War of the Unfoals

by NPP6

Chapter 5 - Stormbreak

There was a flash of blue light as Luna materialized in Celestia’s chambers. “Sister, something is very wrong in Ponyville. I have been cut off from their dreams.”

---

Storm clouds were gathering over Ponyville as Pinkie reached Sugarcube corner. Sensing something, she paused to sniff the air. Her eyes widened as her Pinkie Sense kicked in, leaving her vibrating on the doorstep for a bit.

Her mane drooped a bit as she looked around again. She swallowed, forced the perk back into her pink, and pronked through the door and up the stairs.

Arriving in her room, she began readying extra rounds for her party cannon.

---

Rarity’s heart stopped as she reached her home. The door wasn’t just open, it was gone.

Unbidden, memories of the last time somepony had forced their way into her boutique sprang to mind. Rarity rushed in to find the place thoroughly trashed. Terror made her hoarse as she screamed her sister’s name, desperately hoping to find her hiding somewhere.

It also quickly became clear that the filly was nowhere to be found. In her mad scramble to flee, she tripped over one of the toppled dress racks, tumbling out the door. Tears in her eyes, she began picking herself up.

It was then that she heard something. Looking around, she realized that there were several foal-sized creatures approaching from multiple directions. Her eyes narrowed. “So you lot took her then. Well come on, let’s begin.” An eldritch wind swirled as everything lighter than an apple within ten yards of the unicorn began floating. “This is for my sister.”

The dark foals rushed to meet her attacks.

A few minutes later, a mare’s scream split the night.

---

Fluttershy froze at a noise from the edge of the path. Whimpering, she backed up slowly as a figure slowly began to become defined in the shadows, red and yellow eyes peering out at her.

She felt her heart seize up when the figure started towards her…

…and then let out a sigh of relief as Discord stepped out of the shadows.

“Oh, Discord. You frightened me.”

“My apologies dear Fluttershy. However, there is much for you to be afraid of tonight.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not entirely sure. I can feel something fundamentally wrong with the universe. And do believe me, I realize the irony of that coming from me.”

“What is it?”

“Something dangerous. Something Dark. Beyond that I’m not sure.”

“So what do we do?”

“Well, I had been planning to keep you safe. Without the good old rainbow friendship cannon you’re rather vulnerable.”

“Thank you Discord, but… the others?”

Discord sighed. “Something told me you’d feel that way. Shall we see what we can do?”

Fluttershy smiled gently. “Let’s.”

---

Rainbow was flying home from Twilight’s when she heard the crashes. Curiosity piqued, she turned to investigate.

She found Scootaloo, racing down a street pulling dangerous stunts while towing a wagon with another filly in it. The pair were pursued, a group of black foals chasing them.

The new filly grabbed a wrought iron table as they passed a café. She threw it at the foals and it simply passed through them. Fortunately the waitress had already put the weather cover on it, and that popped off as it wrapped around three of the chasers.

Rainbow knew trouble when she saw it. She pulled into a dive and leveled out close enough to the ground that she was brushing it. “Squirt! Duck!”

To Scootaloo’s credit, she had the presence of mind to comply before questioning the command. Rainbow swerved tightly around the filly in the wagon, pulling up as far as she dared, which still meant that she felt Scootaloo’s mane in her pelt as her forehooves made contact with the handlebars.

The mare and fillies vanished in a polychrome blur.

---

Applejack’s ears perked as she heard her name. She smiled as she approached the farmhouse. Looked like her family had seen fit to greet her at the door.

Her smile fell when she got close enough to see Granny Smith’s face. “Applejack, somethin’s happened. Mac’s out searching the orchards. Find yer’ sister, now!”

In all her memory, Applejack couldn’t remember seeing Granny like this. Not even that blasted cave had scared her like this. Applejack took off at a gallop, screaming Applebloom’s name. She about had a heart attack when a glowing pony showed up in front of her.

“My name is Ruby. This way, quickly.”

It says something about her emotional state that Applejack never bothered to question following the ghost.

---

“Nyx, I just wanted to say that I’m proud of you for understanding the situation and playing in here quietly while we–” Twilight broke off as she entered the room fully. “Huh. Not here… Oh! She must be with Spike. That’s great, I can thank both of them together.”

Twilight shut the door behind her and pranced humming down the hall.

---

Sighing, Zecora set a log to brace her door and then turned to look up at the stars out her window. “Tonight it seems I must trust you, stallion bold of midnight blue. And if there’s anything you can do, I pray again you’ll lead us true.” The shutters closed.

---

Cheerilee sighed into her cocoa as she contemplated her role in this town. She heard something and turned to look out the open window. She blinked as two of her students came soaring in through it. It would have been an impressive feat for non-pegasi, considering that she had seen the leap from the top of her fence, but these two were… special. One was a crusader, the other… his mother’s son.

Button hit the linoleum and slid, reaching out with the giant key in his mouth to snag a table leg as he passed, redirecting the slide away from the refrigerator. Sweetie, clinging tightly to her hold on his back, slammed the window behind them with her magic, then dragged several cushions off of the couch she and Button were about to crash into.

After a muffled “whump” a pair of heads popped up out of the pile of pillows.

Button gasped for air. “Cheerilee… need help… not safe… couldn’t make… it home…”

Cheerilee stood up so fast that her chair tipped over. “Vertigo?” She asked.

The colt shook his head. “Lullaby,” He returned the safe word. “Carousel Boutique attacked. Don’t know what they are.”

Sweetie piped up, “They’re like foals, but… not. Black coats, no manes or tails, creepy white eyes…”

“They phase through attacks, but only attacks. Obstacles and barriers still work.”

Cheerilee nodded slowly, mentally prepping herself to defend her home. Whatever was after these two, it wasn’t getting them tonight. It was at that point that she noticed the smell. “Bathroom’s down the hall, second door on you left. Careful with the water, it’s pretty hot at first.”

To her surprise, both foals started heading back. “Sorry again Button.”

The colt replied to the low murmur with one of his own, “Don’t worry about it. I told you, it’s fine. My hip kept hitting your bladder, it’s not your fault, honest. You can even use the shower first.”

For a moment, Cheerilee considered telling Button to use the shower upstairs. Ultimately she decided against it; she trusted both of them and somepony really should stand guard over whichever one was cleaning up. Nodding to herself, she wandered off to start locking down her house.

She could still keep an ear on the pair.

---

Midnight and Diamond slipped into shadow to travel back to town. The pair rematerialized on the edge of the Everfree. The filly looked up at the stallion. “Where to?”

“Twilight. We’ll need her help to–”

The pulse washed over them like a gentle wave. “What was that?”

“Emergency beacon.”

“Didn’t seem very strong.”

“We’re a good way from the source. Also, what do you think would happen if a strong version of that hit while you were fighting?”

“Oh. Who’s in trouble?”

“Well, given that that was a Shadow Ranger beacon, and that aside from you there’s only two rangers, and that I haven’t taught you or Vambrace how to do that…”

“Zap Apple, got it. Sweet Apple Acres?”

“We can actually pinpoint it exactly, but that’s a good place to start. We’ll travel by shadow again, walking takes too long, even if it does take less energy.”

---

Twilight’s heart clenched. “You’re sure?”

Spike and Starlight both nodded. “I haven’t seen her since she went to visit Night.” Spike said.

Twilight relaxed visibly. “Oh, that’s right. I told her she could go play at a friend’s house. I guess it’s not really that late, sundown was only a couple hours ago… still…”

Starlight coughed politely. “Didn’t you tell me that you’d put tracking charms on her things so you could find her in exactly this situation?”

Twilight facehooved. “Yes. Yes I did.”

Spike sighed. “I’d better come with to keep you out of trouble. Starlight, can you wait here in case she comes home while we’re gone?”

“Hey!”

“Yeah, how come I can’t keep her out of trouble?”

The only sound in the room was the blinking.

“Oh… hehheh… right. I’ll keep an eye out, keep Twilight out of trouble.”

“Hey!”

---

The door to Sugarcube corner slammed open and closed in a rainbow blur.

“Pinkie, I didn’t know where else to go, we need help, and nowhe–”

The mare in question was sitting behind the counter, three cupcakes sitting out. Two were Rainbow’s and Scootaloo’s favorites, the speedster could only guess that the third was for the new filly. “How…”

“What’re we up against Dashie?”

“No idea, these things are weird. They look kinda like ponies, about the size of these two. No manes. No tails. No horns or wings. Solid white eyes. Almost like changelings, but… not.”

“Poneekinns? Golems?”

“No, these things… they’re like ghosts almost. Anything we throw at them just passes right through.”

“Hmmm… fake ponies, foal sized, ghost-like powers… there’s only one thing they can be!”

“Really? What?!”

“A mystery.”

Rainbow left a small dent when she hit the floor.

---

Celestia and Luna gaped when they arrived at Ponyville. Or, almost arrived at least. They could see the town, just beyond a shimmering barrier of some kind. They could pass through the barrier, they’d tested. It just wouldn’t take them to the town if they did.

“Luna… I haven’t seen this since…”

“Dragondoom, I know… Walking into the barrier shifts space to let you out on the other side of the bubble… I doubt we’d even be aware if we were normal ponies…”

“A dimensional twist and a Timelock.” The sisters turned to see a stallion with a large scythe across his back. “It never ceases to amaze me how many new ways they can come up with to keep me in check. Still… I honestly wasn’t looking forward to tonight.”

“One of my threads is running away from me again.” Fate materialized beside her father. “Destiny’s laughing her rear end off. Mom’s feeling kinda funny though. Tonight’s gonna be interesting.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, which thread is running away this time?” Celestia queried.

“Most of this town honestly. Tonight though… There’s a filly who’s supposed to do some terrible things tonight because they need to be done. That doesn’t stop it from destroying her. She never forgives herself for the massacre, goes crazy, pulls off several more slaughters, and eventually has to be put down. And then this thing popped up and now her thread refuses to behave. I have no idea what’s going on in there.”

Luna’s voice was uncharacteristically soft. “Are they going to be alright?”

Death shrugged. “I’m locked out, so I guess as long as they fix everything before I can get to it… Maybe. If somepony actually dies it might just warp me there. Dunno. We’ll have to find out the hard way.”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Demon Blood is a pony, right?

[NPP6]

7447681 Yes, the Alicorn of Tartarus to be precise.