7.
Twilight left the town hall in high spirits. Mayor and Pinkie Pie had liked her plan, and would soon be heading off to put the first part into effect. By now, Spike had probably found Rainbow Dash, and both Rarity and Fluttershy should be close to finishing their tasks. Best of all, Princess Luna was coming! That gave Ponyville a tremendous amount of firepower, which could be held in reserve for a worst case scenario.
In the meantime, Twilight felt more anxious than ever to perform the mirror look. Unfortunately, when she returned to the plaza, none of her friends were in sight. So she began walking past a line of shops on the plaza border, stopping at each café to peer through the windows.
To her surprise, it wasn’t Spike or Fluttershy that she found, but Rarity, lounging outside in a chair at The Lucky Horseshoe. Rarity was doodling on her napkin with a pencil, pausing every now and again to sip from a straw poking out of a coconut. When she caught sight of Twilight, she gave a vigorous “Yoo-hoo!” and waved her over.
“Chilled and mixed with lime,” she said, offering the coconut. “Would you care for a sip? It does wonders for one’s complexion.”
“No thank you. Did everything go all right at the farm?”
“Of course! Applejack is such a sweetheart. Did you know she’s growing roses now?”
“Er, yes,” said Twilight, turning rather rosy herself, “I know about the roses.”
“Well, they were simply divine! Applejack had an entire field full and she told me I could help myself. I’m already thinking I can put some on my new line of hats, if I can find a spell to keep the flowers fresh. I don’t suppose you might like to help with that, when all of this is over?”
“I’d be glad to. Were you able to get the torches?”
“Yes. Applejack said she’d pack them in a cart and her brother would bring them to town hall.”
“Good. Now I just have to think of a way to thank Big McIntosh; he’s already making a delivery for me at the library, and here I’ve gotten him roped into another one.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t mind. Their whole family loves being helpful.”
“Yes, but still…” Twilight trailed off to look at the plaza behind her. “Have you seen Spike or Fluttershy? I was hoping they’d be back by now.”
“Check under the table,” said Rarity.
Twilight did. She found, not only Spike’s satchel, but several flowering nightbells, all stacked neatly beside it.
“You’re wonderful,” said Twilight.
“Oh, it wasn’t me. I was waiting here when Fluttershy came back. She gave me the flowers and flew away home, because she had patients to tend. And Spike was chasing Rainbow Dash when she zoomed overhead. I told him to leave the satchel with me, because it would lighten his load.”
“Well, however it happened, this is perfect! I’ve got everything for my spell.”
“Good,” said Rarity. “I’ll come with you, in case you need help.”
“Are you sure? It might be dangerous.”
Rarity only smiled and rose from her seat. Side by side, the two ponies moved toward the opposite end of the plaza. Twilight’s spirits soared higher than ever, now that she was in the company of a reliable friend and the evidence she needed lay within her grasp. Even more encouraging, there was no sign of the black stallion. And Trixie’s wagon appeared unchanged since the morning, though Twilight did listen cautiously at the door, just in case, before going inside.
“You aren’t worried about Trixie’s assistant?” said Rarity, as she followed her friend. “Not that I think any stallion would harm such a charming pair of damsels, but he is rather large.”
“I’m not worried,” said Twilight. “If I’m right, this is basically a crime scene. He’d be foolish to come back.”
“What kind of crime scene?”
“We’re about to find out. Can you pull down the window shades?”
Rarity did so and Twilight removed her spell ingredients—all of which were a variety of different plant parts—from Spike’s satchel, arranging each one in front of the mirror. As Rarity looked on, Twilight summoned her magic and the ingredients started to glow. At the same time, the surface of the mirror flickered. Then, out of nowhere, a series of images flashed across it.
They were hazy at first, but rapidly increased in clarity as Twilight adjusted her spell. Soon the entire morning was being replayed in the mirror. Twilight sped past the empty, unimportant scenes, including the one in which she and her friends had investigated. At last, an image of Trixie appeared. The show mare was standing nervously at a window, but Twilight went backward further still, until Trixie looked perfectly calm, and was sitting down to eat her breakfast.
“Now,” said Twilight, “this is why it’s so important to have nightbell.”
She levitated several of the tiny black flowers and set them alongside the other ingredients. Just like that, sounds began emanating from the mirror. Most prominent was the noise of the mob, still far off but rapidly coming closer. Trixie cocked an ear and took a bite from one of two pieces of honeyed toast. The sound of the mob increased. Trixie set down her food, stood up, and peered through a window.
Instantly, her expression changed. She leapt back, bumping her coffee table and knocking half of her toast onto the floor.
“What’s going on?” she said. “Why are all of those ponies out there?”
“Why do you think?” replied a deep voice. “They’re upset at your trick.”
“At your trick! You’re the one who did it.”
“Then I suggest you tell them that. I’m sure they’ll believe you.”
“Well. Maybe I will.”
Trixie moved toward the door. Suddenly, the crowd grew louder. Her confidence evaporated.
“Do something!” she cried. “Help me!”
“How?”
“I don’t know! You’re the one who—wait! Bring them back! Those ponies from the show. Make them reappear!”
The voice practically dripped with lazy contentment.
“I’m afraid that’s impossible.”
“What?! You weren’t supposed to get rid of them permanently!”
“Oh? A shame that I misunderstood. Still, you were rather unspecific. Perhaps next time, if there is a next time, you’ll remember to give your instructions with greater specificity.”
Trixie dashed to the window on the opposite side of the wagon, stepping on the fallen toast as she moved.
“They’re getting closer! Make them go away!”
“All of them?”
“Yes, hurry!”
“Certainly. But, before I do, perhaps I should send you somewhere safe? In case a few stragglers slip by…”
“Yes!” Trixie was practically pleading. “Anything, just don’t let them get me!”
“Your wish is my command.”
Some tone about the voice made Trixie glance toward the front of the wagon. Whatever she beheld was not shown by the reflection, but Twilight had never seen anyone look so utterly terrified. Gasping, Trixie stepped back and tried to shield her face. Before it could show what happened next, the mirror went black.
“I… did the spell malfunction?” Rarity was unable to hide the uneasiness in her voice. “I thought we were going to keep watching?”
“Maybe it would be better not too,” said Twilight.
Nevertheless, she refocused her magic and tried again. It was no good; she was unable to clear away the darkness during those few seconds in which Trixie had tried to protect herself. And when the darkness faded on its own, Trixie was gone from the wagon.
“She disappeared,” said Twilight, “exactly like the others. I’m starting to wish I hadn’t been right.”
“Well,” said Rarity, “as usual, when it comes to spotting disasters, your skills are spot on. The question now is: what do we do?”
“Write to Princess Celestia. I wasn’t going to, not yet anyway, but after hearing what the stallion said about permanent disappearing, I don’t think we have any choice. I only hope he was wrong.”
Rarity nodded and the two ponies turned around. As they approached the door, it slammed shut in their faces.
“Rainbow Dash!” said Rarity. “This is a very poor time to be playing a joke on us!”
There was no response. Twilight tried the door.
“It’s locked. And… I can’t unlock it!”
She put her shoulder against the door and tried harder. Rarity came to help, but even together, they were unable to make any progress.
“All right, stand back,” said Twilight. “I’m one second away from blasting this open.”
“Now, now,” said a deep voice. “Surely violence isn’t the answer?”
Both Twilight and Rarity whipped around.
“Who said that?” whispered Rarity. “There’s nopony here…”
“Oh, I’m always here. In fact, I have been watching you two all morning. Shadows are like that. We can be completely invisible, except when I want us to be seen.”
Rarity opened her mouth, though she seemed unable to make a reply. Twilight stepped forward and spoke for both of them.
“Show yourself!” she said. “We’re not scared of you!”
“Not yet. But you will be.”
A dark pool began coalescing in the center of Trixie’s room, as though some kind of tar were seeping up through the cracks. When the pool was roughly the size of a pony, it surged higher, forming itself into a black stallion with icy blue eyes.
“Twilight Sparkle,” he said. “Savior of Ponyville, scholar of magic, and Princess Celestia’s prize student. I’ve heard so much about you from Trixie. I also need to thank you for taking care of the crowd this morning, and saving me the trouble. In fact, you gave me so much free time that I went out and had a little snack. And you even made sure his friends wouldn’t go looking for him. How kind of you.”
The stallion smiled and moved closer. Twilight threw up a force field, sealing off the opposite side of the room with a glittering, semi-transparent barrier. The stallion stood still and looked at it.
“Come now,” he said, “can’t you do better than that? I was led to believe you were talented.”
His eyes flashed and he reached out with one of his forehooves. Twilight’s force field burst like a soap bubble.
“Stay back!” she said. “I’m warning you…”
The stallion kept advancing. Twilight summoned a whirling spark of light and cast it forward. She had hoped to disorient the stallion, but he glanced at her creation and the light spark instantly died.
“Twilight!” cried Rarity. “Perhaps you should get us out of here?!”
Twilight nodded and prepared to teleport away. Once again the stallion’s eyes glowed and once again her magic was taken apart before it could achieve its purpose. Twilight fell back, utterly at a loss, while the stallion turned toward Rarity.
“What a charming young mare,” he said, “and so quick to give good advice. I admit, if I cared about beauty or wits, I would have a hard time bringing myself to hurt you. Fortunately, however…”
He took a breath and exhaled. A smoky black cloud issued from his mouth. The instant it touched Rarity, she collapsed in a heap on the floor.
“You leave her ALONE!”
As she spoke, Twilight summoned her fiercest surge of magic yet. The energy roared forth, shattering windows, cracking walls, and nearly splitting the floor in half. By the time her spell faded, the inside of Trixie’s wagon looked as though it had been struck by a bomb. But the stallion himself was unharmed.
“Ah,” he said, “now we begin to see your potential. Still, you obviously need more guidance to become proficient with destructive magic. After all, what good is firepower if it can’t even pierce a target’s defense? Like this!”
He faced forward and made a casual gesture. The force of his spell broke on Twilight like a hurricane, picking her up and hurling her backwards. The door splintered as she crashed through it, and she tumbled head over hooves on the cobblestone outside.
Desperately, Twilight tried to sit up. But her vision was spinning and every part of her body ached. In a kind of distant haze, she heard the stallion walk closer.
“I don’t usually dirty my hooves,” he said. “Still, sometimes I suppose it’s rewarding to stamp out a pest. And you’re quite a bothersome little flea, especially if you can summon Celestia before I’m ready.”
He nudged Twilight with one of his hooves, flipping her onto her back. As she looked blearily up at him, he smiled and reared, seconds away from dropping the weight of his forelegs onto her ribcage.
But it was the stallion himself who was dropped, when a heavy red blur thundered into him. The stallion hit the pavement and skidded for several feet on his side. Twilight felt a strong hoof helping her stand. When her vision finally cleared, she saw Big McIntosh watching her, the box of food he had been delivering still perched on his shoulders. Now he lowered it to the ground and placed himself squarely in front of Twilight.
“Ain’t no way to treat a lady,” he said.
The black stallion snorted and pulled himself up, glaring at Big McIntosh. Then threw back his head and leapt to attack.
Big McIntosh sprang to meet him. Their shoulders collided and they reared upward, striking with powerful forelegs. Numbly, Twilight decided that Applejack had been right: a hoof wrestling contest between these two titans would have been incredible to watch. But this fight to the death was terrifying.
“I’ll make you suffer for your interference!”
Big McIntosh ignored his enemy’s threats. He was bloodied and battered, but the wounds didn’t seem to slow him, and when the stallion charged, he fended him off with a series of jabbing forehoof strikes. Then he lunged and put himself directly parallel to his opponent, at the same time lashing out and slightly to the side with one of his back hooves. It was a neat trick and Big McIntosh executed it perfectly; the black stallion stumbled as his rear legs were kicked out from under him. Big McIntosh followed through by ramming into him, chest to chest, with all of his incredible power.
For a second time, the black stallion was thrown. Hit struck the ground hard, his head bobbing dizzily. Then he shook himself and his eyes flared with icy fire.
“Oh, you ridiculous ponies!”
Twilight felt the gathering of evil magic and saw a dark pit forming under Big McIntosh.
“Run!” she cried. “Big McIntosh, get out of there!”
Big McIntosh had already started to leap. A shadowy tendril caught him in mid-motion, wrapping itself about his hind legs and pulling him back. More tendrils flashed from the pit, until there were a dozen at least. Before Twilight could even call his name, Big McIntosh was dragged into darkness, the surface of which closed over his head like a pool of inky water.
“I’ll be back,” said the black stallion, “as soon as I get hungry again. And I’ll find you eventually. I wonder what Celestia will say when she learns I’ve devoured her favorite pupil?”
He smiled and leapt into the pit, which quickly dried up and faded away, leaving nothing but empty cobblestone behind.