Twilight looked at her friends as they looked around the library with wary eyes while Luna lay on the floor panting heavily as her brain tried to recuperate from the trauma. Twilight and Thorax didn’t have it as bad as Luna did, but their horns still hurt. The pain was probably from the magic being near the Tallmare, it took a lot of effort for the moon princess to cast. Thorax was still in shock from his lover’s death and Twilight could tell that even if the changeling just blankly stared at the ground without any response to a hooftap on the soldier. Fluttershy was sobbing at Twilight’s forehooves looking remorseful about her comment to her unicorn friend. Then there was Applejack who stood next to the panting alicorn. AJ’s face was that of worry. She didn’t know what to think of this journey now. The room was just as dark as the moment with only the light of Twilight’s horn filling the room.
“So partner, Twilight, since I think you’re the leader of this group. Is there any advice you would like to give us?” Twilight sighed solemnly as she walked towards the window and looked out into the darkness with hollow eyes.
“Applejack, we all want something back. You just want your sister back. Fluttershy wants her safety back, and I as much as I try to hide my internal sadness, I miss Spike. Even though I may not seem phased about it I miss him, but I choose not to show for all I know we’re in danger. I just didn’t feel like I had time to mourn or that I had to mourn at all. Maybe he is alive or maybe he’s not, maybe Applebloom and Spike are both or maybe one is alive or one is not. I know you think we are strong heroes that can fix almost any problem that a villain causes but we aren’t some comic book hero that fight off some corny villain that always gets defeated in the end. We had one time before, and that was because of perseverance and we need that again now. We’re facing something so far beyond our grasp that we need more strength than we can handle.” The very tone of Twilight’s voice could be described as grim for everyone who listened in that one part of her house.
Thorax understood it the most. He remembered seeing the tall one during the war and after it. He couldn’t remember exactly when he had seen it but all he could remember was confusion. Then after his death was faked he still saw it. It wasn’t going after him like before but it just watched almost like its blank face felt curiosity for the changeling living the life of a zebra. Maybe now they had to toughen up. Twilight grabbed the blanket off the couch with her magic and placed it over the alicorn.
“Luna’s clearly having a seizure, whatever the Tallmare’s magic is it overwhelmed her brain and now her circuits are temporarily fried, metaphorically speaking. Fluttershy since you’re the medic here can you watch over the princess? Thorax, you’re coming with me. I still think the guards are here and they won’t leave their princess. So, I think the guard who has those hard drives is still in the building. He’s probably viewing the files right now.” The changeling just nodded and he could tell that she clearly wanted him so she wouldn’t be by herself out there.
Twilight and Thorax slowly walked up the steps and noticed a dim light coming from Spike’s room. They both moved to the door with slow placements of their hooves as they then budged the door open. The thestral guards who were there were dead and mangled now. The female’s muzzle was ripped off while she was bleeding out and leaking out warm liquid like a pipe. The other three who were in the room looked like their napes had been chewed off and flung against each other. Then they came across the guard in front of the small laptop and saw he was not injured but still dead. Twilight’s heart rate started to pick up as her eyes cautiously looked around the room for whatever had done this. She knew it wasn’t Jeff. In most descriptions of his murders they were sleep killings. This looked like the Thestrals were awake during the end of their lives. The changeling shivered at the sight of the bodies as he stepped away from the stained carpet.
“Twilight, uh are you sure about going in here? I suggest we just leave and take the bodies with us, or at least their nametags so we can honor them right?”
Twilght sighed and looked over to him. “Remember what I said Thorax, no mourning for we are in danger. Now let’s look at the computer shall we?”
Thorax and Twilight stepped closer to the bed and looked at the computer. It was only opened up to the wallpaper which was an earthpony mare in a suggestive pose on top of a hill. Twilight moved the cursor to the files tab and opened it. Currently, it was open to the very last hard drive that was opened and it only had an image happydog.jpeg. Thorax looked for a loaded rifle while Twilight waited for him. He then picked up one that was next to the mouthless mare and lightly held it close to his chest as Twilight looked back at the pc. This type of pc was only able to access the interwebs when it was plugged in somewhere that connected to the many webs of info-sending magic, which luckily Twilight barely had plenty of that. She then tapped her hoof on the mouseboard and it opened up with what looked like a normal image of a smiling husky in the woods.
“Hmm, I wonder if this is a clue to something,” Thorax said as he looked at the image with Twilight. They continued looking at the photo for a bit just admiring the fact it was just a cute dog. But then there was a croaking noise from behind them.
The thestral was still alive and looked to be weary with his breath. “Spread the word. Spread the word. Spread the word. Spread the word. Spread the word.”
The two then turned their heads back to the pc and noticed the dog’s eyes seemed to be looking at them. Now, inch by inch, the dog slowly started to close its lips like the photo was changing frames. Then the hound’s mouth fully opened again and it’s mouth twisted into a mouth filled with almost equine teeth and sharp molars. The skin on its mouth started to tear away as its smile grew slowly bigger with each new frame. The image only grew darker in color as it continued to look at the two onlookers.
Twilight and Thorax dashed out the room and slammed the door behind them. “Ok everypony, we need to leave right fucking now!” Twilight was in clear panic and everypony could feel her panic rising.
“Uh, what is it Twilight? Do we have the Tallmare at our door… in our house?” Fluttershy questioned as she rubbed Luna’s head with a wet cloth. The alicorn was looking better now.
“No. No. This is something completely different. We have another threat on our hands and I don’t kno-”
Then there came a cackle, not a villainous one but a cackle of one’s nightmares. It seemed to crick and creak with each interval like the thing that was laughing had a hard time breathing. Then out of the floor, something rose. It was houndlike and looked just like the husky on the jpeg. Its fur was now matted a charcoal gray. With its yellowish-white fur pricking up, it looked at the equines hungrily. Its twisted mouth leaked out blood out of its gums like it had a severe form of gum disease and its eyes looked like they belonged on a pony rather than some hound. The thing kept cackling its head shaking and vibrating as its jaw opened and shut with its teeth hitting against each other.
“Food… food… food… so much food in this room! Oh sister have you blessed me with food! You have blessed me so well with this food!” Its raspy male voice screeched as it foamed at the mouth at the sight of its next victims.
“Alright, quick question, what in the actual fuck are you?! Like seriously... How the fuck did you git in here?! We were just chillin'!” Applejack started rearing up to the houndlike entity as its head moved and twitched in unnatural ways.
“Ohhh you haven’t heard! Ohh such fools! Such arrogant, blissful idiots!! I was stored in one of those tablets made of stone and steel that are powered by thunder! Those tablets don’t contain what you’re looking for! My sister’s children have done well at fooling you! Now that you have seen me and the prey I spared has said the words. I am here.” It started to laugh yet again with its cackles taking in quick breaths of air like it was panting. Like it was a smiling hyena.
“You’re the smiling hyena Zecora told me about, aren’t you? And your sister is the Tallmare, I presume? Quite surprised that I would meet a sibling of hers so close.” The unicorn grabbed the bolt-action rifle from Thorax’s grasp and held it tentatively at the hound’s face.
“Haha haha chk-ha-chk-ha! No shit Sherlock! No shit smartass! Now let me feed!” It started to charge at the element of magic with a high-pitched wail as its jaw unhinged. Twilight quickly tapped her hoof on the trigger four times, quickly injecting all four rounds into the thing’s head. The bullets carved through the creature’s head and expanded the wound as it traveled through like fish through water. Yet, this thing only shook them out and then they dropped to the floor like nothing. All her friends quickly ran out of the front door as they left Twilight in there with the hound and with recovering Luna.