MLP: Seeds of the Past
Chapter 6 - Stranger Things, Part 4
Author's Note: "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" belongs to DHX Media and Hasbro, while "Stardust" belongs to the Warrior of Twilight.
"Well, I'm glad to know everything is doing fine over there… just keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
Then, after writing out that last word, Twilight closed up the book, and let out a sigh.
"I don't understand why all of this happening," wondered the young alicorn, speaking to herself.
Maybe it's all an unfortunate coincidence that-
However, her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Spike, who burst through the library doors, and before she could say anything, a familiar pony ran inside, as well.
"Twilight… cloaked pony, weird dart, Rarity, help!"
"Okay, Sweetie Belle, just take it easy there," replied Twilight, trying to comfort the young pony. "Now, what happened to Rarity?"
After taking a few deep breaths, Sweetie Belle explained to her about the events that had taken place last night, and after handing over the dart that had been fired at her flank, she said, "So, when I woke up this morning, my sister was gone!"
Looking at the small object that was now in her hoof, Twilight thought about what Sweetie Belle had just told her, and then, she found herself having a flashback.
############
Twilight!" Rarity yelled, but then, the cloaked pony aimed his staff at her.
Wham! Boom!
"No! Rarity!" Twilight watched as her friend transformed into a statue, just like everypony else.
She looked at the hooded figure, and yelled, "Who are you?"
The sinister pony walked over to the princess, and said, "I'm someone that you should have never messed with."
############
"Twilight? You okay?" asked Spike.
A frown appeared on the young alicorn's face, and she replied, "Just fine… but I think we should definitely head out to Canterlot now."
Looking at Sweetie Belle, Twilight added, "Don't you worry, I'll get to the bottom of this… in the meantime, go look for Scootaloo, and help her try to find Rainbow Dash."
Giving the princess of friendship a salute, Sweetie Belle hurried out of the castle while Spike looked up at Twilight.
"You don't think it's him again, do you?"
Twilight shook her head, and replied, "I don't see how, considering the place that Pinkie had sent him to.. but we need to put a stop to this before anypony else gets involved."
Sweet Apple Acres
"How come you look so suspicious, Applejack?"
Looking down at her younger sister, and not wanting to worry her, the farm pony replied, "It's cause of what's been happenin' apparantly to certain ponies here in Ponyville and Canterlot… just keep an eye out for anythin' suspicious, okay, sugarcube?"
"Sure thing, sis," said Applebloom, nodding her head, and the little pony hurried over to finish up her daily chores while Applejack walked over to the barn.
Upon her arrival at the barn, she was very hesitant because, for all she knew, it could be occupied by an unknown pony wanting to ponynap her.
Especially considerin' that seems to be the new trend nowadays, thought Applejack, and the orang earth pony cautiously creaked open the barn door, preparing for what she might find on the other side.
"Hello? Anypony here?" Applejack asked as she made her way into the structure.
Turning her head from side to side, the pony who represented the Element of Honesy let out a sigh of relief. Well, looks like I was just-
WHOOSH!
Then, all of a sudden, she felt a prick in her flank.
"Yep. That... figures," Applejack deadpanned as she fell into the hay that made up the barn floor, quickly becomimg unconscious, and a moment later, the cloaked pony leapt down from his perch above the barn door, softly singing a little tune.
"Another one bites the dust. And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust."
The cloaked pony continued the song mentally as he hauled the burlap sack containing the unconscious Applejack back to his lair, and he paused to say, "You have no idea how long I was waiting inside of that pla-"
"Hey!"
Suddenly, the cloaked pony stopped in his tracks, and muttered, "Dang it… so close."
He turned around to find none other than Big Mac and Apple Bloom, with the pair of them giving him what could be only described as a death glare.
"You ain't takin' my sister no where!" Apple Bloom vowed.
"Yeeup," Big Mac agreed.
Oh, wow, my hooves are shaking, thought Beck, who rolled his eyes, and safely dropped the burlap sack.
"Cute," he remarked before charging at the eldest and youngest Apple siblings, an action the latter two reciprocated.
However, instead of outright attacking, the cloaked pony leapt over the two, blowing two darts into their flanks as he flew over.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Once the cloaked pony landed back on solid ground, and blew the smoke coming out of his weapon, it only took a second before Apple Bloom and Big Mac fell.
"Such a shame," the cloaked pony remarked, before making his way towards the unconscious form of Big Mac, whom he laid back against a tree in a somewhat comfortable position.
After that was taken care of, the cloaked pony scooped up a knocked-out Apple Bloom and just like what he'd done to Sweetie Belle, he took her back to her room, removing the dart from her flank as he placed her back in bed.
Then, he brushed his hoof through her red mane, a small smile gracing his face.
Once he did this, he returned outside to pick up the burlap sack, and while humming the tune that he'd been singing earlier, the cloaked pony started to head back to his secret lair.
[Stardust's World]
After re-reading what her counterpart had told her about the things happening in her world, Twilight looked at the nearby Crystal Mirror, and let out a sigh.
If only I could just go there to help out, but the other me said that hers was malfunctioning, and if she or Casey aren't able to-
"... you okay, Twilight?"
The young alicorn turned around to find herself looking at Rainbow Dash, and she nodded her head. "Yeah, everything is fine, Rainbow…"
Rainbow chuckled, and she replied, "Well, good… now, hold off on the reading for a moment, and help us continue preparing for the Friendship Festival."
As Twilight followed the pegasus out of the library, hoping that her other friends would be okay, Rainbow asked, "So, you have no idea why Stardust hasn't told you or any of us about what'll happen on the day of-"
"No, I'm sorry, Rainbow," replied Twilight, with a hint of annoyance and frustration. "But I'm positive it can't be that bad… or else he would have told us about it already."
After having enough kite-flying fun with Starlight, Casey decided to take a quick visit over to his old house.
On the way there, the light-orange earth pony was wondering more about what Twilight and the others would give him as birthday gifts, but his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Well, isn't this a surprise? I thought you'd be with Golden Ponyboy or whatever his name is."
Rolling his eyes, Casey looked up at the floating draconequs, and said, "Hey, Discord… shouldn't you and Fluttershy be having a tea party, or something?"
"As a matter of fact, we were supposed to," replied Discord. "But she never answered the door… and I find that strange since she usually never not open the door when I arrive."
"Well, why not just 'poof' your way in?" suggested Casey. "You do that to go inside Twilight's castle, and pretty much everywhere else."
The draconequs let out a chuckle, and said, "In those cases, my friend, it's fun, but with Fluttershy, it wouldn't be the right thing to do, especially since she's my B.P.F.F.E.T.T, or in simpler terms, my 'Best Friend For Eternity Times Two' - oh, my, that is really not a pretty sight."
"What are you - aaagghh!" Casey cried, seeing what the now-gone Discord had been talking about.
All of the flowers that he'd left in respect for his parents were now grey and shrivled up, and his old house now looked even more worse than before.
Who would do something like this?
With her mentor and her assistant in Canterlot, and Casey busy with his own personal stuff, Starlight Glimmer was left with the responsibility of holding down the fort in Ponyville… or, for right now, having the peaceful-sounding castle all to herself.
I can't even remember the last time it was ever this quiet, thought the reformed - and comfortable - unicorn, who was reading an adventure book in the castle's library, a hobby she'd taken up from Twilight.
Unfortunately, she was so engrossed in her book, Starlight didn't hear the sound of the library nor did she notice a sinister figure slowly creep up behind her.
What she did notice was the pain in her exposed flank, which was due to the design of the chair she was sitting in.
"Yeeouch!" she said before turning around to see what hit her.
If that's one of the CMC's again, Celestia forbid…
However, it wasn't any of the three little ponies, though she would soon end up hoping it was
Instead, she came face to face with none other than a cloaked pony that she first thought seemed familiar.
No, that… it can't be… impossible!
Starlight tried to say something, but the darkness permeating her vision and exhaustion flowing through her body had other plans.
As she went limp in her chair, the cloaked pony made a "tsk tsk tsk," sound, and shook his head.
"Seriously, why isn't there more security in this place? Especially now of all times," he muttered to himself as he took out his burlap sack.
'Oh well, it just makes things all the more easier for me,' the cloaked pony thought as he placed the unconscious Starlight into it.
Now, then, if I remember correctly, the only ones missing from the Mane 6… aside from the princess…
Then, the cloaked pony sighed in exasperation, for next on his hit list would be none other than Pinkie Pie.
I might actually have trouble with that non-questionable pony.