//------------------------------//
// An Encounter Of Minuscule Proportions 
// Story: Diprosopus 
// by WritingSpirit 
//------------------------------//

	"Excited? I'm more than excited! I'm feeling super-duper-wooper-extra-sugary-ulti-multi-STUPENDOUS!!"

If only the rest of the caravan shared her exuberance, Phoenix thought to himself with a smile. Admittedly, they were all excited at the tunnel of light shining ahead of them after days of venturing through the caverns of crystals; a sign they were finally making some progress.
Every one of them were smiling, be it from the band of pilgrims or the caravan members. It wasn't long before they stepped into the refreshing embrace of light, the crumbling floor of the cavern paving way for fields of grass that gave their hooves a long needed brushing.

"Last one to the exit's a simpleton!!" Ollivander cried suddenly, he and Selena already zooming off before any of them could cry foul. With a hearty laugh, the rest of the caravan joined in, even Dapple and the reclusive Brutus as one by one they stumbled out of the gaping cave.
No words could describe the scenery that met them, but if any of them could it would be the word 'utopia'. Throughout the expanse were fields of grass, all gently sloping downwards into a small bowl with an occasional clump of bushes around, their branches displaying bountiful varieties of berries. The shadows of the clouds hanging above in the empyrean blue formed shady, mobile patches through the grass, which swayed harmoniously from a gentle breeze.

"There it is," Parish Plow spoke suddenly, accompanied by a soft sigh.
"Our Holy Mother's Duilliúr Shrine on the Sommet du Forêt de Montagne: the Summit of the Mountain Forest."

To call it a shrine seemed like a degrading understatement: it looked more like a giant chateau! There, perched on the green top of the mountain, in the mist of the towering pedestal of stone, was one of the fabled, not to mention the most famous, Shrine of Terra. Like the mountain itself, it was overgrown with flora, thriving with the symphony of birds that would've been powerful if not for the distance. Four visible sets of stairs spiral from the top, with the roots of one branching out towards the awestruck adventurers.
The closer they marched, the more they could see. A cluster of towers pierced through the clouds, as if wanting to push itself from its already dominating height. Springs of water leak from within, branching out and gathering again to form a grandiose sprinkle of a waterfall raining down from the mountain and into a river snaking through the hills. It was as if the spirits of life wanted to possess the rock they were growing upon, and with the sheer abundance of it, they would not surprised if it suddenly rose from the ground and shifted around.

"My thoughts were the same when I first saw it with my very own eyes," he said upon seeing the amazed faces of the caravan.
"Come now! We must make haste!"

And with a beatific smile that could outmatch Pinkie Pie's, the shepherd hastily trotted across the sloping plains, leading the caravan and the hundreds of pilgrims through the green. He inhaled the nourishing air of late spring, the feeling of serenity rushing down his lungs making his hooves zip with a rare fervor.
It was when he started galloping ahead that he boasted his agility. Most ponies would've expected him to carry a walking stick, and the thought of him possessing such speed was a little unheard of for the caravan. It would seem strange yet comedic from afar, watching a whole snake of pilgrims chasing up to a single dot running further towards the haven that is the shrine.

A great wall of evergreens soon stood before them and the mountain, drenched within a sinister pool of fog that one was sure to get themselves lost in. Before anypony could stop him, Parish had already leaped inside, the sight of his fluttering cape and tail disappearing into the dense undergrowth. Phoenix skidded to a halt, the rest of the caravan following suit, though the pilgrims stormed zealously into the woodlands like a stampede of deers, never caring of whatever danger that might lurk within.
"Wait!" he shouted; a second too late, however, as the last of them scurried in, leaving behind their bewildered followers. All of them glanced at each other, uncertain of what to do, before Velvet spoke:

"What are we going to do now?"

"We can't just march into the fog," Ollivander replied.
"By golly, I've never seen anythin' that thick in my entire life!"

"It's not natural, that's for sure."
All eyes turned to Selena, the only pony capable of understanding the weather. She stirred a hoof in the fog, wrinkling her snout once she saw the clouds of vapor clinging onto it, strangling it like vines of ivy that withered only when she frantically brushed them away.
"This fog... it's too thick. Either some crazy pegasus wants us to get really lost, or they're trying to cause some sort of climate change, because this isn't safe for venturing."

Ollivander and Brutus nodded, both having experience of weather from their respective home countries in the Highlands. Mountainous as it was, the Highlands were noted for its high altitudes, with the tallest of mountains literally piercing into the heavens. Like most Equestrian mountains, they wore garments of forests around their rocky waists, and a Highlander, as the inhabitants there were called, would be lying if he said he had never experienced fog before.
The two Highlanders with them wore cynical expressions at the sight. Brutus even grunted as he readied his iron warhammer with the rest of them, letting out a scarce pair of gruff words:
"Dangerous inside."

Pinkie, however, just gulped, her sword already jiggling in her hooves. After all, like Selena said, pegasi are responsible for this. What are the chances that it was from the fleet of pegasi that launched their ambush just a few days ago? What more, was the fog really meant for her? To kidnap her in the obscurity even in the premises of her friends?
"We'll all just stick together until we can find the stairs," Phoenix said.
"I'll light the way with my tail and try to lead you guys through the fog. The rest of you... just try not to wander off, alright?"

With meek nods, the caravan soon took their first steps into the misty grove, their eyes glancing warily about the trees. It was unusually silent, the cries of its inhabitants that were heard from afar halting suddenly in their presence. Wading through the damp field of ferns, Phoenix's tail flared slightly brighter, revealing only barks of trees in the horizon.
"You gotta be joking..." Dapple cursed at the sight, much to the amusement of the rest.

The deeper they marched, the thicker the fog seemed to grow. Already, the doubts in Pinkie's mind started to grow; any minute longer, and she would have to pounce and hitch a ride on somepony's back.
Her eyes scanned the cloudy white, expecting something to just swoop down and grab her. If anything, the forest began to feel more foreboding as ever, and she held her breath, waiting for some ghostly pale face to just stare back at her and scare her to death.

And it did, save the last part.

She saw it in the middle of a fog: a pony, ethereal as the mist surrounding them, his skin a pure white. He held a taut gaze with her, the pink mare feeling ice creep up the arteries of her heart as she did so, yet it melted once the figure let out a wide smile. It only left her confused and frozen on the spot, unsure of what to do with the spectral pony before her.
"G-Guys, did you see--"

Her face paled once she saw no one behind her. Where did the rest of the caravan go? She frantically squinted her eyes, trying to spot at least some sort of blurred light of Phoenix's tail through the fog, to no avail. "P-Phoenix?" she whimpered, her hooves trembling. Fear started to simmer through her head, an unnatural chill crawling up her spine as she hesitantly turned back to face the pony again.
The figure was closer this time; enough for her to make out its insentient face. It had the square jaws of a stallion, and from its head she could make out some sort of... horn? A unicorn, maybe? Nevertheless, the phantom was trotting closer to him, and she clenched her eyes shut, biting her lip once he reached out to her, his mouth opening slowly.

"This way..."

"H-huh?" she stammered, opening her eyes reluctantly to see the colt reaching his hoof out, beckoning her into the darkness of the fog. Pinkie just stared into the forest, her skeptical gaze remaining stubborn as the demands of the pony before her. It almost looks like he was insisting to help, even though she don't know who it was, yet some part of her head tingled; a feeling of déjà vu.
She stepped forward, the phantom abiding her movements by heading forward, acting as a guide in the foggy labyrinth. Slowly she trotted behind him, her mind disputing on trusting him, despite the serenity that was behind it.

"Go forward... Don't turn back..."

Almost as sudden as his appearance was his departure, the figure fading into the conjured mist. Bewildered, Pinkie's teeth sank into her lips, readying her only weapon: her training sword, as she trotted deeper into the obscurity. She figured Phoenix would've noticed her gone by now, yet that... pony told her (more like warned her) not to turn back. She peered behind her shoulder, her efforts to spot the rest of them in vain.
"Maybe they're behind me..." she assured herself.
"M-Maybe they're just... planning a big surprise! Maybe they... th-they..."

Her face suddenly bonked into rock, the mare falling backwards into the fern-covered ground. Pinkie hissed in pain, rubbing her sore head as she glanced up cursedly at whatever she bumped into.
It was a giant monolith, reminiscent of those from the Steeplehenge photos in a book she borrowed from Velvet. On its side, there were ruins depicting a snake-like creature curling up into a circle, a crude drawing of ponies raging in flames and the most intriguing of them all: a faded painting of an alicorn, whose eyes were a luminous white.
Her sights soon set on, much to her excitement, a grand set of stone steps, curling up the stem of the mountain. She let out a gleeful giggle at the revelation: she found it! She found the way up the shrine!

"Hey guys! I found the-"

Pinkie stopped, the memory of her current situation crashing back into her like a tidal wave. She steadily and nervously turned back, unsure of whether to run back and try to look for the rest of the gang, stay here and let her patience run or leave them all behind and just go up the steps. The former two choices were risky; there might be more than just her friends or the pilgrims lurking between the trees.
She glanced up at the sky, making out faint, distinct shapes overhead, much to her surprise. They were like crows blotting out the sunlight, those shadows, and every ounce of her heart told her it was none other than her pursuers back at the entrance of the Solsenaar Underpass. She swallowed nervously, beginning her slow march up the steps with her rapier poised to strike.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, wishing in all her heart the caravan could hear her voice.

Time to settle this. Alone.




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"You're that certain it wasn't an accident?"

Fancypants would never remember the last time the authorities visited his home for business. Usually it would be his retired chaps from the Canterlot Royal Guard, and at some point the guard's current captain, Shining Armor, for a fine little chat. The latter pony was now in front of him, however, and the last thing both of them were thinking about is a small hour of relaxation from their Canterlotian hassle.

"I'm absolutely sure this was planned," he affirmed, clenching his hooves.
"There was no way it was an accident. They had everything accounted for."

Shining Armor just grimaced. Everything seemed too coincidental to be planned: the rain, the broken plumbing and the professor's escape. It was as if the assassin knew every single move that the professor would make. If so, there might be a chance Janus could've finished harnessing the Dreamscape technology he was purported to have obtained, and however he uses it, he was sure it wouldn't be used to correct some embarassing stage act in his childhood as a palm tree.
He turned towards the open door, the sight of two of his guardsmen lifting down a body bag on a stretcher already making his stomach churn. If he were coldhearted, he would say they had lost their greatest lead to finding their enemy. No, Equestria had lost a brave pony, despite his fault at believing in so.

"What do you think, Twiley?"

The purple unicorn just bit her lip, her gaze jumping between the two of her friends: Applejack and Rainbow Dash, both of them notified of the assassination with Soarin' joining along due to the latter mare's condition, her elder brother, Fancypants and Spitfire, who tagged along with her fellow Wonderbolt after hearing of the gruesome discovery from one of her close friends: Fleur de Lis herself, who had found the professor's stale cold body in the flooding bathroom.
Whatever whimpers she was making had been dragged back down her throat, withered like paper in the jaws of a flame. Her stare was emotionless, and one would've lied if they said they never saw her grace torn to shreds after seeing her in her broken state.

"If he planned this..." Twilight surmised, with everypony knowing who 'he' was.
"There might be a lot of ponies involved, but there are two that I'm sure are responsible. Firstly, the plumber, responsible for loosening the shower valve during his work. The other pony would be a pegasus working in the weather factory in Cloudsdale, who scheduled rain to fall on Canterlot at a specific day, meaning yesterday."

"And you say they're in league with him?" Fancypants asked.

"Probably, or they might be bribed, like the professor, I believe. If Professor Page was with Janus, he would not dare defy his leader, seeing how powerful he is."

"Wait," Spitfire cut in; being the only pony unsure of what's happening she had to.
"There are ponies that saw him before? As in, really up close?"

"So far, a number had seen him," Twilight answered.
"Apart from his forces, most of them who had seen him are either dead or captured. There are some ponies in our side that had seen him, particularly Rarity, who deduced he required the Dreamscape technology, and Stellar Lionheart, who is currently residing in an expedition up north. Apart from that, three dragons have seen him as well: Rarity's drakefriend, Spike, Jovern and his brother, Kane, who was also Applejack's drakefriend."

Applejack could feel her skin flushing red as all eyes turned to her, some flickering with disbelief, the rest with mischief. She could hear Rainbow snickering underneath her breath, which only tempted out a growl.
"What?" she rasped at the staring ponies, crossing her hooves with her eyes glancing sideways gruffly.
"He... he's just a charmer..."

The violet mare coughed lightly, before continuing: "Only a few ponies were actually connected to him. There was Fluttershy, whose father was murdered one night. I'm sure you fellow pegasi know about it," she paused as they nodded somberly, "and there was Rarity, who had made an accidental connection in the form of nightmares that perhaps state his intentions. And then there's... well... Pinkie Pie..."
The name struck a chilling cord in all their hearts. Applejack glanced away dolefully, Rainbow grumbled coldly yet inaudibly, and she herself closed her eyes, letting any clouding feelings wash off through her hooves. The rest just stuck their heads down low, the demise of the Element of Laughter all palpable to them.

"Both her parents were murdered through a debt of, well, rocks," she continued, feeling slightly ludicrous.
"The family home was burned down, and her sisters were captured and most probably dead, with any information of them driven to the point of nonexistence and all traces of the Pie family erased. Pinkie herself was believed to have been lost in the chaos of Pendant Lakes, but we have every reason to believe she's still alive."

"I've heard of it," Fancypants poked in.
"The Princess notified me of the situation of Pendant Lakes. Janus would've fallen too if she had fallen."

"That's his name?" Spitfire asked once again. "Janus?"
A chorus of nods followed, convincing enough for her to flip her mane back with a sigh, eyes closed, hooves crossed and head shaking. "That's one more enemy on our list." she mumbled.

"Captain, you do realize this pony might be the most dangerous one yet? He's not just some rogue Shadowbolt, you know."

"I understand, Soarin'," the gold mare answered her comrade.
"What I don't understand is why he wouldn't just come out and face the Princess on his own. Destroy the leader, and you'll conquer the whole nation, not that I'm saying Princess Celestia will lose the battle, of course."

"For one, Janus is calculative and unpredictable," Twilight spoke, "and his choice of crippling the faith of Equestria in their rulers can turn the tides into his favor. If he had stood up openly to the Princess, I'm sure he would never bother to hide his origins as well, yet there's little, if not no leads at all on tracing him down, which brings us back here."
The violet mare glanced at the two suspects before her. One, a plumber and two, a weather-pegasus. They need to speed things up; Janus's forces might be marching closer to Canterlot at any second.

"Alright, here's how it's gonna work," she continued.
"Tomorrow, Fancypants, Applejack and I would head to the plumbing company and figure out the employee responsible for it at the given time frame. If he spotted us and bolted I'm sure AJ would have enough willpower to catch that pony, won't you?"

"Eeyup! No doubt about it, sugarcube!"

"Along with that, we need somepony to check out the weather factory and find the pony responsible for scheduling the rainfall yesterday--"

"I'll go."

Everyone of them turned to Rainbow Dash, the pegasus stepping forward slowly, much to their disbelief. Even Spitfire was utterly flabbergasted at the cyan mare's request, and for a very good reason; one that Rainbow herself had seemed to blatantly ignore.
"It's just one trip to Cloudsdale," she continued bluntly, not noticing their shock or, at least, not bothering to.
"If he's there, we're bound to get him, and if he runs, I'll make sure he has his wings snapped before he could ever have a chance to get out of Cloudsdale."

"You're kidding, right?" Soarin' asked cynically.
"Please tell me you're joking."

"Does this look like a joke to you?"

Tense silence filled the room, and everyone's breath was left hanging, all eyes focused on husband and wife staring down at each other. None dared to step between them, lest they incite their fury on the rest of them instead of each other. Rainbow's wings flared, her snout twitching incessantly and ready to pounce onto him, despite her pregnancy.
"I'm going to Cloudsdale even if you're stopping me, Soar," she hissed.

"And risk the life of our foal?" he shot back.
"Rainbow, you're a mother, for Celestia's sake! Why can't you just let Spitfire track the pony down herself? Why the heck must you bring yourself into this?"

"Because I haven't done enough!!" she yelled, jabbing a hoof into her husband's chest.
"All this time, I'm just watching everything happen!! Fluttershy and her mother, Rarity and Spike at that town up north, Applejack in Manehatten," the orange mare hid herself underneath her hat as she said that, "even Twilight and Pinkie Pie back in Fenderville!! Remember that, Soar?! Now, even Scootaloo's been targeted, and what the buck I'm doing here? Resting my flank off? 'Cause if you want me to watch another one of my friends get hurt right now, then I'd RATHER SIGN UP FOR SOME CELESTIA-DAMNED ABORTION INSTEAD!!"

Gasps soon escaped from everypony's mouth, with Soarin' just glaring at her in utter shock at her words. Small tears crept up from his eyes, though he was quick to wipe them off.
"F-Fine," he stammered, slightly surprising the rest with his expressionless response.
"But if you're going, that means I'm coming with you."

"No, Soar."

"I know you don't want me in this, okay? I know you don't want Spitfire and I to get into some sort of trouble, but you're already bringing Firefly into this! Did you really think that I'm going to just sit here and watch you bring our daughter and chase some murderous fiend down?"

Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, yet she couldn't form any words. She glanced down at her belly, cringing her eyes shut at the be-damned choices ringing in her head and chasing out tears from the depths of her eyes. There was so much she wanted to do to help, and yet... she couldn't... she just couldn't.
A hoof on her shoulder pried them back open to see Spitfire staring back at her with a look of concern. She had every right to be; Rainbow chose her to be Firefly's godmother, after all, and to see one of her teammate's spouses and former student in such a struggle...

"Soarin' and I are going with you, RD, no matter what," the veteran Wonderbolt said.
"I know you really want to help, but to risk both of your lives in this... don't you want to see Firefly's face? Don't you want to know who she takes after more, or which of her parents' mane she inherited?"

The mother-to-be said nothing, prompting her to continue: "I knew somepony who was given this chance. She was a great mare in her own right: a pegasus that inspires dreams and fulfills them. A pegasus that everypony wanted to be. She held herself in high regard... until she had her foal."
Spitfire stared blankly at a corner, without any trace of emotion. "She didn't see it as a blessing until it was too late," the Wonderbolt continued. "Even after her husband said no, she still went on her adventures and shows, entertaining all her friends and fans with her stunts. One day, during rehearsals, there was an accident... and everything just fell apart. She lost her baby, she lost her husband's love... she lost her heart... and I don't want you to be like her, okay?"

"But... but I just wanted to help..."

"Then let us come with you," Spitfire persuaded.
"Just... think of it as extra help! You know how it is."

Rainbow turned to Soarin', who gave a firm nod, then to Applejack and Twilight. The two mares gave her a smile, and she soon returned it with one of her own, albeit smaller.
"So it's settled then?" Shining Armor said.
"RD, Soarin' and Spitfire goes to Cloudsdale and find the weatherpony responsible for the rain."

With that said, each of them left the prestigious home of Fancypants, the stallion sending them off before tending to his traumatized wife. Soarin', however, pulled Spitfire aside from the group, a grimacing forming between his brows as he spoke:
"You don't have to tell her about that."

His leader just turned away. Yes, it was heart-wrenching to pour out tales of a broken pasts, but to see somepony relive it, especially when it's somepony so young with so much to expect...
"You know I had to do it," the mare replied bluntly.
"I don't want to see her - and you - ending up in a miscarriage. You know how I was when I lost her. You saw how depressed I was when he left me. You were my teammate and best friend for twenty years now, Soar, and you know the costs of being a Wonderbolt. It's almost time for Firefly to come to this world, and if we were to lose her now..."

Spitfire shut her eyes.

"I'll never forgive myself."

Her gaze was blank as she stared into the cloudy afternoon sky, the streams of memory passing her by as if in mourning, of dead flowers blossoming anew; scars reopened to light. She latched them back shut as she heard Rainbow calling out to her, the two Wonderbolts raising a small smile once her exaggerating complaints of their lethargy ended.
"I don't want you to be like her, Rainbow Dash," her inner voice spoke, wishing she had the courage and dignity to say it aloud to the mare who bore her godchild.

"I don't want you to be like me..."




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"Almost... th-there...!"

Pant after pant after pant. With each step closer to the top, Pinkie wheezed out a breathless puff of air, her sword acting like a trekking pole up the confounded stairway. Her hooves started to ache, with bruises that resulted from slipping onto moss and damp water puddles.
The relieving mountain air was getting noticeably thinner, the mare turning towards the setting sun and glancing down at the scenery. It was grand, to say the least, with the foggy pine forest surrounding it standing tall, the mountains beyond dominating the view with snow-capped peaks, and at a corner with a dirt path cutting it through, a small cluster of lights; the haven of civilization.

"Valewood," she mumbled its name. The first town they'll finally be in months.
Without hesitation, Pinkie gathered her strength, marching up the stone steps. Every step forward was a step to Valewood, and she couldn't help but giggle at the thought of possessing a grand stock of candy again. She had been saving up all her funds for this! This very moment!

"Sounds like some novel," she muttered at herself, smiling. She could imagine the title already. 'Pinkie Pie: The Candy Caper', it would read. Now to just come out with some catchy motto...
"Um... 'Always There To Swipe Your Sweets'? No... Ooh! How about 'The Mare That Puts The Trick In Treat'? Or is it 'Gives A Trick And Treat'? Hmm......"

Whatever rambunctious mumbling was cut off as she stopped suddenly, facing a stone archway that invited her. The last of the steps receded into the flat plateau of gray, ceramic tiles, with some ruptured by overgrowing yet beautiful cherry blossoms, among the latter of trees. There were flowers of every possible color, almost like some sort of painting, and the sight struck a fine chord in her excitement, her hooves beginning a stride down the marble temple.
It was truly a sanctuary of nature, with plants from every land, familiar and foreign, thriving in its grandiose structure built upon the peak and conquering rock with life rarely seen together! She couldn't believe she was walking down underneath the roots of the grandest sequoias forming archways among the path, or trotting between a gloomy field of black lilies floating in a murky lake! Phoenix had told her of many plants, which she remembered, but there's still so many she had never seen before!

The fauna here was unbelievably exquisite as well, with some more noticeable than others. Zipping across the gardens were hummingbirds, their thin beaks piercing into the depths of the exotic flowers laying around. Amid the branches, a black panther watched warily, calm with satisfaction as it lazes underneath the leaves. The most jubilant sight was of a herd of deer prancing about, stopping only to feast on a treasure trove of overgrown ferns.
Every sight she saw marveled her with the sheer abundance of life, and she would've tripped if she hadn't seen the moss-covered rock standing in the center at the last minute. It was shaped into a cube, with rune carvings decorating all around it, its translation probably extinct. Engraved in the center, however, was a pair of words that said:


Scrín Duilliúr


"The Shrine of Duilliúr," she roughly translated the Highlander text. There was no doubt about it: this was where the pilgrims intended to end their journey, and also where they would see the alicorn Terra, which supposedly would manifest at the end of their journey. She herself had never seen an alicorn before. At least, she think she didn't.
Rustling feathers, however, stopped her excitement, the sound of it prompting Pinkie to dive into the bushes. The flapping soon transitioned into trotting hooves as she raised her blade, her breath halted at the pair of voices, growing louder into the light of clarity once they got closer and closer.

"...certain she would be here, Capt?"

The voice was hungry with savagery, yet calm and collected with melancholy. Her spine tingled at its lack of emotion, and she couldn't help but peek out the bushes to see a coat of dark purple staring back at her, its waist strapped around with a large machine gun.
"There's no other place she could've gone," said the other pony. This voice was as cold as his counterpart's, though there was an inch of cunning fervor building within, the sound of it tingling her with nostalgia. A glance up at his visage, with aviator goggles strapped against his bright azure mane, was enough to make her shiver, for it was the pony that captured her during the ambush earlier.

"If they diverted course from the pilgrims, we would've seen them from here."
She could still remember the glinting tip of the knife against her neck, as well as the inhumane spark in his pair of venomous green eyes. Her hooves started to shiver, her sword trembling within her grip while the voices continued, still unaware of their eavesdropping target they were oh so determined to find.
"Remember, this is a silent operation," the pony continued.
"We're only targeting her and her alone. Kill anypony else, it might botch the whole plan..."

Pinkie lowered her sword once the voices started to fade, the hoofsteps heading into the distance. A sigh of relief escaped from her mouth, yet she knew it was far from over. Would she march in and fight them off, all by herself, or would she wait for Phoenix and the others to arrive? She would've done the latter, but what if the caravan was captured? What shall she do then?

"There are other options..."

The mare let out a yell, with another noticeably squeakier one returning it graciously. She jumped back, raising her sword back up, ready to lash out at whatever unlucky pony that dared terrified her, though she lowered it back down once she saw the sight bestowed upon her.
It was a wisp, glowing an effulgent yellow and flickering lightly to a beat, with a tail protruding from its radiant center reminiscent of comets in the night sky. Its eyes, however, were a distinct black, like large beads shimmering in a field of dazzling light with a convex reflection staring back at her. It swayed happily at the prospect of being seen and marveled at, flaunting itself like a firefly in its ever-glowing nature.
"Wh-what... what are you?" Pinkie asked hesitantly.

"I'm a hobby-lantern!" it replied cheerfully with the squeak of a mouse and the ring of a wind chime.
"Spooky lights? Orbs? Will-o'-the-wisps? That's me alright! But hobby-lanterns are different! We're named because we can extinguish ourselves to go into hiding or sneak up to ponies! Like this!"

With a huff, the spirit's bright glow suddenly snuffed out, its divine light pulled into its black eyes, which glowed a dim yellow with puffed cheeks like a luminous balloon. It was as if its colors were inverted; black turning into a glowing yellow, and vice versa! The hobby-lantern, as it called itself, then blew out a puff of air, to which its mesmerizing glow of its body returned, the light in its eyes withdrawing once more.
"Pretty neat, huh?" it bragged, having noticed Pinkie's amazed expression.
"But enough about me! Let's talk about you!"

"M-Me?"

"Like, duh~!" it continued.
"You might be thinking, why would a small little pixie suddenly pop out in the middle of nowhere. Well, one, I'm a hobby-lantern, not a pixie. Two, I'm also a messenger of the Princess, here to guide you!"

"A messenger... of the Princess?"
Pinkie wanted to laugh it off as a joke, yet everything was all too real. But why would this... hobby-lantern be sent here for? What would this 'Princess' want from her?
"Which Princess is it?" she asked in a slight bout of curiosity.

"Why, Princess Terra Regalis, of course!"

Princess Terra? As in the Holy Mother Terra, the one that the pilgrims pledged their lives to, and whose sanctuary of a shrine she was standing in right now? Her hooves were already wriggling with excitement, the mare couldn't help but let out a squeal of delight.
"Where is she? Is she here? She must be easy to spot; she's an alicorn! And this is her shrine, of course! There's so many things I want to say to her, like how beeeeee-utiful this place is, and how there's so much plants, and trees, and flowers, and vines, and trees, and rocks--"

"Yeepers! Chill your nipper-tatties, missy!" the spirit cut in, its tail whipping at her snout.
"The Princess didn't send me here to hear out your babble. I think. But anyways, she wants to have a word with you. As in, face to face conversation? Serious talk from one mare to another? Get my message?"

"R-Really?" Pinkie stammered in disbelief, to which it flashed once: a yes.
"As in, right here, right now?"

"Pretty obvious, ain't it?"

"No way!!" the mare screeched, much to the hobby-lantern's annoyance.
"I'm so, so, so, so, so, so EXCITED!! Who would've thought of it, talking to Princess Terra, who sent this little wisp to me just for a private party!! There's so many things we could do, so many things we could talk-talkity-talk about. Ooh! Ooh! And then there's so much stuff I wanna ask here..."

"Oh boy..." the spirit sighed.

"This is going to be one long journey..."




O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O



Seven times it rang.

"Hello...?"

She could hear it clearly; the brass bells distantly booming in her head. Her voice was a music box in the vicinity of a church organ, the haze of her surroundings merely warping as she rose from the confines of her bed.
It was morning, yet the rays of a sepia sun only blemished the world in an unforgiving taint of dullness. She trotted about the room, whimpering slightly as she gazed into her cracked reflection, only to see her azure eyes tinted a blood red. Instead of the expression of terror growing on her lips, it showed a widening grin, its teeth sharp as needles with a glint of hunger.

"A-Anypony?"

She slowly stepped away from the mirror, letting out shivering pants as she glanced around the forsaken room. Everything was fading, decaying as she wandered hurriedly about the pits of a blooming cadaver. Galloping towards the windows, she wrestled with the knobs, to no avail, with the first beads of sweat sinking and searing into her skin.
Her breath jumped when the doorknob rattled suddenly, her sights turned at the unknown intruder wanting to break in. Open the door, said the ringing bells. Open the door, said the cracks of the mirror. Open the door, said the burnished sun. Hoof grasping knob, she held her breath, before yanking the door wide open.

"Hello... Rarity..."

"N-No...!" she yelped, falling backwards onto the stale floor at the figure. It was the pony nestling within her reflection; the pony born from despair, destruction and insanity. His eyes were soulless and burning red, draining the remaining color of his body. A wide-eyed grin filled his face, and with each step forward, she pushed herself back. Away from the predator that yearns only for death and death alone. The floor shattered, revealing oblivion underneath, with flames that scream out savagery and erupting from its chasms of black.
"St-Stay away from me... STAY AWAY!!"

Screams were futile, and the crazed pony suddenly cringed. His skin started peeling, one by one forming strewn bandages on the floor, revealing beneath a black, grotesque mass. His face only possessed a mouth, teeth white as the hide he shed and discarded, its purple tongue sloppy with ink edging towards her face as he snarled happily with the voice of two: one of calming dread and the other of twisted insanity.
"Have you come...... to die...?"

"No...! NO, PLEASE DON'T...!! NO!!!"






<>                    [O]                    <>







Rarity jolted up from her bed, panting deliriously with red sheets dampened in a darker shade of sweat. She glanced around the bedroom, head still ringing, body still shivering, eyes wide in sheer horror.
The rays of morning were already piercing through the curtained windows, enveloping the bedroom in a dim shade of light. A sound of light snoring prompted her to turn, sighing with relief when she saw Spike sprawled all over in the bed, still in a deep sleep and not noticing her shaken state. The fashion designer swallowed, her gaze affixed to the knob as she waited for something to happen. Her heart was sinking into nonexistence, her gut squirming in protest at the thought of it.

Something was wrong.

"Sp-Spike..." she whimpered, shaking the dragon's claws.
"Wake up... please wake up..."

"Mmph..."
He tossed and turned, growling a few times, yet still remained in his sleep. The sound of the antique clock ticking by the nightstand echoed in her head, with fleeting shadows trying to taint the borders of her reality and nightmarish domain. Dread swallowed her up, wiping its plate clean for no other emotion to share and greedily devouring the rare tinge of color off her face.
The room was dim with only a few cracks of sunlight lighting up the room, as the Princess prepares to bring forth the day. Tumultuous hoofsteps joined the fray, the cacophony of them echoing throughout the room. Everything seemed to blur: the shadows, the hoofsteps, the sunlight, the nightmares... it's too much. It's too much!

"Spike... Sp-Spike!"

"Huh... what?" the dragon mumbled meekly, rubbing his eyes. The white blur before his face soon grew clearer into the face of his marefriend, the sight of her face making him sigh with relief.
"For Celestia's sake, Rarity, don't scare me like that," he said with a quiet laugh.
"I thought you were Twilight. Her and her wake up calls..."

"Spike, listen to me," she whispered, earning his rapt attention.
"I don't think we're safe here... you might think I'm crazy, but Janus knows we're here. He knows we're here..."

Spike blinked for a minute, at first wanting to dismiss it as a joke and just laugh it off, yet the fashion designer's pleading look was anything but humorous. Her frazzled mane and sweating forehead was clear enough of an indication to tell him what happened, and with things happening around these days...
"Is it one of your nightmares?" he asked, to which she slowly nodded, her glance stuck to the sheets.
"Look, I don't think Janus would be out to get us. Twilight did say once he struck once, he wouldn't dare strike again. He wants to remain incognito from the rest of Equestria, and he doesn't want us tracking him down, so I'm sure he wouldn't be as careless to barge into the palace and kidnap you or whatever."

"But I... I saw him..."

"In your nightmares," the dragon assured, clutching her hooves.
"Look, if he ever dares to step through that door, just remember this piece of scaly hunk," he smacked his biceps, his actions making the mare giggle, "is here to protect you, alright. I will never let him get to you, and if he does--"

*KNOCK*
*KNOCK*
*KNOCK*

Both heads immediately turned towards the door, just as the clock chimed suddenly, nearly making Rarity's heart jump. She held her breath, watching Spike rise from the bed, obviously curious at whichever smart pony that wanted their presence at such an early hour.
The unicorn just sat there, watching her colt-- no, drakefriend, march across the room. Perhaps it's just an overexcited Twilight on the verge of discovering Janus's true identity, or Applejack about to notify her about Rainbow Dash going into labor. Perhaps it's just Sweetie Belle wanting to see her rehearse, or just some prank conjured by the Princesses; she heard they can be pretty mischievous sometimes.

Seven times the clock rang.

The fashion designer immediately turned, her face paling at the ornate hands on the antique clock face. Could it be that much of a coincidence...?
"Sp-Spike..." she hissed, her body resuming its shivering.
"It might be--"

The frantic rattling of the doorknob sliced into her words, both of them turning towards the door; Spike wearing a look of surprise and Rarity of horror. Without a second to spare, her horn flared a light blue, yanking the dragon (much to his displeasure) and tossing him towards the floor on the other side of the bed, with her diving along next to him.
"Rarity," he started to complain with a sigh.
"You could've at least--"

No sooner than the door burst open came the rapid fire of a machine gun, spraying throughout the stone room just as the couple ducked their heads down. Pillows were shredded, glass was shattered, and ricochet after ricochet rang through their ears. Gritting his teeth, Spike quickly hid Rarity underneath his arms, her whimpering a falling feather compared to the bullets whizzing and striking at any surface.
Even the cupboard wasn't spared, splintering wood harmonizing along the cacophony before the structure collapsed, the dresses the mare had made all riddled with holes. The dragon hugged her tighter as the already deafening gunfire grew louder, screaming into their eardrums, though it suddenly fell silent.

Rarity was on the verge of tears, her quivering hoof clamped over her mouth to keep silent. Spike placed a claw over his lips, gesturing a signal of silence. From his fluttering emerald eyes, the mare could tell he was shaken by this as well.
With a roar, he suddenly pounced from the bed, tackling their assailant down and snapping the machine gun away from the colt's grip. Spike clenched his fists, pinning him down as he launched four punches in succession against his cheek, bruising it purple, though it was soon returned with a blow of hooves against his chest, making him retch.

Before the dragon could recover, he was slammed in the face with a wooden pole, sending him into a daze. Another blow in the chest forced him back, successfully blocking the next with a grunt before kicking the pony towards the door, body slamming against wood.
Rarity watched as Spike lunged towards him, her horror shining through once she saw the pony drew from his pocket a revolver.

"SPIKE!!"

A loud gunshot erupted, sending the dragon tumbling, the bullet striking, much to their relief, his arm. He smacked the revolver out of the pony's hoof before another shot could be made, and tackled the pony out of the window and onto the balcony. The gun swiveled across the floor, stopping only when it reached Rarity's hooves.
Picking it up, she instantly limped towards the balcony, watching as Spike and the colt exchanged punches and kicks, moving closer and closer towards the edge. She raised the revolver, trying frantically to get a clear shot at the pony, to no avail. The gunpony's face was clear in the rising daylight: he was a unicorn, with an orange mane and pale blue skin, one of his eyes possessing a visibly large scar, rendering him half-blind.

Spike soon slashed the pony with his claws, leaving behind three red gashes across his chest; in response, his horn glowed orange, ripping the shredded curtains and, much to Rarity's horror, wringing around the dragon's neck. Gritting his teeth, Spike flailed his claws about, trying to yank the choking sheets from his neck, yet it only grew tighter and tighter with his struggles, with one end of the tangled sheets being pulled by the pony before him, wearing a triumphant grin.
The sound of trotting hooves sank into his ears, and before he knew it, Rarity was by his side, the gun hovering next to her. Hatred brimmed in her pupils, her brows forcefully crossed as a bead of sweat fell from her forehead, her magic pressing down onto the trigger.

"Not on my watch, you WRETCH!!"

*BANG*

The unicorn yelled as the bullet struck into his shoulder, sending him over the ledge and dragging Spike along with it. Her horn flared as she yanked the dragon back, engaging in a tug-of-war with gravity as their assailant hung for dear life on the other end, his desire to kill tempting him to climb back up the tangled sheets.
Rarity soon gripped it with her teeth, pulling Spike farther and farther away from the ledge, his face turning a slight blue. Her horror escalated once she saw the other pony's hoof slam onto the top of the stone railing, as if returning from the dead to finish what he had started.

With a roar, the dragon agonizingly turned towards the demented colt, the sheets like a leash. He watched, gritting his teeth as the colt slid from his hooves a razor, glinting sharply and aimed downwards at his face.
"You know who the heck you're dealing with?" Spike gasped out a taunt.
"You're dealing with Spike the dragon!!"

Just as the razor lunged down towards him, Spike pushed himself backwards, leaving the blade to graze his neck and ripping through the choking piece of cloth, the sound of metal screeching against his scales ringing through all three pairs of ears as he and Rarity tumbled backward, finally free from the anxious tugging of curtains.
Both dragon and mare watched as he fell backwards with a loud scream, the rope of sheets falling swiftly before looping around the base of one the columns. Instead of hearing a crash onto the ground, there was a popping of bone, dreaded curiosity beckoning them to peer over the balcony, and after a shaken minute, they did so.

Rarity let out a screaming gasp at the sight of the colt dangling within the sheets, a noose apparently snapping the pony's neck. His hoof twitched with the last figments of life, before laying still, leaving him as a gruesome exhibit for this Canterlotian morning, swaying gently like a pendulum in the breeze for all the horrified onlookers in the prestigious town to see.
Spike hugged her tight, feeling his chest dampening once the mare let out a loud sob, prompting him to choke out one as well. The couple collapsed onto the marble balcony, trauma stinging their heads and leaving behind only desolation of their predicament like daggers twisting into their heads.

Trotting hooves, however, soon stirred the dragon from his state to see a horrified Twilight looking over the balcony, suddenly stumbling back with her hoof clamping over her mouth just as the rest of their friends rush in as well. The only sound they could listen to was the devastation of Rarity's sobbing, her pained voice leaving a harrowing mark in their hearts, as well as a singeing, unforgiving reminder.

Janus has struck once again.