Luz was running a mile a minute. Really, though, it was more of a typical jog, but her brain was totally working overtime to commit everything she was seeing and hearing to memory while the features of the homey, purple and white building blew past them. She and her buddies - both old and new as of like thirty second ago - rushed through the halls, encountering a bunch more colorful creatures along the way. Now that she had a bit of time, and the initial meet-n-greet phase was over, Luz couldn't stop herself from asking, like, a million questions. Each bit of world plastered onto her eyeballs prompted another one!
"So, you said this place is called Equestria, right? Is that why most of the people here are ponies?" Luz began, pointing to a pair of mildly concerned pegasi. "And this is a school, yes? Do you have magic? What's the local creative writing scene like? How many flavors of ice cream do you have!?"
"Woah, slow down!" Sandbar exclaimed. "But, uh, yeah, this is Equestria."
"There are other countries, too," Smolder added, her purple head-frill bobbing slightly with her wingbeats. "I grew up in the Dragonlands, which is mostly just rocks and lava. Only thing I miss is the lava."
"Yakyakistan is best country! Though Yona admits Equestria is close second. Needs more ice most of year."
"We weren't really able to be ourselves until recently," said Ocellus. "Er, changelings, that is. What's it like where you're from?"
"Wait, you're a changeling?" Awestruck, Luz whipped her head around to face Ocellus. She wouldn't crash into anything, unless one of their group stopped. Her peripheral vision had been honed a lot by recent near-death experiences. "That's so cool! Can you shapeshift?" Wait, nevermind, no it wasn't! Gasping, she shied away, adjusting her course to jog next to Yona for protection. "You don't steal babies, do you!?"
From behind her, Eda snorted in wry amusement. "Typical Luz, ever the asker and never the ask-ee. Why didn't I grab an urchin sooner, they're so delightfully tactless!"
The rest of them ignored her, Ocellus especially, who was too busy objecting. "What? No! At least, I don't think Chrysalis ever stooped that low," she muttered. Shuddering in revulsion, Ocellus changed the subject. "As for the shapeshifting, yes." She then demonstrated by covering herself in a flash of magical blue flames midstride. When they dissipated, a unicorn moved in her place.
Luz squealed in delight, possibilities dancing in her mind. If only Gus were here, he would have a field day meeting an actual shapeshifter. Wait, did they have field days at Hexside? Knowing the Isles, that was probably when the turf separated from the bedrock underneath and rolled off to get barbeque.
"Why is that always what impresses creatures?" Silverstream said, baffled. Her beak scrunched up, which should not have been possible. Luz did acknowledge it made her look cute, though. "We transform too! I'd totally show you, but, like, I'd just flop onto the floor and get left behind."
"Man, I thought I was good at wrecking the flow of a conversation," quipped King, who had gotten tuckered out already on his stubbly legs and was now riding piggyback next to Luz on Yona. She was either surprisingly cooperative or his weight simply didn't register to the bulky yak.
Speaking of registering things, his words actually hit Luz. Wait, what were they talking about? Oh, right, home! "Anyway, Ocellus, Earth is really boring, you don't wanna hear about that." Here, she waved dismissively. "We mostly just spend time entertaining eachother with memes and stuff to cope with persistent societal issues. Lately, it's been great for me, though. I've been living on the Boiling Isles with King and Eda, going to magic school!"
Ocellus smiled at that. "Fun!"
"Yeah, we learn that too, technically," piped in Gallus from in front. "But this is largely a friendship school. Lots of team assignments."
Sandbar nodded. "I totally would not be passing math without his help."
"And he helps me with history," went Gallus. "Half the time though it's just harmony classes, like Kindness."
Luz's brows rose. That did sound pretty nice, like a less toxic Earth school. "No way, I'm almost jealous. Principal Bump says there's no money in the budget to teach the magic of friendship at Hexside anymore."
"I had that class, huge waste of time," Eda interjected. "They just hooked everybody up to a mind-melder squid, the effects either wore off immediately afterwards or you went insane. It's a moot point now, 'cause the squids unionized."
"She reminds me of Professor Pinkie," Ocellus observed, tilting her horn to Eda. "In that you don't want to think about what she's saying too hard."
Silverstream nodded rapidly. "Mmm-hmm! She has even less of a filter than me, which is saying something!"
Luz giggled at that. "Sounds about right. That's why learning from her is way more interesting!"
Eda shied away, hiding what Luz suspected was a blush behind her voluminous hair, grumbling to herself.
"Hey Luz," Gallus interjected, "we're almost to the gate. And you're gonna want to be paying attention, even without many spare bits."
"Ha!" Yona barked out. "That good wordplay!"
Gallus was right, they were coming up to a large gate, currently wide open. The spacious entry hall was nearly empty, save for a few ponies between destinations they wove around. Luz picked up the pace, her heart pounding with excitement at the prospect of her first real look at Equestria.
She was the first to breach the threshold to the outside, and the assault on her senses nearly took her breath away, but did stop her in her tracks, Luz's jaw dropping. The Friendship School rested atop a hill, and below her, stretched out into the distance, was a uniformly homely town, with rustic but well-maintained buildings. The warm sun, soft-looking grass, puffy white clouds, and crisply bright sky all combined to create a landscape that aggressively screamed 'peaceful'. Which was a bit of an oxymoron, but that was the impression Luz got. It even smelled peaceful, somehow. The only thing about the tableau that was even remotely threatening was the dense forest on the far side.
Smolder landed next to her, waving a wing and grinning. "Welcome to Ponyville. Home to unusually nice creatures who are just as bad at naming things as everyone else."
"S-Seriously?" King chortled. "Girl, you aren't kidding." The rest of them had stopped on the path, joining Luz in appreciation of the view.
Sandbar pouted. "I think it's fine. Informative."
"You are entitled to your opinion. Even though it's wrong," King replied.
At this, Sandbar stared. "That's... not how that works."
Reluctantly pulling her attention away from the stellar view, Luz apologized on his behalf. "Sorry, I think I might be letting him borrow my smartphone a touch too often. He's picked up some troubling habits from the internet." She planted her hands on her hips with gravitas. "The web is both a wonderous blessing and a terrible curse."
Gallus' head cocked to the side. "Internet? Smartphone? Why am I getting chills?"
"Oh, it's not that bad," said Eda, waving dismissively as she crossed one leg over the other, still seated on her staff. "I've seen it, the thing's basically just a crystal ball but square and with more features. Now this Earth device is a horrific mystery." Reaching into her hair again, Eda carefully extracted a grimy, chewed up Bop-Ittm. "My current theory is that it's meant to be used in occult summoning rituals."
Luz's smile widened in amusement. She didn't feel like correcting her, that would ruin the fun.
Gallus seemed to appreciate the dramatization, too, his feathers ruffling. "Woah."
King just groaned. "Yeah, yeah, you hoard weird stuff, we get it. Weren't we going to slay a menace to society? Because I want my accolades. Also, like, it could be hurting innocent tarantulas."
Silverstream inhaled deeply. "You're right; I hadn't even thought of the tarantulas! Aaah!" Then she took flight again, gliding towards Ponyville.
"Right! Yona still find spiders a little creepy, but will save anyway, since Yona has high moral integrity!" Snorting with determination, she stampeded in Silverstream's wake. Taking their cue, the others in their friend group rejoined the rush moments later. Eda too.
Slapping her cheeks to psyche herself up, Luz followed after her, hoping for once that the enormity of the situation wouldn't be pushed aside so easily by more bouts of levity. She would be serious this time!
However, as Luz barreled down the hill, she caught a bit of glare to the side of her face, reflexively twisting her head to face the source. She had not been expecting to see a gigantic tree-shaped building made out of what seemed to be solid crystal, and her efforts failed immediately. "Woah! What the heck is that? It's like a princess' castle from straight out of a fantasy novel!"
"That's because it is. Er, was," Smolder explained. "Yet they still won't let me nibble on it," she grumbled.
"Ponyville Castle came out of a magic box, not a book, though," Sandbar said, as if that difference made it somehow typical. Then again, for all Luz knew, maybe buildings here did magically pop into existence regularly. He kept a largely straight face.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle doesn't live there anymore, though. She moved into a different castle for some reason after her coronation," Silverstream finished, speaking quickly and flitting above Luz with unrestrained, avian energy. "Rulership stuff is out of my depth."
A place like this being a female-led monarchy? That, Luz could buy easily. However, the problem which caused her to openly scowl was something completely different. "Who in their right mind would name their kid after that trashy supernatural romance series? The whole thing gives young adult fiction a bad name, I say! I can name, like, dozens of examples of both genres way better."
"Huh? What book series?" Ocellus asked, clearly confused. She'd turned back into her old self to hover in the air next to Silverstream. "I like reading, too, and the only famous books I've studied that her name reminds me of are the ones she wrote."
Luz facepalmed. Of course they wouldn't necessarily have access to Earth fiction. "Never mind. It's a thing from my world." Actually, while she was on the subject... "Say, how much contact do you guys have with other realms anyway? You didn't seem as surprised as I would have expected. When I was in your position, I flipped."
"Like, some?" Gallus answered, unsure. "There's been this rumor floating around that there's an enchanted mirror with a parallel universe on the other side hidden somewhere in the castle," he said, his eyes unfocused. "Never had the guts to sneak in and check it out, myself, tempting as it is."
"That can be the adventure after this one," Smolder declared.
"Sounds appropriately mystical," Luz said, satisfied. "Who made it?"
"Yona asked Rockhoof same question; he said it was Starswirl the bearded pony." King was busy pretending to be a cowboy now, or maybe a lion tamer, and she still didn't seem to care. What a trooper. "He's an old unicorn brought to the present after a long time not existing."
The facts bounced wildly together in Luz's head, leading her to a new question. And not about the frozen in time bit, which was also notable. "A unicorn... So, does that mean you can only do magic Equestria-style if you have a horn?"
Ocellus' compound eyes flickered in the sunlight, in the same sort of way as a nerd adjusting their glasses. "Sort of. All creatures have some kind of unique magic, but only unicorns and a few other races can cast more complicated spells."
"And everycreature has the magic of friendship, the most powerful kind of all!" Silverstream beamed.
Eda made a retching sound.
Luz barely registered it. "That's cool! Humans - that's what I am, by the way - don't have any magic built-in. So, I'm learning glyphs instead. Look!" Reaching into her shorts pocket, which though difficult to do while moving was skill she'd picked up, she pulled out a few strips of paper with penned circles on them, each holding a different arrangement of lines. Then, she pressed a specific one against her chest.
The circle flashed, consuming the paper, and Luz beheld the stunned faces of all present. Glancing down, her body had indeed taken on the coloration and basic pattern of the grass she was running on. "Camouflage spell! Learned it from looking into a chameleon's eye. Wasn't even actually hunting for new glyphs, they're just that mesmerizing to watch."
None of them said anything. Instead, the Equestrian students suddenly looked quite concerned, to the point where the gaits of Yona's and Sandbar's galloping broke for a second.
"Wait, why are you looking all worried for me?" Luz asked. "Don't be, it wears off in about two minutes."
Ocellus frowned. "Not that, Luz. It's just, the last time we saw magic like that, it was being used for evil by a really nasty filly."
"Huge piece of work, that Cozy Glow," Smolder confirmed. She seemed close to steaming again at the mere reminder of whoever that was. "Made my brother look like a breezie."
Yona nodded firmly, nearly dislodging a yelping King in the process. "She opposite of yaks, tiny and dishonest. Tried hostile takeover twice."
"Seriously," Smolder added. "Cozy was so bad that the other princesses - who will totally solve problems with love if given the chance - basically had to lock her up for life."
Luz shrunk in on herself a bit, looking between their faces in turn. She knew they weren't the type to give her the cold shoulder over a prior extreme example like that, but it still stung. The best medicine in these situations was to just not let it get to her. Taking a long, ragged breath, she found her smile again. "I'm just gonna have to prove to you that glyphs can be good, then," she declared.
Eda even came to her defense, which made Luz proud, of herself and of Eda. "You lot better treat her right. I can safely say that Luz is about as nefarious as a lamb. One time, a chupacabra even tried to eat her, and they actually hunt lambs with purity receptors."
"We made friendship bracelets out of its fangs!" went King.
"Aww, thanks, guys," Luz gushed. Then, after putting her serious face back on, she addressed the other six. "For real, though, you weren't actually going to abandon us, right?"
"Of course not, Luz," Silverstream confirmed, with a level of sincerity she hadn't observed in the hippogriff previously.
"Even if Ponyville wasn't in danger for the third time this moon, and we didn't need your help, we're not like that," Sandbar intoned. "It was the rest of town that needed to learn that lesson."
Luz hummed in acknowledgement. That must have been an interesting story. She gladly dropped the topic, though.
Speaking of, at this point, they'd reached Ponyville proper, and their pace slowed so as to also to avoid bumping into anybody. Luz appreciated this, as she could get a better look at the village. Up close, the place was even more welcoming, with pastel accents on the white or earth-toned homes and stores. Ponies moved this way and that down the comfortable streets, or flew in leisurely arcs. Luz got her first glimpse of pony kids, and she couldn't help but d'aww. They were just too precious in their little ribbons, or over-the-back bags, or scout uniforms. A few wise old ponies on their porch chairs seemed to have the same idea in watching them contentedly, and Luz couldn't blame them. The whole place just exuded that gentle, suburban charm in spades. Many ponies even waved and called out one of her companions by name as they passed.
Sighing happily, Luz did a little twirl. "Boy, I already love it here."
"It certainly beats Griffonstone any day," Gallus confirmed. "If only everygriffon else wasn't so stubbornly attached to their real estate."
Eda, however, seemed less enthusiastic, pouting as she surveyed the area. "Yeah, definitely should have packed some wards. This atmosphere is so wholesome it's almost suffocating. I can feel my heart trying to rip its way out of my chest, which is either joy or my bile sac acting up."
Yeah, that was one way to put it. Luz skipped next to her favorite wacko and draped an arm around her. "See how nice this turned out to be? Ignoring the imminent battle, this trip is good for you, Eda. You're too used to schadenfreude, I think."
Surprising nobody, she rotated owlishly. "I learned from experience, kid, not dusty, emperor-approved books. Therefore, I have absolutely no idea what that word means," Eda said.
"Neither do I. Is it an emotion?" Ocellus asked. "Because she does taste funny."
"Yep. Probably not super common around these parts, though," Luz noted. How could anyone possibly suffer that much in such a swell place? "How 'bout you, King? Enjoying your peek into the Equestrian lifestyle?"
"Eh, it's alright," King deadpanned. Luz bit back a guffaw when she noticed the multicolored party hat now resting on his head, and the pink pony giving them an extremely enthusiastic wave as they passed. It was a bit hard to discern since he had no cheeks or upper lip, but Luz could tell King was smiling wide.
More small talk bounced between them as block after block went by. A few ponies expressed concern when they noticed Gallus and the others outside school at this hour, but quick replies such as 'It's nothing' or 'Don't worry about it' shut them down. According to Smolder, ponies (and hippogriffs, Silverstream interjected) tended to descend into mass panic at the drop of a hat, so keeping this information close to their chests struck Luz as a sensible move. Her parents would probably react in a similar manner once they found out what she had actually been doing this summer, regardless of how she phrased it. But - and this was the problem - she'd already vanquished that extremely dangerous nightmare entity.
On the plus side, Eda did manage not to lose her lunch from all the kind vibes, thankfully.
Their collective mood finally sobered as Luz's new friends led the them down a winding path into outermost portion of the woods. Now that she knew exactly what was at stake, she too was determined to do whatever it took to stop this giraffe. She would be the last bastion standing between all those innocent foals and a grisly fate!
However, she had to find the giraffe first. This seemed to be in the near future, as the forest broke into a clearing ahead of them. Within was a slice of paradise, meadows and tended groves framing a crystal clear pond bounded on one side by a small crag and a waterfall: Sweetfeather Sanctuary. Critters of all shapes and sizes lounged or cavorted throughout the space, from butterflies to beavers. And in the center of it all was a demure yellow pegasus, currently checking up on the refuge.
"Fluttershy!" Gallus shouted, attracting her attention.
Luz and company quickly surrounded the perplexed mare, with her own arrival being the least eye-catching, even without the camouflage from earlier. Fluttershy's long mane trailed after her face by a half-second as she turned. "Well, this is a surprise. What are you all doing here?" Her eyes widened with fascination as she noticed Luz, King, and Eda. "Oh my, were these strange ones lost?" Here, Fluttershy's expression softened. "I'd be glad to return you to your habitats, or you can stay here with us."
Luz grit her teeth. Awkward. "Uh, we're not animals, ma'am, just friendly aliens passing through."
"Yeah, no thanks," Eda said, flipping off her staff, brows furrowed. "In fact, something already here has overstayed its welcome."
Fluttershy blushed, her tail curling. "Oops." Then, Eda's statement soaked in, and Fluttershy faced her. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
"The giraffe that's been living under your care was secretly evil the whole time!" Silverstream declared.
"It's true, they have a picture," Ocellus confirmed. "It's the one that looks like this." She then shapeshifted into the giraffe for a few moments. Surely changelings had to be banned from charades, Luz mused, 'cause that had to be cheating. No ambiguity at all.
Fluttershy's brows rose skeptically. "Clementine? Why, she's a sweetheart, one of the most well-behaved animals in the sanctuary. While it's nice to finally know her species, I can't believe she'd hurt a fly, let alone anycreature else."
"Oh, she totally would," Eda confirmed, her fists clenching. "If my senses aren't lying to me about how much magic there is floating around here, she's probably smarter than you are, toots."
"Really?" Fluttershy asked in disbelief.
"Probably. They're weird, but they haven't steered us wrong yet," defended Gallus.
"Yona vouches for them," Yona added, stamping a hoof.
Then, King dismounted her, scanning the sanctuary critically. "Things are gonna get ugly, knowing Eda, so you should probably bail before this pretty greenery catches fire."
"Wait, what?" Fluttershy flinched away. "Is this situation really going to get that bad?" After a steading inhale, taking in their words, her demeanor shifted, adopting a heroic resolve Luz would not have guessed she had in her. "If so, I can help!"
"Without your friends? I'm not sure, teach," Sandbar noted with a frown.
"Look, we can handle this. Just get all the other animals outa here so we can fight Clementine no-holds-barred," Smolder insisted, already back in the air. Was Fluttershy some sort of beast whisperer? Luz figured she must be.
"I'm an old pro, I'll keep 'em safe," Eda reassured with a smirk. "And don't listen to King, I can easily put out any fires I start."
When Fluttershy's determined posture didn't waver, Luz donned her most confident smile and placed a hand on her head, turning Fluttershy to face Gallus, who carried himself in the same way. "Hey, if you can't trust us yet, at least trust them," Luz gently insisted.
A breeze swept through the forest, rustling the stems of myriad wildflowers, before Fluttershy relented. "Alright. I'll spread the words of warning. You can go... confront Clementine, I suppose."
"Got it," said Gallus, saluting with a talon.
Their course of action set, everyone save Fluttershy walked deeper into Sweetfeather. Eda exuded casual confidence, sashaying without a care, and King just seemed bored, but everyone else was tense as they carefully trotted forwards, even Yona and Smolder, in spite of their earlier bravado. Ocellus' wings buzzed nervously against her sides.
Eventually, they reached a shady corner of the space, where the giraffe was waiting, idly chewing on some leaves. To Luz, it looked normal enough, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood up in dread anticipation as she approached.
"Don't move, buster!" King exclaimed, pointing an accusing claw at Clementine. "We're onto your game, heathen!"
Luz took up her best approximation of a fighting stance, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Yeah, Eda and King are from the Boiling Isles too, so your secret is out!"
Eda leveled her staff at Clementine, a golden aura swirling about the enchanted wood menacingly. "Show's over, ugly. It's time you rejoined your kin on Earth. If you come quietly, I won't have to break anything of yours. What'll it be?"
A tense silence descended on the group, as they each watched the giraffe with baited breath. Sandbar and Yona traded glances as the sounds of wildlife slowly faded, the other denizens of the sanctuary evacuating per Fluttershy's request. To Luz, it seemed like Clementine was going to play dumb forever, staring at them with an expressionless gaze.
But then, she began to laugh.
It was a high-pitched sound, squeaky, grating, and childish, but with all the cold malignance of a supervillain. The same could be said of Clementine's voice, when she at last responded to - and essentially confirmed - their accusations. "I'm afraid you are much too late. Demons, witches, scions of Harmony... my power now eclipses anything you could possibly muster; your efforts will be for naught," she declared, sporting a wicked grin. "For you see, this was the perfect location to build my strength to its maximum, and in her ignorance, dear Fluttershy presented it to me on a silver platter. As well as being frequented regularly by the manifestation of chaos himself, the regrown Tree of Harmony is also in close proximity. I, Fell Perdition, am now more cunning and mighty than any giraffe that has ever lived!"
Luz could only gawk as Cleme— Fell Perdition raised her foreleg and tilted her head back condescendingly. "To divulge my stratagem, all that remained was waiting for the prime opportunity to strike, while your guard was at its lowest, but I suppose today will have to suffice. The invisible blades of agony shall flay you apart, with all the realm to follow! Now, witness the true form of a perfected bringer of desolation!"
And then, she began to change. Sickening light, a strobing violet that danced on the edge of human perception, wreathed Perdition. Her brown spots wriggled and morphed upon her fur, taking on shapes that may very well have been some runic language mortals were not meant to know. The high-pitched war cry emerging from her throat slowly deepened, developing a reverberation that shook the ground.
All present could only stand and watch the terrible, continuing display in dawning apprehension, even Eda. Fluttershy had rejoined her students at some point during Perdition's monologue, looking the most stunned by far, though the others each came close. Luz had seen plenty of monstrosities of late, but had to admit that this thing was in a league of its own.
Unfortunately, it got worse. The giraffe's head split apart, peeling back from the nose into five petals of flesh, the interior of each a deep red, lined with razor-sharp teeth and hollow, black eyes. The petals just kept going, until Perdition's long neck unfurled all the way to the base and the abominable tentacles were each longer than Luz. Simultaneously, the runes on her body ripped off, forming into overlapping rings that orbited her body, concentrating the ultraviolet light upon their surfaces.
Overhead, the sky itself began to darken, and Fell Perdition uttered a bloodcurdling roar, tentacles writhing.
Next to Luz, who was still paralyzed, Eda shook her head once, magic power building on her fingertips. "Huh. Well then. Guess it's time I got started."