Blood erupted from an unfortunate guards throat as a small, wiry candy colt ripped it out. Wheezing, he dropped to the ground as the first monsters chubbier friend jumped on his back, giggling maniacally. As if this were a signal, the other candy ghouls closed in, their laughter rattling the already terrified ponies. "Guards to me!" roared Shining Armor as his horn flared and a semi-opaque shell of magic spread around himself, Trixie, and Rainbow Dash. The magical barrier slammed the closest monstrosities backwards into the dust. As the spell spread outwards it literally shattered, or in some cases splattered, the monsters nearest to the captain of the guard. Though Shining had thrown up the shell in a split second, only three guards survived the initial attack unscathed, a tiny fraction of his squad. A few of the less fortunate still lived, but at the rate the creatures were devouring mouthful after gory mouthful, they wouldn't survive for long. Shining had to shout to be heard over not only their screams, but also the joyful gnashing noises of the candied freaks who consumed them, "We have to get out of here! We have to warn the Princess!"
"I don't understand," said Rainbow Dash panicking, darting back and forth inside the magic shell like a caged bird. "What are these things, where did they come from!?"
"They were the residents of Ponyville," said Trixie, her voice so quiet it was almost lost to the carnage that raged like a flesh and candy hurricane just outside the magic bubble. A few of the creatures, those who hadn't gotten to feast on the fallen guards, were banging against the shield. One came right up beside Trixie and gave the magic bubble a slow lick with an impossibly long candy striped tongue. This was somepony Rainbow Dash had known before? Had been neighbors with? She couldn't believe it. "This is partially what the curse on the town has done to them. But I don't think there is only one curse at work here. Look." Trixie pointed so their attention would fall on one of the guards outside the protective spell.
Though the back half of his body was missing, exposing his severed spine, his forelimbs still struggled steadily to bring him closer and closer to the safety of Shining Armor's dome. The agony on his face as he drug himself along the ground was bad enough, the fact two monsters were still gnawing on his guts as they slithered out of his body was far worse. As he finally reached what he must've thought was safety, he reached out one hoof, only to have it bounce off Shining Armor's spell. The magic had repelled what, the others realized, it had determined to be a threat. The guards eyes, already glazed with pain and sparks of insanity, looked at his hoof as if it had betrayed him. The candy ghouls tugged on his intestines, dragging him back away from the bubble, but his killers weren't what made the guard suddenly cry out in agony. Tendrils, whips of liquorice, emerged from the blood slicked hollow of the guards chest and began ripping apart his body. The survivors turned their heads away as viscera poured from his nose and mouth. They couldn't help but peek again at the sound of his eyes popping out of his skull, replaced by two bright yellow gumballs. After an agonizing period filled with soft ripping sounds that seemed to last for ages, a new candy stallion stood amid the puddle of blood and shreds of flesh that marked where the guard had perished. Reborn, he joined the other monsters in their laughter as they moved to feast on still living prey.
"What did that to him?"
"What caused him to change?"
"Is that going to happen to us!?"
Asked each guard after the other, their terror steadily rising, until their Captain shouted, "Enough! We need an exit plan, and we need one now. Trixie, any ideas?" But the blue unicorn was lost in thought, her eyes studying the new candy coated monster just outside the protective shell closely, as if it were the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. The former guard, for his part, smiled widely and joined in the other monsters sing song chanting. Lightning forked across the sky as it began to rain in earnest. The ground, already churned into bloody mud, only grew slicker. The candy ponies that had been destroyed by Shining Armor's spell slowly began to reassemble themselves, rising from the muck still grinning and singing like all the rest. "Trixie!?"
"What, oh, yes, yes. Captain your protective spell seems adept at stopping these creatures. Can we not just push our way through them under its protection?" she asked halfheartedly. As if she already knew the answer.
"No, at least I don't think it would be wise to try. The spell is strongest when cast over a stationary spot. To create the shield moment by moment as we moved would quickly drain me. Add to that the risk of one of you not being able to keep up with my pace, falling behind, especially with the spell weakened from constantly being recast? We might as well line up and let them at us buffet style." The white unicorn concentrated, even now strengthening his initially cast shield to keep it from weakening as the candy coated horde surrounded them. They lapped and bit hungrily at the shell as if it were a treat in and of itself, slamming their teeth and hooves into the barrier. "The only thing I can think to do would be to cast a more powerful version of the spell that would engulf all of Ponyville. It would give us more room to move, but the casting would drain me completely for about a day. It would buy us time, but it wouldn't solve our problem. We'd still need to get a message to Canterlot to send re-enforcements."
Rainbow Dash watched a greyish monster that looked like it had once been a pegasus land drooling atop Shining's shield. "I'm not sure flying outside of this dome of yours would be any safer than walking out. Is that what they want? Are they trying to trap us? They don't seem that smart."
"They don't have to be smart. They just have to kill us or distract us long enough for the stars to properly align. Then their masters work will be complete, and any message we get to Canterlot will be far too late. It's a ploy worthy of Trixie," the others glared at her. "If Trixie were an evil, twisted deviant of course. Which she is not. Stop looking at Trixie like that!" Once again she rummaged around in her knapsack. "Besides, Trixie thinks she knows how we can escape. It's obvious they are vulnerable to high level magic. Even though they seem to be able to reassemble themselves after being damaged by it, simple bursts of magic should be enough to stun them long enough to make our escape. And with this," said Trixie holding aloft a black necklace in the shape of a winged unicorn, a brilliant cut garnet burning at it's heart,"Trixie's power should be more than sufficient to drive back these monsters!"
"Is that the Alicorn Amulet?" inquired Shining Armor, in shock and awe. "But Princess Celestia said that was only to be used as a last resort. It's power is great but any pony who uses it will be corrupted to their core!"
"Oh, tish tosh. Trixie is not just anypony, she is already Great and Powerful! This little trinket will merely give us a much needed edge." Tugging down her conical hat, Trixie's eyes flashed red as she magically clasped the necklace around her throat. "Much better. Now, Rainbow Dash, Trixie thinks it's time you made yourself useful. Once Trixie has cleared a path, you fly as fast as you can for Canterlot."
"No way, I can't just leave you guys here to face these freaks by yourselves!" cried the azure flyer in protest.
"No, she's right Rainbow Dash. You're the fastest pegasus in Equestria, remember? You stand the best chance of getting back to Canterlot and telling Celestia what's happened here and what we've managed to learn so far. Tell her about the curse, that face you saw, and about these...creatures and how they appear to be made." He hesitated, his eyes grave. "If we don't manage to survive this, tell my fiance I'm sorry I postponed the wedding. Will you do that for me?"
"Tell my wife and kids I love them," said one of the other guards.
"Tell my nephew I finally took that trip out to the Great Sea." said another.
"Tell Celestia I was the one who ate her last slice of cake, and I'd do it again!" said the last guard with a grin.
"You guys..." Rainbow Dash's voice cracked, on the verge of tears.
"No! No time for tearful goodbyes and last words. Trixie does not intend to die in this one horse town!" said the Truly Great and Incredibly Powerful Trixie as sparks of red and black lighting danced at the corners of her eyes and along her horn. "Just make sure you get back in one piece Rainbow Dash."
She wanted to say something. To say thanks for believing in her, or not to do anything stupid, or don't go burdening her with their last wishes. The truth was she couldn't speak without risking breaking down there and then. They were all trying to be so strong. They needed her to be strong too. So instead Rainbow Dash remembered the training she had done for her abandoned dream of being a Wonderbolt. She snapped off the smartest salute the guards had ever seen, Trixie and Shining Armor nodding in acknowledgement.
"Alright then, Royal Guards!" roared Shining Armor with a fierce cry. "Lets show these monsters what real ponies are made of!" In the end it was unclear what the Captain had meant by that, for at that moment something red and writhing burst from the dirt at his hooves and seemed to take his words all too literally. The thin liquorice whip flicked from his hindquarters up through his muzzle, slicing one long gash from his groin to his forehead. He blinked for a moment, not understanding what had happened, as the gash opened in his body allowing his insides to spill to the ground beneath his feet. Splitting into two perfect halves, Shining Armor seemed more confused by his death than hurt or alarmed. The other ponies froze in shock at his sudden evisceration, the protective shell shattering around them into so much star dust. The candy ponies stood motionless as well, but from the looks on their psychotic faces, it was simply to relish the moment of sweet anticipation.
More liquorice tendrils burst from the ground, but this time Trixie reacted quickly, incinerating them with a spell before they could throttle, slice, or maim any other ponies. Even though she had done this effortlessly, her voice shook with terror as she screamed, "Get out of here now Rainbow Dash! Now!" A mass of tendrils boiled up all over Ponyville, reaching to the heavens like some obscene blood red weed. The candy ponies cackled louder as they closed in from all sides, the surviving unicorn guards already hard pressed to hold them off with the magic crackling from their horns.
Rainbow Dash hesitated only one moment longer. This was likely the last time she'd see these ponies after all. With a last lingering look she tore into the sky as fast as her wings would carry her, tears streaming from her eyes as she flew. The sounds of magic blasts and monstrous laughter blissfully whisked from her ears by the rushing wind. That didn't last long. She felt a tug at one of her hooves. One of the tendrils had wrapped itself around her hind hoof, stretched taught as she struggled to free herself from it's grasp. Dash's eyes widened in horror as she saw more and more of the tendrils sweeping up from Ponyville, grasping for her. To her eyes, the town was once again awash in blood red flames. Horror flooding her soul, a burst of adrenaline allowed her to rip free of the tendril with nothing more than a ragged red gash. She knew that she had gotten off lightly, because more and more tendrils whizzed past her as she dodged across the sky. Flying in zig-zags and curves, constantly adjusting her elevation to try and out maneuver the grasping red threads, they dogged her every movement. The rain didn't help in the least, leaving Dash half blind as she flew more and more erratically.
Her only hope was to fly higher. She climbed as quickly as she could, the g-forces of the sudden shift in direction making her stomach lurch. Even so, it seemed to work. The tentacles fell away unable or unwilling to reach the speedy flyer. A sudden peel of laughter was all the warning Rainbow Dash had as something new, wet, and sticky slammed into her from above. The force of the blow sent her reeling and nearly knocked her back into the waiting tendrils below. She whirled away just in time to dodge a second assault, this time getting a glimpse of what had attacked her as it flew passed. It was a pegasus, but this one gooey and dripping, its wings strings of melted sugar flapping sloppily in the storm. They were in the clouds! As she watched, a swarm of candy pegasi descended from above, laughing and shrieking. Their faces and bodies seemed to melt in the deluge from the clouds, however this did nothing to impede them as they darted around the sky like a swarm of angry bees. Their bodies jerked and twitched erratically as their wings snapped and popped in the stormy gale, illuminated only briefly by flashes of lightning far too close for comfort.
Rainbow Dash recognized them, even in this twisted and monstrous state. Cloudchaser and Flitter were together, as they had been in life, though now it was because they were fused to one another as one sticky candy creastue. The pony who had attacked her before was a black liquorice version of Thunderlane, while the more melty monster had the sheer mass of Bulk Biceps. A weird looking taffy pony, who Dash could've sworn had the same coloration as Blossomforth, was the next to attack. It was like some bizarre version of her worst nightmare had come to life! Her only saving grace was that though they were fast, they were clumsy. The fact that they were also moving in a swarm, erratic though their motions were, made their movements somewhat more predictable. Steeling her nerves Dash poured on her speed, trying her best to use the clouds as cover, dodging snapping jaws and grasping tendrils by shrinking inches. She felt their cold breath on her flanks. The panic shooting adrenaline through her heart was all that spared her from being torn apart in mid-air. But she was doing it! She could out fly any of them when they were still alive, she could fly circles around them now that they were shambling on broken wings.
Up ahead, a welcome break in the clouds let through a single beam of fading sunlight. Dash noticed the flying candy creatures shied away from the light, preferring the gloom of the storm clouds. Because of this, the warm orange glow peaking through the clouds was like a beacon for Rainbow Dash. She made a beeline for it, out-pacing the candied Thunderlane, and burst up through the clouds into clear and sunny skies. The laughter faded away, and with it, the candy ponies that had been nipping at her heels. The vista that greeted Rainbow Dash above the clouds made her heart sing. The cool autumn air was bracing and the light of the setting sun bathed everything in crimson, gold, and rust. The violet hues of the oncoming night just barely played at the edge of the horizon. Lightning danced below her and for the first time in almost a year something like her old self, her confidence and spirit, surged through her soul. She was the fastest flyer in all of Equestria! Hadn't she just out flown death itself?
She only exulted in her escape for a moment though, before growing somber again. Trixie had likely sacrificed her life for her. She might not have liked the boastful mare much but she wouldn't let her death, or those of Shining Armor and the other Royal Guards, be for nothing. She set her eyes on Canterlot. At top speed she could be there in less than an hour. Maybe there was still time. Maybe if she flew fast enough, Celestia could send the whole Royal Army to save the others? Or at least drive off and destroy the creatures who had killed them and give what was left a proper burial. Dash knew what this called for. It was time for one of her signature sonic rain-booms! And that was what she was just about to do as a mass of crimson tendrils burst from a towering cumulonimbus like scarlet lightning. The individual liquorice ropes hissed and smoked as they shot up into the sunlight, disintegrating even in the weak glow of the fading sun. Enough survived, shielded in the core of the ghastly appendage, to reach their target. Rainbow Dash felt a white hot pain flash through her back as the bundle of sharp candy hooks raked her right side. The azure flyer wobbled for a moment, trying desperately to maintain her altitude with one uninjured wing.
It just wasn't enough.
With a scream of frustration and fear, Rainbow Dash spiraled downward, her tiny body lost in the boiling storm clouds and a shower of her own feathers.
A crash of thunder woke Fluttershy from her sleep. She had been dreaming about Ponyville again, and all her old friends, smiling and happy. It was such a wonderful dream! What with everyone gathering at Twilight Sparkle's library for a surprise party and a delicious feast, she found she truly regretted its end. It was true she never got a good look at what they were eating in her dreams, but she knew it was absolutely delicious, the best treat she could hope for. It was a good dream and she welcomed sleep more and more these days. It was pleasant to remember what her life had once been like, compared to what it had become. After the accident, she'd found it hard to stay awake while the sun was up, no matter how hard she tried. Peeking outside through the cracks in the curtains and between the bars on the window, she expected to see the last rays of the setting sun. Instead she was greeted by a sheet of rain. That explained the thunder at least.
Like most of her days now, the yellow pegasus woke up hungry. She wasn't entirely sure if it was her dreams that made her feel that way or not. While she had as much hay, carrots, apples, and cakes as she wanted to eat, she never really felt satisfied. Zecora had said that it was likely due to her condition, but that she should still try to eat none the less, just to keep her strength up. "Zecora? Big Macintosh!? I'm awake and um, if you don't mind, I'm ready for breakfast!" called Fluttershy. The chain attached to the collar around her neck clinked as she sat up in her makeshift bed. The collar wasn't half as uncomfortable as it looked. She'd grown accustomed to it in fact, though the heavy chains that were attached to it and riveted to the wall were proving more difficult to adjust to. It had been very kind of Zecora to provide, and she wasn't ungrateful, but it made negotiating meals and trips to the bathroom slightly embarrassing. She was thankful for Big Mac's patience. Part of her knew that if it wasn't for his kindness and care, Zecora would have probably long ago tired of her unwanted house guest and sent her away.
Zecora, of course, had said that kind of talk was silly, but Fluttershy knew that her fits were coming more and more frequently. Each episode lasted longer and was more violent than the last, especially these last few weeks leading up to the anniversary of what had happened in Ponyville. Just thinking of the wounds she'd inflicted in the thick hide of Applejack's brother made her want to cry. It also made her a little excited, and that was more terrifying than the hunger. Even if the empty feeling in her stomach never went away, at least that didn't make her feel like a monster. At least hunger she understood. It was the black desire to have another nip of the bulky red stallion that she tried hard to force down. "Zecora!? Big Mac!? Hello!?" Fluttershy called out again, rising to her hooves. The heavy chain around her neck made her hang her head low to the floor as she began to walk around the confines of her room. The room itself was sparse, a barred door set in one wall and a barred window in the other. There were shelves of dusty, empty jars and boxes against the two remaining walls. The zebra shaman had told her that this had been a store room before it had become her bedroom. It was a rather poor rhyme, Fluttershy had thought at the time, but she didn't mention it for fear of insulting her hostess. There was a tattered blanket and pillow for her comfort set atop a pile of straw. Surrounding that were several well worn stuffed animals. That never failed to make Fluttershy a little sad. It had been a sweet gesture by Big Macintosh, but it just reminded her that no real animals wanted to be anywhere near her anymore. It also reminded her of what had happened to Angel Bunny. If she let it, that could send her into a crying fit for hours if she wasn't careful.
It was better to think about something else. Like where were Big Mac and Zecora? Had they gone out? In this storm it didn't seem very likely. Then again, if they had already been out and gotten caught in the downpour, they'd need to take shelter fast. Fluttershy was suddenly worried, not for herself, but for her friends. She knew well that there were terrible things in the Everfree Forest these days. Fortunately they stayed away from Zecora's house, thanks to her knowledge of totems and potions, but that wouldn't do her friends any good out in the middle of the woods. Fluttershy felt a sudden resentfulness for the chain around her neck and the bars on her door and window. She wasn't some animal to be caged up. She was a pony just like anypony else! They'd be sorry for keeping her like this if something did happen to them out in the woods! Not that she could really do anything to help if she were loose, but it was the principle of the thing! The angry thoughts went as quickly as they had come. She didn't really feel that way. She knew it was more dangerous for her to be loose than otherwise. Perhaps especially for her friends given her darker desires.
Another crash of thunder made her jump and duck under her blanket. That was closer, and louder than she'd ever heard before. It seemed to go on and on, shaking Zecora's house to it's foundation. Fluttershy glanced out the window to see leaves and tree limbs raining down into the mud. Finally the noise stopped with a loud smack, not unlike the sound Pinkie Pie had once made when she had belly flopped into the swimming hole two summers ago. Everything was quiet except for the steady pounding rain. That's when she heard it. A groan, just on the edge of her hearing.
That wasn't possible! They stayed away from Zecora's house, they always did, no matter how dark it got in the Everfree Forest! Had the lightning struck one of the totems? Were the zebra's defenses down!? The small pegasus shook under her covers as she heard something bang far away near the front of the house. Somepony was banging against the front door! Somepony or something! This is how it had all started for Fluttershy last Nightmare Night, and that thought flooded her tiny heart with terror. She frantically flew to the window, the weight of her chains ignored, as she tore back the curtain and strained for a better look. She couldn't make out much in the rainy gloom, but she didn't see any jack-o-lanterns. Was that a good sign or a bad one? The banging came again and then, an even more unsettling sound, the jiggling of a doorknob! The creak of the front door swinging slowly open! Why didn't Zecora ever lock her front door!?