Chapter 4: To Kill A Nightmare
Skyjack's Log: New Horizon, April 15th
Entry Four:
I can't say how glad I am to be seeing this damn place disappear below the clouds. A week down in that cursed jungle is enough to give anypony reason to retire. I don't even what to count the number of insect bites, rashes and just outright irritating things I picked up down there in those trees. Had to be quick about leaving too. Locals looked at us like we were ghosts by the time we made it back to the docks. Looked at the cages and crates we were hauling with a like they were going to explode or something.
But hey, if they say that place was truly cursed then surely something would have happened to us while we were in there. There weren't even any traps for Celestia's sake! If somepony didn't want their treasure to be looted, then they should have guarded it with more than cheap words and stupid folklore. Of course, there was that whole situation with the guide. The stripes didn't take too kindly to that either, I'm just damn glad we got out of there before they tried anything stupid.
As for what we recovered? Well, Raven says all six pillars are to be kept in ice. Don't know why, they're only some rocks, very expensive rocks at that. I reckon each one's worth an absolute fortune, and all of them together? Well, let's just say there's a sunny beach waiting for me out there somewhere. Still, that's only if the contractor comes through, all I know about that is that somepony is willing to pay an awful lot to ensure these things go to them and nopony else.
Raven's still staying pretty quiet about the whole deal though, all she's saying is that we'll get exactly what we're owed. Captain's words are fine by me. She's never let us down before, that's for sure. I just hope there's not too much trouble because I have to admit that I just want to get rid of the damn things. I don't know, as nice as they look, there's something about them. Locking them away in the crates doesn't make it go away either. Almost feels like they're watching us.
I ain't the only one who feels like that either, some of the crew said they saw one move. Stellar say's she even saw one glowing. Can't say I've seen any of them do anything like that myself, but nopony on this ship can lie while being so serious, just ain't like them. Usually, it's all laughter and uncontrollable snickering. One thing's for sure, it ain't natural, nothing that comes out of that jungle ever is.
********
Everypony's ears shot up at the sound of screaming behind them. In an instant, every set of eyes turned back to see no sign of the yellow pegasus that had been standing there weeping just moments ago. Before any of them could think, the loud scream faded into a fit of wet gasps. Then it disappeared altogether.
"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash called out, before rushing to the source of the terrified scream in the blink of an eye.
Despite the fear rushing in every one of them, everypony else followed as fast as their hooves would carry them. Rounding the corner they all saw Rainbow Dash hovering in the darkened hall. The pegasus slowly sank to the floor as everypony appeared either side of her. Each froze the instant they saw what lay before them.
What was left of Fluttershy's twitching body was sprawled out over the carpet, a pool of warm, crimson blood seeping across the cold floor. Her eyes and muzzle were wide, eternally frozen in the horrific contortion of her last desperate scream for help. Sanguine fluid stained her coat as a series of sharp slashes coiled ins spirals along her body, almost as if she'd been grouted to death by a long coil of hot wire. One great gash across her neck still bubbled and foamed as her spasming finally faded and she fell as lifelessly as the old statutes lining the hall.
Nopony said anything, both Rarity and Starlight had the will to cover their muzzles with their forehooves, and Twilight the strength to shield Spike from the bloody sight with her wing. After only a few moments however, everypony but Rainbow and Applejack could do nothing more than look away. The latter trembled like a frail wooden house caught in a storm, but she sustained an expression as stubborn as her personality. The former just stared down at the partially flayed corpse with empty eyes.
"All those years, ever since flight school I…" Rainbow began, but her words cut off with a sad croak. Her muzzle was open as she shook her head. "She was my..."
"Rainbow?" The sound of Applejack's voice was accompanied by the farm pony's hoof on the pegasus' shoulder, the gesture causing the cyan mare to turn back sharply.
"What?" she growled, the words escaping through gritted teeth. Applejack recoiled as if she'd just seen some kind of venomous snake.
"What are any of you going to say, look at this..." She thrust a hoof at the ragged mess of crimson and butter yellow fur. "What are any of you going to say!" Rainbow shouted, lifting into the air with one slow beat of her wings.
This time it was more than Applejack who recoiled, everypony shifted back as Rainbow's pained eyes scoured each of their equally traumatized faces. Then something else broke the silence. Once again all ears instinctively stood erect as a hollow whistle echoed through the halls.
"What in Equestria was that?" Applejack asked, glancing back at Twilight as all four earthbound ponies formed a defensive circle.
"I don't know... I-I've never heard anything like it," Twilight responded weakly, her eyes scouring the gloom in panic.
"I'll tell you what it is, whatever did this is still here and I'm going to put a stop to it," Rainbow Dash declared, her narrowed gaze directed to wherever the 'something' could hide.
"No, Rainbow, we have no idea what we're dealing with. If it can do this then…" Twilight began, but the moment she looked at what was left of Fluttershy her words faltered.
"If it can do what? Kill two of our friends, if it can…" Rainbow started to respond, her hooves pointing at Fluttershy's body again.
Then the pegasus paused and her eyes narrowed, as something about the dead Fluttershy's eyes caught her attention. In those cold and terrified spheres, she saw a faint flicker of blue light dance across the darkness. Then it disappeared with a sharp flick. Only then did she look head and see that the same light reflected in Fluttershy's lifeless stare darted through the shadows. But she wasn't the only one to see it.
"Get back everypony, get back!" Twilight ordered, spreading her wings and forcing everypony behind her as her horn flared.
Without a word, Rainbow Dash darted forwards towards the vibrant blue flicker. "Rainbow no!" called Twilight, yet before she could magically reach out for the pegasus Applejack leaped forward and grabbed Rainbow's prismatic tail in her jaws.
"No! Let go of me AJ, let me go!" Rainbow demanded as she kicked and squirmed against Applejack's hold. For a long moment, the farm pony's grip held firm, only to falter as one of Rainbow's wild kicks struck her right in the face.
With a grunt of pain, Applejack staggered back into Twilight and in a flash Rainbow disappeared into the darkness. So too did the dancing blue glow vanish from sight.
"Rainbow, y’all get back here right now, ya' hear!" Applejack called out in frightened frustration, then she reached forwards.
"AJ, no!" Twilight swiftly shouted, magically pulling the farm pony back.
"No? What do ya' mean no? Ah, ain't sitting by while somepony else is..."
"Will everypony just be quiet!" As swiftly as Applejack began to protest both the farm pony and Twilight were cut off by Rarity.
"Just stop. Please just stop," she demanded, almost looking as if she were about to rip out her own mane.
"Hey, everypony look," Spike interrupted, standing high on Twilight's shoulders and pointing into the gloom that had swallowed Rainbow .
Everypony looked ahead as a series of bright blue flashes silently shattered the shadows. Then something in the gloom gave an animalistic shriek and the flashes abruptly stopped. It remained silent for a long moment, naught but the distant sound of the storm left to fill the blackness as everypony slowly crept forwards. Then there was another bright blue flash and for a brief second, the vague shape of a pony was silhouetted upon the wall as something far larger tore it apart with a vicious set of sickled claws.
Rainbow's muffled scream barely met their ears as her attacker uttered an angry howl. This time there was no cry from their bold friend, nor a call for her to come back. Everypony bolted forwards, magic, hooves, and claws ready to defend themselves. There was not a single sign of their friend, nor the thing that had taken her.
"Rainbow Dash, Celestia darn it. Rainbow, come back!" Applejack called into the silent darkness.
Nothing responded but the far-off rumble of thunder as the farm pony called again and again, her pleas finally stop by Twilight.
"Applejack please stop she's… She’s…" Twilight pleaded, only to have her voice fail her as she saw something dart through the gloom.
This time the blue light pulsed and beat like some kind of glowing heart, vibrantly illuminating a vague, serpentine shape in the pitch darkness. Then the thing shifted with an unnatural swiftness as if turning toward them before it disappeared like a candle snuffed out in a damp cave.
"Run." Was the only word Twilight could mutter as she slowly backed away from the invisible danger. Her words were met by a mix of confusion, rage, and fear from Applejack. "Applejack just run. We can't fight this here we need to run!" Twilight shouted, adrenaline flooding into her vines as the instinct to flee took over.
Another terrified demand from Rarity reinforced the alicorn's instructions and the thought of something terrifying silently creeping towards them in the darkness was enough to get everypony moving. Lingering behind for a second, Applejack finally followed, strong limbs letting her catch up in no time. As much as the idea of running away while one of their friends could still be stuck out there gravely injured sickened everypony. It was no secret that none of them could help each other if they ended up the same way, or worse. Ultimately, Twilight was right, they could not fight this without knowing what it was.
Nevertheless, running through the endless maze of corridors, tunnels and arches once again felt like it took hours. Yet it wasn't long before everypony's exhaustion forced them to stop. The moment they did so, both Starlight and Rarity collapsed against a wall, gasping for air as Twilight and Applejack struggled to stand. From the depths of the corridor behind them, something shifted, yet there was no sign of the glowing entity. Finally, managing to recover enough to talk everypony looked around, each keeping a wary eye on the shadows.
"What in Equestria was that thing?" Rarity finally gasped, the question undoubtedly on everypony's mind.
"It's downright evil that's what it is!" Applejack stated with a stomp of her hoof, expression still a mix of grief, anger, and sorrow.
"I don't know, but it was big... Those lights must be some kind of magical or biological luminescence. Whatever it is, it's like nothing I've ever heard of in any of my books," Twilight explained, the lack of understanding threatening to send her into a panicked frenzy.
"Yeah, probably because the darn thing killed everypony that saw it. Darn it, we shouldn't have messed with what we didn't understand!" Applejack berated.
"Oh, and what Applejack? You think Fluttershy brought that thing in here with the intention of it slaughtering two of her best friends, not to mention herself?" Rarity snapped, but Applejack shook her head.
"Ah ain't saying anything like that. Ah'm just accepting that that's how it is now. Ah ain't lettin' this thang get anypony else. Ah ya'll that much," the farm pony responded.
"But wait, what about Rainbow? What about us, can't you just teleport us all out or something Twilight?" Spike asked nervously, as he timidly peered over Twilight's head.
"No, I've never teleported more than four ponies before and I have no idea where Rainbow is or if she's… ." Twilight began then paused with a shudder. "Besides, we’re right in the middle of one of the most magically unpredictable forests in Equestria, during a thunderstorm," she added, working herself into a frightened fluster.
At the alicorn's words, everypony's eyes sank to the floor, the cold and unforgiving reality ensnaring them in its tight grip. Then an uneasy silence once again fell over the group.
"Look, Rainbow's a smart mare, if she got away from that thang she'll find us," Applejack finally spoke up.
"Got away? Applejack did you not see what happened to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie? We'll be lucky if any of us get away at this rate!" Rarity exclaimed, fear forcing her usually elegant voice into a shrill gasp.
"No, this thing isn't taking anypony else. But if we want to make sure that's the case then we need a plan,"Twilight declared, breaking free of her thoughtful stupor and looking up at each pony that remained.
Each terrified face looked at her with a glimmer of hope, trusting that she would lead them out of danger as she always did. All Twilight hoped was that she could.
"What do ya' have in mind, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder supportively.
"Well, what do we know?" Twilight asked, tapping a hoof on the floor.
"Urm, there's a terrifying monster hunting us through the creepy halls of an old ruined castle in the middle of nowhere and we have no way to escape?" Spike answered, sinking further behind Twilight's head with each hostile fact.
"No," Twilight corrected abruptly, stamping a hoof. "We know that there's some kind of hostile creature hunting us yes. We know it grows rapidly and it's already bigger than us. It's stronger than us and it uses light as a lure, possibly as a weapon too. We also know it has no problem…"
Twilight's words trailed off and she choked. "No problem tearing ponies apart, either in defense or to hunt."
"Yeah, ah think we get the idea, Twi. But what do ya want ta do ‘bout it?" Applejack pressed as calmly as she could.
"We set a trap for it, that's what we do," Twilight responded, before elaborating. "What we know is that it's an animal, therefore it must base its actions purely on instinct, predatory by the looks of it. We have the intellectual advantage.”
Applejack stepped back, her expression thoughtful as she considered that idea. Both Starlight and Rarity seemed to do the same, the former of the pair agreeing first.
"Sounds reasonable," Starlight said, her own mind calculating the idea in a similar way to her mentor's.
Rarity just offered a silent nod, her words as frozen as her terrified mind as she did so. Meanwhile, Applejack took longer to consider the option, glancing back into the darkness before finally opening her mouth to respond.
"Ya want ta set a trap fer the thang?" she asked skeptically, and at Twilight's subtle nod she continued. "Well alright, we try it your way, Twi. But if at any point it looks like this plan o’ yours is goin' south, we are runnin' right out o’ this darn castle as fast as we can, ya' hear?" Twilight nodded in acknowledgment of the terms. "So, what exactly do ya have in mind?" she asked again, unable to hide the subtle urge to get back at her friend's killer.
"We need to get to the throne room, follow me and I'll explain," Twilight answered as she began moving once more, and everypony was swift to follow.
********
The castle throne room was by far one of the largest chambers in the ruins, surpassing even the towering shelves of the library for sheer scale. Its far wall was home to a pair of shattered thrones and the area below was a mass of rubble and fallen pillars.
Gaping holes in the crumbling roof allowed the pouring rain to beat down onto the stone floor, and a large hole in the far wall was repeatedly illuminated by bright flashes of lightning as the bolts lanced across the pitch black sky outside. More water trickled down from the shattered glass windows that flanked the central space, and the tattered rags of torn tapestries waved and shifted in the rough wind.
Twilight was first to enter the room, horn glowing as she carefully scoured the place for any danger. Behind her, both Starlight and Rarity walked backward, their eyes fixed on the darkness behind them as it retook the position the light of their magic had chased it from. Applejack glanced up at the balcony ruin around the upper edge of the room, then at the many holes and crevasses that had been torn in the walls.
"So how do ya reckon we do this?" the farm pony finally asked as Twilight stop before one of the room’s fallen pillars.
She glanced up at her friend as her magic sparked to life and she began to levitate some of the smaller pieces of rubble around.
"We try to block every entrance other than the ones on that side." She nodded to the main door through which they'd entered. "Those to the outside don't matter as much, because we know it's in here with us," she began, starting to stack rocks up against one of the room's many archways.
"Ya' don't know that! Damn thing could be halfway to Ponyville now fer all we know," Applejack responded.
"Look I'm doing my best, besides it's an animal, right? It will stay where it knows there's food," Twilight responded with a shiver.
"That's if all it wants ta do is eat us," Applejack added, the sick memory of what it had done to Pinkie still fresh.
"Doesn't look like it followed us, or it did and it's just being really quiet about it," Starlight reported, as both she and Rarity trotted over.
Twilight just nodded as she finished blocking up the majority of the exits. Then she motioned for Starlight to help her shift a large pillar that sat atop a rubble pile.
"Applejack, Rarity, can you see what you can do about moving that stuff over there?" she instructed, nodding to another pile of rubble on the opposite side of the room. "Spike you keep an eye out for anything, you see one flicker of light and you tell us immediately.”
"Don't worry, Twilight," the dragon responded nervously, as he tentatively stood tall on Twilight's back.
Applejack moved to where Twilight had directed, motioning for Rarity to follow with a flick of her tail. Then both Twilight and Starlight strained to shift the giant stone pillar and levitate it into the air. Looking over to her mentor's face as the huge piece of stone was propped upright against one side of the room, Starlight paused.
"Twilight?" she asked weakly, drawing the frazzled alicorn's attenuation. "How exactly do you intend to get this thing where you need it?" That idea was nagging at the back of her mind in the worse possible way.
Twilight sighed, a pained look in her eyes. It was clear she knew exactly what she had planned, only now she was terrified to even consider it. Finally, Starlight's thoughts aligned and she reluctantly spoke up.
"You need bait don't you?" she asked, and Twilight turned to her shakily, as if the words were a painful sting.
Starlight gave a weak smile as she looked up to where the pair of them had put the pillar, then to where the others were blocking off any other exits from the chamber.
"You're gonna try and drop the pillar on it, aren't you? That means you'll need it right there," she surmised, nodding to the now clear center of the room.
"What? You can't just leave somepony out in the open with that thing!" Spike exclaimed, forcing Twilight's look to sink even more.
"No, Spike, the only one who's going to be left in the open is me," she stated simply, but that only made the dragon protest even more.
"No, I'll do it," Starlight volunteered, and the argument abruptly fell quiet as both Twilight and Spike looked at her with shock.
"No, Starlight, this is my mess I'm the one who needs to fix it," Twilight said, but her student just shook her head.
"It's nopony's mess. Like Rarity said, none of us knew what that thing was. Besides, Equestria needs you far more than it needs me. I've seen what happens without you," Starlight insisted, her head sinking slightly at that latter part.
Twilight shook her head in frustration, mumbling to herself as she tried to figure out a better way.
Then she finally gave a tired groan and stomped a hoof.
"The moment you see anything you shield yourself, okay?" she instructed as she looked at Starlight sharply.
There was no argument this time, not that Starlight had intended to just leave herself undefended initially. She wasn't one of Equestria's most powerful unicorns for no reason.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to let myself end up like the others," she admitted, and Twilight placed a shivering hoof on her shoulder as she reluctantly nodded.
"Well, that's one side done. Rarity can sure move things when she needs to," Applejack said as both she and Rarity trotted over.
"Whoever thought a situation like this would be so good a motivator," the white unicorn grumbled disapprovingly.
"Good, now, Applejack, I want you over there by the thrones. Rarity, you're down here by the base of the pillar," Twilight instructed, pointing out the locations firmly, before adding, "The moment that thing's directly under it at both angles you two call out."
"And what about you three?" Rarity asked, looking at Twilight, Spike, and Starlight with concern.
"Me and Spike will be up there," Twilight said as she pointed to one of the balconies. "The second the thing's in position I'll pull down the pillar with help from you at the other end, Rarity.”
"An’ just how in tarnation do ya expect ta get it there?" Applejack asked, and before anypony could answer Starlight stepped forwards.
"I'll make sure it's there," she stated and Applejack's expression fell flat.
"What? No, ya can't just go usin' somepony as bait, that thing'll rip her apart!" the farm pony exclaimed angrily, but after an initial wince, Starlight shook her head.
"No it won't, the moment I see anything get too close, I'll put up my shield spell and Twilight can teleport me to safety before the pillar falls," she assured everypony, her mentor nodding in acknowledgment.
Applejack's face contorted in disapproval, but after only a few seconds of thought, she had no choice but to agree.
"Alright, but no way are we losing anypony else ta this darn varmint," she huffed.
"Don't worry we won't," Starlight added, hiding her grown dread with a weakly brave face.
It wasn't hard for anypony to see through that frail veil of confidence. Yet nopony argued as they finished setting the trap and blocking off all means of escape save for the ones they wanted. Then Twilight ushered them all into position.
"Do be careful, dear," Rarity said, as Starlight gulped and moved down the rubble into the middle of the grand room. From the balcony to the right, Twilight regarded the whole trap carefully.
"Everypony ready?" she called out.
A series of uncertain acknowledgments and mumbled responses followed, as everypony locked eyes on the shivering lilac unicorn between them.
"Alright, now everypony be quiet. Starlight, you make yourself as noticeable as possible," Twilight instructed.
Swallowing her fear Starlight stood tall, her horn glowing as bright as it could as she cried out into the darkness. Both Twilight and Rarity faded from sight as their horns went out. Meanwhile, the glow of Starlight's own magic grew to its brightest peak. There was only one place she wanted to look. Both in terror and anticipation, she gazed off into the only place the thing could enter the room. Every bone in her quivering body felt as if it had turned to ice, the chill magnified by the beads of cold sweat clinging to her coat and mane. Her ears twitched and fidgeted like an insect's restless wings, and her skin crawled as if infested with writhing maggots. Then that smell of rot caught her nose and even in the intense glow of her magic she saw it, a brief flash of neon blue light pulsed across the darkness directly ahead.
A barbed coil of fear lanced through her. In an instant she fell silent, tensing so much that she was barely anything more than the petrified stone statues around her. Her horn's glow receded back to only a faint hue as the thing's blue light scurried about the dark hall. It was almost as if it were studying her with a keen intelligence that belied its animalistic nature. Its movements were unsettlingly cautious and calculative, and for a moment a hint of doubt regarding Twilight's assumptions of its instincts bloomed in Starlight’s terrified mind. She wasn’t given time for second thoughts however, as the thing paused what she could guess was a few inches from the room's entrance.
Whatever was there in the gloom, distinguishable only by the neon blue light that danced like liquid lightning across its sleek form, looked at her with an eyeless stare. A bright frill of magnificent light waved and flickered like the glow of a blissful sunset hitting a tranquil lake, all the while emitting a rattling sound similar to that of desert snakes. The thing shifted, its deadly beauty moving with it. This time its movements were slow again, as the light pulsing along its invisible body slowed to a deceitfully calm pulse.
Despite her fear and the violent shivering that wracked her body, Starlight couldn't take her eyes off the vague shape. She strived to peer into it as if hoping her gaze could blast away the darkness and give her a clear view of the thing beyond a simple flowing pattern of vibrant blue light. Its deadly magnificence almost demanded she do so, calling her like a moth to a flame as it flickered and swam within the pitch darkness. Then whatever it was uttered a distinctively loud hiss, and below the crown of light something distinctively slimy trailed down from a set of vaguely visible fanged jaws.
At that moment Starlight knew one thing, it was certainly no specter or ghost. It was something very real and tangible, and it was looking right into her with an eyeless stare unclouded by pity, sympathy or remorse. She could only see an instinctive drive in that murderous beauty, a pure and flawless desire. Yet that brief exchange of glares lasted only a second before the thing gave another low growl and the fan like frill of rattling spines flared around it. Small bolts of arcane lightning flashed between the glowing spires as they twitched violently, an electrical ting in the air.
Then, in a flash of bright, blue light, and an echoing rattle, the thing darted upwards with a blast of eldritch lightning and vanished into the darkness. Without thought Starlight staggered back as the thing magically darted across to the other side of the room, blinking from space to space with a formidable grace as its light began to pulse faster and faster.
"Where is it?" Twilight called from the darkness as Applejack erupted into a fit of curses about messing with something they knew absolutely nothing about.
All the while Starlight's eyes never left that darting light, they struggled to keep up but never did the thing escape her sight. Then with one final blink of magical light, it appeared right beside her and its shimmering form uncoiled with a blinding flash.
"Now!" she cried loudly throwing up her shield as a vibrant blue whip lanced out for her with more ferocity than lightning itself.
The force of the rapid strike shattered the magical barrier like glass. Yet there was another purple flash and within a millisecond Starlight appeared beside Twilight and the creature's blow tore a deep gash through the stone where she'd stood like it was no more than paper. Without another word, Twilight pulled on the pillar with her magic as the bright blue glow of Rarity's own enveloped the other end and the whole thing came down on top of the glowing beast with a loud crash. The monster attempted to dart away but instead gave a painful shriek as it was pinned in place. That horrific sound rang in everypony's ears as it tore at their minds like a set of rending blades.
A bright flash of lightning afforded each of them a glimpse of some large, black mass struggling under the rubble. Then it fell back into darkness and only its vibrant glow illuminated its thrashing attempts to break free.
"We did it! We got it!" Twilight declared, lowering her horn. "Now this is for my friends, you monster!" she called as a bolt of lavender fire lanced out and struck the mass of struggling light.
"Wait, Twilight, we don’t… !" called Applejack from somewhere within the gloom, but it was all too late.
The magical bolt struck the creature, evident by the thing's agonized howl. Yet, the call was followed by a horrified scream from Rarity as the creature's scorched wounds spewed out a torrent of black slime before cauterizing. In the flashes of the frantic light show, the white mare could be seen toppling back from the thrashing beast as the black substance coated her left side almost entirely. Meanwhile, the creature's painful shrieks became angry hisses as its glowing frill flared and flickered, allowing it to magically blink-free of the trap and come charging right at Twilight and Starlight.
Stuck between the invisible beast and the screams of their friend, both mares were caught completely off guard. Starlight fell to the floor by instinct as the flickering beast smacked Twilight and Spike aside with a set of massive clawed limbs. The whole creature passed right over them in a rapid retreat, before it disappeared across the wall and snaked back into the darkness with an angry fit of hissing clicks. Starlight opened her eyes to see Twilight lift her head. Forehead, and horn marred by a deep gash as blood ran down her face. Spike sat up behind her, thankfully less injured as he shook his head. All Starlight could think was that she was alive, dazed but alive, the same could not be said for their screaming friend however.
Both ponies shot up as fast as they could and looked down at the remains of the fallen pillar. Applejack was even quicker to rush to Rarity's side, and without thought, Starlight levitated herself down to join her. The moment she did so she couldn't help but regret it as she looked in horror at Rarity writhing on the floor. Applejack cautiously crept around to her struggling friend's far side, careful to avoid the dark goo slowly eating away at her. All Rarity did was scream and call out to go home like a terrified foal.
"By Celestia, by Celestia, by Celestia!" Applejack called frantically as she dragged the unicorn away from the bubbling pool of black liquid and did her best to remain calm.
Rarity's thrashing made that very difficult, then finally Starlight shook her head free of the initial terror and jumped forwards.
"The raincoat! Take it off! Most of the stuff went on that!" She instructed, magic gripping the untouched side of the purple attire as Applejack cautiously took it in her hooves.
"Now hold still Rarity, just hold still," the farm pony tried to be reassuring, but as the blackness sank in, Rarity only convulsed more and more.
Then she screamed as the fused half of the raincoat peeled away from her skin like sticky toffee. Just like with Pinkie Pie the stuff was quickly beginning to spread across her body, twisting her limbs into grotesque sores and blisters as she squirmed.
"Applejack, stop! Please stop I..." Rarity began, her screams wracked by a fit of wet gasps and gags. "It hurts... I-I just want..."
"No, no Rarity ya just stay there, don' worry you're gonna get through this an’ you're gonna get home. Ya'll gonna go back to Ponyville ta see yar little sister an’ everypony else, ah promise," Applejack said, her tone more of a desperate plea than a promise. "Darn it, Starlight! Help meh, we need ta move her!"
Starlight's magical grip on the raincoat began to slip just it had done before, and she was forced to let go and watch it sink into the slimy black bubble that one half of her friend was quickly becoming. She struggled to keep herself from vomiting at the horrific sight as Rarity began to thrash even more, black goo bubbling up her limbs as it slowly fused her to the floor. Crying, Applejack could do nothing but move the unicorn as far from the goo as possible, all the while avoiding getting any of it on her own coat lest she meet the same sickly fate. Moments later, the sound of hoof steps sounded behind the pair as Twilight finally approached. The alicorn froze the moment she saw her slowly decaying friend. Then she jumped to Applejack's aid, only to pause again as a distinctively wet hiss echoed in the gloom.
"Applejack we have to get out of here! That thing still knows we're here and it knows somepony's injured," Twilight said frantically.
"No, no, no, no, no! Please, please don't' leave me!" Rarity begged.
"I'd never even considered it Rarity, I promise," Twilight assured her, as did Applejack. "Get back, Applejack, Starlight, help me lift her, you're gonna have to use those two legs Rarity," Twilight quickly added, as both she and Starlight braved the poisonous slime to reduce the unicorn's weight enough for her to stagger with only two legs.
"We need to get her out of here, back to Ponyville hospital or Zecora, anypony that can help!" Twilight stated firmly, before motioning for everyone to move on.
All the while the distant light of their attacker flashed in the gloom as it steadily stalked them. Twilight was right about one thing, it knew where they were and it was hunting them with a newfound rage. The fact that Rarity could move no more than a few hoof steps at a time as the slime slowly began to eat away at her legs and spread across her body didn't help. Eventually, she was begging the rest of them to stop.
"I... I... I can't do it, I just want to go home, to my dresses, to Sweetie Belle I…" she murmured, yet pain and exhaustion had stolen most of her voice as she began to heave and retch.
Applejack looked at her friend with an expression as hard as the stone around her as Rarity slumped down against the wall. In the end, it was nopony that said anything, but Spike. The baby dragon hopped down from Twilight's back and moved to the still white side of Rarity's face
"Spike... My Spike-Wikey?" she asked in a frail whimper, looking at him with her one good eye as a tear rolled down her quivering cheek.
Then her words were swallowed by a wet gasped and a gurgling in the back of her throat as she convulsed violently.
Without thought, Twilight heaved Spike back in her magic as the dark substance poured into Rarity's throat and began to spew outwards in a black fountain of sick bile. Everypony was forced back as the unicorn thrashed and squirmed all the more, almost as if she were trying to drag her friends into the blackness.
Then there was a sudden flash, and within seconds a neon blue coil wrapped around her neck and dragged her upwards into the darkness before anypony could react. Calling Rarity's name like a filly for their mother Applejack charged at the wall. Yet she was unable to step into the black pool as the creature blinked away, disappearing into the darkness along with their friend. The last anypony heard of Rarity was a gargled fit of wheezing, then a silence broken only by the distant sound of thunder fell back over the dark ruins.