Draconequus

by cheezesauce

Signs and Symbols

Ooo Signs and Symbols ooO

Symbols... creatures... and a book about a dreadful hunter of the night.

Twilight paced round and round inside the Carousel Boutique. A day and a half had passed, but there was still no response from Princess Celestia.

How long more will it take? How long more before the creature strikes again?

“Calm down Twilight,” she muttered to herself. “You need to relax.”

Twilight continued her pacing, her hooves rhythmically clacking against the hard marble floor. She couldn’t relax. Not when there was some monster after her, hungering for every last drop of blood in her veins. There had to be something that she could do at the moment.

Sitting nearby on a plush sofa, Rarity gave a concerned look. “Twilight, perhaps it would make you feel better if we head down to talk to our friends? They might have some ideas on what to do.”

Twilight stopped abruptly. Her friends! She needed to warn them about this. They were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Together, they had overcome countless challenges all on their own, ranging from hydras to dragons all the way down to the tiny but destructive parasprites. Together, they would be able to fend off this new threat.

“Rarity! You’re right!” Twilight grabbed the unsuspecting unicorn from the sofa and spun her around. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about that earlier! We need to warn the others and prepare the Elements of Harmony.” She paused for a moment. “We should get moving at once.”

Rarity shook her head to clear the dizziness away. “You mean, right now?”

“Yes of course, Rarity. Right right now. There’s no point waiting here any longer.”

“Well, alright then. I suppose we could pick up Sweetie Belle from her school on the way. She’s going for a day of adventuring at Sweet Apple Acres. Let me grab some things and I’ll be ready to go.”

Half an hour later, the pair left the designer dress shop, walking side by side, beginning their long journey east towards Sweet Apple Acres.

---

“Apple Bloom! For the last time, stop yer mucking around out there and come have lunch. The food’s getting cold!” Applejack yelled, propping herself up on the farmhouse window. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she scanned the apple orchard for her younger sister. There wasn’t hide nor hair of that young filly, but Applejack knew she must be hiding somewhere among those apple trees.

“Just a minute, big sis!” yelled back a faint high-pitched voice, coming from a distance away. “I found something really cool over here!”

Applejack snorted in disbelief. Her sister’s version of ‘something really cool’ tended to range from large bugs to oddly shaped apples, and judging from where the voice came from, she wouldn’t be back for lunch anytime soon.

Applejack dragged her forehooves off the window sill, turning around and heading towards the dining table. She would deal with that filly later, when she gets back. The rest of her family was already gathered for lunch.

“Apple Bloom is still playin’ round in the orchard,” Applejack announced as she took a seat.

A delicious feast was laid out on the table in front of her: crunchy apple salads, apple oatmeal sandwiches fresh from the oven, some of Apple Bumpkin’s leftover apple bumpkin, and a freshly baked apple pie for dessert.

“Ah... fillies these days,” Granny Smith began wistfully. “I remember when ah was a filly, ah used to run all day around the barn! Day an’ night ah played, full of energy and not a worry on my bloomin’ mind. An’ there was this one day I found a funny lookin’ worm which I showed to mom and dad, and another day I found some odd little creature... ” Granny Smith continued to ramble on with her story, not knowing or caring that nopony was listening to her, rocking on her squeaky old rocking chair as she spoke.

Applejack filtered Granny Smith’s voice to the back of her mind until it turned into an incessant drone. Feeling a little guilty, she glanced at her brother across the table. The giant red stallion sat motionless in his seat, playing on his natural poker face.

Applejack blinked a few times at him. Sometimes she felt that her brother was a little on the odd side.

“Uh... whelp,” she began uncomfortably. “Let’s dig in, shall we?” She began to load the salad onto her plate.

The farmer scooped a heaping spoonful of greens into her mouth, munching on the leaves and various pine nuts. The dressing matched perfectly, giving the leaves a light, tangy flavour that seeped onto her tongue. It was just the right proportion of leaves and stems, giving the salad gave a pleasant crunch without being too fibrous. Applejack shovelled another spoonful into her mouth.

“Mmumph... thish shalad is reaully good.”

Granny Smith stopped with her story and gave a proud smile. “Yer got that right, young lady! This is yer Granny’s favourite recipe, an’ it’s the best every time.”

“Eeyurp,” Big Mac added.

Finishing her plate of salad, Applejack moved on to the sandwiches. She had decided to give the apple bumpkin a miss, unable to recall the last time Apple Bumpkin had actually visited them, let alone bringing apple bumpkin along with her.

Two sandwiches later, her stomach felt ready to burst. But she caught sight of the delicious, creamy, sugar-coated apple pie. A few minutes later, an extra large slice of pie was added to her stomach, and Applejack decided that she had enough apples to last a lifetime.

Ugh, so much apples, she thought, heaving her bloated stomach off the chair and lumbering past Apple Bloom. The filly had just slipped into the room and begun on her meal. Applejack gave her a sharp glare before moving to the front porch of the farmhouse.

Perhaps walking around a bit would help in digestion.

...Do apples digest well?

Applejack reached the large red stable doors that made the entrance to the farmhouse. Rearing up on her hind legs, she balanced her weight comfortably on top of the half-doors. A pleasant breeze blew lightly against her mane, causing a few strands of coarse hair to fall over her eyes. She casually brushed them away with a hoof.

Being built on a hill, the farmhouse offered a great view of the surrounding landscape. Across the expanse of grassland, white Lalang flowers danced in the wind, forming specks of white among thick grasses that grew up high up to the knee. Further in the distance, she could make out the gray stone of one or two other farmhouses. Beyond that, the massive red and white dome of the Ponyville town hall peaked above the clusters of tiny straw-colored houses, gleaming against the scorching midday sun, marking out the heart of Ponyville.

Her gaze drew back to the farm, tracing the long, winding dirt path that cut through the grasses and connected the farm to the rest of town.

Applejack noticed three colorful ponies moving along the track. The first was a small white filly bounding excitedly on the path, and close behind her strolled a pair of unicorns, one purple and one white.

Applejack felt a grin appearing on her face. She could have recognized that pair of unicorns from anywhere in Equestria. The purple one had a distinct straight cut mane, and the pearl white one had a brilliant purple mane and tail. Applejack snorted, even able to notice the pearl white unicorn’s elegant gait at this distance.

That’s her all right.

“Apple Bloom,” she called back to the dining table, “We have visitors coming. Hurry up and finish yer lunch!”

---

An hour later, Applejack was gathered together with Twilight and Rarity around the dining table. Big Macintosh had gone out to work on the farm, while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had galloped off to see the ‘really cool something!’ from earlier on.

“So, how have y’all been?” Applejack began, “Twi, I hope you’re not fussin’ over all those books as usual.” She noticed the grave look on the her face. “Twi? Somethin’ wrong?”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Applejack, I am in deep trouble, and I need your help. Something really bad is happening.”

Applejack could feel a bewildered look forming on her face. “Uh, what now?”

As if on cue, Rarity raised a hoof to her forehead and let out a little wail. “It’s horrible, it’s scary, it’s the worst. Possible—”

“Twi,” Applejack began impatiently. “Ah hope this isn’t one of yer I’ve-got-no-time-to-reschedule-my-schedule problems again. Because the last time ya went all crazy over it.” She rubbed her temple as she recalled the event. “It wasn’t pretty.”

“No! It’s much more serious this time. It’s... it’s... urrrhhh...” Twilight dragged a hoof across her face in frustration. “It’s really bad. I was attacked by some creature.”

There was a brief moment of silence, before Applejack slowly raised an eyebrow at her. “You were attacked... by a creature?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of creature?”

“I... I don’t know.”

“What did it look like then?”

“Well, I couldn’t see it clearly.”

At that moment, Rarity chipped into the conversation. “Please Applejack, you’ve got to believe her. I would admit that I too was a bit skeptical to begin with, but I am utterly convinced now, and... well, scared.”

Applejack took a moment to consider it all. “Ah dunno Twi, this all seems a little out of the blue. Ah mean, there's a mighty lot of monsters in the Everfree forest, but shouldn’t other ponies be aware if there’s one of ‘em’s lurking around town?”

“Okay okay, I’ll tell you everything I know and then we’ll work things out from there. Let’s see...”

The lavender unicorn scrunched up her face as she tried to recall the facts. “First I woke up to the sound of something big rummaging around in my library, right in the middle of the night. And then the next morning I found symbols on the wood, which happened to match up with this old book right here.”

She undid the delicate star-shaped metal clasp of her saddlebags, levitating out the old black book and floating it across the table.

Applejack plucked it out of the air and raised it up in front of her, examining the large gold block letters engraved on the cover.

“I read some rather disturbing passages from it, which I think are actual facts. I have written a letter to Princess Celestia informing her of this. She has yet to respond.”

Applejack … “Uhh, you trust this book, Twilight?” From its appearance, Applejack wouldn’t have trusted one word of it. The book looked as if it had been trampled on by somepony, buried underground, and dug out a decade later. She wondered if the pages would drop off if she held it in her hooves for too long.

“Yes, of course,” the unicorn said, giving a nervous gulp, “...some of the stuff that has happened matched up with the passages in it.”

Applejack was reluctant to depend on some old tome from Celestia knew where. She vaguely remembered some age-old saying about not judging books by their covers, but she brushed it off.

“If there’s anypony I would go to for a problem like this, it’d be the police. Twilight, we should get you there. They deal with this stuff all the time.”

“Well, I think we should see what Fluttershy has to say,” Rarity began. “She has got to be the best when it comes to strange creatures. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to pay her a visit, would it? We have to let the others know what’s happening too.”

Applejack nodded slowly. “Hmm, yes we should. There’s something else I want to ask that filly. You know, the two of us were supposed to have tea earlier today, but she never showed up. It’s not like Fluttershy to fall out on me like that.”

“Alright then,” Twilight said, levitating the book back into her saddlebags and locking the clasp. “Let’s head off to Fluttershy’s.”

---

Sweetie Belle trudged through the thick, coarse grasses between the farmhouse and the apple orchard, careful to avoid the dark patches of half-dried mud. Apple Bloom was yards in front, racing ahead of her in excitement.

Sweetie wished that Apple Bloom would slow down. Beads of sweat were starting to form on her forehead, and her coat felt hot and sticky. She squinted up at the fiery afternoon sun above her, and then back down when the light burned her eyes.

“So what’s this ‘really really cool thing’ you wanted to show me, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle called out, wiping her forehead dry. At least she would be under the shade of the apple trees soon.

“I can’t just tell you that! You’ll have to see it for yerself.”

Sweetie hopped over a rotting tree trunk. She was entering the orchard, and it was about time she did! The sunlight was beginning to scorch her coat, and that made her feel as if she was wrapped with a particularly scratchy blanket. She stumbled under the shade of the apple trees, her hooves caked in mud. With Apple Bloom still way ahead of her, Sweetie Belle struggled to catch up.

“Will you give me a few tries to guess what it is?” she asked. Beneath her hooves, the coarse grass began to thin out, making for the trees.

“Sure,” Apple Bloom said, slowing her pace down. “Here’s what we’ll do. You ask me a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, and I’ll give you a simple ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer. Nothing more, okay?”

“Okay. Let me think.” Sweetie pondered for a little while. “Is what we’re looking for... big?”

“Nope!” Apple Bloom laughed. “I’ll give ya two more tries. If not it’ll never end.”

Sweetie Belle smiled. She didn’t need two more tries. There were only a few things that were small, found in an apple orchard, and lame enough for Apple Bloom. She sped up to a trot, finally reaching up to her yellow-coated friend.

“I know what it is! I bet it’s some boring bug or insect.”

“No it isn’t,” Apple Bloom said. “Bugs are lame. One try left. Hey, we haven’t decided what you’ll do if you lose.”

“Well, we haven’t decided what you’ll do if I win,” Sweetie Belle countered.

She began to look around the orchard for inspiration. There were apple trees on all sides, and nothing but apple trees further up.

So much for inspiration, Sweetie thought sulkily.

The ground was covered by fallen leaves. Occasionally, she found bright red apples peeking out, their color contrasting against the dull brown of the soil. Pulling her mind back on track, she focused hard about what Apple Bloom could possibly have discovered. There wasn’t much to see in the orchard besides for bugs and apples. Perhaps it had something to do with apples.

“We’re here,” Apple Bloom announced.

Sweetie Belle broke off her thoughts, raising her head up and looking around. Trees were all around her as usual. “Huh? I don’t see anything special.”

“No, it’s over here.” Apple Bloom waved towards a small bush.

Animal, bug, or fruit, Sweetie Belle guessed. Curious about what could possibly be hiding there, Sweetie Belle made her way over, standing beside Apple Bloom. Her friend nudged the leaves, grinning excitedly.

“What’s that? I can’t see it.” Sweetie Belle stretched her head into the bush, pushing away at the branches. At last, she managed to get a good look at the strange round object inside.

“A gray apple?”

Sweetie Belle blinked a couple of times, staring at it. There it was, the ‘really cool something’, nestled amongst the rotting leaves, similar to an apple in every way except its shade. She rolled the fruit out of the bush, moving it around several times and giving it a close inspection.

“I’ve never seen a gray apple before.”

“Heh, me neither,” admitted Apple Bloom, scratching the side of her head.

“But it’s still pretty boring,” said Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom gave a shrug, and then her face lit up with an idea. “Let’s break it open!”

“Good idea!” Sweetie looked around, quickly finding a sharp, flat stone which she levitated over to Apple Bloom. “Here, use this.”

“Maybe we’ll find some sort of treasure inside, like what happens in those stories that Granny used ‘ta read to me when I was much little.”

“Littler,” Sweetie Belle corrected.

“That’s not even a word.”

Sweetie Belle brought a hoof to her forehead in frustration. She levitated up and stone and prodded Apple Bloom with it. “Let’s just cut open that apple.”

“Okay.” Apple Bloom picked up the stone, holding it firmly in her jaws. With her mouth full, she had to mumble from the side of the stone. “On ‘er count of ‘hree?”

Sweetie Belle nodded at her.

“Onee... Two... ‘hree!”

Apple Bloom brought the stone down swiftly, striking the apple right in the middle and splitting it into two clean halves, exposing its insides clearly. She dropped the stone with a soft thud.

“Whoa! It’s like completely, completely gray.”

Similar to its skin, the rest of the apple was gray—flesh, seeds, and everything else inside. The two halves lay on the ground, as if the very essence of its color had been sucked out.

Sweetie Belle eyed the drops of gray apple juice trickling from it. “Now that’s cool. A little creepy, actually.”

“Psh, this? Creepy?” Apple Bloom scoffed. She grinned, giving Sweetie Belle a playful nudge. “Yer becoming a bit of a chicken, like Scootaloo. I bet this little thing here is as harmless as a heart-shaped leaf.”

Sweetie raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

“Well then, Apple Bloom ever so strong and mighty. Are you up for a challenge?”

Still wearing a big grin on her face, Apple Bloom lowered her head and put a hoof to her chest, speaking in a low voice. “The mighty Apple Bloom accepts yer challenge, for there is nothing she can’t handle.”

Sweetie Belle picked up a halve, noticing a trickle of gray apple juice oozing out from its flesh and dripping down its side. “Well, I dare you...”

With a light swing, she threw the half to Apple Bloom, who caught it expertly.

“...to take nice a bite of that, and tell me what it tastes like.”

Apple Bloom’s grin shrunk by a few molars, and Sweetie Belle’s widened by a few more.

---

Fluttershy’s cottage, the most tranquil place in Ponyville. Set among the lush ferns and greenery, the cosy house was the perfect getaway from the noise of the city. It had a rounded mushroom shape, a thick cover of greenery that making up its roof. Tiny bird houses hung by the windows and on the surrounding trees, swaying like colorful lanterns in the wind.

A distance out in the front, an orange pony wearing a light brown Stetson hat was flanked by a pair of unicorns. She trotted across a short stone bridge that linked to the cottage, soft grass beneath her hooves. Below her, a tiny stream cut through moss-covered rocks and water weeds. The therapeutic babble of water flow mixed with the crisp, fresh air and forest scents. A place like this was perfect to sit back, relax on a lawn chair, and let the worries wash away.

Well, small worries at least, thought Applejack. Reaching the cottage, she raised a hoof and gave three light knocks on the door. She took a step back and adjusted her Stetson.

“Fluttershy? Are you in there?”

A few moments later, Applejack stepped back up to the door and called out again. Her voice rang out clearly, and then there was silence once more. Applejack exchanged glances with Twilight and Rarity, and the unicorns gave a simultaneous shrug.

Slightly confused, Applejack put an ear against the wood of the door. Movement could be heard inside. A creak of the floorboards, a shuffling of hooves, and then she picked out a quiet sob.

Applejack took a sudden, sharp intake of air. “Fluttershy!” she called, trying to force open the door. She cursed when it refused to budge.

“What’s wrong?” asked Twilight.

“That poor filly’s crying inside.” Applejack placed her ear against the door again. “C’mon Fluttershy! Let us in!”

A series of light and rapid footfalls approached the door, followed by a click. Moments later, it swung open. But instead of Fluttershy, a diminutive white bunny stood at the doorway. It managed to conjure an impressive scowl on its face, folding its short arms and tapping a hind leg on the ground impatiently.

“Oh... hi Angel.”

The bunny made a quick series of gestures with its arms, crossing them over his chest and shaking his head vigorously from side to side.

“Wait, but...” began Applejack, taking a step forwards. Sensing her attempt to gain a quick entry, Angel made a hasty grab for the door, swinging it shut.

Applejack jerked her head back just in time to avoid a flattened snout. Her ears rang from the sound, and her heartbeat quickened for a few moments. How that tiny bunny managed to slam the door with so much force was beyond her imagination.

“Geez, not even friends allowed I guess,” she muttered.

A voice wailed from inside, sounding like Fluttershy’s.

“Alright, my turn,” Twilight said, stepping up to the door. Her horn glowed for a brief moment, the magic swirling along her body. With a flash of purple light and a loud bang, the unicorn disappeared.

Applejack heard the lock being undone again. The door swung open, revealing Twilight on the other side. The unicorn allowed herself a small smile as she motioned quietly for them to enter.

Giving a nod of approval, Applejack trotted inside. She took the lead, with Twilight behind her and Rarity bringing up the rear. Together, the three ponies shuffled towards the quiet sobs.

“Wonder what it could be this time...” Twilight whispered.

“I hope she’s going to be fine,” said Rarity from the back.

As they entered the living room, they found Fluttershy crouched in the corner, sobbing away. Angel stood beside her, resting a tiny white paw on the pegasus’s back and patting her softly. Then, upon noticing the three of them, Angel’s face scrunched up into a scowl again.

“Fluttershy dear... what happened?” Rarity began, rushing forward.

Ignoring the piercing glares from Angel, Applejack trotted up to the sobbing pegasus. There seemed to be a tiny white cot lying in front of her, but they didn’t think about it.

Fluttershy cried pitifully, too upset to think about the sudden appearance of the three ponies around her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, a few drops dripping onto the floor. She gasped after a few moments, sucking in a breath of air to sustain her sobs.

“It’s gonna be okay... we’re here,” Twilight offered.

“Hey, sugarcube.” Applejack gave an encouraging smile, looking deep into the pegasus’s swollen eyes. “Just calm down for the moment, okay? Everything will be fine.”

At this, Fluttershy gave them a tiny nod, holding back a few strangled cries.

“Slowly there, give yerself time. Don’t you feel the slightest bit better?”

“...a little,” she whispered.

Applejack sighed. “Fluttershy, you can’t be locking yourself up like this when yer feelin’ down, you have to tell us so we can help you.” She shifted her gaze to the tiny white cot.

“Uh, what’s that?”

Fluttershy’s lips quivered. She looked on the verge of bursting into tears again. “I... I don’t want to talk about it.” She spread out her frail wings, using them to form a protective shield around her face.

Twilight and Rarity were staring at the cot as well now. It was the smallest cot Applejack had ever seen, perfectly sized for the bundle of white cloth that lay inside, as if custom-made for it. As she moved closer to have a look, she could see how well-crafted it was. The edges of the sides had been sanded down, evident from how the cloth made soft curves instead of ledges. The cloth itself was of good, thick quality, and bright white like the napkins Rarity insisted on wearing during meals. It was, all in all, a dainty, unoffensive little thing, which baffled Applejack all the more.

“May we have a look at this, Fluttershy?” said Twilight, sounding more hesitant than confused.

The pegasus buried deeper under her wings. Her entire frame gave a noticeable shudder as she let out a soft, tortured squeal, as if somepony had drawn a knife across her back. The squeal dragged on for moments too long, dropping into a low moan as her breath drained out of her lungs. She began to sob again, the sounds muffled within a tight ball of fur and feathers.

Applejack gritted her teeth and tensed up her withers. She didn’t like to do this but... Curiosity, she decided, was a force to be reckoned with. She gave Twilight a sharp nudge and hissed into her ear. “Open it!”

Twilight casted a nervous glance at Fluttershy before turning to the cot. Quickly, she lighted up her horn, using her magic to lift a corner of the cloth by fraction of an inch. The small mound beneath the cloth didn’t move, and it didn’t look like it would be moving.

“No idea what this is, girls,” she whispered. “But here goes...” Twilight straightened the cloth and carefully levitated it out of the cot.

As the gruesome sight was revealed, Applejack wished that she it had been left covered up. Her stomach began churning and she felt as though she would be puking out the apples very soon. She noticed Twilight’s face losing its color as well, and the purple unicorn backed away slowly. But Applejack couldn’t take her eyes off it so easily, as much as she had wanted to.

“It’s Mister Mousie,” Fluttershy whispered.

Several things were very wrong with Mister Mousie. For one, it was as if the color had been completely sucked out from the poor creature, leaving it with a dull gray. Its fur, though originally gray, looked a few shades lighter, and it looked like a furry pouch of gray skin.

Applejack wondered why it looked like it was too small and too furry. She had seen plenty of mice back in the barn. This one had too much skin and fur, but it didn’t start off that way.

Staring at it for a few more moments made her see the grim reality of it all. It wasn’t a problem with the mouse itself. It wasn’t too small or too skinny or too furry. Instead, it was because it had been sucked out from the inside, leaving it nothing but a bag of skin and fur.

And then there were its eyes...

Beady, small, dull, nestled in its excess of hair, but alive, they followed Applejack as she stepped back. The closest experience she could think of was when Winona fell sick and almost failed to pull through, but even the look in her eyes hadn’t been so awful. Somehow, something in the pit of her stomach churned at the sight of those dead drops of black.

She tasted bile at the base of her tongue. Her remaining lunch would be coming up next. “Washroom,” she said curtly, trotting off.

Applejack butted open the door and emptied a few servings of apples into the sink. Coughing and retching, she rinsed her mouth under the tap, trying to get the acidic tang off her tongue. Feeling a little weak, she stumbled out to join the rest, the scent of vomit still lingering in her snout.

“Didn’t miss anything, did I?” Applejack said as she walked back into the room. Not that she minded missing anything, actually. She felt terrible. Maybe the rest were coping better than she was. Applejack looked around the room for her friends.

Sitting at the exact same spot, Fluttershy was staring emptily into space as if in some sort of trance. Beside her, Rarity was lying motionless on the floor.

Great.
Just great. One’s completely lost her mind and the other isn’t even conscious.

Wait, where’s Twilight?

Applejack looked around the room again. She saw the purple unicorn sitting alone, back turned towards her.

“Twilight,” she called out. “You okay there, sugarcube?”

As she moved towards Twilight, she noticed the purple unicorn staring at a few sheets of parchment laid on the ground. Beside the sheets of parchment, a black book was lying open, the same one Twilight had brought along earlier.

“Applejack, I don’t know what to do. All these things happening... I need Princess Celestia’s help, but she’s not here.” Twilight ended off with in a strained voice. “What’s happening, Applejack?”

Applejack placed a hoof on the unicorn’s withers, only to realize that she was quivering.

“She has always been there for me...” Twilight whispered.

Applejack gave her a tight hug and looked into her eyes.

“We need to head off to the police. Right now.”

Comments

[Tommy Wiseau]

New chapter and I loved it keep it up good sir!

[Borg]

Aha! I caught you! Twilight doesn't know what a draconequus is, so this must be taking place in the past. And Sweetie can use magic, so this must be taking place in the future. And let us not forget that you gave no sign in the description or in the initial passages of the story that this is not taking place in the present, so by convention it must be.

Also, on a less pedantic note of complaint, your characterization of Sweetie is off. She actually does like her friends.