//------------------------------// // Big Mac // Story: The Encounter // by Winter_Solstice //------------------------------// Zecora knew something was wrong about the sunlight. The sun hadn’t moved from the afternoon phase for over an hour, which was long enough for it to have been evening by now. As long as she’d lived in Equestria, there had only been a few times the sun had not set at the proper time, and that had usually been some precursor to serious trouble. Celestia or Luna never failed in their duties, unless something was preventing them like the time Canterlot had been invaded by the Changelings. She went to her door and listened with her whole being. Something was off about the Everfree this evening. There was only silence as far as she could hear, and that was ample cause for alarm, as the Everfree was never completely silent. She quickly turned and filled some saddlebags with defensive potions, threw on a cloak and ventured out. She’d only made it a few hundred yards from her home when she heard a crashing sound through the trees, as if some large animal, or animals, were making their way through the forest. She wrapped her cloak about her and faded into the shadows of some foliage, and waited. Her wait was not long. As she stared and held her breath several creatures rumbled past her hiding place, the kinds of creatures she’d never seen before. The sight of them just felt wrong, as if somepony’s worst fears had taken physical form. Even worse, they were on their way to Ponyville. She knew what she had to do: somehow, someway she had to get ahead of them and warn the ponies there. Quickly and as silent as smoke she left her hiding place and galloped along one of the many paths that only she knew. With fortune on her side she’d not be too late. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Twilight reappeared at the hospital lobby, and quickly sought out Fluttershy’s family. The three of them were in Fluttershy’s room, silently keeping watch. They looked up as she made her way into the room. “I’m sorry to disturb you all, but I need to talk to Haze. It’s important.” Haze looked at his parents, who nodded at him. “What’s this about?” he asked. “We may have found an antidote for your sister, but we need you to communicate with the creature that has the poison,” she said. “Of course,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I can, but what sort of creature is it?” Twilight’s expression turned dark, and she hesitated. “It’s not from this world,” she finally said, “and the place I’m taking you will be upsetting. But it’s the only chance Fluttershy has, or I wouldn’t do it.” “Just take me there, I can handle it.” “Alright. We need something in which to carry the poison, if we can convince that creature to help us. I’ll be back in a moment.” While she was gone, the family turned back to their injured daughter. Willow gently held one of her hooves, and softly wept, while her husband held her and did the same. Haze stared at his sister and fought back tears of his own. Twilight returned with a few vials in a saddlebag. After securing them to her back, she quietly said, “Are you ready?” Haze nodded. Still, Twilight hesitated, then said, “Mr. and Mrs. Posey, I’m sorry what happened to Fluttershy. My friends and I will do our best to make it right.” Stormcrow turned to her. “She’s moving back to Cloudsdale with us once she’s better. I can’t help but think this never would have happened if she wasn’t friends with you ponies.” He said this without anger, just quiet resignation, but still his words hurt. Twilight didn’t have the strength to argue. “If…if you think that’s best, Sir.” She looked him in the eyes. “But for now, let’s just make sure she’s better.” She turned to Haze. “We’re going.” She concentrated, and ported them both away, but not before they saw a single tear slide down her face. “She didn’t deserve that, Crow,” Willow quietly said. “She’s a Princess.” “She didn’t protect our daughter,” he said as he rejoined her by the bed. “What good are any of them?” Willow gave a soft smile. “You don’t mean that.” He sighed. “No, I suppose I don’t.” He gave his wife a squeeze and stared at Fluttershy. “We can’t lose her.” She snuggled closer to him. “We won’t.” So intent were they both on their daughter they did not at first hear the screams that were coming from the front of the hospital. _____________________________________________________________________________________ “Celestia? Applejack?” Twilight called out as she looked around. Only the one beast remained, now locked in its cage. Beside her, Haze fought to keep his stomach contents down. “What happened here?!” he said. “We all had to fight these creatures,” she said, while making it a point not to look at the one she’d killed. “Celestia and my friends were supposed to be here, I wonder where they went?” She turned to him. “I told you it would be distressing. I guess I wasn’t clear.” Haze gulped as he stared about him. “No. No you weren’t.” He looked up. “Is that the one we need?” He faced in the direction of the cage. “Yes.” “It’s…revolting.” Then he squared his shoulders. “Let’s get this over with, I have to get out of here.” So saying he took flight over the sprawled bodies and made his way over to the beast, as Twilight landed next to him. The creature looked out at them and growled. “Can you talk to it?” Twilight asked. Fighting his revulsion, he said, “I can try.” He cleared his throat and tried to speak calmly. Hello. We need your help. The creature stared at him for a moment, then said, *Stay away from me!* We’re not here to hurt you, we just need a sample of your poison. *Come any closer, and I’ll give you more than you can stand!* Please. It’s for my sister. She’s dying. *I don’t care! I just want to go home!* Haze fought to keep his anger under control. He then turned to Twilight and told her what the creature had said. Twilight stared at it, thinking. The creature stared back. Finally she said, “Tell it this: we’ll do everything we can to help it, but it needs to help us first.” Haze dutifully translated, but received the same reply. “Now what?” asked Haze. Twilight closed her eyes. She deliberately called up the memory of Fluttershy and how she lay broken and dying in the hospital. But also unbidden came the memory of what she’d had to do to one of these creatures, and her stomach roiled. But it was the only way. Stepping closer to the cage, she slowly lit her horn as she looked the creature in its compound eyes. Then, without warning, she fired a blast that went through the bars and melted part of the wall behind it. The creature ducked and covered its head with its claws. Twilight spoke to Haze without taking her eyes off it. “It can help us, or the next time I fire I won’t miss.” Haze reached and took one of the vials from the saddlebags, then laid it near the cage. Then he told the creature Twilight’s threat. It came forward without speaking, took the vial and held it up to one of its fangs, gently piercing the membrane stretched over it. After the vial was filled with its poison, it slowly put it down outside the cage, then scuttled back deeper into its prison. Twilight took the vial and placed it in her bags. “Tell it I said ‘thank you’ and we’ll try to help it any way we can.” Haze translated, but he scowled at the creature’s reply. “What did it say?” asked Twilight. Haze hesitated, then said, “You don’t want to know.” ____________________________________________________________________________________ Food! This was the main thought in every creature that came out of the ship’s cargo hold. The aliens had given them all a bland, unappetizing nutrient paste, and the choice had been to eat it or starve. But now, now they were all free to pull down sweet, fresh meat! Some stayed within the vicinity of the ship, and hunted the small animals they could sense nearby. But others caught the scent of a much larger population, and fanned out in that direction. This world was new and strange to them all, but there was no mistaking the innate sense of prey. They had only to find it. Three of the larger ones hunted together. They had all been captured from the same planet, and even though they were all from different packs they instinctively knew they’d have better success if they worked together. They soon came upon an apple orchard. The fruits were of no use to them, but they could sense there were prey animals nearby. Gliding in among the trees, they each paused as they stared at the structures before them. As one, they slid down to their bellies and crept forward, keeping to the trees as much as possible. They hurried across the open space and kept low, each choosing a different window. Just as they were about to crash through, a creature inside began barking. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Big Mac had been uneasy all day. He tried without success to place the feeling, but there was no mistaking it. The sun should have set over an hour ago, which only added to his disquiet. He looked up. He, Granny and Apple Bloom were having supper in their rustic kitchen. The sun streamed gently through the windows, shining off the well-worn wooden furniture that had graced the Apple clan for a generation or more. All looked peaceful, but he couldn’t shake that feeling of discomfort. Suddenly Winona sat up, faced one of the windows and began barking. “What’s the matter, girl?” asked Apple Bloom. She started to get out of her chair, but Big Mac stopped her. “No, sis, I’ll check.” He had just reached Winona when there was a crash in the living room. “Get upstairs!” he cried to Granny and Apple Bloom, as he grabbed Winona. He was turning to run with the dog under his foreleg when there were two more crashes, one directly behind him and another to the side. All three Apples looked in horror as three dark shapes approached them. The creatures were on all fours, with the largest one as tall as Big Mac’s shoulder height. Their eyes had no pupils, and their mouths had rows of fangs that dripped slaver as they slowly came nearer. Big Mac retreated and gave the frantically barking dog to Apple Bloom. “Go! Get to the rooms!” shouted he as the leader suddenly lunged forward. Mac stood on his hind legs and met the charge with both hooves, knocking it away and across the room. But the others closed on him as he tried to back up the stairs. Mac ducked his head as he saw one fly at him out of the corner of his eye. It tried to latch onto his throat but succeeded in biting his neck. The other sank its fangs into his flank, and began to pull him down. Big Mac turned his head and bit the one holding his neck, gave a mighty heave and threw it aside. He then turned and brought his hoof crashing down on the leg of the one on his flank, and there was a wet snap! as the bone was splintered. The beast howled and let go, and Mac began to limp backwards up the stairs, as the leader once again came forward. “Mac!” screamed Apple Bloom as she struggled to hold Winona. But it was no use. The dog had been furiously barking, but when she saw Big Mac bleeding she went mad! Lunging forward, she broke free of Apple Bloom’s grip on her collar and launched herself down the stairs, leaping over Mac’s shoulder. With fangs bared she flew straight at the monster that was many times her size, but she was heedless to any danger to herself. This thing had hurt her family! Her ferocity caught the being by surprise as she went for its throat, but it quickly moved aside, causing her to miss her target. She latched onto its neck and began furiously shaking her head, trying to rip and tear the creature. The thing screeched, then used its claws to pull her off its neck and threw her aside. Winona flew through the air and crashed broken into a wall. She fell silent. Now bleeding, the creature slowly turned and growled at Big Mac, as the other joined it. The leader looked down at the injured beast that was still howling. Suddenly, the leader shot forward, sank its fangs into its neck and twisted the beast’s head. The leader then stared up at Mac with the limp beast in its jaws. After a moment it opened them and let it fall to the floor. Big Mac backed up the stairs. His only chance was to get them into the narrow hallway, where they could only attack him one at a time. But now he faced two wounded beasts, one of which had just killed its own kind. He could sense his family were still in the hallway behind him, so without looking he said, “Lock yourselves in the rooms. Don’t come out.” “We ain’t leavin’ you!” cried Apple Bloom. “Don’t argue, child! He’s gotta fight, and we’re in the way,” said Granny. She pulled her granddaughter into the room with her, but not before adding, “You give ‘em hell, Mac.” Then she shut and locked the door.