//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: "The Bite" // Story: The Crimson Rage // by Time Shield //------------------------------// THE CRIMSON RAGE By: Time Shield (For chronological reference, this story takes place mid-way through Season 3 of MLP, which puts it after the reappearance of the Crystal Empire, but before Discord’s release.) CHAPTER 1: “The Bite” The afternoon sun shone brightly down upon Sweet Apple Acres, a deceptively beautiful day given the storm that swept through the orchard hours earlier. Normally, such activity is scheduled or controlled by the pegasi, but outside forces can occasionally cause a sudden weather event that they have little time to prevent or prepare for. The storm that hit was such an event, though luckily it was not too fierce of a storm, so the damage was minimal. It was only a few overturned carts and some fallen branches from the trees, an afternoon of cleanup work at best. Applejack was attending to the cleanup, picking up branches and tossing them into a cart pulled by her brother, Big McIntosh. As she leaned down to pick up another branch, a familiar voice called out to her from above, “Hey, Applejack!” She looked up and spotted Rainbow Dash descending from the sky above the orchard. Rainbow stopped a few feet above the ground and hovered as she continued, “Just stopping by real quick to let you know, the wind’s settled down, and it should be clear weather from here on out.” “I appreciate that, Rainbow,” Applejack said with a smile. “Couldn’t y’all have given us more of a heads-up though? It would’ve helped if we could’ve tied down a few things.” Rainbow folded her front legs and replied, “C’mon, I let you know as soon as we knew. It’s ‘cause of those crazy breezes that come in from the Everfree Forest. No pony can predict those.” Applejack nodded, “Alright, I know. Think you could lend us a hoof in the cleanup then?” “In a bit,” Rainbow said, smiling confidently. “The Storm’s still moving towards Manehattan. I can beat it there and give ‘em a warning, then be back before you know it.” She realized suddenly that she needed to get started, and quickly added, “So yeah, gotta go! See you later!” “Happy flyin’!” Applejack called out as Rainbow sped off into the sky, rapidly disappearing over the horizon. Leaning down, she picked up the branch and tossed it into the back of the cart. The pile of branches was already stacked pretty high, but it was nothing Big McIntosh couldn’t handle. “Let’s move on to the next row, Big Mac.” Big McIntosh nodded in response, “Eeyup.” As they moved around to the next row of apple trees, Applejack noticed another familiar shape bounding down the path; the family dog, Winona. She was carrying a smaller branch in her mouth, which she carried up to the edge of the cart and dropped in over the side. She looked at Applejack for approval, panting happily. “Nice work, Winona!” Applejack said, to which Winona replied with a cheerful bark. Looking back at Big McIntosh, Applejack remarked, “Why, between the two of us and Winona here, I’ll bet we can get everything cleaned up before Rainbow even gets back.” Big McIntosh looked over his shoulder at how much of the orchard was still left and thought about it. Finally, he said, “Well, maybe if…” “I know,” Applejack interrupted. “Maybe if we had Apple Bloom’s help too, right?” Big McIntosh silently nodded, so she continued, “She should be gettin’ out o’ school soon. In the meantime, let’s get back to work.” Winona sat quietly as the two of them were talking, but then got distracted by a butterfly that fluttered down the pathway. She watched it for a few moments, then bounded after it barking, which startled the butterfly and caused it to fly away faster. Before long, the chase began taking them completely out of the orchard. “Winona! Come back!” Applejack called out, but the dog either didn’t hear her or was too focused on catching the butterfly. Noticing where they were heading, she shook her head, “Fool dog’s gonna go right into the Everfree if she keeps it up. Hey, Big Mac!” Big McIntosh looked over, “Hm?” “Can you go get Winona?” Applejack asked. “I’ll finish this row by myself ‘till you get back.” “Eeyup,” Big McIntosh agreed, unhooking himself from the cart. He quickly ran down the path after Winona; sure enough, the butterfly passed out of the orchard grounds and into the more dense growth of the Everfree forest. Winona ran in after it, in pursuit. Big McIntosh hesitated only briefly as he reached the edge of the forest. Almost no pony was comfortable travelling through it; rightly so, since it was a very unnatural place. Big Mac himself rarely set foot inside, but he was quite strong and figured he could handle anything the forest might throw at him. Without any further doubt, he confidently strode into the woods. Twilight Sparkle walked through the center of Ponyville on her way out of town, watching the townsponies around her straightening up after the earlier storm. Flowerbeds and shrubs all over were in particularly bad shape, and there were collections of debris against the sides of buildings and in alleyways. However, overall the town was making good progress in restoring the town to its normal condition. Two familiar figures behind her quickened their pace until they caught up with her. “Twilight!” Rarity called out, she and Pinkie Pie slowing their paces to walk alongside her. “I do hope the sudden storm didn’t do any permanent damage to the library.” “No, it’s fine,” Twilight said. “That old tree’s sturdier than it looks. It’d take something a lot stronger than a simple storm to damage it. It’s one of the safest places to be in town during heavy weather.” Pinkie Pie smiled, “I’ll say! Sugarcube Corner was rattling like a big jar full of candy corn during the storm. I thought the whole thing would just blow away, but then I realized that’d be really hard, ‘cause of all the cake and stuff inside weighing it down!” “At least it’s better than the shape the Carousel Boutique was in,” Rarity lamented. “Ugh, it was horrid. That storm was a fright. But it’s all taken care of now.” “You got it fixed up already?” Twilight asked. “That was fast.” Nodding, Rarity replied, “Of course. You’d be surprised on just how motivating it can be to restore a work of art that’s been freshly defaced, dear. I just couldn’t stand to leave it that way.” They reached the edge of town, and Twilight stopped for a moment, turning to the others and saying, “The library’s all in order as well, so I thought I’d check on Applejack. I don’t imagine the orchard made it through unharmed. Want to come?” “Oh… thank you, but no,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “I was on my way to see Fluttershy, actually. The storm frightened poor Opalescence, and I can’t get her to come down from the top of the cabinets.” Pinkie Pie shook her own head, “No can do either. I promised I’d help the Cakes clean up Sugarcube Corner.” She finished with a helpful smile. “Uhh, but Pinkie…” Twilight started to say. Cutting off Twilight with a gasp, Pinkie jumped and exclaimed, “I’m supposed to be helping the Cakes clean up Sugarcube Corner!” Without another word, she spun around and ran off back into town. Twilight smiled and shook her head slightly, before starting down the path to Sweet Apple Acres, while Rarity continued on her way towards Fluttershy’s house. Big McIntosh was surrounded by the sounds of the Everfree Forest as he walked. Something about the ambience immediately set it apart from normal woods. It was subtle; the normal insect, bird and other animal sounds were different, more menacing and mysterious. Unusual magical creatures of all types lurked here, and despite his confidence, he found his eyes scanning the woods not only for Winona, but also for any sign of danger. Everything felt wrong here; even the dirt beneath his hooves didn’t crumble just right. After a few minutes of walking with no sign of the dog, he paused and gave a whistle to call for her. There was no response, so he tried again, a little louder. After a moment he heard barking in the distance, and his face lit up. Running in the direction of the sound, he passed through some thick foliage before reaching a small clearing, spotting Winona at last. The dog was sitting on the ground, watching the butterfly she was chasing earlier land on a flower at the edge of the clearing. He slowed his pace and walked up to the dog, but as he did so, the butterfly took off from the flower and started to head deeper into the forest. Winona jumped back to her feet as if to give chase again. Big McIntosh quickly lunged forward to try and grab her by the collar, but missed as she bounded off again into the woods. Giving a frustrated grunt, he got back to his hooves and prepared to run after the dog. Before he could take a step, he froze suddenly at the sound of something buzzing nearby. It sounded similar to a fly or a bee, but like most things in the woods, something was off about it. Looking around, he spotted what was making the sound: a rather large insect, nearly eight inches long, that was hovering a few feet from him in the clearing. It looked vaguely like a mosquito, except it was a deep red color, and was much bigger of course. It hovered for a moment and then drifted closer to him. More annoyed than fearful, he waved his front leg to try and shoo it away. It dodged to the side and seemed to halt its approach for the time. He turned his attention back to the woods where Winona ran off and was about to resume his pursuit, when he felt a bite on the skin of his back. Startled, he jumped a little and swatted at the fly, which was now sitting on his back. The fly detached itself and buzzed off into the woods, disappearing from view. Big McIntosh couldn’t get a good look at the welt it left on his back; he decided he didn’t have time to think about it and readied himself for pursuit again. He only got one step before he noticed his vision starting to blur. Suddenly becoming unsteady on his legs, he wobbled for a moment and leaned up against the nearest tree to steady himself. He blinked his eyes, trying to clear them, but in the next moment they burned as if they were on fire. He tensed up and clenched his eyes, his mind becoming foggy as he lost focus on where he was, or who he was. Mere seconds later, he regained his footing and breathed heavily, opening his now red, bloodshot eyes, a low and unnatural growl building in his throat… Applejack lifted another bundle of branches with her mouth, which she had tied up with a rope, dropping them into the cart. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and untied the rope, pulling it free from the bundle and slinging it over her shoulder to use again later. She glanced back towards the Everfree Forest in the distance and muttered to herself, “What in tarnation’s takin’ Big Mac so long?” “Hellooo!” a voice called out, and she turned her attention back to the path in front of her, seeing Twilight Sparkle trotting in her direction. “Hey, Applejack!” Smiling, Applejack nodded, “Howdy, Twilight. How are things back in town?” “Not bad,” Twilight replied, “It could’ve been worse. We should have everything straightened up in the next hour or so.” She peered over at the cart full of branches and asked with some surprise, “Are you doing this all on your own?” “Well, Big Mac was helpin’ me,” Applejack told her, “but Winona ran off into the forest, and he went after her.” She glanced back at the forest again, adding, “They’ve been gone an awful while now…” Twilight looked concerned, “You’re worried, aren’t you? The Everfree Forest is a dangerous place, after all.” Applejack shook her head with a laugh, “Naw. Big Mac can take care o’ himself.” She paused for a moment, cocking her head as she heard the faint sound of Winona barking, “In fact, that’s probably them right now.” They both looked back at the Everfree Forest, waiting as Winona’s barking became louder until eventually the dog emerged from the woods. However, there was no sign of Big McIntosh anywhere, and they heard no pony else coming. Winona ran up to Applejack and sat on the ground, happily scratching the side of her head with her rear foot. Applejack and Twilight shared a troubled glance before looking back at the woods. Twilight finally said, “I don’t know… maybe we should go look for him.” “Yeah… maybe you’re right…” Applejack agreed. She looked at Winona and pointed at the barn back on the farm, “Winona, go on home now.” Winona followed orders and ran off towards the barn, while Twilight and Applejack started for the edge of the forest. Upon crossing into it, the air almost immediately felt hotter and more humid, especially in the wake of the earlier storm. The general uneasiness was nothing unfamiliar to the two of them; they had gone into the Everfree many times in the past, more than either of them would have liked. Twilight looked around as they walked, calling out, “Big Mac? Big Mac, can you hear us? Where are you?” There was no answer, and Applejack began to feel more worried as time passed. “Where could he be?” she wondered aloud. “Look!” Twilight exclaimed, pointing off the path at some foliage. It had clearly been trampled earlier, and there were clear hoof marks in the dirt. “I think he went this way!” Nodding, Applejack said, “Good eye, Twilight!” and quickly ran over to follow Big McIntosh’s tracks, with Twilight close behind. The tracks lead only a short distance further, before it emptied into a clearing. Near the far end of the clearing, they could see a shape hunkered over, partly sitting on the ground. It was trembling oddly, partly turned away and panting heavily, but as they got closer they could see it was unmistakably… “Big Mac!” both Applejack and Twilight called out, relieved to find him. At the sound of nearby voices, Big McIntosh’s head snapped up and spun to face the source. Rather than his usual friendly expression, however, his brow was furrowed angrily and his teeth were clenched. He looked at the two of them, staring intently with rage but without the dimmest flicker of recognition. In that instant, he started to climb back to his hooves. “…Big Mac? What’s… what’s wrong?” Applejack asked hesitantly. He didn’t answer, but began to take steps forward. As he got closer, she saw the bright, unusual redness in his eyes and knew immediately something wasn’t right. “Your eyes…!” “Look out!” Twilight called out sharply, quickly using her magic to push Applejack aside; she was so focused on Big McIntosh’s eyes that she didn’t notice he was charging straight at her. He missed her by a hair, whizzing past and slamming into a tree at the near edge of the clearing. He staggered for a moment, and then started looking around to get his bearings. Wh-why did he attack me? Applejack thought… What happened to him? She didn’t have time to think further about it, because Big McIntosh recovered and started galloping towards Twilight. She gasped and quickly turned to run the opposite way along the edge of the clearing, but she couldn’t hope to outrun him for long. Applejack remembered the rope she was carrying from bundling the branches earlier and pulled it out, quickly forming a lasso with it. She swung it around, shouting, “Hang on, Twilight!” “Hurry!” Twilight yelled. Tossing it out in front of them, the loop of the rope landed on the ground just in front of Big McIntosh. As soon as he stepped into the loop, Applejack pulled tightly, snaring his rear leg. The only effect it had was to jerk her off her feet, dragging her across the forest ground as he ran. Surprised, she dug her hooves into the ground to try and slow him down. Big McIntosh finally noticed he had been snared, and skidded to a halt. The sudden stop launched Applejack off the forest ground and over his head, passing over a large tree branch and leaving her swinging from the rope. Sensing an opportunity, Twilight turned around and jumped up towards Applejack, grabbing hold of the rope as well. Their combined weight pulled the rope downwards, hoisting Big McIntosh off the ground. Applejack quickly tied the rope to a root on the ground while she had the chance, leaving Big McIntosh dangling upside down from his back leg in the rope. He angrily thrashed and growled, trying to get free, but could not. Twilight and Applejack took a moment to catch their breath, and then carefully approached him to get a better look. “What in Equestria…?” Twilight said, studying him from a safe distance. “His eyes,” Applejack said, a small amount of fear creeping into her voice. “What’s wrong with his eyes? Th-that ain’t natural…” Twilight shook her head, “I don’t know. He looks... sick, or… or…” “Brother, please, say somethin’!” Applejack pleaded, moving slightly closer, but then jumped back with a yelp as Big McIntosh violently growled and snapped his teeth at her, the lunge causing him to swing back the other way. She looked at Twilight and said, “It’s like he doesn’t even know me…” Twilight frowned and said, “Applejack, keep an eye on him. I’ve got to get back to the library and see if I can find anything that can help us. Don’t let him down from that tree until we know what’s going on!” “A-all right… but hurry,” Applejack said. Twilight nodded and started running as fast as she could out of the Everfree Forest. Applejack watched her leave, and then turned her attention back to Big McIntosh. He was still thrashing around and trying to get free from his upside-down snare, growling furiously like a wild animal. She sat down in the clearing, watching him uncomfortably and thinking, This just ain’t you, Big Mac… Whatever’s wrong with you, Twilight’s just gotta find the answer… she’s just gotta… To Be Continued…