Grey picked up a grub by its back it screeched and flailed. He tickled its belly, making it chitter happily, "They are kinda adorable," Grey chuckled. He set the grub down and she rubbed against his leg affectionately, he pat her head. "Wouldn't it be impossible for them to be unicorns, since they, oh I dunno, won't be able to use magic?" Grey pointed out to the solar princess.
"Minor detail," Princess Celestia replied, slightly blushing from her mistake. She tore down the unicorn picture.
"Ahem," Chrysalis cleared her throat which made the grub run back to the Queen, "Do not dilly dally. Choose what you want from the catalog, child."
While the grub flipped through the pictures a thought popped into Luna's mind which made her have to ask Chrysalis, "Does she have a name?"
"Of course!" Chrysalis answered, "It is. . . um. . . Worker Eighteen."
"Huh, no wonder I liked her," Grey input, "Eighteen is my favorite number."
The two mares disregarded his statement.
"Anyways," Chrysalis turned her attention to the grub, "If we will be amalgamating into pony society, I suppose they will need pony-ish names."
Worker Eighteen finished picking out her new form, largely at random. She transformed into a brilliant blue earth filly, with ice blue irises, and sporting a short gray mane with a single white stripe lining the front of her mane. Princess Celestia smiled down at her. Beaming from ear to ear, she trotted to her Queen.
"Good job, Worker Eighteen," Chrysalis stated coldly.
Grey snatched up the filly and hugged her tightly, "Isn't she precious! I want to hug her and squeeze her and call her !" he held out his arms, staring into her eyes, she beamed back at him, waiting, "Cobalt! Cobalt Blossom."
"I like that!" the filly announced.
"If you name it, you often end up keeping it. . ." Luna muttered, a little jealous of how Grey was treating that creature.
"Great!" he placed her on the ground and grabbed a collar from the box, "This is for you. It will protect you and protect those around you." When he place it on her, she shivered, "Sorry, didn't think it would be that cold."
"What's your name?"
"I am called Grey," he pointed to Luna, "She is a Princess and co-ruler of the land, Princess Luna," he pointed at Celestia, "And she is Princess Sunbutt, she " he fell to the ground with a grunt, whimpering in pain from the crate of collars crashing into his crotch.
The cavern filled with Queen Chrysalis' laughter. Luna and Cobalt Blossom rushed to his side.
"Tia!" Luna snapped, "Was that necessary?!"
"Absolutely," Celestia held her head high.
"I thought you were opposed to violence. . ." Grey coughed.
"I can make an exception for you," Celestia smiled devilishly. "Chrysalis, bring out the next one."
Chrysalis caught her breath, holding her sides, "Yes, Princess 'Sunbutt'!" she snorted, erupting in laughter again, rolling on the floor.
"It would not make sense for them to stay in that place since Darqlon already found it," Twilight voiced, walking behind Onyx.
"We are going there for clues, not to find the cultist," Onyx explained.
The six ponies and Onyx trekked through the Everfree Forest. The perpetual darkness of the Everfree Forest blocked the afternoon sun. They followed the rough sketch to the temple Darqlon provided for them.
"The last time I was with six beautiful young ladies, their fathers tried to have me killed," Onyx remarked, "I'm not going to have that problem this time, right?"
"As long as you don't get fresh with us, then yeah, you're cool," Rainbow Dash answered, flying above his head upside down. She put her hoof to her eye then pointed at him.
Onyx laughed, "I dunno. . . I just feel like a rooster in the hen house with all you beauties around."
"Oh no," Fluttershy spoke, "A rooster in the hens house would be problematic."
"Ah think that's what he's gettin' at, Shy," Applejack voiced, rolling her eyes.
"Oh."
Onyx stopped immediately in his tracks, holding up a finger to his lips, cupping a hand behind his ear. They stopped to listen and heard a choir of voices. He proceeded silently with the six ponies following him. They hid behind bushes and could see the scene fairly well from their position.
A bonfire crackled in the middle of a large circle of cultists. Doing a quick head count and estimate, Twilight calculated there to be about thirty ponies. They were chanting in some weird language. She saw Onyx furrow his eyebrows.
"What are they saying?" she whispered in his ear.
"Nothing good," he replied grimly.
"That's one creepy party," Pinkie chimed.
"They are preparing sacrifices for their 'Dark Master'," he explained, "Which means. . ."
"Some of the missing ponies are still alive!" Rarity concluded.
Just as she spoke, more cultists showed up dragging bound and gagged ponies. Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash gasped seeing their respective sisters being hauled in with the group.
"Stay here," Onyx ordered, drawing his sword, "I will release them all and dispatch the cultists."
"No, I have a better plan," Twilight advised.
Apple Bloom cried, her tears staining the gag around her mouth. Moments earlier, she and the Crusaders were investigating the disappearing ponies with Zecora when they were suddenly ambushed by cloaked ponies. She watched helplessly with her tangerine eyes as the dark ponies dragged her friends and Zecora behind her. She was glad they were with Zecora, she put up a good fight for them to escape, but they were caught anyways. Now, it appeared they were going to barbecue them. She struggled to break free of the ropes but gave up when they just bit deeper into her skin.
A thunderous roar echoed through the trees and a gust of wind knocked everyone to the ground. The pile of flaming tinders rolled off into the group of cultists who were unfortunate enough to be standing behind the fire. She heard branches snapping, then a massive dark shape broke through the trees, once she saw the blue flame erupt from its mouth, she knew what it was: a dragon.
The cultists ran around in a panic. A few tried to extinguish their burning comrades. Shouts and whoops sounded from the treeline and she saw her sister and her friends charging at the cultists. Her heart was filled with joy and relief. A cultist wrestled her to the ground. She struggled to break free when a black tail swung over head, sending the cultist flying into the distance. She saw the dragon walk closer, then morph into a shadow, taking the form of the guy she saw in the newspapers. The cultists that failed to escape found themselves on the ground after the Mane Six dispatched them.
"Always here to help damsels in distress," he remarked with a bow. He drew his sword and cut the binds and gags off the ponies.
"You have my thanks for setting me free," Zecora thanked as she got to her hooves, "Would you mind telling me who you be?"
"Just your friendly neighborhood dragon," Onyx bowed.
Before Apple Bloom could thank her savior, Applejack hugged her tightly, "Apple Bloom! What in tarnations were you doin' out here?"
"We were just tryin' to help. . ."
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity blurred past them, picking up the unicorn filly with her light blue magic, "Sweetie Belle I'm so relieved!" she also hugged her sister tightly, then released her, "Wait until we get home, young lady!" Seeing Sweetie Belle's puppy eyes, Rarity hugged her sister again.
Rainbow Dash swooped down to Scootaloo, plucking her up in her arms, "Scootaloo!"
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cried.
They both coughed and released each other.
"Those ponies were lucky you showed up when you did!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "I was just about to break free and kick their butts!"
Rainbow Dash giggled and ruffled the orange pegasus' dark pink mane, "Yeah, I know squirt. Just glad to see you okay."
Twilight pulled a cloak off a pony and saw it vanish in a poof of smoke. She recognized the pony on the ground, "Octavia?"
The gray earth pony groaned as she opened her eyes, "Wh-Where am I?" She scanned her surrounds then jumped to her hooves, "Is this the Everfree Forest?! Why am I here?!"
Twilight put a hoof on Octavia to calm her, "I don't know, but what I do know is that when I took a cloak​ off you, it disappeared."
"Cloak?" Octavia rubbed her head, "Ow, my head. It feels like I was hit by a train."
"Sorry, sugar cube," Applejack apologized behind her, "We were just trying to save our sisters."
"Girls, remove the cloaks off everypony!" Twilight ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" Onyx replied.
Twilight smiled, then turned her attention back to Octavia, "Do you remember anything?"
"The last thing I remember is. . . being in my room, practicing for an upcoming recital. Next thing, I'm here," Octavia explained.
More moaning, groaning, and complaints were heard as the ponies were waking up from their curse. Twilight needed to have a talk with the jailed cultist.