//------------------------------// // Nightmare in Crystal // Story: Doctor Whooves Episode 21: The Cybermen Invasion of Equestria // by Doctor Perseus //------------------------------// Chapter 4: Nightmare in Crystal Crystal Caverns, Beneath Canterlot, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E. The Doctor remained in silent thought as he and his companions descended into the depths of the ancient caverns. At first, there was only a single passageway to walk down. The walls and ceiling were curved and magical torches hung from the walls at ten foot intervals. The air had a stagnant smell to it and the only sounds that could be heard were their hooves moving along the rock floor. As the group moved along, they noticed that the walls started sparkling. It quickly became apparent that shards of crystal were poking out of the rock walls; and the sizes of the shards grew larger and larger as they went along. "Well they certainly didn't call these the Crystal Caverns for nothing," Colgate commented. "You've got that right," said Donna as she examined her reflection in a protruding crystal. "I think I see something ahead!" Clockwork exclaimed as he pointed forward. Everypony followed his gaze forward towards a bright blue circle of light several yards away. "Oh! Big blue lights!" said the Doctor. "I love big blue lights!" "Why?" Donna asked. "I don't know. Just do. Do I have to have a reason for liking something?" "A reason would be nice, yeah." "I'd hate to interrupt but is now really the best time to get into a discussion about this?" Colgate asked. "She's right," said the Doctor. "We can save this for later once we've saved the world and are snacking on tea crumpets." "Don't you mean tea and crumpets?" Donna asked. The Doctor shook his head. "No. Tea crumpets. They're absolutely smashing!" The Doctor continued to walk forward towards the light. "Ooh! Smashing! Nice word. Should use it more often! Smashing day, govna!" "You're thinking out loud again, Doctor," said Matilda. "Am I? Didn't notice. So many things to talk and think about that it's hard to keep track." The group proceeded into the light, only to find themselves entering a massive, cylindrical cavern that seemed to stretch down for miles. A seemingly endless amount of cave openings could be seen in the walls and various rock bridges spanned across the gap at different levels of the cavern. At the very bottom of the cavern, a bright pit of blue fire, which was responsible for lighting up the entire cavern, could be seen. "Interesting," said the Doctor as he examined the fire pit from high above. He took a quick sniff and found the air to have a strange scent that constantly changed. At one moment it smelled like mixed berries while another moment it smelled like a wet dog. "This is almost exactly like the Crystal Caverns in the other Equestria," said Donna as she stared down at the pit. Colgate looked around the cavern in awe. "There must be thousands of cave openings down here," she stated. "How do we pick the right one?" "Perhaps the decision is already made for us," said the Doctor and Clockwork simultaneously before awkwardly staring at each other. "Oh how I love twin moments," Matilda chuckled. "Dimensional twins to be more specific but I suppose I can let that slide," the Doctor commented before staring back down the cavern. "As Clockwork and I just deduced, perhaps the simplest answer is the right one." Matilda chuckled again. "Thank you, Occam's razor." The Doctor twirled back towards the group and winked. "Indeed." Donna looked over the edge. "So you're saying that the very bottom is the best place to start," she summarized. "Correct," said the Doctor, Matilda, and Clockwork simultaneously. Donna shook slightly. "Okay, can you stop doing that? It's starting to get a bit creepy." The Doctor, Matilda, and Clockwork shared a devious grin before saying, "Absolutely, Donna!" Donna facepalmed and shook her head in response. "There's just one problem," said Colgate. "Look at how far down it is! It could take us hours to navigate our way down this cavern!" "Oh, what would you all do without me?" teased Matilda as she reached into her purse. Colgate smirked. "Of course. How could I have forgotten about your purse of a million things?" Matilda finished rummaging around the interior of her purse before pulling out what appeared to be a small, red, metal circle. Then, without warning, she tossed it over the side of the walkway. The group stood in silence as Matilda remained still, waiting for a particular event. Only a few seconds after her tossing the strange circle, a small beam of white light shot up through the cavern and vanished in front of the group. "Ah! There we go!" she exclaimed before turning back towards the others. "It's ready. Now all you have to do is jump." Colgate gave a dumbfounded expression. "Jump? Really?" she asked. Matilda nodded. "Really." "But that's got to be at least-" "Just trust me. I'm a professional, as you may have guessed." "Yep. Professionally insane," the Doctor teased. "Please, Doctor," Matilda giggled as she stepped back. "Like I'm the first insane pony or person you've known." She then leaned back and let herself fall off the edge. "Great," sighed Clockwork before turning to the Doctor. "We've got to jump after her, don't we?" "You don't have to do anything. But that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?" the Doctor asked in reply. "Fun isn't really one of my top priorities right now," said Colgate before stepping forward. "But I trust Matilda." Colgate then took a deep breath and lunged herself off the edge. In a state of shock, Clockwork followed right after her. "I suppose it's just you and me left, Donna," the Doctor chuckled. "Looks like it," Donna replied. The Doctor extended a hoof. "Ready for a leap of faith?" "Yeah. I just wish it weren't a literal leap." The Doctor laughed as he took Donna's hand. The two friends froze for a second or two before running forward and following the others over the edge. Above the Everfree Forest, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E. Opal peered out the window she was sitting next to as Oswin flew the jet bus over the lush, snow-covered canopy of the Everfree Forest. The mare couldn't help but shake as she stared down at the twisted limbs and leaves, which all looked as if they were reaching up towards them. "Mom?" Francis asked suddenly. Opal snapped out of her trance and turned to her son. "Yes, honey? What is it?" she asked in response. "Are you okay? You look scared." The question took Opal by surprise. She didn't know her nervous state had been that noticeable. "She's not scared, son. Just a bit shaken," Monty replied. He winked at Opal just before Francis turned towards him. "I think we're all a bit shaken right now. I certainly am." "The lights going off shake you up, Dad," Julianna stated. Monty gave a defensive look. "Well excuse me for being a little startled by the lights going out while I'm washing my mane in the shower!" Francis and Julianna pressed their hooves against their mouths and snickered. Opal and Monty stared each other straight in the eyes as Opal proceeded to mouth, "Thank you," at him. Meanwhile, Trixie was standing up at the front of the bus, a couple feet away from Oswin. She looked off towards the distant boundaries of the Everfree Forest and sighed. "Got something on your mind?" Oswin asked unexpectedly. Trixie gave Oswin a deadpan expression. "I think it's obvious that I have a few things on my mind right now," she replied. "True. But I can see that you're focusing on something else right now aside from the Cybermen." The performer chuckled and leaned forward against the dashboard. "Ponyville. I was thinking about Ponyville. It's off in that direction." "I see." Oswin paused awkwardly for a few seconds as she temporarily gave the expression of deep thought. "Is that where you're from?" Trixie shook her head. "No. I just did some things I'm not proud of in that town and I want to make it up to them. If you're wondering about where I'm from...I don't know that answer." "And why's that?" Trixie sighed. "I've been traveling around Equestria my entire life. Ever since the day I was born. My father took me everywhere and taught me all the tricks about being a good performer. Sadly...I can't say I've lived up to his expectations yet; but, hopefully, I'll meet them one day." "So where's your dad now?" Oswin noticed an expression of deep sadness appear on Trixie's face and she turned away from Trixie to look forward. "I'm sorry." "It was a few years ago," Trixie explained. "He was doing a trick with a manticore...and everything went wrong." Oswin and Trixie fell silent for another moment. "What about your mum?" Oswin asked. "Never knew her. Left my dad not too long after I was born." "The..." Oswin hesitated for a couple seconds. "The Trixie I knew didn't know her mum either." Trixie froze as she turned to stare at Oswin. "What do you mean by that?" Oswin sighed. "Like I explained earlier, the Equestria I'm from is an alternate version of yours. Everyone you know here has a dimensional duplicate over in mine. I knew my world's version of you...and she was one of my closest friends." Trixie fell quiet again to let Oswin's statement sink in. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?" "Before I learned your name, I didn't fully recognize you as an alternate version of my friend. I noticed the similarities but pushed them aside to continue with my mission. Then I learned your name and...I first decided to not let you know because I didn't want things to get awkward." "Like they are right now?" "...Yeah." "But why tell me now?" Oswin laughed. "Honestly, I have no idea. It just felt right to let you know." Oswin's face became somber. "I know you're not technically her and could never replace her but...it just feels right to talk to you." Trixie cleared her throat. "So...did your Trixie have a similar life to mine?" "Very similar. There are a few differences here and there...like how her father died in comparison to yours." "...What happened to her dad?" "He was hit by a bus." "...Oh." "My dad let her move in with us and she became a part of the family. She had been through enough hardship in her life and I promised her that I would always be there for her when she needed me. And the one time I wasn't there for her...was the day the Cybermen attacked." Trixie watched a single tear roll down Oswin's face. "Oswin...I'm sorry," she said. Oswin wiped the tear away and faced Trixie with a confident smile. "I'm not going to let the same thing happen to you or your world. I promise you that, Trixie; and, this time, I'm going to keep it," she stated. Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound started emanating from the jet bus's radio. "Gah! What's that noise?!" shrieked Julianna. "I think somepony's trying to call us!" Monty guessed. "I think you're right," said Oswin as she adjusted the radio's controls while simultaneously continuing to fly the jet bus. "Hello? Hello? This is Oswin Oswald. Hello?" "Ah! Hello! Finally made some contact! Excellent!" responded a female voice through the radio. "Oswin Oswald, was it?" "Yes! Who are you?" "I'm-" The radio began to give more static and an annoyed groan could be heard. "This connection's bad! We don't have a lot of time!" "Who are you?! What do you want?!" "Hi! We're looking for the Doctor!" stated a new female voice. "The Doctor?!" asked Trixie, Opal, and Monty simultaneously. "Wait a second," said Oswin as she mentally examined the new voice. She snapped her fingers just as she remembered where she had heard it before. "Derpy?! Is that you?!" "N-" The second caller, who had what seemed to be Derpy's voice, tried to respond but static interrupted the connection once again. "-ow do you know Derpy?! Where's the Doctor?! We need to find the Doctor!" "I think I'm getting something!" exclaimed the first voice suddenly. "Wait a moment...what is that?!" "It's a-" More static emanated from the radio. "Hold on, J-" Once again, more static. Oswin smacked the exterior of the radio and groaned. "What the hell is going on?!" she asked. "Oswin! Look out!" Opal screamed suddenly as she pointed forward. Oswin looked up to see a massive, black object hurtling towards the front of the jet bus. It looked like a large, deformed creature but she had no time to get a good look at it. She brought the vehicle into a sharp turn. This act managed to prevent the creature from smashing straight into the front of the bus; however, the creature still managed to collide with the bus's left wing and caused it to break off. Oswin gripped the controls as the crippled jet bus started spiraling down towards the forest below. "HANG ON!" she shouted. "MOM! DAD!" cried Francis and Julianna simultaneously as they hugged their parents. Trixie, meanwhile, reached over to Oswin and held onto her. "What's going on?!" asked the static-induced first voice on the radio as the bus continued to plummet. "Oswin?! Are you still there?! Oswin?!" Oswin closed her eyes tight and held onto Trixie as the jet bus smashed into the canopy. Crystal Caverns, Beneath Canterlot, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E. Donna could feel the air rushing past her as she fell through the cylindrical, crystal-filled cavern. Her hair and clothes stretched behind her and flapped about while her grip on the Doctor's hoof tightened. She kept her eyes closed for most of the fall and didn't open them until she was merely a few feet from the bottom. She gasped as she saw the floor rushing towards her like a bullet. Just before she touched the ground, a red light pulsated around her and brought her to a sudden halt. Time seemed to warp around her in order to give her body time to adjust to the sudden stop. She looked to see that the same process was happening to the Doctor and the others. After a few seconds, the red light vanished and everypony dropped to the ground. Matilda was the first to stand up. She clapped her hooves and the red circle she had tossed levitated up in the air and flew over to her. With a swift movement, she caught the circle and tossed it back into her purse. She looked at the shaken faces of the others and giggled. "Impact Shield Generator. Just a little something I picked up during my travels," she said. "Really?" asked Colgate as she stood up. "What don't you have in that purse of yours?" "A zoo." Suddenly, the sound of an elephant trumpet echoed from deep within the purse. Matilda peered inside and smiled. "Russell?! Oh, dearie, did you sneak into my purse again?! Must have been sleeping this whole time, I suppose. Just go back to sleep and I'll get you out once I've taken care of some things. Sound good?" She was greeted with another trumpet sound. She nodded, closed the purse, and turned back to the others, who were all staring at her with deadpan expressions and raised eyebrows. "What? I said nothing about not having a pet." The Doctor turned his attention to the large pit of blue fire situated a few feet away. Despite being so close to the flames, the Doctor felt next to no heat. If anything, he actually felt a bit colder. He watched as the flames danced about in a never-ending display of lively light. His gaze glossed over the flames as if they were recording every detail like a video camera. "And...bingo," he said in a hushed tone as his eyes focused on a nearby tunnel entrance: the only one on the level they were on. "Just keep going down then?" Colgate asked as she approached the Doctor's side. "You got it," the Doctor replied before walking towards the tunnel entrance. Colgate, Donna, Matilda, and Clockwork followed close behind. "I hope we find something soon," Clockwork stated to Donna. "I don't want to stay down here longer than we have to. Something just doesn't feel right." Donna rubbed her arms and looked around the vast cavern. "Yeah. I agree with you on that one," she said with a slight shiver. The tunnel they entered was barely any different from the tunnel they had passed through up above. The biggest differences were the larger sizes of the crystals in the walls and the larger intervals of torch locations, which gave the tunnel a much darker look. Shadows crept along the walls and the scent of ash and rust filled the air. As the group moved along, the crystals starting becoming so large that there were now long stretches of rock completely covered in reflective crystal. "Wait a second," said Colgate suddenly. The group came to a surprise stop in the center of a moderately-sized cavern filled with various tunnel entrances and large slabs of crystal. Colgate looked around anxiously. Her eyes were nearly as wide a dinner plates. "Does anypony else hear that?!" "Hear what?" Clockwork asked as he too started to look around. "Hoofsteps. There's lots of them! I think we're surrounded!" Colgate started to twitch and breath heavily. "Colgate, calm down," said Matilda calmly as she grabbed Colgate's foreleg. "There's no hoofsteps in here aside from our own." Colgate was starting to panic. She could hear them all around her now. Hoofsteps above her. Hoofsteps below her. Hoofsteps right next to her. She couldn't understand why nopony else could hear them. They were as clear as the others' voices. However, hearing things soon stopped being the only thing she had to worry about. "Colgate! Calm down!" the Doctor said sternly. "There are no hoof-" "OH MY CELESTIA! NO!" Colgate shrieked unexpectedly before pointing towards one of the tunnel entrances. Standing in the dark threshold, she could see a large group of Weeping Angels. Their faces were horribly contorted and their sharp claws were reaching forward in her direction. Leading the pack was a Weeping Pegasus she knew all too well. "YOU CAN'T BE HERE! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! NO! NOOOO!" It was then that Colgate broke away from the group and ran off into one of the tunnels. "RUN! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE! DON'T BLINK!" "Colgate!" the Doctor cried. He looked around the chamber with a confused look on his face in hope of finding the source of Colgate's fright. But, strangely, he saw nothing. "I'll get her!" said Donna before sprinting after the unicorn. "Can somepony explain to me what the hay just happened?" Clockwork asked. Matilda began scratching her chin and randomly adjusting her hat. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you have something to say?" he asked. "No...yes...perhaps...maybe...I'm not sure. I feel that I know the answer but I just can't think of it right now," Matilda replied. "What?!" Clockwork asked suddenly as he turned around. The Doctor looked at his dimensional twin. "Clockwork...what's wrong?" he asked. "Crying." Clockwork gulped and started to shake before turning back to the Doctor and Matilda. "Somepony's crying." Donna ran as fast as her legs could manage in order to keep up with the frightened Colgate. "Colgate! Stop!" Donna pleaded as the chase continued. Colgate looked back. She could see the stone monsters pursuing her through the shadows. "GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME!" she shouted. "She's gone mental!" Donna breathed heavily as she continued to run. Colgate turned around a bend up ahead and Donna followed suit. However, once she came around the corner, Donna came to a sudden halt in response to what she saw. "What the hell?!" Colgate was gone. She had completely and utterly vanished. No light. No sound. Nothing. She was just gone. Donna looked around the shadowy tunnel in a vain attempt to locate the now mentally unstable unicorn mare. "Colgate? Where are you?" she asked. "Come on! We need to get back to the others!" Donna came to a stop in the center of the tunnel and placed her hands on her hips. "Great. This is just great." "Mummy?" asked the voice of a child from behind Donna. Donna froze. She knew this wasn't Colgate nor was it any of the others. Had a sinister creature stumbled across her and was now using the voice of a child to give her a false sense of security? "Mummy?" Donna wasn't sure if she should turn back and face the potential beast or break into a run. "Mummy?" However, as Donna listened to the voice, she couldn't help but sense that it was familiar in some way. "Mummy?" Donna couldn't take it anymore. "What is it?!" she snapped as she turned around. As her eyes fell on what stood before her, she felt the world around her crumble. Standing in front of her was a pair of children: a boy and a girl. The boy had fair skin, brown hair, and was dressed in a green jacket and jeans. The girl had fair skin, sandy brown hair, and was dressed in a pink jacket and white pants. "Mummy, what's wrong?" asked the girl. Donna started to back away. "No...it can't be. You can't be here. You never existed!" Donna snapped. "But we are here, Mummy!" stated the boy. "Me and Ella! And where's Daddy?" "Stop it, Joshua! You two never...existed." Donna could feel warm tears running down her face. Her mind couldn't wrap around what was happening. The last time she had seen Joshua and Ella, they had turned out to be computer programs created to be her children while she was trapped in the Data Core of the Library. This was an event that occurred many millennia in the future back in her own dimension. "How can you be here? How can you be here?!" Ella began to approach her with an extended hand. "Mummy. You're scaring me," she said. "No! I don't know what you are! Just stay back!" Donna ordered through her tears. "Just stay back!" Donna backed up a few steps but came to another stop when she heard deep breathing behind her. She slowly turned around and instantly let out a scream in response to what she saw. Standing before Donna was a white space suit. The interior of the helmet was pitch black and all she could see inside was a vibrant human skull. The creature reached its arms forward and began approaching her. "Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" asked the creature in an eerie, terrifying voice that sent chills through Donna's body. "Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" Donna turned away from the space suit monster and looked to see her data children approaching her in a similar fashion. Their arms were stretched out and their faces were flickering like television static. "Mummy! Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!" they called simultaneously. Donna looked back and forth and quickly realized that she was trapped. "Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" "Mummy!" "Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" "Mummy!" "Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" "Mummy!" Donna clasped her hands over her ears and knelt down on the ground. "DOCTOOOOORRRRR!" she shouted into oblivion. Clockwork was curled up into a ball on the ground. All he could see was darkness, the distraught face of Bright Eyes, the pale face of Twilight Sparkle, and the smiling face of King Sombra. "Why couldn't you protect us?" asked Bright Eyes and Twilight simultaneously. "Why couldn't you protect us?" "Such a disgrace. You're pathetic," laughed Sombra. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Clockwork cried through his hooves. The Doctor and Matilda knelt down next to him in an attempt to console him. "Clockwork! It's not real! You've got to snap out of it!" said Matilda. "I failed them! They're everywhere!" "What the hell is happening?!" the Doctor snapped. At that moment, Matilda looked around at the chamber surrounding them. She quickly focused on the glistening crystals in the walls and gasped. "That's it! How could I have forgotten?! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she said in a hushed tone. She raised her voice as she turned back to the Doctor. "Doctor, it's the...Doctor?" The Doctor now had a glassy look in his eyes and was completely still. "Oh no. Not you too, Doctor!" "No more. No more. No more," the Doctor mumbled as he stared out at the scene before him. The Doctor no longer saw himself within the Crystal Caverns. He was now in the middle of a burning city. Dalek troops rained down from the sky. Men, women, and children ran for safety. The Doctor especially focused on the children. Oh, the children. "There's no other way. It must all fall. No more. No more." Matilda grabbed the Doctor's side and shook him. "Doctor! Snap out of it! It's the crystals! They've been enchanted! They're getting into your mind! You have to overcome them! You can overcome them! You have friends who need you, Doctor!" Sadly, Matilda's words fell on deaf ears. The Doctor was caught in a state of shock due to looking out at the land of destruction before him. His entire body felt rigid. He felt helpless as he watched a group of Daleks approach a family of Gallifreyans. He looked down to see a complex, metal box sitting at his hooves. "The Moment has come." He reached his hooves towards the red button on top of the box. "Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame. Whatever the cost." The Doctor clutched the button. "Whatever the cost." Suddenly, the world around him began to ripple like a disturbed pond. A human hand suddenly came out of nowhere and clutched the Doctor's hooves. It was fair-skinned and feminine in nature. The Doctor turned to his guest. It was a woman. A woman he had seen before and yet did not know. She had vibrant, red hair and a young, fierce face. Her eyes, strangely, kept switching between sharp green and mysterious yellow. "It's time to wake up, Raggedy Man," she said with a smile. She had an incredibly noticeable Scottish accent. "Who are you?" the Doctor asked. With a simple nod, the woman vanished as did the terrible vision. The Doctor let out a sigh of relief upon seeing himself back in the Crystal Caverns with Matilda by his side. He glanced over at her and smiled. "Sorry about that. Took an unexpected detour there." "Please don't do it again." "I intend not to." He looked down at the frightened Clockwork and sighed. "I believe I can fix this." The Doctor carefully clasped his hooves on both sides of Clockwork's temple and closed his eyes. Within a few seconds, Clockwork had calmed down. Barely a minute later, the terrified stallion had fallen into a relaxing sleep. "He should be awake soon." "Now we've just got to find Donna and Colgate." "Yes." A few seconds of silence passed. "Say, how come you didn't see any visions?" "I've come across this enchantment before. I developed a sort of mental block to ward it off." "You just come prepared for everything, don't you?" "Not everything. Believe me. It's taken me many years to develop the skills and gain the experience I have now. It was a lot of trial and error but I had some pretty good teachers too." "That's good. At least somepony here was able to keep their mental status in check." Matilda bit her bottom lip. "Say, Doctor, who were you talking to?" she asked. "Hmm?" the Doctor asked in reply. "Just before you snapped out of your trance, you asked, 'Who are you?' I'm just wondering who you were talking to in your trance." "Honestly, Matilda, I don't know. It was a Scottish woman with red hair. I don't know who she is...but I've seen her before." "You have?" "It was some time ago; and, ironically, it involved another psychological attack." "Interesting. A Scottish woman with red...did she say anything to you?!" "Why do you ask?" "I'm just curious." "You look more than just curious." "Doctor!" "Okay! Fine! She told me to wake up and she called me Raggedy Man. Odd name, I must say." "...Oh." "Oh? What's that supposed to mean?" "It just means oh." The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Really, Matilda?" "Yes. Really." Just then, Clockwork stirred and opened his eyes. "Ugh. What happened?" he groaned. "Your mind was attacked by an enchantment locked away in these crystals. But you're fine now," the Doctor replied. "Oh...that's...good to hear." Matilda stood up and stretched her legs. "Come on. We need to find the others," she said. The Doctor nodded. "Right," he said before he and Clockwork stood up. "Let's go." The Doctor, Matilda, and Clockwork turned towards the tunnel Donna and Colgate had previously entered and ventured inside. Outside Zecora's Hut, Everfree Forest, Equestria, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E. Zecora the zebra wiped her eyes as she awoke to find herself lying on the ground a few yards away from her hut. She couldn't remember how she had fallen asleep in front of her home. The most recent memories she could conjure up as she picked herself up off the snowy earth involved her making her way back to her hut after the Hearth's Warming Eve party at Twilight Sparkle's library had been abruptly ended. The back of her head was pounding something fierce and her nose stung like she had just inhaled something acidic. "I need to know what has transpired," the zebra commented. "How did I sleep despite not being tired?" In the distance, she could hear a mixture of sounds that made her feel incredibly uneasy. It was hard to identify the sounds as they appeared to be emanating from quite a distance away but what Zecora was sure of was that one of the sounds she heard was screaming. "Something is wrong. I must make haste. There is certainly no time to waste!" Zecora was about to break into a run in the direction of the sounds, which was also in the direction of Ponyville, when the sound of an explosion overhead caught her attention. She looked up just in time to see an odd, metallic object spiraling through the air and diving towards the forest. She quickly lost sight of the object as it disappeared beyond the treeline but she didn't have to wait long to hear the inevitable sounds of impact. Zecora could sense the vibrations of the impact course through the ground beneath her hooves and it wasn't long before she started running in the direction of the fallen object. At the moment, she was completely in the dark about what was happening; but she could feel in her gut that there was a chance somepony needed her help. And, right now, the potential victims of the crash were in more dire need of assistance than those in Ponyville. "I am sure my friends have Ponyville protected," she said as she ran. "I cannot leave those in the crash rejected." As Zecora continued to dash away into the thick of Everfree, she failed to notice the dark figures eyeing her from the boundaries of her property.