Torch in the Dark

by RevvEmUp

Chapter 5

They continue following Torch's trail through the Everfree Forest Reserve, blanketed by an even heavier snow layer than yesterday; Twilight Sparkle and Bravo leading with their scanners, both respectively accompanied by Spike and Ember. "The portal magic traces left by Torch has begun to disperse." She reported to her friends as she looks at her scanner, seeing sparce scatters of red pixels in the sky. "Fortunately, there's enough traces to follow, but according to my calculations, we have at least a day before it fully disperses and we lose his trail."

As they walk, Rainbow Dash impatiently fidgets from the relatively slower pace than she's used to. "This is taking forever! Can't I just scout ahead of us and find Torch myself?"

"Can you find your way back to us? Everfree is an awfully big forest." Sunset Shimmer asked with a doubtful side-eye.

Realizing she's right, Rainbow Dash crosses her arms. "No." she grumbled.

"Then let's stick together. If we get separated, we might become bug monster food." Sunset Shimmer declared.

"If it does show up, it'll have to deal with my photography skills! Pew! Pew!" Flash Sentry flicks his finger-guns as Lil Flash orbits around him.

"Sounds like all that hero talk from Ember got you all hyped up." Sunset Shimmer teased him.

"Don't go too trigger-happy. You spent two supercharged batteries on the bug and only have one left, and we're miles away from my lab to recharge." Twilight Sparkle advised.

At the back of the group, Rarity closely watches a docile Pinkie Pie. "So… are you okay?" she asked.

"Rarity, that's the fifteenth time you've asked." Pinkie Pie replied.

"Just making sure. I'm scared The Third might do something even more dangerous to you after what you told us." Rarity replied.

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm worried too. What does The Third have in store for me? Twilight and Sunset said it's feeding on my happiness to get its power back. It was, like, ten stories high when it appeared! What if when it gets enough juice outta me, it'll burst outta me and step on you guys?!" she panicked.

"We're not going to let that happen. We've dealt with evil before, and we'll do it again." Rarity assured before putting her hand on Pinkie Pie's shoulder. "Remember, we're with you, now and always."

Pinkie Pie smiles at her and looks to her friends leading her, seeing Rainbow Dash mess with Flash Sentry and Lil Flash at the front. "Thanks, Rarity. That's one worry off my shoulders." She smiled back to Rarity. "I'm still worried about a whole buncha things, like the gun, Torch, and the bug thing that attacked us. Speaking of…" she turns to Sunset Shimmer laughing with Flash Sentry in front of her. "Sunset, any word from the princess?"

"Not yet, Pinkie." Sunset Shimmer turned her head around. "Not sure what's keeping her. She wrote back almost immediately when I told her we found Ember."

"She's a busy princess. I'm sure she's held up by a lotta royal duties now." Flash Sentry said.

"Probably holding some fancy banquet for a certain hero pony." Rainbow Dash snickered as she nudges Flash Sentry's arm.

"A banquet's small potatoes compared to what we're goin' through. Maybe she's too caught-up fighting some invasion." Applejack added.

"Or she could just be sleeping in." Fluttershy suggested.

"Bravo, any reports from H.Q.?" Twilight Sparkle asked Bravo.

"We have not found a solid link between the pistol and The Third aside from matching portal magic readings, nor have we found its origin." Bravo answered.

"You still have it, right? It didn't teleport anywhere?" Pinkie Pie asked worriedly.

In response, Bravo takes the evidence bag from his parka, showing everyone it's still there.

"Oh, oh thank goodness." Pinkie Pie sighed.

"But what about the Bug?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Genetic results of the Bug gathered from biometric scans doesn't match known species, nor does it match creatures from known mythologies. They still believe it's from Equestria because nothing says otherwise." Bravo answered.

"It's gotta be an alien. It sounded like space sounds, like from those electromagnetic-whatever videos Twilight showed us once." Rainbow Dash said.

"I know what you mean, Rainbow Dash. But the fact that it's covered in the specific magic used to open portals between here and Equestria, it must be from there." Twilight Sparkle refuted.

"It could be an alien from Equestria's space." Rainbow Dash postulated before looking at Sunset Shimmer. "Equestria's got aliens, right?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes.

"I'm still wondering why." Ember said.

"Why what?" Spike asked.

"Why this is even happening. The parasite taking over my dad, and the portal that brought us here. So much is happening so fast, we haven't even gotten a clue about anything."

"Ember, you said you saw The Third on your way here through the portal, right?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I wasn't comfortable talking about it before…" Ember looks back to Pinkie Pie at the back. "…but I'll say it now." She declared. "When the portal opened, my dad didn't just fly through it, he was grabbed by these creepy gooey black tentacles coming from the portal. When we passed through, this black cloud or goo or whatever wrapped itself around my dad, and it was laughing all the way. It was like nothing I've ever seen before, or could even dream up of." Ember explained.

"The Third." Sunset Shimmer added.

"It was too much for me, and I passed out for the rest of the trip. Next thing I knew, I turned into a dog." Ember concluded.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Spike asked her.

"I didn't know if I could trust you. I couldn't just tell anyone anything unless they're friends." Ember explained.

"Ember… found it… between… worlds…" Sunset Shimmer muttered to herself as she adds a new note into the journal before closing it. "Thanks, Ember. Hopefully, your account will give the princess more clues to figure out what The Third is."

They encounter a rope bridge over a wide ravine, overlooking a frozen creek several miles below. "I've seen enough movies with rope bridges, and they never make it in one piece by the end." Pinkie Pie commented.

"Timber and I went through here a few months ago. It should be stable." Twilight Sparkle assured.

"On a date?" Spike asked teasingly.

"Well, uh, I…" Twilight Sparkle stammered as blush colours her face. "By definition: yeah… it was a date…"

"Then we'll have no problems crossing!" Rainbow Dash went ahead with Applejack, passing by Bravo.

"Last one there's a bad apple!" Applejack shouted back.

"Oh, wait for me!" Fluttershy follows them cautiously, her hands inching along the rope rails.

Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer pick up the dogs and carry them carefully over the bridge, followed by Flash Sentry and Lil Flash.

Rarity was next to cross with Pinkie Pie behind her. The moment Pinkie Pie touches her fifth pace, she hears Bravo behind her clearing his throat. "Pinkie Pie, may I have a word?"

"What does he want?" Rarity wondered.

"I dunno, but I bet it's important." Pinkie Pie furrows her eyebrows seriously. "Go ahead. I'll be with you soon." She told Rarity.

"See you on the other side." Rarity smiled before advancing without Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie goes back and looks up to the tall man waiting for her. "You needed me? Did the lab send back results yet?"

"It's just… hehehe…" He lets out an ominous chuckle, alarming Pinkie Pie to see this stoic monolithic man suddenly show such emotions. "…I've been waiting a looong time for this, Pinkie Pie."

"Uh… waiting for what?" she asked nervously.

"I didn't know when was the right time. I thought of doing it at H.Q., but you were a little outta it. I could've done it at the cave, but the Bug just haaad to interrupt us." Bravo explained, sounding more eccentric than the cold façade he displayed before. "But now that we're alone… there's nothing stopping me now!" he declared as he reaches into his parka.

Pinkie Pie braces herself when Bravo pulls out something she didn't even anticipate, especially from this man of all people: a Rainbooms C.D. album. "That's our debut album: Shine Like Rainbows!" she recognized the cover photo of the girls in their Battle of the Bands costumes.

"I'm your biggest fan!" Bravo squeaked excitedly. "You wouldn't believe how excited I was to be assigned to guard The Rainbooms, let alone their drummer! It's a dream come true!"

"Oh, you want my autograph? Is that it?" Pinkie Pie asked in relief.

"Totes!" Bravo nodded ecstatically.

"Well, anything for a fan." Pinkie Pie agreed as Bravo hands her a pen. "So, Bravo… if that is your real name."

"Bravo's my codename." He removes his glasses, revealing teal irises. "My real name's Juggler."

"Juggler…" Pinkie Pie takes the album writes her autograph at the back of the cover.

---

To Juggler

Here's to more smiles to brighten your day.

-Pinkie Pie

---

"Careful with it, it's probs worth a bajillion bucks!" She winked as she returns it to Juggler.

"I will! Thank you so much!" Juggler bowed to her.

"C'mon, let's not keep them waiting." Pinkie Pie went back onto the bridge, Juggler following close behind. "For a second there I thought you'd do something really bad."

"Believe me, if we wanted you gone, they'd done it a long time ago." Juggler chuckled.

As Pinkie Pie uncomfortably chuckles along, they stop when both pick up a familiar, eerie beeping echoing from behind them.

On the other side of the ravine where the rest of the group wait for Pinkie Pie and Juggler, they see blips of orange in the distance. Twilight Sparkle takes binoculars from her backpack and spies the Bug, now with purple burns on its left chest, going for a full sprint towards the bridge. "The Bug's back!" Twilight Sparkle pointed before Flash Sentry takes the binoculars and looks through it.

"And with a vengeance!"

"Run, Pinkie!" Rarity shouted.

Pinkie Pie hears her friend call to her, and does her best to carefully and quickly rush across the bridge with Juggler pushing her along as the Bug closes in on them, its croaking growing louder and louder. The Bug steps onto the bridge and skitters along, quickly catching up to Pinkie Pie and Juggler.

"We're not gonna—" Pinkie Pie screamed, then in a split-second, Rainbow Dash rushes over and drags them to the other side where she hands them over to Fluttershy and Rarity. "—make it." Pinkie Pie continued, now realizing she and Juggler are now in safe hands.

"Applejack, need some help here!" Rainbow Dash tries to pull out the posts anchoring the bridge to their side.

As the Bug approaches the halfway point, Applejack pulls out the posts and throws their end of the bridge down the ravine, sending the Bug falling into the frozen river below.

"Pinkie, Bravo, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked them.

As Juggler gathers himself, Pinkie Pie suddenly hugs him tight. "We're alive! Haha! We're alive!" she manically screamed in relief, alarming everyone.

"We'll take that as a yes." Sunset Shimmer smiled.

Fluttershy walks over to the edge of the ravine and takes a look down where the Bug fell. "Is it gone?"

"I hope so. I never wanna see its non-face ever again." Pinkie Pie said as she gets up with Juggler, who dusts snow off himself.

"Let's keep moving. That's one obstacle outta our way." Ember called to them.

"Hey, are you okay?" Pinkie Pie asked Juggler as her friends resume the trail.

"I am." Juggler nodded as he straightens his parka. "Now that I have signed merch." He gave her a slight smile as he slips out his album from his parka.

"Good to know. I don't want a fan of all people to get hurt because of us." Pinkie Pie pats his shoulder before going ahead to follow her friends, leaving Juggler to admire his signed album.

Without warning, without sound, the Bug suddenly manifests behind the distracted Juggler, who turns around and is met by a violent smack, sending him hurtling into a tree with enough force to fell it, complete with a violent crunch.

Upon hearing this violent sound, everyone turns around to see the creature standing there, emitting the same unnerving beeping and accursed croaking. "It's back!" Fluttershy whimpered.

"I thought Applejack sent it down the ravine!" Spike faces Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"We did! We saw it with our own eyes!" Applejack responded.

"Flash, get the battery!" Sunset Shimmer commanded hurriedly.

"But we've only got one shot left! We can't afford to miss!" Flash Sentry responded.

"Then we'll make sure it stays still!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack rush in to wrestle the monster, standing its ground against them as it firmly plants its feet into the snow.

As the two combat the Bug, Pinkie Pie turns her head to Juggler lying under the tree. To think he was alright a few seconds, and now he's not moving causes her to hyperventilate and panic, huffing and puffing all the air out of her lungs. That could be her next if she didn't do anything.

"Trigger…" with the voice breaking the camel's back that is her fragile mind, she goes blank, but something else takes place, and her friends are none the wiser. "Control… finally…"

As the rest watch Rainbow Dash bicycle kick the Bug, Sunset Shimmer feels a vibration in her backpack and takes out her journal. "The princess! She's finally writing back!" she announced to her friends gathering around her.

"And it had to be now?" Ember groaned as Sunset Shimmer opens the book.

---

Dear Sunset Shimmer,

I apologize for the late reply, and hope I haven't reached you at a bad time.

I have assessed all the evidence you have provided me, and while I do not recognize the insectoid creature you encountered last night, I do have information on the entity you called "The Third."

From the drawing you provided alone, I already know what it is. It was a great evil that my friends and I, along with the Pillars of Equestria imprisoned in limbo where we thought it'd never hurt anypony ever again.

The entity currently possessing Pinkie Pie is the Pony of Shadows.

---

"The… Pony of Shadows…?" Sunset Shimmer quaked in fear as she turns to the shell-shocked Pinkie Pie still staring at Juggler.

"What's the Pony of Shadows?" Twilight Sparkle asked worriedly.

"A being of pure darkness, of pure evil, bringing fear wherever it roams. In other words: Equestria's bogeyman." Sunset Shimmer turned to her, with horror in her eyes.

"P-pure evil…?" Fluttershy shivered.

"And it's right next to us…" Ember backs away from Pinkie Pie.

"Just when we thought things couldn't get worse…" Flash Sentry shook his head.

"Pull the trigger…" the voice speaks again, and Pinkie Pie feels something hard manifesting in her jacket, which she clutches.

"She's writing again!" Rarity pointed to the journal as more words are written into it.

---

In our last encounter, the Pony of Shadows possessed a stallion whose heart was vulnerable to darkness, like what it's doing to Pinkie Pie. I reached out to him with the offer of friendship, and only with his acceptance he was freed from the Pony of Shadows' control.

I am unfamiliar of this weapon you described, but if it has any connection to the Pony of Shadows, I urge that you keep it away from Pinkie Pie until you separate her from it.

As her friends, I have no doubt you will accomplish this task.

Good luck,

Princess Twilight Sparkle

---

Sunset Shimmer slams the book shut and hurriedly faces Pinkie Pie vacantly staring at Juggler's body. "Pinkie, we have to get you outta here!" she vigorously shakes her.

Pinkie Pie stiffly turns her head to Sunset Shimmer, displaying her glazed irises. She opens her jacket, silently pulling out the gun as her friends back away. "Pinkie Pie, don't do this!" Twilight Sparkle pleaded.

"Don't let the Pony of Shadows take over! Just focus on your friends!" Ember shouted.

"Friend…" Pinkie Pie whispered, but her voice wasn't the only one speaking. "Your friend… my friend, too…" she cracks a devious smile.

Rarity grabs Pinkie Pie's arm in an attempt to stop her. "Pinkie, don't listen to it! It only wants to control you!" she pleaded before being pushed down into the snow. "Smile… smile…" Pinkie Pie blankly mutters to herself.

After a valiantly wrestling the Bug, Rainbow Dash and Applejack are tossed to the snow where they turn their attention to Pinkie Pie holding out her gun. "Pinkie?!" Rainbow Dash shouted before the Bug stomps her face into the snow.

"There… I… see… him…" Pinkie Pie whispers as a mass of smoke gathers in her left palm to form a black magazine which she slides into the gun. "Power…"

"Pinkie! Stop this now!" Twilight Sparkle shouted.

"Pull…" Pinkie Pie pointed the gun at the Bug.

"We can find another way to defeat the Bug!" Sunset Shimmer pleaded.

"The…"

"Pinkie, stay with us!" Rarity cried.

"Trigger."

Giving into the intrusive thoughts, Pinkie Pie pulls the trigger, and a wave of dark energy burst from her hands, pushing her friends off their feet, but the Bug stood its ground.

As Rarity picks herself up, she sees the most horrific thing she'll ever see in her entire life: a black mass slowly overtaking Pinkie Pie, creeping from her hands where she held the gun. "Pinkie!"

Hearing her voice, Pinkie Pie shakes her head, snapping out of a trance and realizing what's happening. "Aaah! What's happening to me?!" she screamed as the black mass steadily creeps to her body, feeling like an invisible fire burning her skin.

"Pinkie, you can fight it! Don't let the darkness take over!" Rarity yelled.

As the darkness absorbed most of her body, Pinkie Pie extends her arm towards Rarity, but freezes in place when her head is overtaken.

"Pinkie… no…" Rarity whimpered.

---

After the darkness obscures Pinkie Pie's vision, she finds herself in the black void from her dreams. It doesn't feel like she's sleeping, nor anything she's felt before; an out of body state making her brain confused in a spin. "What did you do to me?!" Pinkie Pie screamed when she sees white light beaming from behind. She expects to see the eyes, but instead a screen displaying a point-of-view of Rarity crying. She extends her hand towards Rarity, but is stopped when giant fingers pinch her wrist. "What are you doing to me?!" she screamed to the eyes floating beside her.

"Seizing… victory…"

"Lemme go!" Pinkie Pie screams as she pulls herself free. "I won't let you hurt my friends! That bug's done enough to Juggler!"

"Sit back… watch…" the eyes pull her away from the viewpoint and takes her place.

"Rarity! Everyone! Run!" she screams at the screen.

---

Everyone watches as Pinkie Pie's blackened body morphs into a taller, muscular form; wing-like spikes bursting from her shoulders, and a horn-like crest emerges from her forehead. The figure stiffly turns to the Bug and opens its sharp, glowing white eyes. The white forest falls silent, save for the sound of the Bug's ghostly beeping.

"Graaah!" the entity that was Pinkie Pie lets out a booming roar sounding like a combination of its own, human-like roar imposed over Pinkie Pie's own guttural shriek.

"That's no Pony of Shadows…" Flash Sentry muttered in horror.

"A… Man of Shadows…" Sunset Shimmer muttered.

They all could only watch as the thing that used to be Pinkie Pie sprout a pair of gigantic scissor blades from its right hand to swing at the Bug, only for it to teleport away. Without a target, the Man of Shadows' blades instead cuts a line of trees, sending some falling into the ravine. In its anger, it flails furiously, levelling more trees around it.

Through this destruction, Pinkie Pie's friends flee the scene unscathed, gathering at a brush far from the Man of Shadows, but as close as possible to observe it. "I… I don't believe it… Pinkie Pie's become a monster…" Applejack muttered in disbelief.

"Again…" Rainbow Dash added solemnly.

"This happened before?!" Ember asked in surprise.

"It's a long story." Spike sighed tiredly.

"And it's no different from last time!" Rarity exclaimed. "We've overcome every challenge thrown at us because we did it together as friends, and this is no different! Crystal giants, Halloween monsters, an evil substitute teacher, we've out-done them all!"

"Like the princess said: she rescued the Pony of Shadow's last host by reaching to him as a friend, and we'll do the same!" Sunset Shimmer agreed.

"But what if the other thing, the Man of Shadows, hears us instead?" Flash Sentry asked worriedly.

"That's a risk we'll take if it means getting our friend back!" Rarity responded confidently before emerging from her hiding place. She rushes out to face the two monsters fighting, cupping her hands and breathing in deep. "Pinkie!" she shouted.

After slashing one across the Bug's chest, the Man of Shadows stops and turns to Rarity.

"I know you can hear me! The darkness may be strong, but you're stronger!" Rarity shouted as Twilight Sparkle comes to her side.

"I've fought through the darkness, and here I am out the other side! If I can do it, so can you!"

Then, the rest of her friends emerge to face the Man of Shadows, all cheering for Pinkie Pie to fight against the parasite.

The Man of Shadows stares at them, lowering its scissor-arm as if calming down.

---

"My friends…" Pinkie Pie muttered as she approaches the screen, feeling their warmth through its cold surface. Then with a determined look, she turns back to the eyes. "You heard them! This is my body, not yours!" she defied the eyes before turning to the screen. "Captain Pinkie's on deck!"

---

Suddenly, the Bug teleports behind her and attempts a chokehold, but is instead flipped over onto its back. The Man of Shadows thrusts its blades down to impale the Bug, but it rolls out of the way, the dark entity's blade impaling the snow instead. As it tries to pull the blade out, the Bug launches a fireball at it, but the Man of Shadows rakes a pile of dirt and snow towards it, buffering its blast before rushing through the smoke.

The Bug launches another fireball at the Man of Shadows, but it bats it back, blasting the Bug into a tree. With one rush, the Man of Shadows thrusts its scissor blades at the Bug's neck, but stops short of the metal collar.

---

Within its mindscape, Pinkie Pie was stopped from pushing the blade further by the massive hand. "Stop…"

They see the Bug slinking away from them, feeling its free neck with its claws, emitting a softer croak before escaping into the treeline. "You… spared it…?" Pinkie Pie noted in confusion before the Man of Shadows sharply turns to her friends. "W-wait, stop!" Pinkie Pie pleaded before the fingers start to pull her away from the screen and the eyes takes back control.

"I… say… hello… friends…"

"Don't hurt them!" Pinkie Pie screams before pulling herself free and rushing towards the screen.

---

Pinkie Pie's friends backs away from the slowly-encroaching dark entity menacingly lifting up its scissor blades. "Stay back!" Rarity manifests a diamond wall in front of them, reflecting the Man of Shadows' face. Behind the cover, Flash Sentry hurriedly changes Lil Flash's camera battery with another marked with a warning label.

Before it could act further, the Man of Shadows stops when it sees its own reflection, retracting its blades into hands and runs its fingers along its smooth face. "No… No!" it screamed in horror before fleeing into the forest at breakneck speed.

"We must follow it! Pinkie Pie's still under its control!" Rarity recommended as she lowers her shields.

"We got another problem." Spike goes over to Juggler's motionless body lying under the tree.

To be continued…