//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Taken // Story: Something Different // by BlackWingsRed //------------------------------// Chapter 2: Taken (During the events of chapter 1) The evening was serene and the snow had begun to fall. A really thin layer of snow sat upon the land. Very few ponies still walked around wearing scarves, saddles and boots. There were a very few guards out at this time due to a chance of attack. The castle had been in a more alert state due an earlier attack by creatures known as Changelings and their various allies. Celestia the royal leader of Equestria was deep in concentration. Debating with herself for the safety of the citizens of Ponyville and Canterlot. She released a quiet sigh as she got up from her desk and walked over to the grand window that sat facing out toward the garden. "Something is not right..." she said to herself as she looked towards the Everfree forest. Suddenly she stopped moving. "Magic?..." Suddenly, the ground began to shake as a distant rumble is heard and a bright flash of green is seen upon the horizon. It illuminated everything in sight for a short moment, but as quick as it came it was gone. In an instant, the princess straightened herself out and galloped quickly toward the balcony to see if anything had happened. "What the hay is going on?" and other sounds of panic could be heard from those very few ponies below as everything began to return to a normal state. Royal guards began to file out of the castle and into the courtyard. Celestia had expected to discover a few fractures in the walls of the castle, but strangely there was no physical damage to be seen on the castle and no one was injured at all. Upon seeing this, Celestia backed away from the balcony and slowly walked towards her two large doors that bore her cutie mark of the sun. There were soon the sounds of hooves coming quickly towards her room and on cue knocks were heard as the door slowly opened revealing a very weary guard. "Are you alright your majesty?" He asked, still trying to catch his breath from all the galloping he had done. "Yes. I am. Please inform the Captain to prepare his shield spell. Also tell him to deploy it after Luna has returned." Celestia finished. "As you wish, your majesty. "The guard replied as he turned around closing the great doors of her room. Celestia turned toward her desk and levitated a scroll and quill over to herself. As she spoke the quill wrote it down "To my faithful student Twilight Sparkle. I am uncertain of the mysterious events of lately. We have had the captain of the guard on standby since he had returned from his trip. Tonight we are deploying his shield spell as a precaution for that bright flash of green light. Currently, we have no idea what it could mean, but I am certain that it did have a reason. For the safety of Ponyville I will need you and the others to remain on a constant look out. Sincerely, Princess Celestia" She then wrapped a red ribbon on the scroll. Her horn began to shine with a bright yellow aura and it quickly spread all over the Scroll. With a blink of the eye, it instantly disappeared. Suddenly, she heard the beating of wings behind her. "Sister! What was that? I saw a bright flash but, I could not pinpoint where it was from!" said the Mare of the Night. "Luna. I can't quite put a label this predicament, but, as long as everyone is still safe, we will find a way to end this dilemma and must you still talk in that volume? "Celestia said in reply to Luna's remark. A large pink light began to shine in as a wall of energy came from outside. "Luna we will need to remain here for now. We will discuss this topic in the morning. "Said Celestia as she approached her massive bed to sit on "I agree. "Said Luna as she exited her sister's room. Celestia returned to her state of deep concentration as she began to lay down. "Nevertheless, that strange light... What does it mean?..." She thought to herself as she slowly began to fall asleep. In Ponyville... "Will do princess" said the now awake unicorn as she rolled up a scroll and placed it on the kitchen table. "What did it say Twilight?" asked a very sleepy dragon. "Well, Spike It was about that light we saw earlier. The princess says that we should keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary and that Canterlot will be on lock down till tomorrow. "Answered Twilight as she levitated a few scrolls and a quill over to Spike. "Can you write letters to the others requesting that they come here early in the morning, before you go to bed? "Asked Twilight. "Can you buy me a *yawn* couple of rubies tomorrow if I do? Replied Spike as he began to write. "Sigh... Ok, I will" answered Twilight as she walked toward a bookcase and began to pull books out of it. Spike finished writing the letters and then one by one blew green flames to burn them thus, sending them out, then he walked upstairs yawning and stretching his arms out. "Good night "He sleepily yelled down to Twilight as she sat on the couch going through some books. "You too, sleep tight. "Replied Twilight as she returned her focus toward her books. Books began to pile up all around the table as she continued to read through several books as if they were telephone directories. It was nearly five in the morning when she finally decided to fall asleep. The next day The sun rose up from the East of town and colored the skies with a barrage of pink, blue and orange. Five figures headed towards the library. The sounds of hooves approaching and tired yawns could be heard. As soon as they reach the door they knocked on it. A few seconds later a window was opened and out stuck Spike's head. "Hey guys! Whoa. Major bed heads you guys got going there." Said spike as he stuck his head back in the window. "It's not our faults Twilight gave us such a short amount of time to actually prepare ourselves!" Replied Rarity. "Let me go and get Twilight." Said spike as he stormed downstairs to find her still asleep with a book in hoof. "Wake up Twilight! The girls are all here and you still have to get prepared." As he began to shove at her sleeping body. She finally awoke with a shock and asked "What they're here?" She then levitated each of the books around her and stacked them in an orderly fashion. Spike simply nodded and went to open the locked door. The moment the latch came undone a familiar pink pony pushed the door opened and yelled surprise. "Pinkie! It's not her Birthday it's only a meeting, "said Applejack who seemed to be an early riser. "It isn't? Aww... Oh, well, "said Pinkie as she hopped over to Twilight sitting on the couch. Two Pegasus ponies walked in side by side talking about the other being too slow. "We could have gotten here faster if Fluttershy here didn't have to constantly stop to look in all the trees for animals. Besides, aren't most of them asleep? "Stated Rainbow dash in a rather grumpy tone. "I'm sorry, but all that shaking and that bright light caused a panic between all the animals at my house so, I have to make sure that nopony has been disturbed or hurt. "Said Fluttershy keeping her head low to the ground. They both walked over to one of the bookcases to finish their talk. The last to enter was Rarity. She looked flawless as ever. "Why Twilight your mane! It's positively monstrous. "She said in a complaining tone and rushed over to Twilight grabbing a brush with her magical grip. A light blue aura surrounded the brush as she began to work with a professional manner. "Dang! She's been doing that since we picked her up." Said Rainbow Dash holding her hoof up trying to whisper. "Oww! Well, I had received an. Oww! Rarity, please stop for now!" Twilight started In an annoyed tone as she began to pull away from Rarity. "I received an important message from the princess requesting our help!" She yelled after freeing herself and setting Rarity in the line of her friends. They all stared in shock seeing how serious the matter at hoof was. Twilight began to read the scroll out loud and everyone seemed to take on faces of seriousness. "Well, what are you waiting for? Tell us what needs to be done already! "Shouted Rainbow in a restless voice. "Okay. I need you and Fluttershy to take to the air to scan both the Everfree forest and the whitetail woods for anything that looks suspicious." Commanded Twilight as she handed them maps. "Gotcha! I can do it in 10 seconds flat." replied Rainbow. "Applejack can you get Big Mac gather up some volunteers to search around town and forest for anything that seems out of place if you find something call us." "That'll be mighty hard seeing that not everyone is brave enough to head on into the Everfree." Replied Applejack. "But we will try our best." "And Rarity do you still remember that shield spell that my brother showed us?" Twilight asked. "Of course I do." said Rarity creating a small blue magical barrier. "Then I will need you to try to make one that can help protect us in case of anything."Said Twilight turning her head towards Pinkie. "Pinkie Can you watch over the town? " "Aw, that's going to to be boring. What if my Pinkie sense kicks in?" asked Pinkie as she balanced a book on her nose. "Well, you can always come looking for me. I will be in town. "Twilight answered. "Okie Dokie Lokie" said Pinkie Pie jumping in the air. "Good then. I will try to make my way to Canterlot as soon as the shield drops, but for now I must inform the mayor of our plan. "She said as she levitated her winter wear to put them on. Spike came running down stairs as he heard the shuffling of hooves. "Don't forget my Rubies. "He hollered as the group of ponies filed out the door. They then gave their goodbyes and separated into their assigned duties. Rainbow began to circle Cloudsdale and then began to move more toward the forest which circled the town. Fluttershy went to her cottage and requested from her young rabbit to remain on guard duty till she returned. Before she left, she took several birds that were awake out of their cages to assist in the patrol. Applejack returned to her farm to get her brother and several other ponies that were sitting around to begin her own patrol. Rarity went to her home and began to practice the shield spell. She formed a small barrier in her shop and began to expand it. She kept making it expand inch by inch. Suddenly she heard a small cat shriek. Rarity saw the little kitty under the pressure of the shield cornering it and quickly shattered it. Pinkie began her job by getting some cupcakes, hot cocoa and a chair. She then went and sat down at the fountain in the center of the town. Watching everyone and everything that moved. Twilight made her way to the mayor's office and walked in with a whole lotta scrolls that were stuffed into her saddlebag. Inf another area of the Forest Inside of a cave, Joe began to stir as the sun entered through the mouth of the cave. He sat up in the same groggy way he did every day before this change of terrain. "Augh... What the heck is going on?..." He asked, still trying to wake up. A surge of sudden realization hit him as he quickly shot up shocked about what had happened the day before. He was sitting in a cave that was within a forest. "Where am I?..."he asked himself as he got to his knees to stand up. "Holy crap..."he tried to take in his sight as he stepped out of the hole in the cliff. He suddenly paused and took a look at the ground and saw snow. Living on an Island most of his life had he really seen this much snow. The only other times he had been in any contact was when he was back in California. "What the Frick? Snow! It shouldn't be snowing here in the Pacif... Wait... This isn't home..." he exclaimed with his sudden realization. Walking back into the cave, he sat down with both his legs crossed and sighed. "What the Hell? I was just walking home and th... .. I was falling? He said to himself trying to figure out what had just happened. "Great, now I'm talking to myself. Just what the fuck hap-" Suddenly, he was hit with a barrage of images that were from the previous day, Waking up, Feeling of sickness plugging his computer in the class. "WAIT!" He shouted as he got up and ran out the cave. He kept running until he found the crater that he awoke in during the night, he slowly made his way toward the center and began to dig into the collection of snow that had fallen there. "YES, I still have it! He said in a relieved tone and pulled out his black bag. He dusted the snow off and began to walk back towards the cave to inspect his belongings. With a zip the backpack was opened and he began to pull out whatever was still in it. The first thing he pulled out was the laptop. He opened it up and clicked the on switch. The screen came to life as he set it down to the left of himself. He reached his hand back into the bag and the next object that was pulled out was a Black PSP. He turned it on then off knowing that it was still working. The very moment he pulled out a bag of dry mango slices His stomach roared as if it were a starving beast waiting to be fed. "Damn, I'm hungry." he said as he opened up the bag of fruit and began to eat. He stopped as soon as the bag got to about a quarter of what it started with and put it back in the bag. He then proceeded to turn off his laptop that had been sitting in standby and placed it into the bag. "Right now, I have no time to play games." he quietly said and threw his gaming device in the bag. Making sure everything was in the bag he stood up and checked his pockets to find his IPhone and wallet. "Thank God." He exclaimed as he pulled out the little rectangular device and turned it on. With a press of a button and a swipe at the screen. He was happy to see the battery still charged up and then a look of disappointment came over him as he saw the top left side of the screen that clearly read "No service" and then he sighed. "Well, there's no use staying here anymore." He said as he stood up and threw his backpack over his shoulder, took a few steps out. It was blistering cold, so he threw the hood of his hoodie on his head. "This is just getting more and more weird. This place is huge!" He thought to himself as he continued to walk. The sounds of the wind and the crushing of snow were the only audible thing to be heard. He was shocked to see that through the canopy he could see several mountains and huge clouds hovering about. Soon he began to feel tired after walking for a few hours. Suddenly he saw a figure dart from around the trees and into the other side of the path. "Hey! Hello?! Is anyone there?!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He waited to hear a reply, but was quickly disappointed to hear none. "Oh, well..." Suddenly, a large log swung out and hit him across the face. He stumbled back as he attempted to look for what had struck him. A large gray dog faced creature walked out from behind a tree and readied itself for another swing. Joe managed to roll to the left and plopped his bag against a tree "You are one ugly looking puppy. Get that mask off and maybe I could take you a little more serious" demanded Joe. It failed to respond so Joe ran to its left and then behind it to jump on it's back. He attempted to remove the face that he believed was a mask. The dog guy cried in pain as Its skin was nearly torn off of its skull. "What the fuck! It's real!" Joe cried out as he fell off. The creature turned around with a pissed off expression and looked down at Joe. It limbered up and hit Joe with it's log. Joe slowly began to rise just as did his anger. The creature began to laugh, pissing Joe off even more. It's guard seemed to be off. So, he did what seemed necessary and began to quickly run towards the dog. He managed to deliver a very powerful drop kick to its face, inducing it to stagger back dazed. Seizing the opportunity Joe managed to deliver a massive uppercut to its jaw. The beast then slumped back unconscious. Joe stood victorious relishing the moment, until he was hit in the back of the head with yet another log. He struggled as he attempted to stay conscious as two more figures that were just as ugly as the first one was walking towards him. He tried to stand up but, failed miserably. Joe's eyes slowly shut as he began to lose consciousness. After an unknown amount of sleep. Joe had awoken to find that his head was covered by some sort of bag and that he was hanging upside down from a pole. His head was throbbing in pain from that last blow to the head. The impact of that hit did some real damage as there was a huge bump sitting upon his head. His consciousness began to fade again, but he was able to hear the sound of gravel and felt a sudden change of temperature. He knew they had made it to where ever they were taking him. But, he once again fell unconscious as the three or something foes throw him against a wall. Back at the mayor's office. Twilight waited inside the mayor's office and watched as other ponies worked at their desks. "You may come in, " said a female voice. Twilight, then proceeded to open the door and stepped in to see the secretary at her desks "I am here to see the mayor to alert her of the situation in Canterlot." Said Twilight as she signed into a check in sheet sitting on the desk. "I will go see if she is available for a meeting." said the secretary as she walked into the hall. Twilight waited a good ten minutes until the secretary returned with the mayor. "It's good to see you mayor." Said Twilight as she got up from the chair she had been sitting on. "Likewise. What is it that you wished to tell me? Replied the mayor in a wondering tone. Twilight spent about an hour explaining what she had accomplished since this morning with the help of her friends and her entire strategy to start a lookout. She took a moment to catch her breath and sat back down to think of any other things to add. "My, my Twilight you work rather fast for a mare your age. I expected this type of actions the moment we made you the organizer for the Winter wrap up. "Said the Mayor as she stood up from her seat. "Well, it was for the safety of the town and the Princess." Twilight replied as she stood up as well. "Now that you've been informed. I have to prepare to go to Canterlot pretty soon. Can you also inform the rest of the town as well? Asked Twilight as she looked at the clock hanging across from her. "Of course I will its part of my job. But, before you go, I have to inform you that there have been several disappearances around town. They all ended up disappearing in and around the Everfree forest. Said the mayor in a sad tone of voice. "That sounds awful. I will ask the rest of the girls to be on guard in case they see anything strange or if somepony else went missing. Trust me when I say this, we will not allow anypony to get hurt." Twilight Said in a defiant stance. "I believe what you say. Be safe now. I will deal with the matters here. Now go and prepare for your departure." as the mayor began to walk away from her desk. Twilight simply nodded in agreement as she wished both the mayor and her secretary good bye. With high hopes she stepped outside only to see Pinkie pie bouncing quickly towards her in the snow.