Carrots and Creatures
“So,” Raindrops dryly commented from her seat near the stairs, as she looked around the underground chamber, “When were you going to tell the rest of us about the ancient magic pool chamber?”
A nervous laugh escaped Carrot Tops’ lips as she rubbed the back of her head. After her friends had confronted her at her cottage over her doubles, she had agreed to show them the mysterious mirror pool that she had called the clones from. And now the subterranean pool and it’s archaic construction was being thoroughly examined by her comrades.
Lyra and Cheerilee were poking over the four pillars, trying to deduce what the classical Equestrian writing meant, while Ditzy was taking rubbings so that they’d have a copy of their contents just in case. Trixie stood at the edge of the pool, her eyes glowing with a soft blue light as she subjected the water to her magical detection spells.
“I don’t know.” Carrot Top shrugged helplessly, casting her gaze towards the floor. She could almost feel Raindrops eyes on her back demanding some kind of answer, “I just feel bad when I have to choose between which ponies to help. And then Trixie off hoofedly mentioned how Luna can be multiple ponies at the same time, and I remembered my grandma’s stories about this place…”
“And then we had a proverbial bushel of Carrot Tops.” Trixie finished for her, the glow fading from her eyes as she ended her spell.
Carrot Top shrugged again, hanging her head slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think that they would cause so much trouble.”
“Hey,” Trixie interrupted, trotting over and poking her friend in the chest, “Don’t be so down on yourself. It was a mistake, and we all make them. Take it from a pony who knows.”
A slight smirk crossed Carrot Top’s muzzle. “I suppose that it was only a matter of time before I screwed up as badly as you did in the past.”
“Please!” Trixie scoffed with a dismissive wave of her hoof, “You’re still years off from being able to match my screw ups. I practically made it an art form!”
An appreciative round of chuckles swept through the room, the tension that Carrot Top had felt building up in her body draining away at Trixie’s dig at her own past. Trotting over to Cheerilee and Lyra, Carrot Top nodded towards the scribblings on the pillars.
“Any luck making heads or tails out of this?”
“Well, my Classical Equestrian is a little rusty,” Lyra nodded, pointing to the top of the front right pillar, where the most intact portion of writing stood out clearly from the stone, “But that bit there is the stanza you used to copy yourself.”
“And the other stuff?” Raindrops asked, still sitting by the stairs.
“Trixie,” Cheerilee interrupted, rubbing her chin with the back of a hoof, “What kind of magic was the water radiating?”
“Transmutation and Conjuration, just like the clones. Though,” her muzzle scrunched up in confusion, “I’m getting this vague after effect of Enchantment. It’s hard to pin down.”
Nodding to herself, the school teacher walked over to one of the other pillars, pointing to a series of words arranged vertically along its surface. “This world is repeated over and over. Mutatio. That’s Classical Equestrian for ‘transform’.” She pointed to another pair of intact words, across from one of the instances of mutatio, “And this- et capillus - that’s mane. And it just keeps going. Coat color, eye color...there are even other species here.”
“Wait.” Lyra blinked, “I thought that vicissitudo was Classical Equestrian for transform.”
“Vicissitudo is change, Lyra. It’s actually a common mistake to get those words mixed up.”
“No, I think that you’re mistaken Cheerilee.” Lyra frowned, “Because the classic symphony, Transformation of the Seasons, is Vicissitudo de Tempora.”
“And that’s a mistranslation! It should be Mutatio ds Tempora!”
“Girls,” Carrot Top spoke up, interrupting the brewing language debate and motioning to the room with a hoof. “That’s all well and good. But what does all of this mean?”
“The ability to make copies, that share some kind of hive mind,” Trixie enumerated, pacing back and forth before the pool’s steps, “And then being able to further manipulate and tweak them from there.” She paused, shaking her head slightly, “It’s like somepony was trying to find a way to mimic Luna’s ability to be in multiple places at once.”
“But that doesn’t make sense.” Carrot Top countered, “The clones are kind of...stupid, from what you’re all telling me. Even back when I just had the one, she was a little loopy. When Luna does it, nopony can tell the difference.”
Trixie shrugged. “Some of the writings are chipped and faded away, and the magic looked…wonky. I mean, enchantments and magic items can go strange with age, if not properly maintained. And this is the Everfree, which is pretty strange as is. I’m more wondering where this came from.”
“What, you mean Luna didn’t tell you about the hidden magic pool in the Everfree?” Raindrops commented, arching an eyebrow, “Seems like the kind of thing I’d mention.”
“Right after I had melted the ice castle?” Trixie snorted, “I wouldn’t have told the old me about this place. I wouldn’t have wanted to have two of me running around.” She shrugged, “Besides, for all we know the pool was here first, and this stuff was built later.”
Lyra, who had lapsed into silence after the pillar argument was interrupted, perked back up at this point, nervously shuffling her hooves. “Actually, there is something that’s been kicking around the back of my head since we found this place.”
When everypony looked her way, she sighed. “It’s an old, old farm pony legend. It dates all the way back to before the unification of Equestria. Don’t even remember where I first heard it, to be honest. The Beast of the Everfree.”
“There are a lot of beasts in the Everfree.” Cheerilee pointed out, “That doesn’t actually narrow it down.”
“This one was special though. A self proclaimed “queen” that ruled from a castle in what would come to be known as the Everfree. Who somehow always knew what was going on among her “subjects”, until she just up and vanished one night. The legend said she’d return some day. There was even a poem about her.”
Channelling, Lyra summoned her instrument to her side, and began to play a slow, almost mournful tune.
Beneath the leaves, wild and untamed,
The depths of the wood, where the lost beast came,
To bring the land misery and shame,
A piece of harmony is missing.
The path you should have never crossed
The Beast exacts a heavy cost,
The name of the Beast is lost,
You will know her by her hissing.
The dark stone you cannot tame,
Devour your life and all your fame,
The price to pay her twisted game,
Forever will you be missing.
A slight chill ran through the room as Lyra let the song end.
“So,” Carrot Top asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence, “Is it true?”
Lyra shrugged. “It’s a legend. The world is crammed to bursting with them. Tales passed on from pony to pony until you’re not sure what in Tartarus they’re talking about. And the records from the Classical Era are spotty at best.”
“Yeah, but is *this* one true?”
“Maybe?” She motioned to the pool, “This does probably explain the legend, but I’m not expecting her to come back anytime soon. I mean, Luna and Celestia built their old castle in the Everfree so it had to be safe. She was probably just some long dead unicorn sorceress that used this to gain an upper hoof and now we’re stuck dealing with the fallout.”
“What should we do then?” Cheerilee interjected, “How long are these clones supposed to last?”
Carrot Top winced slightly. It was something she hadn’t even considered when she decided to use the pool the first time.
“No clue.” Trixie shrugged, “We’ll just have to wait and watch for now.”
“I’ll take them back to my farm.” Carrot Top nodded, “I think that Twilight will lose her mind if they stayed there overnight.”
- - - -
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash trotted for the edge of the Everfree under the full moon. The yellow pegasus hefted a cage full of small brown furred critters along via the handle with her mouth, her polychromatic friend striding alongside her, magenta eyes rapidly scanning their surroundings.
“Are you sure about this Fluttershy? It’s the Everfree at night.”
“Oh, it’s o-okay Rainbow Dash. I just...well...I need to let these little guys loose away from Ponyville. Plenty of roots...and..uh..other things, for them to eat here in the Everfree.” She softly intoned, after putting the cage down, “That’ll keep them from gobbling up farmer’s fields.”
Undoing the latch, she gently poked the cage with a hoof. “Alright little guys. Welcome to your new home.”
The four rock gophers slowly crawled out of the cage, sniffing the air as they looked about. One of Equestria’s many magical creatures, they were so named for their rock like claws, that allowed them to dig through most substances as if it was loose dirt. The critters hesitated for a moment before diving into the ground in a flurry of soil, leaving the empty cage behind.
“There.” Dash nodded, “Let’s get out of here. I wanna get back to bed.” She finished with a mighty yawn.
“Okay Dash. We can g-”
An unearthly howl cut through the trees, sending chills down both the ponies spines. It had sounded close. Before the two pegasai could react to the first call, a flurry of howls echoed out in response to the first.
“We need to go.” Dash nervously gulped, already pushing Fluttershy back the way they came.
A flurry of sharp and angry barks reached their ears, the undergrowth seeming to come alive as sleek and lean looking forms made from wood and plant matter closed in on the two ponies, their glowing green eyes almost resembling giant fireflies.
Fluttershy froze up almost instantaneously, her wings snapping close to her body. Not missing a beat, Dash grabbed her around the barrel, beating her wings as hard as she could to put some distance between them and the attacking timberwolves.
Unfortunately, carrying her friend put a dent into Rainbow Dash’s chief attribute. Her speed. Before she could get clear of the marauding horde of wooden monsters, one of the timberwolves leading the pack jumped. Dash screamed in pain as she felt fangs dig into the flesh of her right rear cannon.
Pulled from the sky by the weight of the creature, Dash crashed to the ground, Fluttershy tumbling away from her. The rainbow maned pegasus lashed out with her other hind leg, smiling at the satisfying crunch of her hoof on wood.
“Fluttershy! RUN!” She shouted as she felt her leg pull free. Whirling around Rainbow Dash flared her wings to make herself look bigger, grinding her teeth against the throbbing pain in her leg.
She could smell the rancid breath of the thing, as it circled her, more of it’s fellows moving into the clearing. Despite her brave face, she felt her stomach drop at just how many timberwolves were coming into view. There were a baker’s dozen of these things, at least.
“Okay you overgrown matchstick piles! You want some fresh pony meat? Come on and taste the rainbow!”
The timberwolves lept for her.
Dash lashed out with her hooves, desperately punching and bucking anything that got close as the world turned into a chaotic explosion of movement and sound. Blurs of brown and green, a chorus of howls and barks, and the scared screams of Fluttershy that grew more distant, as the number of timberwolves around her dwindled.
She found herself facing down a singular timberwolf. Gritting her teeth again, Dash lashed out once more smashing her hooves against it’s head. As it toppled backwards from the impact, Dash followed up, punching again and again, the wood splintering from her assault. With one last crack, the form of the wolf collapsed into pieces.
Panting, she looked around the clearing. No sign of Fluttershy, or the other timberwolves. But the trample of paw and hoofprints showed that both were heading deeper into the Everfree. Swearing under her breath, Rainbow Dash took a step towards the tracks. Another stab of pain shot through her, as her wounded hind leg buckled.
“Discord’s mismatched horns!” She swore, flapping her wings to rise into the air.
Every instinct in her gut told her to chase after Fluttershy. But she was wounded, and lucky that the timberwolf’s bite hadn’t snapped the bone. Hovering in place, the battle between loyalty and common sense raged in her head.
“Ponyfeathers!” She swore again, winging over and flying for Ponyville as fast as she could go.
- - - -
Carrot Top’s sweet dreams were dispelled by the sound of rapid hoof beats on her front door. Sitting up in bed, she blinked the sleep from her eyes. Her copies were curled up on the floor of her bedroom, forming a yellow and orange carpet between her bed and the bedroom door. Another round of knocks echoed through her house, this time followed by muffled shouting.
“Carrot Top! Get out here! We need your help!”
All six clones snapped awake at once, grins crossing their muzzles as they rushed for the front of the cottage.
“Wait! No!” She shouted, rushing after them as they dove to open the door at once. Six ponies reached for the doorknob. Six ponies tripped over each other, and crashed into it. With a ear-splitting crack of splintering wood, the screws holding the door hinges into the frame tore away.
Applejack was forced to make an undignified scramble to avoid getting crushed by the toppling door. The farm mare gaped at the copies of Carrot Top as they smiled up at her at once and asked the same question.
“Help?”
Carrot Top grinned nervously as she trotted forward. “Heh...sorry Applejack. It’s...kind of a long story.”
Applejack looked from the copies, to the original, and back to the copies and then back to Carrot Top again before shaking her head.
“Normally, ah’d want an explanation, but considering the circumstances, ah’ll ask later.” She commented, turning and trotting for the road again, “Ya need to get down town right away.”
“Why?” Carrot Top asked, chasing after her. The clones followed, bouncing along like it was just a normal spring day.
“Rainbow Dash came flyin’ into town like all the monsters in Tartarus were after her. Timberwolves attacked her and Fluttershy near her cottage. She lost track of Fluttershy in the fight. She’s lost in the Everfree, timberwolves are out there, and we’re rounin’ up a posse of every able bodied pony in town to go save her. Ah’m just going to grab my gear.”
“What about your traps?” Carrot Top blinked.
Applejack bit her lip, tilting her stetson forward so that the brim partially covered her eyes. “Ah never set up traps near Fluttershy’s cottage. With how shy she is...ah’d never be able to give her the maps to tell her what parts of the forest ta avoid.”
The guilt was clearly wrought on her features. Carrot Top smiled softly, tilting Applejack’s hat back up.
“We’ll save her and protect the town Applejack. Get your gear, we’ll meet you downtown.”
- - - -
Carrot Top was well aware of the occasional stares that were being thrown the way of her and her copies by many of those who had turned up to help with the search party. She couldn’t really blame them, as she was sure they all had questions, but for now everypony was biting their tongues and staying focused on the task at hand. Glancing around, she took stock the ponies that had arrived.
Her friends were there, of course. Ditzy Doo and Cheerilee were leading the foals into town hall, it having been decided that it would be the safest place for them until the danger passed.
“Now listen to Miss Twilight and Bon Bon and don’t leave the hall,” Ditzy softly whispered to her daughter, as she ushered her inside, “Not until I come and get you.”
“Okay momma.” Dinky nodded, the door closing behind her.
Trixie was talking with Pokey and Twilight Sparkle, to the right of the stairs, laying out the plan of attack with the former, while asking the latter to guard Town Hall. Bon Bon had Lyra locked in a hug, on the other side, demanding the unicorn’s safe return.
Green Grape was acting as the impromptu “leader” of the Farmer’s Union contingent, the whole of which had answered the summons, their expressions dour from the news and the thought of timberwolves rampaging through their farms.
Cloud Kicker nervously stood at the head of the Weather Patrol, flanked by Raindrops. Kicker looked about ready to pass out from the stress of the situation, but Raindrops was radiating enough confidence for two ponies.
The posse was rounded out by a collection of other townsfolk. Amethyst Star stood by Berry Punch, who was hitched to a cart of small wooden casks. Pinkie Pie, who was standing with Rarity, also seemed to have brought her own supplies; her saddle bags were bulging.
The last group was a mix of concerned Ponyville citizens, including such ponies as Windowpane, Silver Script (and his sledgehammer “Gentle Persuasion”), Heavy Roller and Caramel and a collection of workers from Sweet Apple Acres, donated by Applejack.
The sound of the doors to town hall clicking back open dragged Carrot Top’s attention back to it. Ditzy and Cheerilee trotted back out, followed by Ivory Scrolls. The Mayor’s appearance made Carrot Top do a double take.
She had somehow gotten her hooves on an antique military helmet. It, combined with her head held high, “mare on a mission” bearing...well, it was taking a great deal of restraint from Carrot Top to not snicker. The look wasn’t helped by the scale model of Ponyville she pushed along before her. She even had a collection of model ponies, most of them painted to match the coats of Ponyville’s citizens.
The expression on Trixie’s face mimicked the disbelief that Carrot Top was quite sure was on her own features. “Your honor.” She asked, waving a hoof at the miniature town, “What’s that?”
“Planning!” She beamed, “We’ve had enough creatures and other Luna knows what else hit our little town that I’ve decided to be more prepared.” She answered, motioning to the crowd, “Applejack, if you would be so kind?”
Applejack walked up the stairs of town hall, lasso slung across her breast. The assembled Ponyvillians focused their attention on the farmer. She was the closest thing the town had as an expert on the creatures.
“Alright everypony. As ah’m sure you’ve all heard by now, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were attacked by a timberwolf pack near her cottage. Fluttershy’s lost in the Everfree and we’re gonna go find her.”
Cloud Kicker’s hoof shot up.
“What happened to Rainbow Dash? Is she okay?”
“She was taken to the hospital.” Ivory Scrolls quickly answered, “For treatment on some wounds she received.”
“She’s letting herself sit behind while her friend is in danger?” Raindrops asked incredulously, “That doesn’t sound like her to me.”
“Well…”
- - - -
Rainbow Dash grinned goofily as her head sunk back into the pillow. Her hind leg was propped up, and wrapped in bandages. She had been very angry earlier, demanding to be let loose so that she could go and help...somepony.
But then one of the nurses had given her a shot, and everything...everything was just awesome.
“Daisy...Daisy…” She murmured, drifting off to sleep.
- - - -
“She’ll be fine.” Ivory grinned.
“Ah’ll right.” Applejack broke in, taking control of the meeting again, “We’re gonna do this by forming teams. The element bearers, the Farmer’s Union, some of my own farmhands and myself will head in on hoof.”
A round of acknowledgement rippled through the crowd, Ivory Scrolls sliding a bunch of pony figurines towards the forest, arranging them like a general. Applejack raised an eyebrow at that, but continued.
“The Weather Patrol will go by sky, with lanterns.” She continued, the mayor pushing more pony figures onto the map, ”That should help Fluttershy see them if she’s hidin’ in a tree or somethin’.”
“What about my group?” Red Splasher asked, leaning on his fire axe, “What do you want us to do?”
“Fire.” Applejack nodded, Ivory Scrolls placing tissue and streamer bonfires near the Everfree, “And lots of it! We need some big bonfires near the edge of the forest. If any of them get past us and the trap lines, ya’ll will give them a warm welcome. Now lets show those wolves why ya don’t mess with Ponyville!”
- - - -
“Did you have to bring your copies Carrot Top?” Lyra asked as they walked through the Everfree, shooting a few shifty glances their way. The clones seemed unconcerned, hopping along without a care in the world, “They kind of creep me out.”
“They’d try to come along and help anyway.” Carrot Top shrugged helplessly, “Better this way than if they just randomly showed up in the middle of something.”
“I suppose so.” Lyra sighed.
The element bearers and Applejack, representing the biggest guns in the posse, had gone straight to where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been ambushed. From there, they picked up the main trail of tracks, following it deeper into the forest. Trixie kept her horn lit, providing illumination for the group as they continued on. Ditzy Doo’s expression grew more and more agitated as they followed the trail.
“I hope she’s okay.” The mail mare sighed, her wings twitching, “There’s just...so many tracks.”
“It’s a big pack from the looks of it.” Cheerilee shrugged, “Though it feels like this one is active a little too early.”
“Ah know what you mean.” Applejack agreed, kneeling down to examine the tracks a little closer, “Though ah suppose some kind of bigger critter could have drove them towards Ponyville. Didn’t ya’ll run into fire drakes and such down south or somethin’?”
“Ugh.” Raindrops sighed, “Timberwolves are enough, thanks.”
They travelled onwards for a little while, falling into silence as they kept their ears peeled for any sounds of Fluttershy or her attackers. After walking for a bit longer, the group paused as the trail reached the banks of a small stream. The tracks entered the water, but didn’t seem to leave again.
“Ponyfeathers.” Trixie swore, kicking the ground, “They must have actually gone into the stream.”
Trotting to the edge of the stream, Carrot Top observed the flow of the water for a moment. “I’m guessing this is one of the streams that feeds the river we crossed to reach the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.”
“But they could have gone either way.” Applejack frowned, “We can’t rightly take the time to search each direction, and I’m not sure we should be splittin’ up when we don’t know where the pack is.”
“Agreed.” Cheerilee nodded, rubbing her chin with a hoof, “Maybe Raindrops can fly up and see if she can see anything?”
“I can give it a try at least.” The weather pony nodded, flitting into the air with a beat of her wings. She disappeared above the tree tops a moment later, leaving the rest of the group at the edge of the stream.
Silence fell over the group as they exchanged glances, Cheerilee eventually speaking up to break the quiet.
“Waiting in the Everfree while Raindrops looks around for a reference point.” She observed, a slight smile crossing her face despite the seriousness of the situation. “Deja vu anypony?”
“History might not repeat itself.” Lyra smirked, idly motioning to the forest around them, “But it does have a tendency to rhyme.”
Applejack paced along the edge of the stream, her body full of nervous energy and her tail swishing with agitation. “Ah just hope this trip ends as well as the last one did for ya.”
“What?” Raindrops dead panned, dropping back below the treeline, “Captured by Corona, with apparently useless elements?”
“Ah, well…” Applejack muttered, suddenly very interested in a pebble on the ground, “Ah was more referrin’ to what happened after that.”
“Oh!” Cheerilee grinned, pointing a hoof the farmer’s way, “You want the moments of personal revelation, followed by the heroic banishment of the great evil?”
“Ah suppose I do.” Applejack nodded back, “Makes for a better story then a bunch of ponies gettin’ lost in the woods.”
“I can agree with that.” Carrot Top added, tilting her head towards Raindrops, “Any luck?”
Raindrops nodded, jabbing a hoof upstream. “There’s a tree up river some. I could see it’s branches shaking like there was a full blown windstorm going on.”
As it was a very calm night, the implication was obvious.
Without a word, the group charged off, upriver. As they drew closer to the tree Raindrops had identified, the sounds of angry growls and barks reached their ears. They slowed, coming to a sight that was both strange and terrifying.
Fluttershy had taken refuge in a tree that was slightly taller than its fellows, the stream that they had followed here lazily coiling past it. The yellow pegasus was cowering among the highest boughs of the tree, whimpering as she looked down.
Her fear was well justified, for the timberwolves had started to strategize. They had formed up as a pile against the base of tree, and three of the creatures had used the pile of their fellows to climb into the tree itself. Their larger bodies and sharp claws were then allowing them to pull themselves closer to Fluttershy, almost using the branches like a ladder.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Trixie gaped, “They’re timberwolves, not trained acrobats!”
“Does it matter?” Raindrops dead panned, “I’m going to grab her before they do!”
Glancing back at her copies, a grin crossed Carrot Top’s muzzle. “Hold on Raindrops, let’s see if we can even the odds some.”
- - - -
Fluttershy whimpered, her wide eyes watching the timberwolves close in. They were just a few branches below her now. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the snap of the jaws to come.
An explosion of sound echoed through the forest, eliciting another yelp of fear from her. Opening one eye, she peered out at the woods to see what had caused the riot of noise. A surge of hope welled in her stomach at the sight of a familiar yellow and orange farm pony.
Carrot Top was then joined by another Carrot Top...and then yet another.
“Oh my.” She gasped, blinking at the four other Carrot Tops that joined the first three, “T-This is confusing.” Casting a glance at the timberwolves, she could see that they were all staring at the new arrivals, even the ones who had been climbing after her. “But better,... I-I guess.”
“Hey carrion breaths!” One of the Carrot Tops shouted, “Why settle for one scrap when there’s a whole buffet over here!”
“Buffet! Buffet!” The others chirped, bouncing in place.
The timberwolves didn’t need much more encouragement. With a combined howl that shook Fluttershy right down to her core, they surged away from the tree like a tidal wave of wood and leaves. The Carrot Tops turned tail and tore off through the forest, the timberwolves following close behind.
As the howls faded into the distance, Fluttershy blinked as a gray form of a mare crept to the base of the tree. “Come on Fluttershy.” Ditzy Doo smiled up at her, “Let’s get you back home.”
- - - -
The Everfree was a green and brown blur to Carrot Top as it whipped past her. She was galloping as fast as she could, alongside her copies. She could hear the pounding of the wolves feet on the ground behind them, adding a disjointed rhythm to their chorus of barks and growls.
Sparing a glance to her right, she could barely make out the forms of her friends, partially illuminated by Trixie’s magic, shadowing her bizarre procession. Making a beeline for Applejack’s traps, she just hoped that they’d be able to thin the numbers some before they reached there.
If they made it there.
Night made galloping through the Everfree an even more dangerous proposition. The darkness blanketed the undergrowth, hiding branches, divots and all other manner of things that could trip a pony. And with a startled yelp, one of the double’s hooves found a root that was partially exposed, crashing to the ground and tangling up one of her fellows in the process.
The timberwolves in the lead struck, pouncing upon them, jaws going straight for the copies throats. Crunching down, the timberwolves were not greeted by warm blood, but by twin explosions of water; the clones popping like water balloons. Carrot Top winced, not daring to stop as the other timberwolves flowed around them to continue the chase.
And then Trixie struck.
Leaping from the undergrowth her horn blazing, face scrunched up in determination, the illusionist dropped a billowing eruption of light, sound and magically constructed fireworks right in the middle of the pack.
Some of the timberwolves reeled, instinctively pulling back from the “fire”, isolating them from the rest of their fellows; the others heedlessly plowing on after Carrot Top. Taking advantage of the chaos, Cheerilee and Raindrops threw themselves into the group left behind.
Drops lashed out with a buck, her tremendous strength caving in the side of a wolf like it was made out of straw, rather than wood. She poured on the pressure, springing forward and smashing all four hooves into it. The creature collapsed to pieces, sending sticks flying every which direction.
One of the timberwolves snapped back at Cheerilee, it’s jaws closing around air as she flipped sideways over the strike. Landing neatly on her hooves she lashed out with a kick that sent her wolf stumbling into the remaining two.
A rapid staccato of lyre notes flowed between the threes, a flurry of sound lances smashing into the three tangled timberwolves. Lyra’s sonic assault splintered the wolves to bits, leaving the bit of forest quiet as the last notes of music faded.
“Guess I can’t complain about that training of yours after all Cheerilee.” Trixie grinned, “That was like clockwork. Now let’s catch back up with th-aaahhh!”
The remains of the timberwolves were pulling themselves together, moving towards one giant mass of plant matter.
“Break them more!” Raindrops shouted stomping on the sticks that moved, her strikes shattering them to splinters, “We can’t let them pull themselves together!”
- - - -
Carrot Top looked behind her again, her breathing beginning to become heavier from the exertion. The five remaining timberwolves were still on her tail and, frustratingly enough, didn’t seem to be tired at all; annoyingly so, neither did her copies, who were just running along like this was some kind of game.
The Everfree was beginning to thin. She had to be getting close to the trap line at this point. A stab of panic followed that realization.
Oh Luna! She thought. I didn’t help Applejack! I don’t know where the traps actually are!
“Carrot Top!” Applejack shouted, bursting from the under brush and falling into step beside her, “We need ta slow down! It’ll be hard enough ta see the traps as is!”
“You got a lantern in there?” Carrot Top asked, glancing at the apple farmer’s bulging saddlebags, “Cause without one I don’t see it making much difference.”
“Yeah. Ah’ll break it out if your doubles can run us some interference.”
Nodding, Carrot Top turned to her clones. “Distract them!” She shouted, pointing to the timberwolves.
Following their magical programming with glee, the copies turned and bounced towards the timberwolves. Ricocheting around like a bunch of rubber balls, the monsters snapped and chased at the obvious sources of movement.
Applejack quickly slid her saddlebags out, pulling out a lantern and some matches. The two farmers moved quickly, Carrot Top adding some oil to the lantern and Applejack quickly lighting it up.
Carrot Top glanced back at the timberwolves as they continued to snap at the clones. “What I wouldn’t give for a small army right now…” She muttered, snatching up the lantern in her teeth and motioning for Applejack to lead the way.
With Carrot Top holding the lantern, Applejack gave a sharp whistle at the copies. “Come on ya...uhh...ponies I guess! We’re movin’ out!”
Another round of howls signalled the return of the chase, as the timberwolves tore after the combined group of ponies and clones. Applejack turned, leading the group parallel to the edge of the Everfree.
“JUMP!” She shouted as they drew close to a pair of buried logs.
Carrot Top kicked off, sailing over the logs. A loud crunch rang out a moment later, a few splinters raining down on her. “Ha!” Applejack beamed at her handiwork, “Take that ya varmits!”
With a snarl one of the wolves pounced, bowling the mare over. Without hesitation, Carrot Top swung the lantern, smashing it down on the timberwolf’s back. Fire erupted across its form, merrily snapping and crackling as the wolf howled in rage, rolling on the ground.
Rolling upright, Applejack lashed out with a buck, her hooves just barely passing by Carrot Top’s head and colliding with the snout of the wolf that was trying to jump her from behind. Another came in on Applejack’s left side, Carrot Top kicking out with her own strike.
Water splashed on her back, a clone popping as it was attacked or tried to block the strike; she couldn’t tell which. Another crunch rang out, a wolf falling to pieces from another one of Applejack’s powerful kicks.
The next few moments dissolved into a chaotic tangle of motion for Carrot Top. Timberwolves darted in and she and Applejack fought back, lashing out with their hooves, headbutting, fighting tooth and nail to survive. Through the chaos, a howl rang out. Applejack and Carrot Top spun around, lashing out with a buck at the same time. Two sets of hooves hit home, the last wolf shattering to pieces from the strike.
Panting, the two ponies looked at their surroundings, then at each other. No more wolves, and one copy left standing next to them with a goofy grin. A smile crept across Carrot Top’s muzzle, a gesture that was mimicked by Applejack as she threw a hoof over Carrot Top’s withers. Before either one could stop themselves, they were laughing. Laughing in relief as the stress of the situation drained away.
“Hehe. Applejack...let’s never never get chased by timberwolves again, okay?”
“Ah think ah can agree with that.” Applejack smiled back, “But what are ya gonna do with your last double there?”
“I don’t know yet.” Carrot Top shrugged, “Didn’t realize that we had lost that many.”
“Well, that last scrap was confusin’.” Applejack blinked, rubbing her chin, “Ah know ah heard a...pop…” She trailed off, looking past Carrot Top, “...Ponyfeathers.”
Throwing herself forward, she tackled Carrot Top, pitching both ponies down the side of a small slope, a massive pair of wooden jaws slamming into the ground right where Carrot Top had been sitting a moment ago. Landing on her back, Carrot Top found herself nose to nose with an embarrassed looking Applejack.
“Errr...sorry about that.” She apologized, untangling herself, “But-”
A snarl rang out from the top of the slope, both farmers looking up at the truly massive timberwolf that now glared down at the pair of them, it’s jaws wet with water.
“So,” Carrot Top said, smiling nervously as she took a few steps back, “Remember that bit about never being chased by timberwolves again?”
“Ah do.” Applejack nodded, taking a few steps back herself.
“I think we’ll have to live up to that promise later.”
“Ah agree.”
“Run on three?”
“THREE!” Applejack shouted as the giant timberwolf threw itself forward, throwing herself to the right, while Carrot Top dove to the left. Its jaws closed around air, its snout impacting into the forest floor. When it looked up again Carrot Top and Applejack were already running for all they were worth.
- - - -
“Are you sure about that thing Pinkie?” Pokey Pierce asked, eyebrow raised at the party pony’s creation. It resembled not much more than an oversized slingshot, cobbled together from Luna knew what (was that a rubber chicken for the band?) that she had set into the ground a little way from the bonfire that cracked and popped near the edge of the Everfree.
Pokey’s bonfire was at the center of the line. Maintained by himself, Ivory Scrolls and Silver Script, the three had been surprised when Pinkie Pie and Berry punch appeared out of the darkness a few minutes ago.
“Uh huh!” Pinkie nodded, bouncing on her hooves, “I got the idea talking to Berry!”
Pokey looked to Ponyville’s resident bartender, who was stacking a series of small casks, rags stuffed into their spouts, next to Pinkie’s slingshot. The mare had quite a wide smile on her muzzle as she worked, which almost had him worried.
“So, Berry...what’s in the casks?” Ivory asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Brandy.” She responded simply, her grin spreading all the wider, “Cheap brandy that I got tricked into buying a few years back. So, consider this a charitable donation to the critters of the Everfree.”
“Huh?”
“It’s eighty percent alcohol. Whoever made this stuff added industrial alcohol to the mix so it’s practically undrinkable.” She sighed at Pokey’s continued stare, “It’s flammable, Pokey.”
“And since we don’t wanna get close to any bitey wolfies, I made this slingshot out of scrap wood and party supplies!”
“....That would explain the rubber chicken.”
“You just light,” Berry grinned, “And fire.”
Pokey opened his mouth to argue, when the sound of crashing and snapping branches reached their ears. Quickly grabbing one of the burning logs, he hefted it with his magic, preparing to defend Ponyville from whatever came from that forest.
He immediately regretted that bravado when the mother of all timberwolves crashed through the trees, chasing after the forms of Carrot Top and Applejack.
“Ponyville...present booze!” Ivory barked, jabbing a hoof towards the monster.
Stretching the slingshot back, Pinkie took aim at the giant wooden creature, tongue stuck out in concentration as Berry loaded a cask of the brandy, Pokey lighting the rag fuse. Pinkie toppled backwards as she let go, the wooden cask sailing through the air.
The small barrel crashed against the side of the timberwolf’s head, exploding into a roiling gout of flame that washed across its side. Howling in rage, it pawed at the flames, the targets of it’s chase forgotten.
Another barrel of brandy was loaded and lit, Pinkie aiming slightly lower this time before firing again. Whipping end over end, the barrel shattered against the breast of the creature, fire licking higher and brighter as more fuel was added.
Roaring, the timberwolf charged the bonfire, aiming to destroy the source of the pain, even as it shook its flanks in a desperate attempt to put the flames out. Burning branches and twigs were sent flying, dropping from the sky like a burning rain.
“Hit it again!” Carrot Top shouted, she and Applejack dodging the hail of flaming sticks as they ran onwards.
“Okie-doki-loki!” Pinkie grinned as Berry threw another cask into the slingshot. With another light from Pokey it flew straight and true. Hitting right between the timberwolf’s eyes, it crashed to the ground, clawing at its head before turning and loping back towards the forest.
The rubber chicken slingshot snapped once more, the last of Berry’s casks striking it from behind. Roaring in anger the timberwolf sped up, fleeing back into the Everfree, the glow of the fire growing distant, then disappearing completely.”
The scene was quiet for a moment, save for the crackle and pop of the fire.
“Well, that was fun!” Pinkie quipped, “Who’s for cupcakes?”
- - - -
Trixie gave a happy sigh as she walked through the streets of Ponyville, thoroughly pleased that last night’s insanity was behind them. The only injury had been Rainbow Dash, who would make a complete recovery from what she had heard and it had the unexpected side effect of solving the copy problem at the same time.
She had sent off a letter to Princess Luna, asking if she knew anything about this mirror pool. She suspected that her mentor would get back to her at her own convenience, with the initial problem dealt with.
The door to Sugarcube Corner cracked open, Ditzy Doo trotting out with a bag stuffed nearly to bursting with muffins balanced on her back.
“Morning Trixie.” She nodded, “You’re in good spirits.”
“Just glad that everything worked out.” She nodded, motioning to Ditzy’s parcel, “What’s with all the muffins?”
“Oh!” Ditzy smiled, “Cheerilee wanted to take another crack at the nature hike, with the real Carrot Top this time. Since it’s the weekend, I thought I’d tag along and bring muffins!” She tilted her head slightly, fixing her one good eye on Trixie, “You have any plans for the weekend?”
“Well, until I hear back from Luna about the Mirror Pool, I’m going to hook up with Lyra and Twilight and we’re going to do some more research on the thing. Work out some more of what it could do before it kind of broke down.”
“Not a bad idea.” Ditzy nodded, “I am kind of curious about that myself.”
“I’m just glad that the doubles are gone, and we can investigate it properly now. Anyway, I should probably get mov-”
A melodramatic scream reached their ears from down the street, both ponies turning to face the noise.
"Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!"
Trixie stared as mob of Carrot Tops ran down the main street of Ponyville, grinning like fools and repeating the same word over and over again. Ponies broke and scattered as they trampled everything before them, leaving destruction in their wake.
“I...think we might need to cancel our weekend plans,” Trixie told Ditzy, as the dozens of Carrot Tops bore down on them.
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So much action.
So much fun!
You know, at some point it's going to occur to one of the L!Six to ask themselves "Do they have a Mirror Pool in that weird other world and if so, who ended up using it?"
3950525
It is a legitimate question to ask. Somehow I can picture them tossing guesses at each other on who it was.
3950557
In terms of the poem, it's a little bit of both. I got the inspiration from AtFW, as well as the loose structure of the three stanzas. The rest of it came from my head in terms of "What would sound nice and creepy here?"
As far as the Carrot Tops...yes, that is an interesting question, now isn't it?
3950615
We could say the same thing about the Mane Six. After all, they're aware that the Luna Six had to deal with parasprites in their own way and would probably be curious about how they'd handle most of the things they do.
I guess one of the clone made it out alive and went to the pool to get more help?
3952773
>.>.....<.<.....*looks innocent*
At first, I was thinking that the queen in the poem is Majesty from G1, but I could be wrong.
3952773 Reading again, Carrot Top specifically asked for a small army and well...
Just had a mental image of Trixie telling the Carrot Clones to go help Corona.
3953555
I actually left the subject matter of the poem intentionally vague. Two of my pre-readers thought that it was Chrysalis, but I'm not saying one way or another!
...Mostly because there is no right answer at the moment.
3954013
Hey! We're trying to redeem Corona this season, not break her mind entirely!
That it's Lyra singing about how "Forever will you be missing" made that bit extra creepy...
While this was several kinds of awesome, I'm pretty sure that's not what they mean by "five rounds rapid."
In any case, great stuff, especially the fake-out falling action. That's the beauty of fanfiction, no 22-minute time constraint. I look forward to further Carrot clone catastrophes. I just hope Pinkie doesn't try to fight copies with copies...
3954945
Next season, then?
...my, what an utterly inappropriate emoticon. Unless it's Future Celestia.
Okay, that solution does work for the copies. *Tips hat* *No APplejack icon works without looking smug or weird* Dammit. *Legit angry*
Anyway... good action scene. Dash, you deserve a medal. Can she get one, please?[/legit] Great job all 'round.
3956087
Well, really, what kind of ancient legend about a horrible lost queen would be complete without some kind of creepy poem or prophecy?
Though an army of Pinkie Clones vs an army of Carrot Top clones....good god. I may be an insane fanfic writer, but I'm not *that* insane. Considering the nature of diminishing logic/brains with the Lunaverse Mirror Pool, I can't even imagine how completely bizarre Lunaverse Pinkie Clones would be.
3956192
Glad that I was able to meet your needs there RK! Debates about that episode can be problematic at times, so I really wanted to just do an end run around it.
Major supporting roles for pretty much all the L!M6 plus even more Carrot-clones, this picture I just found seems oddly relevant.
fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/029/7/a/my_little_carrot_top__fitting_it_all_in_is_quite_d_by_draikjack-d4nyy87.png
Also, since I think I forgot to comment the first time I read this chapter I'll add that I was rather surprised the incompetence of the first Carrot-clone wasn't a greater factor in the crisis. I'd have thought that the reason the timberwolves became an issue would have been due to the traps being flawed, not because they snuck in through the "backdoor", especially since as presented here AJ presumable NEVER sets up traps near Fluttershy's cortege and yet this kind of attack has never been a problem before.
Also, while I can commend you wanting to show off that the L!M6 can still be great ponies, I'm not sure we needed the fight scene with Rainbow Dash (though it's almost worth it for the follow-up gag with her in the hospital). The way you used the rest was all pretty much perfect though, so good work there.
Anyway, hope none of this sounded overly critical. I really did enjoy this chapter and the critiques listed above are really only minor nitpicks overall.
3967606
......Damn. That's honestly a good idea that completely slipped my mind there EB.
The implication I was more going for, and apparently failed to convey, is that Applejack and Ponyville had never had to deal with a pack this size before. Previous years, when it's been an issue, it was small groups or single wolves. A baker's dozen pack was a bit more than most ponies would be able to handle, I think.
Still, glad that you enjoyed the rest of it though!
3967817
Well, if you ever do a revised "special" edition version of this fic or some such, feel free to steal the idea.
3967901
I shall keep that in mind!
Though the draining effort from re-writing my very first fic (A Skitch in Time) has kind of been putting me off the enterprise of re-writing fics once they hit the state of being "done" in my mind.
Though, to be fair, the difficulty might be because that first one is so damn rough, being the first thing I wrote after a very long creative break. So, I can't rule anything out.
Aaand I'm rambling again!
3967963
No bother, I'm more than acquainted with the act of rambling myself, which is arguably the only reason I'm still talking at this moment even thought it holds little to no meaningful purpose and... well I think I've made my point.
Anyway, if you did ever decide to revise I don't think it would require any major rewrites, just change AJ's comment about never trapping the area near Fluttershy's cottage to AJ having given that task to the Carrot-clone, which has the added benefit of making sense since CT is friends with Fluttershy and so would be able to more easily hand over the to the timid pony (well or at least the real CT would, I shudder to think what kind of trauma the clone's overeager desire "help" might cause the poor girl). The implication that the traps in that area were subsequently defective can then mostly speak for itself.
...and um, like I said, I'm no stranger to rambling, so sorry if I'm starting to sound pushy or anything.
HOLY SHIT ATOP THE FOURTH WALL REFERENCE
Sithking Is Happy
Well, this was awesome.
That line made me picture a drugged up Rainbow Dash singing this:
Atop the Fourth Wall FTW.
Excellent action and Teamwork Ponyville this chapter.
Cap your Ah's. (you forget to cap 99% of them.).
________________
All (Ah'll = Ah will / Ah shall)
___________
delete (ya'll = you will)
___________
y'all
__________
Ah
_____________
IMO, it refers to Changelings, maybe even Chrysalis
either "downtown" (one word)
OR "down TO town )
To be fair, 4 of the original Mane 6 had redemptions already. Rarity never got a redemption yet (unless it's later on in the series and I just haven't gotten to it yet). Fluttershy never got a redemption either, but she never needed one.
You say that the "Queen" is left vague. But if you consider the evidence of the clones having a sort of hivemind, you could make the connection that maybe the Mirror Pool is in some way connected to the changelings, and the self proclaimed Queen being Chrysalis. I know that in the show, it's never actually been stated that the changelings have a hivemind. But that doesn't mean people don't realize that and will take advantage of it. I personally don't know (yet) if RainbowDoubleDash intends to give the changelings a hivemind or not.
Welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad timberwolves burn.
3950650
If they knew the Lunaverse Cheerilee well enough, they may be willing to guess that she'd use the Mirror Pool (and not just because of her being the Element of Laughter). I could even see her intentionally finding ways to play pranks that way.
3967963
3968055
Ah yes. The gift/curse of brambling. I am very familiar with that, which says a lot considering I am not much of a conversationalist. But when you get me going, you've opened up the floodgates. But when you think about it, isn't brambling one of the key components of brainstorming? And personally, I love a good brainstorming session.
7942542
Can't it also mean "you all"?
I know these are old comments I'm replying to. But I still have the desire to add my two cents.