//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: The First Strike // Story: Dreamwalker Dash // by Fluttercheer //------------------------------// . It was late at night and the friendship school stood silently and peaceful on its place at the edge of Ponyville. The town was resting and so was the school. Headmare Twilight and Guidance Counselor Starlight were sleeping in the castle, the other teachers in their respective homes and the foreign students of the school were fast asleep in their respective dorm rooms. There was only one exception. Hyper Sonic lay awake in the top bunk of her and Gooseberry's room, forehooves placed under her head and eyes staring at the dark ceiling. She couldn't sleep, the events of the previous night were spooking through her head. There was so much she didn't understand. Princess Luna's behavior. Rainbow Harmony's endless task. The creepy voices in the snowstorm. What did it all mean? Her reaction to the mystery was different. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were rather frightened and concerned for the events they had witnessed. She, however, was excited. She liked mysteries. Mysteries often, although not always, came with adventure. And, thus, with danger. And Hyper Sonic loved danger. There was nothing she loved more than danger, except for her family. Dreamwalking was exciting. It offered opportunities for adventures she never thought possible. And since she knew that she was a natural lucid dreamer, thanks to Luna, a completely different world had opened its gates for her. And Rainbow Harmony's predicament was the newest adventure in this world. Hyper Sonic focused her thoughts on this mystery. There had to be an answer to all this. Her mind was sunken deeply into the events from last night, viewing them from all angles she could think of and running through several explanations and theories, until it suddenly got distracted by something. Hyper Sonic immediatey ceased the theorizing and focused on the new impression. There had been a sound. Everything was completely quiet in the dorms at this time of night and Hyper Sonic knew the few sounds that one could still hear, like the creaking of the bed when Gooseberry moved in her sleep or the rustling of the wind in the leaves of a tree that came in through the open window of their room, very well. But this sound was different, it didn't fit at all into the background noises of a typical night at the friendship school. Hyper Sonic flattened her breathing and listened intently. A few seconds later, the sound reoccurred. Was there someone sneaking around in the dorm building? Hyper Sonic sat up. Her ears were strained now. It took another few seconds until the sound happened again. A few seconds intervals between each occurrence of the sound, like someone did a step, waited, then did another step. Someone was careful there. “Why would anyone sneak around here at night?” Hyper Sonic thought. After the next interval, the sound was a little louder. Whoever it was had just become braver. But the sounds she could hear weren't steps, Hyper Sonic realized now. It were the sounds of something shattering, like someone dropped tiny objects made of thin glass onto a stone floor. Hyper Sonic crawled to the end of her bed as quietly as she could and climbed down the ladder. Standing on the rug, she listened some more. There were no sounds of shattering glass anymore, but for a moment, she could hear very quiet hoofsteps directly in front of the door. They came and went quickly, like a hushed whisper in the middle of the night. Hyper Sonic approached the door with soft, careful steps, to avoid waking up Gooseberry and not to alert the mysterious, nightly lurker. But only a moment later, being quiet was made unnecessary. A scream echoed through the dorm building all of a sudden. Hyper Sonic jumped as it went through her. Gooseberry stirred in her bed, woken up by the scream. “Hyper? What's wrong?” she asked drowsily, but with a certain, startled urgency in her voice. “I don't know,” she said. “Stay here.” Hyper Sonic rushed to the door and out onto the corridor. Now she could hear voices from the other dorm rooms, some of them upset over having been woken up, others startled and asking what the cause of the commotion was. Hyper Sonic needed a moment to identify the location of the scream, then she turned left and began to run. And it was only as she was already at full tempo, that she realized who had screamed there. The dorm building she resided in with Gooseberry consisted of one main corridor on the front and three corridors that branched off to the back of the building, each with six dorm rooms that were arranged in rows of three. As Hyper Sonic galloped past the middle corridor, wings flared out, another scream filled the air. This one was much higher than the first one. In the corner of her vision, dorm room doors opened and tired or scared friendship school students stepped out. As she arrived at the first corridor that branched off opposite of the dorm building's entrance, Hyper Sonic ran to the dorm room she was aiming for and smashed herself against it while turning the knob and opening it. She bolted into the room and her eyes took in the details of the scene she found in the light that shone in from the corridor. Yona and Ocellus were shaking in their beds and clasped their blankets tightly against them, the former one in the bottom bunk, Ocellus in the top bunk. The floor was littered with broken glass and a large hole gaped in the window that was opposite of the door. The shards glistened in the light and she noticed that something red was sticking on some of them. But in the middle of the window frame, just for one second, Hyper Sonic spotted the most important detail. A shadowy figure, bulky and muscular in appearance, ran away to the right on all fours, out of the window frame and off the grounds of the friendship school. “Hey, who are you?!” The words had barely left Hyper Sonic's lips as she already jumped onto the windowsill, leaped outside and began to chase the intruder. Having left the short tunnel that led to the inner courtyard, Hyper Sonic stopped at the ledge of the platform above the school's main entrance and squinted her eyes. The entity she was chasing was already far ahead of her, past the castle and close to disappearing between the soft hills of the countryside. It was running away from the school with an unearthly tempo. Hyper Sonic jumped down the ledge and began to furiously flap her wings, flying into the direction where she had seen the entity last. The full moon assisted her. It was a clear night and she could brightly see the hills, the trees and the few scattered houses of the residents who lived at the edge of Ponyville. But the intruder that had broken into the friendship school and evidently tried to attack Yona and Ocellus was nowhere to be seen. Hyper Sonic did her best to be attentive, looked closely at the shadow of every tree and every cottage she came by, but it was a bust every time. She must have been flying for half an hour, Hyper Sonic estimated, as she gave up the search and decided to return to the school. When she arrived, the inner courtyard was filled with students. They were spread out over the entirety of it. Some sat on the sparse benches or the rim of the fountain, the rest who didn't find space there anymore was sitting in the grass and on the tiny bridges. The courtyard was lit up in an unusual way, more than the natural illumination by the moon was capable of. Brightly-glowing orbs made of magic were hovering in the air. They gave off soothing hums. Gooseberry was running towards her as she set hoof on the courtyard. “Hyper!” Her voice sounded worried, with a slight hint that she might have been crying, but Hyper Sonic couldn't spot any indication for this in the eyes of her little sister. She lifted her forehooves as Gooseberry was about to flung herself at her, then embraced her with both of them. “Hyper.....” Gooseberry said again, burying deep into her chest fur, now slightly whimpering. She wasn't able to say more, for the time being. Hyper Sonic squeezed her. “How are you? Are you alright?” she asked. Gooseberry sniffed and looked up. Now there were indeed some tears forming in her eyes. “Are you alright?” she echoed the question instead of answering it. “You chased after it, why, Hyper? That was dangerous.” There was a worried kind of accusation in her voice, a reminder for Hyper Sonic not to risk her life while her little sister was anxiously waiting for her. “I'm okay,” Hyper Sonic reassured her. “Don't worry anymore, Gooseberry.” She stroke over Gooseberry's mane, who was burying her face into her chest again. The fur muffled her whimpers. Hyper Sonic looked around. The students were gathered in small groups, all of them conversing in excitement and bewilderment. Their faces showed a mix of emotions; scared, intrigued, worried and even angry. Snippets of conversation carried the words “skinwalker”, “not safe here” and “going home” into her ears. It reminded her on the morning when her and Gooseberry had learned about the skinwalker, barely more than a week ago. The conviction of the headmare that the school was well-protected and that she had the situation under control had turned out false. The gathering in the courtyard was more than enough indication that nopony or creature felt safe alone in their dorm rooms anymore. Yona and Ocellus were sitting in front of the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Both of them were still shaking and Yona's eyes were red. Peppermint Goldylinks, Berry Bliss and Citrine Spark were with them. The three friends draped blankets over their backs and did their best to calm them down and comfort them. Gooseberry pulled Hyper Sonic to her own place in the courtyard, when the door that led into the main bulding of the friendship school suddenly opened and Headmare Twilight stepped out together with Guidance Counselor Starlight. They exchanged a stern look while the door fell shut behind them, then Twilight stepped forward and addressed the students. “Everypony and everycreature, please listen to me!” The murmur instantly stopped and many eyes got directed at the headmare. “We know you are all worried and scared,” the headmare continued. “But we have to ask you to stay where you are for a little longer, while the guidance counselor and I go around and ask each of you about the incident. It's important for us to know if any of you have noticed something that can help us to find the attacker. You can return to your rooms once we have talked to all of you.” The students collectively nodded. None of them wanted to go back inside anyway, so the command by the headmare found their approval. Hyper Sonic and Gooseberry had sat down in a corner of the courtyard during the short speech and from their position, they could see that their headmare and their guidance counselor were heading towards them. Word that Hyper Sonic saw the skinwalker had, apparently, gone round during her absence. “Hyper Sonic,” Twilight began as she and Starlight stood in front of the two siblings. “Guidance Counselor Starlight and I overheard that you saw the monster. Is this true?” “Yeah.” Hyper Sonic added a nod to her confirmation. Gooseberry looked up at her, clinging tightly to her big sister. “Can you tell us any details that might be important? Do you know how the monster looked?” “Not much,” Hyper Sonic answered, some regret in her voice. “It was dark outside the window and I only saw it for a brief moment before it disappeared.” Then she scrunched her face as an obvious thought rose in her mind. “But does it matter?” she asked the headmare. “Matter?” Starlight asked. “Why wouldn't it matter?” Hyper Sonic hesitated for a moment. Her face took on a slightly more grim expression. “I don't believe the monster is a skinwalker, that's just a yak legend,” she clarified, choosing her words carefully. “But what if it's changeling? They are able to transform, so even if I knew how the monster looked, it could turn into something else and then what I saw would be useless.” Twilight nodded, sternly. “You have a point, Hyper Sonic. But we can't completely confirm that the monster is a changeling or a skinwalker. There is a chance and we investigate the possibility of a shapeshifter. But in case the rumors are wrong, every detail about the monster's look could help us. So, you are sure you don't know how it looked?” “I am sure. It was a big and strong creature and it was running on all fours. That's all I could make out. But there was something else I noticed.” Twilight and Starlight pricked their ears. “What was it?” Twilight asked. “The shards from the window. Something red was smeared on them.” Hyper Sonic's face darkened a little at those words. Twilight nodded again. “Um-hm. Guidance Counselor Starlight and I have seen it already when we inspected Yona's and Ocellus' room. Don't worry, it's only red paint. Neither Yona nor Ocellus are hurt and as far as we can tell, none of the other students are.” “That's good,” Hyper Sonic spoke, relieved. “But what does the paint mean?” Twilight's eyelids lowered slightly. She did a sideways glance to some students who were sitting nearby before she answered. “We aren't sure yet. It's something that needs more investigation before we know how it got there. We continue with the other students now. Thank you for your help.” Before Hyper Sonic could ask more questions, Twilight and Starlight turned around and left. The headmare and the guidance counselor began making their way through the courtyard at its edges, with the students that sat near the walls of the building. They circled around the courtyard, then interviewed the students that sat in or near the middle of it. Unfortunately, none of the students they asked had any valuable information. It was the same each time, they were sleeping and either woke up by Yona's scream, Ocellus' scream or by the general commotion the invasion of their dorm room had created. Only one conversation of those she had after talking with Hyper Sonic remained firmly in Twilight's memory, but for a different reason than the one she had hoped for. In another corner of the courtyard, two fillies stuck out to Twilight and Starlight from afar, mostly because of their completely ruffled and disheveled manes and tails. One of them was a student, the other one a filly who Twilight only knew from seeing her in Ponyville, something that especially caught her attention. She had approached the two and immediately come to the point. “I know that Rainbow Harmony is a new friendship student,” she had begun and given a nod to the filly with the rainbow mane who stood on the left. “But what are you doing here, Alula?” Alula didn't instantly respond. The yellow pegasus filly with the wisteria-colored mane and tail had cast a glance at Rainbow Harmony, who had answered with a glance of her own. The two fillies had looked at each other for a few seconds, with a blush on their faces, before Alula finally answered Twilight's question. “I just visited Harmony in her dorm room tonight,” she explained her presence at the school as short and precise as possible. It was only then that Twilight had noticed how the hairs of their coats stuck flat to their skins and looked slightly wet, an odd sight, as autumn nights weren't particularly warm. It had taken her a moment before it clicked. “I see. That's fine, we have no rule against visitors in the dorms. I'm sorry for asking a lot of questions, we just need to know as much as possible about the attack. We leave you two alone now.” Then her and Starlight had left Alula and Rainbow Harmony to continue with other students. Checking on the two fillies had turned out surprising and it had cast a smile on Twilight's face, but the information they retrieved from them wasn't what they were looking for. At the end of their interviews of the entire body of foreign students about an hour later, Twilight and Starlight took up position next to Yona and Ocellus. It was there that Twilight addressed the students again. “We have talked to almost all of you now. Only Yona and Ocellus are left. I will talk with them in my office. That means the rest of you is dismissed. You can return to your dorm rooms now.” Twilight beckoned Yona and Ocellus to follow her and they left the courtyard together. Yona and Ocellus took nervous glances to the sides as they slowly followed Twilight and Starlight into the school building. Arrived in her office, Twilight sat down behind her desk. Starlight brought two chairs for Yona and Ocellus and invited them to take seat there. The two hesitantly followed the invitation. Then Starlight took up position next to Twilight. Twilight leaned forward in her chair. She set up a smile, although, Yona and Ocellus could still see in her face how nervous she was. “I know you are scared,” Twilight began. “It's horrible how you were surprised in your sleep. But if we want to catch this monster, whatever it is, we need to know as much about it was we can. Please tell me what you saw once you woke up. I want you to begin, Yona.” The yak gulped. “Y-Yona sleeping in bed. Suddenly sound that woke Yona up. Then.....” Yona stopped for a moment, gathering her courage. “Then skinwalker standing next to Yona's bed. Big monster. Like wolf. Many hairs and sharp teeth. Skinwalker come to murder Yona!” Yona began to shake. Starlight stepped at her side and laid a hoof on her shoulder. “You are safe now,” she reassured the young yak student. “If the monster returns, Twilight and I will protect you.” “And what happened then?” Twilight asked. “Please continue.” “N-Not m-much,” Yona stammered. “Yona screamed. Then Ocellus screamed. Then skinwalker jumped out of window and was gone.” “Um-hm.” Twilight nodded. She turned at Ocellus. “Now you, Ocellus. Please tell us what you saw.” “I-I haven't seen a lot,” Ocellus whimpered. “I only woke up after Yona. Yona was screaming and that woke me up. I-I saw this monster standing in the room and t-then I screamed myself..... The monster did a step back, growled and then jumped out of the window. I-I only saw it for a moment.....” Ocellus took a deep breath. “B-But it wasn't a skinwalker, I know it wasn't one.” Twilight and Starlight exchanged a glance, each of them reading in the eyes of the others that they were thinking the same. “What do you think it was, Ocellus?” Twilight asked softly. “CHRYSALIS!” it burst out of the young changeling. “I know it was her! I was always scared she would come to take me one day for betraying her and now she is here!” Ocellus covered her eyes and began to sob. Twilight nodded, staying calm where the changeling student couldn't. “Thank you, Ocellus. There is nothing we can rule out. But if it really was Chrysalis who came after you, we will do everything to protect you.” She got up from her chair and stepped in front of her desk, next to the two students. “You can return into your room now. Starlight will join you and she will cast a spell on the door and the window to keep the monster out in case it should come back. If you want, you can leave for Yakyakistan and the changeling hive next morning and stay there for a while until we caught the monster. We can talk about this tomorrow. But for tonight, you two will be safe.” Accompanied by Starlight, Yona and Ocellus left the office and made their way back to their dorm room. Twilight looked after them until the door of her office had closed, then she turned at the window behind her desk. The full moon was still standing unobstructed in the sky. It was a peaceful and beautiful sight. But somewhere under it, where its light made the night brighter, a monster was hiding and getting ready for the next strike.