//------------------------------// // Into The Void // Story: It's Like a Cake... // by SaliantSunbreeze //------------------------------// Scene 06: Into The Void Outside, the other four were discussing what they could do to find the missing townsfolk. “Well, if we split up, we could cover more ground that way. I know I can make a circuit of the town in no time. If I searched from the air, all of you could check out the buildings,” Rainbow Dash remarked, putting her forehooves together with a loud clop. “We could look for clues!” Pinkie beamed, hopping up on her back legs. “Yes. Clues,” the pegasus responded flatly, “You can look for clues.” “Ah dunno, girls. Ah don’t think we should be splittin’ up, especially if we don’t know jest what we’re dealin’ with here. Ah mean, what kind of thing takes an entire town of ponies an’ replaces them with… other… strange ponies. It jest ain’t natural. An’ what sorta power does that kinda thing imply, anyway? Ah think it’s best we stick together.” Applejack was looking a little better now that all of her friends were present and accounted for, though the worry for her family gnawed away at her in the back of her mind. Still, the six of them together could get through just about anything as long as they stuck together… “Applejack’s right.” Rarity replied, giving her mane a toss. A little smile alighted on her face and she looked to each of the girls. “What I think we should do, is, as a group, go to a location, perhaps Sugarcube Corner or Sweet Apple Acres or one of the shops in town, and scour the building to-“ “Look for clues!” Pinkie popped up behind Rarity, throwing a hoof into the air with great exuberance. The unicorn gave a sigh and nodded in affirmation to the pink pony. “Yes… look for clues, Pinkie. That way, we can see if we can find any information regarding what happened to all of the other ponies in Ponyville while we were gone.” “Alright girls,” Twilight announced as she approached, walking just behind Fluttershy as they entered the little semi-circle of ponies, “We need a plan.” “Wonderful!” her horned compatriot replied, a little bit to Twilight’s surprise. As she listened, Rarity recounted what they had just been discussing. It seemed logical enough and after seeing two of her best friends just a length or two from having nervous breakdowns, she really didn’t want to have them split up again. Their strength was in numbers and that’s what they had to go on. “Okay, then we’ll go to Sugarcube Corner first. I know you already looked there, Pinkie, but six pairs of eyes are better than just one.” The other five ponies each replied in affirmation and turning back towards town, they set out for the bakery. The path back to Ponyville from the outskirts where Fluttershy lived was pretty open and there was a nice view of the town from the buried ramparts that surrounded it. The sun sank down closer to the hills on the other side of the town as they walked along; they were all a bit apprehensive, but together it was easier to forget about how uneasy they felt, at least. “What sort of thing do you suppose could cause so many animals and ponies to go missing?” Fluttershy inquired to the others, looking around at the landscape as they went. It was pretty, but also eerily quiet, save for the sound of the warm summer winds blowing across the valley. “Maybe it was something out of the forest,” Rainbow Dash mused as she hovered above the rest of the group. “Some big and scary, that came out and scared everypony off.” She said as she leaned down into the group with a smirk, “Or worse.” Fluttershy gave a gasp and shrunk down a little, shaking at the thought of it. “Rainbow Dash!” Applejack snapped at her, looking downright peaked. “Consarn it! Don’t be sayin’ stuff like that! Some of us have family that we’re concerned about, in case ya didn’t notice!” The blue pegasus backed off a bit, looking as if she’d been slapped in the face. Applejack gazed up into the sky, a despondent gloom set on her expression. “Oh… Ah jes hope they’re safe…” “I’m sure everypony’s fine, what we need to do is find out where they went.” Twilight stated before Pinkie Pie popped up between the two of them, wedging herself between their bodies. “I know!” She declared with an overbearing amount of glee, “Maybe there was a big party in Canterlot and they all went to it so now there’s nopony home!” Fluttershy glanced past Twilight to the pink mare and gave her a skeptical look. “Well, what about the animals then?” The yellow pegasus enquired. Pinkie looked down, stopping for a moment and tapping her chin with her hoof. “Well,” she hesitated for a moment, “Maybe they brought them along to share in the festivities?” “Yeah? Well what about all them weird ponies hangin’ around town?” Applejack glowered over to Pinkie, who smiled back to her apprehensively. “Well… maybe the Princess hired some ponies to keep watch on Ponyville while everypony was away so that no pony had to worry about anything!” “Ah seriously doubt that, sugarcube.” Pinkie, looking a bit put off, simply shrugged and without another word, bounded on ahead of the group with her usual degree of bounce, stopping at the top of the next hill to wait. “Well…” Fluttershy spoke up, if just a little, getting Applejack and Twilight’s attention as the others pulled ahead just a bit to catch up with Pinkie. “What about a spell, or something magical?” Twilight thought on it for a moment. It was possible, though if it existed, she’d never read about such a spell in any of her books before. Applejack chewed on a thought, looking over at her unicorn friend silently for a moment before it worked its way out of her mouth. “Ya don’t suppose that tomfoolery of yers this mornin’ has anything t’do with it, do ya, Twilight?” Her lavender friend rolled her eyes in reply, looking at her over with a serious countenance. “I don’t see why. It was just a simple teleport, and according to the related theory it should have gone off without a hitch. All I did was misjudge the amount of energy needed to get to Ponyville and we came up short. That’s all.” “But ya said it yerself, it was a ‘theory’. Doesn’t mean it’s true, and it doesn’t mean that things’d necessarily work out jes like you’d think they would. What if somethin’ went wrong and we jest didn’t know it at the time?” The farmgirl replied forcefully. “She’s got a point.” Fluttershy said, shrinking back a bit after finishing her sentence. However, Twilight took the jab stoically only giving a sideways glance to Fluttershy before stopping in the middle of the path and pointing a hoof towards Applejack. “I highly doubt it, Applejack, and frankly, I think you’re getting way too hung up on this. You’re usually just fine about me using my magic, besides when it comes down to tradition and stuff like that, but that aside, it’s not really something that comes up. What’s the big deal?” The weary farmer shook her head, sitting down on the road with Twilight, their pastel pegasus friend stopping a length or two away to listen. “Ah don’t mind yer magic, Twilight, an’ Ah got full confidence in yer ability t’do the things that ya know well. But Ah don’t like bein’ experimented on or nothin’ like that an’ when you go pullin’ me into messin’ with things that ya haven’t ever dealt with before, well Ah get nervous. Ya learn from experience, after all, and if y’all ain’t experienced it, then how do ya know it’s gonna work? Books ain’t gonna tell ya everything, Twilight, and if there’s one thing Ah’ve gonna tell you, it’s that little trip this mornin’ scared th’ livin’ bajeebus outta me.” “I understand… but I’m telling you, it worked out fine. This is just a coincidence, and regardless of what’s causing the current weirdness in Ponyville, I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t handle… I hope.” “Real reassurin’, honeybunch.” A loud whistle pierced the air around them and the three ponies turned to look at the others that were waiting for them at the top of the next hill. “Hey! Slowpokes!” Rainbow Dash shouted, motioning for them to come over, “Come on! I could have flown around town three times by now!” The pegasus crossed her forelegs as her friends approached, tapping her foot in midair. “We really do need to get moving. It’s almost sunset and the more time we waste out here, the harder it will be for us to figure out exactly what is going on here.” Rarity threw her hair to the side and turned to face Ponyville, starting down the hill as Twilight and the other two arrived. Twilight looked a bit puzzled. “That’s… odd. It shouldn’t be more than three o’clock now. It wasn't long past noon when we got back to Ponyville and it can't have been but two hours or so since then, so even at the latest..." Twilight's gears began to turn as she tried to figure out why the Princess would be bringing the sun down so early. Maybe her sister needed the practice? Was she taking the rest of the night off? "That... is kind of weird." Looking to Twilight, Rainbow shrugged before scanning the road for Fluttershy who was still lagging behind. She stood near some bushes, looking into them as if searching for something. "Fluttershy! What are you doing? Come on!" shouted Dash, beckoning to the other pegasus with her hoof. She didn't respond, still searching the bushes for something. Twilight and Dash both shot each other a look. They both sauntered over to her, Twilight peering into the bushes as Dash sat down on her flanks, her forelimbs folded over her chest. "What are you looking for?" The unicorn inquired, looking into the dense brush where Fluttershy was searching as the weary pegasus pushed away branches and foliage. "I... I saw something. Something small, in the bushes here. I thought it might be a bunny or a squirrel or a marmot or something. So I was calling to it, but... I don't see it now. I wonder where it went. Everything’s so... quiet. I don't even hear any birds chirping. Do you?" Twilight hadn't thought about it. The hills had been entirely silent the whole way to Fluttershy's house and back. Usually the air was filled with birdsong this time of year. "We'll worry about that later. Right now, we really have to get back to Ponyville. It's getting dark and..." And it was. The mountains behind Fluttershy’s house and the adjacent forest seemed to grow dark as the sun began setting. It was a little odd since the sun should have actually been shining onto them, but as Twilight watched a dark blanket descended over the mountain tops, flowing down the mountains themselves and into the forest. Twilight took Fluttershy's tail in her teeth and gave her a gentle tug, pulling her back a length or so from the bushes. "Come on, let's get moving…" "But... I know I saw something. Are you sure? I mean... what if it's scared and alone and..." Fluttershy glanced back at the bushes as the long shadow fell across the forest before them. The interior of the woods grew darker and darker until the row of trees became completely impenetrable. As they watched, an inky blackness began to seep from the bushes just a few lengths away, crawling onto the road before them. Fluttershy's eyes widened as she tried to speak, but nothing aside from muffled and panicked squeaks made it out of her as she dropped onto her flank, scooting herself backwards with her front hooves as the shadows slithered towards them. "Ooooh boy." This was trouble. Twilight knew it was trouble. Things associated with darkness and shadow tended to be trouble and she was suddenly very uncomfortable being where she was. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was rooted to the spot, shaking like a leaf as the black mass approached. "What are you two doing?" Dash said, turning around as she heard Twilight speak again. Her eyes snapped wide as she caught sight of the encroaching darkness drawing itself out of the forest, and half a second later she was off her flank and into the air. "Fluttershy, we need to move. Now!" Twilight yelled as she ran past Fluttershy, skidding to a stop when she realized that her friend had yet to budge. Both her and Dash returned to the pastel peagsus, Dash taking Fluttershy's pink mane in her teeth while Twilight took a step back and flung herself bodily at the yellow pegasus, dislodging Fluttershy from her spot and sending the three of them tumbling down the hill just as the wave of shadow began to pick up speed. Dash was the first to recover, pulling a flip in midair to steady herself and hovering as she watched the other two roll down the hill past her. Looking back, she caught sight of the darkness cresting the top of the hill behind them. It began to pour down the ridge and looking beyond, she could see the shadow consuming the entire countryside as night fell over it. She didn't stick around to watch it for more than a second, though, and with a flap of her wings, she was back up to speed and burning down the path towards Ponyville. Down at the bottom of the hill, the path curled around a small pond before proceeding over a creek and down a straight road into the middle of Ponyville. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie had just made it to the edge of the pond and were proceeding around when the blue pegasus blurred past with a hard gust of wind following in her wake. "Everypony! RUN!!!" She shouted back over her shoulder, arcing through the air over the pond as the others turned around to see what they exactly should be running from. It didn’t take more than a moment for them to figure it out. Screaming in unison, the three broke into a gallop, running for their lives toward the bridge on the other side of the pond. Back at the bottom of the hill, Fluttershy and Twilight came to rest beside each other, a little scuffed and bruised from the trip down. Disoriented, they got to their hooves as the wave of darkness came crashing down the hill, splashing against the road not a few lengths away and starting to pile upon itself like a great river of living tar. Fluttershy gave a frightened cry, staggering back away from the muck as Twilight shook herself out of her momentary daze. Giving her cowering friend a hard nudge to get her moving, they began to flee for the pond, their other friends having already made it to the bridge, calling to them and urging them on. "Move it! It's right behind you!!" Dash yelled, calling out between her hooves from her position over the pond. The sun was dipping down below the horizon and as the last bit of it disappeared behind Ponyville, a green flash flickered across the sky. Below, the lake began to ripple, an oily sheen appearing on the water, flickering and whirling with all the colors of Rainbow's mane as it spread to cover the entire surface of the pond. As she watched, the surface began to churn and a long, thin tendril of clear lake water drew itself up out of the pond, flailing around a bit before turning its attention to the nearest pony. "Rarity! Look out!" Dash took off towards the bridge, but it was too late. The unicorn looked towards Rainbow's shout, her face contorting in alarm as she caught sight of the huge tentacle snaking towards her. Her scream caught the attention of Applejack and Pinkie, who whipped around just in time to see the clear arm coil itself around their friend's neck and mouth. The thick band of water cut off her scream abruptly, the shriek replaced by a loud gurgling as her muzzle became wrapped in a thick casing of living water. Pinkie squeaked loudly, the pink mare and farmgirl springing in vain for Rarity as the tendril whipped her straight off the bridge into the air. Then, just as it was about to draw the struggling unicorn underwater, Rainbow Dash cleared the last bit of distance to the surface a bare second before Rarity was pulled underneath. The pegasus caught Rarity's long, curly tail in her mouth and wrenching hard, drew her back up out of the water, thrashing about in midair as the pegasus struggled against the power of the lake itself. Applejack leapt again, grasping Dash's tail and drawing her down to the bridge. She pressed herself against the side rails in order to keep from being pulled off her hooves and held on for dear life as Dash's wings continued to struggle against the pull of the water 'serpent'. Twilight couldn't believe her eyes. This was quickly becoming insane. A bright spark leapt from her horn, both her and Fluttershy disappearing in a flash of white. A screeching like twisting metal filled their ears for a brief instant and they both reappeared behind their friends. Pinkie put her forelegs around Applejack tightly, holding onto her as best she could. "Don't worry! I won't let you go!" The pink pony smiled brightly, just a bare second before the darkness crashed into the pond, kicking up a large wave on the far side. The whole thing seemed to contract all at once and there was a sudden jerk, wrenching Rainbow Dash forward and down towards the water, taking Applejack and Pinkie with her as the guardrail on the bridge splintered and gave way under the sheer force of the motion. Pinkie Pie let out an oddly gleeful squeal as she took to the air, and with a horrified expression on her face, Fluttershy dove after her friends, grabbing a hold of Pinkie's tail just as the other three hit the water. Without thinking, Twilight went in after them, the consuming wave of tar overrunning the bridge a few seconds later. The pond was dark and murky, and it became completely impossible to see as the light from the surface faded. Only little flickers of a pink tail ahead of her gave her anything to go on as she dove deeper, chasing desperately after her friends through the befouled waters. Her mind was spinning, bringing up every possible scenario she could think of in order to deal with this. She knew how to swim, of course. She knew CPR. She knew that this pond wasn't deep enough to give her the bends. She knew that she could probably hold her breath for about two minutes, three if she really pushed it. None of this made her feel any better. At all. She followed the shapes of her friends deeper until the last flicker of color that she could make out disappeared into the darkness. There was a great rush, the water itself pushing her back upwards as she fought to dive down further and as the current increased she only became more determined, even as the pressure on her eardrums became more and more painful. She approached the bottom, which appeared to be nothing more than a writhing wall of shadow below her, and reaching the spot where she saw Fluttershy’s tail disappear, she thrust out her hoof, plunging it into the dark tar below. The membrane broke, and the tepid water of the pond gave way to the warm, humid air of summer as she broke through to the surface. The glaring radiance of the sun filled her eyes as she took a deep, choking breath, filling her lungs with air as she plowed into the thick layer of silt at the edge of the pond. The mud in her eyes and ears clouded her senses as she tried to wipe it off with her hoof, vaguely discerning the panicked ramblings of five familiar voices somewhere in the distance. Her friends had made it. Thank Celestia… She scraped the last bit of mud out of her eyes and blinking it away, looked up from the edge of the pond. Her eyes grew wide and she slowly got to hooves before clambering up the bank to the edge of the village. She was in Ponyville… …but it wasn’t the one she knew.