It was a lovely Sunday afternoon for a picnic, Rose noted with contentment as she and her friends Lily and Daisy relaxed under the light of Celestia's sun in the park near Whitetail Forest. Seeing as how they had the day off, the three of them decided to make the most of it with a friendly outing.
The day was carefree and whimsical, a much-needed respite from all of the recent excitement. Between the unexpected arrival of Cerberus, the Canterlot invasion, and just the other night the alien attack, these three excitable ponies needed some time to themselves to relax.
Exactly what had happened that night at the Lunar Guard's fortress was still a mystery to most of Equestria. The official stories were that a swarm of magical creatures from parts unknown had teleported into the keep, and attacked Princess Luna and her guards. They had, of course, been quickly beaten back, but the Night Princess was still not able to make public appearances. Most of Equestria, though upset over the attack on their princess, were immensely happy the situation had been contained. There were a few, though, in Ponyville that noted the sudden disappearance of Twilight's alien friend around the same time, and commented on how he must have had something to do with it. Twilight and her friends' sudden cold attitude towards him had reinforced that belief.
As they lay there basking in their tranquil surroundings, the stillness was shattered by a loud cacophony from within the forest. The three mares stood up, startled by the loud noises. Out of the forest stomped a massive sort of creature, fearsome and intimidating. It seemed to be a form of crude biped, and was made of pure crystal, a smokey onyx. Its arms ended crushing pincers and long, straight spikes. It didn't appear to have a head, rather its upper torso simply tapered into nothing. It stood at least as tall as the average Ponyville building.
The three mares immediately responded as they did in any such circumstance; they screamed and began running back to Ponyville.The monster turned and began to pursue them. Despite its lumbering gait, the sheer length of its stride enabled it to catch up with the furthest behind of the three, Rose. It bent down and scooped up the red-maned Earth pony in its claw and held it aloft.
Rose had never been much of a brave pony. In fact, she and her friends had a well-earned reputation for being the most timid of ponies in Ponyville, Fluttershy notwithstanding. So when a giant monster decided to pick her up, she didn't even have the presence of mind to scream.
Even as the creature held her, there was a shimmering about Rose like heat waves off a street during summer. The colors on her coat began to fade. Lily and Daisy, who had by now gained a fair distance, turned back to watch in horror as their friend was drained of all color. Once it was finished, the monster placed her back on the ground, where she simply stood.
Lily and Daisy fled to Ponyville faster than they had ever moved before, screaming as they went.
The room was silent, save for three sounds. There were two breaths, almost imperceptible yet ever present, and the rasping of quill on paper. Carpathios sighed at the silence as he continued the now painfully dry task of scribing the correspondences between Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle, along with his own interpretations on the matter.
It was not the lack of magical assistance that hindered the mage. In his early years of instruction, Carpathios had been made to complete much of his work using only mundane means. No, that was not what vexed him.
What vexed him was the behavior of his once host and now prison keeper, the lavender mare currently scrutinizing him with suspicion and anger. It saddened him that none of these ponies, not even the most enlightened of them, could see the necessity and rightness of his actions. They were too fearful, he decided, too set in their comfortable ways to take the risks necessary to advance in understanding.
A thought occured to him. "Do you have any idea what happened?" he said, without looking up from his work.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I know everything. The princesses trust me enough not to hide things from me, unlike some others. I know what you did, and why you did it." Twilight sighed. "I think I know why you did it. I can't say I wouldn't have considered it if I had been given the option."
Carpathios shook his head. "Considered and done nothing? What would you have told Rarity? Or Applejack? Can you honestly tell me that what I accomplished was not worth the risk, as low as it was?"
"Low risk?" Twilight's face began to flush in anger. "Low risk? Do you have any idea who it was that you let out of the stone, or what my friends and I had to go through to get him in there?"
"I knew what I was doing! When nopony had an answer or hope, I took the bold step for the good of all. I saved three lives!"
Before Twilight could respond, they heard the screams.
Rainbow Dash hurled towards the ground at near-rainboom speeds, focusing on the monster in front of her. The strange thing was not from this world, she knew that instinctively. She also knew that they had to be stopped. That could be told by how they were terrorizing the town, snatching up poor ponies and sucking the color out of them.
She hit the crystal monster at full speed, blasting it with a rainbow forcewave. The creature tumbled backwards, crashing over the ground and leaving a trail of smashed debris before standing back up. Dash was slower to recover; the beast was incredibly hard, and hitting it had knocked the wind out of her.
Even as she did, she became aware that two other creatures had used the opportunity to flank her. A heavy arm came crashing down, and she leaped to the side just as it struck with earth-shaking force. She shot to the sky, trying desperately to escape their horrifying clutches and get a better view of what was going on in Ponyville.
The town was in complete disarray and anarchy. All attempts to organize an evacuation had been stifled by precision strikes from the monsters, which seemed to be dividing the populace for easier grabbing. Despite this, her friends seemed to be doing a good job of holding their own. Applejack and Rarity were helping to defend the schoolhouse, while Fluttershy and Pinkie were inside trying to keep the foals calm.
Dash zipped down, landing next to her friends. "Alright, what's the plan?" she asked Applejack.
"Rainbow, we need ta get these ponies to the train station. We'll be safe in Canterlot, Ah hope." Applejack looked around at the temporary lull in the conflict. The monsters had formed a rough circle around the trapped ponies, cutting them off from any chance to escape. "Though, that doesn't seem likely at the moment."
The stalemate was ended by a sudden burst of amethyst light from the town library. Twilight Sparkle had emerged.
She surveyed the village-turned-battleground with a keen eye. Spotting a small group of ponies that had been cut off and was rapidly nearing capture, the unicorn levitated a large market stall and hurled it with tremendous force at the offending monster. The crystal behemoth topples over as it is struck by the blow, allowing the ponies to escape.
The other crystal monsters immediately took notice of the new threat. Three turned and charged at the lavender unicorn, the ground quaking beneath their unstoppable advance. Twilight stood, a look of grim determination on her face. Just as the lead foe reached her position, its clawed hand swinging down to scoop her up, she teleported directly behind the juggernauts. Three beams of precisely applied arcane force on top of the excessive forward momentum of the monsters sent them crashing hard into the earth.
"Now!" she shouted over the din. "Get everypony to the train station!"
At once, the collective mass of the remaining ponies of Ponyville made for their last hope of escape. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack lead the push, using strength, speed, and magic to turn any attempts to stop them, while Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy made sure every pony was accounted for. The scene was bitter for many ponies as they ran past friends and loved ones who had been drained by the terrible menace.
They arrived at the train station, the crews already prepping the Friendship Express to barrel out of town at full speed the instant everypony was on board. Pegasi circled overhead, making sure the tracks were defended so the last hope of escape was not torn away.
Twilight left Rarity and Spike to oversee the evacuation. She trusted them, and though her organizational skills would have been useful, her magic was needed far more for the defense. As the last few ponies were loaded onto the cars, she turned to Rarity and asked, "Is that everypony?"
Rarity hesitated for a moment, moisture beginning to accumulate in her eyes. "Everypony we could save."
Carpathios had barricaded himself in the basement of the Ponyville library. When Twilight had asked why he wasn't fleeing with the rest of them, he had simply shoved her up the stairs and reminded her that there were others who actually needed her help.
Freed, at least for the moment, of distractions, Carpathios turned himself to the task at hand, which had to be completed with the utmost of swiftness. Without his staff, his arcane abilities were severely hampered, but he was not completely cut off from the workings of the Veil. While he could not himself open the passage home, there was one who could.
Soptek, is the path prepared? Carpathios asked as he stood in the ritual circle he had prepared, the meager belongings he deigned necessary to bring back home with him.
Aye, proctek, the path is prepared. We are ready to bring you home. Carpathios could hear the melancholy present in his old friend's words. Misfortune seems to plague us. After all that has happened, we leave your magnum opus unfinished.
Indeed. Perhaps we are hexed, by a magic greater than our own. But at least my discoveries here may buy us some respect, for a time. What we do then... Carpathios allowed his thought to go unfinished as he became aware of a premonition of danger. He leaped aside as a large crystal spike smashed through the basement door. Realizing he would have to deal with this threat before making the journey, Carpathios took a quick inventory of the items present in the basement. Spotting and identifying a few alchemical reagents, he quickly created a powerful solvent.
Quickly climbing out the hole the aberration's strike had left in the structure, he took careful aim and hurled the stone-eating concoction at the center of the beast. The glass phial exploded on impact, repulsing the beast and discouraging any further attacks.
Satisfied with his minor victory, Carpathios smiled to himself, then his spirit sunk at what he then beheld. He saw the familiar forms of the three exuberant fillies that he had come to be most attached to in his time spent here. But none of their youthful vitality was present; they stood with the pallor and countenance he had come to associate with the undead.
Carpathios felt his choler rising, stoked into a roiling fury. Soptek, there is a change of plans. I require a few items.