The whole little herd decided to keep their pace brisk. The darkness felt like an invitation for trouble. Within ten minutes they had reached the end of the forest. In front of them plains stretched out far and wide. Twilight could barely make out a mountain against the star-filled sky far into the distance.
"That's the one. Come on! Let's hurry," said Lyra.
As Twilight ran over the open area, she felt the plains were a good place to rest. Any threat could be seen from far away, every hurdle of blocks could be anticipated and easily jumped. They quickly got closer and closer. In the corner of her eye, Twilight could see several other herds of ponies rushing towards the landmark.
"Let's see, good, many has come. There's Filthy Rich's group, Berry Punch's, that one over there is probably your father's, Rarity," said Time Turner. Rarity looked in the direction, relieved. Among the group was Sweetie Belle and both her parents.
"Thank heavens," said Rarity in utter relief.
"Look, Mr. Cake, there's your wife!" said Spike and pointed.
When they got close, the mountain seemed clearer. It was very wide, with a large hollowed out portion in the middle, hanging over several ponies who were taking cover from the rain. Twilight got under the quite high overhang, finally getting a chance to dry out from the cold water. Rarity, Mr. Cake, and several others split from the group to meet or find families. The place was absolutely bustling. Among all the ponies, several who were constantly joining their group, the mayor was standing. The brown and gray mare was constantly pointing in several directions. "No, rations! Alright, have anyone seen Miss Cheerilee? We need her to care for the children while we work! Yes, and give the sick and wounded some!" Twilight hadn't even seen Celestia handle so much at once, and it was clearly too much. She seemed exhausted, whenever someone asked her something, she took a second too long to respond.
Twilight walked up to the tired mayor. When she saw Twilight she seemed relieved.
"Princess! I'm glad you're safe. Please tell me you have a solution to all of this," said the mayor.
Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about how to solve this."
"Well, shoot. Please help me, I- I feel like I keep forgetting things," said the mayor. Twilight nodded her head.
"Rainbow Dash, see if you can't find Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Spike, could you try to, very carefully, start a fire somewhere? Time Turner, you're good with numbers, right? Please do a headcount," said Twilight.
"Yes, a headcount, of course. Everyone is returning, we need one," said the mayor.
"Big Macintosh, take Applebloom and Scootaloo to Rarity's family, then go and find the strongest stallions and mares so I can talk to them," said Twilight just as a green light sprung up deeper into the cavern. Eventually the green flame shifted color into something a bit more natural, and warm. Ponies immediately started to gather around it.
"Everyone, everyone, let the sick and wounded keep warm! Spike, could you make another one over there, near the patients and doctors?" asked the mayor.
Twilight turned to her friends. "Come on! Go! Don't stand here wasting time. And find out if everyone here is from Ponyville or not!" Without further delay, they scattered out into the cave. She lost them in the crowd. "Patients?" asked Twilight, turning to the mayor who shook her head with worry.
"From what I've seen, it seems everyone inside Ponyville was, well, transfered here. Including everyone in the hospital."
"Miss mayor? Another group came in, they had three more foals," said a male pony, an assistant, to the mayor.
"Find the families! We need to know if any children are still out there. Find that out at once!" said the mayor before turning to Twilight. "This is a complete disaster. We don't have any food, and there's plenty of hungry ponies here."
"How are the patients?" asked Twilight.
"Go ask the doctor. I have enough on my mind. Does anyone have anything we can gather rainwater in?!"
Twilight left the poor mayor to her duties and instead walked towards the doctor. As a Princess, Twilight felt a sting of shame. She should have led the ponies around her, but more than one leader in a crisis could be detrimental, and she was scared. For the first time in a good long while, she was terrified of screwing up. The mayor was tired, but at least she did a good job.
The doctor was swamped with work in the cave's corner where the patients were all lying on the ground, sometimes raised up on blocks connected to the wall. A warm flame sprung up not far away from the cold sick and wounded.
"How is it doctor, how are they?"
"It's terrible. Our magic doesn't work, but even if it did we don't have equipment or medicine to properly take care of them. Some were in bad shape even before taking nasty falls. Four otherwise healthy ponies have broken legs, five have concussions. We're still missing two patients who can't even walk. Unless they've been found by somepony, they are out there in the rain, unable to even crawl to cover," said the doctor. Despite a completely calm disposition, his voice was trembling. No training in the world could have prepared him for this. "I'm not sure some of them will last the night," said the doctor, turning to Twilight with the tiniest hint of despair in his eyes.
Twilight looked away, to her relief she saw a large stallion walk into the cave, holding a sick exhausted mare on his back.
"Thank Celestia! Sir, over here! Get her over here! We still have another one missing, but I'll take anything right now. Come on, up by the fire. Don't worry, Miss Sweet, you're safe. Princess, please move, you're getting in the way a bit," said the doctor as he showed the stallion where to leave the patient.
Not wanting to disturb anyone more than she had to, Twilight walked away. Wherever she turned scared faces filled with dread could be seen. Hearing the soft cries of split families and children made it difficult to even stay inside the cave, but Twilight endured. She made a promise to herself that she would pull them through the crisis in whatever way she could. Spotting Big Macintosh carefully making his way through the packed cave, Twilight moved over to him.
"Have you found any guards?"
"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh. Whatever timid or relaxed expression he usually had was gone. Instead he reminded Twilight of her own brother, a brave royal guard. His eyes were focused and filled with awareness, along with a grim tone. He reached a group of guards, still in their metal armor.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle, how may we serve you?" asked one of the guards, saluting along with his fellow soldiers.
"Well, um, I, I want..." She took a deep breath. Head back, eyes forward, back straight. "I want you all to follow this stallion's orders. He might be a farmer, but he knows how to protect his cattle against wolves and his harvest against thieves. When it comes to protecting a place such as this, I can't imagine anyone more suitable," said Twilight. She turned to Big Macintosh. "Big Mac, order and help these guards to keep watch around the entrance. We'll figure out shifts and such later, but for now we need protection against the spiders," said Twilight.
"Eeyup."
"Good. Get to it at once," said Twilight. They immediately moved towards the cave entrance, where there were less ponies. Twilight could barely see over those around her, but she noticed that with every new arrival, it was getting more and more crowded.
"Twilight, there you are!" said Rainbow Dash. Twilight turned around to face her.
"Anything?"
"No, nothing. Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie aren't here, that's for sure. Nopony that I've asked have seen them."
"Oh no," said Twilight with worry. Spike suddenly came up from between a family sitting on the cold stone ground next to them.
"Twilight, the fires has been lit, but they go out every few minutes. Also, I tried to send a message to Princess Celestia, but the paper just burned up," said Spike.
"Seems we're on our own. Well, we've done stuff like this before."
"Not like this," said Rainbow Dash.
"You two, of all the ponies you've seen, are all from Ponyville?" asked Twilight.
"Almost everyone, but I did see some strangers. I talked to them, some are from Canterlot, Appleloosa, visting or on vacation to Ponyville, that sort of thing," said Spike.
"So it was everyone inside Ponyville. Was anyone away?"
"Well, I think Granny Smith was visiting an old relative," said Spike.
"All I know is that Scootaloo's parents were in Cloudsdale for the weekend. I watched Scootaloo for them," said Rainbow Dash.
"So they are probably alright, if perhaps worried. I'm not sure Scootaloo wants to hear her parents aren't here, but maybe it's good for her to know they are safe. Check in with her, just in case," said Twilight.
"I'll get right on it," said Rainbow Dash, walking away.
"Spike, I'm a bit at a loss. I don't know what to do," said Twilight. Spike shrugged, at a loss for words. "I mean, we need food, water, blankets, beds... I, I can't..."
"Twilight. Things are going badly right now, but you can do it. I know you can," said Spike.
"I... Okay, we need food. Come here, Spike," said Twilight, turning to walk towards the exit.
"Why?"
"Because if we see something dangerous out there, I want your to shoot fire at it," said Twilight. Spike jumped up on her back.
"What are you going to do?"
"Try to eat that strange tall grass," said Twilight.
"What? Are you sure? It might be dangerous."
"Everyone here are hungry. If we can eat the grass, we should. I have to try it, for everyone's sake," said Twilight. The cold rain hit her as she wandered out of the overhanging cliff. It felt even colder than before, the large cubes hitting her with the same texture as drops, bouncing off her while still making her fur wet. Immediately she spread her wings and folded them over Spike. When it came to the food, she didn't have too look for very long, the plain was absolutely covered in tall grass. Before tasting it, Twilight looked around. There was nothing unfamiliar or dangerous in sight. Taking a deep breath, she leaned down and bit at the closest bit of grass. It felt quite strange. Her teeth could only break of individual small cubes. They were as chewy as gum, but the texture was definitely that of grass. Eventually, the little blocks started to loose it's shape and turned into something a bit more familiar, more easily eaten. She shallowed.
"How is it?" asked Spike.
"It's alright. It gets better as you chew," said Twilight. She turned to Spike behind her. "But it's still just grass. We won't be able to live well off it."
"Okay, let's take some for the others," said Spike. Twilight nodded and picked up a bit of the grass with her hooves. To a mildly crushing disappointment, the grass simply disappeared when she held it. The blocks simply disappearing very quickly, turning to crumbles and then fading into nothing. "Oh, come on!" shouted Spike.
"I suppose we'll have to wait until the rain is over, then we'll have to all eat out here," said Twilight.
"Twilight, I don't think you realize just how crowded it is. That cave is pretty huge, but it can't hold us all. There's over 1200 ponies in Ponyville, and from the looks of things we've only got-"
"674," said Time Turner, walking up to them from behind.
"That many?" asked Spike.
"Currently. The amount of ponies that are turning up are diminishing. We've gotten almost a hundred more within the last quarter of an hour. We are missing over half the population of Ponyville," said Time Turner, his face quite serious.
"Anyway, my point was that this huge field won't last for very long. It's big, but at most we can eat for one, maybe two days," said Spike. Twilight realized he was right, and it was clear that Spike saw her understand. "But, hey, um, look on the bright side. With that many out there, some are bound to find each other. Who knows? Maybe there's a group even larger than ours somewhere out there, doing totally fine," said Spike.
"We can only hope. Now, Princess, please get inside. You might catch a cold," said Time Turner.
"I think we'll have to try to get some sleep soon," said Twilight.
"Yes, perhaps a good night's sleep will help calm our nerves."
***
That night's rest wasn't so much different for Twilight than any night before a long difficult test, just colder. She simply couldn't sleep. Every moment she lied down, eyes wide open, looking at the entrance. Not a single second passed where she didn't think 'new arrivals will shop up... now', but nopony ever came. All she could see over all the resting ponies were the few guards during their shifts. From time to time Spike got up to rekindle the flames that would constantly go out. It was clear he was exhausted, more so than many others there, but he didn't budge. He kept getting up, lighting the fire and then sitting down again without complaining.
Looking at Spike whenever he got up to help keep everyone warm just made Twilight feel worse. Without magic she felt useless and helpless. She was defined by her magical ability, losing it was the last thing she needed. Spike was at the moment far more capable than her, and while she was happy to have him there she would much rather help everypony herself. As a Princess she felt like she was being forced to abandon her role as the protector of them all. What had she done to help everypony since she had arrived? Eaten a little bit of grass. There was so much more she could have done, but only with her magic. Now she just waited for any good news at all and for the morning to come. She half expected it to never arrive at all, this place was just that crazy. No matter how many hours she waited, no Applejack, no Pinkie Pie and no Fluttershy walked in through the large opening. Twilight just hoped they were safe, wherever they were. She would have settled for anyone to walk in, any stranger. It would have made her relieved to see just one more join their herd.
As the hours slowly passed by, the cave became quieter and quieter. Eventually even the most nervous and restless of ponies fell asleep. Whatever hint of crying could be heard slowly stopped. The rustling of ponies lessened, breathing slowing down. Once it was completely silent, only guards changing shifts made any noise. Except for the brave soldiers, Twilight had a suspicion she was the only one not asleep. No matter how much he had tried, Spike didn't last the whole night. He had slumped down next to Twilight, eventually gripping her in his sleep like a newborn yearning for its mother. She didn't mind having her friends sleep next to her; the cave was cold even with the warmth of everyone around her.
However tired she was she eventually found herself unable to sleep because of thirst and hunger. There was no way for her to get up, go out, and eat anything without waking up far too many poor little ponies, not from where she was lying. She simply endured. At least the rain had stopped. Twilight was hardly the only one hungry. What she wouldn't have given for some food.
She realized a rustling sound came from deeper into the cave, no doubt another pony having to get up to use the little filly's room. Twilight tried to guess who it was, just to pass the time.
Okay, it's a pony bigger than me, no doubt. Tired too, judging from all that moaning and groaning. The voice is of a stallion. Big Mac? No, he's sleeping at the front of the cave. Rarity's father? Nah, I can see him from here. Time Turner is in front of me, so it can't be him. Mm, only three hoofsteps, so he must be holding something. Wait... that doesn't... that doesn't make sense. Nopony inside the cave had anything that needed a whole leg to hold.
Suddenly, light started to shine from deeper into the cave. Twilight immediately turned around, just in time to see a tall stallion look up. The light was slightly blinding, but it was clear the stallion noticed her watching him. Something was wrong.
"Hey, what are you doing? Get back to sleep," said Twilight. The stallion kept starring at her, then, just as Twilight realized just what was wrong, he started to dart all over the cave. "Hey, what are you- Hey! Intruder!" shouted Twilight to the guards at the front. As she followed the stallion with her eyes, light started to sprung up wherever he went. It only took a few seconds before the whole cave was basking in bright light. As a final touch, the stallion rushed straight towards Twilight. The sun rose behind him, blinding Twilight yet again. In a single moment, the stallion pulled something out from behind his back and placed it in one smooth motion. Like magic, a large brown cube appeared right in front of her. Twilight tried to grab hold of the stranger, a potential danger, as guards ran to them. The stranger avoided her, and then fled deeper into the cave and around a corner.
Twilight got up and followed him. When she rounded the corner she was shocked to find nothing but a dead end, barely two cubes in. He was gone.
"Princess! What's going on?" asked a guard who caught up with her. "Where did that pony go?"
"I don't know," said Twilight. "Keep a lookout, inside the cave and out," said Twilight. She turned around. Several ponies had woken up, at least a hundred.
"Please, everyone, it's alright. I think we're perfectly safe. There was a pony here, one I'm sure was not from Ponyville," said Twilight. With tired eyes, the mayor walked up to her.
"Where did she go?"
"It was a stallion, actually. He simply disappeared," said Twilight. She looked around in the cave. smaller rectangular cubes were placed around the cavern, on walls, floors, even in the ceiling. Taking a closer look, Twilight realized that the objects were actually some sort of torch. They burned with a warm small flame. Slowly the cave became warmer. More and more ponies were waking up in the commotion. The sun's rays starting to light up the cave, but its light was nothing compared to the torches'.
"Well, at least it's bright," said Time Turner.
"It's warm," said Derpy Hooves.
Twilight walked over to the large cube the stranger had put down. It was almost twice as wide and slightly shorter than any of the other cubes. It was a wooden chest. Twilight gestured to the others to stay back before she carefully opened it.
Instantly smelling a pleasant earthy scent, she opened up the lid to find a large chest absolutely packed with carrots, baked potatoes, apples, bread and wheat. All of it was blocky, of course, but it still smelled like real, proper food. It downright made Twilight's mouth water.
"Food?" asked Spike. Immediately the buzzword was picked up by the ponies around Twilight. She looked over all her ponies.
"Listen, I know we are all hungry, but first and foremost we must be reasonable about this. Firstly, we're not sure this is safe to eat, it could be poisoned. Secondly, even if this is safe, it's a lucky break that we can't take lightly. For all we know, this might be the only food we'll get. We need to be able to ration it out fairly, and in an organized way," said Twilight. They gave her a quick look, and then at the food, only to go for the meal like it was their last. Before they could even touch it, a sharp whistle was heard right next to the chest. The mayor closed the lid with a bang before going up on it.
"The Princess is right. We're hungry, but not starving. If this is safe, we will know so by morning, and as Twilight has told me, the grass outside should last at least a day. There is no rush to eat, and we need to keep ourselves under tight control before we waste away what might be our only chance of survival," said the mayor. Her voice, facing a serious crisis, was all the explanation Twilight needed to understand why she had been elected mayor. Ponies backed off slightly unwillingly but not with any defiance. The mayor turned to Spike. "Spike, you have a strong stomach. You should be able to eat a bit without being in severe danger, right?"
"Are you asking me if i want to get sick?"
"If you do this and you start to feel a bit queasy, we'll know it's not safe to eat in just a few hours," said the mayor.
"I don't know..."
"Spike, I wouldn't do that if I were you. This might be a golden opportunity, but I don't want you getting hurt," said Rarity.
"On the other hoof, if you do this, then you'll pretty much get first bite," said Rainbow Dash.
"I'll do it!" said Spike with enthusiasm, which was met by cheer. The mayor opened the lid and looked inside. She grabbed an apple and handed it to Spike, who, after some hesitation, bit down, quickly eating. He did look more satisfied, it was a rather large apple.
"Princess, look, there's a book in here," said the mayor, reaching in and picking up a leather-bound book. Twilight gladly accepted the blocky literature and started to read, but was disappointed when it was basically just a note, with only one side having writing on it.
"What does it say, Princess?" asked a stallion in the crowd.
"It says 'This should help you a little. Tomorrow I will come back to talk to you all about stuff you need to know. Meet me out on the plains alone at noon. Others can come too, but they have to keep their distance until I say it's cool. I want to help, but I don't know anything about you. I give you the food so you can know how nice I am. See you tomorrow. - S.D,'"
"'S.D? Do we know anyone like that?" asked Spike.
"I can't think of any stallion that would have those initials," said Twilight. "You know, there was something familiar about- of course! That was the stallion who saved me from drowning!"
"That's the guy?" asked Spike.
"There's no doubt in my mind. I think we can trust this pony, Spike. Hey, maybe he'll know of a way home," said Twilight.
"Hm, I'm not so sure," said the mayor.
"Me neither," said Rarity.
"Considering he knows how to get food, I think we don't have much of a choice," said Spike.