Gleaner Chronicles: American Monsters

by sevenofeleven

Chapter Eighteen: Leaving and Meet the new boss

Midtown

The red and blue flash of police lights, the red glow of flames and sometimes the green glow of caspers kept the ponies glued to their windows as the minibus drove south. Several times, MA enforcers drove by in their police cruisers with lights flashing, but they didn’t stop the van. Gunfire and explosions made them flinch, but none of that was close enough to be a threat. When they reached the Holland tunnel, several ponies wearing red bandanas around their heads waved them on.

“Once we get to Jersey, things will cool down,” Margot said, but it was more for her benefit. She wasn’t sure how Rarity and Spike felt about the whole affair.

Skybreeze tapped Rarity. “I hope you’re okay.”

Rarity shook her head. “I’ve been to Manehattan many times, but to see the city like this...”

Far moved up to Rarity and Skybreeze. “This isn’t Equestria. This place is called Manhattan.”

Margot hated being the voice of reason. “Guy’s we aren’t out of the woods yet. We need to be vigilant until we can find a safe place.” The minibus drove through the tunnel. She was glad there were some lights. The headlights on the minibus worked, but there was the darkness beyond the lights. On the Jersey side, Margot asked Jerome to go through the maps left by LaShawn.

Far looked at the empty streets. “Can we find a safe place here?”

Margot shook her head. “Not in a city, we should stay in some of the park areas.” Then she yawned. All of the tense driving was wearing her out.

Jerome smiled. “Margot, how about you let me drive and Far could help me with the maps.”

“When we get to a safe area.”

Rarity grimaced. “After all we seen, do you think that any place is safe?”

For some reason, nopony jumped to answer that question. The tall dark buildings gave way to smaller buildings then to abandoned homes. After that, it was just dark trees under a night sky.

Far picked Nga'Devro and Skybreeze to stand watch.

It was a while before Margot went to sleep. The day’s events played over and over in her head. Worries about how they were going to rescue Twilight Sparkle moved in too.

Spike and Rarity started to talk.

“Rarity?” Spike said.

“Yes, Spike darling,” Rarity said.

“Will we find Twilight and go home?”

Margot found it a bit disheartening that there was a long delay before Rarity answered.

“Yes, Spike we’ll find Twilight and go home.”

“How?”

“Nga'Devro wishes to assure you that we will find Twilight Sparkle. We found you Spike and we found you Rarity,” Nga'Devro said.

Apple Bloom joined the conversation. “Have faith in Oonte. She will help us rescue Twilight and help us go home.”

Margot smiled. It seemed that someone still had hope. Before Margot went to sleep, she made a note to find a way to tell why type of sun they would face before dawn.

Rest area somewhere in New Jersey.
Predawn

“Black sun,” Margot muttered as the sun divination spell ended. That meant that they had to wear protective suits and Rarity would bitch and moan about what she was wearing. Even Spike had refused to wear something.

Spike looked at the beige long jacket and goggles. “I like the goggles, but I don’t really like the long coat.”

Rarity smiled. “See even Spike knows this clothing is not stylish enough. This plain blue outfit I'm wearing barely qualifies.”

Margo sighed. “You need to wear the jacket because it will protect you from the black sun and all of the ponies here wear clothing.”

Spike stuck out his green scaled arm. “I have scales which are better than fur. I don’t need the coat, but can I have the goggles?”

Apple Bloom walked up to Spike. “Ah was in the sun. It was like someone crazy was screaming in mah head. If Mahgot and Skybreeze didn’t save me I would’ve become something horrible.”

Margot nodded. “Ponies become sunscreamers. Monsters that fling sunlight at enemies. I don’t know what will happen to dragons and I don’t want to find out. Please Spike, wear the coat and hat.”

Spike nodded and put on the coat and goggles. “Can you make me a hat?”

“What type?”

Spike looked away then put his hand up to his mouth. “Hmmm. How about a top hat? Could you also make me a mustache?”

“Yes to the top hat, no to the mustache.” Margot focused and conjured up a top hat.

Spike pumped his left fist up in the air. “Yesss.” Then he put the hat on his head.

Rarity walked up to Spike. “Well, now you look like a handsome gentlestallion.”

Spike smiled.

Margot conjured up a pistol.

Rarity looked at the blue steel gun. “Such a drab looking weapon.”

Margot sighed again. “Please Rarity. We have a lot to do and very little time to waste.”

Rarity sighed. It sounded overdramatic. A blue glow covered the gun.

Margot shook her head. “You have to use your forehooves.”

“My forehooves?” Rarity peered at Margot.

Far walked up to Rarity and pulled a gun out of his left holster.

“How did you do that?”

Far smiled.

Margot looked at Far. “Do you want to teach Rarity to use a gun?”

Far nodded. “No problem.”

Margot walked to Spike who was watching Rarity carefully.

“Do I get a gun?” Spike said while watching Rarity try to pick up a gun from the ground.

‘Yes Spike, you get a gun,“ Margot replied while conjuring up a small gun. Once Margot showed Spike how the gun worked, he had no problems handling it. Except for when Spike held the gun sideways. Margot was quick to correct him.

Once Rarity was able to handle a gun, Margot summoned up some targets for Spike and Rarity to practice on. She felt a little tired from all of the conjuring, but it looked like Rarity and Spike would be able to use guns if needed.

Suburbs outside Washington DC.

Golden bursts of solar energy flew over the minibus only to hit the asphalt and made it sizzle.

Rarity grimaced then fired her gun at a zombie. It slumped to the ground from her head shot. “I must say, this vacation is not going to be one of my favorites. No opportunities for shopping at all.”

Sweetie Belle just grinned as she fired a shot and ducked back behind the bus.

Margot would’ve laughed but she was too busy focusing on the energy bursts from the Sunscreamer. Each burst had a lot of power and could kill any of them with one hit or destroy the minibus. The good news was that Margot found a way to nudge the shots that looked like they were going to do damage away from the bus. Some of the shots just seemed to be wild ones.

Skybreeze stomped her right fore hoof on the brown leaf strewn road. “The cursed creature is still not showing up. We should’ve been able to sense when it tosses those sun bursts but somehow we can’t.”

Nga'Devro gazed up at the sky. “Nga'Devro agrees. This sunscreamer seems to be much more intelligent.”

Far looked up too. “Well as long as the zombies stay on the ground, we’ll be okay.”

Apple Bloom grimaced as she saw the pile of dead zombies outside the minibus. “Wow. We will have a lot of ponies to give Oonte’s Grace to.”

More blazing sunbursts flew over the hill at them. Margot added more power to the shield around the minibus.

The hill itself was covered with small trees and bushes. That made it hard to see if something was coming until it got to the clear area around the base. Zombies kept attacking the group so nopony could go and see what was behind the hill. Far tried to fly over the hill, but several close calls with sunbursts made him fly back behind the minibus.

With a flash and sizzle, more energy bursts hit the road behind them. Margot focused to keep the shield up.

Rarity was the first to notice that there were no more zombies. “What? No more undead monstrosities? They gave up?”

Far shook his head. “Zombies never give up.”

Margot focused and scanned for more zombies. “I don’t sense any more zombies, but maybe it’s a trap. I do sense three ponies moving toward us.” That worried her. Maybe they were resistance or maybe a bunch of ponies passing through or even worse gleaner spies? According to the map that LaShawn gave them, there was a resistance safehouse past the hill beyond the forest. The group stopped here and then got attacked by the sunscreamer and its allies. She looked up. “Guys, get ready in case these ponies are hostile.”

Rarity sighed. “Really? We have to fight ponies now?”

After a few moments, the sound of galloping hooves could be heard.

The strange ponies galloped into view. One was a grey earth pony stallion with a sniper rifle on his back. He was followed by a blue pegasus mare with blonde hair and green eyes. The last pony was a white chunky unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail.

The grey stallion looked around. “You guys okay?”

Far walked up. “Yes, we’re fine. Thanks for asking.”

Margot started hoofing through her saddlebags for LaShawn’s notes. There was something she had to know but she couldn’t put her hoof on it.

The grey stallion stood there looking at the group, silently weighing them with his bright blue eyes. “Elmo likes to be tickled and laughs a lot.”

Skybreeze peered at the grey stallion. “This ‘Elmo’ seems strange.”

Then Margot remembered. The grey stallion said a passphrase. She had to say one too or the three possibly D.C. resistance ponies would just leave. “The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed with the blood of tyrants from time to time,” Margot said while gazing at the grey stallion.

“I so hope I don’t see this bloody Tree of Liberty. This world is very strange,” Rarity said while peering at Margot.

Spike smiled. “Rarity, maybe we can get a postcard from the souvenir stand near the tree?”

Rarity shrugged.

The grey stallion sighed. “Sorry for this nonsense but a member of my team wanted to make sure.” He shot a glare at the chubby unicorn. “The revolt in NYC has spread up and down the coast. The DA, the defense authority is raising their security level. We have to be ready for spies.”

The unicorn looked at the grey stallion. “Sorry, it was Emily’s idea. Um, boss, we can’t stay here long.”

The pegasus mare yelled,”Hey!”

The grey stallion grimaced. “I know, Mackie. Name’s Tibbs.” He turned and pointed his right forehoof at the blue pegasus mare. “That’s Emily and you already have seen Mackie.”

Skybreeze walked up “Did you kill the sunscreamer?”

Tibbs looked around. “Yeah.”

Nga'Devro walked up with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

Tibbs grimaced again. “You have fillies with you?”

Before Tibbs could ask another question, Nga'Devro spoke. “Nga'Devro wishes to know how the Sunscreamer escaped detection.”

Mackie smiled. “The sunscreamer was pretty good with spells. She cast a nondetection spell on herself then she cast a shield spell-”

Tibbs interrupted. “Come on Mackie, we gotta get out of here.”

Emily pulled a laptop out of her saddlebags then she looked at the screen. “Tibbs is right. We gotta book! Hostiles are already vectoring toward our current position.”

Margot headed to the front of the minibus.

Tibbs frowned. “You can’t drive the bus up to the cabin. Too many trees. Just grab what you need!”

Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle then she looked up at Tibbs. “We have to give Oonte’s Grace to these dead ponies.”

Tibbs peered at Apple Bloom. “Do you want to join them?”

Far looked around. “Let them do the ritual. Then we’ll follow you.”

By the time Margot had finished putting some supplies in her saddlebags, the SHC were ready to go.

Tibbs and his group led the past the hill. Tibbs eyes narrowed when the SHC stopped to give Oonte’s Grace to the dead sunscreamer, but he didn’t say anything. The two groups rushed off into the forest.

Margot wondered about their new friends as the galloped through the golden sun dappled forest. The forest gave way to a small meadow with a small cabin in the distance.

Jerome looked at the ramshackle looking cabin. “Any of you see the movie, the cabin in the woods.”

Emily laughed. “I saw Evil Dead one and two.”

Tibbs sighed. “We’ll be the good dead unless we get in that cabin soon.”

Mackie used his telekinesis to open the door as the groups piled in. From the outside, the cabin seemed too small for ten ponies, but it seemed pretty roomy inside.

Skybreeze looked up at the wooden beams in the ceiling. “Ahh, a space expansion spell. Who did it?”

Mackie nodded. “I did it. I have two degrees from MIT.”

Margot said, “Massachusetts Institute of Tech?”

Mackie looked at Margot. “Close, that’s the sister school. There’s a Massachusetts Institute of Thaumaturgy. Not to brag but I have degrees from both schools. Got my tech degree first.”

Tibbs looked out the window then he gave Mackie a glance.

Mackie nodded. His horn glowed redly for a second. “Perimeter security spell is up boss.”

Tibbs faced Far’s group. “The perimeter security spell will keep us safe for a few days. Don’t step off the porch until the spell has been turned off. I don’t want anypony getting hurt. How about you guys take it easy for a few minutes then we talk.”

Margot looked around the cabin. There was a large living room area with two brown couches. Off to the right was a kitchen area. Another thing she noticed that it was all one floor. Along the back wall was an area large enough for sleeping bags. A few paintings of mountain landscapes covered the brown log walls.

Rarity looked around and sighed. “Another night in a bag. My poor back.”

Skybreeze shrugged. “It could be worse, we could be outside dealing with the cold.”

Rarity nodded.

Emily walked up to Rarity. “If you want just for tonight, you can sleep in my bed.”

Rarity smiled. “Thank you darling for the offer but I’m okay.”

“You’re sure?”

Jerome walked up. “I could use a night in a real bed.”

Emily ignored him.

Margot watched the goings on with Rarity with half her mind. The other half worried about what they were going to do next. Breaking into the Pentagon wasn’t going to be easy.

Apple Bloom walked up to Margot. “Why are you sad Mahgot?”

“I’m not sad, I’m worrying how we are going to do the next part,” Margot said.

Apple Bloom smiled. “I bet you’re worried about Twilight Sparkle.”

Margot nodded.

“Well, don’t worry. Have faith. We will get Twilight Sparkle,” Apple Bloom said.

Spike walked up to Apple Bloom and Margot for some reason he still had his goggles on. “Are you sure?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Ahm sure. You can take off your goggles now.”

Spike walked away to check out the rest of the cabin.

Margot went to the rest area to take a quick nap. She had a feeling that she needed to be alert for the big meeting.