//------------------------------//
// Ghost Town 
// Story: A Touch of Chaos 
// by Written Out 
//------------------------------//

The howling wind whipped through the empty dirt roads, lifting dirt and debris and creating tiny whirlwinds in its wake. The creaking of unlocked shutters swinging freely in the breeze echoed throughout the small town, interspaced with loud bangs as the shutters swung shut before swinging free once more. Empty houses lined the street, their cracked and broken windows staring dispassionately down on the world below.
 
Spike glanced around uneasily as he entered the town, his shuffling feet carving long grooves in the dirt road. Sweetie Belle pressed up against his back, occasionally jumping or letting out a whimper whenever a nearby shutter slammed shut. Spike’s body tingled with nervous energy, throbbing in time with his pounding heartbeat. His breath rasped harsh and rough against his dry throat, his forked tongue hanging limply out of his mouth as he panted for breath.
 
Another loud bang shot through the street, and Sweetie Belle whimpered as she tried to bury herself under Spike’s scales.
 
“Hey,” Spike said, gently slapping her cheek. “You okay?”
 
“Uh huh,” Sweetie Belle said, still staring down the street. Despite what she said, she made no move to release him. “This place is creepy.”
 
“Yeah,” Spike agreed quietly, looking around at the seemingly abandoned buildings around him. “It’s so quiet. There’s no life anywhere.” The entire town was desolate, completely devoid of any living creatures. Even the animals had fled. A gust of wind caressed his scales, lifting dust and detritus and depositing it a little ways away. A newspaper flew right into his face, blinding him for a few seconds before he peeled it off.
 
Dodge City Herald, the paper proudly proclaimed. The news didn’t interest Spike, but the date in the upper left corner caught his eye. The paper had been published only a few days ago, on the exact same day that the sun had frozen in the sky.
 
“Look,” Sweetie Belle said, pointing over Spike’s shoulder. Spike looked up to see Scootaloo riding her scooter towards them, Apple Bloom running alongside her.
 
“It’s no good,” Scootaloo said as she pulled to a stop in front of Spike, throwing up a cloud of dust as she screeched to a stop. “All the houses are empty. What about over here?” she asked as Apple Bloom walked right past the both of them and started trying to comfort Sweetie Belle. 
 
“Pretty much the same,” Spike said, shaking his head. “We couldn’t find a single pony.”
 
“Everything was broken…” Sweetie Belle whispered, tucking her head against Spike’s own. As Spike reached up to tousle her mane and try to help her calm down, his mind flashed back to what had happened just north of town.
 



 
“This is as far. As I go,” Fenrir had said, slowing to a complete stop. Lowing himself down on his haunches, he allowed the children to slide off his wooden back and onto the ground below. After the Cutie Mark Crusaders had explained to him how Luna had been purified from the darkness by the Elements of Harmony and they were on a quest to save her, he had insisted on joining them to speed their travels while the rest of his pack traveled north. He had been very interested to hear stories about the mares that wielded the Elements of Harmony, and had pressed the fillies for details about Nightmare Moon's defeat during the hours of travel.

The rest of the pack had continued north, heading towards an unknown destination. Fenrir had been unwilling to explain where they were going when Scootaloo had asked, and the filly had eventually dropped it. Riding the giant timberwolf, the group had been able to make in mere hours what would have taken them days of traveling.

“Aww,” Scootaloo complained as the others began climbing down. “You’re not hanging out with us anymore?”

Fenrir reached back to where she sat on his back, gripping her in her teeth-like thorns before gently depositing her on the ground. “There is. A town. Just over this hill.” He gestured with his head at a large hill before them. “Take this. Chance. To find. Food and water. Before we continue.”

“I agree with the barn-sized monstrosity.” Spike suggested. Secretly, he still wanted to try a find a way home, but he realized that would be impossible with Fenrir watching them. He didn’t trust the timberwolf at all, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“Fooooooood,” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo groaned out together, already starting to climb the hill.

“How’ll you find us again?” Pipsqueak asked, looking up at Fenrir.

Fenrir inclined his head towards the hill again. “I’ll meet you. On the other side. Of town.” After saying that, he turned and vanished into the trees far faster than anything that size had any right to.
 



 
Spike shook his head, shaking the image off. They had hoped to find civilization, but a ghost town had been all that awaited them. “What about Pipsqueak?” he asked, noting the absence of the only other male of the group. “Wasn’t he with you guys?”
 
Scootaloo jerked her head in the direction she had just come from. “He found a water fountain. And there was something… odd. He wanted you to take a look at it.” At the mention of the fountain, Scootaloo’s wings gave a slight little twitch. Spike normally wasn’t good at reading ponies, but even he could tell Scootaloo was struggling to keep up a brave front. Whatever she had seen had scared her. Badly.
 
“Odd?” Spike asked, deciding not to mention it if Scootaloo wasn’t going to. “How’s it odd?”
 
“You better see for yourself,” Scootaloo reiterated. She glanced over at the other two before turning her attention back to Spike. “We’ll catch up.” She pointed down the street. “The fountain’s a few blocks away. Just go straight, you can’t miss it.”
 
With a shrug, Spike headed in the direction she had pointed out. The lonely walls were his only company as he jogged down the empty streets, his short legs moving rapidly under him. Just as Scootaloo had said, he was easily able to find the fountain. Pipsqueak stood next to it, staring at something hidden behind the stone structure.
 
“Hey,” Spike said, jogging up beside Pipsqueak. “What’s… whoa… What is that?” The last few words were barely above a whisper. Words failed him as Spike saw exactly what the colt had been staring at. The ground had been scarred. Deep cuts had been gouged into the earth. Four cuts side by side, like a monster had run its claws across the landscape. Burns streaked across the afflicted area, as if whatever had done it had been on fire at the time.
 
But what was really frightening about the cuts, what truly made Spike what to run back home and never look back, was the sheer size of them. The furrows were deep. Even if Spike was four times as tall, he wouldn’t be able see over the edge. No dragon Spike had heard of – not even the mightiest wyrms in history – would have been able to create gullies this deep.
 
“D’ya know what it could’ve been?” Pipsqueak asked, rubbing his hoof along the scorched earth. The black charcoal stuck to him, and he quickly rubbed it off on some clean dirt.
 
“No,” Spike muttered. “And I don’t want to.” His gaze started to zip along the surrounding buildings, like he expected whatever had done this to suddenly crash through the houses. “We should leave. Now.”
 
“Yeah,” Pipsqueak heaved himself to his hooves. “Luna’s waiting for u-”
 
Spike wasn’t sure what tipped him off. A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye; a whisper of sound teasing his ears; or just a feeling prickling at the back of his neck. Before he could even think about what he was doing, he had grabbed Pipsqueak and dove behind the fountain, throwing them both to the ground.
 
“What’re you-?” That was as far as Pipsqueak got before Spike grabbed his mouth, cutting him off. Pipsqueak cocked a questioning eyebrow at the baby dragon as he pulled away. “What’s wrong?” he whispered, crouching low beside Spike.
 
“I’m not sure,” Spike admitted, cautiously poking his head above the fountain. “But-” His earflaps twitched and he quickly ducked behind the fountain again.
 
They both heard it this time. A meaty thud as flesh struck wood. The sound was close. They had time to share a scared look before there was a splintery crack followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Spike’s heart felt like it was going to pound right out of his chest as he cautiously poked his head over the fountain.
 
A nearby door that had been secured moments ago lay in pieces and something strode over it, crunching the shattered wood underfoot. Its features were hidden at first by the dust thrown up from the broken door, but it quickly became visible to the young pair. Pipsqueak wasn’t sure what he was seeing.
 
Spike, to his dismay, knew exactly what he was looking at.
 
A bipedal creature with long legs and arms with pale skin walked into the open. Most of its body was covered by clothing, and its exposed skin was pink and hairless. It had a short-cropped mane atop its head, and an even shorter layer of hair adorned its face.
 
He had only seen it once before, and even then it had been unconscious, but there was still no doubt in his mind. It was unmistakable. It was the exact kind of creature as the one that had come from the Everfree.
 
Pebbles crunched under the creature’s feet as it looked out at the houses across from it. Its hands played at something at its side, though Spike couldn’t tell what it was. “Here too,” it said to itself in a voice like gargling rocks as it spotted the burnt scars on the street. “What happened here?”
 
Spike felt his legs give out under him. These things could talk!? The ground crunched under him and the creature’s head shot up. “Who’s there?” it demanded, in a sharp tone. When there was no response, it took a step towards the youngster’s hiding place. “I know you’re there. Either come out, or I’m coming after you.”
 
Spike wanted to run. I never wanted any of this! he thought desperately. Twilight was the hero, not him. He was just her number one assistant. At the end of the day, all he wanted was to curl up warm and safe in his basket. To go to sleep knowing the next day would be the same as the day that had just passed.
 
…pulse…
 
He wasn’t a hero. He had always thought he had wanted to be one, but he knew now that was the simple delusions of a foolish child. Unable to do anything in the world, he could only image. He saw himself for what he really was: just a weak, powerless lizard.
 
…pulse…
 
He wanted strength. He needed strength. Without strength, he couldn’t do anything. Deep inside him, something began to uncoil. A horrifying monster deep within him took its first breath as it awoke, its hungry gaze devouring everything it could see. Everything Spike could see.
 
Yes… That was right… Spike’s fangs and claws began to lengthen, his scales becoming just a little bit thicker. This thing would dare to threaten him? This thing, and others like it, would be so foolish as to try and take away the things important to him? His muzzle started to narrow and extend, his lips pulling back to expose his lengthening fangs. He would show them, oh yes he would. This creature with its soft flesh would learn its mistake. Let it try to take away Spike’s important ponies when it was nothing more than jam between Spike’s toes.
 
A punch to Spike’s shoulder knocked him out of his reverie. Pipsqueak gave Spike a wide smile from his crouched position next to the baby dragon. “Don’t worry about it,” he whispered with a wink. “Leave it all to me.”
 
No… The monster inside Spike hissed, struggling to be unleashed. We demand vengeance… We demand bloodshed… Let all fear me… They will quail in fear from me, hiding from me or they will feel my wrath.
 
Spike blinked. Where did that thought come from? He didn’t want ponies fearing him. They were his friends, after all.
 
They are weak, the inner voice hissed. That wasn’t right, Spike realized with a shock. It wasn’t just some voice. It was his own inner dragon. They need us to protect them. We are ferocity. We are strength.
 
You are getting on my nerves, Spike shot back, quickly suppressing the predatory urges. The monster struggled and spat, but was unable to do anything but return to its slumber. Its burning urges, so reminiscent of his draconic greed, receded back to a point deep inside him.
 
As his body began to shrink back down to normal size, Spike gave Pipsqueak a nod. The colt returned it with a confident grin before striding straight past Spike and out into the open.
 



 
“So you’re doing better?” Scootaloo asked, cocking an eyebrow at Sweetie Belle beside her. The three fillies walked side-by-side, heading in the direction of Spike and Pipsqueak.
 
Sweetie Belle blushed as she ducked her head. “Yeah…” she muttered almost inaudibly. “Sorry to worry you.”
 
“No worries,” Apple Bloom said cheerfully. Her cheer faded a little as she looked at the houses around them. “This place is a mite unnervin’.”
 
“Psh,” Scootaloo scoffed. “There’s nothing frightening about this town. You two are just wimps.”
 
“Oh?” Apple Bloom asked with an amused quick of her lips. “Yer not scared? Then why aren’t you looking at the houses? Maybe you should keep an eye out for a henhouse? Then you can sleep with the other chickens.”
 
If looks could hurt, Apple Bloom would have been writhing on the ground from the force of the baleful glare Scootaloo was shooting her. “Ha ha,” the unamused pegasus said flatly. “You’re hilarious.”
 
“Ain’t I just?” Apple Bloom asked with a smug grin.
 
Sweetie Belle’s ears twitched and she lifted her hooves up to cover her friend’s mouths. “Shhh,” she said, leaning forward past the other two. “Do you hear that?” With Scootaloo and Apple Bloom silent, they could hear something coming from ahead of them. The trio quickly moved to the edge of a nearby building and slunk forward until they could see the source of the voices. Pipsqueak and some creature were talking to each other while Spike was hiding out of the creature’s sight.
 
“What’s that thing?” Scootaloo asked, frowning at the tall creature. “It’s ugly.”
 
“Dunno,” Sweetie Belle whispered back. “It sure looks familiar, though. What do you think, Apple Bloom? Apple Bloom?” she added, noticing her friend’s silence.
 
Apple Bloom’s ears pressed flat against her skull as she stared at the creature with a mixture of fear and hatred. “That’s that thing that foalnapped me,” she whispered through gritted teeth.
 
Sweetie Belle frowned slightly as her head tilted slightly. A pensive frown blossomed on her lips. “Can’t be. We saw it in the hospital, remember? This must be a different one.”
 
Scootaloo hushed the other two into silence “Quiet,” she hissed. “They’re saying something.”
 
“…I don’t care about any of that,” Pipsqueak was saying, glaring up at the strange creature. The fillies must have arrived in the middle of the conversation. “You made Princess Luna sad. That means you’re a bad person. I’m not going to listen to you.”
 
The creature made a sound of frustration as it brought a hand across its face. “Why won’t you listen? You can see the proof for yourself,” he motioned towards a large gouge torn in the street. “There’s something else going on here, something that’s more then what we can see. Something big.” He lifted his hand over the left side of his chest. “I just feel like something else is going on, but I have no idea what it could be.”
 
“’A feeling’,” Pipsqueak noted sarcastically. “You know, when I get feelings like that, my mommy says it was probably because of something I ate.”
 
A bitter chuckle escaped the creature as he let his hand fall to his side. “Harsh.”
 
“Not harsh enough,” Pipsqueak accused, stepping forward. The creature took a step back, his expression mildly amused that he was being threatened by something that barely came up to his waist. “I already said I’m not listening to you, so why don’t you just leave already?”
 
“I…” The creature’s shoulders slumped as he sighed, giving his head a slight shake. “There really is nothing I can say to convince you, is there?” Pipsqueak’s expression remained unchanged, and the creature grimaced as he turned away. “Fine. Then I’m sorry for wasting your time.” The creature strode off, vanishing in the direction of Canterlot.
 
Pipsqueak waited until he was sure the creature wasn’t going to return before releasing a breath he hadn’t even been aware he was holding. His legs gave out from under him as he slumped down, his stomach pressing against the cool ground.
 
“That was awesome!” Scootaloo suddenly yelled in his ear. Pipsqueak recoiled away from her as he brought his hooves up to cover his ears. If she noticed his discomfort, she sure didn’t show it. “The way you stood up to that thing was just so cool!”
 
“Yeah, but what were you thinking?” Apple Bloom fumed as she walked up to the pair. “What would you’ve done if it tried to hurt you?”
 
Pipsqueak blushed slightly at the praise. “Well, I had to do something, right? I wanna be a guard someday, so I couldn’t just run away. And also, I couldn’t just leave Spike.”
 
“Aww,” Sweetie Belle cooed over him. “You’re just so precocious, aren’t you?”
 
“Pre-co-what?” Scootaloo sounded out, giving Sweetie Belle a sidelong look. “You’re making that word up, ain’t ya?”
 
Sweetie Belle frowned at her. “Am not.”
 
“Are too,” Scootaloo shot back.
 
“Am not.”
 
“Are too.”
 
Apple Bloom slammed her hooves together, cutting into the argument. “As stimulating as listening to ya two is, Ah think that’s more than enough of that. Pipsqueak, did that there critter say anything of interest?”
 
“Well,” Pipsqueak rubbed at his ear thoughtfully, “he said that all the ponies living in this town had been captured by the changelings. Sounds like those ponies are being kept in some sort of pods in a cave not too far from here. Dunno where that could be, though.”
 
Apple Bloom nodded, her gaze skipping to the empty windows all around them. “That explains where everypony went, at least.”
 
“We should rescue them!” Sweetie Belle said. “I’m sure they’re all alone an’ frightened. Nopony deserves that.”
 
 Scootaloo and Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. Apple Bloom especially, she knew what it was like to be attacked in her own home. “Alright,” Apple Bloom said, “so what are we-?”
 
“Sorry to interrupt, but I disagree,” Spike said from his position next to the fountain. As the others turned to give him disbelieving stares, he shrugged. “We can’t afford to get sidetracked. We’re the only ones who can save Princess Luna.”
 
“I thought you just wanted to head back to Ponyville?” Pipsqueak asked with a tilt of his head.
 
Spike huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Hey, even I can see that this is important. Besides,” he added somewhat shamefully, averting his gaze, “I didn’t really believe that Princess Luna had been captured.”
 
Pipsqueak blinked at that. “You thought I was lying?”
 
“No, no,” Spike awkwardly hastened to clarify, “that’s not it. It’s just… well… we’re following you because you have a feeling that Princess Luna is in this direction. But that’s it, right? There was no reason to believe that it was Princess Luna who talked to you.”
 
“Of course it was Princess Luna,” Pipsqueak said, glaring at Spike. He stepped forward until they were almost muzzle-to-muzzle. “She told me so herself!”
 
Apple Bloom quickly imposed herself between the two males, shoving both of them back. “You two need to both calm down!” As they mumbled out apologies, she focused her attention on Spike. “So how come you believe him now?”
 
With a sharp gesture, Spike pointed in the direction the creature had vanished. “That thing. We know the one in the Everfree was there because of Discord, so this one probably was as well. If that pain in the flank’s plotting something here, it’s probably related to Princess Luna’s disappearance.”
 
A mutual shudder went around the group at the mention of the Spirit of Chaos. Scootaloo was the first to recover. “Well… fine, but why do you think we should abandon the ponies here? That just ain’t right.”
 
“I don’t like it either,” Spike admitted, uncomfortably scratching the spines at the back of his neck, “but Princess Luna’s more important. If the changelings really did kidnap everypony in town, then it would take too long to find them.” He pointed at the sun hanging low in the sky, which remained in the exact same place it had been for days now. “But the Princesses are the only ones who can fix that. They’ll be able to save this town much better than we can.”
 
Silence filled the air as the group thought about what Spike said. In the end, Scootaloo was the one to break the silence. “You just gotta be the voice of reason, don’tcha?” She let out an annoyed huff, her tiny wings flaring at her sides. “Fine, but I’m still mad.”
 
“I am too,” Spike said. A somber mood fell over the group, as they all considered the truth in Spike’s words. To know that so many ponies were suffering, and that there was nothing they could do about it… It was the worst feeling any of the youngsters had ever felt.
 



 
From a distance, it just looked like another hill. There was nothing too out of the ordinary about it, except maybe the fact that it was completely covered in branches. Until they got close, that is, and it poked its head up with a whuff of greeting.
 
“Welcome back. Little Cubs,” Fenrir said as he sat upright, scratching at his ears with a hindleg the size of a tree trunk. “Are you ready. To leave?”
 
“Hey Fenrir,” Scootaloo asked quietly, looking up at the great timberwolf. “Why do they want to hurt us so bad?”
 
Fenrir’s leg stopped its movement for a moment before starting up again. “You mean. The changelings? I don’t know,” he admitted. His leg dropped to the ground. “Timberwolves hunt. For food alone. Though those of us. Who still remember. Our loyalty to Princess Luna. Don’t hunt ponies.”
 
Spike screeched to a halt. “Hang on,” he said accusingly. “How’d you know about the changelings? Don’t tell me you knew about them!”
 
Fenrir chuckled, his deep throaty laugh booming loudly. “I can smell them,” he answered simply. Crouching down, he allowed the youngsters to climb up on his back. “Are you prepared? We will reach. Equestria’s borders soon. The Moon Princess. Awaits.”
 
Scootaloo frowned before grabbing one of the sticks that stuck out of Fenrir’s body like so much coarse hair. “Yeah,” she said firmly as the others followed her lead. "Yeah, we're ready. Let's do this.”