Iconoclasm Chapter 2
Reap the whirlwind
It was going to be a beautiful day that was for sure, at least if the morning was any indication. Rays of light flooded the cozy little cabin situated right outside of town revealing a small sleepy eyed yellow pony quietly tucking in a mass of woodland creatures. "Sweet dreams" she whispered as she tip hooved out of the room making sure to avoid stepping on any of the snoozing critters. "I do hope ever so much that those possums can get a good night ...ah I mean a good day's sleep. It's too bad not everypony can appreciate their gentle nature."
In fact Daisy had done less then appreciate them, she nearly scared the fat fuzzy family half to death when she discovered them living in her attic the day before. Luckily Fluttershy had been in town shopping with Rarity and heard the commotion. She resolved the crisis before any pony or possum was injured and after packing the little fluffy family up had even received five bits for each possum packed away. Not that this had been Fluttershy's doing, she was just glad to help, but Rarity would not stand idly by. "Honestly darling there is nothing wrong with using your special talent to make a living" she had scolded as she helped carry the crate back to the cottage. "I sell my wares to make everypony look fabulous and so I can put hay on the table, or buy this simply darling sunhat, don't you think it makes me look antebellum?
Fluttershy imagined it made her look like nothing else but a wilting flower but she wasn't about to tell her that. She would let Applejack handle the honesty department, this little pony wasn't going to repay her friend's generous offer to help with an unkind word. "I guess you are right Rarity" Fluttershy artfully redirected, "I did spend most of last months savings on that petting Zoo incident and I still haven't repaired all the bird houses that fell in the stampede."
"Incident is too kind of word, more like disaster if you ask me" Rarity responded. " I hope you can forgive my sister and her group of miscreants, I still can't see how they could honestly believe bringing all those skunks would get them a cutie mark." Fluttershy winced as she remembered that horribly smelly week. She had asked the Cutie Mark Crusaders to round up any stray animals so they could enjoy the petting zoo and possible find a home with a pony. How that was interpreted to herding a surfeit of skunks right into the crowd behind her cottage she would never know, but the ensuing chaos that followed would have made Discord proud. Perhaps the only pony to come out ahead that week had been Rarity, who saw a drastic increase in perfume and soap sales at her boutique.
After dropping off the pack of possums Rarity went on her way home, most likely to to admire her new article of sun protection. Fluttershy however had then spent most of the afternoon coaxing the furry family out of hiding and had finally done so just in time for night to fall, which of course meant the possums were suddenly filled with new energy and had to explore every last inch of the little yellow pony's humble abode. Fluttershy had eventually resorted to using a very sleepy eyed stare to get them back in their makeshift beds and now with the coming of morning she retreated to the kitchen knowing that a caretaker's work was never done.
"Good morning my friends!" she yawned rubbing her eyes and making a mental note to visit the Sugercube Corner for a nice cup of coffee . However when she opened her eyes to her surprise not a singe critter lay waiting for her, not even a familiar pair of bunny ears. "Um...hello?" she peeped "I'm sorry if I am late for breakfast my little friends, please forgive me and come on out, I've got lots of yummy fresh snacks from the market."
But after taking a second look around and craning her neck to listen for any birds singing outside she had to admit she was alone but for the snoring of the possums in the other room. "This is oh so strange" she said to herself. "My babies never miss a meal like this". With her mind suddenly snapped into fully awake mode she hurried out the door to find any clues. But outside was only the same eerie silence as before. "Not a lark or squirrel in sight" she said "This is simply terrible! Where could they have all gone?"
But her question was quickly cut short by a crash from inside the cottage. The family of possums had apparently awoken from their forced slumber and were thrashing anything in between them and freedom. Fluttershy rushed quickly to the nearest window but let let loose a scream as glass was sent flying above her head and several fat gray blurs hopped over her faster then they had any right to do. When she raised her head out from under her hooves she saw the troop dashing into the Everfree forest, the smallest taking time to snarl right before it disappeared into the old overgrowth.
Fluttershy didn't know how long she had been standing there staring toward the forest, her mouth agape, but was forced from her stunned state by the familiar zoom of Rainbow Dash overhead. "Come back here you bunch of puffed up vapor!" she yelled. Apparently this was directed at the mass of mighty clouds fleeing the skies over Ponyville towards the growing dark skies above the forest. Rainbow Dash was trying her best to stop the giant formation but at each fly by would simply pass through the clouds with a shocked look on her face.
Fluttershy took to the sky and tried to catch up with her busy friend. "Rainbow, whats going on? Why are the clouds acting like this?" she yelled to get her attention. "Beats me" Rainbow replied "But I won't let a bunch of over sized puff balls make a fool out of me!" With that she burst into a circular motion around one cloud and tried to keep it trapped in a mini tornado. Fluttershy followed the multicolored blur as it spun round and round, quickly losing her focus and causing her eyes to spin around in her head. Apparently however dizzy this was making Fluttershy by watching it was tenfold for Rainbow Dash, as she flipped from her formation and crashed into Fluttershy causing both of them to smash into the ground.
Both pegasus lay there in a ball of feathers and twisted limbs for a few moments before Rainbow came to. "What the heck is going on" she exclaimed jumping off Fluttershy and rubbing her sore shoulder. One minute I'm stretching on a cloud getting ready for the shower we were supposed to have tonight and the next thing I know it takes off underneath me!" Fluttershy for her part was still laying on her back, her limbs comically outstretched in every direction. However, as she stared up into the air she saw amongst the rushing clouds several flocks of birds diving into airspace over the Everfree Forest and disappearing into the darkening sky.
"I don't know Rainbow but all the poor animals seem to be doing the same as your clouds" she answered. "I haven't been able to find any of them and the few glimpses of others I see all seem to be heading into the forest". Fluttershy remembered back to the last time something this strange had happened. But none of the possums seemed to have grown freakishly large legs or tap danced away, nor had any of the clouds drizzled them with chocolate or even strawberry rain. "You don't think...I mean it couldn't possibly be Discord again could it?" she stammered at Rainbow Dash
" I have no clue but I bet if anypony has an idea of whats going on then that would be some egghead. And the biggest and egg headiest pony around lives just a dash down the street!" Rainbow exclaimed "So lets go get a clue!"
With that she flapped her wings and took off in the direction of Ponyville proper. Fluttershy stared after her, biting her lip in worry and confusion. "And just when things were starting to finally seem nice and calm again" she moaned to herself. But then she too lifted off and raced, albeit not nearly as fast, after Rainbow. "Don't worry Angel, she whispered "I'm gonna find where you and all your friends ran off to. ---
--- Twilight Sparkle lay wrapped in her blankets, one leg hanging off the side and occasionally twitching and kicking the air. She mumbled to herself incoherently as the light from outside grew bright enough to make it through her shut curtains and land on her face. All strewn about were books and a mess like a stampede of buffalo would cause. If one were to replace the half read books with half empty cider cups then quite a large party would have occurred last night. But for Twilight the late night study fest she had entered into last night was almost better then any party, even one Of Pinkie Pie's. Without opening her eyes she could tell what time it was. The sound of Spike's snores told her she hadn't overslept drastically. Even if she did stay up till all hours of the night it would be scandalous if her little assistant beat her from out of the bed.
"He would never let me forget it" she smiled to herself. "All the more reason to get up and stay on schedule" she said now eyes finally open. With a purple glow the sheets flew off her and she rolled out of bed. She would need to wake Spike to help her clean up the mess she had made in her frenzy last night, but that could come later. "Besides I want to document my dreams in my dream journal before I forget.". She trotted down to her stash of personal books that were not kept on the shelf and found the one labeled psychology project.
Usually she preferred to have Spike take her notes for her as she dictated, allowing for her to have a free flow of ideas. But with personal matters she made due by her self. Still habits were hard to break and even though she wrote she continued to dictate to herself. "I remember being lost and not knowing where I was heading. All around me was utter darkness, and a feeling of complete emptiness. I couldn't even sense my own hooves. Then before me I heard a deep voice and a flash of light" she continued. "Suddenly it was like a wave of emotions and colors flooded over me. I felt happy yet knew I could cry at any moment. All I could remember was wishing that I could turn it off, to feel nothing and go back to the darkness when all that light culminated into an single orb like the sun or the moon. It then spoke to me, it said...."
"Bah, what did it say?" Twilight questioned as she bopped her head with her own hoof. "I knew I should have kept my dream journal closer to the bed, maybe then I'd actually be able to remember" She rubbed her temple and closed her eyes in an attempt at deep thought when this meditation was driven away by the sudden smash of Rainbow Dash through her window.
"Rainbow, do you ever knock!" she yelled in shock, quickly tossing her dream journal under a nearby table. Before the heavy breathing Rainbow could respond another blur this one yellow came rushing through the window frame, not making quite the same quick stop and crashing to a halt on the far side of the room. A startled yelp from Spike showed that Fluttershy had found something to soften the landing. "What is going on everypony?" Twilight whined. Her mane was nearly as messy as her house, she was in no condition to entertain guests and worst off she had completely lost the dream that had been floating around the edges of her mind.
"Sorry Twilight but something crazy is happening with nature out there" Dash quickly explained. "The clouds are acting like there is a race towards the Everfree Forest and according to Fluttershy the animals are rushing in there even faster."
There was a squeak in the corner as Fluttershy lifted herself off the ground and told the story of her morning to the two ponies in front of her. Poor Spike was caught up in her mane and looked to be wearing a terrible pink toupee. "And that is when we headed over here to find out what was going on" she concluded. "Has the princess sent you any letters this morning about what has been happening?"
"No nothing that I know about" Twilight responded. "In fact Spike just now woke up so I am sure of it." With this Fluttershy blushed and apologized to Spike, who had finally worked his way free of her flowing mane. "Rainbow Dash, have the clouds ever done anything like this before?" she asked "I mean outside of the time they were cotton candy and dripping with chocolate." she amended.
"Nope, clouds aren't supposed to move like that, or else I'd be out of a job." Dash quickly replied "You don't think maybe the Everfree Forest is making all our weather like it's messed up clouds do you?" Twilight couldn't be sure, she had studied the forest from time to time during her stay here in Ponyville but altogether her knowledge of it's inner workings remained woefully inadequate. No pony really seemed that interested in investigating such a strange and dangerous place. "I haven't a clue" she admitted but added "we should send a letter to the princess and tell her what is going on in case she doesn't already know."
With that Spike jumped to attention and began to faithfully dictate the morning's events. "We hope that this turns out to be nothing more then a strange anomaly and ..." Twilight dictated but was interrupted by Spike "An anemone?" he questioned "isn't that one of those weirdo things in the ocean?" Rainbow looked startled "The ocean?" she exclaimed "you think it has something to do with this?" the sound of fear in her voice showed what she thought about going for a deep sea dive.
"What? NO! Spike just put strange event and send it out signed your loyal subjects etc." Twilight corrected. "I doubt its Discord again, It took him thousands of years to escape last time and I don't think he could get out in just one. Besides the princess moved his statue to a much more secure area, I doubt a bunch of squabbling fillies can get near him now. Her mind raced as she tried to find an explanation for herself.
"Maybe this is something the Forest does every couple of centuries and we just don't know about it" she said trying to calm down those around her. "I mean we don't even understand how the Zap apples really work and Ponyville is based around them. "OK Spike send the letter and we will have this fixed in no time at all". With that Spike sent out a small stream of flames and the letter disappeared in a flash.
After a few minutes of waiting and standing around in silence Twilight volunteered her guests to help clean up the library. They sorted and cleaned and Fluttershy even dusted, leaving the room nearly sparkling. After a minute or so of admiring their handy work Rainbow Dash exclaimed "Where the heck is that letter? I only helped clean cause I thought any second we would get a response and now it's been over an hour! What gives Twilight, did Spike maybe just burn that one instead of sending it?"
Spike looked offended, he had never destroyed a letter meant for the Princess, maybe a book or two, but never a letter. "Maybe the princess didn't respond" he growled "because there is nothing wrong and you just stink at doing your job Rainbow Dash!"
With that Dash rushed over and she and Spike were quickly literally butting heads and staring each other down. This was only interrupted by the soft sound of Fluttershy "Oh but Spike I know something is wrong, why else would all the little animals act that way, you do believe me don't you?" The sight of Fluttershy's big sad eyes diffused the situation and caused both Spike and Dash to apologize.
However an hour later they were still waiting and Rainbow dash had begun banging her head against the wall in an attempt to hold off boredom. Finally after a particularly hard hit against the wooden interior she exclaimed "That's it! I could have flown to Canterlot by now If I tried. And that's what I'm gonna do if the Princess is gonna be so flipping slow about responding". She bent her back legs in preparation for taking off when Spike let loose a large belch containing a small pamphlet. Everypony gathered around to see what it said as Twilight used her magic to unfold it and hold it in the light.
Dear Citizens, please do not be alarmed, as the situation previously mentioned is being investigated and will be handled in due course. Please refrain from further letters for the time being as we are currently backlogged with important matters. Signed Princess Celestia
Everypony, and Spike, stared at the letter, unsure if their eyes were telling them the truth. "But what about all the little critters?" Fluttershy whimpered, her voice holding back tears. "How could the Princess seem so indifferent?" Rainbow Dash on the other hand looked angry and her voice was filled with rage as she yelled "How could she, after how many times we saved Equestria for her? You would think her highness would show a little more respect and concern to the holders of the Elements of Harmony".
Twilight still stared at the letter, her blank expression hiding whatever was processing inside that brain of hers but inside it was like a hurricane of neurons."This just doesn't make sense" she thought to herself. "I know and love the princess and she would never and has never sent a letter like this".
Spike stared up at her and began to say something when her face focused into a grimace and she blurted out. "No both of you are wrong, the princess would never act like that!" She said glaring at both of the befuddled ponies. Dash doubled down and responded "Well miss scrambled eggs, there is the proof in her own words right in front of us, what do you have to say about that?"
"It's simple" Twilight Sparkle responded "Princess Celestia didn't write this letter".
Everyone else in the room gasped and Spike fainted with a thump on top of Fluttershy.