//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Rations // Story: Through Deceiving Eyes // by CowgirlVK //------------------------------// “I’m serious Twilight!” Pinkie practically yelled in the alicorn’s face. “I saw it with my own two eyes, the cake just disappeared!” “Yeah right Pinkie, now you and ah both know that t'was them bats that did it!” Applejack leaned against the wall scowling. “So Twi, what are ya gonna do! We’ve done it Flutter’s way! And it’s not as though ah can go talk ta her! We’re gonna be out some amount of food this winter unless we do somethin quick! Ponyville can’t afford this.” Twilight looked between the two of them, trying to rub the exhaustion from her bloodshot eyes. “Food disappearing?” she said around a yawn. “Yes Twilight!” Pinkie said. Applejack frowned as she looked their friend over. “Ah don’t like this Pinkie... Ah mean-” “TWILIGHT!” Pinkie yelled. Twilight jumped shaking her head out. “Sorry girls, it’s just-” she sighed deeply. “I don’t mean to space out on you, but trying to keep both Owlicious and Spike held down has proven to be a chore. And then Angel has locked himself in the library-” she sighed shaking her head. “Animals have gone crazy, Spike... None of us can sleep... now food disappearing?” She frowned trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. “If Fluttershy’s rabbit wasn’t occupying the Library, I probably could get in there and find some sort of spell to fix all this, as it is. I’m completely stu-” Applejack caught Twilight just in time as the alicorn slumped over in her chair sound asleep. The orange farm mare frowned. “Ah don’t know about you Pinkie, but ah don’t like this one bit.” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Same here,” she said with a shiver. “I mean, cakes don't just... vanish! I don’t think it was bats. Bats don’t eat cake.” “But the apples!” Pinkie frowned. “It’s not often I say this; Applejack, I’m stumped. That’s why I came here.” Twilight jerked awake. “What? Oh no! I fell asleep. I am so sorry girls I didn’t mean to!” “Don’t sweat it Twilight,” Applejack said with a sigh. “We both know ya didn’t mean ta do it. But this whole situation has us all in just a state.” “You can say that again,” Pinkie affirmed. Twilight sat up in her chair. “I have no answers! I simply have no answers!” “Have you messaged the Princess?” Applejack asked. The purple alicorn blinked and her head jerked up. She had a look of genuine confusion written in her features. “Messaged the Princess about what?” Pinkie and Applejack raised an eyebrow at the mare before Pinkie piped up. “Uh… you know… the whole cake disappearing, animals going rabid, Spike having lost it, and us not KNOWING WHAT’S GOING ON THING! HOW COULD YOU JUST FORGET!?” The wild mare shouted. Twilight frowned. “Right… umm… not recently…” She mumbled with a shake of her head. “Spike has gone nuts! He isn’t as bad as the animals, but whatever is affecting them, is also affecting him too.” The three sat in silence for a moment, trying to absorb what was just said. Suddenly, a huge crash was heard from the direction of the Library. Twilight threw up a shield spell instantly. If she was right, it was Angel. The last thing the Alicorn wanted was to go through the same situation as she just had with Spike with the little white rabbit. They stood there for many minutes under the shield, unsure of how to react. Applejack finally grew impatient of cowering under the shield and was about to leave it to see for herself, when Angel hopped into the room with a stack of big books. Entering, he glared at the cowering trio. With grit teeth, he began hurling the books at the shield. He felt an extreme amount of anger towards the ponies, who while they might not understand what was happening, he still believed to be muttonheads. Finally, his store had been exhausted with the exception of a large, leather bound book in his paws over his head. With a single bound, the rabbit leaped in the air and landed on the shield. Raising the book above his head, he began pounding the magical dome, again and again, putting every ounce of strength into each repetitious hits. The three friends looked over in horror. The book had to be important, but how important. The rabbit’s wild actions made them all fear the situation. What in Equestria could be going on here? The pounding was taking a toll on the exhausted alicorn. Applejack looked to Pinkie, Pinkie to Applejack. “Pinkie, you catch Angel, I’ll catch Twilight. One.. Two...” On the count of three, the two ponies lept towards their designated targets. Twilight’s magic flickered and went out. Twilight’s eyes rolled back in her head and falling back into Applejack’s forelegs while Pinkie dove down and scooped up Angel and the book. Angel, tired and hungry, put up little fight, relief washing over him as he was stuffed into a cage Pinkie had pulled out from under a tile in the floor. You know… for cage emergencies. “Close one,” Applejack said supporting their friend. Pinkie stepped over the book in a forehoof. “Applejack...” Applejack laid a hoof on Twilight’s forehead, then moved it down to her hooves. “No fever Pinkie. But if at all possible, We should get her someplace where she can rest.” Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement. Applejack hoisted Twilight onto her back and looked over at Pinkie and her cage, raising an eyebrow but quickly dismissing it. “Ah’ll get Twilight to her room, then we can look at that book that Angel was so insistent on us gettin’.” Pinkie nodded, and Applejack disappeared from the room with Twilight. Spike tossed and turned, tears in his eyes as he stared at the enchanted binds he had insisted Twilight put on. The little sleep he had managed to get had been restless and unsatisfying. His sanity had been slowly crumbling as he stared up at the lights surrounding his bed, the unbearable noise constantly droning in the background. He seemed fearful as he stared at the lights, the urge to maim them and whatever they inhabited increasing with each passing day. His mind wandered back to when Twilight put the binds on him. Spike had finally stopped thrashing under the blankets, and Twilight felt comfortable letting his head pop out from under it. She seemed shocked as she stared into his tear filled, bloodshot eyes. He stared desperately at her and said. “Tie me up! Don’t let me leave this bed! Please!” Confusion filled the purple alicorn’s expression, but he ripped his hands from under his blanket and grabbed her suddenly, the tears streaming down his face. “Please! I don’t want to hurt you!” “Spike, how would I even do that?! You can claw right through rope!” She was in complete bewilderment at the sudden request. “Use your magic! Something! I’ll hurt you! I’ll hurt everyone! Please! Please…” He pleaded through sobs and screams, wanting nothing more than to be locked away. “The noise! The noise! It’s driving me insane! I can’t take it! It won’t stop! It’ll make me hurt you!” Twilight looked heartbroken as she lit her horn and bound his hands and legs, giving in to his request sheerly due to common sense. Spike finally stopped shouting when the binds were on and buried his head in her chest, crying himself to sleep. Spike released a shaky breath as he thought about the incident, frowning as he stared at the binds. He hated them, he wanted so badly to remove them but knew what would happen if he did. The noise grew much louder than its usual background droning, and he began to scream and thrash again, the crack on his sanity growing larger as the screaming grew louder. Discord stood above the room watching everything that was taking place, a sinister smile creeping slowly across his contorted features. “Oh yes! So the feather brain was right! It would affect Spike. He rubbed his jaw. I wonder how much magic it’s going to take to fix all this. With the state that Twilight Sparkle is in-” he froze rubbing his mismatched appendages together. “They might just need me for once. Need… now that is an idea worth holding on to.” The Draconequus paused, frowning. “Now then, let’s see; where do we go next my little pets? What shall we have here?” He threw his head back and laughed. “I will be needed to save the day, Little. Old. ME! This nopony will be able to deny. The pets have gone crazy, and soon the ponies won’t even be able to remember who they are. Let alone put up any sort of resistance.” He hovered from room to room, slipping between time and space. “Ah, the bunny has found it... And is- taking it to Twilight. It’s a pitiful thing that Twilight can’t even keep her eyes open. Well then, I’ll hold out just a little longer. Then, I’ll ‘Save the day!’” With an evil laugh, the beast once more rubbed his hands together and vanished into thin air. “I will be the hero! And I will have a throne of my own!” ------------------------------------ Dash sat beside Fluttershy’s bed, her own eyes beginning to drift closed as she watched her long time friend’s chest rise and fall. She bit her lip, Fluttershy’s memory was going... Well, it had been the last time she had been awake. Rainbow hoped it was just a short-term side effect of the attack. Her head having been hit during the rare display of madness on the part of the animals. Silently, and with great concern, Dash held Fluttershy’s hoof between her own. “Please be alright!” She whispered. Fluttershy stirred. Dash froze, biting her lower lip. Oops, she thought. The butter colored mare’s eyes fluttered open. “Wha?” She whispered. Dash instantly moved to prevent her timid friend from sitting up. “No Fluttershy, stay still.” Fluttershy blinked. “R-r-Rainbow?” Rainbow Dash exhaled. “Yes Fluttershy.” With a blink, Fluttershy’s eyes traced the room. “The animals... pain!” Her eyes clenched closed as the pain overwhelmed her over-worked nerves. “Angel... Alright?” she gasped tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. Dash let go of Fluttershy’s shoulders and returned to holding her outstretched hoof. “Celestia has seen to your animals. Don’t worry.” Fluttershy nodded, her eyes drifting closed once more. “How- H-h-how... long does... doc say... recover?” Dash gave a slight smile. “A few weeks Flutters, but you should be alright.” Again the gentle natured mare nodded. “Good. Thank... you Dash...” She took a deep breath, her voice continuing to drop forcing Dash to listen harder and harder. Rainbow nodded. “Hey, I never leave my friends hanging.” “I know!” With that, Fluttershy’s eyes drifted all the way closed again. Rainbow let out an exhale. “Doc was right. I guess the memory thing was just temporary.” Or was it???