As we got off the bus Rarity was able to convince the driver to wait for us before leaving. We were its only passengers coming out here anyway, so he seemed fine with it.
Hollow Shades was much the same as Equestria’s version. Large, jagged rocks everywhere—though many of them seemed unnaturally deformed—and essentially no signs of life. No ruins either, which was different. The road just went right through the dry waste.
“I could’ve sworn I had some family living out here,” Applejack said.
“There’s less here than Equestria’s version,” I said. “But… there’s a strange feel in the air, like…” I looked down at my sword-baton sheathed in a belt loop to find it pulsing. Bringing it up, the girls stared at it in wonder. “It’s here.”
“Then we’ll face it together!” Rainbow said.
Pinkie thrust a fist in the air. “Rainbow laser style!”
Applejack stepped forward and raised hands to her sides. “Come on girls, all together now.”
The rest of them grabbed hands and looked determined. Sunset looked at me and held out her own hand.
“You’re part of the group too,” she said.
I stared at her hand for a moment and took it. This is weird. “What now?” I asked. “Is this how we start the magic?”
“Uh, maybe,” Applejack said. “All I know is this is how it started with Twilight.”
“Maybe we should find the scary monster first,” Fluttershy said.
“It could be anywhere around here,” Rainbow said.
“Or maybe it’s right there,” Pinkie said, briefly letting a hand go to point.
All heads turned to something that looked like some sort of… blob. A sparkling, light blue blob that floated. And it was huge.
“Well, that’s not scary at all,” I said.
As if triggered by the sound of my voice, the blob leapt into the air towards us.
“Scatter!” Applejack shouted.
We broke our chain of hands and dove in every direction just as the blob crashed where we had stood. I got up and helped Sunset to her feet in time to run as the blob began to chase.
“What happens if it touches us?” Sunset asked.
“You want to find out?” I asked, bringing up my sword-baton.
The blob was fast, and it seemed focused on me. I swung at it, and surprisingly the hit connected. There was an audible clunk, as if I had struck rock, and the blob recoiled as if in pain. Looking around at the jagged rocks, I realized the unnatural deformation reminded me of the bitemarks on leaves that caterpillars make. Had the entity been eating the rocks here?
“Magic of friendship! Magic of friendship!” Pinkie was yelling.
“I don’t think that’s how it works, Pinkie!” Rarity said.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack had begun to throw small stones at it, but it looked like the blob just absorbed them.
“Stop! You’re feeding it,” I called to them. “Just keep it distracted!”
While the girls ran in a frenzy of zig-zags, I danced around the blob and continued to hit it. The thing made low-pitched screeches, though it didn’t give any other signs that my attacks were having an effect.
“I don’t think that’s going to stop it,” Sunset called out to me. “We have to work together!”
“No!” I said, still bashing against the blob. “I can defeat it, I know I can. It came from my sword, and it’s going back in.”
The blob groaned and jumped into the air right as I swung, and the momentum of it made me trip.
“Get out of there!”
I looked up, gasped, and rolled as the blob smashed down. The ground exploded and threw me and the others to the ground. My sword had disappeared from my hand in the middle of it all.
Which direction is up?
“Come on, girls,” Applejack shouted from somewhere. “We have to stick together!”
The others began scrambling around trying to link up, but the blob gave them no chance. Any time three of them gathered the thing leapt at them and they had to scatter.
How do we beat this thing?
I stood up on wobbly legs and stumbled around a nearby boulder, finding Sunset huddled there with my sword-baton.
“Here,” she said, handing it over.
“I don’t know how we can stop it,” I said, looking down at the sword. “It won’t let us group up.”
“How did it even get here to begin with?”
“Somehow it created a portal to here after it broke out of the crystal in my sword.” I showed her the cracked crystal in the hilt, then hesitated.
There seems to be some magical link connected to the enchantment I hadn’t noticed before. Discord’s words.
“It’s still connected.”
“What?”
“It’s still connected. Stand back!”
Sunset moved back as I turned to the boulder and held the sword from the opposite end. Raising it high, I slammed it crystal-first into the stone. There was a small burst of light and the sword reverberated in my hands. The blob shrieked and began charging in my direction. I swung the sword-baton again, and again, until the fourth hit exploded with blinding magical energy, tossing me to the ground for a second time. When my vision cleared, I brought my sword back up, and a dozen shards of crystal fell out of the hilt. It had completely shattered.
“TSSSSSSSSSRIEEEEEEE.”
The blob was jerking on the ground, making a loud grinding sound as it tried to inch its way towards me with what life it had left. It fell still, and the glow around it dissipated until it was just a giant chunk of deformed rock.
“Whoa,” I breathed.
Sunset came over and pulled me up. “You did it!”
I blinked as the others came out from wherever they had been hiding. “I did it?”
“That. Was. AWESOME!” Rainbow said.
“I reckon we won’t have to worry about this thing coming back to life ever again?” Applejack asked, poking at the rock.
“What an ugly thing,” Rarity said. “It doesn’t even match with the local decorum.”
“The important thing is everyone is safe,” Fluttershy said.
“We need a party to celebrate, STAT!” Pinkie proclaimed. “Last one to the bus has to clean up!”
Pinkie and Rainbow immediately dashed off, but the rest of us just took our time and walked back, though not before I collected the shattered remnants of my crystal.
“How did you know what to do?” Fluttershy asked.
“Educated guess,” I said. “The entity must have still relied on my crystal to remain alive. All it took was for me to permanently break it and the enchantment.”
“Funny how we kept thinking we needed a magical solution when it was as simple as smashing a rock,” Applejack said.
“If we had known that back in Equestria, I’d never have needed to come. But I think it’s better that I came and saw it defeated with my own eyes.”
“It’s a shame about your sword,” Sunset said.
I nodded and looked over the thing. “It’ll probably be a lot less powerful now. No more flying for me, I guess.”
“You could fly on that thing?” Rarity asked.
“Faster than most pegasi. One time I almost beat Rainbow Dash…”
*
The bus drive back to Pinkie’s was about as eventful as the one to Hollow Shades, and the initial enthusiasm about defeating the blob died quickly. All I wanted was to go to bed, but Pinkie had other plans. The party was just like any of her other parties, with minor details about it changed in one way or another, such as the cupcakes somehow being in random round shapes that looked like the blob. I fell asleep on the couch in the middle of late-night board games, and I was not ready for the anxiety that came the following morning.
I’m going home. Home. Back to Equestria. Back to family and friends. To Summer. What was I going to say to her?
Breakfast with the girls came and went. We finished a couple puzzles from the night before, and then we left for the schoolgrounds. Once back in front of the statue I had come out of, I hoped Discord was still opening the portal for me. Noon was only a few minutes away.
“Well,” I said, turning to the girls, “thanks for all your help. It was nice to meet you on this side. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be coming back.”
“You know where to find us if you do,” Sunset said.
“It would certainly be nice to see you again but try not to bring any evil magical creatures with you on your next visit,” Rarity said.
“I’ll try,” I said with a brief smile. “Hopefully after that one you’ll not have to worry about anything like that again.”
“What are you going to do when you get back?” Fluttershy asked.
“Get back to work, probably. And… there’s someone I need to talk to.” I grimaced. “Not looking forward to that.”
“Who is it?” Sunset asked.
“Summer, she’s a… well, I’m not sure what she is to me anymore. Between this and what’s happened in Equestria recently, it’s complicated.”
“Ooo, are you talking about a ladyfriend?” Rarity asked, then she began rummaging through her purse. “I have just the thing. Here, give this to her, it should make things much easier for you.”
I took the small red rectangular box she held out and opened it slightly. “Chocolates?”
“You just carry chocolates around like that?” Applejack asked.
“Of course, darling,” Rarity said. “There’s a chocolate for every occasion and mood. Not to mention they stimulate the senses when one is lacking inspiration.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Not sure how much they’ll help, but I appreciate it.” I turned to the statue and gave it a poke. The portal was open. “Looks like it’s time to g—OOMPH.”
Pinkie tackled me with a hug that nearly popped my eyes out. “Can’t let you leave without a squeeze!”
“Th…anks. Never change, Pinkie.”
“How could I?”
“Be seein’ you, Lieutenant,” Applejack said.
“Be safe,” Fluttershy said.
“Stay cool,” Rainbow said.
“WAIT,” Rarity screeched. She dashed forward and took the box of chocolates and swiped one of them out, then gave an embarrassed shrug as she handed the box back. “Aheh, not that one, sorry. You can just tell her you couldn’t resist, I’m sure she’ll understand. Farewell!”
“Take care, and say hi to Twilight for me,” Sunset said.
“Will do,” I said. “See you everyone.”
I stepped through the portal.