//------------------------------// // salt helps all // Story: my little supernatural // by thepinkparty //------------------------------// Dean buried his face deep into his down filled pillow. He shut his eyes as tightly as he could and focused on sleeping. But Sam had other ideas. Earlier Twilight invited them over to her library to explain what was happening in Equestria. Somepony out there seemed crazy enough to want to steal ponies away in the midst of midnight darkness, and every pony that went missing was a blank flank. "And look at this Dean, every time a pony was pony-napped it happened every two weeks or so." "Will you stop with the pony logic? It's annoying. Everypony, somepony, pony-napped." "We have to blend in with the locals." "Yeah, well right now you and I are the only locals I see so cram it with the pony jargon." Dean buried his head back into his pillow and Sam stood silent for a while. "So you don't want to help these..."Sam wondered if he should call ponies people to alleviate his brother's difficulty adjusting to this world. "No Sam." "But Dean..." "No Sam, ok?" He lifted his head out of the pillow. "You heard their princess, they got their pony cops on the case and it's being solved. They don't need us, hell, the last two people they need on this job is us. We're hunters Sam, not detectives, even though we pretend to be sometimes." Sam watched as Dean blew out the candle lighting up his half of the room and pulled the sheets over himself. Sam jostled the papers around on his bed into order then tried to pick them up. He failed several times before he remembered he had hooves now. He sighed and picked them up with his mouth. Putting them on the nightstand and blowing out his candle Sam got into bed and looked over to his brother. "Don't you think it's just a bit weird..." "Goodnight Sam." Dean said without turning over and Sam laid down. After several quiet moments passed he just had to speak up. "Doodles?" Dean smiled to himself. ... Nearby Scootaloo and Applebloom sneaked around Rarity's boutique and tossed a pebble at what was supposed to be Sweetie Belle's room. "Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle, come on." Scootaloo said quietly. The backdoor slowly opened and Sweetie Belle stepped outside with a set of jewel encrusted opera glasses. "What are those?" Scootaloo asked. "Opera glasses, I couldn't find a telescope anywhere. What did you guys bring?" Applebloom opened her saddlebag and pulled out a dusty old-fashioned telescope. "Granny Smith's old telescope. I found it in the attic next to some rusty old horseshoes." Sweetie Belle inspected the antique telescope. The lens looked a little cracked. "Are you sure it works?" "Yep, I used it to find the perfect spot for our stargazing camp." "Okay? What about you Scootaloo?" Scootaloo dropped a pair of binoculars on the floor. "Rainbow Dash let me borrow her binoculars." "How are we going to stargaze with binoculars?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Well how are we supposed to stargaze with opera glasses?" "Girls, girls, what's important here isn't how were going to stargaze, it's that we get our cutiemarks. Because who are we?" "THE CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS!" Suddenly the window atop the carousel burst open and a green faced pickled eye monster jumped out. "Can't anypony get a decent night's sleep!" The girls screamed and ran off into the fields. Rarity peeled off one of her pickles and looked around. "Hmph, that's more like it. It's getting so a pony can't get any beauty sleep around here." Rarity closed her window and made her back to her bed. Just then she heard a loud bang from downstairs and jumped six feet into the air. "Aaah! What was that?" The bang came twice more and Rarity jumped into bed. "Oh, dear Opal. Somepony must be inside my boutique." She gasped. "Sweetie Belle." Jumping out of bed she picked up a hanger with her magic and galloped to the next room. Outside the wind picked up. Bang! Bang! Bang! Rarity wasn't sure if it was her heart or the intruder as she threw open the door and jumped beside the small lump in the bed. "Sweetie Belle, wake up." She whispered. "I think there's a robber downstairs. Sweetie Belle?" Rarity drew back the covers and found a small pillow beneath them. The bang came twice more and Rarity didn't question her hunch. Instead she dropped the clothes hanger and strode confidently out the door, down the hall and stairs and into her kitchen. Sure enough there was the back door swinging freely in the wind and Rarity boiled over. "Ooh, that Sweetie Belle. First she 'borrows' my opera glasses and now she's sneaking out at night? Oh, just wait 'til I get my hooves on that little..." BANG! Rarity screamed and jumped back. She sighed as she looked at the door and wiped off her mud mask. Lighting a lantern as she passed through the threshold Rarity made a note to get a quieter door. "So Sweetie Belle, does your sister always wear that scary nightmare night mask to bed?" Scootaloo asked her as they reached the top of a hill. "It's not a mask, well not really. It's a beauty regiment that's supposed to cleanse your pores and tighten your face so it doesn't look all droopy when you get old." "Oh. How old's your sister anyway?" "I can't tell you that she'd kill me." Sweetibelle's voice cracked as she said kill. "Girls we're never gonna get out cutie marks talking about Rarity." Apple Bloom said before gazing back up at the stars. There was something wrong with the sky but she couldn't tell what. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Scootaloo said. "Heeey, but what if we talk about other ponies." "You mean gossiping? Isn't that wrong?" "Not if you're a reporter! Then it's just news." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo shared a laugh before Applebloom interrupted them again. "Hey, come on girls. We need to get serious, there's something up in the sky." The two fillies picked up their scopes and looked at the patch of sky Apple bloom was looking at. They noticed that something was moving through the stars and immediately got excited. "Is it a comet?" "Is it a meteor?" Applebloom had been staring at the sky longer than her friends knew it wasn't anything remotely close to what they were guessing. Something was moving alright, but it was strange, like a wave. Then she saw it, something wasn't moving in the sky, it was the SKY that was moving. "I think we should go." She said as she put down her telescope. "Why? We just got here." Sweetie Belle asked. "Because, IT'S COMIN' RIGHT FOR US!" ... Sam was just leaving the bathroom and the confusing contraption inside which he guessed was the toilet, and if it wasn't he just made big mistake. He slowly clopped his way into bed and sat on his hindquarters. Looking over at his brother he slowly reached for his lamp and turned it on. He didn't realize it but he had just lit a candle with his hoof. Next Sam shuffled the papers around him and started reading all the headlines and stories about all the pony-napping's. He broke up between the stories to read about the health of the princess and her new assistant's failed attempts to revive her. Sam flipped though the pages and started reading from the beginning again. There was just something wrong with this whole situation, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Or hoof. He sighed as he stared at the overgrown fingernail at the end of his new leg, then he saw it, for a split second beyond his hoof. Blank flank? He picked up the papers and shifted through them looking at all the headlines, crime scene photos, the equestrian digest, weather reports. That was it! Then he heard it, all of Equestria heard it, a scream so loud it made him toss the papers up in the air and his mane stand on end. Dean woke up instinctively and jumped out of bed, "Let's go Sam!" He planted his rear hooves on the floor and took two steps before he toppled over. "Damn it!" Dean stood on all fours and looked at Sam. "Just get the door." Moments later they were galloping in the direction of the screams, it took some practice to learn the right rhythm but they got it, and now they were closing in on the pony in distress. Another scream pierced the air and they knew they were practically on top of it, as a matter of fact Rarity came over the rise just ahead with the cutie mark crusaders right behind her. "Sam!" He nodded in her direction and he saw it too. Above and behind the ponies was a large hazy mist chasing after them. Sam said 'Oh, no' for fear of what he thought it was. It looked so much like a demon he nearly tripped, he wasn't ready for this. "Get the girls out of here! I'll distract that thing!" "No, you help them. I got this!" Dean didn't agree, but he knew Sam must've had something up his sleeve. After all he didn't strap on those saddlebags for nothing right? "Alright." He stopped. "Hey girls! This way!" Rarity saw Chevy's silhouette and instructed the fillies to follow her. Meanwhile Doodles ran past her with a determined look on his face and she prayed he knew what he was doing. "Hey you bastard! Come and get me!" Sam taunted the smoky fiend into following him away from the girls and further out into the field. It was a close race but Sam wanted the thing to catch up with him, it had to be close enough. Once Rarity reached Dean she looked back as he put her behind him, the girls also looked as Sam stopped and turned around to face the dark mist. They couldn't see from the distance they were at but he seemed to be reaching inside his saddlebags. "What on earth is he doing? Why isn't he running?" "That's not the way we do things sister." Rarity was surprised by his answer, despite her first impression of him, she thought he would be concerned for his brother as she was with Sweetie Belle. But then she saw it, like a spread of tiny snowflakes on an early winter's morning, Doodles shot a mass of white diamonds in the mist's direction. She was surprised once more when that horrible thing seemed to screech and dissipate a bit, then it made a loud menacing growling noise at him but Doodles stood his ground and even reached inside his bag for more. After another spread of salt hit it, the mist seemed to have had enough as it lifted into the air and rushed towards the Everfree forest. Dean punched the air with joy and let out a good cheer as Sam trotted back to them. The cutie mark crusaders also cheered and rushed to Sam desperate to find out exactly what he did, Rarity remained quiet. "Alright that was awesome. Where'd you get that salt from?" "There was a tool shed back at the hotel." "How did you know salt would work though?" "Yeah, mister. Tell us!" Sweetie Belle said and the other two joined in. "Tell us. Tell us. Yeah, tell us please." They said. "Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Applebloom, enough. These two gentlecolts were kind enough, and brave enough to risk their lives to come to our aid in the middle of the night. I'm sure they are tired enough as it is and don't need you girls berating them. Now then we shall walk each of you home and get some sleep, and yes Sweetie Belle we will discuss your punishment tomorrow." The girls hung their heads in shame and collectively said 'Yes, Rarity'. Then she turned to the Winchesters. "As for you two I can't thank you enough. For you to risk your lives for us is absolutely admirable, we are forever in your debt. If there's anything I could ever do for you please do not hesitate to ask." Rarity smiled at them both and all they could do was smile back. What could they ask for from a unicorn pony? A hug, a magical comb, or maybe some form of magic? Actually that last one didn't seem to bother Dean so much, maybe she could open a portal back to their world. ... After they had escorted Rarity and the girls their individual homes all that was left was to visit the Carousel boutique. It wasn't as easy as they had hoped as nearly everypony was awake now and wondering about the screams and strange noises. Most of them ventured out into the streets in groups of three or four and asked the same question to everypony who would pass them. Sam and Dean tried their best to steer Rarity and her sister away from these groups, but it almost didn't seem necessary as the few ponies that noticed them didn't seem to keen on asking them anything. They were strange ponies who probably had something to do with the whole matter, and given the current situation they didn't want to be seen associating with them. "The horror, the horror." "It was awful." "A disaster. A horrible horrible disaster." Three mares said as they passed. By the time the group had reached Rarity's home the commotion died down a bit and the streets where lonely once again. "Again, I cannot express how grateful I am to you two. If I had lost Sweetie Belle out there I don't know what I would've done." "It's no problem. That's what were here for, I guess." Chevy said. Rarity smiled at him. "Oh, no, no. I insist, now that you know where I live you can come visit if there's ever anything I could do for you, and before I forget..." Rarity gave them each a peck on the cheek. "That was for helping us. Well, now goodnight boys. Pleasant dreams." Sam and Dean stood aghast for a while before they turned and left. When they were further down the street Dean wiped the smudge from his face with disgust. "Dude, I lived through some crazy shit, and now I just got smooched by a freaking pony. Somehow that tops the list." "Yeah, it's kind of unsettling." Sam said as he mirrored his brother's action. "Alright, now that all the kids are asleep you gotta tell me. How did you know what to do back there? I mean, I just thought some pony was getting mugged or something." "Well see, wait, I thought you didn't want to help these ponies." "Yeah, but that's kidnappings in another city bro. If someone needs my help here you can bet your ass I'm not turning them down." "Huh, alright, I guess. Anyway, remember how earlier I was reading the newspapers?" "Yeah." "Well there were all sorts of stories in there. Not just kidnappings, I'm talking about daily gossip, horoscopes, you name it." "And?" "And?.. it turns out our favorite princess made the new, suffering from an unknown illness that nobody can seem to find the cure for. I'm talking about rashes, hallucinations, night terrors and all of it from an unknown source. Here's the thing though, none of this started until just a few weeks ago, the same time to ponynapping started." "Kidnappings, please, and so what you think she's dying..." "Dean I can't believe you of all people don't recognize these symptoms. I think it's ghost sickness." "Whoa, whoa, whoa..." "Wait there's more. We're coming up on a holiday known as Nightmare night, sort of our version of Halloween, and apparently like in our world this holiday is meant to celebrate spirits. One spirit in particular is Nightmare moon." Dean looked at him weird, "Who's that?" "Turns out none other than Princess Luna. See about a thousand years ago the princess became corrupted and tried to cover the land in darkness. But then her sister, the other princess banished her to the moon and there she stayed. At least until about two years ago when she broke free." "Wait, so if she's evil why..." Sam stopped him. "No she's not evil. Not anymore anyways. Turns out all the ponies we met today, Twilight and Rarity and everyone. They wielded magical items known as the elements of harmony to defeat her, and now she's good." "Alright so what you think she's turned again?" "I think so. See Nightmare moon wanted to cover the land in darkness, and what kind of moon do we have tonight?" Dean looked up in the sky but saw nothing but stars. "None." "That's right and I checked the weather forecasts for the past ten weeks too. Guess what kind of moon was in the sky the nights all those ponies disappeared." "Well I'm guessing it didn't look like a big wheel of cheese." "Right." "One question though. Why kidnap ponies? Especially those without cutesie marks?" "I'm not sure. My guess is maybe a sacrifice to extend her life? Blank flanks could be the virgins of this world." "Well, this is just unbelievable. We get transported to a world filled with innocent happy-go-lucky ponies and we still have to deal with sick twisted bitches." "Story of our lives." "So all this time it was the princess...and here I though the butler did it." "What?" "The butler? You know, like in all those old-fashioned murder mystery movies." Sam shook his head. "Ah, you're no fun." ... Well you made it to the end and for that you get a special prize. So here's a little preview of chapter 4 A New Hope...Q made me do it. "Hey is that your cutie mark Chevy?" Scootaloo asked admiring Castiel's handprint on his chest. "That can't be his cutie mark it's not on his flank." Sweetie Belle challenged her. "Hey! I don't have a freaking cutie mark, alright? And stop badgering me already. Why don't you go bother my brother?" "Then what is that thing on your chest?" Dean thought about how best to put it. "Really bad sunburn." ... Meanwhile in Twilight's library she and Sam rifled through stacks of books piled all over the floor. "I wish we could find Zecora. She'd be really helpful right about now." "Who's Zecora?" "She's a zebra who lives in the Everfree forest. She knows a lot about all this superstition stuff, she'd be our ace in the hole right now." Sam thought about Bobby for a minute, then he wondered if he was looking for them somewhere. Perhaps worried that they didn't answer his phone calls or finished off the troll dealer in Memphis. Just then he happened onto a law book. "Say Twilight, can i ask you a technical question?" "Sure." "How does the ranking of the police work here? In Equestria?" "Well, you have your local police around here. Then there's the Calvacade Calvary over them, Canterlot Official Police above them, and finally at the top you have the Pony Investigations Group. Why do you ask?" Sam leafed through the book. "Are you thinking about petitioning them for evidence?" "In a manner of speaking." He stopped as he reached the section about the P.I.G.'s, a chuckle escaped him. But there in the pages was the seal of the P.I.G. and he showed it to Twilight. "Do you think you can help me make a convincing badge with this seal?" "Whoa, no way. That would be fraud." "Twilight if you don't help us out more ponies could get hurt." "I'm aware of that. But lying isn't going to get us anywhere, if you and your brother are going to help us you're going to have to do it right." Twilight put her hoof down. "Twilight, this isn't a matter of honesty. It's a matter of getting the job done. How often have you seen the justice system work in favor of an outsiders opinion? If you're not a lawyer or former judge they completely ignore you even if you have the most damning evidence in the world." "I still can't do this. It doesn't seem right." "Twilight somepony DIED yesterday. If we don't get to that crime scene the feds are just going to sweep up all the evidence and take it away to whatever vault they have and just let it sit there. But if we get there before they're through investigating and clean up we can figure out exactly what's responsible for all this." Twilight sighed and turned away. Then with note of resignation she said, "Fine."