane, her back against the wall of the building behind her.
"Heelp!" The pony shouted, "Somepony, anypony, help me! Please!"
The mare's pleads snapped Rainbow Dash and the others out of their frozen surprise, and the cyan pegasus quickly took to the air.
"Don't worry, I'm coming!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Twilight was about to stop her, but she was already gone before Twilight could get a single word out. She picked up a nearby metal trash can from around the corner, then hovered above the two monsters.
"Hey, ugly!" Rainbow Dash shouted. The two beasts responded by looking up, and she dropped the heavy metal can on the one on the left monster's head, the trash can bouncing off and hitting the side of the one on the right. Both creatures let out a hissing growl as they turned to face towards Twilight and the others, the pink mare taking the opportunity to escape. Rainbow Dash then came back down and rejoined her friends, hovering slightly above the ground.
"Yeah! How'd you like that?" she said smugly, but as the creatures fully turned around and looked to her and her friends, she quickly recognized what she had just done as she shrank back.
"Uh oh," Rainbow Dash squeaked out.
"RUN!" Twilight shouted, and her friends responded promptly, dashing out of the alley and back into the main streets, Rainbow Dash opting to fly while keeping speeds with her friends, the two lanky beasts behind them as they moved in a combination of fast shuffling and running. Fortunately for them, the other three paid them no heed as they ran in the opposite direction, but it still didn't change the fact that they still had two to deal with. Twilight's mind raced as she tried to formulate a plan, looking around to find some kind of inspiration or clue, and quickly came up with something as she looked to Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow Dash," She called out, and gained her friend's much needed attention, "Go and find the biggest cloud you can! We're going to see how they fare against lightning!" She finished her idea with a smirk, one that was shared with the rainbow-maned pegasus as she saluted off to her.
"You got it!" She answered, and with that Rainbow Dash took off at amazing speeds as she quickly climbed into the air before disappearing from view.
"And just what are we supposed to do?!" Rarity whined, looking to Twilight nervously.
"We gotta distract these things long enough for Rainbow Dash to come back!" Twilight answered. Her friends gave each other a concerned and worried look. They weren't exactly thrilled with the plan, but they knew that they couldn't just run around and hope that Rainbow Dash's aim was true with the chaotic element. With whatever courage they could muster, they buried their fear and put on stern and confident faces as they nodded in agreement with Twilight's plan.
Twilight turned into a nearby alley that was partially blocked by many barrels and came to a stop, Applejack and the others doing the same, and they turned to face the shadow creatures, who had also stopped their hasty pursuit at the alley's entrance. They were skulking ever closer to them, like a predator closing in on it's prey, as Twilight made the first move as her horn lit up as she charged up her magic and firing it, hitting the disc-shaped head of the monster on her left. It let out a loud hiss as it was knocked back, shaking it's head a bit to regain some sense, but ultimately was left unscathed, showing no cracks or even a dent in the stone. Not letting up, Twilight charged and released another blast, this time aiming for the one of the right, and struck it on it's shoulder and gaining a much more satisfying result, causing it to be launched back and twist from the momentum of the impact and landing with a crash.
"Woohoo!" Pinkie cheered, flailing around a pair of pompoms that she acquired from nowhere. "Twilight, Twilight, she's our mare! Goooo, Twilight!" However, the small celebration was cut short as the creature rose up and gave what could be clearly interpreted as an enraged hiss-growl. It then made a blind dash towards Twilight, while the one on the left made it's way towards Pinkie and Rarity, and once it found itself in range it raised it's large arm and brought it down in a sweeping attack. Twilight managed to duck and dodge the attack by a few hairs, but as she looked up she was nearly face-to-face with the creature, causing her to become frozen in fear. She was brought back as Applejack quickly joined Twilight's side, then turned and bucked harder than what she would ever use for her apple harvesting, both hearing a definite crack as her hooves made contact. The monster was sent flying back hard, smashing against the side of a nearby building before it slowly fell forward head-first, laying limp and still on the ground stunned.
Twilight wiped the sweat from her brow as she got back up, then turned to Applejack and nodded. "Thanks for saving me," she said.
"Anytime, sugarcube," Applejack answered, tipping her hat. They heard a growl that came from behind them, followed by a wimper, causing them to spin around, and saw Rarity slowly being cornered in the particularly arranged barrels with Pinkie nowhere to be seen.
"Y-You stay away," Rarity barked, her voice a little shaky. She backed into a barrel, causing her to give a light yelp and look behind her, then back to the monster in front of her. She began to shrink down with every step it took towards her. "Oh, Pinkie Pie. Where did you go?"
The barrel behind Rarity began to shake a little, causing her to look up. Sure enough, there was Pinkie looking down from the lip of the barrel. She was wearing black sunglasses, her smile absent as she stared coldly at Rarity, and her once wild and bouncy mane somehow fashioned in a spiked crewcut.
"Come with me if you want to live," Pinkie said in a purposely lowered tone with some strange accent as she offered Rarity her hoof. This was definitely on the top of the list of the weirdest things Pinkie has done, Rarity thought, but it was a rescue and a rescue was definitely needed at this point. Rarity took Pinkie's hoof, and she quickly pulled her into the barrel, both disappearing from sight. The monster hissed as it crept over to the barrel, and raised itself over the edge to look into it. As it did, Pinkie popped out from another barrel on it's left, now looking and acting like herself, curly untamed mane and all.
"Over here!" Pinkie cried out, quickly gaining the monster's attention. It attempted a sideswipe at the pink pony, only to miss by a few inches as Pinkie ducked back in. It continued to stare at the barrel for a second before Pinkie quickly reappeared in another barrel, this time behind it and a row back.
"Now I'm over here!" She cheered, her arms in the air. The monster hissed more angrily as it quickly turned, swinging and using it's large arm and hand as momentum and as an effort to attack Pinkie again, only to miss again. The monster paid attention to the barrel Pinkie Pie was in for only a moment before scanning over the other barrels, showing signs that it was catching on to whatever Pinkie's strategy was. But no matter how quick as it caught on, it would all prove to be utterly useless against the randomness that is Pinkie Pie.
"Over here!" Pinkie shouted from a barrel on the right, catching the monster's attention. It didn't have time to react as she disappeared, then reappeared two barrels down to the left.
"Now here!" "Here!" "Over here!" "Too slow!" "Peek-a-boo!"
Pinkie was now randomly popping up and disappearing from one barrel after another rather quickly, causing the black monster to look either which way, trying it's best to keep up with her while swinging away at every chance it could get. The speed in which Pinkie was popping up came to a point when two Pinkies appeared in two different barrels at once, both looking at each other and giggling before disappearing back into their respected barrels. After about three minutes of this the monster became enraged, and began to smash each barrel that Pinkie emerged and retreated into, until only one barrel was left. When Pinkie Pie didn't emerge from it, the monster picked up the barrel on both sides and lifting it above itself before looking inside. It stared for a moment, then was met with the muzzle of Pinkie's Party Cannon, followed by loud cannon fire and an exuberant amount of balloons, glitter, streamers, and confetti. The beast recoiled from the random blast, tossing the barrel and causing it shatter as it landed, and grabbing it's face. It tried to pull and scrape off as much of the party decorations as it could, but was interrupted when it's attention was drawn elsewhere.
"Oh Mister big scary monster thing!" Pinkie said from behind the monster. It quickly whipped around to face Pinkie, and was about to raise it's arm to strike. But it stopped when Pinkie held up her hoof, telling it to stop, then looked and pointed up. The creature then looked upward, and saw Rainbow Dash atop a large rain cloud, looking down at it with a smirk. "Do you're thing, Rainbow Dash!"
"With pleasure!" Rainbow Dash shouted. She then began to jump on the cloud feverishly, and the off-white cloud turned very dark and began to rumble. The black beast didn't react fast enough as the black cloud erupted in thunder, then shot down a single, but incredibly powerful bolt of lightning with incredible accuracy at the monster, Pinkie skipping away just in time. It convulsed and shook as the bolt of lightning pulsed through it's body, screeching in pain, before it went limp and fell forward and went limp like the first, smoltering from the burns it no doubt accrued. Rainbow Dash released the cloud and came down to join her friends, with Pinkie cheering and bouncing around.
"Wowie wowzers, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie said, "That was awesome!"
"Eh, it was nothing," Rainbow Dash gloated, looking at the back of her hoof casually. Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled, then looked around before turning her attention to Pinkie Pie.
"Um, Pinkie," she said, "where's Rarity?"
Pinkie Pie stopped her bouncing as a look of sudden thought came to her, then smiled again and pointed to an undamaged barrel in a corner. "Oh, I left her in that barrel over there." She hopped over and popped the top off of the barrel, and Rarity quickly popped out, gasping as if for air, even though she had plenty access.
"Well, I'd never!" Rarity shouted as she glared at Pinkie Pie. "Honestly, leaving me in a barrel?! How rude!"
"Hehe, sorry about that, Rarity," Pinkie said as she rubbed the back of her neck, "But at least we didn't forget you!"
Rarity looked as though she was ready to argue, but instead chose to sigh and compose herself.
"I suppose you're right," she said. She climbed out of the barrel and joined the others, Pinkie Pie bouncing behind her. "At least I didn't have to sully my hooves while waiting on Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and shook her head. She then turned to the monster that laid behind them, not looking away.
"Man, even when they're down they still creep me out," Rainbow Dash said. She looked over to the one that Twilight and Applejack took down, then approached them and gave them both a playful punch on their shoulders. "You two did pretty well yourselves, too."
"Thanks, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said with a small proud smile, but quickly shifted back to a serious expression. "But we're going to have to pat ourselves on the back later. There's still four more of those things we have to deal with."
Applejack and the others looked to each other and nodded, but then they were all suddenly caught off guard when a blood curdling shriek echoed through Ponyville with an ear-splitting volume. Four of the five ponies fell to the ground and plugged their ears the best they could with their hooves and gritted their teeth, with all but Pinkie shutting their eyes as tight as they could while she simply went stiff and cross-eyed as she shook like the ground below her was, but the incredibly loud cry ringed in their skulls and in the air even as the source came to a sudden stop. They waited a second before they got back up, a couple of them rubbing their temples from oncoming headaches.
"What in the name of Equestria was that?" Applejack shouted, her hearing impaired.
"WHAT?" Pinkie shouted even louder, taking out a hearing horn and putting it to her ear.
Twilight rubbed either side of her head as she fought off the ringing and headache in her head as she hung her head. She looked up and around to try to find what and where the source of the shriek came from, but instead was met with a horrifying sight.
"Girls!" She shouted, gaining her friends's attention, and pointed behind Rainbow Dash. She looked at Twilight, puzzled, until Rainbow Dash casually looked behind her, and she jumped with a scream. By now most of the ponies had already regained some of their hearing, but even if they hadn't they still heard her. The monster that she and Pinkie took down began to rise up, seemingly unharmed, and Rarity gasped as she saw the one that Twilight and Applejack defeated begin to rise as well, though it staggered a bit, still reeling from the farm pony's infamous buck.
"No way," Rainbow Dash said, fear in her voice, as well as her face, as she backed up slowly, the others doing the same in a circular fashion going inwards as the monsters creeped forward. "Th-This can't be real! I hit that thing with lightning! How is it even getting back up?!"
"I'm as lost as you are," Twilight responded, the same fear in her voice. The monsters forced them closer together, hissing and making rattling sounds with orifices and appendages unknown to them. The one with the cracked disc quickly snatched up Applejack from the group, with two of it's fingers firmly around the pony's neck while the rest of it's hand wrapped around the whole of her body as she struggled in vain to wiggle herself free. While the others were distracted, the other beast snatched up Rarity, who screamed and struggled fruitlessly in it's grasp.
"Unhand me, you beast!" Rarity shouted, her begging falling on deaf, and possibly non-existent, ears. Applejack coughed and choked for air as she struggled, and Twilight and the others feared the worst. Suddenly, another shriek roared through the air, not as loud as the first but still painful to experience. The monsters suddenly looked in one direction, back to the center of town, and as if suddenly losing all interest they dropped Rarity and Applejack, the latter coughing and wheezing as the relief of being able to breath freely washed over her. The monsters then dashed off towards town as suddenly as they dropped the two ponies, joining the rest of the pack that Twilight caught a glimpse of as they both rounded a corner before suddenly disappearing.
"Applejack!" Twilight cried, rushing to her friend's side. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie quickly joined Rarity as they helped her up. "Are you okay?"
"Ah'm fine," Applejack said after taking in a few more breaths. She staggered to stand, but managed to stable herself and fix her hat. "What in tarnation was all that about? Whatcha think got 'em so spooked that they all ran off together?"
"I don't think they were scared off, Applejack," Twilight said, "And I don't think they just ran off because they got bored."
"What...are you insinuating, Twilight," Rarity asked, still shaken by the sudden attack. "You don't honestly think those...those THINGS...work on some kind of hierarchy, do you?"
"I don't know," Twilight answered, shaking her head, "Or maybe I don't want to. Regardless, they all seem to be leaving town in a hurry. Let's just take this opportunity and get back to Fluttershy and and the others and see if they're still safe."
Rarity and the others nodded one by one in agreement before they all made their way back to the library. As they went they passed by where most of the beasts were focused at, and the damage they caused forced them all to stop and look on in a mix of shock, guilt, and rage. Most of the stands that were set up on the streets for the day were smashed beyond repair, along with whatever trades or goods that were stationed there. Many of the windows facing towards the wreckage were smashed in, with the exceptions being the ones that were boarded up, and even they had evidence of attempted forced entry. There were several doors that were also smashed in, though to their relief they all were still on their hinges, the worst with only a large hole broken through. But the thing that stopped them and caused their hearts to drop was the sight of ponies who were caught in all the mayhem wandering and scattered in the streets, some of whom were severely injured and couldn't move, while others looked beaten and bruised but still could get around, though slowly. Twilight saw the pegasus who was swatted into the Quills and Sofas's window, and was thankful that he was still alive, albeit being near completely wrapped from head to hooves in bandages. Those that had the least severe injuries or were uninjured were tending to those who were, while small groups gathered to volunteer with clean-up.
"Mama!" A young filly cried out, causing the hairs on Twilight's neck to stand on end. Out from an alley, a young filly, probably no older than Applebloom or Sweetie Belle, with a silvery mane and pink fur came limping out, clearly distraught and crying heavily. "Mama, where are you?! Mama, where's Mama?!" The young filly began to cry harder, then an older mare with minty green fur with a slightly darker shade man came over to the foal and tried to comfort her.
"It's okay, sweetheart," The mare said, nuzzling the foal, "Just come with me and we'll have you looked at first, then we can go find your Mama." The foal sniffled and nodded as she limped beside the mare, joining a small group of those who were injured and being treated.
"This is...," Rainbow Dash choked out, fighting back tears, "Just...horrible."
"Raindow Dash!" somepony cried out. The voice came from above, and everyone quickly looked up to see the familiar grey pegasus, mail mare, and friend of Rainbow Dash.
"Ditzy!" Rainbow Dash answered. Ditzy Doo quickly flew down towards them, nearly dive-bombing, then suddenly stopped as she landed clumsily on her face before getting up, virtually unscathed. "What's up?"
"Well, earlier when I was delivering mail, I noticed you flying around like the Wonderbolts were watching ya," Ditzy explained, using her forelegs for dramatic effect, "That's when I noticed that there were monsters in Ponyville! I was flying back to the Post Office and help board it up, and on my way back I saw something real strange."
"And what was that, Ditzy?" Twilight asked. Ditzy then turned her head to look at Twilight, her lazy eyes making it hard just where exactly she was looking.
"Well, I saw Trixie in town just as the commotion was starting," Ditzy answered. Twilight and the others's eyes shrank to pinpricks, and the only reply they could give was a gasp. "At least, I think it was Trixie. If it was her, then she looked really strange."
"Where was she going!?" Applejack barked, nearly causing Ditzy to flinch.
"U-Uh, let's see," Ditzy muttered. She put a hoof to her chin as she thought for a moment. "I-If my directions are right, she was heading for the train station. She looked like she was in a hurry."
"Well it certainly doesn't seem all that strange, if you ask me," Rarity said, "But if it IS Trixie, then I'm fair to bet that amulet's guiding her there."
"Oh, right," Ditzy said, "The strange part! You might not believe this, but as Trixie made her way to the station it looked like she was actually talking to one of those monsters! Almost as if ordering it or something. After that, the monster took off towards the others before she made it to the station, just as the train was leaving."
There was a long pause after Ditzy explained this shocking revelation, and it was especially uncomfortable one for Ditzy. The silence was broken when Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof hard into the ground, and all eyes were on her. She looked -and was- absolutely furious, all her grief for Ponyville burning as it's fuel. Her wings flared out and were flapping angrily.
"I knew it!" Rainbow Dash shouted and stomped again, "I KNEW that Trixie had to be behind all this! If I ever get my hooves on her, I'm gonna...I-I'm gonna..." She began to stomp and buck wildly, quickly tiring herself out and falling to the ground. She began to sniffle, whatever fortitude she had keeping back her sadness destroyed by her outburst. Pinkie approached her and gave her a hug, Rainbow Dash hugging back, and quietly sobbed on Pinkie's shoulder. Twilight watched as Rainbow Dash broke down, but then turned back to Ditzy.
"Ditzy," Twilight said, "You wouldn't happen to know where the train was heading, do you?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. I do, actually," Ditzy said, "I think it was the last train going to Canterlot for today."
"WHAT?!" Twilight shouted. She quickly darted to Ditzy, grabbed her, and began to shake her violently. "Are you sure?! You're ABSOLUTELY sure it was going to CANTERLOT?!"
"Y-Ye-e-s-s," Ditzy answered while still being shaken. Twilight suddenly stopped shaking her and let her go, her lazy eyes swimming in her head for a moment before they stopped, still cross-eyed. Twilight quickly reeled to her friends, a worried look strongly on her face.
"This is bad," Twilight said, "This is very, very bad! We have to send a message to Princess Celestia immediately and warn her!"
"Oh, speaking of the Princess," Ditzy added. This got Twilight's attention as she turned her head and looked back to her, "There's a royal chariot waiting outside of the library. Looks like they're carrying something pretty important."
"Thanks, Ditzy," Twilight said. She turned her attention back to her friends. "Princess Celestia must've sent the Elements of Harmony. C'mon, girls. This isn't over yet." And with that, Twilight and the others made a mad dash back to the library, leaving Ditzy in a cloud of dust.
Author's Note: And so the gears have finally begun to turn! The first clash between the Mane Six and Zant's monsters! But will it be their last? You'll just have to find out in the next chapter, now won't you? Until next time!
P.S.,
I have a good guess that some readers are going to have a problem with me choosing Ditzy Doo as the cross-eyed mare pegasus's name, mainly because they like the name Derpy Hooves better. I get it, some of you might be Derpy/Dr. Hooves shippers, and I can respect that. But I went with Ditzy, and that's just how it is.
