//------------------------------// // The Mane 5 // Story: Pony Tale: Journey of the Dark Arts // by FlutterDash777 //------------------------------// -The Mane 5 Hour 4 All of their wings spread widely. Tall, and beautiful mares ran down the streets of Canterlot. Their horns were long, and majestic. Golden plates were crafted delicately around each hoof. A rainbow of manes flowed with ease as the friends galloped passed terrified, and confused unicorns of Canterlot. "I can barely see anything!" Rainbow cried out from the air. Black misty fogs were making it difficult to maneuver through the sky. The air was thick, and it was also harder to breath, but not so much that they would suffocate. It was just a very uncomfortable, and unpleasant feeling in their throats. "Neither can any of us, but we gotta' find Twilight as soon as we can!" Applejack called from the ground. She felt strange having a horn, and wings. She never had either before so it was odd, but it was also quite interesting. She wasn't quite sure though how to use them though. "I'm still not even sure what we are suppose to do when we do find Twilight... I'm worried we won't get there in time, wherever she is.." Rarity was now beginning to lift her wings. She was trying to search in the air like Rainbow Dash, quickly learning that Rainbow was right, it was very hard to see, even more so in the air. Pinkie Pie was sulking as she ran. She couldn't quit thinking about what would happen to Twilight if they didn't find her in time. She couldn't bare losing her closest friend. Twilight was so special to her ever since the first time she saw her. Pinkie completely loved Twilight, and she was not ready to lose her. She just couldn't. Applejack was now leading the five on hoof. She looked up, and saw Rainbow and Rarity. She mentally checked them off. She turned to her right, and there was Pinkie Pie. Depressed as ever, she checked her off. She looked over to her left. Nopony was there. "Now who in the hay are we missing....?" Applejack quietly said to herself. Her mind was so crowded with thoughts about Twilight she almost forgot. Fluttershy! Applejack stopped quickly. "What are you doing, Applejack?!" Rainbow shouted from overhead. Her voice was irritated, and she obviously didn't want to stop in the middle of their important mission. "Where's Fluttershy?" Applejack looked all around. The thick fog was making it extremely hard to see. Her throat was tightening up. It felt as if they were closed in a small room that had no windows, or doors. The air was immensely thick, and it was almost unthinkable to breath. Rainbow Dash quickly jolted to Applejack's hooves. Her heart was racing, and her head was spinning. Where was Fluttershy? How could she have not noticed she was missing?! Rainbow Dash started to panic. Applejack noticed that she was acting out of the norm. "Where is she? Where is she?" Rainbow Dash asked as she ran around, searching ever nook, and cranny for her beloved. Rainbow Dash was in reverse. She went straight back to the castle, looking all about as she did so. "Fluttershy!? Fluttershy where are you!?" Rainbow yelled at the top of her lungs. She was running out of breath, but she didn't stop. She kept running as fast as her hooves would take her. Then she finally spotted her. There was Fluttershy's bottom in the air, hiding behind a table at an outdoor restaurant. Her cutie mark was shaking along with her quivering body. Her long pink tale, was longer than usual. It flowed without any wind, or a breeze. Her lower half already looked like it belonged to a princess. "Fluttershy....It's okay. It's me, Rainbow Dash. We have to go find Twilight. I promise everything will be okay. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. After all you're with me!" Rainbow motioned her hoof at her chest, and she forced a smile upon secretly scared face. Fluttershy slowly popped her head out from under the table. She moved towards Rainbow Dash at a timid pace. Rainbow's hoof fell to the ground, and her mouth was left agape. Fluttershy did look like a princess. It wasn't just her tale, but her pink mane flowed too. It looked so long, and soft. Rainbow just wanted to curl up next to her. She had a long yellow horn, and her long feathered wings were spread apart wide. Her hooves were protected by golden butterfly shaped plates, and her body was tall, and lean; quite similar to her own new body. "Okay, Rainbow Dash. I-I think I'm ready now....lets go find....Twilight..." Fluttershy lowered her head. She could feel Rainbow's stares, and it embarrassed her deeply. "Um...right..." Rainbow said as she began to turn back around. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were waiting off in the distance. She could hardly make out the outlines of their new, lean bodies as she started to run together with Fluttershy towards them. The five ponies were back on their search together again. Rainbow Dash and Rarity took to the skies. Below them was Fluttershy on the left, Pinkie on the right, and Applejack leading in the center. It was starting to get harder, and harder to see as they kept moving forward. Less, and less bystander Canterlot citizens were in sight. It was as if they were the only five ponies there. The city was beginning to be hard to see too. The ground was blacking, and the buildings, and stores were darkening as well. Rainbow Dash, and Rarity kept flying into each other, and the alicorns below them kept stepping on each others hooves. The farther they went, the worse it got. "What in tarnation? Where y'all at? I can't see a darn thing!" Applejack called out. It sounded as if she was now behind the four other mares. "Where are you at? I can't see anypony!" "Ouch! That was my hoof...." "I-I'm sorry....." "I wish Twilight were here..." It was completely black now. There was nothing in front of them. There was nothing behind them. They couldn't even see themselves. All they could do was hear each other cry out to one another. It was dangerous to move around. They all knew this. "Y'all just sit still, and don't move. We don't want to run into anything, now do we?" "How are we suppose to find Twilight if we don't move, Applejack!?" Rainbow Dash snarled. All this was really getting on her nerves, and all she wanted to do was curl up on a cloud with Fluttershy, and go to sleep. "How are we s'pose to find Twilight in the dark, Rainbow!?" Applejack gnashed back. She wasn't at all happy about this as much as anypony, she had just been cooping up her frustration, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. "Oh, for goodness sake, quit arguing you two! We don't need to be quarreling between each other." Everypony turned their head in the direction of Rarity's voice. "She's right! We need to get out of this mess, and find Twilight!" Pinkie Pie finally spoke up. It seemed every time she had spoken since they got to Canterlot, it was about Twilight. A faint laugh was beginning to be heard by the five alicorns. It began to get louder, and louder as if the one laughing were getting closer to them. A blinding light began to appear. It was closing in on the fives mares. They could finally see where they all were, but they couldn't believe it. The five were in a small, tight, white room. Nothing was in there except them. It was shaped like a very tiny cube. Four blank walls surrounded them. A white ceiling covered them, and a floor surfaced them. They were all slouching against each other in the very middle of the room now. "What is going on!?" "How did we all get in this here room?" "Wh-where are we........?" "Where's Twilight!?" The laughing now ceased. Appearing in front of them in the small room was Twilight. She was smiling immensely. She was normal again! She was no longer an evil alicorn. She was just Twilight Sparkle the unicorn! It was their friend! "Twilight darling! Thank goodness!" Rarity jumped up from their heap, and went over to her friend, glad to see her. She leaned over, and hugged Twilight around the neck, only to fall over. Nothing in her arms but air. "Rarity!" Applejack got up to help up the confused white mare. "Where did she go?" Rarity jumped up, and looked all around the room. "Wh...Where did who go?" Applejack asked. The other three ponies looked at Rarity in confusion. Rarity looked astounded. How did they not just see Twilight? "Twilight! She was just there! She was normal! It was Twilight!!" Rarity's heart started to throb against her chest. Why are they acting as if they didn't see her? "Noponies there, Rarity.." Applejack lifted Rarity's muzzle to look up into her eyes. Eyes of honesty struck Rarity's heart. Nopony was there......Twilight wasn't there... "I....I must be seeing things..." Rarity sat down where she stood, completely embarrassed, but more saddened than anything. Simultaneously, Pinkie Pie started to cry, and Fluttershy began to scream. Everypony turned in their direction. What was happening to them? "Fluttershy! What's wrong!??" Rainbow began to shake Fluttershy's shoulders, which seemed to only make her scream even more. "Pinkie, are y'all alright?" Applejack went over to sooth her pink friend. The pink, and yellow alicorns continued to scream, and cry as if they couldn't hear, or see the other ponies around them. What was happening?! "She killed me! She killed me!!!" Pinkie Pie started to scream, still crying. She thrashed her hooves in the air, and almost knocked Applejack in the face. Rarity ran over, and helped Applejack secure their delusional friend to the ground. They locked each of her arms in their hooves so she wouldn't hit anyone in her fit of rage. She was still screaming. "She killed me!!! Why would she kill me??!!!?" Beside Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy was screaming too at the top of her lungs. She had never screamed that loud ever, at least Rainbow had never seen her do it. Tears were rolling down her soft yellow cheeks, and Rainbow Dash was completely terrified. What was happening to her fillyfriend? "It's so dark! Why won't you help me Rainbow!? You said you would protect me!! You're a liar! Why did you lie?!? She's going to get me! Why won't you save me?!" Rainbow's eyes widened as Fluttershy spoke those words. She was starting to cry. She couldn't hold it back now. She just couldn't. Fluttershy was seeing things, and she thought that Rainbow had left her side. She couldn't bare hearing that Fluttershy was thinking those things. All Rainbow could do was sit next to her lover, and hug her. Fluttershy didn't seem to notice. She continued wailing. Rarity looked up from Pinkie Pie. She couldn't stand seeing her like that. Over in the corner of that tiny small white room, Twilight Sparkle was standing there. Rarity could see her. She was in hooves reach! "Twilight!" Rarity called out. Applejack lifted her head, and turned to Rarity. She watched in horror as all of her friends were losing their minds. Why were they all seeing things!? Rainbow didn't seem to be seeing anything. She wasn't seeing anything. So why was the others? What was going on? "Rainbow Dash! What is happening?" Applejack looked to her blue cyan friend. Tears were filling up her pink eyes as she looked to Applejack. Her lips moved, but nothing came out. Applejack could see she had mouthed I don't know. Tears streamed down her blue face, as she looked back down to the yellow Fluttershy whom was still screaming in horror. Applejack lowered her eyes back to Pinkie. She was continuing to struggle against her, as she held her down. Rarity was no longer helping her. She had went to the corner of the room. She was talking to Twilight. Applejack lowered her eye lids. Her strength was leaving her body, as she held back Pinkie by herself. A single tear left her eye, and trickled down her face. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to help any of her friends. Time was running out. She wasn't even sure how much time she had left before Twilight would die. The fact that she didn't know was eating her up. It had already felt like they had been in that room for five hours. She wasn't sure if they really have, or it just seemed that way. "Save me...." A voice called out. Applejack looked up. She could no longer hear her friends. She could see they were still crying, and they were still screaming, but she couldn't hear anything but that one familiar voice calling out to her. "Save me...." It was the voice of Princess Cadence. There she was standing before Applejack. Her head was lowered, and she looked awfully tired, and sick. What was she doing here? What had happened to her? "Princess, y'all alright?" Applejack asked as her eyes were glued to Cadence's. Her mane was all tangled, and her wings were bleeding. "She's taken him from me.....She's taken Shining Armor....and...." Princess Cadence stopped. Her eyes began to become red as she looked up at Applejack. "It's all your fault!" Princess Cadence lifted up from the ground. Her wings were spread, and they began to rip even more. Blood started to drip from her head, all the way to her bottom hoof. Suddenly the princess melted away, all that was left was a giant puddle of blood that encircled Applejack. "What....just...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!" Applejack fell over, and herself too began to scream. Pinkie Pie was now released, and was thrusting her hooves about. Everypony had gone completely mad. What was happening to the friends? What were they going to do? Rainbow Dash lifted her head to take one last glance at all of her friends. Her eyes were still filled with tears, and her nose was running from all her crying. She let her head fall over on Fluttershy. She lost consciousness. How much time has already passed by?