Act 2 - Chapter 1
"Dear diary, you won't believe what's been happening!"
"It all started yesterday when I was at the local junkyard looking for anything interesting or odd to use in my uni-cycling, I happened to bump into a new pony friend I had never met before, he was some kind of science pony who had a talent for inventing, re-cycling scrap and other sciency stuff I assume. He did seem rather cold and bitter outwardly at first, but after I did some chatting with him, he gradually warmed up, and we soon hit off right away, sharing our enjoyment of inventing and thinking outside the box, or was it beyond the trees as they called it back home? I was sad when he had to go in order to get back to his job, but before he left, he told me that I would be receiving a message from him when he had time to meet me again, I was so excited about it that I didn't get to ask him how he would do so, but I assume I'll know about it soon enough!"
"Now... I must talk about something more sad and depressing... Unicorns have been vanishing all over the place recently, and nopony knows what's causing it... My hometown of Bridlewood has been hit pretty hard by it. My friends Hitch and Zipp are both hard at work on the case, with Zipp suspecting that it might be a case of serial ponynapping going on, something that Hitch is slowly leaning towards himself...
I haven't spoken my mind about it yet, but between you and me diary... I hope that it's not a case of ponynapping and just simply some magical mishap that's going on like we've seen before. Likewise, I know this might sound silly, but I just cannot picture anypony being nasty enough to do such a thing, even that Deputy who tried to destroy Sunny's lighthouse home a while back wasn't really that bad of a stallion deep down, just simply misguided in his beliefs.
Today however is going to be a big deal for all of us, Sunny, Hitch, Zipp, Pipp and me are all going to be heading to the forest towards Bridlewood today to see if we can find some clues as to what's going on, I'm sure Alphabittle will be happy to lend us a hoof too, he's probably worried sick about his missing customers. To help everypony out, I've prepared a few gizmos from the uni-cycled scrap I gathered yesterday to make our search much easier, I like to call them 'glitter flares', these things work like fireworks, sending a tall shower of glitter upwards into the sky, that way if anypony is ever in trouble, we can all converge to help them out!
Everypony else has their own ideas on how they'll help out too, Zipp will be using her own selection of gadgets, including her little search drone along with the Rad-visor that I made for her a while back to help search for as many clues as possible. Pipp plans on rallying the 'Pippsqueaks' on her social accounts, encouraging them to send in any rumours, information and more to her, she's also bringing a magnification glass with her to use to search for clues too. As for Sunny, she will be scouting up ahead of us on her roller-skates, that way if there is anything dangerous on the path towards the forest, she'll instantly let us know about it quickly with her whistle. Hitch meanwhile is actively communicating with his animal pals around the area, he aims to see if the animals hanging around the forest have been noticing anything off in recent times, hoping that they can point us in the right direction. What I find most curious however is that he's also bringing with him a pair of hoof-cuffs in his satchel, I'm guessing that if there really is somepony behind all this, he'll be ready to arrest them on the spot, but probably not before Alphabittle has had them tied up in the centre of town and subjected to the most terrifying punishment known to all Unicorn kind... The Mayonnaising A truly horrible fate to be bestowed upon, mwahahahaha!!
Oopsie! I've looked at the time and just realized that we'll be setting out in a bit, and I don't wanna be late! Well anyway I can't wait to write you again tomorrow morning with hopefully some good news this time, see you later diary!
Izzy Moonbow
ACT 2
It was a cool crisp late morning on the outskirts of Maretime Bay, the grass was rich in moisture from the mists that formed overnight, and the air was fresh and clear to breathe in. In contrast to yesterday's bright clear sunny weather, today was a mix of grey clouds and a little overcast across the sky, even so, the sun was still shining high up through the layers of cloud, illuminating the lands with warmth and comfort.
For the Mane Five however, there was little time to bask in the sights and the feel of nature, today was a serious matter for all of them. Yesterday Hitch Trailblazer, the Sheriff of Maretime Bay, had discovered a string of pony disappearances happening across Equestria, stretching from Bridlewood all the way to Maretime Bay. Even more disturbingly, almost all the pony's that had been vanishing were Unicorns, and most of them happened in Bridlewood. After a whole day of search turned up little to no clues, Hitch has now enlisted the help of his friends in the Mane five to help him crack open the case at hoof. The group has decided to divide itself into two groups in order to cover as much ground and air as possible, Hitch, Pipp and Izzy will be sticking to doing clue hunting on the ground largely, using their gadgets to assist in the search, while Zipp and Sunny carry out reconnaissance and information gathering on the ground and air respectfully. In the event of any danger or trouble anypony finds themselves in, each of them has been provided with one of Izzy's new "glitter flares" to use as a signal for help, they can also be used in the event of anypony finding an important piece of evidence related to the case, but since they only carry enough cartridges to use it twice before it runs out, they must be used only when necessary.
After a hectic breakfast spent gathering everything they need for the day's long trip to Bridlewood, the Mane Five have now departed in full, their satchel bags full to the brim with items they've taken with them on the journey, in Izzy's and Pipps case, they packed a little too much stuff.
"Seriously sis, why'd you have to bring your cosmetics with you as well? We're only going to be gone for a day at most." Said Zipp.
"Oh please Zipp, you know that I need to look my best as much as possible, especially since my Pippsqueaks are going to be helping us out, the last thing I want is for me to look slightly less 'Pipp and Prim' to them when I do my streams and status updates. "Said Pipp, already gazing up into her phone.
"Heh, why is that, are you afraid of them seeing you looking like you've been through a mud trial instead?" Said Zipp teasingly.
"Wha- Y-yes! I don't want to end up becoming the laughingstock of the whole CanterNet, not with the standing I have!" Said Pipp, looking annoyed.
"You mean like what happened to Silver Streak, the so-called 'shining silver stallion' when he was caught messily eating all those hay burgers at the local restaurant, his 'deluxe white coat' all greasy and messy?" Said Zipp, looking smug.
"Yes exactly! The poor pony never recovered from that humiliation." Said Pipp dejectedly.
"Hey come on, it was funny wasn't it?" Said Zipp reassuringly.
"Well... I guess it is kind of funny now looking back on it, I'm just thankful that my Pippsqueaks haven't been exposed to such a thing from me yet, goodness knows the humiliation I'd get." Said Pipp, feeling more confident.
"It wouldn't be the end of the world Pipp, sometimes you just gotta have a good laugh sometimes, even if it's at your own expense." Said Zipp.
"Pffft, pur-lease Zipp, all you ever do is laugh at my expense at any opportunity you get, but you rarely let me have a chance to do it at all since you all you do is just brush it off like it was nothing, how can I ever work with that?" Said Pipp, pouting a little.
"You do have a habit of being over-dramatic about such a thing, even the littlest thing like a stray hair becoming stuck out is enough to freak you out like you are about to have a heart attack." Said Zipp bluntly.
Pipp gasped, then looked up at her sister, "W-what!? Why you-"
"Alright alright, that's enough you two, we've got a job to do today." Called Hitch from the front.
The two sisters looked on at him, then sheepishly laughed together before moving on from their little quarrel.
"I don't know about you ponies, but I'm feeling super-duper excited to be going back home to Bridlewood today, I haven't been there ever since I moved out months ago, I hope my home is still in one piece, with all my uni-cycled tools and jars of glitter!" Said Izzy, bouncing along the path with joy.
"Izzy, this is a serious matter! Unicorns have been vanishing all across Equestria, and Bridlewood has been hit hard by it most, we have to focus on finding them and bring them back home today!" Said Sunny.
"I know that silly, but I'm also happy to be coming back home as well, I can't wait to see everypony again, especially Alphabittle, I hope he's still hanging in there despite all that's going on." Said Izzy.
"The way things are going right now, there might not be anypony left to welcome you home Izz." Said Zipp.
"Zipp!" Shouted Sunny, Hitch and Pipp together.
"What? I'm not wrong about it, am I?" Said Zipp, looking a little sheepish.
"No, but you could've worded that much better for Izzy's sake." Said Pipp sarcastically.
"Heh, sorry about that Izzy." Said Zipp softly.
"None taken at all Zippy." Said Izzy with a smile.
"Z-z-zippy!?" Said Zipp wide eyed.
The other ponies started chuckling, Pipp audibly louder than the rest.
"Haha, Zippy? Isn't that the nickname our old caretaker used to call you back when we were fillies?" Said Pipp smugly.
Zipp went on the defensive, trying to steer the conversation away that topic.
"M-m-maybe, but you know I much rather be called Zipp, or even Zephyrina instead of that you know!" Said Zipp with a silly grin.
"Really now? So that means you accept being the royal princess and heir to the throne after all?" Said Pipp smugly.
"Yes, I m-mean NO! I mean... ughh!" Said Zipp in disgust.
"Gotcha that time sis." Said Pipp with a wink, before trotting along triumphantly.
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say, lil Pippy." Said Zipp dismissively, but with a hidden smirk.
Pipp looked back at her horrified at what she just said, but Zipp only chuckled, then took off into the air above them. Pipp quietly groaned about her old nickname, then carried on trotting in a huff.
"Anyway! Moving on, how long do you think it's going to take for us to reach Bridlewood Izzy?" Asked Hitch.
Izzy thought for a moment, then she opened up her satchel and took out a map she had brought with her, it was hoof drawn in her own signature art style, complete with doodles, glitter and other Unicorn-esque things.
"Hmmm, well if my information is correct, and sometimes it's not, if we keep on moving along the path that we're on right now, we should be able to reach the forest by this afternoon." Said Izzy, examining the map closely.
"If your information is correct? Wasn't it you who made this map up in the first place?" Said Hitch with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course I did, I took into account all of the measurements and angles from where we would have to go, and the distance from here to there. And as a bonus I also drew us on here too, see Sunny here in Maretime Bay, me over here in Bridlewood, and Zipp and Pipp over here in Zephyr Heights!" Said Izzy, proud of her creation.
"That's uh, adorable Izzy." Said Pipp, shrugging her shoulders with a smile.
"Wait hold on now, who is this supposed to be next to Sunny?" Asked Hitch, pointing to the doodle in question with the tall looking stetson.
"Oh uh, I think that one is meant to be you Hitch, dressed up as a cowpony with hat and all." Said Izzy innocently.
The other ponies let out a laugh, Hitch however was bemused.
"Ha ha ha, very funny Izzy, just because I'm wearing my detective hat today doesn't mean you can make fun of it." Said Hitch with a huff.
"Aww come on Hitchy-poo, it's just a doodle, lighten up and look the brighter side of things." Said Izzy, rolling up her map and tucking it away in her bag.
Hitch just huffed and carried on walking down the path.
"So anyway, you said that if we stick to this path here, we should reach Bridlewood in no time at all?" Asked Sunny.
"That's right! But we should all get a move on, they say some 'nasties' lurk out here in the wilderness." Said Izzy, picking up the pace.
"Huh, what do you mean by 'nasties'?" Asked Pipp cautiously.
"Weeeeell, Alphabittle told me once when I was a filly that outside of Bridelwood in the wilderness around what was once Ancient Equestria, some nasty looking monsters lived out there, with no-pony around to keep things in order they now roamed freely, looking for anything to munch their teeth into, ponies included!" Said Izzy, making loud biting sounds with her jaw.
"Seriously? Are they actually real or not?" Said Pipp, looking worried.
"I've never seen one myself, even during the first time that I left the forest, but as the saying goes, you never know when you'll be somepony else's lunch. That's another reason I made these glitter flares right here, in case one of us ends up in trouble, so we can send up a signal for help." Said Izzy, showing one of the flares off.
"That's not exactly reassuring Izzy, especially if they end up not working." Said Hitch.
"It's better than ending up as a monsters lunch sheriff." Said Zipp hovering next to him.
"Whatever." Said Hitch dismissively.
"Hey everypony, it looks like the road splits along here into two directions." Called Sunny.
"Wait what? I don't remember there being a fork in the road the last time we went to Bridlewood." Said Zipp.
"Oh that's because we took the longer and more rugged route to there from Zephyr Heights remember? This route along here is the fastest way to get to Bridlewood, but we have two choices of where we can go." Said Izzy, pulling her map out again.
"So... Which path is the quickest then?" Asked Zipp.
"Well according to my map, the left path here is the fastest way to get to my hometown, but it's also the most rugged and potentially dangerous since it goes by a nearby open gorge." Said Izzy, pointing with her hoof.
"That sounds right up my alley." Said Zipp with a smile.
"Now the right path here will take a little longer to get there since it goes through the thicket of the forest, but it's also the safer of the two paths." Said Izzy.
"That sounds like the ideal one to take." Said Sunny thoughtfully.
"Hmm, I don't know about you girls, but the sooner we can get to Bridlewood the better, I don't want the trail to go cold." Said Hitch, eying the left path.
"Well I am in no mood to get my mane messed up today, so I think I'll take the leisurely walk to get there." Said Pipp, pointing to the right path.
The Mane Five seemed split on which direction to take, but Izzy came up with an idea to solve it.
"Hey I got an idea, why don't we all split up and take both paths to Bridlewood?" Said Izzy.
"I'm all for that, we can cover way more ground that way." Said Zipp.
"Hmm I don't know everypony, splitting up into different groups might be risky, especially since we have no idea what could be out there, much less if we run into whatever is behind the Unicorns vanishing." Said Sunny, looking a little worried.
"It's no biggie Sunny, we're both going to be meeting up at the same place at the end anyway. That and as Zipp just said, we can cover more ground in our investigation that way too." Said Hitch.
"Yeah, we might even be able to find double the clues that way too." Said Pipp, whipping out her phone to check her updates.
"And if we do end up in trouble, we have the glitter flares that I made right here to signal for help." Said Izzy, folding up her map away.
Sunny looked at her friends, taking in what they just said. Despite still having concerns about the idea, she ultimately decided to give it a try.
"Alright I'm convinced, let's do this! Pipp, Izzy and I will take the right path to Bridlewood, Hitch, you and Zipp can take the left path to there, with all that ground to cover, we're bound to find something related to the case at hoof! Remember to keep your eyes peeled and ears up for anything suspicious you see, and together we will split this whole mystery wide open!
"Hay yeah! Now that's the Sunny Starscout I know!" Said Hitch, giving her a hoof bump.
"I'm gonna go scout out the left path ahead, catch you all later." Said Zipp who took off into the air and flew off.
"We'd better get a move on too, I'm itching to get back to my home as soon as possible." Said Izzy, jumping with excitement.
And with that, the Mane five had split up into two groups, with Sunny's group taking the right path towards Bridlewood, while Hitch's took the left one. Sunny and her group were soon on their merry way down the path, and as Izzy's map had said, it seemed to be the safer of the two paths, the views were more open and clear, very easy to spot any danger that might approach them. Sunny however still seemed to be distracted about something on her mind, she was paying little attention to what was in front of her, instead gazing off far into the distance, something which didn't go unnoticed by her friends.
"Sunny hunny, are you okay?" Asked Pipp hovering nearby.
"Huh? O-oh umm, y-yeah i'm okay, why?" Said Sunny, stuttering a little.
"Well you've been staring off into space for the last few minutes, not that it's weird or anything since I do it all the time, but it's pretty unusual for you to be doing that." Said Izzy.
"I guess I just got lost in my own thoughts for a little bit." Said Sunny, grinning sheepishly.
Pipp didn't seemed convinced, she trotted up close to her and asked her more directly, "Tell me Sunny, are you worried about Izzy's safety?"
"W-well umm..." Said Sunny.
"Are you worried about me vanishing like all the other Unicorns?" Said Izzy curiously.
Sunny looked at the two of them, then signed heavily, "Yes, yes I am worried about her safety, with all these Unicorns going missing... i'd hate for something to happen to her too..."
"Hey, don't over-worry yourself thin Sunny, we'll never let that happen ever, right Izzy?" Said Pipp.
"Right as light, so long as we all stick together, ain't nothing bad going to happen to me, and even if it did, we'd all just vamoose away in safety." Said Izzy smiling at her friends.
"You see Sunny? Our friendship will protect us from any danger that comes our way, isn't that what you always encourage towards us?" Said Pipp, hoof bumping Sunny's chest.
Sunny stood there taking in what they just said, then smiled to herself, they were right, she couldn't let her fears and worries get the better of her now, not when there are ponies to rescue.
"You're right girls, I need to keep my fears down and my focus up, now let's get moving and get to Bridlewood!" Said Sunny, clenching her hoof in confidence.
"Now that's more like it, let's get going!" Said Pipp, taking off into the air.
"Yeah let's get rolling everypony!" Said Izzy, now wearing her helmet and roller blades.
"When did you put them on?" Asked Pipp with a raised eyebrow.
"I've had these with me in my bag ever since we left the Brighthouse." Said Izzy sticking her tongue out, then looking over to Sunny, "Hey Sunny, how about we have a race to Bridlewood? First one to get there gets free tea from Alphabittle!"
"Oh you are so on! Alphabittle makes the best brews of tea." Said Sunny, getting into position.
"Ready, set, GO!" Shouted Izzy, racing down the path with Sunny just behind her.
"Hey, wait up!" Called Pipp as she flew after them as fast as she could.
The three ponies raced down the path towards the distant sea of trees in a race to see who would get there first. All three of them were nervous deep down about what awaited them in the forest, but they were determined to get there as soon as possible. However, they were unaware that the path they were on was being monitored at a distance by a lone drone hovering high above out of sight, and having detected their movements, it was now cautiously following them, tracking where they were going, and why.
Meanwhile, deep inside the Bridlewood forest itself, everything was deathly quiet and still, an unusual sight to witness in the woods itself. The once serene, mysterious yet wondrous location now felt rather sinister and eerie to enter, as an aura of danger now hung in the air around it, the thin rays of sunshine streaming down from the branches above doing little to dispel it.
In amongst the thicket, a pair of Unicorns remained in hiding inside a large hallowed out log that had fallen onto the ground, one of them was an adult stallion Unicorn with a blond mane and tail with white streaks running through each, paired along with his deep tan coat and yellow eyes. The other pony was a young filly with a pale yellow coat, deep blue mane and tail, with deep green eyes hiding behind her glasses. The older of the two had his head held high up, listening out intensely for any noises or disturbances nearby that might alert them to danger.
"Cripes, I don't hear anything out there at the moment little one, it's too quiet."
"I-is it safe now mister umm...?"
"It's Starduster filly, I'll take a quick look around to check, but please stay hidden until I feel it's safe." Said the Unicorn, as he quietly peaked his head out to take a look around.
The surroundings seemed still and quiet, with the distance sound of bird song from far away, and yet Starduster was not dumb, for he knew that looks can be deceiving, and whatever is behind the Unicorns disappearing might not be far away. For now though, it seemed the coast was clear, and they can move on closer towards Bridlewood.
"It seems all clear for now, but we better get moving towards Bridlewood, we'll be safer there than out here." Said Starduster, looking back at the filly.
"That's a good idea... " Said the filly.
"Say what is your name by the way?" Asked Starduster.
"It's Jasmine sir, and thank you." She said, doing a little bow.
"Don't thank me yet Jasmine, not until we're out of this mess we've got ourselves into." Said Starduster seriously.
Jasmine agreed, then the two of them started walking quietly but quickly through the thicket of the forest, keeping their heads down to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. The young filly was thankful to have been found by Starduster who came to help her when she got lost in the woods, looking up at him, she felt safer in his presence. However, she couldn't help but notice that his eyes were distracted, like something on his mind was bothering him.
"Pardon me mister, but is something wrong?" Asked Jasmine.
"Well umm... yes, actually there is something that is bothering me, and it's about you." Said Starduster, looking at her.
The little filly stopped, looking at him in surprise, "W-what do you mean?"
"It's simple, how on earth did you end up wondering way out here in the first place?" Said Starduster.
"Oh umm... it's a little hard to explain but..." Said Jasmine uneasily.
"You do know how dangerous it's become out here right? Alphabittle warned everypony to never go far from Bridlewood because of all the Unicorns disappearing in the woods, and yet you still went wondering around out here on your own without telling anypony!" Said Starduster severely.
Jasmine gulped, she was trying to speak up but Starduster interrupted her.
"It's pointlessly reckless to do such a thing on your own, especially at your age!" He said with a mild shout.
"I-I know that... b-but... I had to come out here... I had to find him...!" Said Jasmine, trying to speak up.
"Is that right? Was it a family member you were looking for, or somepony else?" Asked Starduster.
Jasmine seemed to be on the edge about something, but she took a deep breath and started explaining.
"...It's my dad, I wanted to find my dad. He didn't come home at all yesterday... After my mum passed away he's my only family I have left... I know we were all warned about wondering into the woods, but I wanted to find him..." She said sadly.
Starduster signed, then he gently patted her head to comfort her.
"That was a brave thing to do little one, but again also reckless too, you should never wonder off on your own, it can get you killed you know." He said.
Jasmine nodded silently, Starduster looked into her eyes, he saw that she was struggling to keep herself from breaking down over something, and he had a hunch that he knew what it was too.
"I can see it your eyes Jasmine, you already know the fate of your father, don't you?" Said Starduster slowly.
Jasmine started choking up, tears starting to leak out of her eyes.
"...Y-yes I do... The Metal Monster must've got him... A-and... And then it..."
The poor filly couldn't hold back anymore, the emotion was getting too much, she burst out crying.
"I want my father back...!" Sobbed Jasmine loudly.
"There there little one, i'm sure your father is-"
"The Metal Monster took him away! He's never coming back, he's probably dead by now or worse!" She shouted loudly.
Starduster looked at the poor little pony crying her emotions out, he signed and gently comforted her in a hug. He had heard rumors from around Bridlewood about the so called "Metal Monster" that had been spotted in the forest recently, chasing after Unicorns and taking them away to who knows where, never to be seen again. Whether it was true or not, it's got everypony in Bridlewood on the edge, in fear that it might someday invade their home and attack them too. Poor little Jasmine just had her father taken away by it, and despite the danger, she still wanted to find him. Sniffing a little tear, he couldn't help but be proud of that courage, even if it was reckless of her to do so, he had to cheer her up and encourage her somehow. Showing a warm smile, he lifted her chin up at him.
"Listen Jasmine, you will find your dad again, I know you will." Said Starduster reassuringly.
Jasmine looked up at him, wiping away her tears, "H-huh? D-do you mean it mister?"
Starduster smiled at her, nodding his head, "I do mean it, you can trust me."
"T-thank you..." She sniffed, getting back to her hooves, showing a smile again.
"But first, we need to get back to Bridlewood, it's not safe out here." Said Starduster.
Jasmine nodded, and the two of them set off once again back towards Bridlewood in renewed spirits and determination.
However, it wasn't long before Starduster began to think that there was something off about everything around them, he looked down upon the path they were on and noticed something alarming, stopping Jasmine in her tracks.
"H-hey, what's going on mister?" Asked Jasmine.
"Look down at the tracks on this path, notice anything different about them?" Said Starduster.
Jasmine took a good look at the path, it was well travelled with all sorts of hoof prints left behind by ponies who walked along here on the path to Bridlewood. However, she did notice something different about one set of tracks, taking a closer look at them.
"These sets of tracks are different from the other ones." She said, pointing them out with her hoof.
"A sharp eye you got there little one, tell me, what's different about them?" Asked Starduster.
"Hmmm... oh, they look bigger than a normal ponies, and there is no hoof mark in them... just one big flat print." Said Jasmine.
"That's correct Jasmine, but... Do you realize what this means? Whatever or whoever left tracks like that, it's not from a normal pony." Said Starduster ominously.
Jasmines eyes went wide, she started to look around wildly, her breathing becoming more panicked.
"Oh no! N-no no no no! T-the Metal Monster has been though here!" She shouted out loud.
"Shush! You don't want to attract it's attention do you-"
He was cut off when there came a loud crack of split tree bark from not far away, causing him to look in the direction of where it came from, cold sweat beginning to form on his brow.
"I think we better get galloping and fast, come on, hop onto my back quick!" Said Starduster, lowering himself down for her to jump on.
Jasmine climbed onto his back and held onto him for dear life as Starduster started galloping down the path as fast as he could. After there was another loud crack of tree bark splitting, Jasmine took a gaze behind her against her better judgement, and to her horror, she saw it. There it was, chasing right after them, the so called "Metal Monster", it looked like a large dark silhouette with a single glowing red eye, it was hovering above the ground like an evil spirit, and there was a loud roaring sound, nothing like she had ever heard before that was coming from it, and it seemed to get louder the closer it got to them.
"It's after us, it's after us!" Shouted Jasmine.
"Just hold on tight, we'll try to get away from it!" Said Starduster
Starduster tried to pick up the pace, but he soon found himself tiring out quickly, he was no athlete like an Earth Pony was, and if he ended up collapsing from exhaustion, then the Metal Monster chasing them would catch up to them and do who knows what to them, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen, especially to Jasmine, he couldn't stomach the thought of a little one being taken away by it. Luckily however, he spotted a large fallen tree that he could duck under to escape it's sight, he just had to time the dive just right to make it work.
"Alright, I've got an idea, we're gonna lose that thing, hold on tight now." Said Starduster, making his way to the fallen tree.
Jasmine held on for dear life as Starduster suddenly jolted down and ducked under the fallen tree, it was just low enough for the two of them to dash under it and out to the other side, where they found themselves in a clearing. After that, Starduster slowed his pace down, taking a look back to see that they seemed to have lost the monster.
"Hahh hah... looks like we managed to lose it." He said, trying to catch his breath.
Jasmine however wasn't so sure they had lost it, she could still hear that awful roaring noise coming from nearby, she feared they were not out of danger just yet.
"Umm I don't think we're out of danger yet..."
"Huh, what makes you say that?" Said Starduster in surprise.
"...Look out!" She shouted, pointing a hoof at something aiming at them.
Starduster looked at what she was pointing at, and reacted just a second too late, jumping out of the way as a blast went off right next to him, knocking him and Jasmine onto the ground, with Starduster clutching his side in pain.
"Augh... dang that really hurts." He said, rubbing his side, making sure it wasn't cut.
Both had little time to get themselves up when they heard loud stomps coming their way, both looked up and saw that they were surrounded by a number of pony like figures, staring at the two of them with their single glowing eyes.
"W-what are t-these things, p-ponies!?" Asked Jasmine fearfully.
Starduster however, could tell right away that they were not ponies, they may have had the same general shape, but it was obvious that they were something else entirely.
"Those aren't ponies... and they're not friendly at all." He said, trying to sit up, but the injury on his side made it hard to do so.
The pony like figures all took a step forward towards them, one of them aiming it's hoof at them, Starduster quickly saw that it wasn't a hoof at all, but some sort of weapon in place of one. Not only that, but taking a closer look as it stepped into the ray of sunshine showed that it had metal parts attached to it, and a metal like body with segmented limbs like a robot. That's when it finally sunk in for Starduster, these things weren't monsters at all, they were robots. Now realizing how serious the danger they were in and more, Starduster began making a plan, looking over at Jasmine.
"Jasmine, I want you to listen to me very carefully." He said to her.
Jasmine looked up at him, listening intensely.
"When I give the signal, I want you to jump off my back and run as fast as you can towards Bridlewood, you must warn them of what's really going on out here, this might be our only chance." Said Starduster, lifting her up onto his back."
"B-but what about you mister? How will you escape?" Jasmine asked with concern.
"I won't, I'll hold them off so they'll have to take me away, but it'll buy you enough time for you to escape." He said, looking serious.
"Huh!? B-but I don't want to lose y-you... like I lost my dad... what if they kill you!?" Said Jasmine, tears forming in her eyes again.
Starduster did seem to have a second of doubt in his mind, but his resolve was decided.
"I know, I didn't want it to be this way either... but we have no choice, your safety is more important right now, just trust me." He said.
Jasmine sobbed more, she was still against it, but she could see in his eyes that he was serious about doing this. Gulping hard and wiping her tears away, she nodded in agreement, then she got ready for the plan.
"Ready? Let's do it! Hey you tin pots, take this!" Shouted Starduster, as he levitated a nearby log and tossed it straight towards them.
The robot ponies didn't seemed to have expected him to do that as only a few of them jumped out of the way, the others ended up being smacked down by the log.
"Now Jasmine, GO!" Shouted Starduster, launching her off his back as he ran towards robots to keep them occupied.
Jasmine screamed as she landed behind the bushes, luckily catching her fall just in time, and then proceeding to run as fast as she could away from the clearing. She then heard the sounds of laser blasts and loud shouts behind her, she could only imagine what was going on behind her. Jasmine really wanted to stop and look back to see if Starduster was okay, but she knew that would just make it easier for the robots to catch up and capture her too. Tears flowed out of her eyes and flew behind her as she kept on moving forward faster and faster into the depths of the forest and out of danger.
It seemed like ages since she started running, but eventually she started to see the familiar glow of crystals up ahead, that meant Bridlewood was so close now. Her little hooves were aching and she was short of breath, but she had to make it, she had to warn the rest of the Unicorns living in the village of what was going on.
"A-almost... Hah... T-there... Haahh..." Jasmine panted, as she finally entered the settlement proper.
She immediately spotted a few Unicorns gathered in a group nearby talking about something, one of them having put up a missing Unicorn poster, one of many that had been posted around the whole of Bridlewood. Despite being tired and out of breath, she mustered up whatever strength she could to try and reach them.
"H-hey! E-everypony... Help me...!" She shouted breathlessly as she slowly made her way to them.
One of the unicorns heard her and turned to look at her, "Huh? Jasmine! W-where have you been???"
"I-I tried to help him... b-but... t-they got him...t-they took him away... S-starduster..." She panted out.
"Starduster!? W-who got him, tell us please!"
But poor Jasmine had no breath left to say more, she collapsed onto the ground exhausted and worn out from all the running. The group of Unicorns all panicked upon seeing it and raced over to check on her straight away.
"Oh no! The poor thing has collapsed!"
"What do you think she was trying to say about Starduster? I thought he left earlier today to go find some help at Maretime Bay."
"D-d you think that t-t-the metal monster got him too!?"
"It sounds like it from what she said... but i'm curious about who 'they' are, might they be in league with the Metal Monster?"
"One of them is bad enough, a whole group of them I can do without thank you!"
"Either way we need to get the poor filly to Alphabittle asap, he'll know what to do."
The group all agreed, one of them picking up the fainted filly up onto their back, then carrying her over towards the Crystal Tea House where Alphabittle lived and served customers. They proceeded to knock on the door only to see it open up on it's own like it hadn't even been closed properly. Curious, the group peered inside, and there he was, Alphabittle, the leader of the Unicorns of Bridlewood, sitting around at a table all alone, looking down at the floor in dismay.
"Welcome... please take a seat somewhere and my waiter will be with you... someday." He said dejectedly.
The group looked at each other with concern, but they had to press the issue at hoof, clearing their throat, one of them spoke up.
"Alphabittle sir, we have a situation here!"
"Tell me about it... Unicorns disappearing all the time, a metal monster haunting about our neck of the woods, and now i'm losing customers because of this whole mess... i'm facing ruin..." Said Alphabittle sadly.
"Yes I know sir, but we have a new one on our hooves, it's about Jasmine..."
Alphabittle immediately perked up upon hearing that name, he looked over at the group wide eyed.
"W-what happened to her? Oh no, don't tell me the metal monster got her too!" He shouted in shock.
"Oh n-n-no sir, she's here safe and sound... but she fainted from exhaustion, we think that it was chasing her, but she managed to lose it."
Alphabittle got up right away all fired up, knocking the table over in a hurry, "Bring her here over to the guest room right away, i'll look after her until she comes to."
The Unicorns gave a nod, then followed Alphabittle into one of the guest rooms inside the Crystal Tea House, then very gently he took Jasmine into his hooves very carefully, then he proceeded to tuck her into the provided bed. He examined her forehead and her chest, and smiling a sign of relief, places a nearby cold wet cloth on top of her head.
"Is she going to be okay sir?"
"She'll be just fine, she just needs some rest for now, the poor filly must've ran too hard and worn herself out, she should come to after a few hours." Said Alphabittle.
"I'm glad to hear that, she's the first Unicorn to have escaped from the metal monster."
"Hmm, do you think she has information about it and what it looks like?"
"I'm sure we all have many questions to ask her, but for now we should just leave her be to recover. Until then, we should all return back to our homes and be on guard, who knows if that monster is still lurking around nearby." Said Alphabittle seriously.
The Unicorn group agreed to it, they all left the Crystal Tea house and went back to their homes, looking around to make sure that the coast was clear, leaving Alphabittle alone with Jasmine. He signed deeply, looking up at the small window high up shining sunlight down at him.
"What kind of evil out there has decided to do this to us, what do they want with my fellow Unicorns, and why hasn't anyone in Maretime Bay responded to our letters calling for help? We've even sent a few of our own out there to try to get to the town, but each and every time, the metal monster gets to them before they even leave the woods... it's like we're trapped in here like mice in a cage..." He murmured to himself, frustrated at the situation deep down.
Alphabittle looked over at Jasmine resting in bed one last time, then he quietly left the room, closing the door behind him. Then he began making his way back to the main room of the Crystal Tea House, slumping over at his usual spot in deep thought about the whole thing. He wouldn't have long to himself though, in less than an hour, the door once again burst wide open in surprise.
"Welcome... please take a seat anywhere, and my waiter will be with you... eventually" He said dejectedly.
"Jeez Alphabittle, I haven't seen you this down like ever, your sparkles are looking so dull right now." Said a familiar voice.
Alphabittle knew that voice anywhere, he looked up and in his surprise, there she was, Izzy Moonbow in the flesh.
"Izzy! You finally came back!" Shouted Alphabittle in surprise as he raced over to her.
"Yeah well once we got word of what was going on around here, we all raced to get here as soon as we could." Said Izzy, giving off a big smile.
Alphabittle looked over and saw that she had brought her friends with her too, but he noticed that they all looked a little ragged, like they had just been in a chase, Zipp and Hitch in particular were covered in leaves, twigs and other debris, while Sunny and Pipp had mud caked onto their hair and coats.
"Uggghhh this is just the worst! I can't believe my Pippsqueaks saw all of that... look at them, they're all laughing at me!" Whined Pipp, trying her best to filter out all the laugh emojis her fans were spamming her chat with.
"At least we all managed to escape to safety..." Said Sunny thoughtfully.
"Tell me about it, I don't think i've ever run that fast in my life... how do you do it Zipp?" Said Hitch, still catching his breath.
"Ehh, years of athletics and dare-deviling." Said Zipp with a shrug.
"Umm, what on earth happened to you ponies, did you get lost or something?" Said Alphabittle curiously.
"Ah heh heh heh... it's a bit of a long story actually..." Said Izzy, clapping her hoofs together sheepishly.
"I think you should come in and get cleaned up, then tell me what happened." Said Alphabittle as he lead them all inside.
"Thank Twilight, I need a bath right now!" Shouted Pipp as she eagerly dashed inside in a hurry.
Everypony else in the Mane five just signed before making their way inside as well, closing the door behind them. Little did they know though that their movements have been monitored all along by the same hovering drone from earlier, and having captured enough footage of their location, flew off deep into the woods, disappearing out of sight. Who does the drone belong to, what happened to Sunny and her friends that left them so dishevelled, and just what is the mysterious metal monster that seems to be the culprit behind the Unicorns disappearances?
The mystery at hoof is only getting stranger, and more dangerous.
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It was excellent, looking forward to reading more.❤️
Great chapter! I found this story so interesting and promising, hope to see more!!!