She missed.
It was bad luck, really. Night Glider was poised for success, on her way to deliver a mighty blow to the face of the strawberry monstrosity with her trusty plank. Sadly, a vicious pebble on the road put an end to her heroic ambitions. She crashed head first into the ground.
Now sitting on her bottom and nursing her sore muzzle as well as her bruised ego, Night Glider could only watch in horror as the strawberry abomination loomed over her with a menacing scowl.
Night Glider closed her eyes and put her hooves up in a semblance of protection, waiting for her imminent demise. When nothing happened, she tentatively glanced at the creature in-between her hooves, only to find it staring back at her. As if it were studying her with curiosity.
She didn’t have much time to ponder as A.K. Yearling came out of nowhere, and, like a wrestler throwing themself into the ring, she RKOed the strawberry with a well-delivered hoof to the stomach.
She turned to Night Glider, running a hoof through her mane. “That was brave of you, but you should leave the fighting to the professionals. Wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
Despite feeling thankful towards her savior, Night Glider frowned at her date. She knew Yearling was right; she had messed up and almost got killed. However, she couldn't shake off the sting from the pointed remark.
Still, when Yearling offered a helping hoof, she took it, allowing the other mare to pull her to her hooves.
“Quite a first date, huh?”
Night Glider chuckled. “Yeah, you could say that.”
A bit farther off, Trixie was still struggling against her own adversary, until finally Twilight, who had recovered from the wall collapsing on her, came to her rescue. She unleashed a magic beam at the strawberry, missing Trixie's face by a mere inch, allowing the unicorn to drop safely to the ground as the mutant fruit fled in terror.
“Took you long enough! And you almost hit Trixie in the face!” she shouted in frustration.
“Sorry, my vision’s kinda blurry,” Twilight said, sheepish.
Rarity rolled her eyes at Trixie’s ungratefulness. “Are you okay, honey?” she asked Twilight. “It looks like you received quite a nasty bump to the head.” Gently, she ran a hoof through her marefriend's mane, parting the strands to reveal a small, bleeding wound. “Perhaps you should rest for a moment before we resume our search for those creatures. It looks like you might have a concussion,” she suggested, concern evident in her voice.
“No!” She shook her head, a wince of pain following the brisk movement. “We have to find them quickly before they do more damage.”
“What’s the point of finding them if you’re not in good shape to confront them. Just listen to your marefriend, Princess,” Yearling agreed. “The rest of us can take care of those things.”
“No, this is my mess, and I will fix it!” Twilight asserted firmly.
“Say, guys,” Night Glider interrupted. “Something weird just happened with the strawberry. It had a chance to attack me back then, but it didn’t. It just stared at me.”
“So?” Trixie questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, I was thinking. How do we know they’re evil? Maybe they’re just confused… like newborns waking up in a strange, unfamiliar world.”
A.K. Yearling raised an eyebrow at her. “What are you suggesting, then? We invite them around a campfire, crack jokes and sing songs to teach them the value of friendship?”
“Those ruffians destroyed my boutique. They have to be evil.”
“What I’m saying is maybe they just didn’t know what they were doing. It’s just a boutique—”
Rarity just stared coldly at Night Glider with death in her eyes.
“Um, I, huh, I mean, never mind. Forget I said anything.”
Twilight appeared lost in contemplation at Night Glider's theory. She scratched her cheek absentmindedly, murmuring words under her breath that the others couldn't quite discern, catching only snippets. “No... impossible... couldn't... theoretically…”
“What is it, Princess?” A.K. Yearling inquired.
“I mean, what if Night Glider is right about this?” She rubbed her head, still feeling dizzy from the pain. “What if those things are sentient? That would mean… that I’ve inadvertently brought life into this world! From a failed time spell? With my own horn. I created life? How is that possible?”
Despite her fresh injury, Twilight sprang to her hooves, a look of intense focus on her face. “This is truly baffling! This power…” She looked at her hooves as if in awe.
She looked up at the rest of the group, her eyes intense and piercing. “That would make me a god.”
There followed a brief moment where no one said anything. Night Glider coughed, as if to fill the awkward silence. Then Rarity spoke up, her voice laced with concern, “I believe my dear Twilight hit her head even harder than I thought. Come here, love.” With gentle insistence, she led Twilight to a nearby bench with a strange commemorative plaque in memory of a deceased boy, where the poor princess kept on rambling with a vacant expression on her face.
“Is she… going to be okay?” Night Glider wondered aloud.
“Meh, Trixie supposes she'll be fine,” she remarked nonchalantly. “Especially considering how many times that mare has been hit in the head over the years. Trixie even contributed to some of those hits,” she declared with misplaced pride.
“Well, what do we do now? Without the Princess, who else can break the spell? Everyone else is frozen,” Night Glider despaired. “How long will we need to wait for the Princess to get better? Hours? Days? Weeks?!”
“Hold on, hold on. We have two unicorns here. Can’t either of you do something about this?” Yearling asked.
“Although Trixie is very powerful indeed, I don’t think I can undo an alicorn’s spell.”
“What about you, Rarity?” Yearling turned to her
She shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”
Twilight broke through, her voice still unsteady from the daze she was in. “We should go to the library… The answer lies in books… Always… The locus… The spell… Someone did something to it…”
She passed out.
“Twilight! Wake up, darling!” Rarity shook her gently.
Twilight stirred, squinting as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. “Why is it so bright?” she mumbled weakly.
Rarity shook her harder. “Don't go towards the light, dear! Come back!” she cried out.
Twilight groaned, attempting to stop the shaking. “No, I mean there's literally a big bright shining light over there in the distance.”
“Oh my Celestia, she’s going delirious!”
“No wait, guys, she’s right.” Night Glider pointed behind them.
Rarity and the others turned to see a distant, bright, radiant orb in the sky. It could have been mistaken for the sun if not for its low altitude and the peculiar sensation that it seemed almost... alive.
“That must be... the locus. We need to find the counter-spell and use it on that orb,” Twilight declared, attempting to stand but stumbling back into Rarity's embrace.
“Oh no, you’re not!” Rarity protested. “You’re staying here to rest.”
“But we need her for the counter-spell,” Yearling pointed out.
“Then I’ll carry her,” Rarity resolved.
“Don’t be stupid. There must be a chariot somewhere we can use to transport the Princess,” Yearling suggested.
Rarity hesitated but ultimately nodded. They exchanged determined looks, except for Twilight, who stared blankly with half-closed eyes at the ground.
“Twilight mentioned the library. So let’s go there first! Follow me,” Yearling commanded, taking the lead.
And so they embarked on their quest, unaware of a shadow lurking behind them, watching them carefully from the dark alleys...