//------------------------------// // Chap. 02: Inimical Seizure // Story: Night of the Shy (Revamp) // by Raefire //------------------------------// Night of the Shy (Revamp) by Raefire *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* CHAPTER TWO: INIMICAL SEIZURE Twilight waited until Luna had finished raising the moon and the stars. When she was done, the Princess' mane seemed to glow just slightly brighter. “Princess Luna? One more question.” “Hrm?” “Can I...Can I tell my friends? I mean – Well... I can understand if I can't, but it's just...Well, I know they'd find out sooner or later. And honestly? I'm not that good at keeping secrets. Just ask Spike.” “What about me?” Twilight whirled around to see her baby dragon assistant – looking very, very tired – walking towards them. “There you are, Spike!” She nudged her young friend kindly in greeting, “Sorry – I didn't know that they wouldn't let you near me during this training, or I would've let you stay back in Ponyville.” “Aw, it's okay.” Spike passed off the apology with wave of his claw. “Besides, it's always good to come back to Canterlot. Caught up with a lot of old friends – and even found two really good friends who'd like to come back to Ponyville with us.” He waved back to the stone column behind him. From around the corner stepped a white unicorn mare with a purple and white-striped mane and a cutie mark of three purple stars – and a sky blue unicorn stallion with a blue mane and a cutie mark of a small crescent moon inside a larger crescent moon. Both of the unicorns were smiling very proudly from ear-to-ear. “Mom! Dad!” Twilight ran to her parents, smiling back and immediately nuzzling her mother's neck. “Oh, it's so good to see you! I was beginning to think I wouldn't be getting a chance to visit you!” She was greeted with the warmest of loving nuzzles from both her parents. “It is good to see you too, my little angel!” sighed her mother – who then noticed something rather peculiar. “Oh, dear! That's quite the shiner you've got there! I hope those Royal Guards aren't roughing you up too much!” “Huh?” The younger unicorn touched her face – and it was only then that she realized she had quite a black eye from her scuffle with the Pegasus Guard earlier. “Oh, heh heh...You should see the Guard.” The remark drew a bit of a frown from her mother – but her father quickly stepped in. “Well, you always did have quite a kick...” he chuckled. “Trust me. I think some of the bruises just started to fade.” “So I take it you two know?” asked Twilight, going off her mother's remark about the Guards. Her father's smile couldn't have beamed more warmth into the room without frying them. “Yes, we do.” He nuzzled his daughter lovingly once again. “And we couldn't be more proud of you, sweetheart.” “You always were our little Princess, anyways.” “Mom, please...” Twilight blushed as Spike giggled. “If I may, Twilight...” interjected Princess Luna. “I believe you had a question you wished answered.” “Oh!” jumped Twilight, suddenly remembering that Luna was in the hallway. “Right, right, right, my question... Yes, your highness. I did have a question for you. Do you wish for me to state it again?” “No. But if I may interrupt your small family reunion to answer it – Yes. You may tell your friends. But ONLY your friends. The wielders of the Elements of Harmony have the right to know of the destiny of their leader. But let them know – if they break secrecy and tell anypony else, the punishment will be extremely severe. Royal Law is so absolute on this matter, Princess Celestia cannot defy its sentence.” Twilight gulped. A law so concrete that even the supreme ruler of Equestria couldn't bend or reduce the severity of the punishment out of leniency for the guilty? She knew being in line to become Princess was a serious matter, but that simply cemented just how serious it was. “I – I understand, your Highness.” “Good.” Luna turned towards her bedroom. “Then let us all retire for the night. This is the first time in a long time that I am tired enough to sleep through one of my own nights.” She yawned rather deeply. “In fact, I feel so tired that I believe I will have General Spur shall see you off in the morning, Twilight. Celestia shall contact you after the Summer Sun Celebration to arrange your next round of training.” Spike, having climbed on Twilight's back out of habit, yawned, throwing up his arms. “Welp, that sounds like a great idea!” he declared – before curling up and immediately falling into a deep sleep. Twilight giggled in amusement at her snoring assistant. “Oh, Spike...Is there nowhere you can't sleep?” *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Fluttershy hummed along under the light provided by the friendly lightning bugs around her. The sun had just set, so she was grateful for their help as she nailed the last fixed birdhouse back into place. “Phew!” She wiped the sweat off her brow and looked down at Angel. “Now we're done for the night!” The lightning bugs flickered to say “You're welcome” and disappeared, while Angel sighed in relief and bounded ahead of her, back into the cottage. She chuckled as he beelined right for his little bed. He'd helped her even though he clearly hadn't wanted to, so he deserved to get his good night's sleep. She, however, took it slow in returning to the house, trodding along gradually enough to soak in and enjoy the night sky. She had to admit, the sight she gazed upon above her was definitely one of Princess Luna's best efforts since being restored to her normal self. The yellow pegasus even felt a secure warmth on the cool breeze that delicately blew threw her mane. Eventually, she stepped inside her cozy little lair and closed the door behind her. Angel was already snoring away in his bed, and – just as she'd left them – Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sound asleep on the couches in the living room, their sometimes jerky movements indicating the healing potion of Zecora's was doing its job. The terror of that monstrous creature's attack and her worries about her friends' still-missing pets were not enough to end her calm. They would find them tomorrow. She smiled, laid out on the ground by Angel's bed, and closed her eyes, letting sleep slowly take hold. And the faint barking outside sprang her back to her feet in an instant, wide awake. She knew that bark. “Winona?” *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Twilight paced around the room in nervousness. She had tried to fall asleep like Spike, but there was too much running through her mind. She was destined to be Princess. She could only tell her close circle of friends. Was she even truly ready to handle– “Dear?” Twilight looked up. Her mother stood in the doorway she had left open, blocking the hallway light behind her and casting a shadow over the purple unicorn. She didn't say anything. Though she didn't have to. She knew her mother could see it all on her face, even in the shadow that darkened that face. “I remember a young foal who couldn't sleep the night before the biggest day of her life,” her mother walked into the room and over to Twilight, closing the door behind her with her magic. “And after I calmed her down and got her to snooze, she ended up becoming the personal student of Princess Celestia, and eventually ended up saving our world from utter destruction – twice. Calm down, dear. There's no need to fret about this. You know you won't be Princess overnight. Princess Celestia's just starting your training early – so that you will be absolutely ready when the time does come. Go to sleep now, honey. You don't want to stay up all night tonight and be so tired that you miss doing your Royal duties for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow? Besides, you need to be awake enough to introduce your father and I to your friends tomorrow. From what I've read in the letters her Highness has passed on over to us, I don't think I could handle being around this Pinkie Pie friend of yours without help.” Twilight smirked. “Oh, Pinkie Pie isn't that bad, Mom...Just a more hyper version of me as a toddler.” “And we could barely handle that, you silly little pony,” her mother shot back, ruffling Twilight's mane. “Mom!” groaned Twilight, grumbling to herself while fixing her mane. “Thanks, Mom. But – It's just – Princess. I mean...I just recently made some wonderful friends. When the time comes, will I be so busy that I won't be able to spend time with them? Or – Or what if it's too late – and they're already dead and gone by then? And on top of that, I just know Princess Luna's hiding something about Equestria's past-” “Oh, sweetheart...” Mother knelt down beside daughter. “You're doing it again, honey. Just hear me out. First, I'd say Luna is not hiding anything from you. I'd hazard to guess that she's waiting for the right time to let you know. Hay, there are things we still haven't told you about our family's past, for one.” This perked Twilight's ears. “Huh? Like what?” “For instance, I know you've probably wondered why you feel so 'at home' in Ponyville, more than you ever felt while in Canterlot. I can tell you why. You may have been born and raised in Canterlot, but your father and I grew up in Ponyville. We were school sweethearts. Both our families moved to Canterlot when we were about your age. I still honestly can't believe why we never told you about that until now, quite frankly. You'd think it would've been the first thing you learned growing up. But I guess we were just too busy trying to contain your little rambunctious self that we forgot all about it.” Twilight smiled. She had wondered about that on one of her other sleep-deprived nights. She loved Canterlot, but she had to admit – Ponyville had always seemed far more...familiar and right for her. “Secondly, if Princess Celestia can find some time to hang out with you and your friends every once in a while, you will be able to find time with your friends. And if your friends are truly gone by the time you become Princess, don't forget – Royal memories are eternal. So even after your reign is long, long over, all the Princesses of Equestria after you will carry your memories of them. You've actually lucked into something very special, I'd say – this way, your friends will never, ever be forgotten now.” Twilight smirked again, chuckling. “Once again, Mom...Once again, you always know what to say.” “That's why I'm your mother, Miss Sparkle. And mothers always know what to say to get their children calmed down. Now, do you want me to sing that song to you again? `Cause Mama can still croon...” “No, but–” Twilight kneeled down besides the older mare and leaned in against her, savouring the comforting warmth of her mother's body. “Will you stay here with me, like you did that night?” The white mare chuckled warmly. “Of course, dear.” And as her mother wrapped her tail around her, Twilight finally closed her eyes and fell deep asleep. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* “GUARDS!” At the silent whistle of their commander, the pack of bulldogs charged around the corner at the intruder. Their leaders listened and waited. Soon the sound of a vicious scuffle ensued. The sounds of the fight grew more heated, frantic and violent – until there was an absolutely cringe-inducing CRACK of bone and an ear-splitting, shrieking howl of pain that made the hair on the back of the leaders' necks stand up. There was a pause in the scuffle – before another CRACK and another pained, bloodcurdling yelp. A few tense seconds of growling – and then the entire pack of guard dogs was hurled backwards, a few crashing through the delicate rocks of the corner wall before the whole group slammed into the thicker rock on the other side of the cavern room. The bulldogs ended up in a pile at the feet of their leaders, all of them howling in a cacophony of tortured squealing and injured whimpering. “Oh, if that's the best you can do...Then wow, do I feel very, very sorry for you...” The voice that seemed to come from every direction at once was ghostly, detached, cold and condescending. The three Diamond Dogs backed up further against the far wall. Their first in command gulped quietly, swallowing his slowly growing fear before composing himself. “SHOW YOURSELF!” Smoke began into the room from around the corner. It started as a wisp, but gradually began to gather into a thick choking cloud. Soon it was billowing, filling up the cavern – and blocking the room's only quick escape route. The third-in-command Diamond Dog suddenly noticed something about the thickening plume that was still growing in front of them – something that only deepened the fear he was trying to hide. “I smell no burning! I see smoke, but I smell no burning!” “Well, of course you don't smell anything,” came the ghastly voice again. “I am no fire.” “Then what are you?” snapped the second Dog in command. The smoke took the form of the face of a creature – a creature none of the Dogs had ever seen before. “I am Equestria's past. And I will be its future. I...am the end of ponies.” The first Dog broke into a defiant laugh – one that really didn't do that great of a job at hiding the fright he was still feeling. “Bwahahahaha! Talking smoke believes it will end pony reign! Ahahahahahaha!” The other Dogs, a bit hesitant at first, soon joined him in his nervous guffawing. “Oh, by all means, go ahead and laugh...” sneered the face in the smoke as the being let the canines continue reveling in their amusement. “Please, please, take your time and let it all out of you.” Then three thick tendrils of smoke shot out from the cloud, wrapped around the Dogs' necks and solidified – turning the laughing trio into a terrified trio of choking mutts, gasping and struggling as they fought to get air in their lungs. But no matter how much they scratched, kicked and otherwise swatted at the tendrils, their paws just went through the misty appendages like they were passing through normal smoke. The face stretched out from the cloud, mockingly wrapping itself around each of the dogs like a python as they desperately clawed for a fruitless chance to breath. “You're going to pass out soon, by the way. Now, I'll admit, I could use this method to defeat a great many ponies. But I would only be victorious with it if this land were just populated by earth ponies and pegasi. Alas, however, this method can sadly be defeated by any unicorn with a modicum of talent in magic. If I am going to truly be the end of ponies, I am going to need help. Specifically, Diamond Dog help.” The tendrils released their grip. The Dogs dropped backwards, gasping deep and long to bring the air back into their lungs. They fell to their knees to gather their senses. The smoke swirled around above the three, the face leering down at them in triumph. “So...Do I have your complete attention now?” *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* “Winona?” Fluttershy stepped out of the house and listened again. The faint barking came again. She whirled around – and then it sounded from behind her, where she'd just been looking. She turned back around and headed for her birdhouses. “Um, Mr. Firefly and friends? I-if you're still there, can I please ask for some light again, sir?” she stammered as she haltingly stepped forward in the darkness. But her insect friends did not come to her aid. As she stepped on the bridge over the small creek that ran past right in front of her home, the barking hit her ears once more – and this time, seemingly from underneath her. “Oh! The creek!” She barreled over the bridge and turned, nearly slipping into a face plant as she made her way down to the water's edge under the bridge. But there was nothing. She hung her head “Oh...” The bark. Again. This time, on the other side of the house, out back by the chicken coop. It was still faint, but Fluttershy could clearly tell it was Winona. “Hang on, Winona! I'm coming!” called out the yellow mare, delicately making her way over to her backyard. She was still scared due to the darkness, but she began to feel slightly less so as her eyes slowly began to adjust to the inky black. Though, her being her, the mare's nervousness never completely ceased, and she approached the coop with great caution. “Winona?” she called out softly, not wanting to wake her chickens. Nothing. She peered her head into the chicken coop – but immediately noticed that there was no trace of her friend's dog. She backed out the coop quietly and shook her head in annoyance. “I keep hearing her, but I can't find her anywhere!” She hammered her head in frustration. “Think, Fluttershy, think...Where could she be?” As she pondered the situation, the mare suddenly noticed something: None of her nocturnal friends were anywhere to be seen. Usually an owl or two would've immediately flown over to her and greeted her if she stepped foot outside at night. She was almost always woken up from a light sleep by the swooping sound of the kindly flying squirrel. But there was nothing tonight. Even the crickets weren't chirping. “O-okay...” she stuttered. “Starting to get creepy. I think maybe I've been hearing things...” And then the barking came again. It was still faint, but now there was no confusion about where it was coming from. Fluttershy nervously faced herself in the direction that she'd pinpointed from the bark... ...Everfree Forest. The yellow pegasus gulped, quite loudly. Gingerly, she started towards the thick vegetation of the Forest. “You can do this, Fluttershy,” she squeaked. “One hoof in front of the other...” She looked back at her house. “Oh, but I really should wait for my friends to recover before I go in here...They're not as afraid of this place as I am.” The barking again. She looked back into the darkness of Everfree. “No! No! You can do this! She's not that far away. You can just go in, find Winona, and come back before they wake up!” Realizing she was pacing, the pony stopped herself. “Easy... Winona can survive the night. She's a grown dog. She can take care of herself. Just as long as she – doesn't meet a cockatrice–” Suddenly, the faint barking turned into the faint stabbing yelps of a dog in a painful struggle. “Oh no! Winona! Hang on!” cried the animal lover, her concern overriding her fear as she raced into the Forest. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* “What kind of help does Talking Smoke want with Diamond Dogs?” asked the tall, thin Dog, rubbing his sore throat. His tone had changed to one of a very nervous creature wishing to be conciliatory after being proven it was outmatched – yet still carried the air of one who still believed they could not only wiggle their way out of harm, but also claim a victory if the right advantage happened to pop up. Diamond Dogs were always shrewd. But the face in the smoke scoffed. It already knew that. The being appreciated this about the Dogs, however. An appeal to – or clear threat to – their greed or pride was all one needed to manipulate and control them. And once a Diamond Dog was on one's side, they tended to be rather quite loyal to their allies. They were still dogs, after all. “Rover...Fido...Spot...” The Dogs gulped at hearing their names while the smoke swirled tauntingly around them, one wispy strand always keeping in close proximity to their necks. “I don't need anything from you three in particular. No, rather...I need a...few – soldiers on standby. I know your kind is many more than you lot and your precious bulldogs.” The face looked down at the pile of guard dogs, who had all passed out from their pain rather quickly. “Though I don't think the ponies truly know just how many you are. I am in the process of procuring a pony's body to possess. My magic will be most potent once again after I have gained control of this mare – and I will have the ability to regain so much more power as well. This pony is a friend of a...certain unicorn you came into contact with a while back. One with a very pronounced ability to find gems. You know of whom I speak.” “Ahh!” Rover clasped his paws to his ears in memory. “The annoying pony!” “Yes, her. However, once I have my powers restored, I assure you...I will break her. I will need to use her for my own ends first – sadly, even the rather large amount of power I will have restored to me does not include the ability to see all things, no matter how deep or high they lie. But when I am done wit–” One of the guard bulldogs howled in pain again. A solidified smoky “foot” slammed down onto the beast's head, viciously knocking the creature back out. The smoke face looked up and continued. “Ahem – When I am done with her, you can have her again. And I assure you, this time she will not be annoying, and will willingly help you find gems. Oh, and did I also mention you'll have the largest, most pure diamond in all Equestria? I believe I mentioned that before. Or did I? I can't remember.” Fido, the biggest of the three Dogs, pointed accusingly at the smoke visage. “We Diamond Dogs may be stupid, but we not dumb, either! You talk of the Flame of Limbo! That is a myth! It does not exist!” “Oh, trust me...It exists, my skeptical canine friends...I don't know exactly where it is – but I know without a shadow of any doubt that it exists. Which is why I need the unicorn pony's talents. Her purple unicorn friend can replicate her gem-finding spell, but that pony is too close to the Princesses for my comfort – and besides, even a very-well replicated spell is nowhere near as potent as a spell that is one's natural talent. I have no need for the diamond. I just want to extract the flame it holds inside. THAT is how I will be the end of ponies. Now, you go run back to your King, and tell him an old friend has returned – one who still shares in his want to eradicate those who forced your kind underground in the first place. He was a very powerful ally of mine when I was in possession of another pony's body.” “King is also not dumb!” growled Spot, the smallest of the three and the third in command. “King may be very, very old, but he not forget one so easily! Give us name, spectre, or there will be no deal!” “But of course...” smiled the face. “The King – and you all – may recognize the name I used in those ages past, when I was in complete control of that other pony's body. The name I used began with... ...Nightmare.” *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Zecora shook off the dirt gathered from her latest day of her ingredient searching before stepping into her humble abode. “Ah, what a beautiful day and such a gorgeous night! Now for my head to lay and my aches to alight!” She immediately smacked her hooves to her head. “Oh, dear me, I'm doing it again!” she chuckled. She had started talking in rhyme back in her native land to amuse the young children of her village, and had continued to do so around the ponies out of sheer, slightly cruel amusement. They'd hated her when she first arrived, so she figured she'd might as well do something to make herself sound even more foreign to them – freak them out some more. But once the ponies realized she was somepony who was okay to be around, they were so enamored by her rhyming speech that she kept it up. And now rhymes were practically all she could talk in. It was beginning to become a habit for her. She looked at the spiral sun on her rump. “Heh. I probably should've gotten a rhyming cutie mark...” she giggled. “Ah...I do have to tell them someday that I don't always speak like that.” But obviously that was not going to happen tonight. A long day of very fruitful searching for rare potion ingredients – coupled with a few instances where she'd thought she had seen her friends' missing animal companions and given chase, only for her to discover she was chasing a regular resident of Everfree – had certainly taken its toll. She was extremely tired, eying her bed the whole time she removed her filled-to-the-brim saddlebags off her back and hung them up on the rack beside the door. “My Luna...” she gasped, reveling in the freedom of having the weight of the bags off of her haunches. “That is so much better! I really do have to start taking shorter trips when I go out on these searches!” Finally free of the punishing load, she stretched herself out, letting her muscles breath. “Ahhh...” Normally in her nightly routine, she would take a soothing bath – but she was so tired, she decided to skip it. She could do it in the morning, anyways. She blew out her lights and curled up under her sheets. “Winona! Come back! You're hurt! Winona!” At first the zebra thought she was hearing things from her tired delirium. Yet, when the voice came again, it was closer – and clearly wasn't coming from her mind. “Winona! Stop! Oh, please stop running away from me!” Zecora groaned, sat back up, rubbed her eyes, and looked out her window – where she saw a yellow speck with wings running off towards the heart of Everfree. “Fluttershy? What in the world is she-” “WINONA!” came the cry from the pony as Fluttershy ran into the darkness beyond the zebra's vision. “Now THAT is something that merits suspicion!” Zecora wondered to herself. Begrudgingly getting back out of bed, she re-lit her candles and searched her potions cabinet. There was no potion to take her exhaustion away, but she knew she had one that would make her alert for a few hours. “Ah!” Finding what she wanted, she quickly took a swig of her recommended dose, fighting the urge to spit it back up thanks to the potion's rather bitter taste. She would have to remedy that later. Some sugar, perhaps. That would have to wait, too. Temporarily reinvigorated, she dashed out of her hut after Fluttershy – or if it wasn't Fluttershy...whatever was impersonating her. Either way, she was going to find out the truth. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* “King wants proof more than words!” Rover growled at the being when the Dogs re-entered the cavern. The face in the smoke sighed. “Oh, alright, I'll come with you. But let's make this quick, shall we?” “What? No! King says you must stay here!” The face sighed again. “Look, until I've got that pony possessed, I'm just a cloud of fireless smoke that talks. I have no other method of proof besides having him see me if he will not take me at my word.” After a moment of contemplating that, Rover looked up. “Alright, Talking Smoke...Come with us!” The three Dogs led the amorphous cloud through many, many dug out tunnels on their way back to their home city. Soon they arrived at their destination, and the tiny passageway they were in gradually opened up into a massive underground cave that rivaled even the greatest crevices on the surface of Equestria. Thousands of homes, most of them no more than small dug-out mounds, lined the layers of the canyon walls on both of its sides. One long, winding path led to the sprawling plaza at the floor of the cavern, where millions of Diamond Dogs – soldiers in their unit formations and civilians of the city alike – were gathered in a colossal crowd, surrounding the spectacular castle covered in splendid gems. The only thing that outnumbered the crowd was the uncountable number of huge, jagged stalactites that lined the ceiling high above them, looking like the teeth of some huge being ready to eat those below. Spot turned to their guest. “All the city come out to see you. Everyone curious about Talking Smoke.” “I see...” said the face, scanning the crowd studiously. The soldiers seemed to make up a large portion of the crowd – the armored and armed canines were easy to pick out. They were plenty. That would do. When they finally drew close enough to the castle at the center of the plaza, the King Dog could be seen standing at the stop of the building's front steps – his many, many, many wrinkles casting bizarre shadows that crisscrossed over his body, giving an unearthly quality to the grace he held himself with. A grace that disappeared the instant he saw the face of odorless smoke. “NO! NO, YOU FOOLS! I TOLD YOU NOT BRING IT HERE!” he screamed, immediately turning and bolting to get inside the doors of the palace – his spryness and speed rather surprising for a creature of his very advanced age. But it was not fast enough. Right as the King's paws touched the handles of the front doors, his arms were caught by solidified smoky tendrils. “NO! NO!” he shrieked as the being lifted him into the air, more tentacles of smoke capturing his other two flailing limbs – and upon the being seeing the castle protective guard about to attack, one more poised around the royal's neck, keeping the soldiers at bay. The civilians screamed, and some of them began to run away back to their homes out of sheer terror. “It seems somepuppy remembers the last words that I spoke to them, Dog King!” growled the cloud. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SMOKE?” Fido screamed at the murky entity. “Oh, yes, that's something else I forgot to mention to you – although this time I can honestly say that I forgot to do so because it slipped my own mind until just a few moments ago.” The being glared at the dangling, struggling King. “A thousand years ago, your King swore loyalty to me. The Diamond Dog units were the largest part of my army. But when war finally came – it was on HIS order...that they turned on me, fighting alongside the ponies against me. It was his betrayal that allowed Princess Celestia to banish me to the moon – and you KNOW how long I spent there.” The foggy visage grinned maniacally. “Your King is the only one still left alive from that time. I wish I could take credit for all those deaths. Sadly, I think I hold the credit for about only 40% of them.” The smoke swirled, the face smiling. “ No, he certainly hasn't forgotten those last words I spoke when he pledged his allegiance...” With a quick and violent twist of the tendrils, the multiple sickening SNAPS of bone reverberated throughout the huge canyon. The Diamond Dog King fell, silent forever. “Words I need not share.” Chaos immediately ensued. The guards and soldiers quickly sprung into action, charging and lashing out at the smoky being – to no effect, as their blades and claws swiped through air. The cloud ignored them, turning to the horrified civilians – who were still mostly frozen in place out of shock than fleeing. Good. They would make it easier, then. “Now, I need to make this quick – I have a few more stops I need to get to before I meet a pony in the Forest tonight...So I'll just tell you all this: I still do quite need help from your soldiers. Only, this time–” The cloud of smoke exploded into millions of solidified tendrils. They shot out in every direction, some crashing through the walls of homes the civilians had run to. In a very short amount of time, the entire remaining population of the Diamond Dog race – male, female, child – was in the strangling grip of the being's terrifying will. Effortlessly, it raised them all towards the menacing, jagged stalactites. “I'm not asking.” *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* “Winona!” cried Fluttershy, trying to be loud, but not too loud as to disturb the creatures of the Forest who were sleeping. “Please! Come back! I can help you heal!” The pained and terrified yelps of her friend's dog signaled that the animal clearly didn't hear her, however. The barks continued to fade deeper into the darkness as she tried to catch up chasing after them. “Oh, if only I could use my wings!” she grumbled. She knew she could go fast enough to reach Winona in time if she flew – but for one, the path was too narrow for her to use her wings, and for two, considering how faint the runaway pet's cries were while she was on the ground right now, she was afraid she'd probably be too far away to hear them if she took to the skies. “No! I must keep running!” she steadied herself, continuing her pursuit. She was rather quite amazed at the pace Winona was making. For an animal that sounded like she had sustained a serious injury, the dog was blisteringly fast. Something had truly frightened her. “Or–” Fluttershy spoke the new thought out as it came to her in her head. “Or maybe some creature that's faster than she is has her in its jaws and is taking her to its lair!” She gulped at the thought. Yet somehow, she continued running after the barking. She could feel her braver, more authoritative side starting to come forward. “If that's true,” she huffed – rather angrily, to her own surprise, “Then I'm the only one who can save that poor dog at the moment! You hear that, Forest? I may be a coward, but NOPONY harms my friends! EEP!” She immediately skidded to a halt at the sight of something running across her path. “Don't hurt me, creature!” shuddered the mare - then looked up to see Angel smacking his head. “Oh, Angel! It's just you!” she sighed in embarrassed relief. “C'mon! We have a friend of yours to save!” The bunny nodded, and the two of them took off again, dashing towards the rapidly fading barking before it became too distant for either of them to hear. “Hurry, Angel! We're losing ground! We've got to catch Winona – or whatever it is that's dragging Winona away from us!” Further behind them, another creature was chasing the animal tamer pony and her little friend. Zecora couldn't believe it. She was sure Fluttershy had been up all day tending to her animals – and looking everywhere for her friends' missing ones. Surely the young pegasus had to be exhausted. But no, the pony ran as if she'd slept for two days straight. To keep such a pace on the path they were running was a feat in itself. The tree roots lacing the path like speed bumps could trip up even a cheetah, one of the most agile creatures from the zebra's homeland. Yet without assistance from her wings, the yellow pony was practically flying over them. And Zecora figured herself to be in shape, but even with a boost from her potion she was already beginning to feel the burn in her legs. “How in the world can she do this?” *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Enraged, the swarm of Cockatrice attacked. And attacked. They stared. And stared. And stared. But no matter how hard they tried, the intruder would not turn to stone. The smoke circled around the magical birds. “That's right – Kind of hard to turn me into stone when I don't have a body to begin with. Oh, believe me – You can keep trying all night to turn me into stone – or if you could stop for just a little bit and listen to what I have to say, you could get the chance to turn all those ponies outside this Forest into stone. Or a meal. I know you Cockatrice – Cockatri? What's the plural of you lot again? Help me out here. No? Well, anyways – remember your old pal, Nightmare?” The smoke face focused on a particular Cockatrice – which stopped attacking and tilted its head, clucking curiously. “Well, my fowl friends – sorry for the pun, the opportunity came up and I just had to take it – I'm back. And if you help me again, I assure you, you will be able to capture many a pony.” The single Cockatrice let out a stream of angry clucks, a verbal barrage that made even the other birds around it look at each other. Clearly the fowl was not using particularly nice language in its rant. The smoke laughed. “The yellow pegasus? Oh, yes. Do not worry, my friend. I will torture her personally. Now if you'll come with me – I can join the rest of myself and get this over with before sunrise.” *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Fluttershy looked at her rabbit companion as they ran. “I'm sorry I woke you up again, Angel – and I know I should have left a note or something for Applejack and Rainbow Dash before I left... But I just – I heard Winona, and she sounded so scared, so much in pain! I couldn't ignore that! I just don't think I would've been able to live with myself if I hadn't gone after her! You understand, right?” Angel just rolled his eyes and pointed ahead, towards the barking, giving her his 'Focus, you stupid pony!' face. “Oh, yes! Right! Right! I can't slow down! I just can't slow down! I don't want to lose track of–” She stopped, nearly making Angel collide into her hooves before he dodged around and skidded to a halt himself. They had reached a clearing – but in front of them was a wall of large, thick and cluttered brambles, which extended as far ahead of her as she could see in the dark. Her and her companions' ears perked up, listening intently. She couldn't hear the barking anymore. She looked at Angel. “Can you–?” But he immediately shook his head. Neither could he, and his ears were better than hers. Not by much, but they were certainly better attuned to hearing distantly. They both looked around frantically. It seemed as if Winona had just disappeared into the night. Then Angel's ears perked up. “What is it? What do you hear?” – and then Fluttershy heard it herself. The barking was back – except now the faint sound of a cat's terrified mewing accompanied. A mewing that she instantly recognized, too. “OPAL?” The mewing came again. This time there was no doubt in Fluttershy's mind. It was definitely Rarity's cat howling alongside Applejack's dog. “Oh my word! What on Equestria is Opal doing all the way–” A loud roar – one neither of them needed to strain to be able to hear clearly – echoed through the darkness. Eyes in the darkness opened everywhere in fright. There was the sound of animals fleeing in every direction – but aside from a few glowing eyes, it was so dark she could not see what animals, nor which direction. What was unmistakable in her mind, however, was the roar – which sounded again. And was quite closer to them than the first roar had been. At first it appeared the shadows itself were dissolving. But as her eyes adjusted, the mare realized it was the bramble bushes, splashing aside like water in a stream. Something big was coming for them. Fluttershy slapped her wings down at her side, fighting the every urge to run that her body threw at her. The cracking of the splintering brush grew louder as whatever it was drew nearer Angel hid under her. Having stopped and hidden herself, Zecora shook in terror. As far behind them as she was, she had also heard that roar. She had been told that Fluttershy had a secret bravery about her, but this was unreal. Something that seemed to be bigger than a full-size dragon was crashing through the Forest – and there she was, standing solid. Zecora thought for a moment that the pony was frozen in fear, but the look on the mare's face did much to disprove that. The zebra ducked out of sight, staying as quiet as possible. Back up in front, Fluttershy's legs were ready to shake with utter fright – but with all of her will, she planted them still on the ground. Hearing the barking and the screeching drawing closer, she knew that whatever was coming had Winona and Opal in its grasp. Whom she would not let be harmed anymore. The barrier of brambles exploded apart, thick vines and gigantic thorns flying in every direction. The creature that had attacked Applejack and Rainbow thundered into the clearing, the howling pets of her friends in the grip of its left paw – and let out a roar so loud and powerful, it caused its own wind. But even in the face of the gale, Fluttershy stood strong. Seeing the animals in the creature's grasp – and knowing she had beaten the creature before – caused all the fear she had been feeling to leave her. “HEY!” she yelled, glaring fiercely at the creature. “Remember me?” Upon noticing her, the creature shrieked, its red eyes widening in fear. “Yeah, that's right. You know who I am. Now let them go!” The beast hesitated for a second, seeming as if it was going to release the pets. It backed up. “That's it...” It didn't comply. Instead, it whirled around and bolted back down the path it had carved for itself – revealing that when it wanted to, it could alight itself at a speed that rivaled Rainbow Dash's fastest. It crashed through all the brambles and ran into trees again, simply leaving them flattened in its wake. Yet Fluttershy grinned. She wasn't that happy about the creature destroying the nature she loved – but the monster's stomping of the foliage left a gaping, tall hole in the otherwise unnavigable path ahead. She had room to fly now. The pegasus flipped Angel onto her back and extended her wings. “Hold on to my mane, Angel!” she growled, her anger at the creature and the situation boiling over. “We're going after that big meanie!” The mare took off with such speed that she caused her own shockwave and a big gust of wind. The gust was so powerful it sent Zecora tumbling back, head over hooves. “Holy Celestia!” The zebra was once again stunned into speechlessness. Zecora had seen Fluttershy use The Stare many a time, but never had she realized the power the pony truly held. And now the chase she'd been following was leaving her in the dust. “How in the hay am I going to catch up to them now?” she sighed. Exhaustion was beginning to settle back in on her – the potion she'd taken earlier was clearly starting to wear off. But something bigger was going on, though. Nothing felt right about this. She needed to know more, so she could go and warn everypony about it before something truly awful happened. Digging into her willpower, Zecora righted herself and took off, following the dust cloud, running as fast as she could. Ahead of Fluttershy, the creature crashed through tree after tree, vine after vine, kicking up splinters, thorns, huge logs, dust and branches in its wake. But the pony didn't see the fifth paw come out of its chest to hold the wailing pets as it ran. She didn't see it grinning to itself as it fled from her wrath. All she focused on was rescuing her friend's companions. She was so enraged as she hurtled forward, nothing could get in her way to stop her. The creature wanted to run as fast as Rainbow Dash could fly? Fine. She was faster. She'd caught up to the Discorded Dash – while carrying a fully occupied hot air balloon. The monster wanted to throw tree trunks, branches, bramble vines and other shrapnel at her? Fine. Fluttershy dodged, weaved and ducked all the debris rocketing at her, flying through it as if it wasn't even there. It took a lot to anger her, and nothing had incensed her more than this monster had. She was going to teach it a lesson. On the ground, Zecora fought through all of her own exhaustion and pain while she raced to catch up. All the debris the creature had flung into the air behind it came screaming down around her. She twisted to avoid the logs that fell vertically, creating craters upon impact, and leaped on and ran across the logs that fell horizontally, jumping off them and back onto the path as they landed and rolled away. She still could not believe it. This was Fluttershy The pony was terrified of everything, yet now she had gone so deep into Everfree that even Zecora didn't know if she could find her way back home. Far up ahead, the pain of Angel's death grip on her mane wasn't even fazing the furious animal caretaker. She was gaining on the fleeing beast – fast. Closer. Closer. Closer. “I've got you now...” The path ahead broke open into another large clearing. She dove. With all her might, Fluttershy plowed into the monster's upper back, knocking it off balance and driving it face first into the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of dust. The pegasus stood over the unconscious creature, triumphantly smirking. “That's right. Now stay down, you meanie!” The pained howling and mewling quickly shattered her out of her angered state, however. “Oh my! Winona! Opalescence!” She hurried over to the injured pets – and gasped in horror upon seeing them. Winona was limping on three legs, the bones in her left front leg fractured so badly, it had a sickening zig-zag shape. The pink-haired pegasus was stunned that none of the bone was sticking out of the poor dear's limb. The dog had been extremely, extremely lucky. Opalescence hadn't fared much butter. The cat's tail was broken in multiple places, her ears were bitten and bloody patches coagulated where the feline had ripped the nails out of its paws in frantic attempts to scratch herself free from her captor. In a flash, Fluttershy set out to treat their injuries as well as she could. She scavenged around the field of debris, eventually finding a plank of wood that would be suitable to set Winona's leg for traveling, wrapping the piece in the thick, smooth, leaves of the oversized bramble vines. Raking the thorns off the smaller bramble vines with her teeth, she used them as makeshift twine. She walked over to Applejack's companion. The caretaker pony cringed at the canine's howls while she applied the splint – but eventually it was done. “I'm sorry, Winona...I do wish I had ice to ease the swelling. But I'll get you to a vet, pronto.” The dog wagged her tail and licked the pony in thanks, still in pain, but grateful. “Yes, yes, Winona. You're welcome. Just please don't put weight on that leg. You'll be limping for a while.” Opal wasn't so forgiving at first. The cat struggled while Fluttershy set another makeshift splint on her tail, and howled in annoyance when the pony wrapped her bloodied paws in makeshift leafy bandages. However, once all the fuss was over, Opalescence looked at the dressings on her wounds – and gratefully rubbed against the yellow pegasus, purring her thanks. “You're welcome, Opal.” Fluttershy smiled, petting the cat tenderly. “Rarity is going to be so happy to know that you're okay. And the same goes for Applejack with you, Winona. You're both so dear to them. I can't wait to see their faces when-” Pinkie Pie's face suddenly flashed in Fluttershy's mind. It hit her: Where was Gummi? She'd been so focused on reaching the other two animals, she'd completely forgotten about Pinkie's pet. “Opal? Winona? Was Gummi with you two when that nasty brute snatched you into the forest?” she asked. Opal ignored her, choosing instead to lick the leaves that covered her paws - and the dog's barking answer was not definitive in any way. “The little alligator without any teeth? He wasn't with you?” Winona barked inconclusively again – and then something strange happened. At first Fluttershy thought Winona had put weight on her injury and fractured the bones further – but soon she realized that wasn't the case. The dog's leg was rippling, like water disturbed. And then it wasn't just Winona's leg. Fluttershy stared in wide-eyed shock as the pet's whole body began to ripple. “What in the–” She backed up, looking over at Opal. The cat was rippling, too. “What – That's –” The pony backed up further. “No – This is–” She bumped into something behind her. “EEP! The creature!” Except when she turned around – the creature wasn't there. It was a just a large tree stump. But a tree stump she didn't remember being there. “What? How could that thing just disapp – What is going on?” The reality of where she was was beginning to sink in. She looked up – and realized that it wasn't moonlight that was providing the slight illumination. It was the glowing eyes of thousands of creatures perched in the huge trees that ringed the clearing, blocking any light or view from the outside world. She could hear the soft sound of wings flapping, slowing. Creatures she couldn't see were perching down all around her, drawn by the noise. The yellow pony quickly realized that she was surrounded. She looked back down – and came face to face with the shimmering Opal and Winona. “Get away from me!” she shrieked. The pets advanced towards her, wobbling like gelatin now. “No! Stay away! Wake up, Fluttershy! Wake up! This is a dream! It has to be a dream!” She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. When she opened them again, the animals were right in front of her, rippling up and down like springs. “EEK!” She recoiled once more, sheer unbridled terror ripping through her again. “Please be a dream!” Opal and Winona suddenly exploded into tendrils of smoke that grabbed all her hooves and solidified. “NO! LET ME GO!” she writhed in their grasp, her fear ratcheting even higher. The tendrils slammed her down on the ground, right in front of the tree stump. “Please...” The pony gabbered, frightened tears starting to fall from her eyes. “Please...Whoever you are – Whatever you are! Please spare me!” Angel jumped up on the tree stump – and to Fluttershy's horrified astonishment, the tendrils fused to the bunny's paws, while the stump fused to his feet. Angel sneered, opened his mouth – and spoke. “Oh, I'm going to spare you – but only after you realize something...” “...R – Realize what?” sputtered the fear-stricken pegasus. “This is no dream. It's a nightmare, shy one.” The rabbit turned into two daggers of smoke, which dove into her eyes – and then all that Fluttershy could comprehend was the most excruciating pain she had ever felt in the entirety of her life. Zecora arrived to see lightning shooting out of her friend's eyes as smoke poured into them, the pink-haired mare posed in agony, letting out an unearthly, absolutely bloodcurdling shriek of torment that did not seem like it was ever going to stop. The pegasus' hide began to bubble. Zecora stared in horror as she watched her good friend's body mutate right before her very eyes. The zebra tried to shut out the sickening sounds of Fluttershy's bones cracking as they stretched and moulded to fit their new form. The lightning grew fiercer as the smoke continued to force its way in – and soon the ear-splitting shriek slowly morphed into a wicked, cackling, evil laugh. Zecora leaped into the nearby brush, watching the rest of her friend's hideous transformation via the shadows cast across the ground by the lightning. Eventually, the strobing flashes stopped. The blinding darkness of the Everfree Forest swamped back in. It was done. The red eyes opened. “Ah...You see, my clucking friends? Done before dawn. Now to just wrap up a few more things before the Summer Sun Cele–” The nose sniffed the air... And caught something. The fanged mouth grinned. “I can smell you, zebra.” END CHAPTER TWO