In space, others usually can’t hear you scream. This time was an exception. At first, it was a rainbow colored comet that streaked across space at a speed multitudes greater than that of light. The ethereal cone of magic slowly became narrower as energy sparked off of the comet. Reality rippled like a bed sheet in a breeze and gave an audible crack. Spider webs formed from rainbow lightning which tattooed the universe for the rest of time.
The comet zig zagged like a bolt as it approached its destination. Multi-colored rainbow shockwaves exploded behind it as the comet approached a barren wasteland of a moon. Impact happened in an instant with a blinding explosion akin to a supernova. Then silence followed. Despite the massive display of power, there was no crater in the moon. Six ponies and a plumber stood perfectly still at the epicenter of contact.
Rainbow Dash took deep rapid breaths like the rest of her friends. “Whoa. I mean just...whoa.”
“Twilight.” Rarity hissed from her frozen position. “How do I look? I’m afraid to check at the moment.”
“J-just fine...actually you don’t look like you just flew a billion times faster than light straight into a moon!” Twilight screamed as she started to sway from the adrenaline dump. Hair started to curl bounce out of place like a supernatural being with life of it’s own. “How was that possible!? Multi-layered magic spells that allow us to ignore the consequences of all forces being applied to our bodies? Mario, what just happened?”
Mario brushed off the star dust off his pants as he looked up at their handiwork. “Cosmic magic; though the reaction we had was-a different.” He pointed up at the phenomenal rainbow anomaly that stretched beyond their sight. “That’s-a new.”
Applejack, after she gathered her wits, for her part did not freak out outwardly. She was quiet and still as an alligator ready to ambush it’s prey.“I will accept that you did not mean to scare the horseshoes off of us, Mario. Next time sugar cube, warn us or I will show you how I get apples off my trees.”
“It’s-a perfectly safe. I’ve done it many-a times.” Mario backed up with raised open palm hands. He bumped into Pinkie as she tried to sort out her friend in her mane.
“Fluttershy... Fluttershy?” Pinkie poked her yellow friend hind leg as it stuck out of her mane. “Aunt Pinkie needs that space in her mane for her party gags.”
“No, no, that’s quite all right. I think I will be much safer in here. Sorry.” Fluttershy whimpered as she continued to shakily eat the cupcake she found. It was a sweet and very relaxing treat. The idea of asking first crossed her mind, now forgiveness will have to do.
“Those cupcakes are for emergencies!” Pinkie Pie clamped down on Fluttershy’s tail and tried to tug her out. “We are a million light years away from an oven. I can’t make more out of nowhere!”
The frustrated cowpony gave Pinkie her signature no nonsense deadpan glare. “Didn’t stop you last week.”
“Applejack, let’s-a help out your friend.” Mario smiled worriedly as the farm pony glared at him. “I’ll warn you next time in the future.”
There was a slight twitch of an eyebrow. One that conveyed practiced dominance over anyone that dared opposed her authority. Having Applebloom as a younger sister helped in that regard thanks to her energetic stubborn streak. “Ya better.”
Applejack took Fluttershy’s tail into her mouth and with a quick smooth motion pulled her out of Pinkie’s mane. Fluttershy landed in Mario’s outstretched arms, her wings smacking his face with a light ‘pomf’. “Oh, hi.”
Mario put her down carefully. Most of the ponies seemed rather peeved from the stress of traveling multitudes faster than light. In hindsight it was a little obvious.. “Maybe from now on you all should take a smaller space ship to follow me.”
“I prefer that idea, thank you very much.” Rarity’s hoarse pleas earned her a sympathetic pat on the head from Pinkie.
Twilight’s chest heaved as she collected herself. “No, no that’s alright. After we save Princess Luna we won’t have to do this ever again.” She looked around and noticed the odd world they had landed in. “Ok, that is a floating mountain with a volcano mirroring it just orbiting a gas giant. Flowers the size of asteroids enjoying the refracted light from a water world as they rotate around it. This place really does feel like the dustbin of ideas left behind.”
“Oh, you didn’t mention the barn floating by us.” Pinkie pointed to an insultingly simple red barn with a sign on it. “Hmm, ‘Cow Tools here’. Cows have tools? Applejack do cows have tools?”
AJ ignored Pinkie as Twilight groaned. “I was trying to ignore that Pinkie. Anyway, we have a job to do so let’s get going.” Twilight turned to walk away. Her steps were quick and eager, until an important detail stopped her cold. “We have no idea where to find them.”
“You have to go this way!”
Twilight screeched as she jumped away from a luma that was in her face. “Where did you come from!?”
Like a child appearing by your side in an empty field, a Luma floated casually in Twilight’s personal bubble. “The monsters you are looking for are beyond that castle in the swamp. Please hurry!”
“Oh you poor thing. What are you doing all the way out here?” Fluttershy scooped up the Luma like a baby. “Here have a cupcake.” Pinkie’s face scrunched feeling like she was one upped but said nothing, point to the shy pegasus.
“I’m just here to help.” The Luma took a small nibble from the cupcake. “See there’s nothing wrong.”
Twilight’s lips drew a straight line as she barely contained her outburst. “Why are children allowed outside the safety of the ship where it is especially dangerous?”
“Lumas do show up to help, and I’m not sure we can dissuade them.” Mario pointed out as the Luma floated out of Fluttershy’s grasp. “They sometimes offer hints, directions, or powerups. Nothing unusual.”
“Yup, nothing unusual.” The Luma nodded rapidly. “Hurry! Go, go, go!”
“You heard the little guy. We need to get going.” Rainbow Dash was already over the next hill waving for them to follow. “Princess to save ponies, hop to it!”
The rest of the ponies gave their appropriate sigh as they galloped after their headstrong friend. “Be careful on your way home, we don’t want you to get lost or hurt.” Applejack yelled back at the bobbing Luma.
The Luma nodded as it watched them fade from sight, lightly holding the cupcake. There was a green aura that oozed off the little star’s body as the cupcake landed frosting first on the ground. “How kind of them.” A sickly cracked hoof stomped down on the cupcake. “Though they will be singing a different tune soon.”
Green flames erupted around the ‘Luma’ as it transformed into a twisted image of a pony, holes in legs, jagged horn, and translucent wings buzzed. “Time to get ba--.”
A red hot metal mushroom broke the tranquillity of the moment as it struck the earth like a blazing comet. An eruption of dirt and stardust flung the creature into the air before it face-planted a few meters away from ground zero. The smell of smoldering atmosphere made the air putrid. Then the hazardous spaceship’s top opened up.
“You said you could drive!” Bon Bon pulled herself up, a little green around the edges. A light stream of smoke poured from the hatch as she coughed some more. “I even asked you twice.”
“I-a said I could drive a go-kart-a pretty good.” Luigi, a little worse for wear, jumped out with a dizzy Turner in tow.
Derpy happily floated out with hardly a scratch to show. “I’ve been in worse.”
“Don’t you mean you’ve caused worse?” Lyra squirmed out like a slippery wet cat until she tumbled over the ship. “I think we could have asked those Toads to drive us instead.”
Luigi flinched as he put down the queasy time engineer. “They’ve crashed it before too.”
“I suppose that’s what we get for a hasty trip. Had we been more careful, we wouldn’t have had such a slip.” Zecora helped Vinyl Scratch out carefully.
“Party has just begun and already my head is spinning. Hope we didn’t wreck our ride, because we need it to get back home.” Vinyl shook her head before something caught her eye. “Hey did we land on that dude over there?”
Turner popped up from his dazed state with scholarly clarity. “That appears to be very similar to our own, Parasitihippus horribilis. What is one doing all the way out here?”
“A changeling? Cool!” Lyra poked the creature with a stick until Bon Bon smacked it out of her magical grip.
“I’m glad one of us knew what he said, but what is a changeling?” Bon Bon studied the odd being, a modified exoskeleton but with joints for an endoskeleton. “Looks like an insect trying to be a pony.”
“They’re more like fairy creatures. Though I am not sure if it’s like the ones that make cookies and shoes or the eat your teeth variety.” Lyra stated proudly. Hours of sleeping through Mythical Creatures 203 finally paid off.
“I don’t know what fairy stories you have been reading, but changelings are emotovores.” Turner rolled his eyes. “They are also very dangerous creatures that kidnap ponies. They are most likely the trap the letter was referring to, but to what end I am not sure.”
“We could ask him.” Derpy smiled before she stopped short and blinked. “Her, it. I can’t tell.”
“I use dude. Works everywhere I go.” Scratch shrugged.
Bon Bon growled. “Bug is more like it. Zecora, do you have anything to make sure it stays asleep so it won’t follow us? Speaking of, where are we going? We lost track of the others by a couple of light years due to bad driving.”
“They went that way.” Luigi pointed to the painted sign with an arrow on it. He didn’t see looks of disbelief from the ponies behind him.
---
“‘Swamp of Sadness’. Really that’s what they are calling it? Place is creepy.” Rainbow Dash read the sign as she did her best to ignore the petulant oder. Dead trees littered the unmoving landscape with a heavy unyielding fog covering it like a blanket. “Mario, who leaves these random signs around the place.”
“Couldn’t tell you. Do you see the castle we need to reach?” Mario called out to the ascending pegasus as she looked over the large area.
“Oh ya it’s definitely there. I see one of those airships too.” Rainbow hovered back down to the rest of the crew. “So how are we going to cross this? I’m fine as is.”
“Of course you are Rainbow.” Rarity rolled her eyes as she stayed behind the group away from the icky mud. “I would rather not touch the stuff.”
“We really shouldn’t, I don’t like the feel of this place.” Applejack touched the surface of the pliable waste land and flinched back. It appeared to be only ankle deep, but something told her that her eyes were being lied to. “It feels dead and unfriendly like.”
Twilight’s horn glowed as she prepared a spell. “Don’t worry. I have something just for this, this spell turns mud into stone.” It did exactly as written. A straight cobblestone street stretched before them to the other side.
“Could you give it some life, Twilight? It’s a little drab.” Rarity’s lower lip quivered as Twilight gave her an unamused glare. “Mud grey is so last year. Well actually it has never been in style.”
“Fine.” Twilight’s horn flashed. “Is yellow good?”
“That does bring some much needed life to the place. Good work darling.” Rarity patted her fellow unicorn on the head. Twilight rolled her eyes as walked on the bridge and gave a confident stomp. She made a mock curtsey and beckoned her friends to follow. Mario for his part, liked the yellow bricks.
Fluttershy hovered back down to the yellow road (about a half inch descent) and gave it a decisive tap. Satisfied with the strength of Twilight’s road she followed behind Twilight. “Is it just me, and it might be, but is it a little too quiet? I haven’t heard a bird’s song or an insect’s buzz.”
Pinkie popped up next to her and wrapped a foreleg around her withers. “They probably didn’t want to hang around a dull place like this. They might even be all hanging out on a planet of their own nearby. Right, Mario?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a bee colony close by. They are friendly.” Mario replied as he took back his hat off Pinkie’s head.
Mario jumped over them and landed nimbly next to Twilight. He checked his head as he looked behind at a smiling Pinkie. “Fluttershy does have-a point. It has been quiet.”
“I am aware. Nightmare Moon did not hesitate to attack us on the night she returned.” Twilight shook her head and simply pressed on. “We have faced her before. Let’s go everypony!”
Twilight broke into a heavy gallop. The rest of the girls reared back and charged forward with unbridled abandon. The edges of the yellow road unseen by them had a sickly green glow to them. That is until they were closer to the middle of the swamp. “Twilight, your bridge looks sick.”
“Don’t be silly, Rainbow. Spells don’t get si--!!!” Twilight’s hoof broke through the dissolving yellow bricks. She braced herself for a faceplant into brick only for a mouthful of swamp mud to welcome her. Twilight lurched her head back up as she gasped for air, between her coughing fits she was able to get out a few words. “Somepony dispelled my bridge.”
“Don’t worry girls. The mud barely even comes up to our hooves.” Pinkie bounced over to Twilight and picked her up out of the mud. “Silly Twilight, mud pies are not for ponies.”
Rarity remained still like a statue as a chill went over her spine. “Absolutely the Worse. Possible. Thing. Pinkie, please stop splashing mud everywhere.”
“Sorry! Come on girls...lets...get...I.” Happy prances turned into a lumbering trot as her mane straightened out. That bright twinkle in her eye fell as Pinkie’s coat lost it’s natural shine. “I am useless as a friend.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said you were useless?” Rainbow flew down to eye level with a slight worry ting in her voice. “The mud is up to your knees now. Twilight make your bridge again!”
The horn didn’t even fizzle as Twilight’s breathing became more rapid and shallow. “It failed. I failed my spell. I failed! I can’t do it.”
Rainbow looked over to Twilight as she tugged on Pinkie. “What do you mean you can’t? Of course you can do it. You’re Twilight.” Dash froze up when she saw the state of the rest of her friends.
Fluttershy was already up to her withers in mud, Rarity was on Applejack’s back who was up to her knees in mud. “I knew this place was bad. Rainbow, I can feel my will being being sucked dry from this swamp. Don’t touch it no matter what.”
“It’s this whole place. The air feels heavy on my wings. It’s like I just flew to Cloudsdale and back.” Rainbow gritted her teeth as she heeved up once more on Pinkie who seemed to have not bothered helping herself. “Come on, Pinkie. We are not stopping here.”
“Rainbow, I don’t remember you looking so grey.” Pinkie murmured. Rainbow made a quick check to confirm she was still as colorful as she remembered. “I’m sorry. I just feel tired right now. Maybe a nap would help.”
“No! No nap! We have a...party! Yes, a party when we get back to the ship. Save Princess Luna then we have a huge party to celebrate how amazing we are.” Rainbow strained as she slowly pulled her friend up. She almost flipped in the air when there was a sudden lurch up. “Mario!?”
Mario’s hat covered his eyes, but it did not hide his grit. On his shoulders and head he carried Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight, and now Pinkie. “Come on. We-a need to get going.”
“Dude, that’s awesome.” Rainbow gained a bit more altitude away from the swamp.
“Well I have live up to my ‘super’ title. Just-a make sure they don’t fall off.” Mario took a step, the earth swallowed his foot. “Need to last long enough to make it to the other side.”
“We got this.” Rainbow nodded as she pushed from behind.
---
Watching the prey from the edge of the swamp, the changelings poured their magic into amplifying the effects of the swamp. Positive energy seeped from the victims as some collectors gathered it up. Quiet chirps between them was all the communication needed.
Changeling number 2 watched as the mustached man carried the ponies. <”This one resists. Focus efforts on him.”>
<”What of the flying pony?”> #3, always the chipper one, asked.
<”We get the herd that one will follow.”> #2’s eyes narrowed on the target.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.”
<”Did that bush just say something?”>
“Lyra, you dolt what are you doing?” The bush next to that bush rustled angrily.
“Speaking their language, hush. Chirpy chirp chirpen chirp.”
<”I’m not fat!”> #1 reared back and blasted the bush revealing a blushing unicorn.
“Chirp on this ugly!” A left hook sent the changeling soaring into another one. Bon Bon stomped her hooves together with a totally healthy grin “All right, who wants some more?” Her smirk faltered slightly when over twenty popped up. “Ah buck.”
Luigi decided he would continue using his grass disguise for the moment.
“Nom.” Bon Bon looked over to Lyra as she bit down on a flower.
“What are you doing?” She raised her eyebrow at her sister.
“Wait for it.” There was a spark in Lyra’s eyes, a spark that turned into a warm glow. In a blink of an eye, her colors changed into blazing red with a white stripe running down her mane. The strings that made up the harp on her cutie mark glowed bright. “Fire power is the best kind of power.”
“Where did you find a magic flower!?” Bon Bon took a step back as her worst fears were realized.
“Won it in a card game against one of the toads back on the ship.” Flames erupted around her like an aura. The changelings followed Bon Bon’s example and also took a step back. “Let me play you all the song of my people.”
Luigi decided playing grass was not going to be a good idea. “Mamma Mia, find cover!”
“I’m already way ahead of you.” Bon Bon and Luigi leapt behind a boulder. Bon Bon took out a small watch. “This is Sweet Treat calling in over.”
Time Tuner’s electronic voice answered back promptly. “This is Overwatch.”
“We are cleaning up just fine, stealth option was a complete failure.”
“The others have been more successful by that regard. Paralytic gas is taking care of the changelings.”
“Understood, Sweet Treat and Second Banana out.”
“Why do I have to be Second Banana?” Luigi sighed as he peeked around cover with shaky resolve.
Bon Bon pocketed Turner’s device into her saddle bag. “I think it fits you. How is she looking out there?”
“Her fire form has-a good ground coverage, but no real anti-air.” Luigi gulped as he bounced up on the rock. “I hope they don’t see me. Here I-a go.” The flying changeling fired bolts at Lyra, though not with the best of aim. Until it noticed there was a shadow over it. It was already too late.
“100.” Luigi stomped on the changeling then kept his momentum going.
“200.” That changeling impacted head first into the swamp mud.
“400.” This victim crashed into one under him.
“500.” Bon Bon sighed as this “Lyra’ screamed in shock from a plumber attack.
“800, 1000.” Luigi almost flopped but the presence of the next one kept his aerial mobility going.
“2000.” Oddly enough made the sound of a duck when struck. Luigi decided to not think about it.
“4000.” He was getting closer to that precious 1-UP.
“8000!” Luigi made sure to press extra hard on the spine of this changeling. He reached his feet out for the last lone flying changeling as it looked around for it’s comrades, then it looked up. Seeing it’s impending doom it screamed, Luigi froze up at the ear-piercing screech and for that brief moment closed his eyes.
He missed. Bon Bon rolled her eyes and shot it with a jawbreaker candy gun (buy it now at Pinkie’s Candy Surprise for only 19 bits).
“Hi Luigi! Thanks for dropping by. Get it? You just landed next to me and I said ‘thanks for dropping by’.” Lyra produced another fire shockwave that cleared out the rest of the changelings.
Luigi sighed in resignation. “I-a get it.”
---
Mario breathed heavily as he dragged himself ashore. Everything just felt heavy, though he was not about to say that out loud. He was pretty sure the mares wouldn’t appreciate him saying that. “Finally, I felt so slow flying over that. How are you holding up.”
“Fine. How about-a them?”
“You can put me down now.” Applejack groaned under Pinkie Pie. “Please.”
The girls stretched their legs as they tried their best to clean themselves off. “I can’t believe I was so careless. I’m so sorry.” Twilight’s head hung low as she pawed at the ground.
“Aw come on, Twilight. It wasn’t your fault.” The still smooth haired Pinkie rubbed up against her and nuzzled her neck. “Your bridge was great until some mean pony decided to break it.”
“If I was paying attention I could have stopped that from happening.” Twilight sighed as Pinkie’s head pushed hers up.
“Darling, it was a dreadful experience yes, but dwelling on it not going to help.” Rarity combed out the mud from Twilight’s mane before chucking that mud back into the swamp.
Mario placed his hat on Pinkie’s head and there was an immediate ‘pomf’ when the fuzzy curliness returned to full force. He was rewarded with a ‘squee’ and a hug. Applejack shook the rest of the crud off before placing her own hat back on her head. “We still got a castle to go through. I’m sure Nightmare Moon has something ready for us in there.”
Twilight nodded as her posture straightened up. “Right, we can’t be careless. If we work together we can overcome anything she throws at us.”
---
A heartbeat thumped in the darkness.
Pitch blackness where light was a foreign concept, not even shadows flited about. Nothing moved in the empty chamber, not even a layer of dust was present. Yet there was a heartbeat in the tomb.
The living had no place there, the dead did not dwell there. Stagnant air eons old slept like the stone. Time was meanless for there was no need for it in the deep darkness. Yet there was a heartbeat in the tomb.
Something rustled as stone spoke a guttural language long forgotten. Someone exerted life. A door was thrown open and the darkness was free. The heartbeat was not alone anymore.
A Koopa Troopa carried a torch into the deep. Sweat blessed the stone beneath him from his tireless efforts. Shadows were born from his presence as he whipped his torch around until his eyes fell upon the bag.
The Koopa Troopa hesitated to grab the bag that pulsated like a living heart. It felt like something that should have stayed buried in the deep darkness. “Well this is what that Nightmare Moon was looking for. I found it guys!”