• Published 29th Mar 2019
  • 1,184 Views, 238 Comments

Equestria Threadfall - David Silver



A new red star appears in the sky. It streaks across with unnatural swiftness. With it comes a new threat, raining down from the day sky in great strands of death that eats all organic matter it can find, leaving the terrain scarred and ponies dead.

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9 - Preparing for the Worst

Creatures of all sorts left to return to their lands, to prepare their people as best they could. Ember took to the air. "I'll be back, with others." With but a nod from Celestia, she took off towards the dragonlands.

"They got Torch," weakly noted Spike, worrying his hands together in fitful fidgets. "This..."

Twilight set a hoof on one of his shoulders, sitting just behind him. "He was... not the easiest dragon to approach, but he left an indelible mark on his people. I'm sorry to hear he passed..."

"We weren't... friends, but still... He was a living mountain. I figured he'd just... always be there..." He threw up a hand suddenly. "I'm just whining!"

"Neigh," countered Luna with a faint frown. "Today the world has been diminished by the passing of a creature old enough to compete with Celestia and I. Was he older? I was never certain. Regardless, one of the pillars of the world has crumbled, and it behooves us to at least acknowledge this."

Celestia nodded in gentle agreement. "We all feel loss right now. This is natural and to be expected. We are living... What we mustn't do is allow it to paralyze us." She turned to Luna. "Or attempt to hide it. Raise your wing, Sister."

"I am fine," Luna huffed, looking away from Celestia.

Celestia's magic glowed around Luna's wing, but it didn't move. "We do not know how harmful this is. It could be... hurting you right this moment. Allow me at least a look."

"It just stings." Despite her petulant words, she raised the wing, exposing the wide line that cut across her side, already scabbed over, clearly visible despite her fur. "See for yourself."

Celestia sat down beside Luna, examining the wound with a discerning eye. "This looks... dreadful. You claim it stings..." Her voice left little to question that she doubted Luna's words. "I implore you, for my sake, see a physician just to put my heart at ease."

"Are you my sister, or my mother?" Luna snapped her wing back down into place, concealing her shame. "I did battle to protect our kingdom, and here we are fussing over the scratch I received in the process."

"I am certain the ponies of Manehattan are deeply grateful for your pres--"

Luna cut in, a scowl on her face, hoof clopping as she shouted, "--are you?! Your thoughts seem elsewhere."

Celestia cringed back and let out a slow breath. "I have a whole kingdom, and the world beside, to be concerned with, we both do. Your battle was most valorous, I don't argue that. Thank--"

"--Trixie is grateful." When she had returned was unclear, but she was there then, nibbling on a snow cone she had gotten from somewhere. "Though I'm certain I would have figured out something, your appearance was very timely."

Spike snorted a tiny spurt of flame at that. "Yeah, so, Luna." When Luna looked towards him, he raised a hand to her. "Are we going to fight again?"

Twilight's arm suddenly came down in front of him, drawing him back. "Spike! I didn't authorize the first time, let alone followups."

Spike prodded her leg lightly. "You didn't 'authorize' the thread that's killing creatures and worse. I'm already hired, remember?"

Luna's lips pulled upwards into a slight smile. "I would be honored to have you at my side, Spike. You fought well and I am certain you will continue to do so. What Equestria needs now are determined warriors."

Twilight rolled her eyes softly. "I'll spend my time looking for a solution instead. You mentioned the new star we saw could be related, and its timing is a little too on-point to ignore entirely."

"Neither of you are wrong." Celestia sat atop her throne, eyes closed for a moment. "You are both helping Equestria, and I will not condone arguing about which is 'more important'. If we do not protect ourselves right now, there will be nothing left when the answer is found. If no answer is found, we consign ourselves to an eternal struggle. Neither is a winning situation."

"I'm going to start." Twilight took a step away, hesitation clear in her movements. "Would my... number-one assistant care to accompany me?"

Spike looked ready to follow, but his hesitation was even greater. "I should get what little sleep I can before I get called out to help, you know, with the next fall."

"Wisely spoken." Luna's magic plucked Spike from the ground. "We shall retire for what time we have."

Twilight could only hold out a hoof as her assistant/little brother was carried away. She slumped as they left her sight. "I should get started..."

Celestia set a wing over Twilight. "They will be fine, I must believe... Even if I intend to send a doctor to her room."

A little smile appeared on Twilight's face, ears perking up. "You know she's going to get angry."

"Let her be angry, if it means she'll be safe." She sat down and reached for Twilight tentatively. When there was no resistance, she gathered up Twilight in her hooves. "My precious ponies are worth being mad at... She will forgive me, eventually."

Twilight looked awkward. On one hoof, there she was, being held by Celestia. That was a high honor, and yet, she was not a foal. She was a princess. It was not a very dignified position... That she felt so wonderfully safe in. Warring emotions kept her in place, guiltily enjoying the presence of her once-mentor. "I'll do my best to find an answer, to end this..."

"I know you will." She gently set Twilight down in her glowing golden magic. "Just don't hurt yourself doing it. Everycreature involved is ready to hurl themselves off a cliff for this... Please don't. Do your best, and not a shred further." She resumed her footing. "I will continue reaching out to the other creatures who have yet to reply. All must be warned of this, or the toll will become all the more severe."

They all had their missions and went to see about them.


He ran a scaled arm across his damp forehead before grabbing a bucket of water and casually upending it over himself. A fish without moisture was a sad fish, even if that fish was also a man. "Any good bites?"

His companion, peer, or otherwise shrugged softly. He was a canine, holding a fishing rod and bobbing it slowly, its line leading to the waters below. "Nothing worth talking about. Hey, storm coming?"

They both looked up and across the sea to see silvery clouds. The fish person shrugged. "Not heading for us. Hopefully it stays that way." The clouds were racing from right to left at a sedate pace that such distant objects seemed to move. "Think it'll draw some fish in?"

"Wouldn't that be--Hey!" His rod suddenly bent forward and he scrambled to his feet, struggling to keep a hold of it even as he reeled wildly. "Now we're talking!"

Klugetown would not be struck by thread that day. Though it was discovered that fish found the thread perfectly tasty, and the fall drew a great many of them to the surface, to the delight of any fisher ready to take advantage of it.

Capper was not usually an avid fishercreature, but he held one of the caught fish, turning it this way and that. "Huh..." The fish had something odd in its mouth, and it wasn't bait, at least none Capper had seen before. "Odd..." He set the fish down just to check the next and the one after it. It seemed all the fish present had been gorging on the same thing before being hooked and drawn in.

Whatever it was, it didn't seem to have harmed the fish.

One brave Klugetowner bit the head right off a fish and crunched its bones and the unknown substance all at once. With a great grin of razor-sharp teeth and bits of viscera, she gave a thumbs up. "Tastes fine." Sure, they would watch her for a few hours, to make sure she didn't suddenly collapse, but she didn't. Whatever it was, it was edible.

And it attracted fish. A complete win for the day.

A letter arrived for Capper and he flipped it open. "From Twilight?" It had been addressed by its seal, it was her seal, with her cutie mark displayed prominently. Ponies were convenient that way, each having a unique little symbol to keep it clear which of them was which.

Salutations, Capper,

I wish I was writing to you about lighter things, but please accept my following words in the grave tone they are written. The world is suffering an attack. Not any single kingdom or city, but the entire world. Silvery clouds rain what we've started calling 'thread'. Do not touch this thread! Do not allow any living thing to touch it.

I can't mince words with this. It will kill you. The only safety is under stone and metal. It is flammable and can be destroyed that way if you have access to it. Please warn the other people of Klugetown. The dragons are available for hire as a defensive force.

We are doing our best to find a longterm solution. Any information you discover should be forwarded our way.

Capper set the note aside without bothering to read the final goodbyes. "This day just keeps getting more interesting..." The stuff the fish were eating. Was that thread? It obviously wasn't killing the fish. What was different? Not that he doubted Twilight's word outright... "Huh..."

He slapped down a new piece of paper and grabbed a quill.

Hey Twiggers,

Capper here. You have some crazy timing; is that a pony thing? Silvery clouds you wrote, right? We saw those, but they went past us and rained over the sea. The fish went nuts and the fishing was never so good. The fishercreatures are still celebrating by the docks. The fish are whole and fine and not dead. They look like they ate the whatever-it-is, and we already tried eating them, with it, and we didn't die either.

Now I ain't saying you're wrong. Don't get me wrong. I just think this is worth telling you. What happened, and why did this happen? Can fish kill thread? Ha, imagine big fish tanks over every city, wouldn't that be nuts? Something's going on, and I bet you want to know about it.

I'll spread the word about the thread though. At least if someone gets caught in it, it won't be my fault, you know? Besides, least I can do. Just remember that while I'm the coolest cat in this place, I'm not precisely in charge or anything, so it's up to them if they want to do anything with what I tell them.

Nice to Hear From You,
Capper

He slipped it into an envelope and scribbled Twilight's name on it fully. What, put her symbol on it? He snorted softly. "As if I'd trust a random picture to tell the mailcreature where to go." He wasn't that silly. That was probably something a pony would do. They were adorably stupid like that sometimes.

He left his house to drop the letter off at the couriers before heading to the mayor's office. "Is Lefont in?"

The secretary looked up towards him. "Capper..." Her voice did not carry much in the way of respect, or pleasure at his sight. "Do you have an appointment?"

"This isn't about me." He gestured at himself with both hands. "This is a public safety thing. I just need to chat with Lefont for a hot minute and I'll be out of your mane."

The secretary raised a furry brow. "I don't have a mane." It was true, her fur an even covering over her entire body, even her twitching tail. "I'm afraid I'll need stronger means... Capper, you know he's a busy creature, running this city, working, unlike you."

"This is important." He thumped her desk. "Just a minute, c'mon!"

It would not be fast to deliver his warning where it might have an effect.

Author's Note:

Remember Klugetown? turns out they're doing alright so far. What's up with the fish?!

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