//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Twilight Sparkle is an Espeon Now // by Starscribe //------------------------------// Twilight could tell something was wrong as she made her way down the castle steps. It wasn’t just that the usual flow of traffic into the castle had stopped, though that certainly made her confused. It wasn’t the agitation of the air raising her coat in ways that somehow suggested where many creatures were moving. It was probably the screaming. Yeah, that was definitely it. Ponyville was no stranger to disasters—certainly it had faced more than its fair share since she’d been sent there, beginning with Nightmare Moon’s arrival and never really letting up. Apparently today was one of those. Twilight hadn’t had much in the way of plans for what she’d do with her day once she escaped the castle—certainly moving towards a disaster seemed like a good idea. Heading directly towards danger was always the way she did things. Why should things be different now that she was a little closer to the ground? Besides, she was still on the lookout for her friends. The more of them she found, the more… well, she wasn’t sure yet, but it would probably be good. The further into Ponyville she got, the more slammed doors and shuttered windows she saw. What few ponies she did see didn’t seem terribly happy to see her, and they darted away. Why are you afraid of a cat? Some part of her had realized that they might try to foalnap her—there were unsavory creatures like that, even in her home. But she had her magic, so she wasn’t too worried. But there was nopony around to try, nopony at all until she made her way to Sugarcube Corner, and she saw the apparent epicenter of the town’s shock. Starlight Glimmer will probably want to see what that was about. Or word might reach Canterlot, and Celestia could send somepony. Then again, if the trouble was in Ponyville, Celestia probably wouldn’t do anything for some time. She usually let Twilight deal with problems like this. But what she saw outside Sugarcube Corner wasn’t the monster she’d expected to be rampaging. Rather, it was a collection of… foxes?  She felt an instant connection to them, a sort of pseudo-familiar bond deep in her gut the same way she might’ve felt around other ponies normally. They’re like me. And then came the horror. I’m not the only one this happened to. She didn’t run—even though the situation was urgent, it wasn’t that urgent. Urgent was getting sprayed with water, or something about to land on her. This was only “probably bad” urgent. She stopped on the path, licking at the back of her paw as she looked them over. There were six in all—three that looked like younger versions of the other creatures, oversized foxes with strange proportions. The other three were more varied. One seemed like it belonged in a lake, one had leaves in its mane, and the third looked like somepony’s escaped pet. She didn’t have to guess about their identities from the colors, which wouldn’t have been that hard. The blue one spoke with Rainbow’s voice, her back to Twilight as she advanced on the one with ribbons. “You used magic on them!” she exclaimed. “I don’t know what kind of magic that was, but you… you need to change them back!” “Silly, that isn’t how needs work,” said bow-tie Pinkie, bouncing around Rainbow-fish and over to the three kits. “I need to breathe. You need to stay wet. But I don’t need to change them back. Actually, I’d be breaking a promise even if I could. But I… don’t think it works that way.” She sat down, looking thoughtful. Then one of those strange ribbon things moved, and emerged from around the corner holding a cookie. She chewed thoughtfully on it, apparently thinking to herself over whatever was bothering her. “What Rainbow’s saying is, umm…” leaf-Fluttershy said, her voice timid. “I think she’s, uh… not happy you made more foxes?” “You can say that again!” Rainbow exclaimed. “We’re trying to get changed back! Discord or whoever set up this great little practical joke for all of us. We’ve had our laughs, and it’s time to put everything back. Before I dry out into a prune.” “Twilight doesn’t seem to think so,” Pinkie said, speaking with her mouth full. “Just look at her. She hasn’t said a word.” One of the other ribbon-things lifted into the air of its own accord, as though an invisible unicorn were waving it at her. “Hi Twilight!” The others spun, and Rainbow stalked down the path towards her. “You’re here! And… kitty? Is Pinkie right about you?” Twilight nodded. She wasn’t going to dignify “kitty” with a response. Besides, she wasn’t done licking the dirt from her paw. Finally she rose to her paws, shaking herself out. “I didn’t have anything to say,” she began. “But now I do, and I’m… confused.” She walked past Rainbow, over to the nearest little kit that was struggling to stand. She lifted her from the mud with her magic, settling her down on her paws in front of her. “Who are you?” “You’re so big…” said the fox in Sweetie Belle’s voice. “Princess Twilight, what’s going on?” “You don’t remember?” Pinkie asked, her voice sounding suddenly hurt. “We had that whole song and everything about how you could be anything you wanted to be, and evolving was just like choosing your own cutie mark and how ready you’d be…” None of that made any sense to Twilight. But one thing did make sense, cutting through all of Pinkie’s other insanity. “They were ponies before?” she asked, glancing back towards Rainbow. “Am I understanding this right?” “Yes,” Rainbow said. “I saw it happen. They were following her through Ponyville, then… bang.” “Not like us,” Fluttershy added helpfully. “I woke up this way. Um… I’m guessing you all did too.” Twilight nodded weakly. Her mind was already racing with what that meant. This wasn’t just some strange spell that had struck her—there were other victims. If three of her friends were here, she could guess what might’ve happened to the other two. Thank Celestia I found Pinkie first. She could’ve spread this even further. “Pinkie,” she said, making her way over to her and glowering. “I need you to promise me something.” “Oooh.” Pinkie grinned. “I do love promises.” “You’re not going to do this again,” she said. “Promise me you won’t change anypony else. We still don’t know what happened to us, or why. We don’t know how difficult it will be to make a cure.” “There is none,” Pinkie said, as though it were obvious. “But that’s not so bad. What’s so great about being a pony, anyway?” Twilight shuddered at her simple sincerity, but she wasn’t about to question her. Not with more pressing worries on her mind. Right now, Starlight Glimmer didn’t know what was happening. She didn’t know how to reverse it, or even if it could be reversed. A brief, horrifying image flashed through her mind, of an Equestria that ground to a halt under the onslaught of strange fox-things. Could the rest of us do that without meaning to? I wouldn’t mind a companion… She shook her head to drive off that thought, unsure of where it could’ve come from and not terribly interested in finding out. “I need you to promise, Pinkie,” she said again. “Please, trust me. We don’t know what’s going on, and we haven’t even found the others. I’m betting Applejack and Rarity are feeling a lot like we are. We should get everypony together before we make any decisions.” Pinkie’s eyes narrowed for a few more seconds, before she finally grinned. “Okay, Twi, I promise. Until we get Applejack and Rarity.” She turned towards the little kits, looking down expectantly. “I bet they know where they are!” That made sense. Besides, the little kits would need protecting. It was as obvious as the sun being good and the oncoming night something to be avoided. She’d have to get back to the castle before it got dark. Would Ponyville still be freaking out by then? Twilight bent down in front of the one she’d helped earlier, prodding her with a paw. “Sweetie Belle, have you seen Rarity?” She shook her head. “N-not today. She wasn’t out when I got up for school, and I didn’t come home when it was over.” Rarity did like her beauty rest. Twilight hadn’t ever understood it before, but maybe she could now. She could go for a nap herself. But not now. She wouldn’t get a nap until after she saved the world. Maybe she could find Spike’s old bed, that had been about the right size… “Which one of you is Apple Bloom?” she asked, turning to the remaining kits. One had darker fur than the other, and their eyes were a little different, but otherwise… they were both equally adorable so far as she was concerned. Neither of them had the right look to grow up into a cat like her, though. Maybe Sweetie could. She should keep her close, teach her a few things and see where that went. “Me,” said the silvery-furred one, stepping forward towards her. “If you’re askin’ about my sister, I don’t know. She usually gets up for chores a mite before I do. There wasn’t breakfast waitin’ for me when I got up today like usual, but… that happens sometimes. Applejack is just… workin’ so hard that she forgets. I just grabbed a few apples and that was good enough. Didn’t… go home to see her either.” “Right.” Twilight spun back around, facing the others. “We’ve got a real problem on our hooves.” “Paws,” Pinkie corrected. “We’ve all got paws, though some are more… pawy than others.” Twilight nodded. “Paws, fine. In case you ponies don’t know, everypony can’t understand us. We’re on our own.”  “I know,” Rainbow said, exasperated. “Fluttershy here might’ve been able to help us, but she got cursed too.” “Sorry,” Fluttershy squeaked, pawing nervously at the ground. “I didn’t mean to. And I don’t think it was Discord, Twilight. If that’s what you’re gonna say.” “I’m not,” she said. “I might’ve, but Starlight already tested me. No chaos magic.” No magic at all, actually. But that deeply disturbed her, and telling them that would probably make things harder on them too. “I think the first thing to do is get everypony together. In… my castle, that place is huge. And safe. It’s got powerful magical charms on it, so it could…” keep us contained if we’re a danger to Equestria. “Maybe help fighting this curse. Even if it can’t, it has the lab we’ll need for sure. So… why don’t we split up. Two of us can go off and get Rarity, and the other two can get Applejack.” “Dibs on Applejack,” Rainbow snapped, before her ears flattened, and she winced. “Uh, I mean… I’ll go get her. And since, uh… since we’re going out of town, Fluttershy should be with me too. In case of… animal things.” “Animal things,” Twilight repeated, raising an eyebrow. But she didn’t press the point—she wanted to be with Pinkie in any case, since she’d done some magic on the kits, and she needed to understand how it worked. “What about us?” Sweetie Belle asked, apparently hearing her thoughts. “We can’t just stay here alone! Somepony might step on us! Or… maybe an owl will get hungry, or we’ll slip into a puddle and not be able to get out, or…” “You don’t have to stay here, silly!” Pinkie lifted her up by her forelegs, settling her on her back. “You can come with us! Your sister will want to see if you’re okay.” “I’ll go with Rainbow!” Scootaloo said. “Err… I mean Apple Bloom. Who will be going with Rainbow to see her sister, and… you get the idea.” Twilight nodded weakly. “So, everypony got that. Get the others, bring them to my castle, don’t go anywhere else.” “And if we see any other foxes?” Rainbow asked. “Bring them too,” Twilight said. “Just… hope you don’t. There’s already too many different kinds of us. I’m not sure how I’ll keep track of you all.”