Stratum ran as fast as his legs could carry him all the way to Ponyville. The sun had set an hour ago, and the streets were mostly dark. A few lamps at street intersections were lit to not have a completely dark town.
He raced right up to the hollow tree and banged on the door.
“Twilight Sparkle! Twilight, open the door! I need help!”
The door opened, showing a slightly tired-looking purple unicorn.
She looked over the short, yellow stallion and said, “Ah, Stratum. It’s a bit late, don’t you think? The library’s closed, come back tomorrow.”
Stratum yelled, “No! I can’t wait for morning! I’ve got a problem and I need your help! I need you write to the princess and get every royal guard here now!!!”
Twilight frowned and said, “The princess is not at my beck and call, nor are her guards. What’s so important that it can’t wait until morning!”
The short, yellow stallion announced agitatedly, “Ponyville’s going to be under attack by giant beetles from the underworld!”
The purple unicorn huffed, “Oh, that has got to be the lamest excuse for nighttime studying that I’ve ever heard! Where did you ever come up with that?”
Stratum insisted, “I was digging in the Everfree Forest and something start attacking the door I had found!”
As soon as Twilight heard the words ‘Everfree’ and ‘Forest’, her suspicions were replaced with fear.
She opened the door wider and said, “Come in and tell me the whole story from the beginning.”
=========================
The stone door suddenly jolted forward an inch, cracking across the middle.
Another slam from behind widened the crack. A mysterious red light emitted from the crack, flickering weakly.
The door exploded open, the pieces burning as they fell.
A huge beetle, easily two stories tall, walked out of the cave in the side of the mountain. It had huge, clicking mandibles that dripped green ooze. It reared up on its hind legs and exhaled. A plume of green fire arced up into the air for a dozen feet.
As it vacated the cave entrance, another came from deep underground. Then another. Then still more.
The first began sniffing the ground, following the freshest track it could find. The other stretched their legs and then fell into place behind the first. They all started crawling eastward.
=========================
Twilight had listened to Stratum with all the patience she could muster. At first she completely disbelieved him. However, stranger things exist in the Everfree Forest than giant insects. Besides, he also had sketches of the ruined village, shards of pottery, and the bit of strange metal.
Something tugged on her brain when she saw the metal. It looked somehow familiar to her.
Stratum insisted, “We gotta find more of this metal! According to the ancient history, it’s the only thing that can defeat them!”
The purple unicorn frowned and stated, “Monster bugs than can only be defeated by mystical metal? I don’t believe it. Still, you don’t sound like you’re lying.”
The stallion whined, “Why does nopony ever believe me about anything?! What, am I too short to tell the truth?”
Twilight rebuked him sternly, “No, it’s because you keep saying things that sound nuts.”
Spike chuckled at the joke.
Stratum did not find it funny. He challenged, “Well, it sounds like you at least half believe me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be arguing with me. You’d just throw me out and turn your back like everyone else.”
Twilight stared at the bit of metal. It was certainly unique. It almost weighed nothing in her hoof, but it still cut paper, made a cut mark in a hardwood table, and did not bend under pressure.
She mentioned, “I remember Princess Celestia telling me about a huge boulder than fell from the sky a long time ago and smashed into the Everfree Forest. She said that she recovered it and put it in her private storage.”
The short, yellow stallion insisted, “Well, that’s the answer! That must be the sky rock! Maybe it has more of that special metal. Let’s just ask her about it. You never know. She’s old enough that she might actually remember this event personally.”
The purple unicorn argued, “I’m not going to write her at this hour! She might be asleep!”
Stratum glared Twilight in the eye and declared, “If I am right, then you’ll be sleeping while monster bugs eat ponies alive. How would that look for your precious career? Tell you what. If Princess Celestia is not concerned about this, then I’ll leave and never bother you again.”
Twilight looked down into the stallion’s eyes. He glared back proudly, sure of himself.
Twilight stated, “Spike, take a letter.”
The baby dragon recorded Twilight’s words in a clean scroll:
“Dear Princess Celestia,
I’m sorry to disturb you so late, but I have a young stallion named Stratum here who’s insisting that Ponyville is about to be eaten by giant beetles from the Everfree Forest.
He claims they come from an old ruin called Sable Weir. There is a stone door in the mountain that had a painting about a rock from the sky containing special metal that can pierce the carapaces of the beetles. I am enclosing a bit of this special metal. I’ve never seen this kind of metal before.
I’m not sure what to believe. However, I wanted to ask you if that boulder in your private collection contains any of this metal. If so, then maybe there’s something to his story.
Should I be worried or should I throw him out?
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”
She gave the metal bit to Spike and he enclosed it in the rolled-up scroll. He breathed his magical fire on the scroll, sending the dust out of the window towards Canterlot.
Twilight then looked at Stratum with sinister glee and said, “Well, we may have some time before she responds, so you should get comfortable.”
Stratum responded with confidence, “I know I’m right. The princess will see it my way. When this is all over, I’ll finally get some respect.”
The purple unicorn smiled at the small, yellow unicorn. She really appreciated confidence in one’s studies.
She called out, “Spike, grab the extra blankets and pillow. Stratum’s going sleep down here tonight.”
Spike brought down a rolled-up mat, bedsheet, blanket, and pillow.
Stratum fixed up his bed and said cavalierly, “This will be a step up from my campsite for the last week or so.”
Suddenly, he realized something. “Oh, horseapples! I left my campsite in the Everfree Forest!”
Twilight and Spike laughed. She stated, “Well, look on the bright side. If there is no horrific giant beetle invasion, then your campsite will be waiting for you when you get back.”
Suddenly, Spike belched out a magical flame. The flame coalesced into a scroll.
Spike read the scroll and his face fell in surprise. He offered the scroll to Twilight, who read it aloud.
“My Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle,
I had forgotten about that stone door sealing off the underworld. I’m surprised that the enchantment sealing off the K’klattcha lasted these past two thousand years. Unfortunately, I cannot create another seal just anytime. I need to prepare.
In the meantime, tell the pegasus ponies to make ready the most powerful storms to slow down the K’klattcha, what you call ‘giant beetles’. They won’t be able to defeat them, but the wind, rain, mud, and lightning will stave them off for a while.
Excellent work in remembering that old meteorite of mine. It is indeed full of star metal ore, which is the only substance strong enough to pierce the carapaces of the K’klattcha without breaking or bending. In ancient times, this metal was called ‘mythryl’ and was a precious metal to own. Many wars were fought over possession of it in the past until only small amounts were left.
I would evacuate all settlements west of Ponyville and make ready to stall the K’klattcha on the edges of the town if I were in your horseshoes.
I will give the star metal to my master smiths to see if they can find a way to hammer it into something useful.
Tell Stratum when this is all over, I will appoint him my Chief Field Archaeologist. He has a brother Steele, does he not? Apprenticed to Cherry Anvil? That would be a good start.
Yours in haste,
Princess Celestia”
Twilight’s eyes went wide open, staring at Stratum.
The short, yellow stallion looked smug as he observed, “Looks like you’ve got more letters to write.”
The purple unicorn ran towards her downstairs writing stand, calling out, “Owlowiscious!!”
The owl hooted and glided down towards Twilight.
Spike yawned, but kept his eyes open. He said, “I’ll think I’ll make some coffee. It’ll be a long night.”
Twilight hurriedly scribbled two scrolls. She rolled them up separately and turned to Owlowiscious.
She handed him one scroll, then the other, saying, “Take this letter to Fluttershy first. Then take this other letter to Applejack. Hurry!”
The owl hooted and flew off through the open window.
=========================
Later, Fluttershy accepted the scroll from Owlowiscious with trepidation. Reading the letter, she trembled with fright at the description of the approaching enemy.
She called out, “Wake up!” The droves of creatures that called her home their home startled awake and began looking for her.
She flew around, calling out, “Everyone, gather your families and meet me on the path to Ponyville. Some very large and very nasty things are coming this way and I don’t want anyone getting killed. We’re going to stay with Auntie Twilight at her tree for a few days and then come back home. Now hurry!”
An impressive collection of birds, rabbits, chickens, otters, and frogs all assembled in front of her front door within minutes. She led all of them down the road into Ponyville and right up to Twilight’s tree.
As the creatures immediately began staking out claims for choice parts of Twilight’s library tree both inside and out, Fluttershy flew up to Cloudsdale to find Rainbow Dash.
=========================
Applejack had been woken up rudely in what she called the middle of the night. The Apple family went to bed early and got up early in the morning normally.
Reading over the scroll that Owlowiscious that brought her, she frowned deeply.
“Does Twilight reckon that that the Apple family is too weak to fight off a few measly insects? We’ll show her that no bug can take over Sweet Apple Acres!”
She went around the farmhouse, waking everypony up.
“Granny, get up and start making coffee! Big Macintosh, break out the tools! Caramel, start making a barricade around the farmhouse! Apple Bloom, get up on top of the roof and keep yer eyes peeled fer big beetles!”
In quick order, the Apple family had set up their farmhouse like a fort, ready to defend their home at all costs.
A couple of hours later, Apple Bloom shouted, “There they are! Wow, they’re huge! They’re comin’ from the west towards the barn!”
Applejack, Caramel, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith all grabbed their pitchforks, hoes, and spades, ready to some damage to some little insects.
Staring into the darkness, they didn’t see the creatures right away. They felt the widespread thumping through the ground.
Suddenly, the barn shuddered at if struck. The crunching of wood sounded from all over the western wall.
Applejack arched an eyebrow. She idly wondered just how big those insects were.
Big Macintosh grunted. He felt annoyed that he was going to have to fix the barn again.
The entire barn cracked, shuddered again, and then collapsed as seventeen beetles, all seven feet tall at the shoulder and twelve feet long, ripped apart the structure with their bare legs.
Everyone in the Apple family just gaped at the feat of size and strength.
Caramel commented, “Well, as long as they all stay together, we can keep ‘em rounded up and pick ‘em off one by one, right?” The plan sounded like a good one.
Big Macintosh grabbed a pitchfork and stood on his hind legs. Leaning his right foreleg back, he hurled the deadly missile with all the power he could muster.
The pitchfork flew through the air almost faster than everypony could see. It struck its target squarely in the back.
It then bounced off with a light tapping sound.
He mentioned a little too calmly, “Now that’s unusual. Their hides are tougher than steel.”
The beetle turned to view its attacker with disdain. Then it faced the wreckage of the barn and clicked its mandibles in a harsh series of sounds.
The assembled beetles all reared back their heads and then thrust them forward. Jets of green fire emanated from the beetles, casting the remains of the barn ablaze.
Applejack feared for her little sister and the rest of the family standing in front of the wooden farmhouse. She called out, “Retreat! Retreat back to Ponyville!”
Apple Bloom slid off the roof of the farmhouse and jumped onto a bale of hay, then joined Applejack.
The Apple family galloped along the road to Ponyville, meeting up at Twilight’s tree.
Applejack startled at seeing all of the animals crawling all over Twilight’s tree.
She mentioned, “I guess Fluttershy got here first.”
The wind began to blow. Glancing overhead, she saw groups of pegasi pushing several dark clouds into rows over the western edge of Ponyville. Having nothing else to do, she led the family to the tree and opened the door.
The Apple family filed into the library and tried to find places to lay down and just rest.
Twilight looked up from a large map of Ponyville that she was drawing. She asked fretfully, “They’re at Sweet Apple Acres already?”
Applejack spat back, “Yeah, some time ago. They burned the barn down.”
Spike and Stratum gasped in shock.
The orange farm pony added, “As long as they don’t find the apple cellar underground then we’ll survive. Now, how can we help? We’ve gotta drive them beetles back to where they came from.”
She glared at Twilight straight in the eye and politely demanded, “Tell me y’all got a plan fer fightin’ back.”
Twilight reported back with confidence, “Yes. We know everything we need. These beetles have to be attacked with a special metal called mythryl. Nothing else is hard enough to pierce their shells. Princess Celestia has a large amount of the ore in Canterlot. She’s having her smiths work up the metal as we speak. All we have to do is hold out until they arrive.”
Applejack didn’t lose any of her frown as she politely pointed out, “You mean we’re jus’ waitin’ to get stomped while Canterlot gets its act together? Ain’t there anythin’ we can do here?”
The purple unicorn defended the integrity of Canterlot, saying, “They haven’t dealt with these creatures for two thousand years and the metal is extraordinarily rare. They will not fail us. If you want to do something, then try making the western field tough to cross. In fact, try to see if you can set up something to corral the incoming beetles to where the pegasi are ready with the clouds.”
Now a clear plan of action was something Applejack could get behind. She cheered, “Now yer talkin’, Twi! Apple family! We’re gonna build up a barrier to corral them beetles directly where we want ‘em to go. Search around fer scrap wood and build up a fence on the northwest and southwest corners of Ponyville. Make it look like the path of least resistance goes right down the middle.”
The Apple family galloped out into Ponyville to salvage and build. Their enthusiasm was infectious. Many of the citizens of Ponyville joined them just to have something constructive to do instead of sitting around waiting for the enemy to come to them.