Farm life was no picnic. Chores needed to be done, whether a pony felt like doing them or not. Right now, Applejack didn't feel like doing them. Nevertheless, she filled the buckets with water, hooked one on each side of the back brace, put her neck under it, lifted, and carried the water to the stables. The animals needed water, no matter what kind of mood Applejack was in.
It was just one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. First, she discovered that the latch on the chicken coop had come loose and two chickens had escaped. Then, the sheep seemed to be in a restless mood as she fed them. She thought that they just wanted to stretch their legs, so she opened up the pen. But they didn't want to leave. It was like they were afraid.
And all day she had a strange feeling like some pony was watching her. The day was very quiet and calm. No birds chirped, the animals were quiet, even if they were nervous and scared. She would rake some twigs, get strange feeling that some pony was behind her, but when she turned, there would be no pony there. Constantly she would look around, making sure no pony was on the horizon, or ducking behind a tree. She even rode the tractor to the field, just for the noise. But when she was out of site of the house, she got the strangest feeling that she needed to go back.
But in spite of all her odd feelings, she couldn't find anything wrong. She would be glad when the day was done and she could go inside. And lock the door.
She finished watering the animals, double checked all the latches on the pens, and made her way back to the house. It was late afternoon, and she was starving. Granny Smith ought to have dinner ready any minute, she hoped. She was coming around the barn when she heard a hoofstep around the corner. I'm jumpier than a rattlesnake in a frying pan, she thought. If Big Mac is trying to sneak up on me, I'll tan his hide. But Big Macintosh was supposed to be in town today, shopping. Just my imagination, then, she decided.
She rounded the corner and came nose to nose with some pony, a pony she had never seen before. "Grits and gravy!" she shouted, jumping back in fright. "What in blazes are you trying to do to me? And who in apple jelly are you?"
"My apologies, dear filly," the pony bowed slightly. "My name is Sherclop Pones, Special Inspector. I went to the house, and the old mare there told me to find you out here."
Applejack took a moment to allow her heart to climb back into her chest, and to catch her breath. "Inspector? What's this about? I told Granny Smith we already dismantled that still. You won't find a drop of hooch in this whole property," she gave a nervous glance to the barn and added silently, If Big Mac hid the stuff properly.
Pones neither smiled nor frowned at the admission. "No, ma'am, I'm here on special assignment regarding a matter of Equestrian security. Perhaps we can discuss matters inside."
"Yes, of course," Applejack was quick to ignore her previous statement. "I'm so hungry I could eat a..." Pones raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, Granny makes the best dumplings in town, guaranteed." She trotted to the house.
Inside, Granny had set a meal for every pony, including their guest. Big Mac had returned from town. Sherclop introduced himself to everyone and ate silently while the family exchanged small talk around the table. When everyone was done, he stood and said quietly to Applejack. "Now, if you don't mind, there are things I need to discuss with you."
"Yes, of course, Inspector. Excuse me Granny, Mac." She said to her family and escorted Pones to the front porch. "So why are you here, Inspector?"
He paced up and down the porch, his hooves making a soft "clip, clop," as if to add weight to his words. "Have you heard of the Cult of Smooze?"
Applejack would not have been more surprised if Pones as asked her to marry him. "Smooze? Why, that's just a fairy tale told to colts. Right?"
"I'm afraid not, Miss Applejack. The cult is very real. And my investigations lead me to Ponyville. I believe the cult has been operating here for at least four years, perhaps longer. Rumor has it that ponies have spotted cloaked figures roaming the woods. Since your farm is so isolated, I wonder if you or your family have seen anything?"
Applejack had to sit down on the porch swing. "Apples..." she whispered. "The Smooze cult in Ponyville? It gives me the shivers just thinking about it. Now that you mention it, sometimes we do get some peculiar goings on 'round the farm. Strange noises at night. The animals going wild. We figure it's just wild animals looking for an easy meal. In fact," and she looked at Pones, her eyes wide, "just this morning I found two chickens missing from the coop. I figured they'd just gotten loose. You don't suppose it's that crazy cult, do you?"
"Perhaps. The cult does perform animal sacrifices."
"Sacrifices! Why, if I get my hooves on them low lifes, I'll tear 'em a new one!"
"Miss Applejack," Pones went on, "have there been other animal disappearances on your farm?"
"Well," she thought, "now that you mention it, a few. Over the past couple years we've had a handful of animals go missing. But that's just normal on a farm. Still..."
"Any other activity?" Pones tried to keep Applejack's mind on the issue at hoof.
"Um, well, let's see. Missing tools here and there. Apples gone missing. The animals acting crazy, like I said. But I don't recall anyone seeing any figures. But from now on, first sign of any more trouble outside, I'm getting my shot gun and adding holes to whoever I see!"
"I can't blame you for that. I'm advising every pony to lock their doors at night, and if you have to go out, to go in groups. Also, I'd make it well known in town that ponies should avoid the apple farm after dark. Now, I'd like to question your brother too."
"Sure, Inspector, I'll go get him." She rose from the swing. "Oh, it's dark now. Surely you won't be going back to town now? You have to stay with us."
Pones considered the offer and decided he had no reason to refuse. "Yes, Miss Applejack, I believe I will take you up on the offer. These are dangerous times for Equestria, and none of use can afford to take any chances."
Applejack nodded and went back into the house to get her brother.
Zecora spent several nights waiting in the woods, hiding among the trees and bushes, covered in her cloak, waiting to see a cult member. Finally her patience paid off. Early one evening she caught sight of a figure in the woods. She was fairly sure she hadn't been spotted. But just to be sure she cast a spell that would obscure her sound and blend her into the background. The figure had a large sack tied to its back. She followed the figure for an hour as it lead a circuitous path between trees. Often the figure would double back. It would look over it's shoulder, and Zecora would duck behind a bush. She started to wonder if she had been spotted after all, but eventually the figure approached a cliff face. With a final look around, the figure touched something on the rock and a piece of the cliff moved, revealing a crack just wide enough for a pony to slip in.
Rather than risk an ambush, Zecora made a note of the location and went back to town. The trip back was much shorter. When she got back to her hut she wrote down the location to the Smooze cave and went to bed. Tomorrow she would find Inspector Pones and inform him.
The next morning Zecora went into town to find Pones. As she got closer to the center of town she noticed a crowd had gathered. When she got close enough, a pony saw her and pointed a hoof at her. "There she is!" he shouted. "There's the Smooze cult witch!"
Zecora stopped in shock as every pony turned to her and began to shout accusations. "It was you!" "That's her!" "I saw her do it." They started to crowd around her. Before things got ugly, one pony called a stop to it.
"Now wait!" yelled Sherclop Pones. "There is no proof that she was the one." This elicited many jeers from the crowd.
Zecora finally spoke. "Could some pony tell me what is going on?"
Pones came to stand by her. He spoke to her, but loud enough for the crowd to hear. "A filly was ponynapped last night," Zecora's eyes went wide. "Some ponies claim that you did it."
"Absurd," She stated. "I would never do such a thing."
"I saw you leave your hut several nights! You know there is a curfew. Don't deny it," said some pony she didn't recognize.
She found him in the crowd, "If there was a curfew, then how did you see me leave my hut? It is true, I have been going to the woods at night. But it was to find the Smooze cult. Which I have done!" The crowd seemed skeptical. Ponies murmured to each other. Zecora addressed Pones, "Inspector, I have information that I must tell you," she looked around the crowd, "but in private." This evoked more jeers from the crowd.
Pones held up a hoof to silence the crowd. "Enough! As Special Inspector, I have jurisdiction in this matter. Zecora is accused of a crime, but since it is a crime involving the Cult of Smooze, it falls under my purview. Mayor," he found the mayor amongst the mob, "I will keep Zecora in my custody."
The mayor nodded, "Very well."
There were cries of outrage in the crowd. "She will escape!" "How can we trust him?" "He's one of them!"
Pones spoke above the crowd again, "I will question Zecora. She said she has found the cult. Mayor, I want this town on lock down. Any pony not involved in the search of the missing filly is to remain inside. I want you to account for every pony."
The mayor had never dealt with a matter this serious before. "As you say, Inspector. Alright every pony, you heard him! Go back home! The ponies out searching for the ponynappers will report back. And I trust that Inspector Pones will solve this crime."
Reluctantly, the crowd dispersed. There were many epithets mumbled to Zecora. Pones escorted her to city hall where he led her to an office he had occupied. He closed the door and had her sit down while he went to the desk to take notes. "Tell me what you have, Zecora."
"Last night I followed a pony to the woods. He went to the cliff and opened a secret entrance. He had a large sack on his back. Perhaps he was carrying the missing pony."
"Could you identify him?"
"No," she said. "I'm not even sure if it was a him or her."
Pones pondered this information. "I have been following some leads myself. But this matter forces my hoof. We have to act. I will get my things, then you will take me to this cliff." He stood and started to collect the supplies he needed. He put on his harness, which held his service pistol. He also put on a saddle bag that contained other gear. "Is there anything you need before we go?" he asked Zecora.
"No. I have everything I will need."
"Are you carrying a weapon?"
"Let's just say I can take care of myself," she replied.
He thought for a moment, pulled another pistol from his desk, and hoofed it to her. "Do you know how to use this?"
"I am not too familiar with guns. What kind is this?" She asked.
"A Colt 45." He showed her how to used the gun. "I'll trust you with this. If you don't feel comfortable with it, then don't use it unless there is no other choice."
She put the gun in a pocket in her cloak. Together she and Pones left city hall. The streets were empty due to the lock down. They traveled as quickly as they could to the woods outside of town where Zecora had found the Smooze cult hideout.
Rarity had watched the mob from her shop window. She heard the news of the ponynapping and was, of course, appalled. She did not want to believe that Fluttershy would be involved with any group that would do such a thing. When Zecora came into town and was accused of the crime, Rarity was holding out hopes that perhaps, all along, it was Zecora that was guilty. After all, she reasoned, the zebra was strange. In fact, Rarity had heard that zebras and ponies were not even related but only looked similar.
Deep down, however, Rarity couldn't quite convince herself of that. There was still that nagging thought that Fluttershy was hiding something. Again, questions about Fluttershy were driving Rarity mad. She just had to know the truth.
She put on her traveling cloak and hat and slipped out the back door. She looked around to make sure no pony would see her sneak out. Ducking from alley to bush to dumpster, she made her way to Fluttershy's spa. Around the back there was a rear exit. Rarity knocked, looking over her shoulder nervously.
After a minute the door opened and Fluttershy's assistant stuck her head out and looked at Rarity with a blank expression.
Rarity spoke quickly and quietly, as if she might be heard by the police. "I need to see Fluttershy." The assistant just stared at her. "Is she in? Please, I must see her."
The assistant's answer was slow and monotone. "Acolyte Fluttershy is not here." She was about to close the door but Rarity put her hoof in the way.
"Where is she? I must see her please." Then she added, "It's about Smooze."
The assistant did not react visibly, but paused for a moment before saying, "Acolyte Fluttershy has gone to the temple and will be back tomorrow."
"Then take me to the temple."
"Only followers of Smooze are allowed into the temple," the assistant said.
Rarity thought quickly before she lost her chance. "Don't you know? Fluttershy made me a follower the last time we spoke. She performed the ritual and everything. Praise Smooze." She hoped her bluff was correct. She didn't even know if there was a ritual. She desperately hoped that the assistant would not ask her to prove it.
"Very well. I will take you to the temple." She closed the door.
Rarity wasn't sure if she was supposed to go inside. Every minute she stood outside added to the chances of her getting caught breaking curfew. Just before she was going to knock again, the door opened and the assistant came out, wearing a cloak. She headed off toward the edge of town, and Rarity followed her.
The entire trip the assistant did not speak, and Rarity did not try to start any conversation. She kept thinking about Fluttershy being guilty. Why wasn't Fluttershy at her spa, which was where she lived? Perhaps she was visiting the temple and had nothing to do with the ponynapping. Even if it was a cult member that did it, that didn't mean that Fluttershy knew anything about it. One way or the other, Rarity was about to get the answer soon.
Eventually they came to a cliff face in the woods. Rarity had never been to these parts of the woods before. She wasn't the outdoor type. That was more Applejack's thing. The assistant touched something on the rock face and a part of the cliff moved, opening a crack in the cliff. The assistant looked at Rarity, then stepped into the crack. Rarity followed her into the darkness.
"Tell me about the leads you have been following, Inspector," Zecora asked as they walked.
"I believe I can trust you with this information. At this point, we don't have much choice. I have been keeping tabs on the new pony Fluttershy. Do you know her?"
"No. I do not go into town much."
"She is a quiet pony. She has a health spa. I have seen her go into the woods alone, but every time I try to follow her, I lose her. There really is no reason for any pony to come this way."
"You believe this Fluttershy is part of the cult?" Zecora asked.
"I have no real evidence. I didn't want to tip her off by questioning her. It would seem odd for a pony such as myself to go to a health spa and start asking odd questions. I tried looking into how she paid for her new spa. She paid cash. I find it suspicious for a single pony to have that much cash and to show up out of no where."
"You are a suspicious person, Inspector."
"It's my job."
On their way to the cave they ran into two ponies who were part of the rescue operation. Zecora and Pones stopped them.
"Have you found anything?" Pones asked them. They shook their heads. "Well, keep looking. Zecora and I will search that way," he pointed the direction he was headed. The two ponies left them to continue their search. When they had gone, Pones spoke to Zecora, "We don't know who we can trust. It's best not to let them know we had found the cave. How much farther is it?"
"Ten more minutes this way." She said. They walked the final distance and came to the cliff. They stopped at some bushes and looked around for any cult members. Zecora retrieved some dust from her bag and sprinkled it on her nose. Pones curiously watched her. After a few moments she looked at him. "I do not sense any pony about."
"Alright. Show me the entrance. I'll go in first and you follow me." They went to the rock face and Zecora searched the spot that she had seen the strange figure search the night before. She found a metal lever hidden in a crack. She pulled it and the rock slowly moved, revealing the entrance.
They waited a few seconds then peered in. They could see the faint glow of torches flickering off the cave walls. Pones stepped inside and Zecora followed. Inside there was a crank. Pones turned it and it slowly closed the rock door. Presumably, the lever on the outside released a counter weight that opened the door, and the crank wound it back up.
They followed the tunnel quietly. There were side passages that would lead to the left or right. The rock formation was natural for the most part, with occasional spots of broken and chiseled rock. The cult had taken advantage of a natural cave, but had expanded it. The passage sloped down gradually, taking them deeper underground.
Neither Pones nor Zecora knew where to go, but it was a safe bet that they should follow the lighted path. The side passages were dark, and Pones assumed that a dark passage would not be inhabited. Besides, they could just back track if necessary.
Eventually they heard the sounds of chanting ahead. Pones assumed they were getting close to some kind of main meeting hall. He took Zecora down a side passage in order to hide. "You wait here while I scout ahead," he told her. "We can't just barge in and take them all. I don't know how many are here, but surely we would be outnumbered." Zecora nodded, and Pones stepped back into the main passage.
Rarity hated the dirty and dark confines of the cult hideout. Her cloak was getting dirty, there were cob webs in her hair, and she gagged on the smell of dust and torch smoke. This place definitely needed a professional decorator, such as herself. Perhaps she would discuss it with Fluttershy when she finally found her.
The assistant led her down one passage after another, and finally took her to a room with a desk and chair. "Wait here," the assistant said. Rarity paced the room and waited.
After a few minutes Fluttershy entered. "Rarity. I'm surprised to see you here."
Rarity's heart leaped at the sight of her new, yet strange, friend. "Fluttershy!" She took a couple of quick steps toward her friend. "What's going on here? Please tell me you aren't responsible for ponynapping that poor filly. Please just tell me that."
Fluttershy looked away, as if in shame. Rarity's eyes filled with tears. "Cult Leader Darkmare says it is necessary."
"Oh, Fluttershy!" Rarity choked up.
Fluttershy looked at her friend. "It wasn't me who took the child. It was Darkmare. I swear I didn't know she was going to do it. I only found out about it this morning when she brought the filly here. I was shocked and scared, but Darkmare said we need a sacrifice for Lord Smooze. I'm so sorry, Rarity! I swear I didn't know." She herself began to cry.
The two ponies stood in semi silence for a few moments, holding back sobs, then Fluttershy composed herself and spoke. "Come, I will take you to the altar room, and you will learn about Smooze first hoof." She took Rarity by the hoof and led her to a much larger room. "Wait here while I talk to Cult Leader Darkmare. She will be pleased to meet you." Rarity waited in silence as her friend left.
As Pones expected, the passage he chose led to a larger meeting area. It was a cavern, about twenty meters across, with torches attached to the walls. There was an altar at the back wall, and cloaked ponies were crouched on the floor, chanting ominously. Lucky for Pones, no pony was looking back toward the hall entrance.
He found another side passage that he hoped lead around to the back. Maybe there was another way into the hall. He produced a small flashlight from his bag and followed the passage. After about a minute of walking, the passage lead to a door.
The door was wooden and cut roughly to fit into the cave as best it could. The hinges were hammered into the rock wall. Pones approached it quietly and put his ear to the door and listened. He heard soft murmuring inside. It sounded like a child. He had found the missing pony!
Pones took out his pistol, turned around, and kicked the door in. He rushed in and saw the small pony on the floor, sobbing. Standing over her was a cult member in a cloak, who was momentarily surprised. Rather than fire a shot and alert guards, Pones did a round house and kicked the cult member with his hind leg. The blow cracked the member's skull and he fell to the floor.
The little pony began to cry out, but Pones quickly put his hoof over her mouth. "Shhh," he said. "I'm here to rescue you. Please be quiet, everything will be alright." He scooped her up and left the room.
He back tracked to where he had left Zecora. He was about to call her name when he heard a voice from behind him.
"Where do you think you are going with the offering?" Pones turned to meet three cult members in cloaks. He was not shocked to see that one of them was Fluttershy, the pony he had suspected of being a member. The one that spoke, however, was an old mare whose cloak had strange symbols sewn into it. "Bring her to me. You cannot stop what has begun." Pones was about to bolt, but two more members entered the tunnel from the direction that would have taken him back out. The cultists were carrying spears. Either the side passages connected up with places deeper in the cave, or the members were waiting in rooms at the ends of those passages.
Pones didn't think he could drop the child and reach for his gun before the cultists ran him through. The one who spoke was Darkmare, though Pones did not know her name nor did he much care. She looked at Fluttershy and the yellow pony walked toward him. She held out her hoofs. Pones looked at her, then at the spears pointed at him. It would do no good to be killed in a valiant attempt at escape. What he needed was a little more time and a better opportunity. Or rather, he needed a miracle. He reluctantly hoofed the child over to Fluttershy. If his eyes could shoot daggers, she would be dead ten times over.
Darkmare smiled. "Very good, Inspector Pones. Yes, I know of your nosing around. I am glad you came. You are about the witness the dawn of a glorious new age. Please, join us." Her tone was pleasant, but the meaning was clear.
In the shock of discovery, Pones had forgotten one thing that just now occurred to him. Where was Zecora? The cult leader did not seem to give any indication that she was aware of the other intruder. Pones said a silent prayer to a god, but it certainly was not to Smooze.
If the cultists had been watching the floor, they would have seen an invisible figure leave hoof prints in the dirt as it hurried off around the corner.
Rarity waited along the side wall of the large room. She watched the hooded cult members murmur their chants. They were facing an altar that had candles on either side of it. The altar was on a raised area. Steps had been carved into the rock so that a pony could get to the altar. Behind the altar there was a large bowl, but she could not see what was in it because the rim was too high.
There was a commotion toward the main entrance to the room. A pony entered, wearing a cloak with symbols on it. Clearly the cult leader, Rarity figured. The leader was carrying a small filly. The missing child! Following her were a group of members, a couple of whom were holding spears and were escorting an uncloaked pony. Rarity gasped in surprise. It was the Inspector that had been snooping around town. He was clearly a prisoner.
Rarity felt sick and dizzy. What had she gotten herself into? Behind the guards came Fluttershy, who made her way toward Rarity. Rarity was about to ask a dozen questions as Fluttershy came near her, but Fluttershy shook her head and spoke. "Please, be quiet. The ceremony is about to begin. All will be revealed to you."
The leader, an old mare, went up the steps to the altar. Fluttershy whispered to Rarity, "Cult Leader Darkmare."
Darkmare faced the crowd and they became silent. "Loyal members, tonight we witness a glorious event. The offering of this filly—"
Rarity almost passed out at that statement. Pones got a surge of adrenaline.
"–will bring about the return of our great Lord Smooze." The audience mumbled their agreement. "But there is more. Oh yes, dear followers, there is more." And she turned to a side entrance to the hall, one near the altar platform. Out walked a figure from the darkest nightmares of every pony: a demon. He walked up to the altar to join Darkmare. "Yes, dear friends. Smooze has commanded us to join forces with the demons, so that together we can crush Equestria forever!"
The cult members took this revelation in stride. However, Rarity wasn't sure she could continue to stand. It was all too much for her.
Inspector Pones was just as shocked, but it galvanized him to action. He had been disarmed by his captors, but he was determined to fight. If it meant he would be killed before he could take two steps, then that would be it. But he could not stand by and do nothing. "You fiend! You soulless wretch!" He tensed his leg muscles to pounce. He saw out of the corner of his eye one of the guards thrust the spear toward his chest. Everything was happening in slow motion. He knew he was about to die and he sent a silent apology to the poor filly who he could not save.
Strangely, he did not feel the cut of the spear. He looked down at his chest to find no wound at all. Confused, he glanced at the guard, who was lying on the floor, immobile. Standing over the guard was the miracle he needed. In a shimmer, Zecora appeared as if out of thin air, as she pulled the hood of her cloak off her head. An invisibility cloak. She held a small pouch in her hand and Pones could see a fine powder settle to the floor. Sleeping dust. Zecora smiled at him, then turned to the other guard.
The sequence of events took about three seconds, though it seemed longer. The other guard was down, thanks to Zecora's magic. Meanwhile, Pones had made it to Darkmare and had snatched the filly from her hooves. He didn't have time to deal with the cult leader. Instead, he needed to take the child back to Ponyville. He jumped off of the raised platform and made his way to the exit.
"Stop him!" cried Darkmare. The cultists made to grab Pones, but he kicked them away. Lucky for him, part of being a Special Inspector meant that he had trained in many martial arts. One member took a hoof to the face, another to the groin. He made it to the main entrance of the hall when a bolt of lightning struck him in the back.
Pones went down screaming. All ponies still standing turned to the source of the bolt. The demon had his hand outstretched. Darkmare was smiling at him.
Meanwhile, Zecora had retrieved another item from her pouch. The demon only had enough time to choose one target. Since he chose to strike Pones, she had time to get the Colt 45 that Pones had given her. Normally she would have preferred magic over brute force. But she did not have time to work any magic that would be strong enough to face a demon. She took aim at the demon and unloaded all seven rounds into him. The demon went down. Whether he was dead or just wounded, she could not tell.
At that point Darkmare recovered and used some magic of her own. One didn't reach the rank of Cult Leader without knowing the forces of dark magic. A couple of words and Zecora was paralyzed. Darkmare looked around the room and assessed the situation.
Pones was down. A couple of cult members were bringing the child, who had fainted by this point, back to the altar. Zecora was paralyzed and out of the game for a while. The demon was down and bleeding. She suspected he would survive if she were able to use curing magic on him. To the members who brought the filly she said, "Bring some healing medicines for him. I must complete the ceremony." The members scurried away.
All the while Rarity had gone into a paralysis of her own, but it was due to shock, not magic. She could not believe what she had witnessed. Fluttershy put her hoof on Rarity's shoulder, then went to the altar herself.
"Ah, Acolyte Fluttershy," said Darkmare as the younger pony approached. "I need your help to complete the ritual. Would you do the honors?" Darkmare placed the filly onto the altar and stepped back. Fluttershy took her place at the altar.
The cultists were recovering. Sherclop Pones had survived the demons attack, and some of the members were holding him up so he could witness the ritual. He was in no condition to even muster a protest, much less a counter attack. Zecora, though frozen, could still see and hear. Her analysis was that they were all doomed.
Fluttershy looked around the room, looked at Pones, Zecora, then Rarity. Then she looked at the filly on the altar. She took a deep breath and began the chant. Much of the magic had already been performed on the days leading up to the final ritual. All that was needed was the final offering to Smooze. As she recited the words, she could feel the magic energy begin to flow through her body.
The goo in the bowl behind her began to bubble and ripple. Once the words were spoken, the offering would be tossed into the bowl. That done, Smooze would emerge. Fluttershy had rehearsed the chant, but she was not aware that an offering would be part of the ritual. She finished her chant and looked at Darkmare.
"Now, my child, offer the child to Smooze," Darkmare pointed to the bowl.
Fluttershy, her expression blank and calm, looked at her adopted mother and then down at the filly before her. She ran her hoof through the mane of the child. She was reminded of her own childhood. The only family she knew, besides her horrible dragon father, was the cult. Darkmare had been her mother, but not like any real mother. Fluttershy hadn't realized that all these years. She didn't know what to compare it to. But living in Ponyville and seeing the normal families there had opened her eyes.
What was this filly's name? What were her dreams? Did she play in the fields and chase butterflies? Fluttershy had never taken a pony's life before. True, she had done animal sacrifices, but killing an animal was not even comparable to killing a fellow pony.
The ground beneath her began to rumble. The bowl of goo behind her gurgled. Something in her broke. She looked at her dear friend Rarity and made a decision.
"Quickly, child," urged Darkmare. "You must present the offering or the spell will be broken. Do it. Throw the child, now!"
Fluttershy looked at her leader and screamed, "NO!" She rushed Darkmare and grabbed her. "No no no no no no no!" She shook the cult leader back and forth. Darkmare was so surprised that she didn't know what to do.
Neither did Fluttershy. She was acting on rage at this point. Her anger told her to shake the life out of the pony she had called mother. They struggled. Fluttershy had the strength of youth and a righteous fury. But Darkmare had magic.
The leader was able to get a few magic components from her pockets. She worked whatever spell she could think of. Anything to get her crazed adopted daughter off of her. She could not see what components she had, so she just mixed them together, said a magic word, and threw them at Fluttershy. There was a flash of light and a puff of smoke. Fluttershy staggered back, rubbing at her eyes. Incidentally, the uncontrolled magic broke the paralysis spell on Zecora.
Freed, the zebra made a rush at Darkmare and knocked her to the ground. The room began to shake more violently. Bits of rock and dust were falling from the ceiling. Some of the cult members ran away in fear. Others came to the aid of their leader.
Zecora was prepared for them. She had a few concussion potions that she tossed at the oncoming cult members. The ceramic vials broke and exploded on the floor, stunning them. This left Pones unguarded, and barely able to stand on his own.
Both Darkmare and Fluttershy recovered and went to each others throats. Fluttershy, again having superior strength, was able to force Darkmare back up against the edge of the giant bowl. As if hungry for a sacrifice, the goo in the bowl almost reached out for Darkmare.
"Dear child," Darkmare said between gritted teeth, "you have betrayed the cult. You have betrayed Smooze."
"No, mother," responded Fluttershy, "it is you who has betrayed me, all my life. You told me that Smooze was about love and knowledge. You never said it was about killing innocent Ponies. If Smooze needs an offering, then he can have it." With a final push, Fluttershy lifted Darkmare into the bowl.
Darkmare screamed for about two seconds before she sank into the goo. The room shook with a violent jerk. Maybe Smooze was pleased with the offering, or maybe he was angry. Either way, Fluttershy knew that she had to escape before the room collapsed. But she could not leave without rescuing her friend Rarity. She turned to Zecora, "The child!" she yelled, and pointed at the erstwhile offering. Zecora nodded. Satisfied that the filly was taken care of, Fluttershy went to retrieve her friend.
Zecora had watched Fluttershy dispatch the cult leader. As fascinating as they were, the magical processes that were taking place, she had no time to admire them. She grabbed the child on the altar and ran towards the exit. Before leaving, however, she checked on Pones. He could barely stand, much less run. "Get on my back," she told him. She helped him onto her back, clutched the child with one hoof, and made as fast as she could for the exit.
Fluttershy ran to Rarity, who was in a catatonic state the entire time. "Rarity! Rarity, you must flee. Come with me." She grabbed her friend and led her out one of the exits.
Nobody saw the blob of goo crawl out of the bowl and roll away.