//------------------------------// // Everfree // Story: Thing a Day // by Rennoc215 //------------------------------// Thing a day: Everfree A loud boom shook Twilight Sparkle from her studies, and she turned to look out her window. What she saw astonished her: In the sky was a rip, where the blue of the mid-day sky met a harsh, writhing white patch. And within the patch, beyond the border of angry white, was a hellish dark red, with unheard thunder cracking about the dim red sky. That's when the wound in the sky started bleeding. Slowly at first, but then ever faster, tiny dark darts began cautiously creeping from the wound, falling from the sky and down into the heart of the Everfree Forest. And then, like the floodgates after a storm, a massive flood of those darts came in one massive pulse, and then there was a massive sucking sound, and the tear sealed. Twilight watched in transfixed fascination as the blackness sank to the ground, and then disappeared beneath the treeline. Then her senses came back to her. "Spike!" She called out, turning away from her once fascinating read, and towards the stairs. "I need to write a letter!" -+-+-+-+-+- It was two days when Twilight got a reply. "Dear Twilight," Spike read aloud. "Please forgive my sister and I on our less than stellar response times, as we were out, away on diplomatic relation meetings with the Griffon Kingdoms. We got your message a day ago, yet we can't afford to risk these negotiations on a possible false alarm. While we are concerned with these events, we are going to have to ask you and your friends to deal with whatever happens. If you need to, contact your brother to have him give you some guardsponies who currently have to much time at their hooves. Best of luck, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." "Well," Twilight replied after a pause. "That's a little dissappointing. I guess we should go ahead and ask Shining for help. No need to be unprotected, don't you agree?" -+-+-+-+-+- It was another few days of wait while the soldiers were loaded and shipped, and in the mean time, 'The Rend' was the object of discussion thruought Ponyville. Everypony had their own theory: From aliens to demons, ponies were springing up, calling out about the 'approaching doom.' But there was nothing to tell that The Rend had anything to do with the end times. A few miscellenious objects had gone missing after it, at a steady rate, but it wasn't anything crushing. No foals stolen in the night, no pets disappearing. The only pony who was the most outspoken was, ironically, the least outspoken mare in town. "Doesn't anypony care?" Fluttershy said, in a voice that was a conversational tone for everypony else, yet a shout for herself. "The forest creatures are terrified, coming to outlying towns like our own! Even terrifying creatures, like Timberwolves and the mighty Ursas, are fleeing ancestral homes, scared witless, and coming to forest caretakers like myself. I don't know what's going on, but it can't be good." "Fluttershy, get down from that soapbox. I need to take my shower." Rainbow Dash impatiently stated, obviously fed up with the endless preaching of her closest friend. "Oh, sorry." Fluttershy whispered, stepping down and pushing the box towards her friend. "Here you go." Twilight came up behind them, and put a hoof over each of her friends' shoulders. "Now girls. Don't worry, fluttershy, because tomorow is when we head out. And to Rainbow, a simple please might have been a nicer change." Rainbow groaned, and Fluttershy released a sigh of relief. "The sooner the better," Fluttershy said, calming down. -+-+-+-+-+- There was a loud crash, and Twilight jolted out of bed. A break in? In the Library? Twilight thought with a sigh. Slowly, her lethargic body started working, and she walked down the stairs. Another crash shocked her brain into action as she realized there were some valuable things in the library. The Elements of Harmony, Twilight thought with alarm. She jumped down the staircase, and turned to look at the smashed case which once held the elements. Another shattering noise drew her attention to the window, where she caught a glimpse of two serpentine tails slinking through the newly shattered window. She ran up, but the tails dissappeared into the shadows, and she saw nothing unusual outside her window. "This might be bigger than some of us realize," she whispered to herself. She headed back to bed, knowing that she was going to need a good night's sleep, yet the break in kept her awake. Eventually, sleep's warm embrace found her again, and she happily accepted it. -+-+-+-+-+- "Alright, listen up," Twilight told the guards. "With the twenty of you we have, that means four guards to an element: One from each division. Understood?" She asked, cracking a smile. Not only had her brother sent royal guard, but guard from each division: Solar, Lunar, Emerald, and even six from the rarely seen Scribe Guard. Often, they were questioned as if they actually were guardsponies, but they are invaluable to the functioning. Without the scribes, new armor and weapons would never get made, and battlefield injuries would be much more fatal. As a bonus, they all also have impeccable memories, and keep much of the military records within their own, special facility. It was a blessing to have them, as they would also be invaluable in this venture, as we have no idea what's ahead. "Understood," they shouted in unison, each of them looking over each element, and they gathered themselves around each member. Thankfully, nopony fought over who to guard, aside from the scribes, who all gathered around Twilight, who sighed. "Now, guys, come on. You all are smart enough to deal with this. Besides, this whole thing is just a precaution just in case one of us might accidentally get separated, we would have somepony with some ability to protect us. Please, just get yourselves situated." Twilight scolded them. The alpha scribe finally took his place at her side, a triumphant smile upon his face. "Thank you, miss Sparkle. Sometimes, the newer scribes can't come to see above each other's heads, especially when it comes to natural wonders, like yourself." He shook his head and laughed. "No flattery intended." Twilight laughed to. "None taken. Shall we proceed?" She asked the group. A chorus of 'yes,' answered, so she turned and pointed ahead. "Now, we are going to head to Zecora's first, and then we will proceed to the center of the wood. Any questions?" A slightly nervous lunar guard raised his hoof. "Do we really need to guard her?" he asked, motioning to Fluttershy. Twilight almost recoiled from his normally inconcievable remark, until she saw the look on Fluttershy's face. That, and she heard her mad muttering. "Just a whistle. That's all I need." The slightly derranged looking gentle pony said. When she saw Twilight staring, she chuckled nervously. "I didn't get around to sleeping last night. A hydra decided that I would make a good caretaker." When Twilight looked closer, she really could see the chaos that must have been wrecked to shock her so deeply. Twilight sighed, then turned to the guard. "Yes. In fact, she might need it the most." The guardspony sighed, and then nodded. Twilight looked to the others and asked "Anything else?" When no hoof was raised, Twilight smirked. "Very well. On we go." She said, pointing to the path. -+-+-+-+-+- The forest was quiet. Too quiet. There was nothing in the forest but trees now, as even the snapping creepers had all been removed, which was a miracle in itself. Whatever could clear out all of the most notorious carnivorous plant in a forest abundant with food had to be a real threat. Or maybe that was Fluttershy getting to her. "Something bothering you, miss Sparkle?" The scribe asked her, and she nodded. "Listen to that. Do you hear it?" She asked, and he remained quiet for a while, before he smiled, and nodded. "Do you mean the silence? Yes, I've been pondering it myself. Who knows what could cause something like this is beyond me, unless it's some sort of plague." He said, and then he sighed. Suddenly, they heard a gasp. "Twilight! You're gonna want to see this." Rainbow Dash called out from ahead. Twilight quickened her pace, and found herself at the mouth of Zecora's clearing. And the house was completely demolished. Twilight teleported ahead, and scanned the rubble, yet a key number of Zecora's things were missing, including the zebra herself. With a sigh of relief, Twilight turned to the others. "She isn't here. Neither is her cauldron, or a few other things of value to her. Maybe she got out of the forest as fast as possible." "Or," Applejack offered, "Maybe she went that way." Twilight looked at where she was pointing, to see a cleared path deeper into the woods. Twilight steeled herself for the worst. "Alright guys. Lets get going." -+-+-+-+-+-+ It was late evening when the reached the dead center of the woods, and there, they found... Nothing. Just an empty clearing. Nothing aggrivated Twilight more than null results. With an angry hurrumph, she sat down in the center, and waited in thought. The others meandered about the clearing for a while, before Applejack came up to Twilight. "Come on, sugarcube, there's nothing here." She said, solemnly. "No, there's something missing." Twilight countered. "We'll wait for the night, and then head back." Seeing there was no arguing with her, Applejack sighed. "Alright," she said, before walking off. It was as the sun was setting that something struck Twilight. She turned to all the gathered ponies and shouted "Guys, back to the enterance of the clearing! Quick!" Confused, but seeing that she was serious, they obliged, and when they turned around, they couldn't believe their eyes. Ghostly at first, slowly, a massive mound materialized with the setting of the sun, and as the last ray of sunlight dipped beyond the horizon, it solidified. "Here we go," Twilight said, a triumphant smile crossing her face. The scribe whistled. "A solar cycle projection. During the day, while exposed to the sun's light, this mound and everything in it ceases to exist. And when the sun sets, this rises with the moon. Fascinating." Twilight laughed, and motioned onward. "Lets find out what this is, shall we?" -+-+-+-+-+- It was like a massive ant mound, tunnels stretching beneath the surface, and filled with a most bizzare creature. They were like snakes, with one taloned arm, and the tip of the tail split into two. Simple, biologically, and a great subject for a hive mind. But what really threw Twilight a curveball was the fact that they took on the traits of those around. She watched as a particularly large one came by, and the bodies of those near it grew twicefold to make a near match between the individuals. A genetic supertemplate. At least they werent agressive, and Twilight had most of the guard stay at the entrence. Only the heads of each division and the six elements went in. Fluttershy seemed terrified by the alien structure and creatures, but the others kept her close, so she wouldn't snap. Slowly, they delved deeper into the hive, seeing more and more of these creatures, and then they reached the central chamber. Enourmous, and thinly coated with a large number of these creatures, the room was dominated by one supersized, two armed monster of an entity. Seated before it was Zecora, with all of her acutrements, and the elements of harmony. "Zecora!" Twilight called out, and rushed in, only to be blocked by a living wall of the smaller ones. "Greetings, Twilight. Have you come to investigate the local plight?" Zecora asked, completely calm. "Yeah, and to save you!" Rainbow responded. "Save me? Whatever for? I am a guest in this hive, nay more!" Zecora replied, a laugh escaping her lips. Suddenly, she gasped, squinting her eyes in pain. After a moment, her eyes opened, a deep red shade. In a raspy, alien voice, she spoke. "Why have you come to my domain, Little ones?" She asked, lacking the rhyme that Zecora naturally spoke in. "Zecora? What happened to you?" Pinkie asked, bouncing about. "I, the queen, have decided that this one is a suitable vessel to commune with your kind. Now, answer my question. There is a reason in particular, a fixation in the purple one's mind. Why have you come here?" She replied, in that dark, raspy voice. "I have come for the elements of harmony, and Zecora." Twilight replied, looking at the large, dominating creature. "The elements of harmony? You mean the massively powerful magical artifacts? Understandable why you want them, but what makes you think I'd give up such a powerful item?" Twilight smiled, and looked about the chamber. "These creatures, they are your brood, right?" she asked. When the queen nodded, Twilight continued. "So, they are a part of you, correct?" Another nod, and Twilight's smile grew larger. "Well, the elements are a part of us as much as the brood is a part of you." "I've heard something similar to that before, from a more probable source. What makes you think I believe you?" "Because we six," Twilight said, stepping next to her five friends, "Are the physical incarnations of the elements." "If you are their incarnations," She countered, "Then you could use them, yes?" When Twilight nodded, The queen bowed. "Then I have a deal for you. I will return this plane's items, if you can return us to our home plane. The tear in the sky was a result of our home plane's violent end. I would like to travel to where the rest of my brood resides. Can you do it?" Twilight looked over her friends, before smiling and nodding. "Yes." -+-+-+-+-+- There was a crack, and the sky was rent asunder, and then the hive disappeared. "I'll be honest, I didn't expect that to work." Twilight said, slightly panting. "Let's just hope we didn't send them into the middle of a volcano, right?" She said with a laugh. Applejack shook her head. "Let's go home, sugarcube." She said, lightly laughing. "Hey, you could write this as a report, right? Something about helping strange strangers?" Pinkie offered, causing the group to laugh. "Sure thing, Pinkie." Twilight replied, leading the long walk home.