//------------------------------//
// Restless 
// Story: The Darkest Storm 
// by TheReaderAndWriter 
//------------------------------//

7. Restless.

Ivanhoe was completely exhausted when Rainbow Dash finally managed to slow down. He was pretty sure he had almost died around five times today alone. Why does it feel like that number is going to go up before this day is over? Rainbow Dash stopped at last in a clearing in the woods outside Ponyville.
"Okay, so what is this whole thing about?" asked Rainbow Dash. Ivanhoe knew he had to explain everything he knew. She had saved their lives, she deserved to know. Ivanhoe was about to explain when Windy interrupted.
"Hang on, how did you heal so quickly?"
"The princess helped me. She said we would be needed," said Rainbow Dash.
"How did you know we were at Cloudsdale, or when we would fall?" continued Windy.
"Twilight told me. She figured out that you needed to get up above the clouds, and what was up there? Only Cloudsdale."
"How did she see through my lie?" asked Windy.
"She didn't. Spike said he was sure he smelled Ivanhoe Mane again a bit after you were there and that's how she figured it out. She knew the time the spell would stop, I just had to be ready and waiting, just like you got up there once the spell stopped for you, Windy. So, I answered your questions, how about you answer a few, or all, of mine?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"What do you want to know?" asked Ivanhoe, ready to tell her everything.
"Well, first of all. Why is Celestia trying to kill you? She almost never wants to kill anypony. She doesn't even kill her enemies, so why you?"
"I honestly have no idea." 
"Honestly?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Completely," answered Ivanhoe.
"Alright, what were you after in Cloudsdale?"
"Some sort of artifact that is supposed to save the world, with two other artifacts."
"Alright. How was the ponies in Cloudsdale? Are they alright for now?" asked Rainbow Dash. Ivanhoe realized she was probably born there, had friends and relatives there. He wanted to be honest, but how could he? She would be so hurt.
"They, they are fine," said Ivanhoe.
"I can tell when you're lying," said Rainbow Dash right away. She didn't seem that worried.
"Okay, alright," said Ivanhoe. He couldn't take the pressure of it, he was tired. "The rain, they drank the rain. It made them into...into...."
"Monsters," Rainbow Dash finished and sighed.
"What? You knew that happened?"
"I did. It happened in Ponyville not long after you left. There was a little downpour and a couple of ponies drank it...probably thinking it was juice or something. They were quite young," said Rainbow Dash sadly.
"How, how about the Elements of Harmony! Why haven't you-?" asked Windy.
"They didn't work against it. Celestia can't even do anything. She says we need to remove the source of it, which she says it you," said Rainbow Dash and pointed at Ivanhoe.
"I am not responsible for this!" said Ivanhoe angrily. The very thought of it, that he would be responsible for such monstrosities... unacceptable.
"That's all we need to hear," said another voice from behind the trees. Ivanhoe turned around. Applejack looked at him, she had an odd necklace on her. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and a yellow mare with a pink mane and tail had similar necklaces. Oddly enough, most of them were trying to smile, except Pinkie Pie who's really wild hair was just long and straight. It was the first time he had seen her truly unhappy. She was crying.
"What's wrong?" asked Ivanhoe.
"The ones that transformed were really close to her. Pound and Pumpkin Cake," said Rainbow Dash. Windy looked quite sadly at the ground, not wanting to see how Pinkie Pie just burst completely into tears.
"Not to fret, it's reversible!" said Applejack filled with hope.
"If we can stop it. Now, Ivanhoe, tell us everything. Applejack's element represents honesty. So we were apple- I mean able, to tell if you lied or not. We know you're at least telling the truth. Tell us everything you know. Spike, note it down," said Twilight.
"Ready when you are," said Spike who walked in from the bushes holding a quill and paper.


***


Ivanhoe told them everything he knew. Absolutely everything. It seemed like they really did know the princess. Maybe this was a way for him to just get to talk peacefully, without the threat of dying.
"I know nothing about a 'king', Ivanhoe, I told you that," said Twilight.
"Well, that's all I know anyway," said Ivanhoe. He was still tired.
"Everything?"
"Unless you want to know about my boring life on the farm, then I have nothing else to tell you. Add a normal life on the farm to the beginning of the story and you basically heard my entire life's story."
"Well, at least you have courage."
"Yes...courage," said Ivanhoe and tried not to remember all the times he had cried today alone. "Well, thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me that there are ponies here that do not wish to just end me."
"Spike, send the letter. I demand an explanation for all of this on Celestia's part," said Twilight.
"It's on its way," said Spike. It must've been magic, or burning the letter in green flames was just to mess with them.
"It usually takes around thirty seconds for her to get it, give or take. It depends on distance. We will have an explanation for this very soon, and I- already?" asked Twilight when Spiked suddenly gagged. He belched out a green flame that materialized into a scroll.
"Wow, that must be a new record," said Spike impressed.
"Well, read it, Twilight. Don't worry, Ivanhoe, everything will sort itself out," said Windy and walked up to Ivanhoe with a encouraging smile.
"What an awesome skill, Spike," said Ivanhoe.
"He, thanks. Can't more of you say that from time to time?" asked Spike to his friends. 
"'My dearest loyal student Twilight. Ivanhoe is not a real name. Please do not read this out loud like you normally-' oh. Well, let me just read it," said Twilight and continued in silence.
"The thing I'm most afraid of is that she would somehow be right," said Ivanhoe. Twilight kept reading it, but the more she read it the more her expression started to fade from hopeful enthusiasm and instead turn to surprise, horror, and then an empty look.
"Twilight? What's wrong?" asked Rarity.
"Girls,  I can't tell you right now...but let's just say Celestia is doing the right thing. Windy, I'll explain everything to you later, but for right now, I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" asked Windy but Ivanhoe already saw that thing in Twilight's eyes. Just like with the princesses, or even the monsters: killing-intent.
"Move!" yelled both Ivanhoe and Twilight to Windy at the same time. Ivanhoe pushed her aside and then kicked dirt at Twilight's face. She was just about to use some sort of spell on Ivanhoe as she was blinded.
"What are you doing!? Both of you?!" yelled the shy little yellow and pink pony.
"Girls, this is important! Spike, tell Celestia where we are!" Twilight Sparkle yelled. Spike hesitated. Ivanhoe started running. Whatever this was about it was best to not let Windy be involved.
"I'm getting out of here. And I'll never come back. You can try to save the world on your own!" yelled Ivanhoe.
"Girls, the elements! Use the elements!" yelled Twilight, or rather, commanded. Ivanhoe couldn't see them anymore through the woods. What elements? It didn't matter, he just needed to get out of there. Whatever the reason, he didn't care. He just needed to get out of town. He would walk all the way home if he needed to.
"Are you-?"
"I'm sure!" yelled Twilight. Ivanhoe suddenly heard a strange sound behind him. He looked back, a light in all the colors of the rainbow was shining through the forest. Energy in the shape of beams shot through the forest and in a blinding light something big hit him, and went right through him. Ivanhoe just kept running. What was that?! "Did it work?" asked Twilight.
"What have we done?" asked that shy voice. Suddenly there was another sound: thunder. Ivanhoe looked up. Dark rainclouds. A lot of them. And Ivanhoe didn't have either his coat or his pendant with him. Suddenly he saw raindrops, small but faint. It was coming right towards him, towards them. He turned around.
"RUN!" screamed Ivanhoe to all who would listen.
"What did he say?" said Applejack.
"It's a trick!" said Twilight.
"No! There's rain coming!" yelled Ivanhoe. The thunder sounded again.
"He's right! That's a downpour!" yelled Rainbow Dash. He got right back into the clearing. He stopped to look at them.
"Fly, you foals!" Ivanhoe shouted. 
"Hurry!"
"Let's get out of here!"
"Mares and dragons first!" yelled Spike.
"Come on! Hurry!" yelled Ivanhoe. So they ran. Not enemies, not allies, just some ponies running for their lives. The rain started to intensify, but they were right ahead of it. They needed shelter at once, they needed somewhere dry.
"Back to Ponyville!"
"Teleport us, Twilight!" yelled Spike. 
"I can't! I don't know where we are! I need to know that!" yelled Twilight. Ivanhoe had grabbed his bag and was going through it. He picked up the cloak and pendant.
"Windy, wear this! It will help!" yelled Ivanhoe and gave them to her without stopping. Windy didn't use it, instead she wrapped them around Spike and put him on her back.
"Rainbow, fly somepony out of here!" yelled Twilight. Then the clouds started to strike with lightning everywhere above the trees. "Never mind!" she quickly added.
"Come on, come on, come on, come on!" said Ivanhoe and looked back. Suddenly the yellow and pink pony who was flying low hit a tree. She fell down and was completely out of it. Only Ivanhoe and Applejack noticed it.
"Ivanhoe! Help me!" Applejack shouted to him.
"Coming!" he responded and hurried back to the pegasus with her. "Come on, on your hooves," said Ivanhoe.
"No time!" said Applejack and simply picked her up on her back.
"I don't think you needed my help with that."
"You were willing to help and that's alright with me," said Applejack. They kept running. Was it night already, or was it getting darker? Ivanhoe looked up, the sun was still up but the clouds were starting to blurt it out. It would not be long until all the sky was covered, or until they were soaking wet.
"Keep your mouths closed!" Twilight shouted.
"Any bit of it is too much!" said Pinkie Pie.
"If anypony stops here I will personally make sure you're all going to do my chores for at least a month!" said Applejack.
"Look, that cliff! Cover!" yelled Spike and pointed at a very large cliff, there was a large hollowed out bit of it that would make a good cover for them all. Applejack jumped over a log, and that's when the pink and yellow pony fell off.
"Fluttershy!" yelled Pinkie Pie.
"Don't stop! I got it! Spike, the things!" yelled Ivanhoe. Spike threw them at him. Ivanhoe jumped and bit them while in the air. He hurried back and tried to pick her up but she was stuck in the log. Ivanhoe struggled. The he felt a raindrop on his nose. He covered Fluttershy in the items and pulled harder.
"Come on! Do it!" said Rainbow Dash from under the cliff. They all looked very nervous and almost seemed to struggle with not going out in the rain to help them.
"I'll help!" said Twilight.
"I've got this! Stay back!" He finally managed to rip off the branch that was stuck in her mane. He tried as hard as he could just to pick her up. He had to drag her slowly. The rain really started to pour now. There wasn't much time before they both would be filled with madness. Fluttershy suddenly woke up and tried to get free.
"Girls!?" she asked in a state of confusion and panic, looking up at the sky. Ivanhoe couldn't do anything as he was sure he witnessed the single drop that went into her mouth. She started to shake immediately, it was horrible to watch.
"No! Don't! Come on, don't do this!" said Ivanhoe. Her coat was darkening bit by bit as Ivanhoe tried desperately to cover her up against the rain. The cloak itself was wet, and the pendant hard to even grasp.
"Fluttershy!" yelled her friends in terror. Ivanhoe tried to stop it, he tried to cover her up more, he tried to push the pendant onto her very forehead. Nothing worked, it kept going.
"Fluttershy! Get your head together!" screamed Ivanhoe.
"I can spread this," she responded a bit distant. Her voice already so intimidating. It was like she was just realizing the possibilities, like there was opportunity.
"No! You listen to me. Get your act together right now!" Ivanhoe screamed into her face.
"I could easily spread this. I love the rain," she said in a calm sincere tone that was incredibly disturbing.
"Fluttershy, I don't know who you are, only that this isn't you... Please don't...you seemed like such a sweet girl. Please go back to normal," pleaded Ivanhoe in desperation. He was soaking wet. He put his hoof on her head. "Come on. Just...just don't do this," Ivanhoe begged. There was suddenly a very odd sensation inside his front leg, it reached deeper inside him, all the way to his chest. Was this the effect of the rain? But if felt so natural. Suddenly Fluttershy's coat started reverting back to its old color. Every minor transformation that had already occurred simply stopped and slowly reversed. Within a few moments she was her old self again, she was even sound asleep. The thunder had stopped, the rain kept falling regardless. It just kept coming and coming. Now when Fluttershy was back to normal again there was a calmness in the air and except the rain all was silent. Ivanhoe looked at the pendant. He had thought it had been a magical object, protecting him. He, just like the monsters, had assumed it had some sort of power. But now when he didn't even have it in his mouth, yet being soaked at the same time without becoming mad or a monster... It wasn't the pendant, or the cloak. It was him, wasn't it? He picked up Fluttershy, this time when there was no stress to do so and he carried her over to the rest. They didn't say anything. Windy just looked at Ivanhoe, too afraid to speak. They accepted Fluttershy and got her into their little shelter. Spike made a fire for them to get warm. "This really does have something to do with me, doesn't it?" asked Ivanhoe, confused, ashamed, scared.
"It does," said Twilight and looked at him with a determined look in her eye.
"Tell me."
"I can't."
"What do I have to do?"
"You have to die. It sounds horrible, I know that...but Celestia is right. That's a promise."
"No. No. I will solve this my own way. I will find the two other artifacts. Unless of course you tell me what this is about."
"I can't."
"Twilight, tell Ivanhoe already," said Applejack.
"He has no name," said Twilight.
"I'm leaving for the Everfree Forest. I'll get to the bottom of this."
"Saving Equestria is our job. Today it just involves putting an end to you," said Twilight.
"You're not doing a very good job though, are you?" said Ivanhoe in a slightly mocking tone, he was fed up with that mean look in her eyes.
"You saved Fluttershy. I'm just giving you a head start."
"Thanks. I'll find out what I have to do with this, how I can stop it and show you all how crazy you are. That's a promise. You're probably brainwashed or something," said Ivanhoe and walked off in the the overly depressive rain.
"Hey!" shouted Twilight after him.
"What?"
"Next time, I guarantee you that none of us will hesitate. That's another promise."
"Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for all your help, Windy," said Ivanhoe and walked away.