Sigil of Souls, Stream of Memories

by Piccolo Sky

Daybreak: Nightmare in Daylight

Needless to say, neither Rarity nor Fluttershy got much in the way of sleep following the attack. While they were promptly relocated to the barracks area of the embassy grounds, both were up practically the whole night and on edge following the encounter. Fluttershy got a chance to demonstrate her power in an unexpected fashion by using it to heal both their personal bodyguards as well themselves while the rest of the guards on the compound went into high alert. Yet after the initial commotion of the local fire brigade being called in to salvage as much of the ambassador’s manor as they could, they found no trace of their attacker.

It wasn’t until the early dawn of the next morning that a squad of guards, the prime minister’s personal envoy, and the commander of the compound were finally able to get the women together at the same table in the barracks to discuss what had happened. At the moment, the officer was seated across from them with a pad and paper out; ready to jot down anything else he could get.

“Now is there anything you noticed about your attacker that you failed to mention?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Oh, scads, sir. That sallet that she wore was clearly inspired by mid-Appleloosan but the visor was distinctly Equestrian. It was dreadfully flat even with that metal plumage, however. It could have used a trio of combs to make it look more aesthetically pleasing. I’d never seen such a segmented design on a pauldron before, but it seemed to afford excellent mobility. Now, the breastplate was rather unremarkable, aside from those grotesque and tacky designs etched over every inch of it. However, one can’t argue against the Trottinghamesque austerity it bore. And at least it wasn’t one of those atrocious ornamental…ahem, how do I say it…‘breast’ plates. I’m sure you know the type. Fine for a ceremonial ball but it would only redirect a blade toward-”

The officer cut her off with a sigh. “I mean anything significant.”

Rarity looked at him almost indignantly. “Pardon me, but an individual’s sense of style is always significant, sir.”

He rubbed his eyes before turning to Fluttershy. “Ma’am? What about you?”

The woman swallowed at being put on the spot. “Um…well…she tried to kill us…and, um…uh…gave up and went home…I think.”

The officer let out another sigh, this time sounding more like a groan, before beginning to stand up. “I think the agents assigned to you have everything else covered. If that’s all, we’ll get the word out to be on alert for this individual.” He turned to the envoy and nodded. “I think we’re done here.”

“Thank you, major,” he answered with a nod of his own. The officer turned and began to leave, causing the other soldiers in the room to get up and leave with him. As for the envoy, he began to approach the table, but sighed and rubbed his brow as he did. “This is a true mess. I scarcely got word of the cooling relations between Fillydelphia and Manehattan last night when a messenger burst in screaming about this attack of all things.” He looked up. “Are you two ladies certain that it wasn’t anyone affiliated with any nation or group? Did they say anything?”

Fluttershy simply shook her head.

“I’m afraid not,” Rarity added, “but they certainly weren’t dressed like any member of any military I’ve ever encountered. Assuming that was some sort of steam armor, even Trottingham didn’t show the like.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, needless to say, today’s stop on the tour is cancelled. For the best, I suppose. Two other spots on Fillydelphia’s route are already closing down by order of the new administration. And that’s only giving them new things to worry about in town. There’s a rumor in the air that after today’s trading there could be a run on the banks.”

Fluttershy was somewhat puzzled. “They’re going to…run…to the bank? That’s a bad thing? Why not just walk?”

Rarity sighed. “Fluttershy, darling…a ‘run on the banks’ means that everyone is going to be closing their bank accounts at the same time. The results could be quite disastrous for the economy.”

That only seemed to make her more confused. “But…I thought banks were where you put your money to keep it until you needed it?”

Both the envoy as well as Rarity grimaced a bit at the childish sentiment. “Yes, but banks don’t make money by simply holding onto one’s cash in a big safe. They loan that money out to others and they collect interest on the loans until they’re paid back. They’re able to do this because banks do not expect someone who deposits their money to have any need to withdraw all of it immediately. At no one time does a bank have any more than a fraction of the money that was deposited in it available.”

“Oh,” she answered, taking a moment to process that. “Oh my… So if the bank doesn’t have any money and people want to withdraw it…?”

“Let’s just say it ends up being bad, and not just for the bank.” Rarity turned back to the envoy. “Whatever could be causing this? I thought the end of the night over Equestria would mean good news for everyone.”

“Well, the behavior of the new administration is causing it’s fair share of worry, I’d imagine,” the envoy responded with a shrug. “Their decorum at the recent summit didn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence for future foreign relations. No one wants to invest in someone who might seize foreign assets for themselves. Likely, they’re spurring a great deal of divesture…but all of this is besides the point. The only thing that concerns us is that this means worsening relations, and therefore it might be best that we packed up and returned to Manehattan.”

Rarity tensed on hearing that, nearly protesting before shutting her mouth again.

“In any case, today has just become an unofficial respite. Ms. Fluttershy, you and Ms. Spade will be staying here this evening as well. Until then, feel free to move around the embassy grounds, but stay within the fence for now. At least until we have this situation cleared up.”

“Oh, um…certainly,” Fluttershy answered.

“But…but…” Rarity began to stammer and protest, before wincing. After composing herself, she put a faux smile on her face and tried to be pleasant. “S-S-Sir…I believe this entire event has been…quite stressful. Surely we could just go for a short, um, constitutional outside the grounds?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Until we can confirm the area is clear and have a better idea of the nature of the attack last night, or at least until Fillydelphia becomes more cooperative or guarantees there won’t be any unrest due to finances, we’ll have to keep the grounds closed. Already the mayor is accusing Manehattan of somehow attracting terrorists this morning, and if that word gets all the way to the capitol we’ll have to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

“But…”

“Good day, ladies,” the man cut off with a nod. Without another word, and leaving Rarity stammering, he turned and headed out in the same direction as the soldiers.

Once he was gone and the door swung shut behind them, it was down to just the two women. Rarity let out a massive groan before throwing her head back and started to moan pitifully. It was so loud that even Fluttershy looked a little nervous to be around it. As for Angel, sitting in her lap, he somehow managed to pull his ears down and cover them with his paws before letting out a complaint of his own.

Fluttershy risked a small smile. “Um…we could…walk around the compound instead, if you want?”

Getting out and walking served to keep Rarity from alerting any soldiers in the building, but it did little to improve her mood. On the contrary. No sooner had they gotten out and started walking when Rarity’s moaning turned into wailing and exaggerated tears. It was a little hard on Fluttershy as she walked along, especially since her sniffling and sobbing was so loud and grandiose that it wasn’t long before they couldn’t pass anyone without attracting a few stares.

In an attempt to get her to calm down, Fluttershy finally led Rarity into the nearest public building they could find, which just so happened to be the embassy’s mail building—a one-room, open-doored chamber with a few slots for the various officials and residents in the compound. Once there, she tried as best as she could to comfort and calm her. At last, Rarity pulled out her handkerchief and gave one of the loudest blows the woman had ever heard before she finally sniffed her tears and began to wipe at her mascara.

“Oh…sniff…I’m so sorry for making a spectacle of myself, Fluttershy,” she apologized through a cracked and strained voice. “It’s just we’ve come so far and I’ve gotten so close! And now…now it’s all for nothing! Nothing!” She nearly began to break down again.

“Um…there, there…” Fluttershy quickly cut in, putting her hand on her shoulder in an attempt to stifle the next wave. “It’ll be alright… We’ll find another way.”

Rarity sniffed again, before her lips curled into a frown. “It’s all because of that…that…that beastly woman from last night in that audacious getup! If it wasn’t for her I’d still have my lead!”

Fluttershy winced, really not wanting to think about that woman again from last night. However, if it would keep Rarity from making a scene… “Yeah…she was, um…very scary…and strong… Do you think she was…um…like us? You know? Using an Anima Viri?”

“Only at her most savage did Sunset Shimmer seem nearly as strong as she did…” Rarity muttered in response. “But no, actually. I got a good look at both of her hands last night. Neither of them had any Promethian Sigils on them. And she wasn’t glowing with that aura that we normally have either.” She began to reach into her pocket. “The only thing she did seem to have in common with our sigils is this.”

Soon afterward, she pulled out a folded up sheet of paper. She unfolded it and showed it to Fluttershy. She looked, but saw nothing other than a strange runic symbol etched onto it. “What is that?”

“It’s the symbol she had all over her armor, darling. I wanted to make sure I got the pattern down before I forgot. It was a distinguishing feature and, as graffiti-esque as it was, I felt it important to make a note of it. I don’t know what to make of it myself, but if we ever do run into Twilight Sparkle again she can hopefully read it. It might be something important.”

As Rarity began to fold up the paper again, Fluttershy puzzled over this. “But…if that symbol really is like ours…then doesn’t that mean that whoever that was really does have a power like ours?”

Rarity looked a little uncomfortable at the thought. “That would stand to reason…although I won’t rule out this is some strange new weapon that anyone like Trottingham or the Dragonlands could have put together for a test run.”

“Then…why us? Any why did she leave after she…she, um…did that thing on our hands?”

Rarity paused. Her face looked more uncertain. “I’m afraid I have no answer for that either…”

Fluttershy bowed her head and touched a hand to her chin. “It was almost as if she was trying to find something… Maybe she was looking for someone with a certain symbol?”

Rarity thought about that for a moment. “Well, that’s terribly odd. No one even knows the full story behind these Promethian Sigils. How would someone know there’s a unique one to look out for?”

Fluttershy didn’t have an answer for that. She simply stood there and kept thinking.

Rarity sighed. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter right now. And perhaps this is all for the best. We don’t want to be outside of Manehattan if Fillydelphia turns hostile, after all. There’s still Carousel Couture to worry about, and I’m certain it would be far easier on your animals if you were in one place to take care of them rather than pulling them every which way…especially if brutes like that lady show up again.”

Fluttershy grimaced a little at the thought.

“Who knows?” Rarity answered as she wiped her eyes one last time. “Perhaps the others will be back in Manehattan by the time we return. I will say I’d feel much better running into that brute from last night again if Applejack or Rainbow Dash were with us. And…”

She trailed off.

“Oh dear. I can’t believe how thoughtless I’ve been…”

Fluttershy looked up a little. “What do you mean?”

Rarity turned to her. “Fluttershy, we’ve been together for a while now, but I don’t think I’ve ever asked what you did for a living before you were forced to live in that underground hovel that Twilight told us about.”

The pallor on Fluttershy’s face seemed to fade a shade or two. Just like back in the days when they first met, she swallowed and hung her head down, letting her hair fall over it to shield her face. However, this time was worse. Distinct anxiety began to creep along her features.

“Oh… Oh, um…that? It…it really wasn’t so much of a ‘hovel’. You should have seen how nice Angel and I made it. Along with everyone else. It was really quite cozy once you got used to it.”

“Yes, but it had to be away from any major city. You had to be constantly under the threat of Nighttouched and Light Eaters… Actually, that brings another question to mind. Why in the world would you put yourself in such dreadful danger? Animals or no, surely it would have been safer to move to a closer town, wouldn’t it?”

Fluttershy began to shake. Her eyes looked away and she reached up a hand to brush some of her hair back. Rarity didn’t see that the gesture was also used to try and wipe away some mounting sweat. “Um…well…yes, it would have, but… I’m…I’m not one for living in…um…big, crowded, noisy places… It scares the animals and…and works them up…and…well…”

“Yes?”

“Well, um…that is…uh…” her voice grew quieter and quieter, beginning to degenerate into inaudible muttering.

Rarity nearly pressed it, but before she could she suddenly found herself struck from behind hard enough to stumble forward a few steps. Surprised, both she and Fluttershy turned and looked over. Rarity opened her mouth to protest as to who had done that, but the sound caught in her throat on beholding who it was.

A blond-haired woman with messy hair, the uniform of a message courier, and, most noticeably, a pair of walleyes was looking back at her. She was clutching what had to be a new telegram in one hand with a satchel filled with similar messages, but it was her eyes that quickly caught the attention of the two.

“Oops! Sorry!” she chimed. “I was just so busy trying to find mail room that I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Realizing after a moment she was staring, Rarity quickly forgot about being upset at the collision and tried to look away. “It’s…quite all right, dear. We shouldn’t have been loitering about anyway.”

“Actually, since I stopped you, maybe you could help me,” she went on. “I have a telegram here from the office that I needed to rush out to a Ms. Fluttershy?”

The woman looked up in surprise at the mention of her name. “Oh, really? Golly…I don’t know who would possibly be sending me one…”

“Oh? You’re Ms. Fluttershy?” the messenger asked. “Well, that’s a relief! I thought I had gotten so turned around I’d never find you! That makes my job so much easier! Now I only need to find the other contact I missed last night… Anyway, here it is!”

At once, she clicked her feet together and held the telegram up. It took her a moment for her walleyes to focus on it correctly, but she soon began to read off in a messenger’s sing-song voice.

“Commerce has gotten bad in Fillydelphia. Stop. Need to reschedule to next month on the 7th in Trotten location. Stop. Will have at least six strawberry tarts to choose from at that time. Stop.”

Immediately after finishing this, however, the messenger looked puzzled. “Wait…that doesn’t sound right…” She held the telegram closer, and her eyes widened. “Oops! This is the other telegram for the man I was supposed to deliver to at that pub last night! My mistake! Your telegram is over here…” She began to reach for her satchel, but paused in mid-reach. “Gee, what an odd telegram. Why would someone need to choose between six desserts? Is it some sort of tart-making contest?” She shook her head. “I mean, please forget I read that to you. Privacy rules and all. I don’t want to be written up!”

Rarity barely looked like she had heard her. Her face had begun to brighten up all over again while Fluttershy’s began to tense up. She turned to her soon after with a delighted gasp. “Fluttershy, dear…did you just hear that?”

“Um…uh…”

“Don’t you see? That telegram was obviously meant for that cad I’ve been pursuing! And thanks to this little mishap just now, we know exactly where he will be next month!”

“Let me see…” the messenger muttered on, oblivious to the conversation. “Ah, here it is!”

“Oh…uh…um…” Fluttershy began to stammer, “…yay…?”

Rarity looked a little puzzled. “Fluttershy, you sound almost disappointed.”

“Oh no. It’s not that. It’s…it’s great news. I’m very happy that…um…the trail didn’t go cold.”

The messenger spread the telegram in front of her face and coughed. “Sorry it took me so long to track you down. Stop. I have very important information to share with you and especially Twilight Sparkle. Stop.”

“I’ll say it didn’t!” Rarity answered, smiling again. “Now that we know where they’re operating out of, we can set a proper ambush! In one month’s time, we’re not only going to bring those felons to justice, but we’re going to do the same to the Horned Trip! We have weeks to plan!”

“Uh…um…y-y-yay…”

“I’m going to come by tomorrow morning but I won’t be able to get into the embassy. Stop. You’ll need to come out to meet me at the gate. Stop.”

“Um, Rarity?” Fluttershy finally ventured. “I’m…I’m not so sure that…that I…I…I…”

“Well, what are we doing wasting time around here for?” Rarity proudly proclaimed, reaching out and practically seizing Fluttershy by the hand. “Let’s not dawdle! We need to return to Manehattan with all haste! Let’s see if we can’t expedite that envoy now that the tour is cancelled!”

“Starlight Glim-” The messenger, however, found herself cut off as Rarity, still not listening to the message, pushed right past her and pulled Fluttershy, much to her shock and surprise, along with her. The move was so sudden she nearly dropped Angel right then and there, forcing the bunny to cling to her arm and causing him to give Rarity a rather dark glare. She paid no mind, however. She rushed onto on the streets of the embassy grounds and took off.

“Now where could he have run off to?” Rarity muttered aloud. “There must be someone around here to ask for directions…”

“Um…Rarity?” Fluttershy began to try and respond. “I don’t…eep!”

She was cut off again as Rarity took off down the road with her in tow. The designer ended up pulling her down several buildings before she finally reached a turn in the road. On reaching it, she looked just long enough for Fluttershy to try and speak again before she spotted a soldier posted on the corner just up the street.

“Oh! I’m sure he’ll know!” she exclaimed. She was soon pulling Fluttershy up the road as she walked toward him. “Excuse me? Pardon me, sir? We’re looking for someone! Could you help us?”

The soldier didn’t answer. He remained posted with his rifle at his side and his eyes forward and unmoving.

Rarity frowned as she kept approaching. “Must be one of those proper guard types…” she muttered as she slowed a little in her step, but kept approaching and leading Fluttershy with her. “Sir? Sir, if you please? I hate to make you break decorum, believe me, but this is important.”

The soldier remained unmoving in his position as Rarity and Fluttershy kept nearing. Finally, they drew to a distance of about ten feet away, and Rarity slowed to a halt.

“Sir, please. It’s very importan…”

Before Rarity could finish, the man’s knees gave way, and he fell to the ground like a puppet clipped of its strings.

Embedded in his back by its fangs was a monstrous snake. It was easily eight feet long, but more than that it had the same darkish purplish color about it that was the tell-tale sign of a Nighttouched.

In broad daylight.

Fluttershy instantly let out a gasp as she cupped her hand, newly freed by Rarity, to her mouth. Rarity was far less subtle. She reared back and shrieked in horror. That may have been the wrong thing to do, because it prompted the beast to immediately remove its venom-dripping fangs from the man’s back and rear up in an angry hiss; coiling to strike again. It was only at that point that the two noticed something else about this snake.

It didn’t have the normal pale gleaming eyes of a Nighttouched in spite of its body and form. Its retinas had turned the color of blood, and its corneas were a sickly green color. It almost looked like they were smoldering, for it seemed like a purple mist was rising from them…

They didn’t have long to look at them, though, for an instant later the snake began to rapidly slither forward; bringing itself fully into striking range.

Rarity was pale as a sheet, but somehow she got enough of her bearings. “Member of my house, I command you to come to meeeeeee!”

She aborted her call as the snake reached striking distance and lunged at her. Its fangs shed venom everywhere as it opened wide, ready to plunge them into Rarity’s outstretched arm…

Right before Angel leapt out of Fluttershy’s arms, sailed through the air, and smashed both feet down at the side of its head. The impact was hard enough to wrench both fangs to the side and snap them clean off, and the hiss turned angrier yet as it was sent to the ground. Angel landed a moment later, but quickly hopped away as soon as he touched down. The snake, not deterred by the loss of its needle-like fangs, continued to shed venom as it angrily twisted around and lashed out for the rabbit again.

As he returned to Fluttershy, Rarity swallowed once and then raised her hand again. “Member of my house, I command you to come to me! Inspiration’s Guide—Daisy Cheerilee!”

An explosion of aura later, and Rarity was fully clothed in her Magician’s form. While the snake turned away from Angel and diverted its attention back to her, she used the brief moment to reach for her side and draw out a dagger that had been her pen moments earlier. Taking aim at the creature, she quickly called up the fire spell that Twilight had taught her and sent out a ball of flame. On contact, it burst with enough force to even cause Rarity to step back, and the snake found itself blocked by a pillar of fire.

Still not deterred, however, the snake hissed even more angrily and began to slither around the flaming barrier.

“Persistent, isn’t he?” Rarity remarked, taking aim with her dagger again.

“R-R-Rarity…” Fluttershy began to stammer.

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I’ll get it with a direct hit on this next one…”

“Rar…Rarity! Look!”

The woman glanced up as Fluttershy pointed, and soon let out an even louder wail than before.

The snake had “friends”. The very street beyond it seemed to have come alive as a slithering, waving flood of several hundred of them were pouring down the road. Each one had the same eyes as the first one, and they moved in unison with a violent and hungry look toward the two women.

Rarity let out another shriek as the nearest ones suddenly increased their speed, and quickly babbled out her spell before swinging her dagger downward. A plume of fire erupted from it and quickly traced another flaming barrier across most of the rest of the road, forcing the creatures to halt or be incinerated. Yet that didn’t daunt them either, as they quickly tried to move around for any gap that could be found.

It hardly mattered, as in moments they weren’t the primary matter on the women’s minds. A scream from someone who wasn’t the two of them peeled out over the street. They both looked skyward and heard a second cry, this time followed by a chorus of gunfire. More gunshots soon echoed after it, erupting not in just one direction but throughout the entire complex. However, most of them didn’t get more than two shots before the scream and gunfire alike was cut off. A loud rustling began to echo and resound even over that, causing both women to look to the sky. Peering between the roads, they were horrified to see a massive flock of Nighttouched birds swooping down the street to the left of them like a living wave. Sounds of glass breaking rang out as they smashed their way into buildings fiercely looking for prey.

That was nothing compared to what happened soon after, however. A tremendous sound burst out over the din that the birds and gunfire were making, this time from the other side of the road. The two looked and were able to glance up the hill on the compound—just in time to see a legion of blackened monstrosities literally tear into a building. Bricks and mortar flew everywhere as they barreled straight through it. Rarity thought she caught a glimpse of their bodies long enough to make them out as some sort of malformed rams with horns that had not only enlarged but bifurcated, but smashing their way through one building didn’t slow them down from barreling straight into the next and beginning to pound their way through that one as well.

The entire embassy was erupting in the sounds of fighting and death. On top of all of that, the snakes had wormed their way to the edge of the flames and were clambering over each other to squeeze through the small opening between the fire and a building framing the street. The two continued to look around horrified as the truth of what was going on dawned on them, no matter how impossible it seemed.

A Nighttouched swarm was happening right there, right now, in the middle of the day.

“We…we have to get out of here!” Rarity finally managed to say, her body tensing and beginning to step away from her fire. “We have to get out of here now!”

Fluttershy stood and stammered a moment longer before her pupils shrank into pinpricks.

“The animals!”

Like the crack of a whip, she spun around and ran back to the side street before darting down it, heading back in the direction of the stables. Rarity was too aghast at what she was seeing to get her bearings at first, but after a moment she blinked and turned behind her, only to look more shocked. “Fluttershy! What in heaven’s name are you doing?!”

“Member of my house, I command you to come to me! Little Sunshine—Philomena!”

In an instant, Fluttershy managed to double her speed in spite of being clothed in a white hooded robe. Rarity winced, looked back to the street in front of them and saw it filling with more monsters all the time, and that the first snake had now gotten clear and was swerving around for her, before she turned and bolted after her.

“Fluttershy! Wait! You can’t!”

Fluttershy didn’t answer as she ran on, even as her face twisted into an expression of terror and she held Angel tighter to her. She practically closed her eyes to keep herself from looking at the horrors around her as she ran on.

They found little in the way of help. They ran past one road where two soldiers had been trying to fight, but it was too late for them. No sooner had they spotted them when they saw a pack of five misshapened foxes begin to rip them to pieces. As Rarity continued to run after her, she heard the glass shatter behind her. She turned her head around to see another soldier surrounded by three dozen birds literally cleaning the flesh from his bones. Another tremendous boom rang out as a second herd of malformed rams came down and smashed through another building, right before a second echoed behind her. Within the next few seconds, the last sets of gunshots died down to nothing.

“Fluttershy! We have to run!”

“No!” she shouted behind her in a weak and breaking voice. “I have to get to the animals! I can’t leave them here!”

Rarity nearly protested again when she heard an ear piercing caw above her. She looked up and nearly froze in place as a crow the size of an eagle descended with claws outstretched for her eyes. She screamed as she held up her knife and, through pure dumb luck, impaled it through the groin region before its digits could reach striking distance. It began to bleed out as she yanked her hand back, but two more were already sweeping around and zeroing in on one of the last folks alive in the compound.

Somehow, through her fright and panic, she managed a lightning spell to strike them both down. However, both sides of the road were beginning to fill with more stragglers of all species. “I can’t keep them back, Fluttershy! There’s too many!”

Fluttershy didn’t answer. Just up ahead was a turn in the road, and beyond that, just a bit up the hill, were the stables. Holding onto Angel even more tightly, she ignored the rampant death and destruction spreading around them and forced herself to turn around the corner. She opened her eyes up again at last to focus on her destination…

And instantly halted. Her mouth opened in utter horror as fresh tears welled up.

She could see the stables from here, or what was left of them. A swarm of frogs bigger than adult men with the same misting eyes and purplish-black skin had already smashed the place to bits with their gigantic hops. There was no sign of life there anymore. Nothing except a few discarded bits of clothing and guns, and one frog in particular that Fluttershy got a good look at.

She was just in time to see a horse’s leg dangle out of its massive mouth before it swallowed and gulped it down along with the rest of animal.

Her free hand cupped to her mouth. She tried to speak, but no sound came out. She only could stand there immobilized, mumbling silence as tears rolled from her eyes.

Moments later, Rarity rounded the corner. Her own hand clutched for her mouth and throat at the grotesque sight. She stood there only a moment, however, before her eyes turned to Fluttershy. A second later, she swallowed and ran up to her, putting her hand on her shoulder. “Fluttershy…”

She didn’t move. She didn’t say anything. The tears just kept falling.

“Fluttershy…we have to go.”

She stood there a second longer. Finally, Rarity heard her voice. “May…maybe…maybe some of them are still under the rubble…”

Rarity took one more glance at the monstrous frogs, especially as two of them turned and began to eye the two ladies and shook her head. “It’s too late. We have to go.”

“They may still be alive… I have to look… I have to be sure…”

“Flutter-”

Rarity cut herself off as she heard a new sound coming, this from the street across from them. She turned and looked, and paled on seeing a new horror coming. This time it was a plague of rats…so many and so deep that they raised a full two feet above the ground with thousands of voracious, demented little bodies. They were pouring down the road hungry for whatever prey they could find. More sounds of destruction rained around them as the rams kept doing their work, and the sound of bird cries in unison began to peel out. They were massing again…possibly for the two of them.

Rarity grasped her shoulder and pulled. “Fluttershy! We have to flee! I’m sorry, we can’t stay!”

She still wouldn’t move. She actually began to oppose it as her senses came back. “I have to see! I can’t leave them behind! Not any of them!”

It seemed as if in a moment she was going to break free and run for the remains of the stables. Even if she didn’t, the swarm of rats and the bird flock were coming closer. Even Angel wormed his way out of Fluttershy’s grasp only to look up at her with an almost pleading and insistent look. Rarity finally realized there was no time for this.

Raising her knife, she let out a sigh. “I’m sorry Fluttershy. I’m glad Twilight taught me this one…”

She quickly drew a symbol in the air right behind Fluttershy’s head and drove the knife into the center of it, executing it. The sigil instantly melted away and seemed to sink inside. Enough of Fluttershy’s senses came back to briefly notice what was happening, before her eyes glazed over, her eyelids drooped, and she let out a heavy sigh. Moments later, she went limp, letting Angel fall out of her arms, and started to collapse.

Rarity wouldn’t let her. She quickly darted inward and seized her around the middle, bracing her now unconscious body. Angel, on his part, landed on his feet but immediately began to hop and squeak insistently. Rarity had to take a moment. She grunted and strained as she slowly let Fluttershy’s body fall over her.

“Rainbow Dash or Applejack would be so much more suited to this…” she muttered as she maneuvered her over her shoulders, then quickly braced her in a “shepherd” pose. Grunting a little, she forced herself back to her feet. “But I’ll simply have to make do! Let’s be off, Angel!”

Turning away from the doomed stable, Rarity began to run down the only road not dominated by Nighttouched. Angel quickly fell in alongside her, hopping along frantically the whole way.

Running down the road kept the sounds of the monsters from getting any closer, but it also exposed her to new noises. Down the street was the entrance of the embassy that was closer to town, and she could hear echoing up from it the sounds of gunfire and more screams. That wasn’t all, however. She heard the sounds of more homes being destroyed further along, along with the sounds of what seemed like trees being knocked down. The flood of Nighttouched weren’t confining their attack to the embassy but were attacking the town as well.

She also became aware of something else as she ran. Not only were the sounds of the monsters behind her not getting any farther away, but the only way to go from here was down the road and toward a town likewise being ransacked by Nighttouched. It also wasn’t too far before she began to start feeling strain coming on from carrying Fluttershy while running.

By the time they reached the fence to the embassy grounds, Rarity saw several malformed gigantic insects hunched over the remains of the guards posted there, but fortunately the gate itself was wide-open. Trying her best not to look at the insects, she tore out through the opening as fast as she could and onto the road beyond. Yet she quickly came to the dreadful realization that it was in vain. She was exposed and in the open. Worse than that, she noticed Angel stopping and then chittering at her again, trying to urge her on faster.

That meant she had to be getting slower. She could feel sweat mounting on her brow already. Worse than that, the noise of her pursuers seemed to be getting nearer…

“Rarity!”

Hearing her name called shocked the woman out of her growing terror and made her look up. She was nearly flabbergasted at what she saw. Just up the road, grasping a revolver with one hand and frantically waving at her with the other, her clothing stained with a bit of fresh blood, was a familiar face.

“Starlight!”

“Hurry!” Starlight Glimmer shouted back. “The engine is parked right over here!”

Rarity hadn’t been paying attention to the telegram enough to not be surprised on seeing the woman, but she didn’t question it as she redoubled her efforts to run after her. It was only a short distance before she saw Starlight turn and go off the road, vanishing behind a stand of trees at the turn. Soon after, she ran up behind her and turned just in time to hear another gunshot. She spotted Starlight holding her firearm at the tree line, but she quickly pocketed it and ran toward the open hatch of her comrade’s trackless carriage. The rusted, beat up, tank-like vehicle was the best thing Rarity had seen all morning.

“Get in!” Starlight shouted out as soon as she was inside, even as Rarity saw Nighttouched starting to emerge from the tree line around it. Fortunately, she was faster than them in her current form. She made a bee line straight for the hatch and paused only long enough to go in sideways to avoid bumping Fluttershy. Angel hopped in soon after and Starlight immediately reached out and swung the hatch downward.

“Hit it, Double Diamond!”

Rarity had barely had a chance to stop before the engine beneath her gave such a lurch that she was thrown fully off balance and to the floor of Starlight’s cluttered vehicle. She managed to throw Fluttershy clear so she at least didn’t land on her. She didn’t really care, however, so long as the engine was getting them out of there. She put aside her thoughts of Starlight’s timely arrival for the moment as the engine backed out into the road, turned about, and soon began to chug with full steam ahead.

As soon as they were going in a straight line and accelerated to full speed, Rarity managed to pick herself up. By that point, Starlight had already run to the front cab of the engine, and she quickly rushed up to join her. Grabbing a support rod she stared out the narrow viewing window at what was going on.

The Nighttouched continued to leak out into the road as they sped along, but as it was a fairly straight shot they were able to keep going at full speed and passed them by quickly. The few buildings they passed as they went were swarming with them, however. One flood of them, creatures that Rarity couldn’t even recognize, looked like they were tearing one apart brick by brick. Two of the bits of masonry were even flung against the side of the trackless engine as they roared past, letting out a couple of nerve-inducing heavy noises against the side.

That was nothing, however, compared to a few seconds later when they came upon a wide turn. As the engine came forward, the three of them saw a second flood of the same Nighttouched rats come pouring down in the opposite direction. This one surged an entire foot higher and spread across it like a deluge of eyes and teeth.

“Oh no…” Double Diamond remarked; his hand nervously creeping toward the throttle lever to slow down.

Starlight immediately shot her own hand down and seized the throttle, making sure it kept going full speed. “Don’t slow down! Hang on!”

He began to tense up and grit his teeth, but he held onto the steering. Rarity winced and grabbed the support rod with her other arm. Moments later, they plowed into the monsters.

It was a grotesque mess. Rarity kept her eyes shut for it, but she could hear the horrible noise as wheels, gears, and the momentum of the trackless engine tore into the wall of flesh. The sounds of what had to be hundreds of bones a second crunching rang in her ears, and the squeals both of rage and agony from the legion of rats echoed throughout the entire inner compartment. She actually felt the engine slip and slide a bit like it was on ice from the bodies it was rolling over, and she feared for several seconds at any moment they would derail while still swarming in the midst of the monsters, and then they’d worm their way in and pick them apart…

Yet after eight full seconds of tearing into the flood, the sounds died off. The engine sputtered and choked a bit from what had to be pieces of remains that landed inside it, but it kept chugging forward and slowly evened out again. After another half a minute, Rarity risked opening her eyes and looking again. She nearly retched on seeing the front window mottled with remains, and not all of them blood, but the road was now clear beyond. No more signs of Nighttouched or anything else.

She removed a hand to clasp for her chest as she slowly sat down. Starlight let out a long sigh as she released the throttle; just in time to let Double Diamond grab it and ease them into a more narrow turn. She wiped her own forehead before turning back to her. “I think we’re clear. You’re lucky we showed up when we did. That was just in the nick of time.”

Rarity had to take a moment longer to compose herself before she allowed her brain to fully process what had just happened. She stared at the woman and blinked. “Starlight Glimmer? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same thing about you. Didn’t you get my telegram?”

“Telegram…” Rarity mused. It was a bit hard to remember considering everything that had just happened, but she vaguely recalled what the messenger had been saying. “That…that was you?”

She let out a half-chuckle. “I’ve been looking all over for the six of you…well, seven including Spike…ever since that night broke. You wouldn’t believe what’s happened. The Lunar Discovery Society has been surging with members, especially now that we’re finally able to make inroads into Equestria!” She paused. “Of…course, the only reason we’re able to do that is because we’ve been masquerading as a road cleanup agency, so we’ve been focused primarily on meeting quotas instead of making discoveries…but forget all that. Where are the others?”

Rarity looked puzzled. “Others?”

“Yes, Twilight and the others? I mean, the newspapers only said Fluttershy would be out in Fillydelphia, but you were there too so I figured the others were with you and just riding incognito.”

Rarity bowed her head at that, beginning to look uneasy.

Starlight took a moment before she began to realize what that meant. “Oh…so it was just the two of you?” She hesitated, but then sighed. “Well, I guess it’s for the best. If any of the others had been in that town, there’s no way we could have gotten to them. I mean…did you see that back there? No Nighttouched I’ve ever seen acted like that before. And in broad daylight…”

“And here I thought life was going to start returning to normal…” Rarity sighed. “First that mysterious assailant from last night, and now this.” She ruefully turned and looked to the back. Fluttershy was still out, but it only made her more uncomfortable. “I imagine she’s not going to be very happy with me when she wakes up, but there was no time. I don’t think the two of us even with our Anima Viris could have fought off all of that…”

“Mysterious assailant?” Starlight echoed back. “Like one of those people who goes crazy because of their Promethian Sigils?”

Rarity looked back at her and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. This was something…and someone…totally different. Although they sort of pale in comparison to what just happened just now. If the Nighttouched are attacking in broad daylight, then even without any more Light Eaters we’re in serious trouble. Everyone is.”

“Let’s not jump to the worst case just yet…” Starlight reassured. “Our first order of business is getting to the next city and warning them about what just happened.” She exhaled and slumped into a seat herself. “And while we’re on the way there, it looks like we both have a lot to tell each other.”

This puzzled the designer. “Both?”

“I’ve been trying to keep an ear and an eye open for the six of you for weeks, but it wasn’t until a little while ago that I forced myself to make enough time to start searching for you with Double Diamond. It became a little more important around that time. We found something big.”

Rarity’s curiosity was piqued. “What do you mean…‘big’?”

“As in could-redefine-science-and-technology-of-the-world-as-we-know-it big.”

Comments

[Marebook7]

Things just went whole lot interesting. Keep it up!

[PonyofEntropy]

Nice update.

[dvdspires]

I can’t help but think that the nighttouched assaulting during the day is the result of control rather than adapting.

Also, I hope Derpy made it out.