//------------------------------// // In Which Night Falls // Story: Filly Fantasy VI - The Return of Magic // by The Wyld Stallynz //------------------------------// Pinkie Pie nodded in satisfaction as Flash Sentry stood before her in a spiffy new security uniform. Dressed in an expertly-pressed black suit, white undershirt, and black tie, Flash’s rigid posture made him look like a pony that knew how to deal with trouble. “You look great!” She reached forward and straightened his tie. Flash rubbed the back of his head, a slight blush forming. “Thanks again for this. I won’t let you down.” “I’m confident you’ll do me proud. Now, be sure Gladmane gets his own suit on in time for his appearance, then get to guarding.” Giving a crisp salute, Flash flashed a smile. “Yes, ma’am!” Satisfied that everything was in order, Pinkie headed out of the casino. At the entrance, she found Stardust and Moonlight speaking with Steve Magnet. “Leaving so soon?” he was saying. “You chocobos need to learn to stay still for a while.” “Not when there’s gil to be made,” Moonlight said. He gave a sidelong look to Stardust. “Honestly, I don’t expect to be making any in the near future, either.” “Aww, don’t be like that,” Pinkie admonished as she came up to them. “There’ll be lots of opportunities, you’ll see!” So saying, she flipped her mane and a bag of gil landed in her outstretched hoof. She tossed it up to Steve who snatched it up with a claw. ”Thanks for all of your hard work. Your replacement should be here shortly.” Steve gave a deep bow. “It’s going to be far less exciting without you around, Pinkie Pie. Do be a dear and stop by from time to time, alright?” “Thanks, I’ll try whenever I can.” She turned her head as the casino doors opened, revealing Flash and a pony following after him. “Perfect timing!” The pony following Flash came into view, revealing Gladmane dressed in a red bellhop uniform. “Good to see you’re being a sport about this.” Gladmane sneered but stayed silent. Pinkie gestured towards Steve. “Mr. Magnet will show you the ropes. Be sure to take plenty of notes.” “... Yes, ma’am.” “Great!” Pinkie turned to smile at Steve and Flash. “You boys take care of this place while I’m gone.” Swiveling around, she gestured for Stardust and Moonlight to follow her. “One more stop, guys, then it’s back to the airship.” The trio headed towards the entrance of the park, past the line of ponies queued up to get in. Beyond lay her parents' shack, a stark contrast to the glitz and glamour they just left behind. Pushing the crumbling wooden door open, Pinkie quickly found Igneous and Cloudy Quartz sitting at the dinner table. “Hi Mom and Dad!” Before either could greet her in kind, Pinkie slapped a manila folder down. “Sorry, can’t stay, but long story short, the casino is all yours. Sign here, please.” Pinkie Pie presented a pen as Moonlight nearly choked on his own tongue. “Daughter, this is most presumptuous.” Igneous looked down at where Pinkie’s hoof was pointing at a dotted line. He smiled. “But not completely unexpected.” “Truly, something in yonder winds told us that such an occurrence would happen,” Cloudy confirmed. “Also, we saw thine airship fly over.” Taking the pen, she added her name next to where Igneous had already added his. “Indeed, was not too hard to reason you had a task in mind.” “You… y-you just gave away what you just won…” Moonlight, his higher brain functions faltering, could only stare. Stardust shrugged. “I tried to talk her out of it, but her mind was set.” Moonlight whirled on him. “You knew?!” “Okay, all set.” Pinkie filed the documents in the folder and hoofed it towards her parents. “Thanks and congratulations. Take care of yourselves until I get back.” “You as well, daughter.” Igneous took the folder and placed it in a nearby cupboard. He turned and nodded. “Fair tidings on thy quest.” “Fare thee well, Pinkamena,” Cloudy added. “Yep!” Nudging Stardust in the side, Pinkie said, “C’mon, stop your squawking and let’s get walking.” With that, she exited the house, heading back towards the park, Stardust trailing close behind. Moonlight managed to regain his bearings enough to follow, his brow furrowed at the pair the entire time as they headed back to the Paradise. .o.O.o. A considerably larger group made its way up the airship gangplank than had disembarked. Rarity wasted no time reintroducing herself to the rest of the Returners, gaining plenty of fond hellos back. “Everypony and creature, a quick word if you please.” Congregating everyone in the center of the deck, Rarity’s horn flared and a spinning display of glowing blue needles appeared above their heads. “I’ve improved my little communication needles. They reach much further than before. With a little more refinement, these could reach half-way across the world.” Next to her, Twilight practically drooled. “Amazing. I’ll help get these improved. Just tell me what you need.” “More importantly, these will keep us connected in case we separate or need to split up,” Trixie said. “Go for it.” “What about Discord, though,” Twilight asked, her jubilant mood darkening. “What if he catches on?” “Don’t worry about it. If he finds out, he’ll find out. In fact, anything we do, assume he knows.” Rarity gave Trixie a cross look. “Then how do you expect we beat him, then?” “Because he’s stupid.” “Well, that explains nothing.” “Congratulations, you now speak Discord.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Dear, leave the jokes to Pinkie.” “Who says Trixie is joking?” With that statement made, she headed down to the cabins. “Who’s making jokes? I wanna hear!” Pinkie Pie came bounding onto the deck, Stardust and Moonlight trailing behind. She caught sight of Rarity, squealed, and gathered her up in a hug. “So good to see you!” “Like… wise,” Rarity wheezed out. Pinkie let go and took a quick head count. “Is Trixie here?” “Downstairs,” Twilight said. “Good, then we can head out.” “To where?” Pinkie thrust a hoof into the air. “Jidhoof!” Both of Rarity’s ears raised up. “Really? That’s close to where I think Sweetie Belle is.” “Great, then it’s decided.” She motioned for her sisters to begin takeoff preparations. The ground crew unbound the ropes securing the Paradise and soon the airship ascended to the sky. .o.O.o. “So, this ship is different from what I remember,” Rarity said as Pinkie led her to a cabin. Pinkie made an affirmative sigh. “It was my good friend’s. The fastest in the world.” “Is… she still with us?” “No.” “Oh. Apologies.” Pinkie gave Rarity a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. The fact it’s being used to help save the world is everything she could have wanted. Here we are.” Pinkie pushed open a cabin door. The moment she did, a white blur escaped and launched itself at Rarity. Rather than yelp and defend herself, Rarity opened her hooves and embraced the incoming object. “Opal! It is you!” Both pet and owner cooed and purred. Next to them, Pinkie grinned like a cheshire. “Yep! Picked her up along with Spotter. You should ask him about his time with her.” “I think I shall.” Rarity looked up from cuddling her cat, her eyes brimming with emotion. “Thank you, Pinkie.” “Don’t mention it.” The captain turned to leave the pair to their reunion when Marble ran up to her, panting. “What’s up?” “She’s… back…” Marble gasped out. Rarity stopped her nuzzling of Opalescence. “Who?” .o.O.o. “Nightmare Moon!” The cry from Limestone was the only warning they got. Not that it mattered as Nightmare Moon came up from below the airship and landed on deck before anyone could react. Now she stood amongst them, dark mist billowing from her mane and tail. “Yesss,” she hissed. “As much as it galls me to admit, you worms have proved too cautious to attack head on. But the skies are my domain and that includes the clouds that concealed my approach. Now I’m beyond your shields and wretched cannons and will now finish this farce.” A burst of miasma washed over the deck, causing any Returner unfortunate to be caught within it to hack and cough. Having gained the initiative, Nightmare Moon selected the pony most likely to cause her trouble, the white stallion shielding himself and a colt. Fast as a gale, she aimed and fired a concentrated bolt of black magic. Her attack struck full force, Shining Armor wincing as his hastily erected shield buckled under so much power. He only lasted a few seconds before cutting off, grabbing Spotter and diving away. Nightmare Moon fired again, her blast on the mark to skewer both when her beam suddenly veered away towards a light blue unicorn holding up an ornate sword. Her magic struck the sword and traveled down to Trixie’s horn. The dark mare sneered. “I haven’t the time for your interference!” Trixie declined to answer, instead thrusting the sword into the air to send a wave of healing magic throughout the deck. Any Returner suffering from the miasma shook off any lingering sickness and stood to face their foe. Pinkie Pie and the rest of the Returners came up from below, their weapons at the ready. “You vermin multiply each time I encounter you. No matter! Whether two or two-hundred, none of you are a match for me.” She reared up and neighed, her voice amplified to send a powerful shockwave across the deck. With nowhere to hide, the Returners braced themselves as best they could. Some were knocked off their hooves, but Umaro stood strong against it and charged forward, the yeti gaining speed with each step. Nightmare Moon scoffed and met the attack, Umaro’s full body tackle pushing her back a few hooves. “If this is the best you can do, this will be easier than I thought.” A twist and a buck sent Umaro flying back, landing with a heavy thud. “Give up, your queen demands it!” “Is she serious or just bantering?” Rarity asked to no one in particular. Shrugging off her observation, she set herself to enter the battle, but an orange hoof held her back. “Hold up,” Applejack said, keeping the two back as the rest of the Returners engaged. Rarity tried to slip around but Applejack was a bit quicker. “Our friends need help! Let me by.” “Wait, Rarity!” a new voice came next to Applejack. Spotter looked up from behind the farmer, his gaze intense. “I think I know how you two can beat her.” “Spotter, get down below!” Rarity said, a touch of hysteria entering her voice. “That’s what Dad said too, but I have to tell you what I saw!” Huffing, Rarity turned her attention to him. “This better be good. What do you have in mind?” She glanced at the ongoing battle, wincing at how effortlessly Nightmare Moon was tossing around magic and ponies as though they were merely children. Quickly, Spotter told them both his plan. .o.O.o. Twilight Sparkle fell back, her side searing with pain from the hard hit it had taken. She cast a heal spell to dull the sting, clenching her teeth. Nightmare Moon wasn’t giving anyone opportunities to fight back. Worse, Twilight didn’t dare morph in fear of lighting the hull on fire, forcing her to rely on standard magic and her new sword. It fared well in keeping Nightmare Moon at length, but little else. Nearby, Spike hurled wave after wave of breath attacks that distracted Nightmare Moon, but wasn’t doing any meaningful damage. His new spear fared better, stabbing through her miasma and keeping it contained so that the others could fight without feeling sick. Even so, Nightmare Moon paid no attention to the magic the Returners had, shrugging off their most powerful spells as though they left no impact. Weapons and Big Macintosh’s tools also proved ineffective, the dark mare practically invincible. The only saving grace that Twilight could see was that Nightmare Moon wasn’t able to focus on one target for long. She gained an advantage against Sunset, only for Derpy to swoop down and zap her, diverting Nightmare Moon’s attention. Shining Armor then blasted her with wind from Sky Render before the black alicorn could target the fleeing pegasus. Pinkie Pie hopped in and flung darts at Nightmare Moon’s face, only for her starry hair to swat them away. Through it all, Trixie was bearing the brunt of their foe’s worse magic, effectively keeping her too preoccupied to join the fray. It was a stalemate that didn’t last long. Before Twilight’s horrified eyes, Nightmare Moon grew tired of being constantly contained and charged for Trixie. Ignoring all attacks coming her way, she yelled, “Begone, you parasite!” Twilight watched helplessly as Trixie was caught completely off guard, Nightmare Moon battering Save the Queen away, and lifting Trixie up with her midnight magic. With contemptuous ease, she tossed the general over the railing. “Trixie!” Casting caution to the side, Twilight morphed and flew with all her might, blasting past a gloating Nightmare Moon and into the open skies. Below her, she caught sight of Trixie tumbling end over end into a patch of clouds. Flapping her fire wings harder, she shot down through the clouds, the nearby condensation evaporating away from her. A flash of pink drew her attention on her right, and she banked hard towards it. The clouds parted for her enough to see Trixie’s horn lighting up, allowing Twilight to beeline straight for her. A small adjustment to her flight plan allowed her to come up from below and catch Trixie in her outstretched hooves. Trixie grunted from the sudden impact, regaining her bearings enough to see that she was in Twilight’s grasp. She snorted. “I had a fifty-fifty chance it would be you or Derpy, and I got you.” “You’re welcome, by the way.” Twilight shook her head and flapped to regain altitude. “I’ll thank you later if we survive this mess.” Trixie looked upwards at the airship, snarling at the lightshow reflecting off of the balloon. “She’s strong. I don’t know what we can do to beat her.” “We’ll find a way,” Twilight insisted, flapping harder. “We have to.” Trixie blinked, a thought having entered her head. “Shouldn’t I be burnt to a crisp by now?” Twilight shook her head. “I can control it for my friends.” Giving her an odd look, Trixie said, “Whatever, maybe you have friendly fire, or some such junk. We’ll figure it out later.” Twilight didn’t answer, instead allowing a small smile to form as she flew closer to the ongoing battle. .o.O.o. Nightmare Moon cackled as the full force of her magic lashed out at any unlucky Returner unfortunate enough to draw her attention. “That annoying pest of a pony is gone! There is no hope!” She laughed, flaring her wings wide and sending out more miasma to carpet the deck. Ponies stepped away as far as they could, many pressed up against the railings, unable to go any further. Nightmare Moon’s laughter died down as she surveyed the tiny battlefield, her fangs flashing through a wide grin. “Well, my amusement has been spent. Time for you all to die.” She channeled magic to her horn, the signature red flare of magic being cast highlighting her manic face. “Doom.” “Hey, Queen Meanie!” Holding her spell back, Nightmare Moon swiveled her eyes towards the small dragon that had been valiantly, and fruitlessly, keeping her poison at bay. Spike reared back and threw his spear like a javelin, its holy power parting the poisonous wasteland between himself and her. Nightmare Moon caught it in her magical grip inches from her chest, stopping it cold. Her grin morphed into a sneer. “A final desperate attack? Pathetic.” Spike stood straight, shrugging his shoulders. “Hey, at least it opened up a path.” “Path?” She looked down past the end of the spear, seeing a single pony dressed in a dark purple outfit leap up at her. Nightmare Moon took a contemptuous swipe at the annoying gnat with the spear, but the pony nimbly flowed around it like water. Her eyes caught sight of something small and glowing white held in the masked pony’s grasp seconds before it slashed across her exposed throat. Nightmare Moon let out a strangled gasp, both out of pain and shock that something had actually harmed her. Refocusing her magic from her stalled spell to heal the wound, she was instead tackled by an orange blur. The hit barely registered, but it cost precious seconds of concentration. Applejack used those seconds to the fullest. Slamming her hooves against the cut that Rarity’s Striker had made, she poured as much power as she could into a point blank aurabolt. The resulting explosion sent Applejack flying back and Nightmare Moon crashing against the deck. Derpy snagged Applejack before she could land in the deadly sea of miasma that still roiled and set her down next to Spike. The trio looked back, a victorious cheer ready to burst through. Nightmare Moon stood up. “You… nasty…” She coughed and nearly lost her footing, her legs shaking. Where once had been an ornate silver chestpiece, Nightmare Moon now sported a burned splotch even darker than her midnight coat. “Never… forgive you.” Snarling, her eyes filled with hate, she summoned her magic once again. There came the sound of a sickening crunch, followed by a wet splash. A gurgled whine escaped Nightmare Moon’s mouth, blood leaking out from her lips. Her senses dulling rapidly, she had enough strength left to look down at Rarity, the pony’s knife sticking through her chest where her armor once was. With one last wheeze, Nightmare Moon collapsed. All around the deck, the miasma faded away. Seconds later, Twilight landed with Trixie, the two quickly spotting the dark form that lay motionless in the center of the walkspace. The pair looked to each other then back, eyes blinking rapidly. They crept forward, magic at the ready. The rest of the Returners did the same, all slowly surrounding the still form. As they got closer, they saw a red puddle spreading out from Nightmare Moon’s body, soaking into the floorboards. Rarity ignored the blood seeping into her hooves, her focus on keeping the Striker firmly embedded into Nightmare Moon’s chest. Once she saw everyone else crowd around, she nodded and pulled the knife out. Other than the flow of blood from the wound increasing, nothing happened. “Should we cut off her head just to be sure?” Trixie rubbed her chin. “Tempting.” She reached forward and prodded at the unmoving body, but no response came. “How’d you do it?” Flipping her mask back, careful to keep any blood from splaying, Rarity said, “Spotter told us that his sight showed that she was weak to holy magic. So Applejack managed to grant my Striker with temporary magic so I could get an attack in. We improvised from there.” She levitated the Striker up, wiped it off with a cloth and stuck it back under her cloak. “Impressive,” Trixie replied. She smirked and placed her hook against her chest. “Even though it was Trixie that kept you all alive to come up with a plan.” A dozen unamused stares glared back at her. Trixie huffed and looked away. “You’re all no fun.” “Anyway,” Sunset said, pointing at Nightmare Moon. “What are we going to do with this?” Spike, having recovered his spear, leveled it at the body. “Well, I’m all for cutting her up. You all can leave if you don’t want to see.” He reached forward to grab Nightmare Moon’s horn, spear held back to hack it off. The moment he touched it, there came a flash of blinding white light. A round of startled neighs filled the air as the Returners backed away, blinking away the spots dancing before them. Once they had recovered enough to see again, their jaws dropped. Spike remained standing as before, his arm still outstretched but no longer clutching a horn. His eyes were glazed over, staring at nothing in particular. “Wha…” He stumbled back, but a flap of his wings kept him steady. “... oh, what a rush.” “Spike.” Hearing his name spoken with such intensity by Twilight shook him out of his daze. He looked to her. “What?” Twilight, staring with wide eyes, pointed at his back. “You got wings.” “What? I don’t have…” He twisted his head, catching sight of a purple limb with a light green membrane. “... wings?” He tentatively reached for it and pulled, feeling his back tug with it. “I… what?” “Magicite!” All eyes turned to see Spotter rushing up to them with an eager smile. He stopped next to Spike and shook his claw. “You got Bahamut! That’s so cool! Autumn’s always saying he was one of the strongest.” Sunset cocked her head. “Wait, was Nightmare Moon a piece of magicite?” She looked down to where the dark alicorn had fallen, her eyes bugging out. “Umm…” The rest followed her gaze, blinking at the sight. A pony with wings and a horn lay where Nightmare Moon once lay but the similarities stopped there. This one was much smaller, with a coat of soft light azure instead of midnight black. The mane, once a flowing mass of stars, was now a simple short cut of light blue hair. The pony was breathing through her mouth, revealing the absence of any fangs. The wound in her chest, along with the pool of blood, were gone. “What the hay?” .o.O.o. An hour later, the Paradise landed in an open field a few miles from Jidhoof. As the Pie sisters worked on securing the airship, the Returners convened, Trixie taking the lead. “Our new prisoner hasn’t woken up yet.” She shook her head. “Trixie never thought we’d be taking prisoners.” “I still don’t think it’s safe,” Sunset said. “It could all be a trick to catch us off guard.” “That’s why we need to decide who’s staying in case her moodiness wakes up.” Trixie looked to those gathered, her eyes falling on Applejack, Rarity, and Spike. “You three managed to beat her, so it makes sense to keep you here. Trixie will stay, too, to try to keep her magic sealed.” Sunset huffed. “So I guess that leaves the useless ones to run around to do the errands.” Twilight jabbed her in the side, earning an indignant yelp. “Don’t be like that. I wasn’t much help, either.” She turned back to Trixie. “I’ll go. Last time I was in Jidhoof I was a bit out of it, so this’ll be like visiting for the first time.” “That’s the spirit!” Pinkie bounced up to her and patted her on the back. “I’ve got the intel, so I’ll be going.” Sighing, Sunset said, “Alright fine, I’ll go too.” “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh seconded. Stardust raised a wing. “We still got some gil left over, so I’ll see what I can get for supplies.” When no further volunteers sounded off, Trixie nodded. “Good, it’s decided. Head out when you’re ready.” Rarity cleared her throat, gaining attention. “If you don’t mind, since they’ll likely take a few hours, is there any possibility that we could stop by the Opera House? It’s just a little ways from here and the airship will make it a quick little jaunt.” Pursing her lips, Pinkie said. “Well, it’s a hassle to keep taking off and landing, but Limestone could use the practice.” Rarity’s eyebrow raised as she saw ponies and chocobos alike noticeably pale. “I’ll leave it up to Limestone to make the call. Talk to her.” With that, Pinkie left to get ready to disembark, leaving Rarity with a scowling group of Returners. Rarity lifted a hoof, frog up. “What?” .o.O.o. “Suddenly, I’m glad I’m going,” Sunset said to Twilight shortly after they headed out for Jidhoof. Twilight nodded rapidly. “Me too.” “Oh, come on, she’s not that bad,” Pinkie said from behind them. “She just needs a little more experience.” The two unicorns shared a look, saying everything they needed without exchanging words. They continued the trip in relative peace, though Discord’s influence seemed greater here than in other parts they had visited. A random assortment of flowers along the path that sprayed sparks of lightning instead of pollen gave them pause until Sunset set them on fire. A golem made of silver sprang up from the ground and attempted to crush them, but Pinkie simply let loose the Smooze. Half of the golem was eaten before it managed to drag itself away from the ravenous green slime. “Looks like I’ll need to find something bigger than a bottle to hold him now,” Pinkie commented as she patted the closest thing to a head that the Smooze had. It gave off a gurgling squelch. “You hear that? It’s purring!” The Returners gave curt nods and pointedly kept moving forward. Jidhoof came into view soon after, the sight welcoming after the weirdness of the road. Twilight ran the rest of the way, forcing the others to do the same to keep together. Once she entered the open commons of the town, she stopped to look around. There were no obvious signs of Discord’s magic, but the ponies walking by and the buildings still raised her eyebrows. The citizens wore mismatched clothing, ranging from one pony with socks on one hoof and boots on the others, while another seemed to have put on every type of hat they owned, balancing it expertly on their head. The buildings, once simple colored stone structures, were now painted with clashing colors. Multicolored polka dots against a pea green undercoating on one building, while the one next to it was covered in black and red stripes. Looking from one structure to another too fast caused Twilight’s head to spin. Pinkie Pie saw it differently. “Oh! This place has gotten a lot livelier!” She bounced away, the Smooze following. “I’ll follow up on my lead, but first I gotta get a barrel for this guy.” “I’ll go with her,” Stardust said. “I’ll get my shopping done at the same time.” He held up one of Rarity’s communication needles. “I’ll tell you when we’re ready to meet up again.” Twilight nodded and he walked off. Turning to the last of her companions, she said, “Well, guess we can start by asking around. Maybe somepony we know has been through here.” “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh agreed. The trio headed deeper into town. The further they went, the more strange the garments the ponies wore grew. A pony with half a suit of armor walked by, only for the next pony behind him wearing the other half. In an open square, an artist with an easel looked at his blank canvas before splashing it with water, then smearing it with mixed paint to produce a muddy mess. No building they passed was spared a color catastrophe, making it hard to know what parts of the town they had been to. Finally, Sunset had enough and confronted a pony splashing buckets of paint against a wall. “Sir, if it’s not too much to ask, what the hay is up with this place?” The pony turned to her, taking a second to look her up and down. “You’re new here, aren’t ya?” “What gave it away?” Sunset sarcastically replied. “You’re dressed sensibly.” He adjusted the tight corset around his waist, loosening it up. “To put it bluntly, Jidhoof’s newest craze is chaos-inspired art.” He waved his hoof around, indicating the whole of the town. “It’s really caught on.” “No kidding.” She looked to Twilight and Big Macintosh. “Looks like he did a number on them.” Twilight sighed. “Yeah.” She glanced at the pony, who had gone back to plastering the wall with his paint. “Let’s keep going, though I’m not sure if we’re going to find anything.” A few minutes later, Twilight heard the voice of Stardust coming from her saddlebags. She opened them and took out a glowing blue needle. “Stardust, I hear you. Can you repeat that?” “I said come meet us at Fancy Pants' mansion,” Stardust said from his side of the needle. “It’s the biggest house in town, up on the hill.” “Gotcha. We’re on our way.” She turned to the others, nodded, then headed north. Finding Fancy Pants' home wasn’t hard, as it was by far the biggest house in town and would tower over the neighborhood even without being on top of a hill. The fact that it was the only building not to have been plastered with graffiti art made it stand out all the more. No ponies bared their path from the main gate leading into the mansion grounds. In fact, everypony they passed seemed to divert their gaze away from the building entirely. Stardust and Pinkie Pie were already waiting for them as they rejoined at the large oak door of the house. “Hey guys, got some intel to share!” Pinkie said with a large grin. A barrel was strapped to her back, a squelch emitting from it. “I got some of the locals to open up a bit and some said they saw some fillies heading this way not too long ago.” “Rarity’s sister?” Twilight asked. “Not sure. Didn’t get a description.” Sunset looked unconvinced. “Really? Everypony we saw was too busy making a mess to give us any clues.” Waving her off, Pinkie said, “You just have to butter them up a bit on their art. Ponies love to talk when you compliment them. Anyway, some also claimed to have seen a rainbow streaking through the sky. That’s gotta be Dash!” Twilight’s breath hitched. “Let’s hope so.” A round of agreement later and the group knocked on the mansion entrance. They waited a minute before trying again. Another minute passed but nopony came to answer. Frowning, Pinkie reached forward and tried the doorknob. It turned and the door slid open with no resistance. The inside was pitch black, even with the light from outside spilling in. A cold wind blew past them, causing them to shiver involuntarily. “I don’t like the feel of this,” Sunset said, having taken a step back. “Something’s not right.” Nopony or chocobo made a move, the eerie silence that had descended upon them only adding to their unease. With a grunt, Big Macintosh cautiously stepped up to the entrance. He flipped a switch on his backpack and a light bulb popped out from the top. It lit up, casting enough light to see a few hooves in front of him. “Keep close.” With that declaration, he entered, the others filling in after. Even with the light, the blackness surrounding them as they entered the mansion pressed down on them, almost like it was a physical force. The group caught brief glimpses of expensive looking urns, works of art, and other shiny things, but Big Macintosh only had to take a step for them to be swallowed up in darkness. They took it slow, staying silent as though making a sound would awaken a sleeping evil. A few minutes of wandering led them to a staircase leading up. With no better options, they started to climb. “Leave…” No sooner had the whispered words brushed past their ears, an invisible force pushed them all back. Stardust squawked and made to bolt, but Twilight snagged him with her magic. “Don’t run off!” “You guys go! I’m outta here!” Stardust tried to squirm free of Twilight’s grip, but Sunset joined in and pinned the chocobo down. “You’ll only get lost and then we’ll have to find you, too,” she said. Stardust continued to struggle, but the combined might of the two unicorns kept him in place. After several moments, he sagged, breathing heavily against the floor. “No… fair…” Twilight and Sunset let up the pressure, sure that he wouldn’t try to take off again. With that crisis resolved, Pinkie Pie firmed up her features and climbed the stairs again. The hair on her back raised, just before the same pressure as before forced her back down. “Leave…” “Come out and say that to my muzzle!” Sunset cried out. No response came back. In the center of their tightly packed group, Big Macintosh took a breath. His body shimmered and a duplicate of himself stepped away and headed out into the darkness. Both Stardust and Sunset shivered at the sight. “Not sure what’s freakier,” Sunset said. “The house or when he does that.” Minutes passed, Big Macintosh standing stock still. Their only source of light flickered for a second, almost sending Stardust back into a panic attack. He shrieked when Big Macintosh’s doppelganger came back, stepping out of the shadows and as silent as the air around them. The double reentered the stallion’s body, his eyes blinking open a second later. Clearing his throat, he said, “Think I found somethin’.” He moved, forcing the others to follow. They walked around the staircase, finding a small cubbyhole built under it. Laying on a platinum pedestal within the cubbyhole was an open book. Big Macintosh pointed to it. “Had trouble reading it in the dark. Think it’s some sort of diary. Might give us some clues.” Nodding, Twilight lit up her horn and stepped up to the book. She spent a few minutes flipping through the pages, stopping occasionally and silently reading its contents. Her breath caught suddenly and she turned to face the others. “Whatever’s going on, I think it has to do with a painting Fancy Pants bought. It’s somewhere in the basement. The book didn’t say where, though.” Her gaze shifted upwards, where the stairs led. “It also said that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are here, helping him.” “Tarnation,” Big Macintosh swore. He made to head back for the stairs, but Twilight blocked his way. “Hold on, let me try something. There should be a light switch somewhere nearby. Help me look for it.” Big Macintosh narrowed his eyes, but didn’t protest. He moved closer to the walls, his light bulb illuminating wallpaper decorated with flowers and stars. The group followed the wall a ways before Twilight called out to stop. Her horn shimmered and a click could be heard somewhere in the darkness. Immediately, the oppressive blackness disappeared, replaced by bright lights from above. The Returners shielded their eyes against the sudden change, waiting a few moments for them to readjust. Once they could see again, they found themselves next to a grand staircase, made of fine oak and decorated with gold trim. A red carpet lay on the steps, its deep color inviting them to head up. Twilight blinked, a smile forming. “Wow, that worked better than I thought. The book said something about the lights being really good but I didn’t think it would be that good.” She and everyone else turned to the stairs. “Okay, let’s try this again.” Cautiously, they put their hooves on the steps, the carpet cushioning their hooves. They climbed a few more but no otherworldly force or voice stopped them. Emboldened, they rushed up the rest of the way, entering a large gallery. Paintings and sculptures even more impressive than the ones downstairs greeted them. Scenes of meadows, flowers, portraits, and mountain landscapes were all depicted. One in particular caught Pinkie’s attention. “Ha! Flash was right!” She ran up to a pony portrait, everyone but Sunset quickly recognizing Emperor Blueblood posing imperially. He was dressed in the finest robes of the deepest reds, an ornate golden crown perched on his head. He sat on an iron throne, its imposing weight and solid build appropriate for the magitek king. Pinkie got up close, her nose millimeters away from the canvas. “Let’s see if it’s here—found it!” Pinkie Pie reached up, her hoof brushing against the depiction of the red robes. She slid her hoof across, pushing against something hidden underneath. A white envelope nudged its way out of a hidden slit, falling into Pinkie’s other hoof. She stepped back and opened it, unfolding the piece of paper within. “Alright, it says the treasure is where the mountains form a star.” Behind her, the Returners blinked. “So what does that mean?” Sunset asked. Pinkie shrugged. “Dunno! Flash just said he’d heard the painter of this picture hid something in it and I should check it out if I ever found it. Guess we’ll need to be on the lookout for star pointed mountains from now on.” Sunset huffed. “And why would we even do that?” “C’mon, where’s your sense of adventure and exploration? Blueblood here thought it was important.” “It’s just a painting, not a pony.” While the two were bantering, Stardust came closer to the painting. He brushed his wing against where Pinkie had touched it, something else poking out of the slit. Gasping, he plucked it out with his beak and held it for the rest to see. “Guys, look!” Everypony looked up and saw Stardust holding a blue feather. “Rainbow…” Twilight breathed. She held up her hoof, Stardust placing the feather on it. She lifted it with her magic, inspecting it from every angle. “It’s hers. I know it is.” Sunset came up to stand next to her. “Do you… think she went to that mountain in the letter?” “Yes, I have no doubt.” Twilight gently placed the feather in her saddlebag. “We definitely need to tell the others. Maybe they know what the letter is talking about.” Her gaze drifted to the portrait. “Are you guys done with this?” “Uh, sure, why?” Pinkie asked. Twilight’s answer was to launch a fireball. The Returners yelped and backed away as Blueblood’s picture lit up instantly, the fire so intense it was reduced to ash in seconds. Twilight sniffed. “Good riddance.” “Okay…” Sunset edged forward, staring down at the pile of charred paper. “Wasn’t expecting that.” Twilight blushed. “Sorry. I had… history with him.” “Hey, look!” Pinkie bounded to where the portrait once hung, wiping away the thin level of dust the fire had created. Her hoof revealed a wooden door, hidden by the picture but now revealed. Pinkie tried the latch and the door pushed open without resistance. A stairway leading down lay on the other side. “Think this leads to the basement?” “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh quickly agreed, already heading down. The others followed. It didn’t take long for the light from upstairs to fade away the further they went down, causing Big Macintosh to relight his bulb. It sputtered but held up. The darkness wasn’t as all encompassing as before, allowing the Returners to see several hooves all around. Once the stairs reached the end, they came into a cellar, where even more trinkets and collections of priceless artifacts were kept. “Jeeze, how much money does this guy have?” Sunset asked aloud. Her gaze swept over the horde of items that extended past their light. Stardust rubbed a wing under his beak. “Well, from what I’ve seen, well over a million gil at least. Fancy Pants is one of the richest ponies in the world. He would always offer us chocobos more than others whenever we did business here.” They continued on, passing rows and rows of shelves filled with all sorts of knick-knacks. One set of shelves contained a line of equine shaped porcelain dolls, no bigger than a dog. As Stardust passed them by, movement caught his eye. He snapped his head to the shelves, gaping as each doll head was looking right at him. “Um—” His voice was drowned out as each doll let out a piercing wail. The dolls stood up and launched themselves at the stunned party, latching on and biting and kicking them. Stardust flailed around, knocking into shelves that tumbled over and dumped their contents to the floor. The others didn’t fare much better, trying to pry the surprisingly strong dolls off of them. Big Macintosh whirled and bucked, smashing a few but more soon replaced them. Pinkie Pie rolled on the floor, shaking off the ones attacking her and stomping them before they could get back up. Twilight and Sunset both fired off spells, ripping off chunks of porcelain that clattered to the floor. Despite being damaged, however, the dolls continued their assault. Stardust, overwhelmed and unable to dislodge any of the nasty dolls digging into his feathers, spread his wings and cast whatever spell that came to him. A wave of silver washed over all the dolls, the sound of a clock winding down filling the air. Immediately, the dolls’ movements slowed, becoming more burdensome than deadly. Taking the chance, the others began ripping the dolls off and smashing them with weapons, tools, and magic. Soon, the last of them was crushed under Big Macintosh’s hoof. With the danger gone, the Returners huffed and groaned, feeling their bodies littered with gashes and bite marks. Twilight focused and cast a healing spell over them, taking care of the worst of it. “What… the buck… was that?” Sunset said to the room at large. “Evil,” Pinkie Pie hissed. She cast an angry glare at the broken doll pieces, kicking one away. Heaving a sigh, Twilight looked up at Stardust. “Thanks. I’m not sure what would have happened had you not did what you did.” “I’m not even sure what I did,” Stardust said, giving a hopeless shrug. “I can slow and speed things up, but not all at once.” “Until now.” Twilight smiled and patted him on the side. “You’re getting better, just like all of us.” “Thanks, I guess. Just wish it wasn’t during a life and death situation.” “Well, I know personally that some of our best comes out when we’re in the most danger. Speaking of which, we really need to get to the bottom of this.” Shoving aside broken pottery, Twilight marched down the hall they had been following. Eager to leave the graveyard of dolls, the group followed. They kept a sharp eye out for anything that might jump out at them, keeping their weapons at the ready. The feeling of oppressive darkness continued to grow the further they went. Big Macintosh’s light bulb began to flicker more often, prompting them to hurry. At last, set against a stone wall, a single door stood before them. Sunset didn’t bother being cautious, slicing it through with the Ultima Weapon and blasting the rest with fire. A scream from the room on the other end urged them through the wrecked hole. Inside, on the opposite end of a plush study, stood Scootaloo, her wings buzzing and ready to discharge. Apple Bloom was next to her, a bottle held in her hoof in preparation to throw it. They held back once they saw who had burst in. “Big brother!” Apple Bloom set her bottle down and ran up to Big Macintosh, wrapping her hooves around his neck. “I’m so glad it’s you!” “Me too!” Scootaloo said, though she held back from joining in on the reunion. “But we gotta cut the hellos short! We’ve got a big problem, here!” She turned around, her focus on a painting that took up the entirety of the wall. It was a portrait of a white unicorn mare. Taller than most ponies, with a slender build and light pink hair, she posed with half lidded eyes, a twinkle within them hinting at both mischief and confidence. She was by far the most beautiful pony any of them had ever seen. Sunset looked from the portrait then back down to Scootaloo. “I don’t get it. Is the painting causing this house to act all weird?” “Yes and no.” The answer didn’t come from Scootaloo, but from another pony in the room that came out of hiding behind a sofa. He was a male unicorn with blue hair and mustache. He wore a tailored blue vest that complemented his mane. A monocle was set into his right eye, the string attached to it leading to a pocket in his vest. “I’m Fancy Pants. I implore you to help, but we can’t risk damaging this painting. It is the most precious thing I own.” Apple Bloom ran up to join Scootaloo. “It’s a picture of his dead wife, Fleur De Lis. But some stupid demon has haunted it and is trying to switch her out.” “A demon, am I?” The new voice came from the picture. Before everyone’s eyes, the image of Fleur moved, her head twisting to fully gaze down at the room full of equines. “Why so quick to hate? I’m only doing my bien aimé a favor.” “It’s here!” Apple Bloom didn’t hesitate, holding up a cup of green liquid and cocking back her hoof to chuck it. “No!” Fancy Pants tackled Apple Bloom, sending the cup flying to spill somewhere else in the room. “Please, do not harm it!” “See?” the voice coming out of Fleur’s mouth said. “My soon-to-be husband has already come around to me.” Fancy Pants whirled, pointing a hoof up at the painting. “Begone! Leave my precious Fleur alone!” The voice tsked. “Fleur is long gone, bien aimé. The only name you need to remember from now on is Vignette Valencia.” The image of Fleur shifted, blurring the face and body until only a splotch of indistinguishable color remained. A series of magical pulses illuminated the room, each pulse changing the distorted image to something more recognizable as a pony. However, the pony that reformed wasn’t a white unicorn, but a light yellow pegasus with red hair that faded to white at the tips and with a small beauty mark under the left eye. “I will be your new most cherished possession.” Vignette narrowed her eyes at the others. “The rest of you can die.” Her proclamation made, Vignette’s form expanded outward from the canvas, becoming one half of a solid pony with the other half remained in the painting. She raised her hooves and spread her wings, phantasmal lightning sparking before lashing out for the Returners. The ponies scattered, though the cramped confines of the room made it hard to avoid the attack and not get into each other’s way. Scorched coats and furniture lay in the wake of the assault, Vignette summoning more power for a second wave. Scootaloo beat her to it. “Sorry, Fancy, but this chick has got to go!” Gathering her magic within her wings, she unleashed a bolt that struck Vignette in the chest. The ghost staggered, disbelief forming on her muzzle. “I… felt that…” “Get her!” Scootaloo fired again, but Vignette flowed back into the canvas, the lightning striking the wall next to it. “Darn. Don’t make us come in there to get you!” “Uncouth brutes,” Vignette snapped back. The painting distorted again, reforming back into Fleur’s image. “Attack now, I dare you.” Fancy Pants jumped in between the Returners and the portrait, his hooves spread wide. “Cease this madness and give me my wife back!” “Don’t worry about a thing, my précieux pony.” The eyes of Fleur glowed and a white vapor appeared around Fancy Pants’ head. His eyes drooped and a moment later he collapsed to the ground, sound asleep. “This will all be over when you wake up.” “You bet it will!” Sunset roared and let loose a fireball that impacted the painting full on. Once the smoke cleared, portions of the canvas could be seen singed and smoldering. Vignette grimaced and coughed, a puff of smoke coming out of her mouth. “That’s it. Die!” More vapors phased into existence throughout the room. Instead of putting the Returners asleep, they began to hack and wheeze. “I’ll stuff your corpses and hang them in the guest rooms.” Her gloating stopped as Big Macintosh, wearing a gas mask, summoned a doppelganger who then ran and jumped into her painting. So caught off guard, Vignette had no chance to react to the savage buck to her rump that sent her material form flying out of the picture and fall flat on the floor. Disoriented and groaning, Vignette looked up in time to see Apple Bloom, wearing her own gas mask, pour the green fluid from before onto her head and body. The effect was immediate. Vignette screamed as her body dissolved wherever the viscous liquid touched. She tried to get up and run but a punch from Apple Bloom to the cheek sent her back down. Helpless, she cried out as Apple Bloom dumped the rest of her stash of fluid over her. Vignette’s wails continued until all of her corroded away, leaving nothing but a white and red smear mixed with green on the floor. The vapors surrounding the others dissipated, allowing them to breathe in fresh air once again. A few coughs persisted, but they were soon back on their hooves. Pinkie and Stardust walked up to the smoking puddle that had once been Vignette, staying clear of actually touching it. “What did you do to her?” Pinkie asked, cocking her head at the sight. Apple Bloom pointed at a stack of empty bottles, each with a different label of turpentine, acetone, and benzine. “When Scoots and I were helping Mr. Pants figure out what was going on with his painting, I got some supplies from town that might help. They’re all stuff that cleans off paint from easels.” She looked down at the remains of the ghost. “I guess she got too deep into the painting and became one herself.” “Well, good thinking! Let’s mop this up and we’ll skedaddle. Applejack’s with us and I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.” Scootaloo joined them, excitement in her eyes. “Totally awesome! You’ve still got your airship, right?” Pinkie nodded. “Sorta, and it’s faster, too.” “Sweet! Let’s wake up Fancy and then we’ll get out of here.” She trotted over to the prone stallion and buzzed her wings. A small strand of electricity latched out at Fancy Pants and he sprang to his hooves from the jolt. “What? Where?” Fancy Pants shook his head to clear it, then turned towards the portrait of Fleur. “Is it gone? Ah! It’s been damaged! What happened?” Sunset whistled innocently. “Don’t worry, Mr. Pants, it’s just a little singed on the sides,” Apple Bloom said. “The picture itself is fine and we got rid of the ghost.” Fancy Pants got as close as he could, inspecting the entire portrait before stepping away and giving a relieved sigh. “Yes, you’re right. Thank you.” He turned to them, a smile creeping on his muzzle. “You have my eternal gratitude.” “What was up with that thing, anyway?” Sunset asked now that the blame had been swept aside. Sighing, Fancy Pants said, “Before we married, there was another pony that had her sights set on me.” He looked to the puddle in the center of the room. “Vignette wouldn’t take the hint, though, and swore she would make me her own. She left vowing she would find a way to make it happen, but when she returned, Fleur and I were already married. Vignette didn’t take it well and threw herself off the top of my house.” He shook his head. “It seems her need for me was too much, even in death.” Fancy Pants took one last look at his late wife’s portrait, then headed for the door. “Sorry for the morbid tale. Let’s go back upstairs so that I may prepare a suitable reward for your deeds.” Stardust perked up. “Um, yes, and as the designated dealer, I’ll help.” He followed, eager to leave. The others followed, giving a wide berth to the wet spot. As they headed back through the cellar, Twilight asked, “By the way, girls. Where’s Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom huffed. “Well, she was with us when we got here, but she said she had to get to the opera house as soon as she could.” “Haven’t seen her since,” Scootaloo added. “Hope she’s okay.” Pinkie Pie hopped in front of them, her face beaming. “Well, it just so happens that Rarity wanted to go there, too. Perhaps she’s already found her.” “Or gotten into more trouble,” Sunset growsed. She got a round of dirty looks for her comment. “What? Prove to me I’m wrong.” “Let’s just finish up here and get back to the Paradise,” Pinkie said, regaining the conversation. “Besides, I’m sure they’re fine.” .o.O.o. Further south, looking down from a balcony above the opera stage, Photo Finish struck a pose. “Dirt Dragon! Begin—da magicks!”