Chapter Four
…
“An hour or so had passed before I was awoken in my house by Firefly. She had come seeking me, perturbed. She told me that she had recently sighted Molly in Ponyland, taken by Somnambula into the depths of Shadow Forest… a forest not too different from Everfree, but as mysterious yet perilous than you could imagine. Knowing full well that we were about to venture into treacherous grounds, it was decided that I, Firefly and a few selected ponies would endeavor to rescue Molly and prevent whatever diabolical scheme Somnambula was harboring…”
…
In the dark of night, Megan strolled cautiously with Firefly, Twilight, Wind Whistler, Glory, Cotton Candy, Bubbles, Applejack and Moondancer within Shadow Forest. All were aware of how even the forest itself was not pleased with their presence. They crept as quietly and soundlessly as possible, careful not to awaken the live monstrous trees from their slumber. They were well acquainted of how hostile they were with unwelcomed visitors… or even just visitors in general.
Hovering gently above, Wind Whistler and Firefly guided their friends safely through the forest, at the same time peering in all directions for any sign of Molly. Bubbles, Cotton Candy and Applejack closely guarded Megan in a circle. The unicorns Twilight, Moondancer and Glory strode ahead, keeping their eyes peeled for any unsuspecting dangers.
“Be on your guard, everyone.” Megan instructed. “Don’t forget that Somnambula’s a very powerful witch. Who knows what else she’s capable of doing that we don’t know already?”
“I’ve heard rumors…” whispered Applejack. “Just rumors, mind you, that her ancestors were the first conjurers of dark magic in Ponyland… they were the ones who created the Rainbow of Darkness for Tirek.”
Megan still remembered the ordeal at Midnight Castle when Tirek hideously transformed some of the ponies into dragons. She was just praying that Somnambula didn’t have something as fiendish up her sleeve. She stopped on her tracks, as did the ponies, when she saw Wind Whistler and Firefly frozen in panic.
“What is it, Wind Whistler?” Megan called up.
“We see Molly…” she uttered.
…
They passed silently through the trees, until they stumbled upon a creek… not to mention an appalling site.
Tied to a large boulder was a terror-stricken Molly, surrounded by several dozens of standing corpses, living ones, with ritual symbols carved all over their rotten and decaying bodies. It appeared Molly and the ponies had turned up in the midst of a ceremony, as they listened to the corpses singing hymns as part to some evil enchantment. Before them, next to Molly, was Somnambula herself. She lifted her hood to reveal her aged appearance. She seemed well over a hundred years old… at least…
Megan fished out from her pocket a transparent orb, the size of a plum. It was the Crystal of Andraste, a sacred artifact that the wise and mystical gnome, the Moochick, gave to her before heading off in search for Molly. Megan was mindful of the type of adversary she was up against, and thus asked the Moochick, as usual, for his help. His instructions were clear and straightforward: recite the spell that he had taught and repeat it over and over. It sounded simple enough, but keeping in mind how formidable Somnambula was, Megan still felt this fight wouldn’t likely be a cakewalk.
Somnambula demanded her devout corpses to sing louder. Molly broke sweat, having no idea what was going on. Somnambula turned to face her, rendering her motionless.
“The time has come, young child.” she announced. “Your fresh and youthful body is surely a worthy substitute for this shriveled and withered one…”
Soon enough, Somnambula’s spirit, in the form of a pale mist, abandoned its frail body through its mouth. It ringed Molly, enticing her… and slowly possessing her.
Now was the time more than ever to intervene. Megan sprang out and raced to Molly, shouting out: “STOP, SOMNAMBULA!”
The corpses ceased their chanting. The mist enwrapping Molly disappeared as it hastily returned to its original body. Somnambula scowled, displeased by this unwanted intrusion. She noticed Megan, and pointed her menacing claw at her with a hair-raising shriek.
The corpses lurched towards Megan. Immediately, the ponies took action and defended her. Twilight and Glory, with aid of their teleportation abilities, kicked and rammed away the corpses with ease. Applejack, Cotton Candy and Bubbles dealt with their batch of enemies in the same way, although sans any magical powers. Firefly and Wind Whistler dived down to help them.
Some of the trees surrounding the party awoke, revealing unholy yellow glowing orbs that were their eyes, and their gargantuan jaws with gnashing teeth. They plucked branches and wooden chunks off themselves and hurled them as sharp spears. The ponies avoided their attacks just by an inch of their hair, while still contending with the corpses. Megan leaped for safety as a spear nearly impaled her. The trees were about to strike her again, when Moondancer summed up enough magic within her horn to put the trees back to sleep.
With the corpses eliminated, Applejack, Moondancer, Bubbles and Cotton Candy encircled Somnambula.
“Fools.” Somnambula snorted, unafraid. “You think I can be defeated that easily?! I know you ponies once had a taste of darkness! So allow me to offer it again to you!”
Without warning, the four ponies cringed and fell to their knees, crying in internal pain.
“NOOO!” Megan cried out as she ran to the ponies’ care. Her comforts didn’t put them at ease whatsoever. “Applejack! Moondancer! Bubbles! Cotton Candy! What’s wrong with you?”
Somnambula only cackled. Slowly but surely, the four ponies were transforming. Reptilian scales formed onto the surfaces of their skins, their teeth sharpened and elongated to tremendous lengths and and their body mass dramatically expanded. They were becoming what Tirek had once turned them into… dragons.
“NOT AGAIN!” Moondancer wailed.
“STAY AWAY FROM US!” Bubbles warned Megan dearly.
“GO SAVE MOLLY, MEGAN!” Cotton Candy squealed, writhing in agony.
“NEVER MIND US!” Applejack assured her in a distorted voice. “JUST GET RID OF SOMNAMBULA! HURRY!”
The ponies couldn’t resist their metamorphoses any longer. Soon enough, they were once again hideous, vile and saber-toothed monstrosities. No longer able to distinguish their friends, they were now hostile to them. Hence acting on their animalistic instincts, they attempted to devour Firefly, Twilight, Glory and Wind Whistler, or crush them to death under the mighty feet. They chased them relentlessly.
“GUYS, SNAP OUT OF IT!” pleaded Firefly.
“WE’RE YOUR FRIENDS!” insisted Wind Whistler.
There was no use trying to reason. Megan realized this and knew that if there was any way of saving her friends, she’d have to defeat Somnambula herself. This she took a stand and faced the sinister sorceress head-on. She presented to her the Crystal of Andraste.
Somnambula recoiled in horror. “Where did you get that?!” she hissed.
“This is the end, Somnabmula!” Megan declared. “Release Molly now and never show your face around Ponyland again!”
“DO YOUR WORST!”
“I banish thee to the Crystal of Andraste! Be gone, Somnambula, this day is your last!” Megan chanted, raising her voice louder with each repetition until she was yelling.
Somnambula flinched and struggled as she felt her very soul and essence being drawn into Megan’s crystal, now glowing with an angelic light. Her body was brittle at this point and she was more desperate than ever to claim Molly’s body. Yet now with her followers beaten and with no one else to enchant the required spell, her goal was out of the question. What was essential to her now therefore, was to flee at any cost.
“HELP ME, MEGAN!” Molly shouted, struggling to break free.
No sooner did she say that did Somnambula, with her last ounce of magic, free Molly from the rock and toss her into the depths of the creek via telekinesis. Molly screamed before plummeting underwater. Megan stopped chanting her spell at once.
“MOLLY!” she screamed as she sprinted and dived into the cold waters.
Somnambula took this chance to retreat into the shadows and vanish without any trace.
In her absence, Moondancer, Bubbles, Applejack and Cotton Candy ceased their mindless onslaughts and gradually reverted back into ponies, returning to their senses.
Firefly and Wind Whistler hovered over the creek, searching for their human allies.
“Do you see them?” asked Firefly.
“MEGAN! MEEEGAN!” called out Wind Whistler.
The other ponies rushed to the side of the creek and shouted out for Megan and Molly. Still, they received no reply. All hope seemed to have been lost and the ponies for a moment felt mournful… until they saw bubbles beginning to surface from the running waters.
Megan emerged, inhaling a deep breath of air. In her arms was Molly, passed out but still breathing. The ponies cheered as Megan waved at them to insure she and her sister were okay.
Firefly and Wind Whistler descended down fast to take them out of the freezing waters and bring them to safety…
…
Twilight continued listening as Princess Celestia concluded:
“We never saw her again after that. Most likely, she had died of her old age. After Molly awoke, she told us everything of Somnambula’s new goal. No longer was she seeking anyone’s youth. Instead, she was seeking a new physical body to inhabit… ideally one that was young… and one whose spirit was weak. It was an act considered unorthodox to even witches like Hydia, Reeka and Draggle.”
“Somnambula died… but her spirit lingered on.” Twilight deduced. She reminisced of her time with Megan, Tirek and the Sentinels. “I have a hunch… during our previous lives, after those events with Tirek and the Sentinels, you don’t suppose maybe Somnambula’s spirit could have somehow followed me back to Equestria?”
Princess Celestia nodded. “A most credible theory. It’s not unreasonable to fathom that amidst your travels between the past and future, something else might have slipped through the gateways of time. As I’ve mentioned, Somnambula’s very desperate… and she would go through any length just to find what she’s looking for…”
“Octavia…” Twilight muttered. “She’s been constantly frightening her, terrorizing her, inducing enough fear into her to make her weak so that she can take over her… how can we stop this?!”
Princess Celestia’s horn glowed. A floating object, hidden within her mane, revealed itself. It was a small, shining and sparkling crystal orb.
“The Crystal of Andraste!” Twilight exclaimed. “But how…?!”
“Not exactly,” corrected Princess Celestia, “but it’s just as potent, I assure you. You see, before my passing as Megan, I asked the Moochick to tell me everything there was know to craft another artifact as powerful as the Crystal of Andraste for my the next lifetime… if ever Somnambula would return in the future…”
“Well, you certainly did the right thing.” asserted Twilight. “The journey Somnambula took to reach this lifetime must have been long and painstaking.”
“And day by day, she’s recovering her strength… sometimes pure evil such as Somnambula can never be fully vanquished, Princess Twilight.” Princess Celestia stated unquestionably, raising the new Crystal of Celestia to her. “Yet still, there’s a way we can put an end to her acts of terror for good.”
…
In the Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie had just finished developing her photos and hopped excitedly back to her bedroom. She couldn’t wait to view her work. Among her photos were silly ones of herself, her friends, and then the ones she took of Octavia…
That was when her smiles disappeared.
The first photo taken in Ponyville’s theater auditorium showed Octavia with her cello. Nothing appeared wrong with it at first… until in the far background there was visible an eerily faded yet distinct crimson shape standing behind her amidst the row of seats. The second photo of Octavia outside the theater proved more alarming. There stood the same shape, a little clearer now, just standing at the bottom of the stairs behind Octavia. The third photo in the cafeteria shook Pinkie Pie to the bone. The shape, now more definite, sat at the vacant table behind Octavia composedly, staring at her. The fourth photo was a spine-chiller, with Somnambula now standing just a few feet away behind Octavia on her park bench. The fifth photo was by far the most unsettling, with a close-up photo of Octavia in Twilight’s library. The skeletal hand of Somnambula could be seen right besides her, reaching out for Octavia’s shoulder, just an inch apart from each other.
Pinkie Pie burst outside of her home and hurried to the Castle of Friendship post-haste.
…
Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and DJ Pon-3 continued their close watch on Octavia. Octavia felt somewhat eased within their company. Yet it was hard to think anything about the music festival when her life was at stake.
Spike served another helping of tea for Octavia. “Thank you, Spike. I just hope Twilight can get to the bottom of all this and end this dreadful nightmare soon.”
The doors flew open and there entered Pinkie Pie, looking around distressfully before shutting the doors behind her securely.
“It’s about darn time you showed up, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack sternly scolded.
“Guys…” Pinkie Pie shivered, presenting Octavia’s disturbing photos to her friends. “… just take a look at these.”
Just then, the doors behind her softly creaked open. The ponies expected Twilight or Celestia to step in… yet nobody did. Sensing something amiss, Rainbow Dash daringly stepped forth to investigate. She nudged the doors slightly to peek outside. Nothing.
She shrugged to her friends. Then suddenly, an invisible force raised her off the ground and paralyzed her completely. Gasps of dismay swept the room.
Rainbow Dash tried to speak out but couldn’t, as something firmly grappled her neck… before she was pinned aggressively against the wall.
No sooner than that, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike and DJ Pon-3 met the same fate. The ponies could just barely breathe as they felt something vehement press against their throats, as if threatening them not to utter a single word. The only one left unharmed was Octavia, who had her hair standing at the back of her neck. The curtains were drawn, blocking the sunlight through the windows, putting the room in total darkness.
In fear, Octavia did the only thing she could; hide under her thin blanket.
She wept. She couldn’t bear to think what was to unfold next. She heard Somnambula’s meek yet icy voice calling out her name. It only added further discomfort to her. She began to tremble, breaking sweat even. She remained in her blanket, refusing to come out. That was when she felt a pair of hands brush against the surface of her blanket… then the nefarious silhouette of Somnambula herself came into view. Her fingertips tore through the blanket, shredding it apart violently.
Octavia was met face-to-face with the penetrating and ominous stare of Somnambula, with her dark and empty eye sockets. Octavia hollered as Somnambula tore away her collar and bow tie, and opened her mouth wide. A swarm of locusts emerged from it and and travelled directly down Octavia’s throat. Somnambula vanished as the last locust was swallowed.
Octavia shut her eyes… then opened them. They were now completely blackened, like that of a soulless doll.
Spike and the ponies were freed from Somnambula’s clutches, though they were left flabbergasted. Now possessing Octavia’s body, Somnambula rose. She raised her hind legs, ripping off the bandages and kicking off the plasters belligerently against the legs of her bed. With her legs no longer obstructed in movement, she turned her attention to her watchers.
Pinkie Pie shouted to DJ Pon-3, who was nearest to the doors: “Hurry and get Twilight! We need her help!”
DJ Pon-3 left and escaped Somnambula’s following attack when she raised her arms. Pinkie Pie let out an ear-piercing scream as she felt her life energy being sapped away. Within mere seconds, she, Spike and the ponies were reduced to nothing but wrinkled and old bodies… before they all passed out.
The sound of Pinkie Pie’s scream reached the library, where Twilight and Princess Celestia heard it. DJ Pon-3 crashed through the doors in urgency. She gestured Twilight and Princess Celestia to follow her. The Alicorns did so, knowing that danger was afoot.
Returning to the bedroom, they were set aghast by the terrifying sight of their friends, just narrowly alive. DJ Pon-3 and the Alicorns couldn’t help but feel most unnerved. Somnambula strode grievously towards them, already well adjusted to her new equine body.
“Greetings.” she grinned demonically, her unnatural voice could be heard dominating over Octavia’s.
DJ Pon-3 was willing to risk life and limb to help her closest friend and stepped forward, but Twilight prevented her from advancing. “Don’t go near her.” she warned. “That’s NOT Octavia. It’s-”
“Somnambula…” called out Princess Celestia.
“It feels so good to be young again… and alive.” Somnambula chuckled to herself.
Princess Celestia wasted no further time and took out her crystal. Recognizing the object immediately and sensing its fearful power, Somnambula shrieked like a banshee and transformed into a swarm of locusts. The locusts flew past Twilight, DJ Pon-3 and Princess Celestia as fast as the wind and out through the broken window… heading towards Ponyville.
“AFTER HER!” exclaimed Princess Celestia.