4 weeks Later...
Back in PonyVille, things were seemingly alright, except for a panicking and scared little dragon running through town, screaming for the alicorn he lived with, on the verge of tears.
Wasn't long till the elements came calling, trying to calm Spike down. "Spike, take a chill pill, would ya? What's got you cryin' like a baby?" Rainbow Dash asked, being confident.
"Yeah, let's turn that frown upside down, Spike!" Pinkie said, smiling as she pulled out a couple balloons.
Spike just looked around, frantically trying to find Twilight. "Where is Twilight?! She's usually not gone this long without saying where she is!" Spike exclaims, feeling tears well up in his eyes again.
"Now just take a breather, Spike. How long has Twilight been gone? And don't say 4 hours." Applejack asked.
"She's been gone for 4 weeks! How come you guys haven't noticed anything?! She could be in trouble, and she might not be enough to escape wherever she is!" Spike exclaimed frantically. Rarity kindly let the dragon cry into her as she petted his back.
"Well, I'm sure if we get Everchange to get up and not be lazy, he could be of some service." Rainbow Dash stated.
But soon after he was mentioned, Trixie came up to the group, obviously not in a great mood. "Does any of you know where Everchange is? I've been to his little camp, he isn't there, there's just a timberwolf there guarding the place." Trixie stated.
The ponies looked at each other and back at Trixie. "Wait, you can't find him either?" Applejack asked, confused.
"Oh please, she's probably got something to do with this. Where are they, you sideshow nobody!" Rainbow Dash said angrily.
Trixie shook her head, "He always goes to Sugarcube Corner every morning to get his usual intake of sugar and caffeine. Says it helps to utilize a sugar rush for better heavy labor efficiency. But he hasn't been here for weeks, Trixie hasn't seen him at all lately, but the ground was shaking a bit a few weeks ago." Trixie stated.
One could easily think that Everchange is out somewhere, probably messing with the gem on his wrist, but soon after that thought, an ungracious howling was heard as it echoed from the Everfree Forest, and a timberwolf with a red collar came a running, stopping in front of the pastel colored ponies as it whined, looking scared and uncertain.
The ponies were obviously set aback by the huge unruly beast, but Fluttershy, being great with animals, is able to tell that this Timberwolf is tame, somehow.
"I don't know how Everchange did it, but he tamed a Timberwolf, and made it his pet... I can see the timidness in its eyes, it isn't angry or feral... it's just worried, worried for its owner." Fluttershy said. The Timberwolf barked and fished out a small golden piece, showing the sign for the Council of Artemis on it.
"Darlings, wasn't that the same emblem she was trying to look for a few nights ago?" Rarity asked, pointing to the similar emblem on another golden piece, both of them being the same.
"They both came with black ribbons on their scrolls. One of them was addressed to Everchange, the night during the Ursa Minor attack. They must've got him! But that doesn't explain why Twilight was trying to figure out who they were." Spike chimed in.
Everypony was getting worried, scared for Twilight and what they could want with her... but why go after Everchange? for the gem? "We gotta find them, bring this to the attention of whoever's willing to take a stand." Applejack stated. The other elements, Spike and the timberwolf all seemed to agree in some way, while Trixie slowly backed away, until she was suddenly nudged back into their view.
"You want me to help? What cruel joke do you dare to play on The Great and Powerful Trrrrixie?" Trixie asks grandiosely. The other elements looked at her, obviously not wanting her to waste time with theatrics.
"He's your friend too, ain't he? He spoke mighty high of you when the Ursa Minor incident came back into full swing." Applejack inquired. Trixie looked away, slightly embarrassed.
"D-Do not make Trixie laugh, Trixie has no friends." Trixie stated. The other elements smiled, knowing that Trixie's bravado slipped for a second, if not more to show whatever had happened that night with the Ursa Minor, Trixie felt needed, she felt accepted, even if she can be a bit of a Theatric or an eccentric magician.
Trixie groaned as she shook the blush off of her face. "Where would you even suggest we start. Her boring Library?" Trixie joked.
The other elements thought that was the best place to look for a connection of sorts, as it was the last place Twilight was seen weeks ago before her disappearance, and Trixie grimaced at the idea of going through so much information only to potentially find nothing. Everchange's campsite came to mind, and there might've been a clue there too.
"Let's split up and look for connections, we'll be able to cover more ground that way. Rainbow, Rarity, Spike and Fluttershy will go back to Twilight's treehouse, find something that looks like it could've warranted a type of fillynapping. Trixie, Pinkie, The timberwolf and I will go to Everchange's campsite, try to find a clue or two about where he up and went to." Applejack stated.
Everyone got the gist and they each split off into their groups, trying to make some progress and headway into finding the missing ponies.
Meanwhile...
Everchange slowly wakes up, feeling a massive headache immediately. He groaned as he rubbed his head, only to notice that he was in cuffs and chains. Everchange slowly got up and peered into the next cell, to see Twilight still sleeping. Everchange looked outside of his cell, unable to distinguish where exactly he is.
"What in the name of Tartarus and lower is this place?" Everchange asked himself. He heard somepony coming back, and he quickly got back into position, pretending to sleep as he could see with one eye just barely opened up enough to see what might be transpiring. Three robed unicorns trotted into the room, and seemingly had several types of instruments. What were they planning to do to them?
"Are we properly prepared? The Chancellor doesn't approve of tardiness or going astray from his plans." A stallion said.
"Ugh, you are a fool to assume we aren't prepared. When we get our hands on that gem, and extract the alicorn magic from The Princess of a dead social concept, tardiness and going astray will be the least of our boss's concerns." A mare responded.
"Still, we should be careful. If such a magical gem can exist, what do you think will happen when it comes into contact with a creature of no origins?" another stallion asked, worriedly.
"Well, not like it matters. The briefing starts now, and the main event begins in 7 hours. So let's not keep the Chancellor waiting." The first stallion said.
The three Unicorns trotted out of the room, one of them didn't notice that a ring of keys was dropped at the 'sleeping' stallion's cell door. As the door slammed shut and locked, Everchange got up, and immediately tried to process everything that had occurred.
Everchange grabbed the keys and unlocked the cell door, trotting to the exit till he remembered that Twilight was still here. Everchange trotted over and unlocked the cell, waking Twilight up as she suddenly started to panic.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!! HELP! SOMEPONY HELP!!" Twilight exclaimed. Everchange groaned and covered Twilight's muzzle as she screamed into the stallion's hooves. She attempted to use her magic, but nothing happened.
Everchange uncovered her muzzle and backed away a bit. "Are you quite done, you royal pain?" Everchange asked, slightly irritated. Twilight was starting to hyperventilate till Everchange up and smacked her over the head.
"Snap out of it, your studiousness, we have to get outta here, now!" Everchange stated, trotting to the door as he unlocked it.
"Wait, what's going on, and where are we? Why isn't my magic working?" Twilight asked.
Everchange looked back at Twilight. "I overheard that we're gonna be used for a master plan and then discarded like garbage. If you wanna keep wasting time, go ahead, I can leave without you, you know. Where we are, I have no clue. Why your magic ain't working, that I also can't explain, but I do know if we are gonna get outta here, we... *shudders* we'll have to work together, and I know how much we don't like each other." Everchange explained.
Twilight looked skeptically at Everchange. "How do I know you didn't just set this up?" Twilight asked, suspicious of the entire thing.
Everchange looked back at Twilight like she just said 'Praise the Trees and smother the Young!' "I'm a stallion with very little friends, shapeshifting capabilities, and I live alone in the Everfree Forest. Oh yeah, I totally came up with all of this. Aren't you supposed to be Celestia's smartest and most prized student, or does your academic prowess shut down in times of crisis and make you dumber than the dirt we earth ponies grow our crops in?" Everchange sarcastically remarked.
"Well I'm willing to bet your gem doesn't work if my magic can't. It seems like something's stopping the magical influx." Twilight stated. The sound of hooves trotting were coming their way, and Everchange had to act fast.
Everchange tapped on the gem and the icons were present, definitely showing that whatever this gem was, it wasn't magic, or not entirely. So few of the stallion's forms were present, but he had an eye on one of them in particular, a rocky mound-like icon was present in the ethereal green mist, and knew it was now or never when it came down to fight or flight. Everchange slammed on the gem, and almost immediately, he was replaced by a type of strange golem.
The golem itself was some sort of triped-like creature, a lifeform with three legs, each one made of some type of stone. The body was robust, but slim, it had two green emeralds in place of its eyes, and a jagged set of crystal teeth. The gem was embedded into the chest of the monster.
"Oh boy... what is this thing supposed to do?!" Twilight whispered frantically. The Golem grunted, tearing off a piece of its body as he rolled it in the direction of the trotting. Whoever was on their way back to the cells, they were distracted by the literal rolling stone.
The golem motioned to the Alicorn to be quiet while it moved slowly, trying to be quiet and unseen while Twilight kept trying to squeeze past the rocky goliath, but to no avail. The two slipped into a small archive storage room, filled to the brim with cabinets and books and scrolls, each one with the emblem of the Council of Artemis.
Twilight was in awe, these ponies were definitely the organized types, but how can they do all of this on their own? Who or what was backing them up?
"There's so much here. I have to take a couple of these books back with me, I have to get this information to the princesses." Twilight stated, looking over the various tomes and scrolls, picking specific books ass she went on.
The Golem just grunted, and turned over to see a scroll in a glass case. The Golem used its claws to remove the glass and read the scroll.
'Operation: Nightmare Night Solstice'
Step 1. Incapacitate the princesses and the Shapeshifting Stallion
Step 2. Eradicate and Destroy Nightmare Moon.
Step 3. Eradicate all equestrian life on the planet.
Step 4. Step in as Equestria's new ruler, Lord Chancellor Neighsay.
Step 5/Final Step. Destroy the Elements of Harmony.
The Golem growled, catching the attention of the Alicorn, who had already stuffed saddle bags full of books, scrolls and tomes. The golem stuffed the scroll into one of its crevices as it followed Twilight. During the stealthy trek through the empty halls, the Alicorn and the golem behold an eerie sight, a closed door with glowing lights emitting from its cracks, and low rhythmic chanting.
The two looked at each other and peered inside, seeing one robed unicorn stallion, chanting over a small pit of sapphire blue flames, reciting a type of incantation of sorts.
"Exitio fit, et non est victor, non est MANNULUS vitae perierunt! Tisztítsa meg a nem hívőket, irt ki az istenek, elpusztítja az alikört, és küldje el őket! I call upon you ancient spirits of the wicked past, show me the light the darkness shall cast!" The stallion chanted. The fires seemed to rise, and with every linguistic chant, The Golem began to stir.
The door was closed as the Golem went on, Twilight understood what the stallion was speaking, but it was terrifying to even think about it in the moment. She followed after the Golem, who then led her into a small closet. A humming sound came from the gem, as well as a flashing red light. The red light soon filled the small space as the Golem was turned back into Everchange once more.
"Uggh... this accursed gem is going to be a real blight on me. I couldn't speak as that... as that thing." Everchange stated, dusting himself off as the scroll fell from his pocket.
Twilight looks down and picks the scroll up, "Huh, I must've dropped one. Now's as good of a time to read it." Twilight stated. Twilight began unrolling the scroll, until the sound of trampling hooves echoed through the tunnels. Everchange pushed one of the shelves over to block the door as Twilight quietly read the scroll.
"Curse the heavens and damn the fires of Tartarus..." Everchange muttered.
As Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike looked through pretty much everything Twilight had in the treehouse, even having to move Owlowiscious's perch out of the way as they looked through the scrolls and notes, they just kept finding empty threats and basic notes on that same emblem.
"We've been at this for hours, and Twilight didn't even bother to come up with a couple theories on these guys?" Rainbow Dash wondered skeptically. Spike was rummaging through scrolls frantically, and remembered that he kept the scroll those Artemis ponies sent after the Ursa Minor attack weeks ago. He fished around under his mattress, retrieving the scroll as he brought it to the ponies.
"This might have some answers if the ones addressed for Twilight didn't have anything. They seem really intent on giving Everchange trouble." Spike stated, handing the scroll over. Rarity unrolled it as the three ponies read every word carefully. As they did, the four didn't notice the two robed stallions standing in the doorway with potions in their hooves.
As Applejack, Trixie, the Timberwolf, and Pinkie brave their way through the Everfree Forest, they finally get to Everchange's campsite, where several rocks and pebbles are laid in a massive formation with a miniature campsite on the side. "Honestly, it's disappointing that he hasn't used his abilities to make building a home so much easier. I know with that much power, Trixie could easily make a mansion with every resource in this troublesome forest without an issue." Trixie stated confidently.
AJ and the timberwolf rolled their eyes as the four looked around. Pinkie was looking outward into the thick of the woods while AJ and Trixie checked the campsite. The timberwolf sniffed the air and then the ground, seemingly trying to find something that had a similar scent to it's owner.
The search was but a mere few minutes long, but they turned the entirety of the site on its head and inside out, finding nothing. "Well, it's settled, we aren't gonna be able to find anything here. Where do we look now?" Pinkie asked. The timberwolf continued to sniff, sniffing around at the edges of the tent, like it's picking up on something. It barked at the ponies and nudged at the tent.
"Am I even awake right now, if a timberwolf is trying to help us?" Applejack asked the other two ponies.
Pinkie gladly bounced on over to the tent as she lifted it up a bit, seeing a slightly mushed scroll on the ground. "I found a scroll!" Pinkie stated as she grabbed it. The three ponies got together as they read the scroll. They hear the timberwolf growling as robed ponies trot towards them, unicorn horns prepared to fire magical blasts as the timberwolf lifted the ponies onto its head, roaring as it started to run back down the path, heading for Ponyville.
As Everchange tries to keep the door closed and barricaded, Twilight is just distraught. These ponies had plans to destroy whatever these elements were, and destroy Celestia. What was she to do, ponies weren't prepared for any of this... and how did Everchange fit into all of this? She looked back at the stallion, who was using every ounce of strength he had to keep the door barricaded.
He was seemingly somewhat successful as the trampling stopped and was just a faint echo. Everchange grunted and fell over, panting as the door creaked open, not a pony in sight, but the tracks in the dirt led back to where they came from, and where they went.
"Okay, I think we're safe. Great whickering stallions, that was the worst I've ever felt in a long time." Everchange stated as he stretched out his legs and cracked his neck. Twilight stretched her wings out and stopped Everchange in his tracks.
"Yeah, we're safe for now... and right now, I want to ask you a few questions." Twilight stated, fishing a quill, a bottle of ink and a blank piece of paper from her saddle bag.
Everchange's eye twitched in irritation as Twilight wanted to ask him questions, in the midst of some cult society's location. "Twilight, here's a question for you. Do you know where in Tartarus we are? In a cult society. Do you know how much danger we are both in?! I don't think you do, because you are too focused on me to realize that I have my own issues to deal with when you want to pester me with questions. Can we just focus on getting out of here before any of them see us or hear that we're out here?" Everchange stated, getting up in Twilight's face as his irritation rose.
Everchange kept walking, Twilight walked beside him as he tried to ignore her. "Why can't I just ask you some basic questions? We could both benefit to learn from one another. I may not like you, but I've never transformed into anything, other than a breezie, how can you do any of this without a form of magic, if what you're doing is even considered magic. Why doesn't this place block out your powers, how come I have to depend on you when you couldn't care less about the good I've done for Ponyville!" Twilight stated, getting angry herself.
Everchange glared at Twilight, a fiery rage burned in his eyes. Enough was enough, and he was not going to be berated about this any longer.
"Maybe if you weren't so annoying and full of yourself you'd make a proper ruler one day, but I do not take kindly to anypony telling me that I don't care about the good done for Ponyville. I care with my heart and soul, you prissy little alicorn burden! Why can't you just leave me alone or show me a form of respect. I didn't get yelled at by my auntie for nothing because she and I haven't been able to see eye to eye for a thousand years, and she's the sole reason why I haven't seen or heard from my mother because she's on the frickin' moon!!!" Everchange aggressively exclaimed, his voice booming and echoing through the halls and tunnels. Twilight recognized the pressure, the vocal strain in the stallion's voice.
'The Royal Canterlot voice... but how? He's been around for a thousand years?... but how? He... H-He's not even an alicorn... Who could be his aunt... and the mare in the moon is his mother?... There is so much I don't know...' Twilight's thoughts raced, she processed every bit of information, and nothing seemed to make any proper sense. If one of the princesses had an heir, why isn't he being taught or trained to rule? Why is he not seeing eye to eye with the princesses in the first place?
"Hey! You two! Stop right there!" A gruff voice rang out. The ponies turned to see one robed unicorn, with many other ponies behind them, slowly trotting towards them.
"Damn it, Run you alicorn mess!! And Do not stop running!!" Everchange stated, shoving Twilight ahead of him as he stood his ground against the multitude of Unicorns.
Twilight looked back, and could tell that Everchange was serious. "No, I'm not leaving without you! Let's escape together, and let's start over on the right hoof!" Twilight exclaimed. The unicorns ready their magic, and Everchange stands strong.
"Learn to take no for an answer, Sparkle! Go!! I've got this! I don't have to rely on some stupid gem to stand a chance, I'm not completely helpless because I'm an Earth Pony! Now kindly listen one more time, Get your flank out of here and don't come back, I'll find my own way out!! I can't believe I'm saying this, even after a thousand years, but get Celestia!" Everchange stated, bucking the Alicorn through the door way as he closed it, blocking the way with a mound of dirt and rubble.
Everchange looked back at the robed Unicorns, who were still adamant on taking the stallion by force. Everchange smirked and tore a solid root from the wall, maneuvering it like a spear, causing a couple of the unicorns to back up a bit. "Come on, you magic misers of misery! You can't keep a rebellious Ex-Prince down for long, I'm not trapped in the corner with you, you're trapped in the corner with me! HAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!" Everchange exclaimed, trotting forward as the unicorns started to charge at the stallion.
Back in Ponyville, Spike is riding on the back of Fluttershy, and Rarity is being carried by Rainbow Dash as the four flee from a group of Robed Unicorns, firing magic blasts from their horns trying to shoot the pegasi down. Meanwhile, Applejack, Pinkie and Trixie are yelling as they ride on the back of a roaring timberwolf as more robed unicorns follow behind, blasting away at the elements. The two groups soon then found themselves running together through Ponyville, nearly a hundred unicorns were chasing after the ponies, the dragon and the timberwolf.
"This got incredibly out of hand, Dahlings! What're we supposed to do?!" Rarity exclaimed, panicking as she climbed up onto the timberwolf, shaking. Rainbow Dash, Spike and Fluttershy landed on the timberwolf as it kept on running. The citizens of Ponyville trotted and leaped out of the way, the timberwolf howled as it started to make its way out of the village, causing a real bumpy ride for the ponies onboard.
"WEE!!! This is so fun!!! This is better than any rollercoaster ever made!! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily, smiling and cheering as the Timberwolf constantly stayed on the run, the unicorns following behind.
Applejack looked around and saw the Whitetail Woods in the distance, and managed to get to the supposed ear of the timberwolf. "Hey!! Get to the whitetail woods, we can lose them there! I have an idea!!" Applejack exclaimed, ducking her head to avoid magical blasts. Rarity and Trixie blasted at the unicorns, who managed to somehow redirect the blasts and fling them right back, causing the mares to duck for cover.
The timberwolf barked and changed course, trampling a couple stray and not careful Unicorns under its tough wooden paws as the ponies and spike made their getaway. The Unicorns continued to follow, dead set on cornering these ponies and enacting some sort of evil plan.
Applejack turned towards Trixie and made her way to her, trying not to fall off the timberwolf. "Trixie, tell me, do you still have any of them fancy smoke bombs left?" Applejack asked. The Timberwolf continued to make some crazy turns and leaps, avoiding innocent ponies who were then bumped aside by the hooded and robed unicorns, who were starting to close the gap between the ponies and them.
Trixie fished around in her magician's hat, and pulled out a hoof full of smoke bombs. The Timberwolf stopped, now facing a huge rocky wall that would be impossible to traverse. The wooden canine turned around, as did the ponies, seeing that nearly a hundred or so unicorns were surrounding them. They all charged up their magic, ready to strike, until one of them, a more robust and physically capable unicorn stallion stepped up, signaling for his allies to hold their fire.
"Ponies, filthy dragon, makeshift beast. Due to your connections to the Princess of Friendship and the Shapeshifting stallion we've been after for some time now, you have been surrounded by the Council of Artemis. We'd simply ask you to hand over anything you have on you that shows we were ever here... but due to your deeper connections with the Alicorn and the 'Stallion', you are to be... uprooted. Taken out of the picture... permanently." The Stallion went on. Trixie put on a straight face, and winked at Applejack, signaling that she was ready. Applejack winked back and kept her focus on the Unicorn.
"The Chancellor cannot have the elements around, or be found, so to ensure that any unruly sorts are removed from the Council's plans, all non-pony life and the lives of the royal families, including anypony who will live long enough to remember what sour fate befell onto them." The Stallion stated, turning to his allies, who stood at attention.
"My Brothers and Sisters!! Operation Nightmare Night Solstice is at hand earlier than we had hoped, but now, we must wait tomorrow night, and Destroy the moon!! FOR THE CHANCELLOR!!!" The stallion exclaimed. The Unicorns yelled in agreement, and Applejack saw the moment come.
"NOW, TRIXIE!!!" Applejack exclaimed.
"And goodnight, Council of Artemis, You've been a wonderful group of fools!!" Trixie stated, throwing all of her smoke bombs down to the ground, enveloping the ponies in smoke as magical blasts were sent careening everywhere. As the smoke cleared, the unicorns saw that the timberwolf, the dragon, and those ponies were suddenly gone, nothing remained.
The stallion yelled out in a rage, echoing out to a far away hill top, where the group had magically been teleported to, with the combined effort of Rarity and Trixie.
As the ponies and spike celebrated, the timberwolf suddenly picked up on a real familiar scent, and as the ponies and the dragon re-mounted onto the timberwolf, the timberwolf sped off down the other side of the hill, creeping up to a small abandoned and very ancient brick wall poking out from another hill, looking at one of the other nearby hills in the area, showing two robed unicorns standing guard at what looked like a very detailed back-door.
"Do you think that's where they're keeping Twilight, or Everchange?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"How could it not be, darling? The drab and unfashionable robes and cloaks, the fact they are guarding a gate of sorts, and why this timberwolf seems inclined to go to it, It has to be." Rarity explained, brushing her hair out of her face.
"Then we need to get in there... but how?" Fluttershy asked, obviously not wanting to fight her way through. Applejack looked around and she saw a couple rocks. Applejack grabbed them and threw them to the side they weren't on, leading the unicorns away as the ponies, spike and the timberwolf quietly, but quickly made their way over to the gate, opening it up as they quietly ventured in.
"Alright Everypony, stick together and don't wander off... these ponies are very dangerous, and aren't too kind to non-ponies, so Spike, you and the timberwolf stay close, only split off if you find Twilight." Applejack explained. As the ponies ventured deeper, the doors slammed shut as it glowed a vibrant red aura.
To Be Continued...