Chapter V: Separate Ways
The orchards of Sweet Apple Acres now lay far behind Spike and Rarity. The two walked down the middle of a road west of Ponyville; the sun was still high overhead, and despite the gradual rise in the terrain as the road approached a large mountain, Spike expected that he and Rarity would make good progress before the day ended. He looked over to his companion- she kept pace with him, her eyes sweeping over the horizon, seemingly searching for any approaching monsters.
It was at that moment that the young woman- Rarity- looked over to him. “Spike?” she asked.
“Yes?” he asked in turn, quickly turning his attention elsewhere.
“What can you tell me about this place we’re travelling to? The ‘Land of Fire,’ was it?”
“That’s right,” Spike replied, and fell silent for a moment as he recalled what Twilight had told him. He then continued, “The Land of Fire is a region of the continent to the far west, across the Ceres Ocean. From what Twilight told me, it has a lot of volcanic activity- eruptions, ash falls, earthquakes, and so on. In fact, this volcanic activity is so severe that no one’s ever been able to establish a permanent settlement there. So, we’ll need to make a stop in Tang Mo for supplies first, before continuing on.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow in confusion. “…Tang Mo?”
“The so-called ‘Thousand Monkey Isles.’ It’s the largest chain of islands in the world, and its westernmost islands are only a few miles off the coast of the Land of Fire. But we’re going to need a boat to get there.” He looked to Rarity. “Are there any ports on the west side of Equestria that can take us there?”
Rarity thought for a moment. “...The biggest port I know of on the west coast is in Los Andaluzes. If there are any boats that can take us to Tang Mo, that’s where we’ll find them.”
“Alright. So we’re headed to Los Andaluzes.” Spike was silent for a moment, before asking, “By the way, isn’t that…?”
“Yes, it’s where Applewood is.” She shook her head. “I’m afraid we won’t have much time for sightseeing, though.”
Suddenly, the asphalt in front of the two exploded, leaving a small hole. And from this hole emerged a creature that resembled a small, craggy boulder. It was short, not even reaching up to Rarity’s waist- still, Spike had drawn his spear and held it at the ready.
Rarity punched a fist into her hand. “Never a dull moment, is there?” Rarity charged the beast before either it or Spike could react, pulling her fist back in preparation for a powerful uppercut. If she could knock a monster the size of a bus off its feet, then one that wasn’t even half her height stood no chance whatsoever. She ducked down, and punched the monster square in its chest…
Nothing. There was no indication that the beast had felt Rarity’s punch at all.
But Rarity certainly felt it. She stumbled back, shaking her hand and crying out in pain. “Oh… oh that hurt!”
“It seems to have some kind of shell,” Spike said.
Rarity cradled her hand and looked at the beast. “I noticed.”
“Let me see if I can make more of an impact.” Spike rushed the rock monster, drawing back his spear fully for a powerful blow, before swinging with all his might.
But Spike’s spear simply bounced off the creature’s outer shell, and he reeled back as the force of his blow was suddenly redirected.
The beast roared and swiped its claws at Spike, but he leapt back before its attack could connect. “…This might be a problem.”
“What do we do?” Rarity asked.
“That girl Pinkie Pie mentioned you were a martial artist,” Spike replied. “Did you ever break any bricks?”
“Well I did break a few boards…” Rarity began. “But I don’t think-”
The beast charged, and Spike swung his spear- the blow again bounced off, but the beast was pushed back. “Well it’s better than nothing.”
Rarity looked to Spike, then to the rock monster, before she replied, reluctantly, “…Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”
It wasn’t that Rarity didn’t remember how to do it- she did, and could even remember exactly what part of her foot to strike with to avoid injuring herself. But breaking a board, and breaking a monster’s skull, were two very different things. Still, she braced herself, and ran towards the beast again- as Spike said, it certainly couldn’t hurt to try.
In moments, she was in range of the monster. Rarity swung her leg up, bringing her foot above her head, before dropping it heel-first onto the monster’s head.
To her own surprise, the beast’s shell cracked open from the force of her blow. It roared furiously and swiped at her with one of its claws, catching her in the leg. She fell back, but Spike placed himself between her and the monster. With a furious cry, he drew back his spear and stabbed into the crack in the beast’s shell.
Blood spurted from the crack. The rock monster again roared in fury and pain, but did not fall- instead, it pressed forward, swiping its claws furiously at Spike, but its pitifully short arms couldn’t hope to reach the dragon knight. He slid back slightly as the monster tried to march towards him, but held firm.
Only a few moments later, the rock monster let out a final roar and collapsed, the ground shaking slightly from the impact. Spike withdrew his spear and hung it on his back, and looked back to Rarity. “Are you alright?” He looked up and down the young woman sitting before him, his eyes falling on the fresh wounds on her leg. “Your leg…”
“It’s just a scrape. I’ll be alright.” She tried to stand, but she could barely draw in her leg.
He looked down at her, unconvinced. “I’ll be the judge of that. And we need to have a look at your hand, too.”
“Spike, I’m fine, really-” But before she could finish, Spike scooped her off the ground and carried her to the side of the road in his arms. She was surprised at first by how easily he lifted her… but really, she shouldn’t have been- from what he’d told her and the others, he’d been fighting monsters long before meeting them. And she’d seen his strength firsthand. But she was no slouch either. So, she said to him as he carried her:
“You could’ve at least let me walk on my own”
“Ah never did like this place,” Applejack said. She scanned the foliage, hand resting on her pistol, ready to draw at a moment’s notice.
“I’m sure it isn’t too bad,” Fluttershy replied, but she jumped when the howl of some beast rang out from deep within the trees.
At the sound, Applejack drew her guns and aimed them in its general direction. She waited several moments, but when nothing emerged, she holstered them again. Shaking her head, Applejack said, “…Let’s just get ourselves outta here ‘fore somethin’ gets the drop on us.”
Officially, the Everfree Forest to the south of Ponyville was a nature preserve, protected from development. But in reality, the forest had been largely untouched by human hands long before any such decree had ever been made. Most people who visited the place felt that it was… wrong, in some unidentifiable way, were eager to leave as soon as possible, and made every effort to avoid it afterward.
But Applejack and Fluttershy had no choice but to proceed along the railroad tracks that cut through the otherwise unspoiled woods. The underbrush that lined the tracks was completely impenetrable, and the trees formed a thick canopy overhead, completely blocking out the midday sun. The forest, which should have been bustling with the activity of various creatures, was blanketed by a complete, absolute silence, save for the two’s movements… which only served to make the occasional break in the silence that much more unsettling.
“It’s so quiet…” Fluttershy said. “That isn’t normal for a forest like this.”
“Yeah well, ya’d be hard-pressed ta find someone ‘round these parts who’d call this place ‘normal,’” Applejack replied.
“Why is that?”
Applejack replied, “Well, look around.” Fluttershy did just that. “…Ya can feel it, can’t ya?”
Fluttershy couldn’t deny the fact that she felt some sort of… presence with them in the woods. It wasn’t an animal, but at the same time, it wasn’t human, either. It simply… was. “…I do,” she replied. “Is it monsters?”
Applejack shrugged. “Could be. All Ah can say is that it’s been this way long before Ponyville was founded. And no one’s willin’ ta stick around and find out what’s out here.”
Silence fell between the two as they continued to walk down the tracks… until Fluttershy suddenly let out a startled cry and fell to one knee.
Applejack stopped and looked back. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Fluttershy replied, as she began to stand up. “I just tripped over-”
Her words became a high-pitched scream as her foot was yanked back and she was dragged into the underbrush.
“Shy!” Applejack sprinted after her friend, ignoring the numerous branches that cut into her skin and clothes. She lost sight of her friend in the thick brush, but she could hear her screams, hear the sound of a body being dragged over the ground just ahead of her. Before long, Applejack burst into a clearing, drawing her weapons.
Before Applejack was a large tree. But this tree was unlike any she had seen before- long vines hung from its branches, twisting and coiling like snakes, and a bestial, fanged face was set into its trunk. The tree monster let out a deep, rumbling growl as it lifted a screaming Fluttershy into the air.
Without delay, Applejack aimed and shot the vines holding her friend aloft. Fluttershy dropped to the ground, but quickly pushed herself to her feet and ran to Applejack, hiding behind her more combat-capable companion. “What is that thing?” Fluttershy stammered.
“Don’t know. Don’t really care.” Applejack aimed at the beast. “But if it tries to hurt my friends, it goes down either way.”
The tree monster let out another deep growl, before several of the vines hanging from its branches lashed out at the two. Applejack pushed Fluttershy back before diving out of the vines’ path- in an instant, she was back on her feet, and shot several rounds at the monster. Tiny explosions burst across the tree-monster’s face where the bullets met their mark… but they seemed to have no effect whatsoever. But then again why would they? She was shooting a tree, after all.
Applejack reloaded. “Ah really wish Sunset or Twilight were here right now! They could just burn this thing down with their magic!”
Fluttershy hurried over to Applejack, batting away one of the monster’s vines with her staff. “You have magic too, Applejack! Remember what Spike said?”
Spike’s words from the morning before echoed in Applejack’s mind: …some people have innate magical talent, but they can’t use it the way normal spellcasters do. …they have to channel their abilities through a special artifact first… a “focus.” She looked down at the revolver in her left hand. “Yer right. Ah do.” She aimed at the tree monster. “And Ah think Ah’ve got just the thing.”
She concentrated, and a bright orange glow began to shine from inside the revolver’s cylinder. The tree-monster let out a harsh screech as the flaming bullets struck its body, and its vines whipped out at Applejack. She evaded the monster’s first strike… but not its second- a long vine struck her across the chest, knocking her off her feet. Her semiauto flew from her hand, but she held on to her revolver.
Applejack pushed herself up to one knee- she heard Fluttershy approach, but she waved her away. “So, ya like ta play rough, do ya?” she asked, rising to her feet, shaking in rage. She was unaware of the small red bolts of electricity that arced over her body. “Well, Ah have ta warn ya… Ah like ta play rough too.”
Applejack aimed her revolver and fired. The flaming bullet hit its mark, but Applejack didn’t stop with just one- she fanned the revolver’s hammer with her other hand as fast as she could move it, pelting the monster with a spray of burning projectiles. The monster screeched in pain, its vines thrashing wildly, but Applejack’s relentless barrage prevented it from retaliating. She strode toward the beast, still firing endlessly…
…until a sharp pain stabbed into Applejack’s temple. She clutched her head, bringing her assault to a sudden end. But as the pain faded, she could see that the beast had fallen still, its growls replaced by silence. Its body was riddled with numerous, still-smoldering bullet holes. Its vines hung limply from its branches, or rested upon the ground, motionless.
Fluttershy approached, gingerly handing Applejack her semiauto. “Are you okay, Applejack?”
“Ah’m fine,” she replied, holstering her weapons. “Did Ah get it?”
Fluttershy- and then Applejack- looked to the monster, watching carefully for any sort of movement. But there was none. After a moment, Fluttershy replied, “I think so.”
Applejack approached one of the tree monster’s vines, and prodded it with her foot. “So, plants are tryin’ ta kill us, too? Great.”
Fluttershy looked at the tree, and asked, “Do you think Twilight would know anything about this?”
Applejack pulled out her phone. “…S’pose it couldn’t hurt ta ask.”
Applejack dialed, and after ringing for a moment, Twilight’s voice asked, “This is… Applejack, yes?”
“Uh, yeah,” Applejack replied. “Twilight, I gotta ask ya somethin’- can magic bring plants ta life?”
There was a brief silence before Twilight answered, “It can, apparently- in my studies, I have read about sentient plant species that could feed off of magical energies, though I have never observed any specimens for myself. Why do you ask?”
“Ah just killed one that tried ta drag Fluttershy away.”
“…I see. Although I have never encountered these plant monsters before, I can give you all the information I have collected about them. Do you wish to hear it?”
“Lay it on us.”
“Very well. You should be extremely cautious if you believe this type of creature to be in the vicinity- as plants, they are adept at camouflaging with their surroundings. Also, many are capable of emitting spores that induce various effects, such as poison or sleep. However, most of these plant-based monsters are vulnerable to fire. And, the vast majority of them are immobile; should you encounter one that is too strong to fight, you should be able to flee from it with ease.”
“Thank you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said.
“It was no trouble. Safe travels to you.” Click.
As Applejack pocketed her phone, Fluttershy asked, “Applejack? …How many bullets does your revolver hold?”
“Six. Why?”
“…You fired a lot more than just six shots just now.
Applejack looked down to her holstered revolver. “Ah did?”
Suddenly, the ground shook. Applejack and Fluttershy stumbled, and looked to the tree-monster. It swayed and twisted violently- its vines shot out, and wrapped around nearby trees for support, and great roots tore themselves up from beneath the nearby ground. The monster let out a deep, rumbling growl, and an angry orange light began to shine from within its eyes and mouth as it turned to face the two.
Applejack drew her guns. “Shoulda known it wouldn’t be that easy.”
Fluttershy backed away slowly. “What do we do now?”
Applejack aimed her revolver and tried to focus, but received only a sharp, stabbing pain to her temples for her effort. “…Mah plan is simple…” she replied, holstering her weapons. “We run!” With that she grabbed Fluttershy’s arm and dragged her away from the massive plant monster. The beast pursued them, the earth shaking with every footfall.
Spike tied a knot in the bandage he had wrapped over Rarity’s leg. “And that should be the last of it.” He looked up to her. “How are you feeling?”
Rarity pulled in her leg to look at it, before standing. “Better. Thank you.”
“You should get something to protect your hands- gloves, brass knuckles… even some hand wraps would be better than nothing.”
“I’ll look into it once we reach the next town.” She looked at her bandaged knuckles. “But, how did you know what to do?”
“Twilight got hurt a lot when she was first learning to control her magic.” Spike beckoned, and he and Rarity began to walk down the road once again. “Most of the time, she could treat her injuries on her own, but sometimes, when she really hurt herself, I had to help her out.”
Rarity looked again to the bandages. “…I’m guessing she hurt herself quite a lot.” She flexed her fingers. “But I still don’t understand…”
“What’s the matter?”
Rarity looked to Spike. “Well, you remember what happened in town, don’t you?”
Spike nodded. “I do.” Seeing a young woman uppercut a wyvern off of its feet wasn’t a sight that was easily forgotten.
“What I’d hoped was that I’d do the same thing against that monster from before. But… it just didn’t happen. I wish I knew why.”
Several moments passed, before Spike replied, “…Twilight said that not everyone who has magic can use it the same way. Some, like Applejack, need to channel it through a medium first. Others can only use it in certain circumstances.”
“Yes, you told us that yesterday,” Rarity said.
“I’m guessing you’re most likely the second kind. I noticed that it happened right after the wyvern hurt that girl, Sweetie Belle-”
A roar suddenly sounded. Spike pulled out his spear and Rarity raised her fists, ready for a fight… but there were no monsters nearby. “You… did hear that, right?” Rarity asked.
“I did.” Spike looked around- there were no monsters, but up ahead, he could see a bridge spanning a wide riverbed. He pointed. “I think it came from over there. Stay low, and follow my lead.” He crouched down and began to creep towards the river, and Rarity followed.
A minute later, the two peered over the edge of the riverbed- in the dried up bottom, they saw a girl in blue, confronted by a scale-covered monster the size of a lion. The beast roared at the girl, before leaping at her, swinging its claws. The girl stepped aside, but not before the beast managed to leave a number of scratches in her arm.
The girl looked down at her arm. But then, she laughed, and shouted, “Fool! Pain is Trixie’s friend! Allow Trixie to introduce you to it!”
Trixie inhaled sharply, before exhaling a long jet of fire from her mouth. The scales of the beast blackened under the heat of the flames- it roared in fury, before it turned and fled.
Trixie watched the monster flee, before she put her hands on her hips and laughed heartily. “Yes, run! Run before the might of Trixie!”
Spike looked on for a few moments, before he looked to Rarity and said, “Okay, I think I’ve seen enough. Let’s get out of here before she spots us.” He began to back away from the ledge slowly.
But Rarity said, “Wait just a moment. I know that girl.”
Spike looked back. “You do?”
“Yes. She’s Trixie- one of my classmates.” She then stood and climbed down the embankment, shouting, “Trixie! Trixie!” After several moments’ hesitation, Spike stood and followed.
Trixie turned upon hearing her name. “Oh! Fans!” she said in surprise. “Have you come to bask in the majesty that is Trixie the Magnificent?”
As he and Rarity approached, Spike lifted his helmet and raised a confused eyebrow. “I’m sorry, what?”
Rarity reached up to tap Spike’s shoulder. “Let me talk to her, Spike,” She then stepped forward and said, “Hello, Trixie. I’m glad to see that you’re alright.”
Trixie crossed her arms, indignant. “Of course Trixie is alright. Why wouldn’t Trixie be?”
“Well, no one’s seen you at school for a while…”
“Some time ago, Trixie discovered that she has a special talent unlike any other. Trixie thought that this was Trixie’s chance for stardom, so last week Trixie set out to Applewood to show the world her talents!” Trixie put her hands on her hips and posed.
“Last week?” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “We just left Canterlot two days ago. You should be much further along than this.”
Trixie looked away. “…Trixie must confess that she went the wrong way at first.”
Before either Trixie or Rarity could say any more, Spike interrupted, asking, “Is there any particular reason why ‘Trixie’ keeps talking about herself in the third person?”
Rarity looked to Spike. “There’s no need to be rude, Spike.”
But Trixie waved off Spike’s comment, as though to say that she was not offended. “Trixie’s talent is that she can draw the essence of monsters into herself, and learn their special skills. But by taking in a monster’s essence, Trixie becomes more like the monster. So Trixie has to remind herself that Trixie is Trixie, and not a monster.”
“Interesting,” Spike said. “Twilight mentioned something about magic-users who were able to absorb the skills of others and use them as their own- I think she called it ‘blue’ magic.” He then adjusted his bag. “But as much as I’d like to stay and ask you about your abilities, Rarity and I have business we need to attend to. Safe travels to you.” He began to walk away.
But before he could go too far, Rarity reached out and grabbed his shoulder. “Hold on just a moment, Spike.”
He turned. “What’s the problem?”
“You aren’t just going to leave her out here, are you?”
“We have a mission, and a time limit, Rarity,” Spike replied. “We can’t afford to stop and help every person we come across.” He looked back at Trixie. “Besides, she seems to be able to handle herself just fine.” Trixie grinned at Spike’s comment.
“Spike, please. This is… it’s different. We’d be going to the same place. And we have time, don’t we? Surely we could reach Applewood in less than a year. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Spike was silent for several long moments, before he looked to Trixie. “…Trixie, Rarity and I are going to Los Andaluzes. You’re free to come along with us, but once we reach Applewood, you’re on your own.”
“You’d do that? Er- What Trixie meant to say was… Trixie does not need your charity. But, it would be nice to have company on the road to Applewood. Therefore, I accept your request to join me in my journey.”
“Wait, I just said you could-” Spike protested.
But Rarity quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. “We would be honored to accompany you, dear,” she said. “Now let’s get moving.”
“Right! Follow me!” With that, Trixie began to climb up the riverbank… in the direction of Canterlot.
“…Los Andaluzes is in the other direction, dear,” Rarity said.
Trixie climbed down and crossed the riverbed before climbing up the other riverbed, this time going the correct direction. “Trixie knew that. Trixie was simply testing you!” Rarity followed her, and, after a moment’s hesitation, so did Spike.
As they climbed the riverbank, Spike leaned towards Rarity and asked in a low voice, “Why are you going along with all this?”
“Trixie can be rather… difficult at times,” Rarity replied. “In situations such as those, it’s better to simply play along. Besides, it would be safer to travel in greater numbers, wouldn’t you agree?”
Spike did not answer, instead letting out a long sigh, before asking, “…how far away is Los Andaluzes?”
“About seven hundred miles from Canterlot.”
“Seven hundr-” Spike stammered, before he collected himself. “…it’ll be fine…” he said, mostly to himself. “Twilight and I traveled to here from Albion in three months. We can handle seven hundred miles.”
Finally, the group reached the top of the embankment. “Alright!” Trixie shouted. “With Trixie’s strength and cunning, and with the help of Trixie’s minions, nothing will stand in Trixie’s way! Next stop: Applewood.” Trixie pointed dramatically to the road before them… before she glanced back to Rarity and asked quickly, “Applewood is in that direction, right?” After Rarity nodded, Trixie pumped her fist excitedly and said, “Then what’re we waiting for!? Let’s go!”
A screech sounded from above. They looked up, to see a black streak diving towards, them. Then, it flared its wings, bringing itself to a stop before the trio. It was a small creature, with a round body, short legs, and long leathery wings- but most striking was its single eye, set into the middle of its body, above a large mouth filled with sharp teeth.
Spike reached for his spear, and Rarity brought up her fists. But Trixie stepped forward. “Allow me.” She took the coil from her belt and unrolled it, revealing it to be a long bullwhip.
“A whip?” Spike asked. “You’re going to need something a little stronger if you’re-”
Crack.
As Spike spoke, Trixie swung her whip at the beast. As it cracked, the monster’s wing flew from its body and it dropped to the ground. But the monster was somehow still alive- it pushed itself up, its eye glowing brightly, before a narrow beam of light shot out at Trixie. She stepped back, and the beam sailed over her shoulder, missing entirely. Then, the winged monster collapsed onto its face, surrounded by a rapidly expanding pool of dark blood.
Trixie looked back. “See? No beast is a match for Trixie the Magnificent.”
“But, how did… a whip can’t…” Rarity stammered.
“I bought it from a local farm while I was trying to get to Applewood,” Trixie said as she began to roll up the whip. “The noise was usually enough to drive away most animals, but it wasn’t enough to keep the monsters away. So, Trixie made a small modification.” She held up the far end of the whip, to reveal a short, gleaming blade.
“That seems rather dangerous, dear,” Rarity said.
“It is.” Trixie held up an arm and rolled up her sleeve, revealing that her arm was covered with fresh cuts of various sizes, lengths, and directions. “Not all of these came from monsters.” She then hung the whip from her belt.
Spike approached, to examine Trixie’s wounds. “…some of these wounds look like they were pretty serious. If it’s not asking too much, try not to hit yourself anymore. Or us. I’m not sure I have the skills to patch up injuries like these.”
“Trixie never does anything that she does not intend,” Trixie replied, as she rolled up her sleeves. “Now come. It is a long road to Applewood.” With that, Trixie began to walk down the road leading westward. Rarity followed, and after a moment. So did Spike.
“By the way…” Rarity began, “…did we really see you breathing fire earlier?”
Applejack and Fluttershy raced through the forest underbrush. Behind, rumbling growls filled the air and tremors pulsed through the ground as the massive tree monster pursued them. Fighting the beast now would be folly- the underbrush hindered their movement, and concealed too many angles where their foe could strike unexpectedly. So the two had no choice but to press forward, to reach the edge of the forest before their pursuer could catch them.
Up ahead, Applejack could see a bright light shining through the trees. Sunlight. “C’mon Fluttershy!” she called. “Just a little further! We’re almost outta here!” Fluttershy huffed and wheezed in exertion, but did not answer.
After several moments, the two burst forth from the forest, its densely packed trees and underbrush instantly replaced with flat, open grasslands. But Applejack and Fluttershy did not stop running. “Keep runnin’, keep runnin’!” Applejack urged. For while they had left the forest, the growls and the tremors from behind had not ceased.
But then, Fluttershy stumbled, and fell, dragging Applejack down with her. Applejack cursed and reached for her semiauto, and aimed back, expecting to feel the tree-monster’s vines wrap around her at any second…
But they never came.
When she looked back, Applejack could see the tree-monster’s vines had stopped several feet away from the two. They hung in the air for several seconds, rigid, before quickly withdrawing into the darkness of the forest’s foliage. For a brief moment, she thought she saw a bestial face lit up in an orange light glaring out at them… but then it was gone.
Applejack holstered her gun and stood. “It’s alright, Fluttershy. It’s gone.”
Fluttershy pushed herself to her feet, and looked back to the forest. “I wonder why it stopped following us.”
“Well, it is a tree. Maybe it can’t uproot itself like that fer too long.” Applejack adjusted her hat. “Still, Ah should prob’ly let Big Macintosh know that thing’s creepin’ around the Everfree Forest.” She turned, and began to walk to the south, away from the forest. “And Ah should tell ‘im ta keep an eye out, in case any trees out in the orchard are like that.”
Fluttershy quickly caught up with her friend. “These monsters are so strange…” she said. “They’re not like any animals I’ve ever seen before. I wish I could get a better look at them.”
“Well, every monster we’ve run into so far has tried ta kill us,” Applejack replied as she dialed on her phone. “So, Ah wouldn’t hold mah breath if I were you.”