//------------------------------// // Monster Dance, Part III // Story: Equestrylvania // by Brony_Fife //------------------------------// Monster Dance, Part III The fires eating away at the Library are ghostlike, yellows and reds and blues joining together in crackling song and destructive dance. The smoke rising from the Library joins all the smoke that has already polluted the sky. All around them, the walking dead, the wild animals, all have fallen silent and still. They look to Dirt Nap with fear and admiration as the debris from the explosion finally begin to flutter down like snowflakes. "Give me the rib," he repeats. His voice echoes into the night, empty and angry. Twilight looks at the bone in their possession. Applejack puts herself between her friends and this new enemy. "No way," she replies. "Who knows what'cher new friends're gonna do with it! So help us, you take one more step, Dirt Nap, an' we will END you!" At Applejack's threats, Dirt Nap throws back his head and laughs. The wild animals and zombies join him, their unholy cackling filling the air. Sweetie Belle and Spike hold onto their sister and mother figure, eyes darting around at the sound. The fiery monster attached to Dirt Nap lifts its arms and howls. In an instant, all the nearby houses are set aflame with the sound of a roaring lion proclaiming its victory. "Look at all this power!" Dirt Nap declares as the neighborhood erupts. "I’m like a god! You honestly think you could 'end' me? You have no chance!" Twilight steps forward. The look on her face is a mixture of puzzlement and horror. She had seen this grave digger a few times before, always hobbling off and away from others. The looks they gave him. The disdain. She always felt he was merely misunderstood. But now... "Why?" she asks. Dirt Nap is given pause. The fiery demon above him looks at his host, as if genuinely interested in his reply. "Isn't that the eternal question?" Dirt Nap says, his voice suddenly solemn. "Why? Why does anything happen, really? Why am I doing all this, you ask? Well, why did ponies always treat me like a monster?" Another house bursts into flame. "Why did ponies mistreat me?" A tree burns to ash in an instant. "Why was I given..." He glanced to his cutie mark, that emblem of embalming. That warning sign of what he is. "... Why was I given this?!" A nearby bush rockets upwards as fire destroys it. "All because I have a talent nopony else has the stomach for, I am treated differently. I am treated as less. Tell me, Celestia's prized student, why your precious friendship was never mine to have!" Twilight swallows and looks downward. Applejack and Rarity dread having to hear Twilight say exactly what Dirt Nap wants to hear. But to everypony's surprise, Twilight says exactly what needs to be said. "Because you were never a good pony." Dirt Nap blinked. "What?!" "You never stopped to say hello, you never went out of your way to help anypony. You never acted friendly towards anypony. You did your job, but you never helped yourself, and you never helped anypony else in any way." Twilight stands up straight, looking at Dirt Nap right in the eye. "That's why you don't have friends, Dirt Nap." A pause. Then a snort. Then a laugh. Everypony looks up to see the fiery demon throwing his head back and laughing, laughing at Dirt Nap's self-inflicted misery. Dirt Nap looks up at the demon in anger. "Shut up," he demands. "Shut up and do as I say!" Dirt Nap waves a hoof, and the ground beneath Twilight's hooves suddenly becomes unbearably hot. Before the ground beneath her erupts, Applejack jumps for her and both fall away to safety as a geyser of fire shoots into the sky with a scream. Rarity decides to take Spike and Sweetie Belle someplace safe, and with the two on her back, she runs. Dirt Nap laughs at her as she goes. "A wise decision." He turns his attention back to Twilight, the demon of flames looming over him, locking eyes with her. "Enough of this garbage!" he barks. "Last warning. Gimme the rib or I reduce the both of you to ashes." Twilight looks at the rib. Then to Dirt Nap. She closes her eyes. "It's yours." Applejack's eyes widen as she sees the rib float towards Dirt Nap's eager hooves. Before she can protest, however, and before Dirt Nap can grab the rib, it vanishes with a clap in a flash of magenta magic. Dirt Nap's eyes widen, as does his demon's. "If you can find it," Twilight says, a catlike grin spreading over her face. A second of stunned silence hangs in the air, then falls with a loud crash as Dirt Nap throws a wave of fire at the two mares. Twilight jumps to Applejack and teleports the both of them to a safer position. Dirt Nap lets out a throaty howl as he runs at them, anger flashing in his eyes, fire whipping and whirling around him. "WHERE IS IT?!?!" he bellows. He crashes face-first into a forcefield, knocking him onto his hunched back. "I was taught by the Princess herself, Dirt Nap. And under her mentorship, she taught me a spell that can send objects into a place nopony but a choice few unicorns can find: the End Zone." Twilight developed a mischievous look on her face. "I put it where you and your cohorts can never find it!" Dirt Nap glares at Twilight. He has promised his white rose and her master that he would retrieve this rib, no matter the cost. He has bound himself to this demon of fire, Aguni, in order to accomplish his mission. And this idiot witch has gotten in his way, making his job harder. That's all his life has been: everypony else making it harder for him! Dirt Nap will have no more. With a shriek, Dirt Nap shoots up and brings down all the fires of hell Aguni can produce, crashing and exploding upon the ground as Twilight and Applejack escape his wrath. Rarity's hooves have never hit the ground with as much force as she is putting forth now, speeding along, the nightmare around them a blur of fire and death. Sweetie Belle holds onto Spike, and he feels her shivering rhythmically. He comes to the conclusion that she is sobbing, and confirms his guess by the dampness forming on his pillow-armor. "Don't be scared, Sweetie Belle," says Spike comfortingly. "We're gonna make it." Rarity's focus is on running as far away from Dirt Nap as possible, but she hears Spike murmuring. Suddenly, she hears her baby sister sob. No, Rarity, focus! You can wait to comfort your baby sister AFTER you've found refuge! All around them, monsters are staggering, crawling, hopping about as if the town is theirs now. It might very well be, tonight. A disturbing, fleeting thought runs through Rarity's mind, its icy fingers teasing her soul as it passes by, gleeful at its own mischief. They have lost Ponyville. They have lost it to these demons. She shakes the thought from her mind, the same way one swats a noisy mosquito. She looks up and around, not exactly sure where to go next. Suddenly, her heart elates at a welcome sight. The Ponyville General Hospital. She remembers a town hall meeting, years ago, announcing that in case of emergencies, the villagers should seek refuge at the hospital. It has a protective forcefield that prevents it from wild monster attacks—necessary when one decides to build a township near a place as dangerous as the Everfree Forest. Even now, the hospital stands completely unmolested. Her target set, Rarity speeds off to safety, Spike still whispering words of comfort to Sweetie Belle. The shuffling hooves of a small crowd of undead make their way by Scootaloo's hiding place. She peeks out from underneath her cardboard box, hoping they can't smell her the same way she can smell them. (Of course, she likes to think her own scent wouldn't make anypony gag.) They pass by. For now, Scootaloo is safe. She can't find her mother, but hopes she is all right. Tonight was an awful time to go try to call an emergency Cutie Mark Crusader meeting with her friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Being caught right in the middle of a warzone was not her idea of spending the night. The only good thing so far is that the fires haven't spread to this area of town yet. Emerging from her hiding place, Scootaloo looks about cautiously. No more monsters in sight. She'd seen ponies try to fight these things--fight and win, fight and lose--and knew for certain she'd never be a match for any of them. She blinks, and for an instant, she sees the results of a pony losing a battle against these beasts. She shudders. Scootaloo doesn't notice she is walking a little bit backwards until she bumps into something. She yelps as she hears a squeal behind her. Out of reflex, Scootaloo turns around and expects to see a monster—some rabid animal or fish-ape creature. But it is neither. The first thing Scootaloo sees is a golden cross being held out to her. "G-Go away!" shouts Fluttershy, her face turned away in abject fear of the filly she'd bumped into. "Fluttershy, it's me," Scootaloo replies. "And boy, am I glad to see you!" Fluttershy opens an eye to make sure it's really Scootaloo. She slowly lowers her cross. Angel jumps down from Fluttershy's back and sniffs Scootaloo as they hug. "Scootaloo, what's happened?" asks Fluttershy. "Where is everypony? Are they safe?" Scootaloo answers to the best of her ability, but unfortunately it isn’t much. Just that the fires started a little bit after the zombies and wild animals started attacking the town. At the mention of her animals, Fluttershy's face wavers, not that Scootaloo notices. "And I saw that creepy graveyard guy wandering around with this great, big, scary fire guy. Laughing the whole time. I think he might be behind all this or something." Scootaloo looks up to see Fluttershy looking about, sadly. "Fluttershy, what's wrong?" "The animals... they've..." Fluttershy almost cannot bring herself to finish the sentence. All the animals she'd raised, all the animals she cared for, are running around mauling ponies. It's as if they are... possessed. She'd already exposed them to this cross she wears multiple times now, and as Angel had told her, they’re afraid of it. They run from it. From her. She feels safe, but at the same time betrayed and hurt that her animals are no longer hers. She begins to cry. Angel sadly lifts a paw and pets Fluttershy affectionately on her foreleg. In the middle of all this madness, tears find their way to Fluttershy's eyes and leave, falling down to the ground. "They're... evil..." Fluttershy wraps her forelegs around Scootaloo and presses her face down on Scootaloo's head. "They're evil now, and I don't know why." Scootaloo, child that she is, doesn’t fully understand why Fluttershy has decided to break down just now. She understands how all this must make Fluttershy feel, but really, Fluttershy is the adult here. She needs to be in control. "Get ahold of yourself, Fluttershy!" Scootaloo says, shaking some sense into her. "I know this is all horrible, but you gotta pull yourself together! I'm scared too, you know." Fluttershy looks at Scootaloo, embarrassed. Here they are, in the middle of ground zero, and here she is losing her cool when she should be acting the part of an adult. She has to be assertive and strong. She takes a deep breath. Remember your training Fluttershy. Remember everything Iron Will has taught you. Remember everything your friends have taught you. "All right," says Fluttershy. "I'm taking you to the hospital. Stay close." They begin to walk these nighttime streets, wary of every sound. Scootaloo blinks again, and wishes she hadn't. She catches a glimpse of something glittering in the dark next to her, along with the heavy sound of clinking. It's the cross Fluttershy wears around her neck. "Hey, what IS that thing anyway?" asks Scootaloo. Fluttershy looks down to the cross. She and Angel share a smile and a wink. "It's a gift." All is dark. Dark and distorted sound. Suddenly, Roseluck feels something. It's physical, so she's sure she isn't dead. She has not begun her journey to the Great Beyond, not yet. She feels something, physical—she feels like she is being lifted, pulled out from between something heavy and something heavier. The heavier something is being pulled away. "Careful," she hears a voice. Scratchy. Feminine but raspy. Somepony she knows? "Keep that thing lifted." "I know, I know," comes a second voice. Pinkie Pie. A grunt. "Why does this thing have to be so heavy?!" "You're an earth pony, Pinkie! You're built for this kinda thing! Suck it up and quit complaining!" Roseluck feels like she is almost free of this weight on top of her. She winces and gasps at an intense pain searing up and down her right hind leg. Her sight is coming back, slowly, in the sense that she now sees cloudy darkness and vague shapes around her. "Hey, I think she's coming to!" Roseluck's mind sees the shapeless, formless thing again. The Castle. That creature of chaos. Shapeless, formless. It is laughing, in her mind, it is laughing at her, at Ponyville, at the misfortune falling on all of Ponyville right this moment. It is laughing at Pinkie Pie pulling the heavy something and complaining about its weight. It is laughing at how it easily stole away the Princesses, leaving all of Equestria helpless. Tears of terror form in Roseluck's eyes as she whispers to the Castle, telling it it can go to Tartarus. "Pfft, hey, we're only trying to save you, lady!" came the raspy, feminine voice again. Roseluck's eyes snap back open and are met by a pair of magentas. They seem upset. She realizes she had just said that out loud. She apologizes, then coughs. She’s shocked at the sound of her voice. She sounds like a mare about to die. The heavy something is dropped behind her, and something pink bounces into view. "Rosie, can you walk?" "...can... barely move..." She feels herself being lifted again. Being set on something. Roseluck closes her eyes and there's that damned Castle again, laughing. But there's something different this time. There's a purple unicorn there now. Underneath the Castle. Dominated. This purple unicorn, she has this look of abject terror on her face, and she is dominated by this creature of chaos. The purple unicorn looks familiar. Like a strike of thunder, there is a loud noise. Roseluck can barely keep her eyes open, but she hears it. Like a roar. Something huge getting up. The magentas' raspy feminine voice muttering a curse. "What's it take to keep this guy DOWN?!" She feels being lifted onto something—then somepony joining her—then flight. Roseluck feels like she is flying. She is flying, as the Castle watches, and laughs, and dominates the purple unicorn. The Castle dominates her as a white pony runs by, laughing like a maniac. After that, Roseluck falls once more into unconsciousness. It almost feels as if there is no more moisture in the air. Fire whipping all around them, lashing at the forcefield with blows more befitting a giant. Dirt Nap growling like the animal he has become, demanding that Twilight bring back the rib and hoof it over. Twilight wishes she had her brother's stamina. It’s true that she is a talented sorceress, knowledgeable of any and every kind of magic, but because she never bothered to specialize in any individual area, she has little endurance, especially in the realm of forcefield magic. The crashing waves of fire are causing her to lose her ground. Her sight is growing hazy and her mind is becoming disjointed. "Applejack," she mutters. The hoarse sound of her voice alarms her. "Yes, Twi?" "When I tell you to run, I want you to run as fast as you can." Applejack looks to her friend in horror. "You let this forcefield down an' yer cooked, sugarcube! Ah cain't juss abandon you!" The air around them is dead and dry, the heat greedily devouring and digesting any and all moisture in the air. Twilight's voice is becoming hoarser and hoarser the more she talks. "No, listen—listen to me, AJ. You have to do this. You have to run. You have to escape. Run to the Hospital. Just do as I tell you. I'll be fine." Applejack finds herself in a desperate bind. She does not want to leave Twilight to this monster. But she seems serious... "Twilight, Ah—" "Remember when we went after Nightmare Moon?" interrupts Twilight. "And I was about to fall off a cliff to what I thought would be my death? And you looked me in the eye, and told me to let go? I trusted you, and I was safe." Twilight looks Applejack right in the eyes as Aguni begins to scratch and pound on the shield like an angry tiger. "Do you trust me, Applejack?" Applejack feels tears forming in her eyes. Her throat clenches as fire climbs all around the forcefield. "Do you trust me?" Applejack nods as a tear rolls down her cheek. "Yes," she mumbles. "Yes, Twi, A-Ah trust you." Twilight smiles reassuringly. "Then please do as I ask. I'll be fine." Applejack hugs Twilight as Dirt Nap begins to laugh at them. "You better be, sugarcube." Twilight looks to Dirt Nap, still laughing as he burns and burns and burns. She closes her eyes and focuses. Focuses on her magic. Her horn begins to glow. As it becomes brighter, the forcefield begins to expand. The fire is pushed back, more and more. Dirt Nap is pushed away, his eyes wide in surprise. "The heck?!" he yelps. Suddenly, Twilight throws the forcefield forward before popping it like a bubble, knocking Dirt Nap into the air and into a tree. "Now, Applejack!" she yells. "Run!!!" Twilight dashes forth, towards Dirt Nap, letting loose a warrior's scream, ready to fight and more than ready to die for her friends. Meanwhile, Applejack bolts as commanded. She is unsure where to run, having forgotten the general direction of the Hospital. She merely dashes by the walking dead and the monsters and the rabid animals, not certain where she is or where she is headed. Everything is a blur of red and yellow and moans and scrapes and shrieks. After a few minutes of running, Applejack finds her hoof caught by a tree root, and her face meets the ground. Her hat falls off. "Tarnation," she mumbles. As she reaches for her hat, Applejack sees something inside it that, after a surprised pause, makes her smile. "Clever girl," she giggles, finally understanding Twilight's whole agenda, and kicking herself mentally for not figuring it out sooner. "Twilight, you wicked little imp!" They are almost there, the Hospital is just down this streetway. If Rarity can hold on just a bit longer— No, scratch that. A burning tree has just landed on the path. Rarity looks to her right, where the tree had fallen down, and sees monsters crawling over themselves, escaping a nearby burning building. Their eyes bulge like blisters ready to burst, their mouths hang open, crowned by purple lips; their teeth jagged as sharpened rocks at the bottom of a cliff. The moment she looks at them, they see her and grin. She turns and tries to run, but more creatures have blocked her path. Zombies. Ponies long dead, now with horrible sharp fangs in their mouths, teeth that are red and dripping with fresh blood. They suck in air as if desperate and suffocating, making awful gasping sounds as they stumble forth on rotted legs. Rarity smells them, a smell dank and foul, invading her nose and overloading her stomach. There's nowhere to run. Rarity is tired from this whole adventure, no strength left in her muscles, all of it spent running and avoiding danger. Suddenly, Spike drops from her back. "Don't worry, Rarity," he says. "I'll buy you some time. Take Sweetie Belle to the Hospital." If this were any other situation, Rarity would have followed his orders, touched by his courage, maybe even reward him with a peck to his cheek. But these aren't Diamond Dogs. They are not Changelings. They are not anything anypony has ever faced before. They have no moral compunctions about harming children, no mind, no self-control. Spike would get torn to shreds before he had time to act. "Spike, darling, I can't let you do that!" Spike waved a claw. "You have to, Rarity! I'm not about to let you or Sweetie Belle get hurt!" "I'm NOT GOING TO," Rarity shouts at a louder volume than she intends, "because I don't want to see you get hurt!" Her muscles ache, zombies have surrounded them, and a young boy she knows loves her is willing to sacrifice himself. Too much is happening at once, and her patience is beginning to strain. Behind her, she hears Sweetie Belle begin to whimper. The monsters around them are closing in. "Rarity," Spike says quietly. "I'm sorry, but... I need to do this. You and Sweetie Belle have to survive." He closes his eyes, as if concentrating. "I'm always just the assistant. So I assist in whatever way I can." He opens his eyes and steps forth, challenging the zombies. "And if protecting you from these things will help you, I'm gonna do it!" He runs at the monsters, ready to fight and ready to die, Rarity protesting and calling for him to return. Suddenly, the monster all gasp as if afraid of this little dragon. As he nears them, they turn around and run away, disappearing into the night and into the fire. A little surprised at himself, Spike stops and gawks. After a second, he puffs his chest pridefully. The victorious dragon expects to hear his lovely lady friend congratulate him on how awesome he is. "Well done, Fluttershy!" Spike opens his eyes when he realizes his name is not Fluttershy. Over where Rarity stands, there are Fluttershy, Angel, and Scootaloo as well. Scootaloo hugs Sweetie Belle tightly, relieved to be near a friend, while Rarity nuzzles her savior. Around Fluttershy's neck is a golden cross. Spike's mouth slides into a disgruntled frown as he somberly walks back to the group he tried to save. Rainbow Dash looks behind herself again, and again there is the Behemoth, loud and angry, right behind her. She is the fastest thing alive, ever, in the history of anything and everything equine, and this thing is keeping pace disturbingly well. She'd stomped it square in the head and had essentially dropped a building on it, and it could still get up and run. And it could still keep up with her. She is carrying an unconscious Roseluck on her back, and struggling to keep her as steady as possible on their flight to the Hospital. It's always difficult to just carry somepony while flying—always tricky, especially if they are unconscious. Also on her back is Pinkie Pie, still screaming at the Behemoth as if it would leave if she were loud enough. Out of nowhere, a flea-thing jumps into Rainbow Dash's line of sight. She hadn't been flying that close to the ground (it must have jumped from a rooftop at her or something), but the sudden appearance of the hunchbacked monstrosity was enough to send Rainbow Dash to try changing her direction. The sudden jolt causes Pinkie Pie to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Rainbow Dash calls for her friend. Pinkie Pie picks herself up off the ground and finds herself eye-to-eye with the Behemoth. It has stopped for some reason and just stares Pinkie Pie down. She feels a hot snort of air blow through her mane. A blue blur shoots down and tries once again to brain the Behemoth. It backs away and wobbles, but quickly regains its stance and roars. Pinkie Pie grabs onto Rainbow Dash's tail, but feels something tug at her own, pulling her—trying to yank her away from Rainbow Dash. She looks behind herself and sees the Behemoth with her tail between its teeth. Its beady red eyes seem to bulge out of its head, angry and filled with bloodlust. She screams in terror. "Pinkie Pie, you're not helping!" Rainbow Dash shouts, pumping her wings for everything they’re worth. Pinkie, somehow, calms herself down and assesses their situation. She is the rope in a game of tug-of-war, with the Behemoth and Rainbow Dash as the players. Rainbow Dash has a survivor she needs to take to the hospital, and the Behemoth is about to kill them both. She frowns as the only solution comes to her mind. "Dashie!" she yells to her friend as the Behemoth pulls harder. "You need to get Rosie to the hospital!" "What do you think I've been trying to do?!" "Pinkie Promise me, Dashie!" Rainbow Dash groans, not understanding what it is Pinkie Pie is getting at. "Yes," she says impatiently. "I Pinkie Promise I'll get Rosie to the hospital! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my... eye." As the last word escapes her mouth, Rainbow Dash realizes what Pinkie Pie is about to do. For the first time in a while, tears begin to streak down Pinkie's face. She gulps as she is about to let go. "Dashie, I love you! Tell all our friends I love them, too!" Rainbow Dash gasps as she feels no more pulling at the end of her tail, and she is flung through the air, shot forth as if from a catapult. She struggles to keep Roseluck from falling off her, as they tumble through air that is choked with smoke and the cackling of crows. She sees the hospital coming up—and coming up fast—with no time or ability to aim for any open windows. Instead, Rainbow Dash curls herself into a ball around Roseluck to shield her from the incoming impact. With an hour left until morning's sunlight, Rainbow Dash and Roseluck crash straight through a hospital window, and into a wall. Rainbow Dash will be unconscious until a little after the sun comes up. Teleport spamming. While taxing to the body to pull off repeatedly, it’s an infuriating and obnoxious tactic to pull on enemies. Keeping Dirt Nap off-balance is exactly what Twilight intends as she baits him, herding him where she wants him to go. He yells and he shouts and he laughs and he burns and burns and burns, but she never gives in to his demand to bring back the rib from the "End Zone." She laughs and taunts her quarry, almost as if she is playing a game of tag with him. She suddenly has all the energy and exuberance of a small foal, bounding and leaping and dancing above, over, and around the flames shot at her before she teleports away again. If Dirt Nap weren't so angry, he might have had a chuckle or two himself. They are nearing the lake, exactly where Twilight will put her scheme into motion. They're almost there. Twilight is tired, dizzy, thirsty from so much magic usage and so little time to recover, but still her blood is pumping through her at a hyperactive pace. They are almost there, almost to the lake. Her back to the lake now, Dirt Nap and Aguni in front of her. OK, Twilight! Time for the finishing act! Dirt Nap is saying something, shouting something that Twilight does not hear, nor cares to hear. He rages as she concentrates her magic, as her horn begins to glow. He finally stops shouting. She opens an eye to see him looking up over her. She grins as the lake rises up behind her, forming an arc. Her smile crawls all the way up her face, becoming menacing as the waves come crashing down on Dirt Nap, on Aguni, as they both shout in surprise and the sound of a fire being put out sizzles through the air. Steam rises as the cascade falls. It hangs in the air for some time, almost like a huge fog has descended on Ponyville. Tired from all this exercise, Twilight sits down, breathing hard, but still smiling. She is about to laugh, when all of a sudden Aguni lights up again, like a match set to a torch. Her smile quickly becomes a frown of worry as Dirt Nap's wicked laughter fills her ears. "Clever girl," Dirt Nap says menacingly as steam rolls off his body. He is every bit as tired from all this running around as Twilight is. He wants so very much to just incinerate her, turn that body he occasionally lusted for into blackened, charred remains. But she is a unicorn. She can access the End Zone. She knows where it is. She can retrieve the rib. Threatening her with bodily harm doesn't work. He has figured this out, and should have figured it out a long time ago. She needs another incentive. Dirt Nap looks about and sees a house that hasn't caught fire yet. He looks up to Aguni and finds him also staring at the house. I know what you must be thinking, Aguni tells him in the language only he can hear, only his bones can feel. And yes, there is someone there. A child. Dirt Nap smirks, looking sideways at his source of antagonism. In a flash, Aguni's arm grows several feet, reaching into the house and grabbing something inside. Twilight's eyes widen in fear as she hears screaming. Out of the house comes Aguni's hand, and in his hand is a foal, a small, purple-tinted unicorn foal crying for her mommy. Dirt Nap's smirk becomes an all-out toothy smile, wicked and delighted at the sight of Twilight becoming more uncomfortable. Aguni holds the foal in one claw, and his other is raised and glowing white hot with all the fires of hell. "Bring me back the rib," Dirt Nap threatens, "or I kill her!" Pinkie Pie is running again. Not to find survivors, not to find stragglers. Not to fight monsters. She is running from the Behemoth. It is behind her, always right behind her, its breath hot and its roar shaking Pinkie Pie's eardrums, shaking her to her core. But she's leading him around. She left something here in Ponyville, in case of monster-chasing emergencies like this one. It was a gift to her from an invaluable friend she has not seen in some time, a gift he had told her to save for this very occasion should it occur. He said it would help. For the next few minutes, there is chasing. A cat chasing a mouse, around that corner, around this corner, over and under fallen trees and through burning buildings. Finally, only one or two streets away from the Hospital, she comes across where she left the gift. Pinkie Pie turns to look at the Behemoth. Her heart is racing and she feels ready to throw up. She has never run so hard before. Her breaths come out in shaky gasps as she gets nearer to where she kept the gift, stashed away between two barrels. She feels fortunate that they have not been burned away yet. "All right, big guy," she says as she approaches the barrels. The Behemoth closes in behind her, slowly, menacingly, getting high off the feel of the chase, in some ways not wanting it to end, in other ways wanting to finally catch and kill the pink thing. It grits its teeth and smiles at Pinkie Pie, who looks at it in dread. "All right, it's time for you go away now!" She reaches between the barrels— —and grasps at nothing. There is nothing between the barrels. "No," mumbles Pinkie Pie. "No, no!" She sticks her face between these two barrels and does not see the gift her friend gave her, the gift that could protect her in case of monster-chasing emergencies like this one. "No, no, no, no, no." She looks up at the Behemoth, her hopes dashed and gone. It takes another step. Pinkie gulps, steels herself, and stands up straight and tall as she closes her eyes. In her heart, she wishes for her friends to always be safe and happy. Suddenly, she hears it yelp as if struck by something. Then she hears and feels the thudding on the ground from the Behemoth's hooves as it runs... away? Pinkie opens a single eye, and sees the Behemoth had indeed fled. But more importantly, she sees Fluttershy standing in front of her, holding out her friend's gift that had chased away the Behemoth. Fluttershy turns to Pinkie Pie. As their other friends arrive, they share a smile. A short eternity passes Twilight by as she witnesses Aguni toying with the foal as if she were a plaything. The foal is screaming as she looks up at the fiery demon holding her. Aguni looks into her eyes and laughs long and deep as she begins to cry. "She's getting noisy, witch," Dirt Nap growls. "And I'm running out of patience. Bring back the rib, or let this filly die. You've already figured out you can't hurt me, not even with your magic." A pause. "So, bring it BACK!" Twilight decides it might be time to try reason. "Do you even understand what it is your new friends are trying to do?" Dirt Nap snarls as Aguni traces a claw down the filly's spine. "Does it matter? This world has spurned me, and my new friends accept me for everything that makes me special. So of course I'm going to do anything for them, no matter what the consequences are!" "Would they do the same for you?" asks Twilight. "Of course they would!" "How do you know for sure? Maybe they're just using you, just like you think everypony else does." Dirt Nap becomes angrier at Twilight's words. He yells at her, using expletives that the foal being held hostage is going to ask her mother about later. "Just give. Me. The RIB!!!" Twilight sighs. "All right. I'll reach back into the End Zone." Already she has formulated a plan, to throw a rock at Aguni for a distraction long enough to teleport the foal to safety. Her horn glows, but she hesitates as she feels the earth beneath her begin to tremble. "What's wrong?" Dirt Nap asks. "Gimme the rib or she dies. How hard is it to understand?!" Suddenly, he feels the rumbling, too. They all feel the earth trembling as if something is coming this way—something huge—and the earth groans and shouts as this thing stomps it. Then they hear it: a rippling shriek of fear. They look in the direction it comes from and see buildings being knocked down. Twilight's eyes flash to Dirt Nap. He and his pet are both distracted. She focuses her magic as quickly as she can. The foal disappears with a pop and a flash of magenta. Aguni looks at his claws in surprise as the foal reappears next to Twilight. She grabs the filly and begins to run. Dirt Nap looks at her as does so, and lets out a yelp. He decides to run after her again—burning, burning, burning. However, the rumbling beneath their hooves does not stop. It has become louder, faster, more frantic. Dirt Nap looks behind him and sees the Behemoth, and screams. Before he can do anything, this fast, frantic beast has Dirt Nap under its hooves—stomped—trampled—destroyed. The Behemoth crashes through Aguni's body as if he were merely another building in its path, the hellish flames catching onto it and setting it ablaze. As it runs faster and faster, catching up to Twilight, its body burns, becoming a screaming fireball blazing a path to Tartarus. Dirt Nap, or what is left of him, looks up to see Aguni looking down at him. He had always been concerned with who would bury him after it was his time to go. Many nights had he spent lying in his bed in his little hut, looking up at the ceiling, wondering who would bury him, worrying that nopony would bury him or care about him at all. He looks up. As his blood soaks the cobblestone, and as his insides coat the ground, and as his eyes begin to dim, he looks up into the face of the one meant to bury him. And he laughs. Aguni laughs the loudest Dirt Nap has heard, as he comes down, down with all the fires of hell, and buries Dirt Nap in flames. Twilight Sparkle, again, is running. Running as fast as her aching, tired legs can run. Which is unfortunately, not very fast right now. There is a Behemoth on fire right behind her, gaining on her. It does not seem to chase her so much as it is running in abject fear—fear of something scary enough to send this beast scurrying. Enough to terrify it beyond its capacity for self-preservation. It is running and on fire, and right behind Twilight. Twilight's magic isn't entirely gone. She could teleport, but that takes focus, more focus than she can possibly afford right now. She expects the foal on her back to cry or scream, like she did while Aguni held her. But she seems to be in awe at the sight of the burning beast behind them. Scared, of course, but scared into awed silence. Finally, Twilight collapses and slides across the ground, the foal hanging on for dear life, telling Twilight they have to get back up. Twilight's eyes fill with tears. She is going to die—it's too soon, but she is going to die. Suddenly, everything stops. Every sound, every feeling, even every taste in her mouth is paused. She hears somepony... talking... backwards? Suddenly, she is lifted onto her feet. More talking, backwards. "!em htiw emoC !ylkciuQ" She opens her mouth to speak. "?em gnikat uoy era erehW ?uoy era ohW" Twilight winces at the bizarre sound of her voice. She was so certain she said it all plainly, but it came out sounding backwards, as if they are speaking in a different language. She is dragged forward by somepony wearing white. A stallion with a white mane and tail. She recalls someone wearing white before, in the Castle, a figure in white that haunted her throughout Canterlot. Was he...? Before she can ask, the white figure throws her forward and into a ditch, the foal on her back stuck to her like she is growing out of Twilight's back. Twilight looks up and realizes the foal has been "paused", too, and that a ghostly pocket watch is spinning next to her savior. It begins to glow as this white-wearing stallion jumps after Twilight. He ducks her head down in the ditch they are in. "!nwod yatS" The watch glows brightly, then pops like a balloon, complete with a jarring crack! Just like that, time moves forward again. The Behemoth, still on fire, thunders past them like a train on a neverending track. It runs all the way out of Ponyville and continues to burn as it runs toward the badlands. It will be hours before Aguni's unholy flame burns it to ashes, and during that time, the Behemoth will run, not caring what gets trampled underneath.