The breeze flowing through his mane, the distant ground below as it zoomed past, the gentle, measured flaps from the pegasus mare he was flying with, all of it gave him a sense of immense elation. However, the euphoric feeling vanished as soon as they touched down in Ponyville proper, replaced with teeming dread and anxiety.
Darkest reluctantly hopped down from Fluttershy's back, falling a respectable distance before the ground finally connected with his stiff legs, which nearly sprained from the force of the uncushioned impact. HE said that HE did possess thirty-two spies in this town. Darkest regarded the surrounding townsponies with suspicion only rivalled by fear. That simply cannot be true, but it does not mean that there are no individuals working for HIM. He glanced up at Fluttershy, who had screwed her eyes shut and appeared to be steeling herself. So long as I remain in her immediate vicinity, they are rendered unable to subdue me.
Darkest nodded to himself at this, and was about to attach himself back to Fluttershy's hindlegs where he belonged before he realized that he had already subconsciously done so the moment he dismounted. Ah, well, that would indeed explain the lack of running or summoning barriers. Fluttershy seemed to finish composing herself then and twisted her slender neck around to gaze at him with her soft teal eyes.
"Are you ready to head in, Darkest?" The colt nodded but failed to summon a smile as they began their journey down the cobblestone path and toward the market square. The increasing pressure on the mare's leg was a notion that scarcely occupied any space in his mind, consumed as he was in his wary, weary watching of the potential threats surrounding the two. Any one of them could be a worker.
Happily, they reached the market with no incident, and Fluttershy quickly grew apt at compensating for the increased weight on her hock. Unhappily, however, they soon reached the first stall on their grocery trip, and Darkest recognized the orange mane and tan coat of Carrot Top. He ducked his head against the yellow leg and stared at the ground, clenching his teeth and pinning his ears in preparation for the earth pony's voice.
"Howdy, Fluttershy! Just the usual for ya this fahne mornin'?" Darkest flinched lightly and grimaced at the familiar sensation of heavy discomfort. She talks just as she always has, yet the pain is made significantly more violent by nature of the fact that I have only heard Fluttershy's most wondrous cadence this day. He breathed deeply through his nose, savoring the pegasus' scent and using it to assist in calming himself.
This process continued for some time, with Darkest attempting to tune out the harsh voices by losing himself in the sensation of Fluttershy's comforting presence and said mare keeping a steady, reassuring pace. She would frequently shoot him worried or apologetic looks and make assurances that they were nearly done, to which he would often wave a hoof in dishonest dismissal. He eventually gave up on studying the fellow marketgoers, instead burying his pink face in yellow fur and reciting mantras to himself, blindly following the mare's hoofsteps.
"There you are!" Darkest was roughly dragged out of his reverie by the relieved sound of a familiar voice. Both he and Fluttershy turned rapidly, causing him to stumble off her hock and into-
Danger.
Luckily, Darkest was able to expeditiously reattach himself and together they confronted a cream-coated mare with a pink-and-blue curly mane whom he recognized immediately. It is indeed Bon Bon, from the party. And it seemed Fluttershy did as well, seeing as she spoke next.
"Oh, hello, Bon Bon. Was there something you needed?" But the earth pony ignored her completely, focused as she was on beaming at Darkest's blinking countenance.
"I've been meaning to check up on you ever since you scared the whole town out of our coats!" She gestured wildly with a hoof before crouching and bringing her head eye-level with his. "So, are you okay? How has Fluttershy been?" The colt's eyebrows creased in confusion at this. He was feeling simultaneously heavily unnerved and mildly frightened at the scrutiny, but reasoned that with Fluttershy standing right there she could not exactly do anything. It was several moments spent with him licking his lips unsurely before he worked up the nerve to respond.
"Er, quite fine indeed, madame. And, pray tell, how have you been this fine morning?" The cream-colored mare narrowed her sapphire blue eyes ever-so-slightly, but a genuinely friendly and concerned grin remained on her muzzle.
"Let's not talk about me right now. I want to make sure that you are okay." It might very well have been Darkest's imagination, but it seemed her voice slowed down near the end and gained an air of something that he only half-understood. His confusion deepened when her face grew stoic and she peered deeply into his eyes, their noses separated by less than a foot of air. There was something so genuine in those blue orbs, something caring and concerned that reminded him of a certain yellow pegasus that was currently carrying the majority of his weight. Still, they belonged to another pony, and his own white ones could only stare back for so long before he averted his gaze back to the ground where it belonged. Eye contact is a signifier of equality, and I did indeed learn better than that long ago.
Bon Bon seemed satisfied by whatever she found, seeing as she did not object when Fluttershy shuffled around to face her directly, putting herself between the two. Darkest ensured his side never once left her hock, lightly gripping it in a raised foreleg as he peered under her saddlebags and slightly flared wings at the earth pony.
"Okay, Bon Bon. It was nice to talk to you. We're gonna keep shopping now, alright?" The curly-maned mare gave one last sad parting glance at Darkest before nodding and backing up.
"Alright, Fluttershy. It seems you have everything under control for now. I'll see you around!" And with that, Bon Bon turned and hurried back to a mint-green unicorn who had a cocked head and befuddled expression. The two started talking just as Fluttershy and Darkest began walking, so they speedily faded from view. The pair strode forward as one for but a few paces before the pegasus turned her head to look at him with her lips pursed and began rummaging through one of her bags with a wing.
"Darkest, would you like to eat some food now?" A deep rumbling came from below him at the mere mention of the word, and he flushed red with embarrassment and shame. With a grateful nod, Darkest took the offered sandwich in hoof and greedily bit into it, humming with delight as the sustenance finally pleased his vociferous insides. Consumed as he was in consuming the sandwich, he failed entirely to notice the violently exploding house on his left, though he did notice a drop of something brown appear on his pink muzzle.
The drop dripped down the side of it, soon joined by others of its kind, peppering his head. Darkest crossed his eyes to observe the drops and tentatively stuck his tongue out to catch some incoming ones. Is that chocolate?
A high-pitched shriek tore him out of his reverie, and he hastily turned his head to observe a light magenta earth pony on her hind legs, clutching her mouth with one forehoof and pointing with the other.
"OH! THE HORROR! THE HORROR!" Darkest's ears fell and he began scanning the immediate area, noting the rampaging animals with disfigured, elongated legs the pony seemed to be pointing to. He observed several nearby ponies begin clustering together, almost as if gathering into formations. He noticed several homes start hovering in the air and orbit each other in collision courses. But one key detail about the current events stood out the most to him by far.
She's gone.
Darkest searched frantically for any sign of his protector, but only found the fading sparkles of a successful teleportation spell and townsponies adopting battle stances and angry posture.
They're coming for you.
Darkest shook his head, glancing about again and speedily edging over to a nearby building that hadn't yet gone soaring into the sky. That is nonsense, they are not even gazing in my direction. Still, his rump soon found the wall of the structure even despite this thought, eliminating the threat of an assault from behind. Darkest flinched heavily at the sound of a dark, chaotic laugh echoing from everywhere at once, and less intensely at the cracking sound of a building collapsing.
There's ponies in there.
He could see them, screaming for help as their home crumbled around them, and his horn's overglow lit without a second thought. A protective dome appeared above the ponies as the ground became a puzzling checkerboarded color and pink clouds covered the sky.
"Why, hello, ponies of Ponyville."
Darkest's head whipped around and he stared at the giant horned head that appeared in the air above town square.
"My, my! What a nice forest you've got right next to your town!"
Darkest backed up into the wall behind him, cowering from those huge, yellow and red eyes. He jumped at a crack above his head and speedily erected a barrier there to catch the crumbling building's structure. It leaned heavily into the shield and would have fallen on him if not for its presence.
"Oh! And it appears to be absolutely teeming with monsters, all raring to be let out! How chaotic!"
Darkest's gaze was drawn to an off-white unicorn with an electric-blue mane across the town square from him who was firing at the head with red blasts of magic. The head in turn nonchalantly spit out a glob of what seemed to be lava at her, but he summoned forth another shield and blocked it from connecting.
"What an utter shame it would be if someone were to...I don't know...SET THEM FREE!"
The head disappeared then, replaced with a violent explosion of confetti that knocked several ponies over and blew a hole in the paved ground. The sound of it left Darkest's ears ringing, such that he nearly missed the clopping of approaching hoofbeats.
"Blithering blistering stallions! This is quite the pickle we've found ourselves in!" The colt swung his head around to observe the approaching brown earth pony, his horn's spiral still alight with a light grey luminescence. "Quickly, with me! We're gathering on Hoofington Street and could really use your shields!" Not knowing what else to do and fearing the imminent collapse of the nearby building, Darkest reluctantly followed behind Time Turner, suspiciously studying him for signs of malintent the whole while.
They soon reached a group of townsponies in formation, and the colt's legs locked in place under him.
What're you thinking! They're workers! They want to take you back to HIM!
"Quick, everypony! Be ready for a monster invasion!" A purple unicorn with a cutie mark of three sapphires began giving out orders to the group, but Darkest remained frozen with fear and indecision. In all actuality, I am most likely safer away from other ponies. At least until I find Fluttershy. He was just about to take off galloping in the opposite direction when he heard a creaking sound followed by a burst of pain from his tail.
RUN!
But Knight was immobilized, pinned by the fallen wooden beam, and his struggling only increased the pain as several tail hairs were ripped out.
"Hey, easy, easy! Just calm down, everything vill be okay, okay?" A mare with a baby-blue mane and pink coat commanded as another earth pony with her exact opposite coloration gripped the beam in her mouth and lifted it clear off the ground.
Knight stumbled back from the two, nearly falling over but catching himself on the wall of a building.
Knight's significantly-more-ruined tail found itself tucked between his legs where it belonged.
Knight glanced fearfully between the gathered ponies, who all scrutinized him before turning to face the snap! of what sounded like a teleportation spell.
Knight watched as a pack of four-legged wooden things spotted the ponies and lunged forward, growling and snapping as they approached the first rank of ponies, who surged forth to meet them. He observed the townsponies engage in a tag-team chase with the creatures, constantly making them switch targets and working together to always remain several steps ahead of their opponents. Finally, he caught his breath as he saw a grey-coated blonde pegasus lure the whole pack out of the way of the ponies and into a prodigious beam of magenta magic fired by the purple unicorn.
Darkest's jaw dropped, shocked as he was by the sheer teamwork displayed by the ponies before him. It is as though they share a brain!
"How on Equus did you manage that?!" He asked, quite incredulous. A dark magenta earth pony who had taken a large part in the chase trotted up to him, sweating and breathing heavily but still smiling cheerily.
"Well, when you've been with a group of ponies for as many years as we've been together, you do pick up some things." She spoke more, but Darkest's gaze was drawn to a cluster of what appeared to be meteors dropping down towards them.
Almost on instinct, a grey barrier phased into existence over the group's heads just before the fiery balls landed, causing them to either forcibly explode or reflect back into the air. Several instead bounced up like rubber balls, eventually coming to a stop on the flat grey surface. Darkest flinched and edged away from the stares he and his horn received and considered just running for it, but another snap! from behind interrupted that consideration and he whirled to face another alien thing. This one had a body that was vaguely reminiscent of Spike's, though it had a head that he recognized from one of Fluttershy's friends, called a 'chicken'.
"It's a cockatrice! Don't look into its eyes!" Yelled the purple unicorn leader, causing everypony to back away and avert their gazes to the green sky or checkered ground. "Derpy! GO!" From the corner of his vision, Darkest saw the blonde pegasus from earlier swoop in and grab the cockatrice in her forelegs, carrying it up and out of sight. "Alright, team! Move up! Let's see if others need help!" As one, the townsponies strode forward, confident and sure in their steps as they scanned the area. Darkest, by contrast, was nearly hyperventilating as he hesitantly took a few steps to follow them, but stopped in his tracks at another indignant outburst from Knight.
Abruptly, the world grew dark and Darkest looked up to see a gorgeous night sky. What in Tartarus...? The sudden time change was accompanied by the dreaded sound of more teleportation as numerous monsters appeared and begun running rampant through the town. The colt heard the distinctive growling of more wooden wolves from behind him and hastily erected a barrier there, squinting in the darkness as his eyes had yet to adjust completely. Well now, it would appear as though mine options are reduced to either dying horribly or following ponies who could potentially be working for HIM. Dying had never once been an option in his life, so Darkest lunged into a full-tilt gallop, heading straight for the departed group of townsponies even despite Knight's vehement protests.
He merged with the group just as light returned to the world, blinding him before revealing a tan earth pony stallion doing battle with some catlike creature alongside an off-white filly with a red mane. It was an impossible dance, with the pair somehow dodging every swipe from the monster's paws and strike of its scorpion tail. The filly would often use the stallion as a springboard, leaping off his muzzle in a coordinated move that ended with a solid buck to the face of the creature.
It was a losing battle, however, that much was apparent. The combatants were far too close together for Darkest to assist with a shield, but luckily reinforcements arrived in the form of two purplish-grey coated pegasi who swooped in. The pair delivered several successive blows to the monster before flapping off, causing it to open its batlike wings and give chase through the sky, letting out a great roar.
Elsewhere, two unicorn colts were fleeing from a flying monster that looked vaguely like a bear with some insectoid features. The pursuit had nearly ended with a meal for the monster when two earth ponies arrived, a brownish-tan stallion with three bit bags as a cutie mark and a grey mare with a pink bow-tie. Darkest watched in awe as the stallion nodded to the mare, who leapt into his forelegs just as he reared up and with a powerful thrust sent her soaring forth at tremendous speed to deliver a flying kick into the bear's muzzle. The great monster was unable to completely keep with aerial balance after such an attack and went pivoting downwards, just at the right time and angle to intercept a bright yellow magical beam fired by the mint-green unicorn from earlier. Darkest was rendered unable to witness what occurred next, distracted as he was by the panicked screech emanating from his left.
"OH, SOMEPONY PLEASE HELP ME! OH, THE HORROR!"
A coop's worth of 'chickens' appeared to have grown dragon wings and achieved flight, though they were constantly laying eggs in midair which exploded on contact with the ground. The 'chickens' were currently hovering maliciously over a particular home in which another earth pony mare, this one with a lime green mane and hot pink coat, was screaming her lungs out as she waved through the second-story window. There is some manner of gelatinous material rendering the lower floor unusable, thus she is unable to escape that way. Darkest peered upward, observing the ghastly state of the roof. It will not hold for very much longer.
"Quickly, Darkest! Use your incredible shield to block the projectiles!" Urged Time Turner, who appeared very suddenly to his right and began waving his hooves wildly in a gesture of-
Aggression. He's going to attack.
Darkest skittered back and away from the stallion, unintentionally letting out a soft whine that could barely be heard over the egg explosions.
"THE HORROR! SOMEPONY! PLEASE!"
Darkest whipped his head back around to face the flailing mare, seeing yet another pegasus, this one nearly jet-black with a blue mane, swooping in to assist. He will not make it in time. The stallion would have to travel three times as fast to make the trip before the roof collapsed. This was information that the earth pony clearly could not make out for herself, seeing as she chose that moment to hurl herself out the window and tumble to the earth, the roof collapsing just as she did.
Again practically on instinct alone, Darkest ensured there was a shield between him and his aggressor before summoning forth a curved grey ramp under the mare, allowing her to spread out her momentum instead of splattering against the cobbled ground.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Darkest spun yet again to face three more wooden creatures, one of which growled directly at him and began to-
RUN!
Darkest turned and began galloping full tilt, pumping his short legs for all they were worth, but it was a losing race, for the beast's legs were nearly thrice the length of his. The colt heard the familiar zapping noise of a magical beam fired, but refused to cease his running, heading instead for the edge of town square. This is greatly unadvisable. Any one of these ponies could be workers. I must leave the vicinity and await Fluttershy.
Darkest foolishly glanced back to check for pursuers, and consequently ran head-first into something that had slightly more yield than a brick wall. The unicorn saw fur that was similar in coloration to his natural coat, bulging muscles that entirely defined the frame, and he looked up. And up. And up. And up...
Big pony.
Knight's ripped tail, previously streaming out behind him to assist with balance, tucked itself firmly between his legs. Knight backed up slowly, noting that the big, white pony was not currently looking at him. Knight saw that the pony was in fact glaring at something to the right and breathing deeply, that surely that was a good si-
"YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Knight ran.
The huge, thumping footsteps of something in pursuit only served to increase his panic as he dashed into the residential section and darted through the streets.
Knight caught sight of what was chasing him in the reflection of a nearby window. It had four heads, each roaring as it stomped its four legs in pursuit. It was huge.
Knight wove through the houses and through alleys, but only managed to stay just ahead of the monster, rather than losing it entirely. The world darkened as the moon rose, aiding him in his fleeing.
Suddenly, Knight observed the town square before him once more, his path having brought him in a wild loop. Ponies were galloping towards him from there, hoping to head him off.
To capture me. To bring me back.
I only have enough for one wall.
Knight hastily summoned forth a wall to block off the only direction of escape from the monster.
The only means of capture for those workers.
Having rid himself of the greater danger, Knight began acting on instinct alone. He spun around to put his rump to the barrier, facing the huge creature and resting his legs for but a few moments as it approached. Knight was taking heaving breaths but only crying out a little bit as he galloped back toward the monster, summoning shields to block the two heads that snapped at him. The world lightened as the sun rose, aiding him in his evasive maneuvers.
The first workers reached the transparent wall and began to pound on it as Knight darted between the beast's towering legs, bringing the shields against its chest to push it back and off balance. Finally, Knight leaped off a barrier and over the sweeping tail, resuming his desperate dash through the streets.
With only a monster chasing after him, Knight's legs failed to receive the necessary burst of adrenaline. They soon after buckled, making him crumple to the floor. Knight had enough energy to turn his head and observe the beast bear down on him, its multiple jaws slavering in anticipation of its meal.
No! I mustn't die! I can't!
A cream-colored coat. Two-toned blue-and-pink curly hair.
One of the heads reeled back, struck by a cream-colored hoof, and fell to the ground, its eyes becoming spirals. The familiar earth pony lashed out twice more, connecting solidly with two more heads and causing them to fall. Finally, the mare jumped up, springing off a fallen head to deliver a midair buck to the last one, and it dropped in kind, with the pony landing on top of it.
Knight suddenly found energy again as she turned to look at him, and he painfully stood up, edging backwards on wobbly legs. Knight watched the pony carefully as she gracefully hopped down from the giant head and sat. Suddenly, he tripped on a poorly-paved cobblestone and fell to the earth.
No escape. Plead and cower.
Knight curled up, attempting to raise a hoof in defense and failing miserably.
"N-no! Pl-Please! I'm sorry!"
...
Minutes passed, but no hoof descended to strike him.
Tentatively, achingly slowly, Knight lifted his head to gaze at her. The mare had paused a few strides away, one foreleg raised in hesitation.
Knight swiftly lowered his head back to the ground, closing his eyes and whimpering softly.
Pathetic. I should have lasted longer.
You should have more stamina than this, scum.
A rustling noise, as though somepony was laying down. A few more minutes passed with nothing else occurring, and Knight cautiously glanced up again, trembling heavily in fear and anticipation.
Knight barely noted the familiar rainbow beam in the distance as it fell to the ground, focusing entirely on the earth pony now laying before him with her eyes closed. Knight nearly ducked his head again, but paused when he witnessed her lack of movement, instead tiredly laying his chin on the ground to continue watching her.
She's breathing heavily. That's it.
Noted Knight as he stifled a yawn, feeling increasingly sleepy as the seconds dragged on.
Knight failed to note, or indeed notice entirely, the charm that slowly took hold of his mind, inviting him to trust.
I'd go over to her, but I can't move right now.
More moments passed as Knight wearily watched the earth pony, silence taking over the town as it reverted to its ordered, non-chaotic state.
"Bon Bon."
The mare started, hesitantly looking into his eyes and seeming greatly confused by what she saw. She stared at his outstretched hooves as he beckoned her forward much like a toddler would ask to be picked up. Bon Bon falteringly stepped toward Knight, whose eyelids were beginning to drift shut.
Bon Bon stopped just in front of him, barely in range of his foreleg. Knight reached out, grabbing her fetlock and dragging himself over with what strength he had left.
A lovely sugary smell graced his muzzle as he buried it in her leg, and he smiled lightly as the other one rested itself on his back.
Safe.
The last thing Darkest heard before he slept peacefully was the clopping of many approaching hooves. But that mattered not, for he was completely protected so long as he stuck with Bon Bon.