• Published 14th Aug 2015
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Tales of Valor - Part 2: Web of Deception - Scribble Script



An ancient evil rises from the Everfree Forest and the Mane Six take on the fight. At their side is the newcomer Valor Edge with his knowledge about extramundane monsters.

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3 - Turn by Turn

3rd: Turn by Turn

On half way back to Ponyville, Fluttershy unexpectedly tipped Valor at the shoulder and said: “You’re not the only one who’s afraid of spiders.”

Valor sighed. “One more time, I am NOT afraid of spiders…” He paused as he realized what the pegasus was up to:

Towards them walked Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, wearing their usual red Cutie-Mark-Crusader-Capes. Actually, Sweetie Belle was less walking than jumping around in circles screaming “Get it off of me! Get it off of me!” while apparently trying to free herself from a spider’s web that was stuck in her mane. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo did their best to help her; what was all but easy with Sweetie bucking around like mad.

“See?” Fluttershy smiled at Valor. “There sure are a lot of spiders around today…”

The stallion grimaced and trotted over to the three fillies. “Hold still, please!” he advised Sweetie Belle and then skillfully removed the sticky threads from her mane.

“Hi Valor! Hi Fluttershy” Apple Bloom greeted, followed by another “Hi” from Scootaloo and then Sweetie Belle.

“What’s up?” Scootaloo asked, beaming at Valor. “Anything exiting?”

He knew at once, what the filly was up to. Since he had begun to tell his stories, the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to persuade him over and over again to help them getting a ‘hero-related’ Cutie Mark. Whatever that was supposed to mean.

And although Valor was glad to share his knowledge with anypony who would listen, this time he was certain to keep the fillies out of it. For their own safety.

“Basically”, he evasively answered. “Fluttershy and I are doing some research about animals. I think you might find the studying a little boring, but you may come along if you want.”

At once the filies’ expectant expressions slipped. Studying wasn’t at all how they imagined their weekend.

“Yeah, I guess we’re drawing a blank on that one”, Scootaloo slowly said. “Right, girls?”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell frenetically nodded in confirmation.

“Alright then. See you later, fillies”, Valor replied. He airily saluted to the Cutie Mark Crusader who returned that greeting. Then he and Fluttershy went off.

“That was a bummer”, Scootaloo stated.

“Do ya know, why he’s so into studies all of a sudden?” Applebloom tilted her head into Valor’s direction.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo shrugged their shoulders. “Anyway, what do we do now?” Sweetie wanted to know.

Apple Bloom thought about that problem. Apparently there was no Hero Cutie Mark to get today, so what should they do?

All of a sudden, she felt a tiny sting in her neck. “Yuck… Damn mosquitos”, she muttered and scratched the itchy spot.

And then, Apple Bloom knew it: “Hey, let’s go to Zecora’s place”, she offered.

Her friend was sounding a little off, Sweetie Belle thought. But she could be mistaken. Sweetie Belle’s imagination often got the best of her…

“Maybe Zecora can teach us how to brew healing potions.” Apple Bloom continued. “Every hero needs healing potions, ya know?”

That seemed somewhat logical, although Sweetie Belle was wondering how Apple Bloom was expert on hero business all of a sudden.

“No objections!” Scootaloo said. Then she jerked and slapped her shoulder with her hoof. “Anyway, let’s go, girls! AB’s right, these midges gonna eat us alive…”

Now Sweetie Belle felt a sting, too. “Ieek! Yes, let’s go!”

Had the three fillies more carefully listened to Valor as he talked about the less-fun parts of being a ranger, they had probably kept a more thoughtful eye on their surroundings. Then they maybe had noticed there weren’t any mosquitos around at all…

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Twilight impatiently tapped her hoof on the sill. Had the train to Ponyville always been that dead slow? Time didn’t seem to pass at all on the last part of the track. Just when she had no time to lose! This blue pony and his book had startled her. She had tried to find the answer to the question on the mysterious note. But neither Clover the Clever nor Starswirl himself gave one in their books. In the whole library not. So Twilight had asked the librarian about the strange stallion.

The stallion’s name was Perfect Pace, at least the librarian had told her that. He was the timekeeper of Canterlot. That must’ve been the reason he was on familiar ground with temporal magic. But according to the confused librarian he hadn’t seen Mister Pace for at least three weeks. And The Silver Knight of Eternity wasn’t in the stock list either and the librarian had never heard about that, too,

So that was the situation: Twilight had received a book that didn’t exist from a pony that had never been there. And with the book she had gotten a note with instruction she couldn’t figure out what to do with and didn’t even know if it was meant for her.
Confusing? Yes sir, Twilight was very confused. And after three pointless hours trying to find Perfect Pace she had decided to take another option.

If Pace was untraceable there was only one pony who she could possibly ask if the instruction meant something to him. A certain stallion with a certain golden Vortex-manipulating lighter. Unfortunately that pony was in Ponyville at the moment.

Of course, she could have send Valor a letter via Spike and he would have gotten it almost immediately. But Valor would have to send an answer by regular mail because Spike was with her and precisely not in Ponyville… And because there was simply no way she could wait until the mail ponies arrived (Ponyville’s mail ponies weren’t exactly the most reliable ones), Twilight took a different decision and the first train in the morning back to Ponyville.

“Once again, Twilight”, Spike drew her attention. “You’re really creep me out. You’ve been mumbling like that to yourself since we left Canterlot.”

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts. “Sorry, what did you say Spike?”

“Never mind.” The purple dragon rolled his eyes. I just hope this train arrives in Ponyville soon and that Twilight can get some answers. Or that Valor can calm her down a bit, at least…

“Strange stallions that haven’t been there, and strange books about temporal magic that don’t even exist”, he heard Twilight beginning to mutter again. “And the Void… What’s about the Void? Does it really exist or is it metaphorical? Oh, why didn’t Starswirl mention only once that dealing with temporal magic was so… so…”

She searched for the right words. Spike eyed at his claws and then supplied: “Wobbly?”

Twilight Sparkle hesitated for a moment and looked at Spike in amazement.

“That may be not very scientific, Spike”, she said, shaking her head. “But it’s… It’s a shockingly good way to put it.”

“Science is not everything Twi, you know?”

Just as Twilight was about to answer, a sudden whistling of a train interrupted her. Ponyville, finally. It had costed her all day to get back here. Finally, Twilight was going to get some answers. She didn’t for even one second doubt that Valor could help her. At least he could most likely decrypt some of the phenomena Clover the Clever had described in her book.

“And you’re sure, Valor Edge knows the answers?” Spike asked. “I mean, why would he know about reversing poles or whatsit?” Though Twilight hadn’t directly told him about her plans she had been grumbling about them all the ride back to Ponyville.

“Two words, Spike”, Twilight answered. “Vortex. Manipulator. Or ‘time machine’ for the simpler mind. His golden lighter, do you remember? He called it that. Starswirl used the phrase Vortex-manipulating, too. It’s in the very book the time-travelling spell I once used was in. I already talked to the girls about that and we all agreed that it couldn’t be just coincidence he uses the same words as the only expert on that topic. And I bet that instructions is somehow time related.”

Sure, Valor Edge was a bit strange and could tell stories of olden times like he had been there, but a time-traveler? Spike got the feeling he must have missed the memo on that one, but that would explain Twilights renascent interest in time-magic. Spike just hoped it wouldn’t lead to another meltdown, like the last time…

The librarian and her assistant eventually got off of the train. Now, in the early evening, Twilight came to notice, kind of an odd atmosphere prevailed in town. It was almost as if autumn had decided to begin. (Which was strange, considering that it was only few weeks after Summer Sun Celebration.) Anyway, she didn’t waste any time and started to look out if Valor Edge was somewhere nearby right away.
Spike on the other hand wouldn’t have minded to get something to eat first, but obviously his opinion didn’t count.

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Luckily for Spike’s rumbling stomach, Twilight hadn’t to seek long for the grey stallion. She ran across him right away at the library.

Valor was standing in front of the Golden Oak’s door. Together with Fluttershy he was to face an unexpected problem: As the library was also Twilight’s home she had, of course, locked it up when leaving for Canterlot.

“What is the purpose of a library, when it is locked?” Valor Edge complained.

“It kind of makes sense”, Fluttershy replied. “If you think about it. It’s her home after all. I mean, I wouldn’t leave my house unlocked if I’m out.”

Valor made gestured helplessly. “But… But…” he stammered. “But the library still is public, is it not?” He tried to object.

“We don’t often lend books, though.”

The stallion let out a deep sigh. “I admit defeat. Now what shall I do? Get my lock picks?”

“Or you could just ask me for the key, before you break in”, Twilight dryly stated and stepped next to Valor. “But interesting to hear you got burglar’s tools.”

“Oh, Twilight, good to see you!” Fluttershy greeted her.

“Good to see thee”, Valor Edge added, definitely trying to distract from his suggestion to break into Twilight's home.

Twilight put her key into the lock and opened the door. “Valor, there’s something I wanted to ask you. Something I need your help with”, she said.

Valor Edge made a deep bow in front of Twilight. “Always at thy service.” And as they went inside, he added: “What can I help thee with?”

Twilight told him, what her problem was. Time-travel, the Void and most of all, that strange instruction she had gotten. Valor nodded seriously and then said:

“I will answer thy questions as honestly as possible. But I fear I know little about the mechanics of time-travel or the Void. The old magician - Starswirl, was it? - may be right. It is a place that should not exist. It is absolute horror. And whenever a bridge forms between our reality and the Void, terrible things happen. Indescribable, evil things. I cannot forbid thee to study but I plead thee, whatever thou do, never ever try to break the bonds of reality!”

He looked like somepony who had experienced these terrible things first hand, Twilight thought and chose to not stress this point any further. At least at the moment.

“And about that message”, she instead asked. “Does that mean anything to you?”

Valor was already trying to grab a book high from the zoological shelve and therefor dangerously balancing on a stepladder.

“I can imagine quite some things where polarity could be reversed to obtain a certain effect. Reversing the polarity of a power source would make it discharge at once, violently perhaps. And it reminds me of an old acquaintance of me. He used to often say that he would reverse the polarity of the neutron flow. But that is just nonsensical gibberish, meant to sound scientific…” He almost slipped a step and fell as he was trying to balance four books at the same time on his head. He zestfully slammed the books on the bookrack, then Valor thoughtfully continued:

“I need to rethink that matter later… Right now we have more urgent things to discuss. But worry not, Twilight Sparkle. If this message is important, it will make sense when it needs to. It always does.” He turned to Fluttershy and said. “Can thou please fill Twilight in, while I start to look up our mysterious creature?”

With growing bewilderment and worry Twilight listened to Fluttershy’s report of what had happened and what she and Valor had found out. That was really serious matter. A dangerous creature roaming around Ponyville could start a mass panic or even worse…
Twilight had to cast her curiousness aside and help with the research. After all, she was the librarian in charge, wasn’t she?

Together, the three ponies read through book after book, trying to find anything useful.
But an hour went by and Valor was growing utterly frustrated. The mysterious black hair was the only point of reference he had for his research. A sketchy point at best, for even in the first book about mythological creatures half a dozen tremendously dangerous beasts that possessed black hair or fur of some sort. None of them seemed to fit, though he still had the sensation he was missing something. In some way that hair seemed familiar, like he had seen it before. But he couldn’t quite recall where or when…

“It is of no use”, Valor sighed. “I just cannot figure out what we have to deal with. If I could only figure out what this stingy hair reminds me of. Knowing my luck it is from a Fenris-Wolf or something like that and I am just too dumb to recognize it.”

“I think it’s not a mammal’s hair at all, you know?” Fluttershy stated. “Though I like your idea with the Fenris.”

“I thank thee, but that was not even a real suggestion, Fluttershy.” Valor groaned.

“A Fenris has neither the right size nor can it change its shape. Of course, its howling is inducing fear though…” Twilight added.

Valor shook his head but then reconsidered what Fluttershy had just said:
“Not a mammal’s hair, you say? Hm… If we have eliminated all the impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

“Hey, I know that one”, Fluttershy exclaimed. “Sherlock Hooves, right?”

Valor laughed despite being tired and tense. “Very good, Fluttershy! Of course. The great Sherlok Ho… Wait, did thou say ‘Hooves’?”

He loudly cleared his throat and quickly got back to the trail: “Again, never mind… Alright, not a mammal’s hair. Then, what other animals have hair?”

“Are… Are you asking me?” Fluttershy’s doubtfully asked.

Valor closed his eye. “No, I am asking the pot plant over there… Of course I am asking thee, Fluttershy! I am a good hunter and Twilight is very smart, but the unchallenged expert for creatures of all sorts is thou!”

His cynism earned Valor a scolding look from Twilight but Fluttershy indeed felt a little bland that he saw her that way. She tried to think very hard about the problem.

“Well, um… Lizards and amphibians don’t have fur… Of course eastern dragons have fur and whiskers but if we definitely can cross out a dragon…”

“Definitely, yes”, Valor stressed.

“Right, right.” She nodded.

“Then we don’t have any vertebrates left?” Twilight wanted to know, which Fluttershy confirmed.

“At least as far as I know… Oh, Valor, did you know that butterflies are furry, too?”

Valor found the thought of a giant, venomous moth attacking Ponyville as unlikely as disturbing. “Somepony would have noticed if a large, murderous butterfly was around.” He replied dryly.
Then he heard a something:

Valor’s ears twitched as a babel of voices sunk in from outside. Before he could say anything, Applejack and Rarity entered, no almost rushed into the library, followed by Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

“Valor, glad yer here”, Applejack addressed him instantly. That she didn’t even bother to greet Fluttershy or Twilight (who she hadn’t seen for the last three days) told Valor that there was something wrong.

“Is there something wrong?” he nevertheless asked to be on the safe side.

“Have yer seen the fillies? Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, I mean? They’re late for picnic and we can’t find them anywhere.”

Valor Edge deeply sighed within. Am I doomed to never solve this riddle? But, of course, missing family members, especially foals always had priority.

“Alright”, he said. His calm tone was meant to calm down Applejack, Rarity and the others as well. “Please start from the beginning! What has happened and what have you done so far to find the fillies?”

Valor Edge now came to know that Applejack, shortly afterwards accompanied by Rarity and Rainbow Dash had asked all around town if anypony had seen the three fillies. It turned out that indeed Valor and Fluttershy were the last if not the only one to have spoken with them today. After that, they had wandered off and not returned when it was time for the picnic AJ had arranged for them. Right now, they were missing for somewhat over two hours. Nopony had seen neither Applebloom, nor Sweetie Belle, nor Scootaloo.

Now, with the Everfree Forest so close by, everypony was, of course, worried, afraid even.

Which was understandable in Valor’s opinion. It was true, the three were quite independent for their age. But maybe a little more independent than was good for them. And the fact they had practically vanished right in front of Valor’s eye left a negative connotation.

If something had happened it would be the second thing today Valor had failed to see. Alongside with why he failed to see how that black hair was so familiar to him.

Either I am getting old, or there is some kind of evil will turned against us.

Valor very well knew that he could get a little paranoid at times. But what really bothered him wasn’t as much the disappearing of the fillies itself but more the fact he couldn’t even recall which direction Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had went. Did they go back to town or the other way?

And neither could Fluttershy which made the affair even more suspicious. Truth to be told, if Applejack hadn’t told them, none of both would have given the Cutie Mark Crusaders any single thought.

“Do you know the feeling”, Fluttershy asked. She sounded flustered. “That there’s something in the corner of your eye but you fail to see it? Same with what happened today…”

“Me too”, Valor Edge confirmed. “Anypony else?”

“Dunno. Ah got an awkward feelin’ that somethin’ was wrong and suddenly Ah remembered that Ah had wanted to prepare a picnic with the fillies. And that they hadn’t come”, Applejack slowly said.

Twilight had closed her eyes like she was trying to memorize something. “It felt like autumn”, she murmured.

“Oh, this is bad”, Valor muttered. “This might well be the first turn of our opponent.”

“Turn?” Fluttershy wondered. “Valor, what’s going on?”

The grey stallion rubbed his temples. He was trying so hard to think that he was getting a headache. Eventually Valor tried to put the pieces together:

“What we know so far is that a mysterious creature haunts the Everfree Forest. It is somehow able to cause fear which we know because Fluttershy was attacked that way.
Three fillies not come home. Coincidence? It may be but somehow I doubt that.
And last but not least: The indistinct feeling that something is not as it should be. At least four of us have experienced it throughout the day. Hence, I gather something IS not as it should be.
Something is going on, right in front of us, yet we are unable to see it…”

Everypony was quiet. Valor now sounded a afraid himself and that was enough to keep them silent.

“What are we facing? What is it up to?” he muttered. “Oh, I know the answer, I know, I know, but I cannot put my hoof on it. Right there yet hidden… ‘In the corner of your eye’…
Sounds like… Sounds like… Now, what was the word…?”

Suddenly, he jumped to his hooves.

“Perception Filter! Yes, that was the word. Ever so slightly shifts ones perception that the mind refuses to see what is obviously there!”
His eye darted all over the place. If it really was a Perception Filter – be it magical or technical- maybe knowing about it would enable him to say what it was supposed to veil.
But there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary in the library despite the fact that it could need a little cleanup. Twilight had been gone for only three days and the cobwebs were already hanging between the shelves.

Cobwebs!
And Valor saw daylight.

Spider threads blowing with the wind at Fluttershy’s cottage.
The cobweb he had stumbled into; a black hair next to it on the ground.
Sweetie Belle screaming “Get it off of me! Get it off of me”, a spider’s web in her mane.
“It felt like autumn.”

It all made perfectly sense. And now Valor was downright furious: “I am an idiot! No, a thirty-six-time moron! It was there all the time!”

“Excuse me, Valor”, Twilight impatiently interrupted his ranting. “But would you please let us participate in your insights?”

“Why did thou think it felt like autumn?” the stallion shot back at her.

“I don’t know… Maybe because of all the… Oh!” And there was the daylight again.

Valor Edge nodded glumly. “It is a spider”, he said. “That wiry hair is from a giant spider. That was why it was so alien and yet familiar. I know spiders are hairy (which is actually part of why I not like them). But I have never seen a spider that big and thus I not recognized it.”

“But somepony would have notice if a giant spider was running around Ponyville”, Twilight expressed her last doubts. Valor Edge pointed at her with his hoof and exclaimed:

“Good objection, Twilight. Apart from Fluttershy, nopony has noticed anything. A whole town and not one single witness!
I dare to claim the giant spider has never left the forest until now. But how was it able to make all of us oblivious, if it has not even seen us yet?”

That was a good question. Valor had a certain suspicion on that point: All the cobwebs that were around, they hadn’t been there when Twilight had left for Canterlot ago. She had noticed them and, just like Valor, connected them with the beginning of fall.
And even Fluttershy had mentioned there were unusual many spiders in Ponyville. So during the last three days, as much as an army of spiders had spread all over town.

What if something was able to lead or even control them? Some kind of wicked spider-queen, for example. All over Equestria, cobwebs where common sight, nopony would ever become suspicious.
But spiders could easily creep in each and every house and spy on each and every pony. And most ponies would flat-out ignore them. An agent in every house, eyes all over Ponyville, like a virtual, giant spider web.
Their enemy could be considered the perfect spider. It sat motionless at the center of a web with a thousand radiations and did little itself but plotting. But that web was swarmed by thousands of minions, unseen by all others. Through their eyes it saw and through their ears it heard everything and could react on any threat. Put a Perception Filter over a whole town. Dull the ponies’ senses, make them be oblivious of important things. Or induce fear. Maybe even lure prey into the creature’s fangs.
In any case, assure that nopony interfered in its hunt.

“Oh, I fear for the fillies”, he sadly concluded. “They might be in grave danger. We need to find them as soon as possible!”

“We looked for them everywhere!” Applejack desperately exclaimed.
But that wasn’t true. There was still one place left, they hadn’t searched: The Everfree Forest.

Valor nodded, his expression deadly serious. Then he rose his head and turned towards his friends.
“I let myself get under the influence of a cheap trick. I allowed my senses to be numbed while my inner voice was screaming to get my attention. I even withheld the truth about my concerns when I should have told them right away and make sure they were safe.
I may be wrong – Oh, I never have hoped so much that I am wrong! - But I think creature already was after them when Fluttershy and I met the earlier.
Heavens, if anything happens to the fillies I could never forgive myself! But if our opponent really is a spider of some sort then there might be time left…

Hence, you all be my testimonies: I will neither rest nor bait until I bring the fillies back save and sound. I promise -no I swear- in the name of everything sacred! And woe betide anything that dares trying to stop me!

Now, Spike: Please get my sword from Sweet Apple Acres! The hunt is on!”

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