Wrath Of The Jabberwock

by Mr. Grimm

A Bompsterous Addition To The Team

“Hey Twilight, what kind of a tree is that?” Twilight looked down at the sea of treetops beneath them, and gave a drawn out sigh.

“Which one?”

“That one!” cried Pinkie as she pointed a pink hoof at a tree with big drooping branches.

“That’s a willow tree,” replied the unicorn as she turned back to the series of ropes and pulleys that she had outfitted on the front of the basket. These were attached to a large, kite-like canvas that billowed in the wind, pulling them forward. Since they would need a great deal of speed in their journey, Twilight had managed to jurry-rig a sort of sailing system that allowed them to ride on the wind currents. This proved effective as they had traveled a great distance since their take off earlier that morning, but it was difficult trying to stay on course as the winds didn’t always want to go where Twilight wanted to.

“Pinkie,” said the unicorn as she pulled in a rope that was coming loose, “Could you help me tie this off, please?”

“Of course, Twilight,” came the cheerful reply as Pinkie grabbed onto the rope, “Hey, I was wondering, what kind of evidence are we looking for?”

“Well,” responded Twilight as she struggled to keep the rope in place, “Anything that somehow connects all the towns that are being attacked, like if they mostly have buildings that are painted the same color, or if they have any bells that ring at the same pitch. Something like that.”

“And you said we’d be searching anywhere we’d find damage?” asked the armored mare as she looked over the side of the basket.

“Yes,” grunted Twilight as she finished the knot with a hard tug.

“Then how ’bout there?” Twilight followed her friend’s outstretched foreleg to see a ramshackle wagon overturned in a ditch, looking as though it had been kicked from the road by some gigantic creature. Twilight’s eyes went wide as her mouth fell open.

“Hold on, Pinkie!” cried the mare as she ran towards the burner and pulled on the cord. The balloon slowly started to drop from the sky. As it did, however, the basket was suddenly jerked forward as the sailing apparatus went slack. The two ponies cried out as they were thrown against the edge, nearly toppling overboard.

Despite this setback, they managed to land in relative safety not far from their desired destination. The moment the basket touched the ground, Twilight jumped out started heading for the wagon.

“Hey Twilight, don’t you need to bring your instruments and stuff to gather data?” Pinkie called out as she held up a magnifying glass.

“No time!” cried the unicorn, “Sompony could be hurt!” Pinkie Pie suddenly leaped out of the basket and shot after her friend, now looking just as concerned.

“I hope not,” she said as she caught up along side her, “’Cause I don’t know anything about being a doctor!” By now they had reached the wreckage, and as they approached Twilight heard something that made her pause. Emanating from the wagon was a series of heavy, heart-wrenching sobs. Now even more concerned, the mare rushed forward and opened the door, which fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Peering inside, she saw that everything sat full in a jumbled heap on the wagon’s side. The broken frame of a rickety old bed lay beneath the mattress, which was torn open to reveal a multitude of rusted springs and old hay. A small trunk was overturned, its lid open and its contents scattered across the wagon. Through and through, it was a mess, but the only thing Twilight noticed was the shivering bundle of blankets that sat in the farthest corner, letting out a loud sob with each shudder.

“Hello?” called the unicorn as she started to climb in, “Are you okay?”

“Go away!” bawled a voice that made Twilight freeze as she stepped over the trunk, almost slipping on a cluster of little red balls. There was no mistaking that horribly obnoxious voice, even when it wasn’t spouting off self praise.

“Trixie?…” Twilight gasped, her eyes agape, “Is that you?”

“I said g-go away!” wailed the voice. By now Pinkie Pie had also entered the ruined cart, and peered curiously at the blubbering bundle of blankets. Twilight edged closer to the hidden figure until she was only a foreleg’s length away. In one swift motion she pulled the blankets away.

Nestled within a mass of tattered sheets was the most miserable looking unicorn Twilight had ever seen. She was curled in a fetal position, and where here head lay was a considerable puddle of tears. Twilight saw the mare was cradling what she at first took to be a small animal in her forelegs. Upon closer inspection she realized that it was a shabby teddy bear. The mare kept it pressed tight against her chest as she trembled uncontrollably, all the while crying like a foal. She suddenly gave out a piercing howl as a bright flash lit up the dark confines of the wagon. Twilight looked over at Pinkie, who held up a camera in her hooves.

“Pinkie!” snapped Twilight, “What are you doing?”

“Gathering evidence,” replied the earth pony, “It’s obviously the work of the Jabberwock! I thought you said you wanted everything documented?”

“L-leave me alooonne!” screamed Trixie, although it was quite hard to understand her as she was choking on the mucus that was gushing out of her nose. Twilight took a step back, as it was somewhat odd to witness a fully grown mare bawling like a little filly. But it was understandable for the unicorn to be acting in such a manner considering what Twilight suspected happened to her.

“Trixie,” Twilight asked, her voice heavy with caution, “Did you see the Jabberwock?” The words were barely out of her mouth before Trixie screamed and pulled the blankets back over her head. Twilight now had confirmation that Trixie had encountered the beast, and while excited to have a first-hoof account, she felt pity for the witness.

“Aw, it’s okay Trixie,” said Pinkie as she patted the unicorn’s back, “Don’t worry about it. There’s lotsa times I've been scared, but I got over it!”

“I wasn’t scared!” snapped the blue unicorn from beneath the blankets.

“Of course you were,” Pinkie said with unprecedented cheer, “Everypony’s scared of the Jabberwock! Even the Princesses are afraid of him. You’d have to be a silly-filly not to be!” Trixie let out a lowly moan as she turned away, and continued to wallow in her copious amounts of self-pity.

“Trixie,” said Twilight, trying her best to speak a comforting tone similar to Princess Celestia’s voice, “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

“Safe?” cried the blue unicorn, “Safe? Nopony is safe from that thing!” She broke off into a series of sniffles. Twilight sighed. Trixie looked absolutely pathetic. It was almost hard to believe only a few months ago she had the pride of a hundred mares. But this brought a rather disturbing thought into Twilight’s mind. That Jabberwock had been terrifying enough to shatter Trixie’s ego. Just how bad was this thing?

The purple unicorn pulled the blankets off of the magician’s head. Trixie looked up at the two mares, her eyes full of shame.

“Trixie, we’re looking for clues about why the Jabberwock is attacking. We need to hear what you saw.” Trixie once again pulled the blankets over her head and hid away from the world. Twilight and Pinkie looked at each other.

“I don’t think she’s going to tell us,” said Pinkie, “She seems kind of down in the dumps.”

“You may be right,” Twilight sighed grimly. She looked back at the distraught unicorn. But just as she was about to turn and head for the door, an idea struck her.

“Okay Trixie, if you don’t want to tell us, that’s fine,” said the purple mare, “But you’d be doing Equestria a great service.” The bundle of blankets rose up slightly as the blue unicorn poked her head out.

“What?…” sniffed Trixie. Twilight managed to hide a smile, as her plan was working.

“Well, if we manage to piece together why the Jabberwock is attacking, you’ll be credited with helping us stop the fiercest creature ever to roam Equestria.” Trixie was now out of the blankets, her puffy, red face intrigued.

“You mean…I can still be a hero?” she mumbled. Twilight nodded, and saw a familiar spark in the unicorn’s eyes. The bookish mare had mixed feelings on using Trixie’s pride to get information, but reasoned that she was helping Trixie get out of her fear-induced misery at the same time.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie accepts your offer,” said the magician as an air of pomposity returned to her voice, “And shall tell you of how she stood up to the fearsome Jabberwock!” Twilight suppressed a grimace, as she only now realized what she had done.

“But first,” added the blue unicorn, “You must promise to take Trixie with you on your quest for knowledge.” Twilight took on the same look she had when Pinkie asked to come along.

“Ooh,” said Pinkie, “More ponies? Hey Twilight, maybe now we can have a party on the balloon!” Trixie’s eyes widened as she heard this.

“Balloon?”

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