//------------------------------// // The foals // Story: Lily Mare Do Well // by Hyper44 //------------------------------// The second that the scream went off two things happened. The heads of the four other monsters in Ponyville were raised up to call back and all the fillies and colts scrambled. As the eerie cries cut through the air and filled the vacant city every foal dove under piles of merchandise and behind shelves. Every foal except Buttons who stood on a bucket with a slingshot in one hoof and a bag of marbles at his feet. The beast busted the glass with one easy strike of its huge maw. Buttons did not run. As It prepared to spit he snatched up a toy from the floor. He slung it just as the monster released a magic burst. The toy intercepted the magic before it reached Buttons and it was encased in the bubble. Before the monster could spit another burst Buttons fired a shooter marble back. The monster screeched and stumbled back after it pinged off the fleshly part of its head. "See," Buttons said turning to his hiding classmates, "We just have to-" "Look out!" Buttons turned back just in time to see another blast coming straight for him. Just before it hit Silver Spoon tackled him and they both crashed to the floor while the blast sailed over them. "This is not one of your games!" Silver Spoon yelled in his ear. Diamond Tiara and Pip reached out from behind a wall of shelves and drug them out of sight as the monster tried to climb its awkward bulk up through the window. "Well we have to do something!" Buttons replied. "Everypony! Over here! Rumble called out from across the store. He had flown up on top of the shelves that ran against the far wall where he could open a dropdown hatch that led to the roof. No foal argued. They bolted across the store to clamber up the shelves. Outside the other monsters had arrived. All of them were screeching at a fever pitch. Instead of trying to get through the window they began charging the wall making it shudder and groan under each impact. All this spurred the foals to move faster than they would have ever thought possible. Unfortunately, with the size of the roof hatch they could only go through one or two at a time. Fillies and colts soon crowded the top of the shelves eager to be the next one out. Some didn't even wait to near the last rows before climbing the shelves. They just clambered up the nearest one and began leaping the gaps. Dinky and Featherweight who were carrying the Cake twins were ushered quickly to the exit. Diamond Tiara and Pip had taken charge. The filly was directing the escape out of the hatch so they didn't get jammed and fall while the little colt checking to see that every foal made it. "Everypony is here except three!" He called to Diamond. "Buttons! Snips! Snails!" His voice echoed out over the crashing sound of monster hitting the wall and cracks of timber. "Ere!" The muffled voice of Buttons called out as he crawled up beside Diamond Tiara with the two other colts. All of them had slingshots and bags of marbles crowding their mouths. "Er' gon' ite ‘dem 'ings." He tried to say around the load. "Oh, get up there!" Diamond Tiara snapped and literally shoved him through the hatch. Nearly all the foals were on the roof and out of reach of the monsters. "Hurry Twist! Hurry!" Pip called to the straggling filly who was having trouble leaping over the aisle gaps. "The spaces are getting wider!" Twist cried. In the nest second the monsters burst through the wall. With shrieks they began crashing into rows of shelves. Like rows of dominos they began to fall into each other creating a wave of falling shelves. "Jump for it!" Diamond Tiara and Pip screamed at Twist who had one more leap to go. The final foal took a flying leap just as the shelf she was on was hit. It crashed to the side as the pair caught her hoofs. They scrambled through the hatch dragging Twist behind them. Pip quickly slammed the hatch shut a split second before a burst of magic struck it. The ponies sat shaking from adrenaline as they listened to the monsters crashing around in the building beanth their hoofs. "Boy is Dad going to be upset about his store," Diamond Tiara moaned slumping down on the roof. "I think that he will just be very happy that his daughter is alright," Silver Spoon replied putting a hoof around her shoulders. "Is everypony here?" Pip asked surveying the crowd. Everypony was present from Twist to Dinky and Featherweight who were still holding Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. Obvious to the danger the twins were starting to yawn after the long day in the store. "We're all here," Buttons replied pressing his ear to the roof. "They stopped smashing around in there." Everypony pressed their ear to the roof to listen except for the twins who were starting to doze off. Through the roof tiles the foals could hear the heavy footsteps of the monsters as they walked around treading on items that were scattered all over the place. After a couple of minutes, the foot falls faded from inside and could be heard back out in the streets. Buttons ventured to peek over the rim of the room only to instantly have to duck a burst of energy. He popped back up firing a marble back before ducking back while a rewarding squeal sounded from one of the beasts. Diamond Tiara crawled over to the edge and raised her head just enough to peek over before quickly ducking back. "They’re just hanging around and staring up at the roof," She said. "We should be ok until the adults get back," Silver Spoon commented. "They obviously can't climb up the sides and with the raised rim running around the roof we have something to duck behind. As long as we stay low we'll be fine." Her classmates breathed a sigh of relief. The store was large so there was plenty of room up there and the rim created a little wall giving them something to hide behind if they went near the edge. Buttons peeked over the edge again when heard a strange thump. He grimaced, fired a marble and ducked back. "What are you doing?!" Diamond Tiara hissed. "There's no need. We're safe up here!" "No we're not," Buttons replied indicating that she look back over the edge. Diamond Tiara glanced over and saw one of the monster who had appeared to have fallen shaking itself off. Next to it were two others who were oddly standing side by side. The first monster hopped onto their backs standing with one foot on either companion. A third monster climbed up the stack of beast to stand on his back bringing it so much close to the roof with the other monster following close behind. "EEPP!" Diamond Tiara yelped snatching the slingshot from Buttons. She fired a marble at one of the bottom monsters before the last beast could climb up. The monster yelped yanking a foot up causing the stack to collapse. They simply shook themselves off and started again. "Their stacking up like a bunch of stupid bricks! If the last one climbs up he'll be able to jump up here!" Diamond Tiara told the others. They gasped. "Then we just keep knocking them down!" Buttons yelled taking another slingshot from Snips and firing a marble at the beasts. "These marbles won't last forever!" Diamond Tiara cried as she looked down at their inadequate stash of ammo. "We have to get out of here!" "But how?!" Snails wined. "We're trapped!" "The hot air balloon!" Rumble called from the other side of the roof as Buttons knocked over the stack of monsters again. Everypony looked to where he was pointing. A block away was the hot air balloon service post. The basket was still tied to the platform with the balloon completely collapsed. "Me and Featherweight could fly over there and fire it up. "We've never flown a balloon before but we could figure out how to get it over here and pick you up. Then all we would have to do is float up into the clouds. They could never reach us then!" "Go for it and hurry!" Pip directed before rushing over to join Diamond Tiara and Buttons. Featherweight quickly handed Pound cake to another foal and darted after Rumble who was already headed for the balloon. While the two pegasus took off Pip, Diamond Tiara and Buttons kept firing marbles every time the monsters tried form a living ladder. Silver Spoon and other classmates kept watch on the progress of the two pegasus. "Just one marble at a time," Diamond instructed. "We have to make this last." "And don't aim at the beaks, if those are beaks," Buttons added. "They’re too thick for the monsters to even feel it." " They’ve got it untied!" Silver Spoon announced, "Their having trouble figuring out how to fire it up though! Oh come on....Yes!" With a roar the flame beanth the balloon flared. The balloon began to inflate but painfully slow. Everypony on the roof cheered at the sight and the heads of five monsters turned. All in unison they threw back their heads and shrieked waking up the twins and making everypony clap their hoofs over their ears. In a frenzied scramble the beasts raced toward the source of the flame. "Featherweight! Rumble Look out!" Silver Spoon yelled at the top of her lungs. Her voice was soon joined by her classmates all yelling together to alert the pegasus. There was a loud crash as the monsters charged straight into the balloon as the two pegasus came zipping back as fast as their little wings could carry them. They collapsed panting on the roof while their classmates watched in dismay as the hot air balloon was lost. The monsters crashed into the basket, shot magic at the flame engine and trampled the balloon with their foot claws tearing the thick fabric. "Their stopping us from leaving! I didn't think that those monsters could be that smart!" Buttons declared. "Maybe they’re not that smart," Replied Twist tapping her chin while she watched a monster run headlong into the basket. "I've been trying to figure out just how they see us with no eyes for a while. Rumble would you fly over to a house near them, don't get seen but make as much noise as possible." Rumble shrugged and flew to a house that stood near the balloon platform. He landed on the slop of the roof opposite of the side that faced the monsters. Once there he stomped and yelled at the top of his lungs. The monsters never looked up no matter how much noise he made. At Twist instructions he flew down beside the house and shoved a one pony cart so that it rolled out into the street right past the monsters who never looked up. The gradually gave up on the hot air balloon and started heading back towards the store. Twist tried yelling as they drew near but the monsters never looked up. Finally she and a few others popped up above the rim. Instantly the monsters let out a shriek and ran the rest of the way back. “That’s it!” Twist said as Diamond and the two colts took position to shoot at any monsters that tried to form a stack again. “What is it!” Featherweight asked. “They don’t really see us and they appear to be deaf too,” Twist explained. “Either that or they do not understand sound.” “But then how do they find us if their blind and deaf?” Buttons asked as he shot a marble at the feet of a monster as they tried the same trick again. “Remember when Miss Cheerilee taught us about snakes who could sense heat?” Twist said. “Well they see heat. Our body heat is like beacon to them. They went for the balloon because it became the hottest thing around. Any understanding that they have of their surroundings probably comes from the different tempters like say of the buildings compared to the ground. Anything that is hot enough they perceive to be a living thing.” “But what do we do about it?” Asked Buttons. “Um, I do have an idea,” Twist ventured, “But it seems kinda’ stupid.” “If it’s stupid but it works it isn't stupid.” Buttons replied. “What is it?” “Well I’ll need any pony with wings to gather us some stuff and one of us has to be brave to try it first,” Twist replied. “I’ll do it.” Diamond Tiara replied quickly. “You’re not going without me!” Silver spoon stated firmly stepping up beside her. “What do we have to do?” * * * Some distance from Ponyville the older ponies who stood outside the tunnels turned their heads as they thought that they heard sounds echoing over the hills. It was gone quickly though and they turned their attention back to the surrounding area. Monsters had come out of the tunnels and gathered in the field across from the elderly ponies but made no move towards them. They hissed and shrieked while stomping their feet as if trying to guard something but stayed where they were. They seemed very confused as if still set on guarding the corridors below but not understanding what to do once forced out. So they guarded nothing. Granny Crumpet sent details of this development to the ponies underground via magic. Underground the militia of equine were getting close to the surface. Lily found herself having to answer all kinds of question from curious ponies until her dad shooed them off. They were nearly to the surface but moved at no hurried pace completely unaware of what was going on in Ponyville. In the cavern far below thick glass shattered and a black wreathing mass filtered out. Many corridors above Lily’s ears pricked up. She glanced back at the chest that the two stallions were carrying. She could have sworn that she had heard some sound, like something shuttering come from inside it. The two stallions seemed to notice anything though so it was probably just her imagination.