First Impressions
“I thought it would be less terrifying during the day”, Twilight Sparkle commented as she examined the strange hoofprints in front of her door. “I was wrong. I can't believe that Spike and I survived meeting something with the power to do this.” She waved a hoof over the burn marks, sure that they would never go away.
“Y-y-yeah, m-m-me neither.” Spike answered from behind a bush. “Sh-sh-should we really b-b-be here? Wh-wh-what if she c-c-comes back?”
“Oh, if it really was the Black Unicorn, then I don't think it would matter where we are if she comes back.” Fluttershy gently answered him, hovering over the bush.
Spike glared up at her. “That doesn't make me feel better.”
“Spike!”
The little dragon ducked his head and mumbled an apology at Twilight's sharp tone, while Fluttershy apologized for being so negative. Twilight turned fully to look at her friends, her attention now on the problem of the Black Unicorn rather than the fright she had last night. With that shift her mind cleared and she began to see what they needed to do. “Spike. Send a letter to Princess Celestia. Ask her to send some of the teachers from her School for Gifted Unicorns to examine some potentially magical.....artifacts. Don't say anything else, I don't want to bias the results.” As Spike saluted and ran inside, Twilight turned to her land-bound friends. “Applejack, I want you to go to Zecora's hut and tell her that I need her help with some research. Take somepony with you, maybe Thunderlane or Stormbreaker. Don't tell her what I need her help with, but don't let her stay in the Everfree, either.”
“Why all the secrecy, Twilight?” Rarity asked as Applejack nodded and went in search of an escort.
“Because I don't want to cause a panic. You saw how I reacted, and I am not a flighty filly.” Twilight looked around, like she had lost something. “Besides, Zecora said something about the Black Unicorn feeding off fear, which is why your and Pinkie Pie's jobs are the most important.”
“DID SOMEPONY SAY THEY HAVE A JOB FOR ME!” Pinkie Pie dropped in out of nowhere, scaring Twilight and surprising everypony else. “I LOVE having a job. What'cha need me to do?” She sat down at Twilight's hooves and looked up at her expectantly, twitching every once in a while like an excited puppy.
Twilight gave a nervous laugh and backed up a few steps. “I need you to throw a party and make everyone forget about my behavior last night.”
“YIPPIE!” Pinkie Pie exploded up off the ground, turning cartwheels at the idea of being told to throw a party for the whole town. “Wait”, Pinkie stopped and faced Twilight, her head cocked. “I love throwing parties, it is my job after all, but why do you want me to throw a party when you and Zecora have to study?”
“Because I want everypony to be happy and relaxed.” Twilight answered, sounding serious and tense. “Call it a pre-Nightmare Night fun day. Rarity, I want you to help by offering your expertise with decorating and costumes to ponies at the party. It has to be natural and convincing, I don't want anypony suspecting that something might be wrong.”
“Ooohhh”, Pinkie said as she got back to her feet, “It's more of a pre-party craft-planning crafting party for all of Ponyville! Why didn't you just SAY so. Come on, Rarity, we have crafty crafting crafts to plan! La la lala la...” Everypony watched, confused, as Pinkie bounced away.
Rarity shook her mane a little and turned back to Twilight. “You are sure this is what you want us to be doing?” Twilight nodded. “Oh, alright”, Rarity relented, though she still looked doubtful. “Do call us if you need us.”
“Hey, what about us.” Rainbow Dash demanded as Rarity walked after the bouncing Pinkie Pie. “What are Fluttershy and I going to do.”
“You two are going to follow these hoofprints and see who, or what, scared me last night.”
Twilight said it in such a straight forward tone that for a moment Dash nodded in agreement. Then what Twilight was actually asking her to do hit her like a hailstone.
“Hold up, you want me and FLUTTERSHY to go into the Everfree Forest ALONE to look for something that leaves BURNING HOOFPRINTS?!?!?! Are you crazy?!?” Dash landed and started to examine Twilight's head. “Can you turn your head? How many hooves do you see?”
Twilight pulled her head out of her friend's hooves. “I'm fine, Rainbow. And I'm not crazy. Fluttershy knows animals, she'll know if something is wrong in there. She's the perfect choice. As for you, you are strong and fast enough to protect her if you two have to make a quick get away.” Twilight could tell that Rainbow Dash wasn't convinced yet, so she decided to try a different tactic. “Don't tell me that you're SCARED, Rainbow. Weren't you the one last night who kept saying that the Black Unicorn is fake?”
“I ain't scared of nothin'!” Rainbow Dash replied forcefully, taking to the air once again. “And I'll prove it! Come on, Fluttershy.”
Twilight watched as Rainbow practically tackled Fluttershy, tossing her over one shoulder, before flying off over the hoofprints. She rolled her eyes a little, sure that her friends would be just fine. Spike poked his head out the door of the library, holding a royal scroll in one claw.
“Princess Celestia wrote back. She says that the teachers will be here mid-afternoon.” He leaned on the door, looking somewhere between conspiratorial and guilty. “She also wants to know what you aren't telling her.”
“Hopefully nothing.” Twilight answered as she entered the library. “We'll know after the teachers are done. Come on, lets get started on that research...”
***
“I can't believe that Twilight would think I could be scared of something.”
Fluttershy rolled her eyes as her blue companion continued to complain. The pair had been searching the Everfree for almost an hour, still following the hoofprints. Sometimes they were dark, sometimes they were very light. Most of the time they were in the middle, though they told an interesting story. Neither pony was a tracker the way Applejack was, but they could follow a trail and knew what a headlong dash looked like, as well as a headlong tumble. And this trail was littered with traces of both. More than once Fluttershy had remarked that she thought that this Black Unicorn had been as scared of Twilight as Twilight had been of her. Rainbow Dash had laughed at that.
Fluttershy sighed as yet another squirrel ran away from her noisy companion. At this rate, they'd never get to ask a single creature what was going on in the forest. Abruptly, something changed. Fluttershy could feel it. She landed on a branch and looked around while Rainbow Dash continued to slowly fly forward, still complaining. As Rainbow Dash passed to the other side of a tree, Fluttershy realized what was wrong. The forest was completely silent. No movement, no sound. It was like every single living thing was holding it's breath. Rainbow Dash finally realized that Fluttershy wasn't beside her and doubled back, hovering in the air in front of her friend. “Hey, what's the hold up?”
“I don't know”, Fluttershy replied softly. “But everything has gone really quiet.”
“Quiet, shmiet.” Rainbow Dash replied, closing her eyes and spinning around in her arrogance. “It's a forest, it's always quiet unless something is chasing you. Oof.” Rainbow Dash had been flying forward with her eyes shut, but now she opened them to see what she had run in to. It was a neck. A long, black neck. Rainbow Dash backed up a little, tilting her head up to see who she'd hit, and found herself staring into a large red eye. "AAAAHHHHHH! BLACK UNICORN! AAAAAAHHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Rainbow Dash flew blindly as she screamed, bouncing off the trees and the ground like a ping pong ball. Fluttershy was similarly affected, her terror causing her to run in place as she hovered. When she finally got up enough speed to actually move, Fluttershy dashed headlong into a bunch of hanging vines, tangling herself up so tightly that she couldn't even move her hoof.
“Oh dear. Rainbow Dash, help me. Help me Rainbow Dash. RAINBOW DASH!” The butter-yellow pegasus cried and pleaded for her friend, but the presence she felt slowly approaching was not the panicked pony. Fluttershy was all-out sobbing now, pleading with the Black Unicorn to let her go. She cracked an eye and saw the Black Unicorn slowly raise her head, her horn poised to strike. Behind her, Fluttershy saw Rainbow Dash flying in a circle, still screaming. The gentle pony shut her eyes tight, sure she was about to die.
Swish - EEEEEeeeeee
Fluttershy squealed and thrashed as she felt the horn slice across her flank, ignoring the fact that the horn had also cut through two of the vines holding her. Moving faster now, the Black Unicorn moved to Fluttershy's front and swung her head twice, cutting through more vine and slicing the yellow pegasus' foreleg in the process. Stepping to her back, the Black Unicorn cut the last of the tough vines, only slicing Fluttershy's hind leg because the small pegasus wouldn't stop thrashing. Now free, the little pony moved faster than she ever had in her life. Fluttershy bolted forward, snagged Rainbow Dash's tail in her teeth, and bodily pulled the stronger pegasus above the tree line. Now clear of the trees, Rainbow Dash flew one more complete circle before making a beeline for Ponyville, Fluttershy still holding on to her tail.
Below them, the Black Unicorn watched their noisy exit through a hole in the foliage. She hadn't meant to sneak up on them, it wasn't her fault that she walked quietly and they talked loudly. She sighed. The blue one hadn't even given her a chance to open her mouth before freaking out, and she was sure that the yellow one had been crying too hard to hear a word she said. The little pony would probably think that she had tried to kill her, especially since she had the cuts to 'prove' it. With another sad sigh, the unicorn turned in the opposite direction and started walking. She didn't want to go deeper into the forest, not until she had learned more about how to use her magic to defend herself, but she didn't feel like she had a choice. She couldn't stay so close to the village without risking a full-blown panic. Deep inside, she could feel the Queen laughing at her, her mocking tones echoing in the distant bird song.
***
Crash
Twilight and Zecora looked up from their respective readings as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exploded through one of the Library's windows and into a sizable pile of books. Looking dazed, Rainbow sat up, one book balancing crazily on her head. Fluttershy was almost in worse shape, her hooves over her head and her jaws clamped tight around Rainbow's tail, with no sign that she was going to let go soon.
Zecora walked toward the duo with every intention of scolding them. “Silly ponies, I am not a maid...Quick! Twilight! Fluttershy needs first aid.” Zecora knelt next to the bleeding and terrified yellow pony, Twilight dashing up the stairs to get her first aid kit. Spike waddled up to Rainbow and took the book off her head.
“Gosh, what happened to you two?”
“What happened?” Rainbow Dash shook her head to clear it and glared at Spike. “What happened? I'll tell you what happened, Twilight sent us into a dangerous forest all alone!” She tried to get up to threaten Twilight directly when the purple unicorn reappeared with the first aid supplies, but Fluttershy still had her tail in a death grip. Rainbow settled for glaring daggers at her friend instead. “We were flying along, following the trail like TWILIGHT asked, when suddenly this HUGE unicorn steps out of NOWWHERE. I ran into her! Do you hear what I'm telling you Spike?” Rainbow picked Spike up off the ground and shook him. “I TOUCHED HER WITH MY FACE! I TOUCHED THE BLACK UNICORN WITH. MY. FACE!”
“These wounds are not from any thorn, so you did meet something with a horn”, Zecora said calmly as she cleaned and inspected Fluttershy's cuts. “But you are wrong about your head, other wise you would both be dead.”
“Dead?” Fluttershy dropped Rainbow Dash's tail and lifted her head. “Who's dead? Are we dead? I knew it, I'm dead.” Fluttershy covered her face with her hooves and started crying hysterically.
Zecora grabbed her ear and shook it to get her attention. “I said you WOULD have died, you silly foal. For there's no mercy in a heart of coal. These cuts you have are shallow all, you have gotten worse from a fall!” Fluttershy stopped crying and hid her face in embarrassment.
“Doesn't matter”, Rainbow Dash said with conviction, “it was the Black Unicorn!”
“What was the Black Unicorn?”
Everypony froze for a second before slowly looking over at the three most adventurous fillies in Ponyville. “My little ponies!” Twilight exclaimed as she found her voice and nervously walked up to them. “We...didn't hear you come in. Um, how long have you been in here?”
“Oh, not very long”, Sweetie Belle replied.
“Yeah”, Scootaloo added as she peaked around Twilight to try and get a better view of Fluttershy. “What'd we miss?”
“Nothing!” Twilight said, a bit too fast. “Just, um, a little accident. You know how dangerous it can be in a library! Heh heh....” Scootaloo didn't look convinced. None of the little ponies did. “So! What are you doing here instead of at the party? I hear it's a really great party.”
“It is”, Apple Bloom answered. “That's why we're here, ta see if we could get ya ta come.”
Twilight looked imploringly at her friends for help with an excuse, but none of them had anything to offer. She looked back at the fillies, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. “Well, um...we can't go because....because...Because we're having too much fun here! Yep, lots of fun! So...much...fun.....Woohoo?” Twilight's attempt at a cover ended in a squeaky cheer under the confused and disbelieving gazes of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Oooookkkaaayyyy. What'cha doin' that's so fun? Could we help?” Apple Bloom – the only one of the three who might believe her – asked, all three becoming excited at the chance to continue the quest for their Cutie Marks.
Twilight looked like she was going to have a nervous breakdown. Luckily, Zecora stepped up, shaking her mane at the three little ponies. “What we read is not for little eyes. Now off with you, go. Take to the skies.” The zebra put her head down and herded the fillies to the door, ignoring their protests. She pushed them out on to the stoop and the door closed with a resounding bang.
The three sat there for a moment before Scootaloo sprang to her feet. “Come on!” She ran to a window and locked her legs, getting ready for one of her friends to climb on her back. “Sweetie Belle, climb on and tell us what they're talking about.”
“I don't know”, the white unicorn answered, unsure. “What if we get in more trouble?”
“If you won't do it, Ah will”, Apple Bloom said with uncharacteristic force as she climbed up onto the orange pegasus's back. “Ah want ta see why Applejack's been so moody today.”
“That doesn't have to have anything to do with them”, Sweetie Belle pointed out as she pushed herself up against Scootaloo to help her stay steady.
“Shush, they're talkin'.” Apple Bloom pressed her nose right up against the glass as she watched the older ponies argue about something.
“What are they saying”, Scootaloo asked, her voice strained.
“Somethin' about the forest. An' danger. An'.....The Black Unicorn?” Apple Bloom looked up from the window for a moment, trying to put the pieces together, when she suddenly spied a flying chariot headed their direction. “Get down!”
The ponies dropped into an undignified heap, scrambling to get under a bush before the new ponies could see them. They just made it, the three peaking out to watch a group of four older unicorns and almost a dozen younger ones carrying equipment approach the library. The lead pony, a middle-aged dark blue stallion, knocked on the door. There was an air of confidence around him. Twilight opened the door and greeted the stallion with a happy smile.
“Headmaster Spell Nexus! Sir! I didn't think that Celestia would send you.”
The older unicorn smiled a small smile. “She would only send the best to help her star pupil. Now, where are these artifacts you need us to take a look at?”
“Behind you, actually.” Twilight looked a little embarrassed as she made her way past her former teachers, stopping at the path. “It's these hoofprints....They're....well.....I'd like your opinion on them.”
Spell Nexus walked over and put his head down to examine the burned path, a light blue stallion doing the same on Twilight's other side. “What do you think, Bastion?” Nexus asked his companion.
“I'm not sure, sir.” The light blue unicorn raised his head to look at Twilight. “Do you know what made these?”
Twilight looked very indecisive. “I have a theory, but I'm hoping that you can tell me more before I share it.” The two unicorns stared at her for a minute before finally nodding. Twilight sighed with relief, backing up to get out of their way. As she turned to go back inside, one of the other unicorns, a mare, caught her attention.
“Do you know how far the tracks go?” she asked, motioning to the trail.
“All the way into the Everfree”, Twilight replied. “The...creature that made them doesn't seem to be able to hide or cover them.”
Satisfied with that answer, the teacher let Twilight get back to her studies and started supervising the set up of the equipment. The three little fillies pulled their noses back into the bush and stared at one another, excitement shining in their eyes.
“Zecora's story is true”, Scootaloo breathed, “the Black Unicorn is real.”
“And she came back last night”, Sweetie Belle continued.
“An' scared the horseshoes off of Twilight an' Spike”, Apple Bloom finished. She looked at her friends. “Are ya thinkin' what Ah'm thinkin'?” The other two nodded and all three took a big breath to shout their normal Cutie Mark battle cry when a crash and a few angry shouts reminded them that they needed to be quiet.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Black Unicorn Catchers. Yay.” the trio whispered as they gently hoof-bumped. Apple Bloom held the back of the bush open for her friends before jumping out herself, the trio galloping as fast as their little legs could take them for the Everfree and, hopefully, their Cutie Marks.
***
“This is taking FOREVER.”
Scootaloo kicked at a rock as she walked with her friends, a bored frown etched onto her face.
“What did you expect?” Sweetie Belle asked from her side. “That the Black Unicorn would just be waiting for us to capture her? Speaking of....How ARE we going to capture her?”
“Oh, you worry too much.” Apple Bloom smiled back at her more practical friend. She jumped up on a low hanging branch, bending it down. “We just – Arrgh – lure 'er in...an' – Mmph – an'...then – SPROING – WOAHHH!!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle jumped out of the way as Apple Bloom went soaring between them, sliding along the ground and coming to a stop at the base of a tree. They crowded around as she sat up, her eyes going a bit crossed. “See? Jus...Just like that...Whooo.”
“That could work”, Sweetie Belle admitted as she gave the yellow earth pony a hoof up, “but how are we going to get her back to town?”
“Guys”, Scootaloo gulped, her eyes on a spot just over Sweetie Belle's shoulder. “We have bigger problems.”
“What could be bigger then gettin' our Cutie Marks?” Apple Bloom asked, looking over her shoulder. “Oh”, was all she managed when she saw the pack of Timberwolves. The lead Wolf snarled at the three fillies, taking two steps forward before it charged. On instinct, Apple Bloom kicked her hind legs out, bucking it in the jaw. “RUN!” she yelled. Her friends didn't need to be told twice.
The three fillies screamed and tore through the forest blindly, losing the trail and all sense of direction other than away from the predators. The Wolves, baying and snarling, were hot on their heels. It wouldn't be long until the larger creatures caught the small ponies, and all of them knew it. Apple Bloom glanced over her shoulder to see how close the Wolves were and missed a root sticking out of the ground. She let out a panicked scream as she tumbled head over heels, sliding several feet into a small clearing before her forward momentum was spent. The Wolves saw her go down and slowed, growling as they stalked their young prey. Almost on the other side of the clearing, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle noticed that their friend wasn't with them and turned, fear rooting them to the ground when they saw how close the Wolves were to her. There was no way they could get to her in time.
Apple Bloom panted as she watched the lead Wolf, the same one she'd bucked earlier, slowly get closer, it's foul breath stinging her nose. As it opened it's mouth to gobble her up, a piercing whinny echoed out of the surrounding forest. All eyes turned as a huge black unicorn barreled out of the underbrush, her red eyes flashing as she broadsided the Wolf, knocking it off it's feet. She stood over the tiny earth pony and reared, challenging the Timberwolves. One of the less-bright Wolves attacked her head on. She reared up and smashed it into splinters, snorting and shaking her mane at the rest of the pack. The other two Wolves circled her, looking for an opening and forcing her to twist and turn to keep both of them in view. Underneath her black belly, Apple Bloom kept herself low to the ground as she watched her rescuer's large white hooves. She didn't want to get stepped on by accident. Suddenly, both Wolves attacked, one from each side. They hung on the large unicorn's withers as she bucked and twisted. The Black Unicorn finally let herself step away from Apple Bloom, leaping sideways to smash one of the Wolves against a tree. The other Wolf growled and snapped at her flowing mane, digging it's claws deeper into her flank. With an angry whinny, the unicorn reached back and took a hold of the Timberwolf's ear with her teeth, jerking her head sharply. The Wolf howled with pain as she tore it's ear right off and lost it's grip. The unicorn spun around as it slid off, bringing her front legs up for one more powerful stomp. The enraged Wolf snarled and struck for her exposed belly, but it wasn't fast enough to escape her hooves.
The Black Unicorn snorted and crunched over what had once been the Timberwolves, stopping at the still crouching Apple Bloom. She put her giant head down by Apple Bloom's small one, watching the shivering filly. “Are you alright?” she asked in a surprisingly gentle voice. Apple Bloom licked her dry lips, trying to answer, when a creaking noise caught both of their attention. They looked up and watched as the splinters of the Timberwolves glowed, connecting together to create an even larger Timberwolf. The Black Unicorn furrowed her brows and stepped in front of the filly, glaring up at the monster. It opened it's eyes and roared down at her. In response, the unicorn ran forward two steps and jumped, burying her long ebony horn into the giant Wolf's chest. The Wolf took a step back, confused by this turn of events. The unicorn shook her head and pulled her horn back out, greenish smoke leaking from the hole. As the Wolf tired to process what was happening, the Black Unicorn bucked, completely destroying one of it's front legs. The Wolf made a panicked sound as it hopped on three legs, trying to keep it's balance. The unicorn reared and whinnied, kicking her front legs at the now defeated monster to spur it on it's way. It worked. The last glimpse Apple Bloom got of the giant Timberwolf was of it limping as fast as it could into the Everfree, it's tail tucked firmly between it's legs.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran up to Apple Bloom. “Are you alright?!?” Sweetie Belle demanded. Apple Bloom nodded mutely, her eyes transfixed on the tall unicorn who was still watching the Everfee, alert for any more danger.
Scootaloo followed her gaze. “Did what I think happened really just happen?”
“I think so”, Apple Bloom finally managed. “I think I was just rescued by the Black Unicorn.”
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Hey guys, Golden Oak here.
Anyway, the new chapter should be out soon.
I was Proofreading the new chapter and hit the save button. Then, out of habit, I immediately hit the Publish button before the new chapter was finished. Sorry about that...