//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 - Are monsters around? // Story: Wherever the Light Shines: Part 3 // by MLPSolarDash1907 //------------------------------// Hong looked up to the canopy of the Everfree and could barely make out the moon’s light glowing in the sky. Though his stature was strong and maintained, he couldn’t help but feel a little crept out by the forest. He heard rustling nearby and looked to his left to see Bullion approaching. “Have you got them?” Hong asked. Bullion nodded, pushing a branch aside, “I do. Let’s get this done and get out of this creepy forest.” “I still don’t fully understand what the plan is here,” said Bullion, placing a satchel on the ground. “All will be revealed in due time,” said Hong, “You just need to trust me.” Bullion grunted. “Fine.” He opened the satchel. All while they placed the items where they needed to be, an ominous Entity, full of malice, watched them from nearby as they carried on his plan. When the sun was above the horizon, Twilight practically burst out of her headmare’s office and galloped down the corridor. She could hear Spike flying after her, trying to keep up, so she grabbed him with her magic and pulled him along. She swerved around various students in the school’s many corridors and entered the teachers’ lounge where all of her friends were on break and chatting with each other. “Whoa, where’s the fire here?” Sunset asked with a chuckle. “The wolves and impalas are also coming to the Convocation!” Twilight squealed. “Really?!” Sunset’s jaw dropped. “Eeee! More creatures to have fun with!” Pinkie beamed. “Yeah! We’re going to meet them a day before then and have them escorted to Canterlot!” “Oh, that’s awesome!” Rainbow declared. “My, I need to start taking notes on impala and wolf fabric designs,” said Rarity. “I’d love to get to know that Accalia more,” said Fluttershy, “She seems nice.” “Chief Faraji has a lot of tales from what I hear!” Twilight giggled. “Where’re we meeting them?” Applejack asked. “In western Equestria’s national park,” said Twilight, “But before then, we need to be prepared for our own school event.” “And the Convocation soon after?” Fluttershy asked, putting a hoof to her lips, “We’ve got a lot going on.” Twilight let out a laugh. “How’re the preparations coming for tomorrow?” Sunset asked. “Good!” Twilight chirped. “The students are working together well, and the Young Six are getting along with Mystic.” “Bullion?” “Haven’t heard a word from him in a few days,” Twilight smiled. “I’m so glad I’ve been able to have a few days things feeling somewhat easier.” “I’m glad for you, Twilight,” Sunset smiled at her and her friends. “All of you.” “Hey Twilight,” Spike poked her on the neck. Twilight looked up at him to ask him what he wanted but he pointed to the door leading out of the lounge. She turned to see standing in the middle of the opened door-- “Tempest?!” Twilight gasped. “Hey,” Tempest smiled. Twilight flew up to the broken-horned unicorn and hugged her. Tempest awkwardly patted her on the side. The alicorn heard her friend giving Tempest their own greetings from behind her. “What’re you doing here?” Twilight pulled back with a grin on her face. “How’s Glitter Drops?” Tempest straightened herself, “Well, she is doing fine. But I don’t know if you’d been alerted yet, but there have been some monster attacks popping across Equestria.” Twilight furrowed her brows. “I had heard some scattered rumors but I wasn’t sure. I contacted Celestia earlier and I was waiting for a response.” “Well, they haven't been spotted near Canterlot, but there have been rumors around the Everfree,” said Tempest, “But my squad and I were sent here by Princess Cadance to ensure Ponyville’s safety after the recent invasion attempt.” “Oh my,” Twilight’s hoof went up to her lips, “I need to tell my friends. I hope ponies are safe and sound.” “They appear to be isolated incidents but we’re taking extra precautionary measures. Some ponies have been hurt but not too bad.” “Oh,” said Twilight, “We’ve also been receiving some reports that there might be some strange magic coming from the Everfree.” Tempest slightly inclined her head. “Huh. That’s interesting.” “I don’t supoooosseeee?” Twilight gave a pleading smile. “You want me to investigate.” “Pleeeaaase? We have an event coming up and I want to make sure it goes off without a hitch.” Tempest let out a short exhale. “Fine. I’ll do it for you.” She cracked a smile. “It is good to see you again, though.” Twilight tapped her chin and teleported to her castle to go meet up with Spike to inform her friends about the monster reports. A little later that morning, Mystic exited the facility to head to Sugarcube Corner to help Pinkie with some of her baking. She looked around at the school grounds. Balloons, streamers, and signs proudly displaying the upcoming event were strewn all across the yards so ponies could see that they’re proud of getting everycreature together. Mystic began to turn to Ponyville-- Suddenly, she bumped into what she thought was a brick wall. Despite her aching cheek, Mystic looked, and to her surprise, saw she had bumped into a burly, tall purple unicorn mare. When her gaze went up to her head, she lightly gasped when she saw her horn was broken off. A deep chill washed over the young mare at this sight. “You might want to watch where you step,” said the unicorn. “Danger could lie around every corner.” “W-Well, excuse me if this village has somewhat had me drop my guard,” replied Mystic, composing herself. The unicorn chuckled. “I remember it having that effect on me.” She sighed. “But I’ve been going around doing what I do best.” “Oh, I see,” replied Mystic, slightly inclining her head. “By the way,” said the unicorn, “I am Tempest Shadow.” “Oh, I’m Mystic,” replied Mystic. “Mystic who?” Tempest asked. Mystic shrugged. “I’ve always known myself as Mystic. Nothing else.” “Oh, well, that’s different,” replied Tempest, arching an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?” Mystic asked. “Not if it isn’t a problem with you,” said Tempest. “W-Well, it isn’t,” replied Mystic, trying to remain strong and calm her nerves. “I’ve grown attached to it.” Tempest’s lips slowly curled into a smirk. “So, uh, can I ask why you’re...” “I’m around to make sure things stay safe,” Tempest cut in. “Safe?” Mystic furrowed her brows. “Oh, you don’t know? There’ve been some rumors and reports of monsters popping around Equestria,” said Tempest. “Really?” Mystic’s eyes slightly widened. “Yes. I’m here to keep Twilight and her town safe in case something happens,” said Tempest, looking out onto the streets. She lightly cringed. “Yeesh, a year away from this town and it seems brighter than what it was before.” “It is pretty bright,” said Mystic. “Well, a little too bright for ponies like me,” said Tempest, looking at the ground. “If you think it’s too bright, maybe you could consider deserts a little less so?” Tempest smirked again. “I think I could handle a desert’s brightness better than this.” Mystic’s heart seemed to thud in her ears as she tried to keep a straight face. “You’re a popular mare, Mystic,” said Tempest. “One that has gotten the attention of two governments.” Mystic opened her mouth, releasing a breath she didn’t know she held in. “I-I’m aware,” Mystic said, cursing herself for letting herself stammer. “One that is a unique case that Equestria hasn’t seen in hundreds of years,” said Tempest. “Congratulations to me?” Tempest just let out a soft laugh, “You little filly, look like you’ve seen a lot.” Mystic smirked. “I have. I travel.” “I mean, you’ve got a certain look in your eye,” Tempest stepped closer to her, “One I know a little too well.” Mystic slightly shrank under Tempest’s examining gaze. She knew the burly mare wasn’t intending to be hostile, yet for some reason, Mystic couldn’t help but feel intimidated by her. “What kind of look?” Mystic asked, hoping her tone didn’t quiver. “One that gazes off into the distance,” replied Tempest, eyes narrowing. “And one that has a sad look in her eyes.” She sighed, softening her gaze, “Trust me, I know that look whenever I see it.” “O-Oh?” Mystic slightly shifted, trying to remain strong. Tempest cracked a small smile and placed a hoof on Mystic’s shoulder. It felt hard. “Don’t let yourself or the ponies around you down. Just remain in your circle and things will work out eventually.” “I-I’ll try...” Both were silent for a few seconds. “The reason I bring this up, is because I know of your past with Imperial City and the Liberators,” said Tempest, causing a chill to run up Mystic’s spine. “Like I said, you’re a popular mare, and I know you must’ve seen things that weren’t pretty.” Mystic slowly shook her head, not sure of what else to do. But the beefy mare smirked. “It was interesting speaking to you, Mystic,” said Tempest. “Likewise,” replied Mystic, hoping there wasn’t a waver in her tone. “I’ll likely speak to you again soon,” said Tempest. She turned and walked off, leaving Mystic in her place. Shoot, that mare was something else... Mystic thought as her legs began to shake. After a good hour helping Pinkie out, Mystic decided to get away from the excitement. She walked decided to walk among the Apple orchard. The conversation she had with Tempest was still fresh on her mind and she could still see that piercing gaze whenever she blinked. I almost prefer seeing Nightfall’s gaze, she thought, But then again, maybe not... She didn’t know and hoped the smell of the apple trees would distract her some. But as she continued walking through the orchard, the unicorn caught a glimpse of a white filly followed by another filly with a red mane and a familiar bow. They had entered their nearby clubhouse. Curious, she walked over, headed up the walkway to the clubhouse’s porch. When she peeked through a window, she saw the Crusaders sitting down in the middle of the floor, and speaking with what looked to be the Moon sisters Mystic had been told about. “It would be just like old times!” Scootaloo cried. “But remember how much trouble we got in with our mystery-solving before?” Sweetie asked. “I think it was worth it in the end,” Ambermoon said. “Come on,” Scootaloo said urgently, it’ll just be a quick investigation and if we spot anything, we’ll...” “Totally get caught?” Mystic spoke up. All of the fillies except the Moon sisters yelped, shot up to their hooves, and turned to the window Mystic was looking through. “Mystic!” Apple Bloom cried, wide-eyed. “We weren’t planning anything!” Sweetie squealed. “We weren’t?” Scootaloo asked, confused, only to receive glares from the two fillies. Mystic couldn’t help but crack a small smile, but she managed to compose herself, “Why don’t you five tell me what you’re up to before I decide to go up and tell your sisters?” “Oh, please don’t!” Scootaloo got on her knees and put her forehooves together, “We just want to do a little investigation!” “I think I got that. Spill.” The three Crusaders looked at each other and the Moon sisters. “Isn’t she Mystic?” Lilymoon asked. “The one they told us about? “I think so,” replied Ambermoon. “Okay, we’ll tell you,” said Sweetie, turning back to Mystic. The older mare placed one of her hooves on the window sill to listen “Well, you see, back when we first met Lilymoon, we solved quite a bit of mysteries surrounding creatures and finding the Helm of Shadows to stop...” Scootaloo paused with an awkward expression at the Moon sisters. “Our aunt,” said Ambermoon. “Yeah,” said Scootaloo, “Anyway, with all five of us working together, we figure we could solve the mystery and let the others know before things get worse.” “An’ our sisters and friends are so busy, they hadn’t had as much time ta look into it,” Apple Bloom added. “Does it have to do with the rumors of monsters?” Mystic asked. “Yes,” said Sweetie, “But our friends here saw something last night that we need to look in as well.” “What did they see?” Mystic asked, glancing at Lilymoon. “We saw a couple of ponies heading into the Everfree,” Ambermoon explained, getting up, “Though we didn’t get a good look at them we both knew there was something odd about them.” “One was tall and one was shorter, plump too,” Lilymoon added. “Hmm,” said Mystic. “And we overheard our mother talking with our dad about how the creatures of the Everfree were acting up,” Lilymoon finished. “Sounds dangerous,” said Mystic. “And you three solved mysteries all by yourselves?” “With some help from us,” said Lilymoon, motioning to herself and Ambermoon. “Are you going to tell our sisters?” Apple Bloom sulked. “We just wanna help.” “I didn’t say that I was,” replied Mystic, gaining confused looks from the five fillies. “But I am going with you to help and keep you safe.” “You are?!” the Crusaders cried in unison. Mystic nodded. “If you’ve got a problem with it.” The Crusaders ran out of the clubhouse up to Mystic and hugged her, causing the older unicorn to chuckle and return their hug. “Now, if you want to solve the mystery, let’s head out before anypony notices we’re gone!” said Mystic. “First, we need to go get our resources!” said Scootaloo. “Everypony meet just outside of Ponyville and we’ll move out from there!” “Okay!” the fillies said in unison, and they galloped off out into the orchard before Mystic could say anything. She smirked. “Might as well get my own stuff.” Soon, Mystic, now wearing her adventuring outfit, met the CMC and the Moon sisters just outside of Ponyville. The unicorn made sure her machete was secure and that her satchel containing her recent potions was sealed. “Okay, everypony ready?” Scootaloo asked. Mystic noticed that the filly and the others had matching bags strapped on their backs with the Crusaders’ symbols on them. “Are they members?” Mystic pointed to the Moon sisters. “Honorary members,” Sweetie beamed. “Oh, okay.” “This is gonna be awesome!” Scootaloo laughed. “Who knows how long we have had a mystery to solve together? And now we have a new friend with us!” Mystic playfully rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. But let’s be sure to plan our approach carefully.” “Carefully is my middle name!” “Somehow I doubt that.” Everypony giggled. “Let’s go!” said Apple Bloom, hopping forward. “We’re burnin’ daylight!” The rest of the fillies hopped after her. Mystic decided to join them in their hopping. They hopped for a couple of minutes until they were a good distance away from Ponyville. As they approached the forest, Mystic thought she saw something in the sky. To make sure she didn’t see anything, she looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw a familiar golden mane on a familiar light green pegasus. “Guys, hide!” she whispered, she looked around and spotted a nearby bush. “Why?” Scootaloo asked. Before anypony could do anything, Mystic picked them up with her magic and shoved them into the bush, causing them to yelp in surprise. Mystic barely had time to react before the pegasus landed close by. “Lightning Dust?” Mystic gasped. “What’re you doing here?” “Oh, I’m just here to patrol after we saw some monstrous beasts come and go from Cloudsdale!” replied Lightning. “I got a report saying they spotted a couple so I busted my chops to get over here.” “Really?” Mystic slightly widened her eyes. “I hadn’t noticed anything on this beautiful day.” “Yeah,” Lightning said, taking in her surroundings, “It is a beautiful day. But try and be safe, ‘kay?” “Okay. But is there another reason why you’re here?” “Oh, I also want to show the Wonderbolts they’re not the only ones to keep this land safe,” Lightning gave a smug grin. “Well, I wish you the best of luck on that,” Mystic smiled. “See you around!” Lightning took off with a burst of air. Mystic watched her leave. Gee, Washouts are coming in to help with this situation? How many reports and rumors have emerged onto Equestria? “You know her?” Scootaloo asked from behind. Mystic didn’t turn around. “Yes. We’ve met.” “How?” “It’s a long story,” replied Mystic, walking forward. “Let’s get back to the mystery at hoof.” “Right,” said Sweetie. The five fillies began walking in front of Mystic again. “So, let’s go over what we know,” said Scootaloo. “First,” said Lilymoon, “The strangeness of recent creature activity. Like the timberwolf pack over a week ago.” “What do you mean?” Sweetie asked. “Well, timberwolves don’t venture out of the forest very often, and if they do, they’re very hungry,” said Ambermoon. “Yet, they went as far as the Apple farm to hunt.” The Moon sister furrowed her brows. “I’ve heard of rogue timberwolves doing that, but a pack?” “And not to mention, there was an Alpha with them,” said Scootaloo. “Whose flank Mystic kicked very hard!” Mystic chuckled. “He had that coming.” “Yeah, that’s another thing,” said Lilymoon, “While it’s likely they might have gone further from their territory because of the alpha, but...” She rubbed her chin, “The thing about alphas in the way reported, they hadn’t been reported much and when they were, they kept their distance.” “So, this whole thing is very unnatural?” Apple Bloom asked. “It’s not totally unnatural, but it is very unusual,” said Ambermoon, “However, our parents have gotten reports of some creatures like hydras, cragadiles, and more venturing into some populated areas.” “What do you think could be going on? Some kind of creature migration?” Sweetie asked. Ambermoon looked at her incredulously, “From multiple different species?” “Hey, it could be a once-in-a-lifetime migration and they are trying to stalk up on food?” “Yeah, I’m not sure about that,” said Mystic, as the entrance to the Everfree got closer with every step. “Could the magnetic fields be screwin’ around and the creatures becoming agitated?” Apple Bloom asked. “I doubt that,” said Lilymoon, “We would’ve experienced something that would tell us like stronger radiation coming from the sun, giving us burns.” “Could somecreature be controlling them?” Scootaloo asked. Everypony turned to look at her. “What? This is starting to sound like something a bad guy would be doing.” “Regardless of what’s going on,” said Lilymoon, “We need to keep our eyes and ears open.” Without any more to add, Mystic and the fillies kept their mouths shut until they entered the Everfree. Mystic shivered at the sudden change of temperature. The sun was beginning to get covered by the canopy of the trees. The thick vegetation mangled with vines, crooked branches, and shrubs surrounded her and her party as they walked along the narrow dirt path. “I don’t know how we’re going to find much in this huge forest,” said Ambermoon. “We’ll stay close ta the trail,” said Apple Bloom, “sides, we can always scream fer Zecora if we get into trouble.” “And we’ve been in here multiple times,” added Scootaloo, smiling. “I have too,” said Mystic. “You have?” Sweetie asked with wide eyes. Mystic remembered being chased by the timberwolves, fighting them off before being confronted with the alpha. “Yeah.” She suddenly bumped into the fillies who had suddenly stopped. She nearly tripped and fell right on top of them but Mystic managed to catch herself and keep her balance. “What the heck?” “Look,” said Sweetie, pointing in front of them. Mystic saw that the trail split going left and right. “I think we should split up,” said Scootaloo. “No!” Apple Bloom cried. “What?” Scootaloo asked, visibly taken aback. “What are you, some kind of character in a novel making cliché decisions?” Sweetie asked. “Splitting up would be a very dangerous thing.” “I think I should make the call,” said Mystic, “I’ve always relied on my instincts for my travels.” The fillies looked up at her. “Go ahead and make it,” said Scootaloo. Mystic focused on both paths going either direction. Her instincts were telling her to keep watch over these kids at all costs, and that there was indeed something off about the forest. “Do you hear that?” Mystic asked, narrowing her eyes. “Hear what?” Sweetie asked. “I don’t hear anything.” “Exactly,” said Mystic. “Oh dear,” said Ambermoon. “What does mean?” Scootaloo asked. “For mystery solvers, you don’t know when a forest goes quiet it means danger?” Mystic asked, looking to the right and getting a strong feeling within her chest. “I think Apple Bloom knew that.” “Ah didn’t.” “That way,” said Mystic, pointing to the right. “All right!” Scootaloo cheered, trotting forward. “And stay close to me!” Scootaloo immediately froze in place. “Let’s start talking about different things to keep the silence at bay,” said Sweetie. “All right,” said Mystic, moving forward with the kids and they stayed in front of her. “Scootaloo, you sound like an explorer and adventurer. Do you have any inspiration from anypony to be that way?” “Aside from Rainbow Dash, my parents are also partially the reason I love exploring,” said Scootaloo. “You have parents?” Mystic asked, surprised, having thought she was an orphan. “Yep!” Scootaloo chirped. “But,” she frowned a little, “They’re not as home often as I would love them to be. They’re avid and tough explorers searching for all kinds of wonderful things for ponykind.” “That sounds a lot like me,” said Mystic. “You would like them! I think you’d get along great!” Mystic smiled. “I’d love to meet them if I got a chance. But...” She paused. “Who looks after...” “Guys! I think I see somethin’!” said Apple Bloom. Mystic immediately stepped in front of the fillies, grasping the handle of her machete in her magic. In front of her was rustling foliage containing a creature behind them. Mystic crouched, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Then, what jumped out was— A cute white rabbit. Mystic’s eyes snapped wide open. “A bunny, Apple Bloom? That’s what you saw?” Scootaloo asked incredulously. “There was a lotta brush rustlin’!” Apple Bloom whined. Mystic couldn’t take her eyes off the creature as it hopped away into the forest. I’m not going to say anything to dignify this predicament, she thought, relaxing some and composing herself. Mystic believed they hadn’t gone too far into the wilderness, but she also couldn’t see Ponyville anymore. It hadn’t been visible for the past ten minutes or so by her estimates. She didn’t know if her instincts were right but she felt there might be something ahead. The Crusaders and Moon sisters continued talking with one another. “-and that’s the last time I went to the hoof polishin’ store,” said Apple Bloom. “Yikes,” said Ambermoon, and that was Mystic’s cue to say something else. “I also forgot to mention,” Mystic cut in, “While I took Twilight and her friends to Oogundaa, we came across a Tree person and heard... other creatures.” “A tree person?” Lilymoon’s eyes widened. “You saw one of those?!” Ambermoon gasped. Mystic nodded. “I had only seen another only once before.” She thought back to the wendigo that she and her party had heard as well as the music in the jungles of Oogundaa. “We need to hear more about those encounters soon,” said Lilymoon. “Sure,” replied Mystic. “I think we all could hear what kinds of creatures what the other has seen or heard of.” “Well, Ah don’t know if you might’ve heard of bogles and a peryton,” said Apple Bloom. Mystic gasped. “An invisible creature and some kind of guardian?” “Yeah!” “I think we have a lot to talk about one of these days.” As Mystic examined the surrounding forest for the umpteenth time, she couldn’t help but think, I wonder if there truly might be something sinister going on... But from who or what? “Wait, what’s that up ahead?” said Sweetie. “What is it?” Mystic asked cautiously. “Up there!” Mystic looked to where she was pointing and it was seemingly at the top of some small trees off the trail. Before she could say anything, there was a faint pulse of red energy that emerged from behind them. “What the hay?” she whispered to herself. “There’s definitely something over there!” Scootaloo exclaimed. All of a sudden, four pairs of eerie green eyes broke through the brush ahead of them. “Timberwolves!” Sweetie squealed. “Run kids!” Mystic ordered. The fillies wasted no time in doing what she said and began running, Mystic turned and galloped along with them. “I told you this was a bad idea!” Scootaloo shouted. “You did not!” Sweetie shot back. “Just shut up, please!” Mystic ordered as she heard the creatures barreling through the forest behind them. As they ran, Mystic saw they were coming upon a clearing. Mystic pushed the last bit of branches apart and came upon a small clearing with the five fillies in front of her. They and Mystic froze at what was up ahead. There was red pulsing magic in a column, and floating in the center, looked like wristbands glowing a soft red. They seemed big enough to wrap around a pony’s forehooves. Just above them looked to be a piece of equipment that could fit around a unicorn’s horn. “What is this?” Scootaloo asked. “Is this what’s been causing all the ruckus?” Apple Bloom asked. “Now, now, don’t get too close, fillies,” said Mystic, unable to take her gaze off the sight. Looking at the magic, it made Mystic feel unusual, awful, and seduced by the essence. But it didn’t look poisonous or off-putting. It was just there radiating its essence. She heard some hoofsteps beside her and saw Lilymoon and her older sister were standing close by, enamored by the sight as well. Mystic heard Sweetie scream. This snapped her out of her thoughts and she whirled around to see green sickly eyes glaring right at them. “Get behind me now!” Mystic ordered. The Crusaders and Moon sisters did so without hesitation. Mystic backed away from them, the curious sight now in front of them. Four timberwolves slowly emerged from the forest with a cragadile following soon after. She heard the fillies trembling and whimpering in fear. Teleport! Teleport! Mystic thought, trying to charge her magic, but then, the timberwolves and cragadile stopped. “What the?” Mystic said. They never made another step forward. “Mystic, your hoof!” said Scootaloo. “Huh?” Mystic looked down at her left hoof to see it had somehow gotten some of the red magic on it. It tingled her fur and lightly tickled her skin underneath. “How did it get on you?” Sweetie asked. “I don’t know,” Mystic immediately replied. “But we need to--” she pointed to her left and she saw the creatures’ gazes follow it. “What in the world?” Mystic whispered, putting her hoof back down. The timberwolves and the cragadile continued to stand there. Staring at her. I wonder if... She moved her hoof to the right and their gazes followed it. “Are they following your hoof?” Ambermoon asked in an astounded tone. “I think so,” replied Mystic, feeling a sense of unease and awe coming over her. “Can ya tell them what to do?” Apple Bloom asked. Mystic’s gaze never left the creatures. She saw her hoof was still covered in the red essence. She cleared her throat, pushing past her unease. “All of you, sit!” To her amazement, the timberwolves and cragadile all sat down. “Are you kidding me?!” Sweetie squealed. “Stand up,” Mystic commanded the creatures. All of them did so. “Do a three-sixty turn.” Again, they did as she told them. “You’re controlling them, Mystic!” Scootaloo shouted, “That’s amazing!” “Could you stop all monster attacks with that sort of power?” Apple Bloom asked. The idea sounded wonderful. Mystic imagined where all of Equestria didn’t have to deal with any more monsters threatening ponies’ lives. She was very tempted to grab this equipment to put an end to it all right now. She could feel the magic drawing her in to do just that. However, her instincts were telling her that wasn’t such a good idea. Mystic took a step back. “Go back into the woods,” Mystic told the creatures, “And never mess with these fillies again!” At her word, the timberwolves and cragadile backed off. Mystic listened to them leave until she couldn’t hear anything anymore. “I think we need to make sure this area is secure before we know what this is capable of.” And I don’t know how the hay I was controlling those monsters. She didn’t know why she was the only one who could. Mystic turned back to the astounded fillies, all looking at her with wide eyes. “Let’s get back and tell your sisters that we-” She felt something suddenly latch onto her horn, knocking her aside and up against a tree. Mystic let out a surprised scream, trying to pull the artifact away. She saw that the red column of magic was beginning to sparkle and shoot lightning in various directions into the forest. The fillies screamed. Mystic turned to them. “Run! Get out of here!” she shouted. They galloped off into the woods. With a grunt, Mystic reached up to the artifact on her horn and managed to pull it off. She tossed it aside, staggered up to her hooves, and hobbled off after the fillies. She could hear the magic crackling and popping. Mystic tripped on a root and hit her head up against a tree trunk. Dazed, and confused, Mystic felt her head pounding in pain. She groaned and tried to sit up, only managing to get herself to lay on her back. Memories of using her dark magic during her trip up North emerged in her mind. Being forced to save those she cared about even though she knew deep down using that magic was wrong. Mystic didn’t know, but were the artifacts letting out pulses in all directions of the forest? She couldn’t tell in her dazed state, but when her mind cleared, she immediately thought of the fillies. That caused a surge of adrenaline to coarse through her system. The unicorn got to her hooves and galloped off to find them. The forest passed by in a blur, Mystic keeping her eyes open. “Crusaders! Amber and Lilymoon?! Where are you?!” She heard the Crusaders scream for her up ahead, but at the same time, she heard snarling and some roars from seemingly everywhere around her. “Crap! Crap! Crap!” she galloped harder. Mystic dove under a low-hanging branch and jumped over a rock, trying to see everywhere she could to find them. “Girls?!” “Mystic!” they cried in unison again. She heard a roar from what she thought was a manticore in the distance. When she came around a tree, she saw the Crusaders all huddling together next to a few large rocks. A huge sense of relief washed over her as she slid down next to them. “Are you all okay?!” Mystic asked, looking over them for any injuries. “We’re fine!” said Sweetie, tears brimming her eyes. “Ambermoon and Lilymoon are still out there!” Scootaloo cried. Shoot! Mystic thought, running a hoof down her face, “Stay here! I’ll be back!” She got up and galloped off through the forest again. “Amber and Lilymoon?!” Mystic called. Suddenly, a very familiar burly unicorn emerged from behind some bushes. Mystic screeched to a stop. “Tempest?!” Mystic shrilled, completely surprised. “Find and get those fillies out of here! What is going on?!” Tempest demanded. “I don’t know what the hay is happening!” Mystic cried, “It’s just not stopping them from going out on their own!” “It?!” Tempest asked, wide-eyed, she looked over Mystic’s shoulder. “Run!” Mystic didn’t need to be told twice. She ran off to find the fillies, looking over her shoulder to see Tempest was shooting her magic at timberwolves and some puckwudgies. Swerving around different trees and calling out for the remaining two fillies multiple times, Mystic did not see them anywhere. A cockatrice lunged out at her, but she managed to shut her eyes tight, let out a surge of magic and she heard the creature hit a nearby tree. Mystic opened her eyes and leaped over a ditch. “Amber and Lilymoon!” Mystic called again. “Over here! Help!” one of the sisters called. That came a short distance in front of her. She pushed past some bushes to see a manticore had cornered them against a tree. “Hey ugly!” Mystic shouted, gaining the manticore’s attention. It roared at her. “Smile!” She lit her horn bright, letting out magic that blinded the creature. She ran around it, lunged for the Moon sisters, grabbed them with both forelegs, and teleported away. She reappeared near the Crusaders who all yelped. “It’s me!” Mystic told them. “We need to get the hay out of here!” She levitated the Moon sisters who were wide-eyed and shaken. Mystic allowed the Crusaders to run in front of her and she began running after them too-- Only for them to be cut off by a wide-eyed Twilight followed by her friends. “What’s going on here?!” Twilight cried. “It’s those artifacts!” said Mystic, pointing at the red sparking magic in the distance. “I was making sure everypony stayed back but it all of a sudden went haywire!” “Why didn’t you just leave them?!” “I tried to! One of them just latched onto me!” “Get the fillies out of here now!” Twilight ordered, taking flight in the direction of the out-of-control magic. Mystic scooped the fillies up in her own magic, running as hard as she could. Twilight saw burned remains of timberwolves lying in heaps in the surrounding forest. She heard Tempest zapping more creatures as she focused more on the magic just up ahead. The alicorn threw up a shield, galloping forward, magic shooting off in all directions. Good thing Fluttershy spotted them when she did! Twilight thought, coming upon the clearing and seeing the bands contained in the unstable magic. Behind it was the third artifact a distance away. Gritting her teeth, Twilight focused her magic on the artifacts. She first fired at the wristbands, shattering them and destroying them. But the column became even more unstable, sending a wave of magic onto Twilight. She held her ground, the shield in front of her cracking some under the pressure. Twilight saw the final artifact and hobbled her way to get a clear shot of it. “You might want to hurry!” she heard Tempest call over the noise. In her rage and determination, Twilight let out a bellow and shot one final beam of magic at the last artifact, shattering it, and the red essence shot into the air and dissipated. Twilight let out a huge sigh of relief. That was easier than what I hoped, she thought. The creatures’ snarls and roars faded and Twilight could hear them all running away from where they were. Then, the forest was dead quiet. When Twilight emerged from the forest, she saw Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity in front of Mystic, the Crusaders, and the Moon sisters. “But Applejack, Mystic was with us!” Apple Bloom cried. “We were just going to go in and come out!” Sweetie insisted. “That doesn’t matter!” Rarity shouted, “The point was is that there are reports of monsters popping around Equestria and we don’t know where they have appeared at!” “And you, Mystic!” Rainbow pointed at her, “Why didn’t you stop them before they entered?” “I’m not going to dignify you with a response,” replied Mystic, shooting a glare before looking away. “Are these fillies always getting into trouble?” Tempest asked from beside Twilight. Twilight sighed as the older ponies scolded the fillies, “I guess they thought it’d be quick and easy.” “That’s a yes.” Twilight stepped forward, “All right, everypony.” The older ponies stopped scolding and turned to Twilight. “We’ll decide each of their punishments later, but we need to get away from here.” Mystic scanned the four corners of the Sweet Apple Acres barn for the umpteenth time. A small bead of sweat formed along the base of her forehead as she continued to wait for Applejack to no doubt scold her. She tapped her hoof on the straw floor and sighed. What happened in there? How was I able to control those beasts? She thought, biting her bottom lip, and lowering her ears. Just then she heard the double barn doors open and a gust of air blow across her. She looked to see Applejack had stepped in and looked very steamed. “Mystic! Y’all have a lot of ‘plaining ta do!” Applejack shouted. “How’re Apple Bloom and her friends?” Mystic asked, looking away and ignoring what she’d said. “Shook up but sent home with punishments to last the rest of next week,” Applejack answered and Mystic was forcefully turned around to meet her hard green eyes. “Ah can’t believe ya, Mystic! Ya knew there were monsters around and ya encouraged that little stunt into the dangerous Everfree! The five of them could’ve been seriously hurt!” “Nopony was, were they? I kept them safe and away from harm!” “No, ya put ’em in its way!” “I knew what I was doing!” “Ah don’t know if ya were!” Applejack ran a hoof down her face and scowled, and Mystic nearly took a step back, doubting her judgement for the first time in a long time. “I thrive on adventure,” Mystic poorly stated, and inwardly cringed, “I just went a step too far!” “Darn tootin’ ya did! How can Ah trust ya if y’all are causing trouble with mah sister and other fillies?!” Mystic’s ears flattened even further along her head but she raised them back up and tried to recompose herself. “Well, I’m sorry that I did something to disappoint you, but I think we need to take a deep breath and--” “Shut it, Mystic! Ah’m far from done with you!” Applejack prodded her in the chest. “We’re family, Applejack!” “Real family don’t put each other in danger, Mystic! Y’all should’ve known better!” Mystic gazed down at the floor, feeling as if a knife had been plunged into her heart. “In fact, Ah want ya ta do some extra chores ‘round here on top of whatever punishment Twi’s going to give ya! Understood?!” Mystic hardened her gaze, “Fine.” And gritted her teeth. “I just didn’t want to deal with a bullheaded stubborn mare!” “Excuse me?!” Applejack roared, getting into Mystic’s face, and Mystic responded by pressing her nose against the farmer’s. “I wish Big Mac had been the one to tell me off instead of you, you pushy aggressive sow!” Applejack’s eyes went so wide that Mystic thought they would pop out of her skull, and Mystic realized what she’d said. Both ponies refused to back down. What followed next was Applejack scolding Mystic for the next half hour. A little later in Twilight’s office, the alicorn sat in her headmare’s chair with Discord hovering in the middle of the room. “You’re sure that there isn’t anything unusual coming from the Everfree anymore?” Twilight asked. “I went over it three times just to be sure,” replied Discord. “You yourself said you destroyed it a few hours ago, and when you did, it’s like you’d flipped a switch and all dark magic was gone.” Twilight furrowed her brows. “Do you think this could’ve been some freak accident over a forgotten artifact or something sinister?” “It’s difficult to say.” “Well, thanks, Discord. I’ll be asking Celestia about the artifact.” And do my own research when possible. “Any time,” Discord smirked and then vanished. Twilight tapped her chin in thought. Mysterious hoofbands and something for a unicorn’s horn, shooting off energy and possibly controlling creatures? That’s what Scootaloo claimed. Twilight could still see the somewhat pale faces of the Crusaders as they spoke about what happened. “M-Mystic tried to stop the artifacts...” said Scootaloo. “Y-Yeah,” said Sweetie. Apple Bloom nodded. The Moon sisters were still speechless even when Twilight tried to comfort them. What did they see? They couldn’t have seen much out of what the others saw. Part of her was thankful Mystic was there but was also ticked the mare went with the fillies instead of stopping them. So, she gave Mystic some extra assignments and cleaning duties for the rest of the afternoon. She remembered overhearing Applejack scolding Mystic with her loud voice and Twilight knew her friend really let Mystic have it. But her mind wandered to another question. Did Mystic somehow cause this? Twilight thought. No! How in the world could Mystic do something like that? She recalled Hong’s words about Mystic using dark magic along with how crafty and wicked she was. No, no! She’s doing good despite some bumps here and there! I’ve handled worse than her! Twilight thought, letting out a sigh, thinking of Starlight. Without much to think about or go after, she decided to meet her friends in the teachers’ lounge. In the teachers’ lounge, Twilight sat in her chair with her friends sitting on the couch and Rainbow hovering above them. Sunset stood close by with an uncertain look on her face. “How is Mystic now?” Twilight asked. “Fine,” replied Applejack, “Ah gave’er a good scoldin’ fer not stoppin’ the kids from goin’ in there.” She huffed, glaring, “Ah’ll have her doing more chores ‘round the farm as punishment.” “Yeah,” said Pinkie, “We need to keep everypony safe like we do!” “Mmm hmm,” Fluttershy nodded. “So, Twilight,” said Rainbow. “Do ya think we should go ahead with the School event we have planned?” “Yeah, should we cancel it?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight whimpered, not wanting such an event to go to waste. I need to make sure we all show Equestria how much friendship means to us and they’ll see how much it means to them! “I think we probably should,” said Sunset, “Who knows what could show up?” “But we’ve got teams and Tempest on the clock looking for these monsters!” said Rainbow, “Besides we’ve been in worse situations!” “Ah don’t know,” Applejack added. “But Discord himself said that there was nothing else going on,” said Twilight. “He said he’ll keep an eye out.” Twilight paused in thought, trying to think of a solution. “Okay, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll allow it to go forward and keep protection around Ponyville to potential monsters stay at bay.” “What of the children?” Rarity asked. “They’ll be staying in downtown Ponyville all night and not go outside Ponyville during the day,” replied Twilight. “We need to keep a lookout for everypony and keep them safe.” “Ah guess Ah’ll see ‘bout Big Mac and Granny prepping the farm just in case,” said Applejack. “Good,” said Twilight. Hong was ecstatic. The plantation of the prototypes worked perfectly and even better than what he had hoped. And Mystic controlled the monsters, making things even worse for her for her court date. He stood at the table where Bullion and his congressponies sat, waiting to hear the news. “Operation successful,” said Hong. “Thank goodness for that,” said Prism, “I had my doubts.” “Ah, don’t doubt anymore, sister,” Hong said with a snide smirk. “Just know that our plans are moving forward in our Master’s favor.” “And Rainbow’s anonymous stories that she brought forth to Twilight were a nice touch from the ever-loyal pegasus,” said Bullion. “Because of the episode in the Everfree,” Hong continued, sitting down, “We can make a connection with the Alpha timberwolf incident that Mystic was the one controlling it and that pack, too.” He smirked widely, “My team and I are going to be able to present a case against that foolish mare for sure. And by the time the night of the Convocation is over, we can be confident that she was responsible for letting some creatures amok.” He chuckled darkly at the thought. “What about the Convocation?” Spear asked. “We’ll have no choice but to let it happen,” said Hong. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t help ensure there’s a sense of security for the event.” He smirked. “It could make you look more like heroes in the eyes of Equestria.” “Ah, that’s brilliant,” said Prism, smirking. “I agree,” said Bullion. “Let’s get started,” said Hong.