The Night of the Trotters

by Strongbolt Stonewing

Sanctuary

Roseluck was alone. There were no ponies, none whatsoever. Nothing alive nor dead. Nothing.

"H-hello?" She mumbled.

Everything was dark, the world was black, Roseluck could not see anything. The strange laugh-whisper that Roseluck had heard earlier brushed past her ear.

"Who's there?" She yelled. "I-I'm not afraid of you!"

"Us?" Said a hissing voice. "No, not us." The voice was similar to what Roseluck imagined a snake would sound like if it could talk. A cold shiver ran down her back whenever it spoke.

"Who are you?" Roseluck turned, attempting to find the source of the voice.

"Poor, poor little pony." The voice whispered. "So lost, so alone." Every time the voice spoke, it seemed to move closer towards Roseluck.

"What do you want?" She asked as firmly as she could, but her voice still trembled.

"Alone again!" The voice taunted as the laughter increased.

"W-What? Stop it!" Roseluck tried to back away, but she could not move her legs.

"All alone! Nobody loves you! Nobody wants you!"

"No! That's not true! Whooves..."

"He doesn't want you! He thinks you're a freak! He thinks you're useless! He doesn't really want you, nobody does."

"Stop!"

"Alone again!" The voice cackled cruelly. "All alone again!"

"No! Not again!" She screamed.

"Who's there?" Dice asked the darkness. "Friend or foe?"

"Hello?" Said a mare's voice, neither Roseluck or Derpy. "Is somepony there?" A faint purple light appeared in the distance.

"Who are you?" Dice yelled .

The light came closer and a purple alicorn, no taller than Dice or Laura, appeared from the hollow space. The alicorn's mane and tail were a dark blue-purple color, in her hair she had a pink and purple streak. She looked exhausted and rattled. They exchanged weary and wary looks.

"You... you're not zombies." She muttered.

"And neither are you." Dice returned.

"My name is Twilight, Twilight Sparkle." The mare said.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Laura asked, suddenly interested.

"Well, um, yeah, I guess." Twilight replied awkwardly.

Laura bowed. "It's an honour to meet you, Your Majesty."

Dice rolled his eyes. "Princess, huh?"

Twilight stared at Laura, who was still bowing. "Um, perhaps we should move somewhere safer."

"You know somewhere safer?" Dice asked disbelievingly.

Twilight stuck out her front leg. "Take my hoof."

Laura looked up, she was smiling with her mouth open. "O-Okay." She squealed with delight, and slowly reached for her hoof. Dice rolled his eyes, again, and grabbed her leg.

Twilight closed her eyes and illuminated her horn and a blast of purple magic coated the trio.

"Uh..." Whooves moaned.

"Hello?" Said a shaky mare's voice. "Anyone home?"

Whooves squinted his eyes open slightly, he caught sight of something light blue with multiple colors atop it.

"W-Wha..." He mumbled.

"Hey Zecora!" The blue creature yelled. "I think he's waking up!"

Whooves's vision clarified, the blue creature solidified into a pegasus with a rainbow-coloured mane and tail.

"Where... Roseluck?" Was all he managed to mutter.

The pegasus watched him as he tried to stand. "Woah! Take it easy." She said.

Whooves sat back down. "Where am I?" He asked.

"The Everfree Forest, just not where we found you." The pegasus replied.

"We? Who exactly are you?"

"Name's Rainbow Dash, expert flier and generally awesome pony, at your service." She bowed.

"Okay, and who's 'we'?" Whooves rubbed his forehead.

"You are very lucky that you were found," said a new, rhythmic voice, "the forest is neither safe nor sound." A pony with black and white stripes moved into view, she wore gold rings around her hooves and as earrings.

"This is Zecora, she's a friend." Rainbow gestured to the zebra.

"Wait, have you two been living out here?" Whooves asked.

"Well, not just us two..." The was a sudden flash and three ponies appeared. One was a purple alicorn and the others were Dice and Laura.

"That... was... amazing." Laura giggled.

"Dice? Laura?" Whooves questioned.

"Whooves?" Dice replied.

"You guys know each other?" Rainbow examined the ponies.

"Yeah, we travel together. We got a little lost in the woods." Whooves admitted.

"You were not lost, you were separated," Zecora said, "no doubt by a demon, a creature of hatred."

"What?" Dice stared at her. "Wait, Zecora?"

"You certainly took your time, I see. Yet, I assumed you would recognise me."

"How long has it been? Seven, eight years?" Dice embraced Zecora.

"Hold it! You guys know each other too?" Rainbow looked surprised.

"Yeah, back when I used to... travel, I met Zecora. In her old village, that is. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I moved not long after you, to Equestria I came, for something new."

"Well, it's good to see you again."

The purple alicorn was breathing heavily, she sat down on the grass outside a small hut embedded in an old tree.

"Are you alright, Princess Twilight?" Laura gasped. "Do you need something? Water? Food? A bed?"

"No... I'm fine, just a little worn out." Twilight panted. "And, um, just 'Twilight' is fine."

"Okay." Laura giggled. "Twilight."

"Not alone. No. Not again. No." Roseluck whimpered. She was laying on her side with her hooves over her eyes.

The voice's evil cackling still pierced her ears. "What's wrong, Rosie?" It hissed.

"Leave me alone!" Roseluck screamed.

"But I thought you didn't want to be alone? I thought you wanted friends..."

"I have friends!" She cried.

"No, they don't like you. Especially not the Doctor. They think you're useless, they don't need you, they don't want you, nobody does."

"Stop it! Just stop it! Please!"

"Face the truth Roselump, you're nothing but a crybaby!" The voice's words ringed in her ears like an echo.

"No... I, but..." She stammered.

Suddenly, a group of ponies appeared around her, they looked exactly like the bullies from her old school. Their eyes were blank, they pointed at Roseluck and laughed.

Roseluck just cried. "No..." She murmured, her voice trembling.

More ponies appeared, including Dice, Laura and Whooves, all with blank eyes and all laughing.

"Get away from her!" A new voice said.

Roseluck looked up, and before her stood Princess Luna, emitting a bright, shining glow. She extended her wings and stomped her front hooves into the ground, vaporising the unreal ponies. She shone her horn directly upwards and the entire world illuminated. Roseluck now stood in a new domain, one much similar to Luna's.

"Roseluck!" Luna sat beside her.

"You... I..." Roseluck mumbled, tears still rushing down her face.

"It's okay." Luna wrapped her wing and hoof around her. "You are safe, I promise."

Whooves and Dice explained everything that had happened, since leaving Ponyville up until losing each other in the forest. They explained the task that Luna had set them also. Twilight seemed relieved when she heard that Luna still lived.

"I see." She said. "So you need a cockatrice's head?"

"Yeah, sounds a lot easier than it is." Whooves rubbed the back of his head.

"We'll help you in whatever ways we can," Twilight promised, "but first I guess I should explain our side of the story. I was in my library when the infection struck, I managed to escape and later found Rainbow Dash, then we came here, it was the best place we could think of."

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight and nodded.

"Oh, yeah." Twilight said. "You didn't happen to see any other living ponies while you were in Ponyville, did you?"

"I'm afraid not, why?" Dice asked.

Twilight and Rainbow became suddenly disappointed. "You see, when I fled," Twilight continued, "I originally planned to rescue my friends and then come here, but there were so many and... well, I don't know if they made it out."

"I'm sorry, there were no others." Dice said bluntly.

"How about we make a deal?" Rainbow looked up suddenly. "We help you catch a cockatrice and if you see our friends, or anypony else, tell them we're here, and that we're alive."

Dice studied her. "Deal."

"Wait a minute." Whooves intervened. "You explained how you got here, but how did I get here?"

Twilight looked at him guiltily. "Heh, I, um..." She laughed nervously. "That was an accident. I guess I kinda... well... long story short, I went in, I heard a noise, thought it was a zombies and..."

"You knocked me out?" Whooves inquired.

"Sorry about that." Twilight murmured.

"Wait!" Laura yelled. "You knocked him out... with magic?"

"Er... yes." Twilight winced.

"That is... so awesome." Laura whispered.

Dice cleared his throat. "Anyway, about the cockatrice?"

"Oh yeah," Rainbow grinned, "we'll help you find the cockatrice. Zecora?"

"I will do what I can to help this nation, I have just the item for this situation." Zecora replied in a rhyme. A moment later she returned from her shack holding a few pairs of thick sunglasses.

"What are these?" Dice asked whilst studying the peculiar object.

"They will protect you from a Cockatrice stare, they will help you, whether stallion or mare."

Whooves placed the glasses over his eyes. "Hey, I can see through these pretty well."

"They're magical glasses." Twilight explained. "You can see out but nothing can see in."

"Hm." Whooves laughed. "Yes I spent some time working with... magic that was different on the inside compared to the outside."

"Okay, so we've got our equipment, anybody even know where to find a cockatrice?" Said Dice.

"Actually, I was turned to stone by one some time ago..." Twilight admitted.

Laura gasped. "A-Are you alright Pri- I mean, Twilight?"

"Yes," Twilight replied awkwardly, "it was a while ago." Laura still stared at her seeming partially concerned and partially in awe. "Anyhow, I think I remember where I found it. It isn't far from here."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get moving!" Dice slid the glasses onto his face.

"I'm not gonna lie." Said Twilight sheepishly. "I'm not exactly one hundred percent sure I remember exactly where it was... not from here, at least."

Dice grew frustrated. "What d'you mean, not from here?"

"I mean, I sort of wandered off while heading to Zecora's one time. Like I said, I don't know the exact path there, but if we just travel down the main road, I'm sure it'll all flood back to me."

"Well it better." Dice said, almost threatening.