(Originally titled 'Wrath Of The Manxome Foe') An attack in East Trottingham has left a villiage in ruins. Twilight fears that it's the start of another dragon war, but soon she and her friends discover that it's much worse than that: An ancient nightmare of a beast has seemingly returned from the dead, and proceeds to rampage across Equestria with unrelenting fury. Panic soon overtakes the country, and Celestia's once peaceful kingdom is set on edge with fear as they flee from the creature's wave of destruction. But amidst this chaos, some try to subdue the beast as the heroes of legend have done before. But can they stand against something that even dragons fear?
A horrendous noise echoed through the night, sounding off from the dark, forbidding forest that stood untouched for millennia. It was a monstrous, furious roar, the sound of unrestrained, animalistic anger. The gaping maw it came from snapped shut, its teeth shearing the air it breathed. The claws flexed, their black tips shining in the moonlight. An enormous pair of flaming red eyes peered out at a small town that bordered the mighty forest. The jaws opened, sending a wailing, ululating shriek out at the world. Clawed feet began to stomp forward out of the forest towards the town. A long tail whipped back and forth behind them, sending out an earsplitting crack with each lash.
The long strides of the sinewy legs soon came to the town, which was now filled with screaming. Already the blazing eyes saw the townspeople fleeing in terror. A rumbling, buzzing screech came barreling out of the long, scaly neck. A pair of monstrous antennae twitched menacingly as the neck swayed back and forth, scanning over the rows of houses. A great pair of lungs swept in the cold night air, and suddenly exhaled with gale-force winds. There was a bright flash in the darkness as a stream of fiery liquid came spewing from the cavernous mouth.
The roofs of the town were suddenly covered in a flickering yellow ooze that seeped its way down the shingles, igniting the tar. It worked its way down the eves to the wooden structures below, running down the grains of the wood, setting it ablaze. One building in particular fell prey to the burning wrath; a large general store. Not only was it doused with the bizarre liquid flames, but strong, scaly limbs began to rain powerful blows upon it; smashing, clawing, and crushing. With a series of sharp cracks, the building toppled over into a blazing pile of beams and boards. A triumphant bellow echoed out in the night.
Spike suddenly burst into the library. His eyes were wide as though he had seen a ghost.
“Twilight!” he panted as he ran up to the unicorn, “There’s been a dragon attack in east Trottingham!” Twilight’s eyes suddenly became as wide as Spike’s.
“What?!” cried the unicorn. The words that came from her friend’s mouth made her seize up in shock. There hadn’t been a dragon attack on a pony settlement in well over a thousand years, excluding Spike’s brief rampage a few months ago. “When did this happen?”
“Just last night,” said the tiny dragon, “It destroyed a whole village!”
“A whole…” Twilight’s voice trailed off as she processed what her friend said. The unicorn paused to steady herself. Already she was remembering the book she had read not long ago on the history of Dragons, written by Oddrik The Hunchbacked, a correspondent of Starswirl the Bearded who specialized in magical beasts. In the earliest times of Equestria dragons would regularly raid towns, and considered ponies to be nothing more than pests. It wasn’t long before a war was fought, resulting in a bitter stalemate that caused great losses on both sides. In the aftermath a treaty was forged, and it allowed relative peace between the dragons and the ponies for thousands of years. Or at least, it had until last night.
“Spike, do you know if Princess Celestia has heard about this?”
“I don’t know,” replied the dragon, “The news just got here this morning by Pegasus Express. They’ve been sending their fastest flyers to get the word out.” Twilight felt slightly relieved upon hearing this. If the Pegasus Express had been sent out, there was no doubting the news had reached Canterlot. But she still felt nervous. The attack on the village had breached the treaty. Something like that couldn’t be ignored. For all she knew, the Dragons could have been organizing a takeover. Though such a scenario was unlikely, Twilight wanted to have some sort of verification. She needed to know more about the treaty.
“Spike,” she said, “I need to go out for a while. Could you please keep an eye on things while I’m gone?” The small dragon gave her a quick nod.
“Sure thing, Twilight.”
“Thanks. I’ll be back in a bit.” The unicorn left her work area and made for the door, pausing for a moment to pick up her bag.
Twilight felt a palpable uneasiness presiding over Ponyville and its residents as she trotted down the street. The normal cheer that usually took hold during the early morning was missing, and in its place was a dark cloud of fear. Twilight saw ponies she knew sitting together and talking very quietly. Dragon attacks were serious business, and even if this particular case was simply an individual gone rogue, it could still do a lot of damage before it was stopped. If it even attacked again, that is. As she walked toward her destination, Twilight began to wonder if all this fear she had was justified. All she had heard was that a village was destroyed. She had no idea if anyone was actually hurt. It could have been the work of a rowdy juvenile looking to cause trouble. That was probably way more likely than what she had originally suspected. Still, Twilight couldn’t rest without finding out more about the treaty. She would need to know all about it to make sure that other more subtle agreements were being broken.
“Good morning, Twilight.” Twilight was snapped out of her thoughts by a familiar voice. She looked up to see Rarity walking toward her. As always she had some sort of fashion accessory, in this case, a stylish bag covered in gems.
“Oh, hello Rarity,” said Twilight. It was a bit of a surprise to see the white unicorn out and about, seeing as she had been very busy lately supervising the production of her new perfume, Odeur Du Printemps. The scent had become all the rage over Equestria, and its high demand meant Rarity needed to spend more time working.
“Did you hear the news?” asked the fashion diva.
“Yes,” replied Twilight, “Spike told me.”
“Dreadful, isn’t it?” Rarity said with a shudder, “I know it happened across the country, but I’m still feeling a bit nervous. Speaking of Spike, how is the little fellow?”
“He’s been good,” said Twilight, “We’ve been working on some new spells lately.”
“Ah,” said the white unicorn, “Well, I really hate to run off like this, but I need to go get some more flower petals for the perfume.”
“I understand,” said Twilight, “It’s alright. I was heading somewhere too.”
“We should all get together when we have more time,” Rarity said wistfully, “Oh well. Tata, Twilight.” The white unicorn trotted down the street behind Twilight.
After walking to the other side of town, Twilight finally saw her destination standing at the edge of the Everfree forest. A circular hut made of large blocks of granite, topped off by a tall, conical, weathered roof. It was the kind of roof that belonged on the tower of a gothic-styled castle. This feature made the hut look like a very short tower. Twilight started down the road towards the peculiar structure. It took her only a few minutes to reach the doorstep. Up close, she could see the stone blocks were covered in lichen and moss. The roof was covered in areas of slightly brighter shingles where it been patched up over the years. Twilight walked up to the heavy oak door and knocked. A quiet rustling came from within the building, followed by hoof steps and the click of the doorknob as it turned. The door creaked on its hinges as it was pulled open.
There stood an orange unicorn, with an uncombed brown mane, and a pair of glasses on his face. His mark was the image of a book.
“Hello Twilight,” he said in a very quiet voice, “What are you--” He stopped for a brief moment as though he were checking himself, then continued. “I mean, it’s nice to see you.”
“Good morning, Oddball,” said Twilight, “How are you today?”
“Good.” He smiled sheepishly. Twilight always noticed he looked sheepish or nervous around other ponies. “Would you, uh, like to come in?”
“Yes, please.” Oddball stepped aside and pulled the door open. Twilight stepped inside and looked around the circular room. She glanced up at the ceiling, which was flat instead of conical like it looked from outside. In one part of the room was a wooden printing press, and on a nearby shelf were several bottles of ink Like her own home the house was full of shelves of books, but rather than neat and organized, they seemed haphazardly arranged. Twilight guessed that they probably couldn’t be organized very well on account of that each book was about a different and often obscure subject. Oddball’s library was rarely visited by the denizens of Ponyville because they mostly went to Twilight’s, which held a vast wealth of relevant information. But in the event that someone needed to know about the weird, or needed to find an old legend, they could generally find what they were looking for in Oddball’s collection.
“I’m, uh, sorry about the mess. I don’t have company that often.” Twilight looked over to see him trying to straighten out a pile of papers on his desk.
“Oh, that’s alright,” said Twilight as she looked at the books, “I was just wondering if you have that book I borrowed last week.”
“Of course,” said Oddball as he stiffly walked over to a shelf on the other side of the room, “It’s right where I left it.” He pulled it off the shelf and walked over to Twilight. “Here you go.” Oddball handed Twilight the a thick, ancient looking book. It smelled incredibly musty, but Twilight didn’t notice. She was only focused on the cover: A Historie Of Dragons.
“Thank you,” said Twilight.
“You’re welcome,” said Oddball, “Is there anything else you need?” Twilight was about to decline his offer, when she suddenly thought to ask him something.
“Well,” she said, “Do you have any other books on dragons?”
“Nothing, uh, factual, I’m afraid. I have lots of books on legends about them, though. May I ask why?” For a moment Twilight was surprised that he hadn’t heard about the dragon attack, but then realized that he probably hadn’t been to town today.
“There was a dragon attack in East Trottingham.” When she said this, Oddball’s eyes grew very wide.
“East Trottingham?” he said in his perpetually quiet voice, “That’s where…” His voice trailed off as he seemed to be checking himself again. Twilight knew by the look on his face that he wanted to say something, but seemed very reluctant.
“Where what?”
“Well, uh, there have never been any dragons in East Trottingham to my knowledge, but…” He trailed off again. “Do you believe in ghosts?” Now it was Twilight’s eyes that grew wide.
“What does that have to do with anything?” she asked as she raised an eyebrow. Oddball gave her another sheepish frown.
“Well, uh…I may just be speaking as a folklorist here, but I…uh…Hold on.” He suddenly trotted back over to his shelves and pulled out a book, paged through it as though making sure it was what he wanted, then returned. The book he held was nowhere near as thick or heavy as the other one he had given her, but looked just as old. He carefully handed it to Twilight. In turn she was careful in handling it, for it was terribly fragile.
“What’s this?” she asked as dusted off its cover.
“A precaution,” answered Oddball, “It’s, uh, about…well, you’ll find out.” Twilight raised an eyebrow as she read the cover: Jabberwocky.
As she walked through her front door, Twilight wondered why Oddball had given her a book about a monster that had been dead for centuries. She knew that he was, well, odd, but still. As far as she knew the Jabberwock had been slain shortly before the defeat of Discord. Everypony knew the tale. The Jabberwock, a virtually indestructible monster feared even by dragonkind, was defeated by a brave Griffin who had forged a magic blade capable of destroying the beast. The story had even been turned into a poem that colts and fillies learned in grade school.
But despite the rather blunt detail that the beast was dead, Equestrians still feared the Jabberwock. When ponies talked of it, others listened. It had become something of a boogeyman to the inhabitants of Equestria, used by parents to scare their children into obeying. At one point Twilight herself had been told by parents that the Jabberwock would get her if she didn’t stop reading into the late hours of the night. Of course now she realized that they just wanted her to good night’s rest, but at the time she was so frightened that she would always sleep with her back to the wall.
Twilight took the books from her bag and gingerly set them on her desk. She glanced up as she heard someone enter the room.
“Hey Twilight,” said Spike. He glanced down at the books on the desk. “You went to Oddball’s place, huh?”
“Yes,” answered the unicorn, “I needed the book on Dragons to learn more about the attack.” Spike walked over to get a closer look.
“Too bad we didn’t know he had this before I went on that quest,” he said, “It would have saved us a whole lot of trouble.” He glanced over at the second book and, as Twilight had upon first seeing it, raised an eyebrow. “Jabberwocky?” Twilight shrugged.
“He gave it to me when I told him about the attack,” said the purple mare, “I don’t get it either.” Spike opened the book, and a small cloud of dust flew from the yellowed pages. There on the dry, stained sheets was an illustration of a lithe, scaly monster, something that looked so alien and grotesque that dragons refused to let it to be classified as one of their own.
“Jeez,” Spike said with a shudder, “I can’t believe they made a kid’s poem about this thing.” Twilight, upon hearing this factual error, could not for the life of her stand by and let it be uncorrected.
“Actually, Spike,” she said, “The poem was written to celebrate its defeat. Ponies back then were more appreciative of the arts. We only learn it early because it’s such an important part of pony history.” She added with a small smile, “And it also kind of sounds silly.”
“Silly?” Spike said with a skeptic air as he ran his eyes over the faded ink stanzas, “It’s insanity. How can anyone understand any of this? And what’s a Mome Rath?” Twilight shrugged as she opened A Historie Of Dragons.
“I’m not sure,” she said, “I think they’re creatures that lives in the Tulgey Wood. That’s where it the Jabberwock lived. Not many ponies like to go there.”
“So where is the Tulgey Wood?” Spike asked, his eyes still not looking away from the picture of the snarling beast.
“East Trottingha-” Twilight suddenly paused and looked up from her book, eyes wide and mouth agape.
Rainbow Dash was flying across the border of East Trottingham, crossing over to the western part of the country. She smiled as she soured through the clouds, looking down over the rolling hills peppered with groves of sparse trees. It was different from Ponyville, but still looked every bit as warm and inviting. The grass looked particularly soft, and Dash was very much tempted to land and take a quick nap on the green.
But not today. She had a job to do, as part of the Pegasus Express. She’d already visited five towns in the past half hour and warned them of the dragon attack, but there were still many more to go. Getting into the Pegasus Express had been easy for Dash--She was, after all, an exceptionally fast flyer. But they set the bar high when they looked for members, and only a fifth of all who tried out were ever admitted. Therefore, each Pegasus who became a member always had a high number of checkpoints to make. It was difficult work, but Dash found she enjoyed it, even though it was only used in emergencies such as the dragon attack.
As she flew over a small wooded grove, Dash thought back to what she had seen at the scene of the incident. Over half of the town had been burnt to the ground. Fortunately nopony was seriously hurt, but many were left homeless. Dash didn’t feel too worried about it. The ponies of Equestria were very generous and hard working, and she was certain that the town would be rebuilt with the help of nearby villages. But she was worried about the dragon. There had been no sighting of it since the disaster. Strangely, every pony Dash had spoken to at the town said that nopony had actually gotten a good look at the beast. They’d seen something huge and lithe come charging out of the nearby forest, but hadn’t stuck around long enough to see what it was. But it was quite clear that it was a dragon, judging from the amount of fire damage it had caused.
The beast growled as it heard a noise, dropping the young sapling it had been gnawing on. The noise it heard was familiar, but it couldn’t remember what it was. It was coming from a distance, but grew louder the closer it came. As it neared, the beast suddenly recalled what made that noise. They were the whistling of wings, wings that were attached to the flying equines. Upon remembering this, the creature also remembered what had happened the last time it encountered the equines. The memories this conjured up were unpleasant and painful, and kindled a smoldering grudge in the creature’s mind. Slowly, the beast began to rise up from the ground.
Something suddenly shot out of the treetops beneath Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus’s eyes went wide as she realized that it was too late to avoid a collision. She let out a short scream as she crashed into it, the force of the impact shaking her to her very core. The moment she hit it, a thunderous screech echoed across the valley. The Pegasus bounced off of whatever she had struck and fell onto the outstretched bough of an oak tree. She managed to grab a hold of the branch before she fell any further. Addled and frightened, the Pegasus looked around for whatever had knocked her from flight. It found her first. Dash’s line of vision was suddenly filled with a huge, scaly thing.
The beast let out an accusing roar as it looked at what had struck its neck. A small, bright blue equine stared up at it, mouth open and trembling. The creature’s head snaked forward until it was only a few feet away. Its nostrils flared as it took in the equine’s scent. All manner of strange, unfamiliar smells entered its sinuses. Suddenly the creature felt something strike it sharply on the forehead. Its massive eyelids snapped shut as its mouth opened in a ghastly shriek. When they opened again the equine was gone. Infuriated, the beast whipped around its head to look at the sky where it saw the Pegasus fleeing.
Rainbow Dash wore an expression of pure terror as she streaked across the sky faster than she’d ever flown before. Behind her she heard a monstrous bellow. A sudden rush of adrenaline forced her body to fly even faster. She’d seen something that she shouldn’t have seen. It shouldn’t have been alive, not in this day and age. But it was, and she had seen it. She had felt it. Though it had only been for a brief moment, Dash could still recall that the oily, scaly skin had been positively revolting to the touch. The Pegasus glanced behind her as another roar sounded off. She immediately wished she hadn’t. An enormous mouth with obtrusive chisel-like teeth was agape among the branches; a living cave in the treetops.
“Are you sure you wanna do this, Twilight?” Spike asked. Twilight nodded, but there was an uncertain look in her eyes as she peeked around the curtain into the town square. Nearly everypony in Ponyville waited out there, whispering to each other about the only thing on their minds: the dragon attack. Twilight was beginning to wonder if she should have called the town meeting at all. The news she was about to give them would only add to their worry. She didn’t have any real evidence to back up what she wanted to tell them, but it just wouldn’t feel right if she kept her suspicions to herself. There was too much at stake. If there was the slightest chance that the attack was really the work of the Jabberwock, then all of Equestria was in deep trouble.
“Are you ready, Twilight?” Twilight looked over to see the Mayor. She looked as apprehensive as everypony else, which made Twilight even more reluctant to share her thoughts with the citizens of Ponyville.
“Yes,” she answered with a forced smile. The Mayor returned her own forced smile.
“Alright then,” she said, “Let’s go get this started.” The two mares walked onto the stage, and the crowd’s nervous chatter began to die down. The Mayor climbed up on the podium and cleared her throat.
“Citizens of Ponyville,” she began, “I would like to thank you all for being here tonight. It’s been a very trying day, but I assure you, we needn’t panic. We have right here, in Ponyville, a mare who believes she might know something about the attack.” Twilight looked extremely sheepish as the Mayor said this. The audience turned their heads to look at her. “I now turn the podium to our very own Twilight Sparkle.” The Mayor stepped down, and Twilight took her place. She looked out over the sea of heads, and felt her face burn with nervousness. She took out the small pile of cue cards she’d made and began to read.
“Dear friends,” she said as she glanced out at the anxious crowd, “I’m glad you made it to the meeting. Now, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the dragon attack in Trottingham.” She paused for a moment and looked out at the crowd. She could feel all of their eyes looking at her. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead. “Now, I’ve been doing a little reading since then, and I have discovered something very important. There are no dragons in that particular region of Trottingham.” The unicorn paused again as the crowd let out a gentle murmur. Something seemed to hang in the air, an odd mix of confusion and disbelief. Still, Twilight felt it was her duty to continue and reveal her thoughts to the public.
“I know this sounds a little strange,” she said with an unintended voice crack, “But after going through some records earlier this morning, I found that there has never been a dragon seen in East Trottingham in all of recorded history. Nopony knows the reason as to why. Perhaps the environment doesn’t suit them, or perhaps--” she stopped for a moment as she flipped over a cue card, “Perhaps they consider it taboo to go near the Tulgey Wood.” The mention of the Tulgey Wood caused a minor uprising of voices. Though they whispered, they managed to drown out Twilight before she raised her voice again.
“I--uh, would like to put forth a theory presented by a colleague of mine,” said the purple mare, “That the creature that attacked the village was not, in fact, a dragon…” Here her face began to look like a deer caught in headlights. She stared out at the citizens of Ponyville, who eagerly awaited her idea. But now that she had finally come to it, Twilight couldn’t say it. She had originally intended to break the news as gently as possible, but only now realized that doing so was impossible. “I--uh…Well, the theory that my colleague had was that it was…It was… It was the--”
“JABBERWOCK!” screeched a familiar voice. Everypony looked up the night sky and saw a blue streak come from the edge of town, gaining momentum as it neared. Twilight barely managed to leap out of the way as it crashed into the stage. The unicorn looked over to see the form of Rainbow dash jumping up from a mess of broken boards, eyes and mane run wild. The Pegasus saw Twilight, and scrambled over to her. Twilight felt genuinely afraid of her friend as she was grabbed by the shoulders and pulled near. The unicorn grimaced as she realized that Dash was covered in some sort of strange, odd-smelling oil.
“Twilight!” screamed the hysterical Pegasus, “I saw it! I saw the Jabberwock! I saw it over in Trottingham! The Jabberwock is alive, and it’s out of the Tulgey Wood!” Dash turned to look out at the crowd. “The Jabberwock is loose! The Jabberwock--” she was suddenly stopped short when Twilight slapped her across the face. This promptly shut the Pegasus up. However, she instead began to shiver violently, so badly that she let go of her friend. Twilight looked out at the crowd. As she had expected, everypony looked utterly shocked and horrified, too terrified to make a sound.
The ensuing chaos that broke out seconds later would have made Discord proud.
Princess Celestia paced worriedly back and forth across the throne room, thinking about the news she had received almost four days ago. The revelation that the Jabberwock, the most terrifying beast in Equestrian History, was alive and well, did not sit well with her or her country. Already three more towns had been demolished, each one more prepared for attack than the last. At the rate of one town a day, the Jabberwock was leaving a considerable trail of destruction behind it. Thankfully nopony was reported dead, as they had sense to flee before it actually arrived into the town. But these had been small towns, with only a few hundred ponies. As the beast advanced west, where settlements were larger, there was a greater chance that somepony would be killed.
Celestia looked up as the double doors opened, revealing the captain of the guard. The Princess looked at him with worried yet hopeful eyes. They suddenly became hollow and empty when they saw the grim look on his face.
“Shining Armor,” she sighed, “Any word from King Gideon, yet?”
“Yes…” the unicorn replied. Celestia could tell from the tone of his voice that what he had heard was most unsatisfactory. His pause told her that he was reluctant to tell her. The Alicorn stood on edge as she waited for him to speak.
“They can’t find it,” breathed Shining, “It’s… missing.” Celesita’s eyes went wide as she heard this.
“Missing?”
“Stolen. The room it was kept in was broken into.” Celestia fell back into her throne, her eyes wide in shock. They suddenly sparked as a thought jumped into her head.
“When was it stolen?”
“They don’t know,” answered the unicorn. Celestia’s brow furrowed in frustration. The only thing the Jabberwock feared was missing. Only a total idiot would try and face the monster without it.
Trixie waited alongside the road. The sun was just setting, and the moon was appearing in the sky. She looked down the road to the east, and impatiently pawed on the ground. She looked very confident, but was in reality nervous beyond all reason. Knowing what was coming was bad enough, but forcing herself to confront it was terrifying. Even she, the Great and Powerful Trixie, was afraid of the beast that haunted the night terrors of beings everywhere. But the glory that awaited the conqueror of the Jabberwock was too much for her to resist. Sure, she hadn’t actually ever defeated an Ursa Major, or even an Ursa Minor. But the unicorn so desperately desired fame and fortune that she was determined to get it any way she could.
Even more she desired to repair her damaged reputation. With the addition of the Alicorn Amulet fiasco to an already long list of incidents, the mare was having trouble regaining what little fame she had to begin with. But all that would change once she dealt with the rampaging monster. The Jabberwock was undoubtedly the most feared creature to ever walk on Equestrian soil. Trixie recalled hearing from somewhere that it was unaffected by all but the most powerful magic, and that Starswirl himself nearly lost his life in a grueling battle with the beast that lasted three days. If one of the most powerful wizards in recorded history failed to defeat such an abomination, one had to wonder why Trixie thought she stood a chance.
The most likely answer was that her ego, while damaged, was still considerably larger than the average pony's.
Trixie dreamed of how much attention she would receive upon defeating the Jabberwock, the very nightmare of all Equestria. Every town would be filled with admirers waiting to bask in her presence. Royalty would come from miles around just to gaze upon her. Trixie would no doubt be the one of the most celebrated figures that ever lived, being placed alongside Starswirl the Bearded, and perhaps, even Celestia herself. She would be remembered for generations to come as a legendary hero.
Her fantasy was suddenly broken by a distant roar. Hearing it made the hair on her neck stand up. She’d heard the roars of dragons before, and none sounded like the horrid wail that sounded off in the trees to the east. Trixie gulped nervously. She could only imagine the size of the creature that had made it. There was another roar, this one nearer than the last. Now she could hear something beating against the ground, trudging closer and closer. A writhing shape suddenly burst out of the trees on the horizon. In the light of the setting sun Trixie could see it was a dark olive green. The beast was coming, and it was coming fast, moving on a pair of powerful clawed feet.
Trixie’s mouth became dry, and her legs felt as thought they had turned to jelly. It just kept coming closer, growing larger with each step. The unicorn’s blood turned to ice as the monster let out a bone-chilling bellow. Trixie wanted more than anything to duck off the road and dive into the bushes. But she was frozen to the spot, and could only look up in terror at the horrifying creature as it began to slow in its advance. The blue unicorn’s heart beat as loudly as a drum. It saw her. It knew she was there. She would have screamed if she had been able to. There was one last gigantic stomp as the beast stopped before her. Trixie stared up in horror, her mouth open and trembling.
It stood before her a tall, twisted, writhing thing, like a monstrous tree of gargantuan proportions. A serpentine tail trailed behind it, moving back and forth like a predator waiting to strike. The tail connected to a lithe torso covered in thick, razor sharp scales. The beast was supported by a pair of sinewy legs, their talons digging deep into the earth. Two arm-like limbs were held close to the body. Digits nearly the length of the arms dangled from the bony wrists, bristling with stiff, wiry hairs, and tipped with long black claws. They resembled a gigantic pair of spiders hanging from the creature’s arms. A pair of bat-like wings were folded against its back, their scales glistening in the light of the rising moon. A long, snaking neck towered into the sky, and was topped off by a huge, hideous, fishlike head. Gargantuan red eyes blazed in their sockets as two long, crooked antennae twitched and swayed in the breeze. Drooping from above the mouth was a pair of barbels. Huge rodent-like teeth protruded from its gaping maw, clacking sharply as it snapped its jaws.
Trixie sweat profusely as the beast stooped down, its head dropping to her level. She felt its hot, stinking breath pour all over her body as it drew near in an almost curious manner. Its huge red orbs remained blank as they stared into her soul. The head gently tilted from side to side, watching the blue pony tremble. A questioning growl emerged from its throat, and its nostrils inhaled the air around her, taking in her scent.
Though she was saturated with fear, Trixie somehow managed to activate the spell she had prepared. The world suddenly became much darker as a thick, black storm cloud began to form in the air above her head. The winds picked up, and somehow they seemed to elevate Trixie’s confidence. The creature suddenly drew back from her and looked up at the sky. The growl became a snarling hiss. Trixie concentrated her full attention on the creature. A jagged bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and made contact with the beast’s scaly chest.
Trixie was suddenly thrown backwards as the bolt ricocheted off of the monster and struck her horn. The unicorn sparked and fizzled as a million volts coursed throughout her body. She lay on her back and looked up at the still storming sky, dazed and confused. A cloud of steam suddenly came barreling out of her mouth as she belched; the heat of the bolt having cooked the vegetable stew in her stomach a second time. Trixie’s scrambled thoughts instantly realigned themselves as she heard a furious roar. The form of the hideous beast suddenly appeared before her eyes, towering into the dark sky. The monstrous head descended down until it was only a few feet above her.
“No!” Trixie wailed miserably, “No, no, no, no!” The monster’s cavernous mouth opened in a piercing shreik, its horrific incisors gleaming in the flashing light. The whole world around it seemed to change from black and white and back again as the ground was assaulted over and over again by the crooked bolts of lightning. All the while the beast’s blazing eyes remained constant, focusing on the poor pony with an animalistic fury. Trixie screamed mindlessly as the nightmarish monster snarled and screeched over her. The only thing in her mind was its name, which repeated over and over:…The Jabberwock.
The beast loped down the road, seething and in pain. The earth shook as it stumbled over a rickety secondhand cart, turning it over on its side. The creature’s chest ached slightly where it had been struck by lightning, but there was no serious damage. It hardly felt it through the fog of unfamiliar sensations that bombarded its brain. New noises and smells came from the distance. They were unnatural to the beast, cold and mechanical, harsh and artificial. The beast sneered, his glowing eyes focusing on the towns that lay ahead.
Twilight Sparkle looked out the window of her bedroom at her town. Though it looked no different from a few days ago, it was at the same time drastically dissimilar. The joyful aura it once held had been replaced by a dismal fear. The unicorn couldn’t help but be reminded of some dark age villiage on the verge of invasion by the way the town’s inhabitants scurried from place to place, glancing over their shoulders every few seconds. A brown earth pony with spiky hair was boarding up the windows of his time-piece shop. A grey Pegasus with unusual yellow eyes pulled a cart full of muffins down the street to add to her stockpile. Twilight even saw Oddball down by the marketplace, and he only came into town once a week.
Twilight glanced back at her room. Since the night of the town meeting, the walls had been covered in maps, charts, and diagrams of the monster. The unicorn had been doing the only thing she could do in a time like this: analyze the situation. She had been mapping the creature’s rampage, trying to find a pattern. The only thing she had to go on was that it was heading west, but other than that here was no discernable pattern. It had completely ignored some towns, but obliterated others. Twilight, being who she was, couldn’t stand not knowing why. All morning she had spent pondering the situation.
But slowly, she was reaching a conclusion on how to find out. It had started out as a frivolous idea, and she had thought it to be much to dangerous. However, she had eliminated all other possible solutions to her dilemma. The only choice she had was to go to the attacked towns and find clues herself. She wasn’t going to try and tell herself that it wasn’t hazardous. It was. But she would be doing it for a greater good. If she could discover the cause of the Jabberwock’s rampage, then perhaps steps could be taken to prevent further attacks.
Spike was in the kitchen making himself a sandwich for lunch when he heard a loud hiss. Instantly he jumped four feet into the air, sending the sandwich components all over the room. When he touched back down to the floor, he dove beneath the table. He waited for the Jabberwock to come charging in through the wall, jaws snapping and claws ready to slice. But it never did. Instead, he heard the the loud hiss again. This time he was able to recognize it. It was not an abomination from another era, rather, it was the sound of air being pumped into Twilight’s balloon. He wondered why in the world she would be taking that out in a time like this, and for a moment wondered if she was running away. Worried, the dragon scurried out from under the table and ran out the front door. Once he circled around behind the library, he saw an enormous purple blob half full of air, and a purple unicorn feeding hot air into it via a pump. She was surrounded by sandbags, ropes, hooks, and charts. It was clear that she was planning something.
“Twilight,” cried the small reptile, “What are you doing?” Twilight looked up at him with a serious look on her face.
“I’m going to gather evidence,” she replied. Spike’s eyes went wide.
“On what?!”
“On the attacks,” said the unicorn as she put several sandbags into the basket, “You see Spike, this problem needs to be solved like any other. And the only way we can do that,” she paused for a moment as she magicked a rope into a coil, “Is to gather data.” Spike’s mouth fell open in shock.
“But that’s--”
“Dangerous, I know,” finished Twilight, “I’m well aware of that. But I’ve figured out the safest possible way to do it.” Her horn glowed as she unfolded a map in front of her scaly friend. “I’m traveling to where the beast has been,” she said as she pointed out several towns marked with red dots, “And I’m only traveling in areas it hasn’t been seen.” She pointed to towns bearing blue dots.
“But look it from here to the closest blue dot,” said Spike, “That’s gotta be at least a hundred--no, two hundred square miles!” The map suddenly refolded itself.
“It’s one hundred and thirty-two square miles,” said the unicorn as she went back over to her basket. Spike ran up to his equine friend and blocked her from the pump.
“Twilight!” he shouted as he grabbed her by the shoulders, “Listen to me! The Jabberwock is loose out there! It already bulldozed four towns like it was nothing! What do you think it’ll do if it finds you?!” Twilight broke away from his grasp and went back to pumping air into her balloon.
“I already told you I’m not trying to confront it,” she said, “I’m only trying to find out why it’s attacking.”
“Who cares why it’s attacking?” said Spike as he tried to pull Twilight away from the pump, “The only thing that matters is that it is, and someone needs to stop it!” Twilight turned around and gave the young dragon an angry look.
“If we knew why it was attacking,” she snapped, “Then maybe we could figure out how to make it stop! We aren’t in the dark ages anymore, Spike. It’s just going to get worse if we use brash violence against something that’s unstoppable! We need to look at this rationally!” Spike wanted to protest further, but already knew that Twilight wouldn’t listen. When she made up her mind about doing something, there was no stopping her.
“And you want to do this whole thing by yourself?” he asked. Twilight narrowed her eyes at him.
“Are you saying I’m incapable?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” cried Spike as he wrung his claws in desperation, “Twilight, this is madness!”
“Madness?” Twilight shouted incredulously, “This is science!” The force of the noise caused Spike to topple over into a pile of sand bags. Before the dragon could climb to his feet, another voice rang through the air.
“Twilight,” said the voice of a familiar pink mare, “Whatcha doing with your balloon out? The Jabberwock might steal it!” Twilight and Spike turned around to see Pinkie Pie looking at the two of them curiously. They in turn looked at her curiously, as she was dressed in what appeared to be a suit of armor crafted out of tinfoil and old baking pans.
“Um…Pinkie,” muttered Twilight, “What are you wearing?” Pinkie gave her friend a quizzical look, then smiled.
“Magic armor, silly!” she said as she rolled her eyes, “I’ve got to wear something to protect me from the Jabberwock.” Spike and Twilight looked at each other for a moment, then back at their metal-clad friend.
“That’s not really magic armor, Pinkie,” sighed Twilight.
“Well of course it’s not!” the pink mare replied with an enthusiastic hop, “But the Jabberwock doesn’t know that!” Twilight face-hoofed in response to the true but illogical statement.
“Can you, uh…can you show me how to make one of those?” Spike asked sheepishly. Twilight shot him a dry look. Contrariwise, Pinkie Pie looked estatic.
“Sure I can! We just need to go get some old pans from Sugar-Cube Corners. We’re not using any now because we’ve sold EVERYTHING! Mr. and Mrs. Cake are boarding up all the windows and stuff, and gave me the day off!” She suddenly broke off and looked back at Twilight. “Oh, hey Twilight, You never told me why you had your balloon out.”
“She’s going to look for the Jabberwock,” Spike answered. Before Twilight could correct him, Pinkie leapt up in the air and gave a frightful gasp.
“Twilight, are you crazy?” she cried, “You can’t go after the Jabberwock! The Jabberwock goes after you! You’re not making any sense!”
“I’m not the only one,” sighed the purple mare as she turned back to her work, “And I’m not going after it. I’m going to visit where it’s attacked to see if I can find out why.”
“Oh,” said Pinkie, now sounding so releived that one had to wonder if she’d been frightened at all, “Can I come?” Twilight froze, and dropped the rope she had been levitating.
“No!” she blurted as she whirled around, “I mean, I don’t think there’s enough room in the basket.” Pinkie gave her friend an unspeakably pleading face.
“Pleeeeaasse can I go? I wanna help too! I don’t have anything to do now, ’cause everypony’s all busy panicking and nopony wants to spend time with me!” Twilight tried to avoid looking at the wide, childish eyes of the poofy-maned mare.
“Pinkie, I really don’t think--”
“PLEEEEEEEEAASSSEEEEEE--”
“Alright!” cried Twilight, “Alright, you can go!” A huge grin suddenly spread across Pinkie’s face, and she leapt in the air for joy. Twilight already looked regretful of what she had done.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” cried Pinkie as she hopped up and down in excitement, “I’ll be right back with my things! Don’t worry, I travel light!” She was suddenly gone in a cloud of dust.
“Wait!” Spike called after her, “What about my armor?”
“Hey Twilight, what kind of a tree is that?” Twilight looked down at the sea of treetops beneath them, and gave a drawn out sigh.
“Which one?”
“That one!” cried Pinkie as she pointed a pink hoof at a tree with big drooping branches.
“That’s a willow tree,” replied the unicorn as she turned back to the series of ropes and pulleys that she had outfitted on the front of the basket. These were attached to a large, kite-like canvas that billowed in the wind, pulling them forward. Since they would need a great deal of speed in their journey, Twilight had managed to jurry-rig a sort of sailing system that allowed them to ride on the wind currents. This proved effective as they had traveled a great distance since their take off earlier that morning, but it was difficult trying to stay on course as the winds didn’t always want to go where Twilight wanted to.
“Pinkie,” said the unicorn as she pulled in a rope that was coming loose, “Could you help me tie this off, please?”
“Of course, Twilight,” came the cheerful reply as Pinkie grabbed onto the rope, “Hey, I was wondering, what kind of evidence are we looking for?”
“Well,” responded Twilight as she struggled to keep the rope in place, “Anything that somehow connects all the towns that are being attacked, like if they mostly have buildings that are painted the same color, or if they have any bells that ring at the same pitch. Something like that.”
“And you said we’d be searching anywhere we’d find damage?” asked the armored mare as she looked over the side of the basket.
“Yes,” grunted Twilight as she finished the knot with a hard tug.
“Then how ’bout there?” Twilight followed her friend’s outstretched foreleg to see a ramshackle wagon overturned in a ditch, looking as though it had been kicked from the road by some gigantic creature. Twilight’s eyes went wide as her mouth fell open.
“Hold on, Pinkie!” cried the mare as she ran towards the burner and pulled on the cord. The balloon slowly started to drop from the sky. As it did, however, the basket was suddenly jerked forward as the sailing apparatus went slack. The two ponies cried out as they were thrown against the edge, nearly toppling overboard.
Despite this setback, they managed to land in relative safety not far from their desired destination. The moment the basket touched the ground, Twilight jumped out started heading for the wagon.
“Hey Twilight, don’t you need to bring your instruments and stuff to gather data?” Pinkie called out as she held up a magnifying glass.
“No time!” cried the unicorn, “Sompony could be hurt!” Pinkie Pie suddenly leaped out of the basket and shot after her friend, now looking just as concerned.
“I hope not,” she said as she caught up along side her, “’Cause I don’t know anything about being a doctor!” By now they had reached the wreckage, and as they approached Twilight heard something that made her pause. Emanating from the wagon was a series of heavy, heart-wrenching sobs. Now even more concerned, the mare rushed forward and opened the door, which fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Peering inside, she saw that everything sat full in a jumbled heap on the wagon’s side. The broken frame of a rickety old bed lay beneath the mattress, which was torn open to reveal a multitude of rusted springs and old hay. A small trunk was overturned, its lid open and its contents scattered across the wagon. Through and through, it was a mess, but the only thing Twilight noticed was the shivering bundle of blankets that sat in the farthest corner, letting out a loud sob with each shudder.
“Hello?” called the unicorn as she started to climb in, “Are you okay?”
“Go away!” bawled a voice that made Twilight freeze as she stepped over the trunk, almost slipping on a cluster of little red balls. There was no mistaking that horribly obnoxious voice, even when it wasn’t spouting off self praise.
“Trixie?…” Twilight gasped, her eyes agape, “Is that you?”
“I said g-go away!” wailed the voice. By now Pinkie Pie had also entered the ruined cart, and peered curiously at the blubbering bundle of blankets. Twilight edged closer to the hidden figure until she was only a foreleg’s length away. In one swift motion she pulled the blankets away.
Nestled within a mass of tattered sheets was the most miserable looking unicorn Twilight had ever seen. She was curled in a fetal position, and where here head lay was a considerable puddle of tears. Twilight saw the mare was cradling what she at first took to be a small animal in her forelegs. Upon closer inspection she realized that it was a shabby teddy bear. The mare kept it pressed tight against her chest as she trembled uncontrollably, all the while crying like a foal. She suddenly gave out a piercing howl as a bright flash lit up the dark confines of the wagon. Twilight looked over at Pinkie, who held up a camera in her hooves.
“Pinkie!” snapped Twilight, “What are you doing?”
“Gathering evidence,” replied the earth pony, “It’s obviously the work of the Jabberwock! I thought you said you wanted everything documented?”
“L-leave me alooonne!” screamed Trixie, although it was quite hard to understand her as she was choking on the mucus that was gushing out of her nose. Twilight took a step back, as it was somewhat odd to witness a fully grown mare bawling like a little filly. But it was understandable for the unicorn to be acting in such a manner considering what Twilight suspected happened to her.
“Trixie,” Twilight asked, her voice heavy with caution, “Did you see the Jabberwock?” The words were barely out of her mouth before Trixie screamed and pulled the blankets back over her head. Twilight now had confirmation that Trixie had encountered the beast, and while excited to have a first-hoof account, she felt pity for the witness.
“Aw, it’s okay Trixie,” said Pinkie as she patted the unicorn’s back, “Don’t worry about it. There’s lotsa times I've been scared, but I got over it!”
“I wasn’t scared!” snapped the blue unicorn from beneath the blankets.
“Of course you were,” Pinkie said with unprecedented cheer, “Everypony’s scared of the Jabberwock! Even the Princesses are afraid of him. You’d have to be a silly-filly not to be!” Trixie let out a lowly moan as she turned away, and continued to wallow in her copious amounts of self-pity.
“Trixie,” said Twilight, trying her best to speak a comforting tone similar to Princess Celestia’s voice, “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
“Safe?” cried the blue unicorn, “Safe? Nopony is safe from that thing!” She broke off into a series of sniffles. Twilight sighed. Trixie looked absolutely pathetic. It was almost hard to believe only a few months ago she had the pride of a hundred mares. But this brought a rather disturbing thought into Twilight’s mind. That Jabberwock had been terrifying enough to shatter Trixie’s ego. Just how bad was this thing?
The purple unicorn pulled the blankets off of the magician’s head. Trixie looked up at the two mares, her eyes full of shame.
“Trixie, we’re looking for clues about why the Jabberwock is attacking. We need to hear what you saw.” Trixie once again pulled the blankets over her head and hid away from the world. Twilight and Pinkie looked at each other.
“I don’t think she’s going to tell us,” said Pinkie, “She seems kind of down in the dumps.”
“You may be right,” Twilight sighed grimly. She looked back at the distraught unicorn. But just as she was about to turn and head for the door, an idea struck her.
“Okay Trixie, if you don’t want to tell us, that’s fine,” said the purple mare, “But you’d be doing Equestria a great service.” The bundle of blankets rose up slightly as the blue unicorn poked her head out.
“What?…” sniffed Trixie. Twilight managed to hide a smile, as her plan was working.
“Well, if we manage to piece together why the Jabberwock is attacking, you’ll be credited with helping us stop the fiercest creature ever to roam Equestria.” Trixie was now out of the blankets, her puffy, red face intrigued.
“You mean…I can still be a hero?” she mumbled. Twilight nodded, and saw a familiar spark in the unicorn’s eyes. The bookish mare had mixed feelings on using Trixie’s pride to get information, but reasoned that she was helping Trixie get out of her fear-induced misery at the same time.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie accepts your offer,” said the magician as an air of pomposity returned to her voice, “And shall tell you of how she stood up to the fearsome Jabberwock!” Twilight suppressed a grimace, as she only now realized what she had done.
“But first,” added the blue unicorn, “You must promise to take Trixie with you on your quest for knowledge.” Twilight took on the same look she had when Pinkie asked to come along.
“Ooh,” said Pinkie, “More ponies? Hey Twilight, maybe now we can have a party on the balloon!” Trixie’s eyes widened as she heard this.
Once more Twilight’s balloon had taken to the skies, carrying one more passenger. Twilight looked over at Trixie, who sat on the floor, and clutched a small bag in her forelegs. Within the bag was a few things she had decided to take along with her, as she had to leave most of her possesions within her wagon. Twilight noticed that the blue unicorn was doing her best to avoid looking over the edge of the basket.
“So then, Trixie,” said Twilight as she kept a lookout at the air-sails, “When do you want to tell us about the Jabberwock?” Trixie looked up and cringed as though she’d been drenched with a bucket of water. Her grimace quickly turned into a rather forced smile.
“Hm? Oh, yes!” she said with a slight nervousness to her voice, “The Jabberwock. Well then, The Great and Powerful Trixie was walking down the road in the dead of night, when suddenly a deafening roar came from the darkness ahead!”
“You were?” Pinkie asked innocently, “Well then who was cooking vegetable stew near your cart last night?” The pink mare held out a photograph of an extinguished fire with a pot of cold soup suspended above it, with Trixie’s shattered wagon clearly only a few yards away. An uneasy smile appeared on the unicorn’s face.
“Well,” she said, “Trixie was getting to that. There was a family with a small foal near the side of the road, right in the path of the fearsome Jabberwock!”
“How big was it?” asked Twilight.
“Enormous!” Trixie exclaimed dramatically, “Huge! Giagantic!” Twilight looked at her blankly.
“Do you think you can give me a specific number?”
“It was dark out,” the unicorn answered quickly, “The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t remember. Anyway, the terrible beast emerged from the woods, more horrifying than anything Trixie has ever seen! The poor family was terrified!”
“I imagine they would be,” said Twilight as she raised a suspicious eyebrow, “So what did you do?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie rushed forward to block the beast’s path,” Trixie cried melodramatically, “And it paused, as if sensing my great power!” The unicorn sat up as tall as she could, absolutely engrossed in her tale. “The Great and Powerful Trixie told the family to save themselves! They wept tears of gratitude as they ran off into the night, leaving Trixie to deal with the Jabberwock!”
“Really?” Twilight said flatly, her face expressing her blatant disbelief in Trixie’s story. The magician didn’t seem to notice.
“Of course!” cried the zealous unicorn, “The Great and Powerful Trixie looked the monster right into its fiery eyes, burning as brightly as Tartarus itself! And then, just as the beast was about to attack, Trixie summoned a lightning bolt from the heavens to strike the horrid enemy!”
Pinkie Pie was listening intently to the obviously fabricated yarn, her eyes wide in child-like wonder as the unicorn continued.
“But alas, the Jabberwock was only half-defeated, and Trixie had to sacrifice her wagon! Using only a fraction of my mighty powers, I threw the cart at the beast, wounding it. It fled down the road, cowering in fear of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Pinkie clapped as the magician finished her tale. Twilight, on the other hoof, rolled her eyes.
“Trixie,” she sighed, “While that story was slightly entertaining, I’m here to gather facts, not fantasies.” Trixie shot the purple unicorn a glare.
“How dare you question my truthful and might I add valuable information,” she sneered, then haughtily added, “Especially when you have no evidence to prove otherwise.” Twilight furrowed her brow in frustration, but a sudden smile crossed her face as she remembered something.
“Oh Pinkie,” she said innocently, “Do you still have those pictures you took earlier?” Pinkie grinned wildly and shook her head with such force that it looked as though it would fall off.
“Of course I do, Twilight!” she shouted giddily as she shoved the photographs into the purple mare’s hooves, “I took pictures of everything, just like you told me!” Twilight flipped through the stack until she found what she was looking for.
“Firstly,” said the unicorn, “The location and condition in which your cart was found do not indicate that it was thrown.” She held out a picture to Trixie, showing the wrecked remains of her cart.
“Secondly,” continued Twilight, “Judging by the tracks we found, it seems that your cart was directly in the path of the Jabberwock.” By this point Trixie was sinking down to the floor of the basket, the prideful fires in her eyes slowly being extinguished.
“And thirdly,” Twilight said with a wry smile, “I have this.” The unicorn waved a picture of Trixie cowering in her wagon, her forelimbs clutched around her teddy bear. The magician let out a miserable sigh.
“Fine,” she snapped, “I went looking for it myself! I attacked it with lighting and it destroyed my cart, okay? You just can’t let me be happy, can you, Twilight?” Twilight frowned as the blue unicorn turned away.
Queen Chrysalis smiled evilly as she looked out at the massive beast from her hiding place in the bushes. There, only fifty yards away, was none other than the Jabberwock. The enormous creature had stopped to rest from its long and tiring journey, and sat awkwardly beneath a sparse grouping of trees. The tips of its wavering antennae poked through the branches, twitching as they occasionally brushed against the leaves.
Chrysalis gleefully rubbed her porous hooves together. The monster was just as terrifying as she remembered it, and even made her nervous. But it was the good kind of nervous. The Jabberwock was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous, most unpredictable, most savage monsters to ever walk the earth. It was perfect for her needs. And best of all, it appeared to have some insect qualities that would allow her to make a better connection with it. Her horn began to glow an insidious green as she gazed at the monster. Her heart raced with apprehension as she began to concentrate.
“Your majesty,” came a monotonous whisper, “Are you certain you want to do this?” Chrysalis’s horn lost its glow as she turned to glare at her adviser. Earwig looked back at her with the usual dull indifference in his watery blue eyes.
“Of course I’m certain,” she hissed, “If I wasn’t certain I wouldn’t be here!” She narrowed her eyes threateningly at the ancient changeling. “Are you doubting my abilities?” Earwig slowly shook his head, his long antennae waving back and forth.
“I do not doubt your abilities,” he replied mechanically, “But I worry for your safety. Do you recall what happened the last time you tried this?” Chrysalis sneered as she remembered an event that took place roughly a millennia earlier, before the supposed death of the Jabberwock.
“That wasn’t a fair fight,” she grumbled, “I was young and inexperienced.”
“You were one thousand years old,” said the seemingly emotionless adviser. Chrysalis glared at him again and turned back to face the beast. Once more her horn glowed as she reached out for the creature’s psyche. Noiselessly the Jabberwock’s antennae began to glow the same ugly green, which began to spread to its blazing red eyes.
“Good beast,” said Chrysalis in a soothing voice, “Nice monster. Just relax now. Let your queen help you get up.” The changeling grinned wildly as the Jabberwock slowly rose up from the trees and unsteadily lumbered over to where she hid. Chrysalis turned to her advisor with a smug grin on her face.
“What did I tell you?” she said haughtily, “I’ve grown far more powerful than this giant lizard could ever hope to be.” Earwig wasn’t paying attention to her, however. He was instead looking at the sneering Jabberwock before them, his eyes wide as they showed actual emotion for the first time in days.
“Your majesty,” he breathed, “I suggest that we run.” Chrysalis cocked an eyebrow at her adviser.
“What are you talking abo--” before she could finish, the queen was interrupted by a hideous wail. Her hair fluttered as she whirled to look up at the Jabberwock. The green glow of his eyes flickered fiercely as they tried to return to their natural redness. Instinctively Chrysalis began to pump more energy into the spell. Its only served to make the scaly beast roar again, this time snapping its gargantuan jaws at her. The queen bit her lip as she felt the connection faltering. The Jabberwock was resisting her sinister presence with a strength she had never felt before. It clearly wasn’t the will of a simple animal.
“Well,” she growled as she stood up from the bushes, glaring directly into the eyes of the beast, “It seems you need some discipline.” Earwig watched in disbelief as his queen enveloped her body in a pillar of green flame. Her shadow within began to change shape, growing larger and longer with each passing moment. Earwig grimaced as he realized what she was doing. The fire grew smaller as the form inside grew larger yet, until at last it vanished completely, revealing shining jet scales that shone as though they were the carapaces of thousands of insects. Powerful talons clutched at the earth as a pair of membranous wings snapped open. Standing where Chrysalis had been moments ago was a lithe, black dragon, its eyes and horns glowing a menacing green.
Earwig flitted out of the way as the transformed queen whipped her long tail, sending out a deafening crack. Chrysalis smiled up at the Jabberwock, revealing the numerous curved fangs within her elongated jaws.
“Now then,” she boomed haughtily, “You see what your new queen is capable of?” The Jabberwock let out an unearthly roar, and charged at the enemy. Chrysalis darted away at the last moment, leaving the Jabberwock’s terrible claws wrapping around air. The monster turned its flexible neck to see the dragon diving toward it with her talons extended, ready to tear.
Earwig winced as he saw the Jabberwock backhand the charging dragon, sending her tumbling to the ground. Earwig once more had to fly out of the way as his queen crashed into the trees. But she was up in a moment, her eyes and horns glowing as fiercely as ever. Her chest expanded as she drew a deep breath, then contorted as she sent a blast of green flame at the Jabberwock.
The monster screeched as it blocked the brunt of the attack with its forearm. Before it could begin a counter attack, Chrysalis made another leap. She raked her talons across the creature’s heavy chest scales. When they did virtually no damage she tried clawing at the smaller scales that covered his limbs. She let out a dissatisfied growl as she failed to slice the creature’s hide.
Earwig continued to watch the two giants battle from a patch of brambles, his analytic mind processing the outcome. The Jabberwock was still larger than Chrysalis, but she appeared to be quicker and more graceful than her gangly foe. However, the Jabberwock’s attacks had a lot more strength behind them, and with each strike it sent the transformed queen back a few steps. Earwig was extremely worried about her. She was still trying to hold the connection with the beast, which was taking up a lot of attention she needed for the fight. He cringed as the Jabberwock managed to grab a hold of the queen’s barbed tail.
Chrysalis cried indignantly as she felt the Jabberwock clamp its spidery fingers around her tail. In one swift motion it swung her into an oak tree, where she became caught in the twisting branches. The battered dragon looked up as she heard a loud, menacing hiss. She saw the creature’s thorax stretch outward as air rushed in between its obtrusive front teeth. Once she realized what was happening, the queen madly struggled to get out of the oak’s boughs.
Earwig cried out in terror as a stream of burning liquid came shooting out of the Jabberwock’s throat, completely covering the oak tree. The changeling watched as the leaves withered under the searing heat, its branches burning away as the strange substance ran down its trunk. For a moment Earwig thought his queen had been killed. But then, not too far away from the crumbling tree trunk, he spotted the beaten form of Chrysalis, restored to her equine form.
Chrysalis stared madly at the Jabberwock, concentrating with what little strength she had left. She absolutely refused to be beaten, though her very reasoning screamed at her that she had already lost. She stared up into the eyes of the Jabberwock as the last of her glowing green influence left his fiery orbs. With one last push, she tried to regain what little control she had to begin with. Her pupils turned into pinpricks as she accidentally went too far into the creature's mind. She had broken through the barrier of simple motor control, and had plummeted into the beast’s very thoughts. Her mouth opened wide as her body froze. The connection was severed seconds later, but the queen continued to stand still.
Earwig could hardly believe what he was seeing. The queen was still trying to gain control of the Jabberwock, even as the monster stomped over to her. Realizing what was going to happen if she remained where she was, Earwig rocketed over to his queen.
“Look out!” he shouted as he shoved her away. Chrysalis snapped out of her trance just in time to see Earwig’s body immediately vanish under the saurian toe of the Jabberwock. The monster brought its foot back up as it took another step. Chrysalis rushed over to her adviser as the Jabberwock stomped away, grumbling as it went. Embedded deep in the print was the damaged body of Earwig, his right hind-leg twisted oddly and his wing torn off.
“G...Get up you idiot!” snarled the queen. There was something very different about her voice, as it was not quite as condescending as it should have been. Earwig slowly began to crawl from the print, his gnarled exoskeleton fracturing like glass. He was quick to pick up on the difference in Chrysalis, but didn’t mention it as he knew she would deny anything was wrong.
“What shall we do now, your majesty?” he asked as he pulled himself onto the grass.
“We’re going home,” the queen replied, “I’ve had a better idea. We’ll let the beast rampage across Equestria, and attack Canterlot once the country’s in ruins.”
“I see,” replied Earwig as he carefully realigned his leg, “What shall we do in the meantime?”
“Have the horde gather together,” she said quickly, “Set up a meeting in the main hall.” Earwig raised an eyebrow.
“Why are we having this meeting?” he asked quietly. Chrysalis turned away and looked at the distant Jabberwock as it trudged through the trees, a spark of sorrow in her normally malevolent eyes.
Twilight gave a grim look at the sky as she fumbled with the ropes and pulleys of her sailing system. The usual cheery blue had been replaced by a dark, threatening gray as the clouds had moved in overhead. A strong wind began to push on the surface of the balloon, causing the basket to tilt awkwardly. The purple unicorn tried to stabilize the aircraft by moving her gear to the other side.
“I could use a little help here, you know!” called the unicorn as she levitated a pair of heavy sandbags.
“Okie Dokie Lokie!” quipped Pinkie Pie as she pushed a trunk over to where Twilight was piling. Trixie was unable to help due to her being curled up in the bottom of the basket, wrapped up in a blanket, hugging tightly onto her bag. Twilight shook her head as she watched the magician tremble. It was evident by now that she was terrified of heights, among other things.
But even when they had moved all of their belongings to the front of the basket, the precarious tilt persisted as the balloon was carried backward. The winds were stronger now, and Twilight felt their icy chill as they rushed through her mane. She winced as the a flash of white light streaked across the sky. Moments afterwards there was a deafening thunderclap. The sound marked the start of what Twilight would recall as the worst storm she’d ever seen. The ominous clouds above them burst, releasing an airborne torrent upon the ponies. The massive raindrops thudded hollowly against the balloon as it was tossed about by the winds.
Twilight struggled to remain at the sails as the vehicle lurched violently back and forth. She jumped awkwardly as her gear tumbled from one side of the balloon to the other. She looked back at her companions. Pinkie sat contented in the corner as the rain pelted against her makeshift armor. Trixie was sitting up against a trunk, looking positively miserable as her complexion turned an unsightly green.
“Don’t worry, Twilight!” Pinkie called cheerfully above the roar of the storm, “It’s just a little squall! They come on ya fast, and they leave ya fast!” Moments after the earth pony spoke, Trixie rushed to the basket’s edge and hung her head over the side. Twilight grimaced as she turned back to work the rigging in an attempt to steer them back on course. But the balloon had been tossed, turned, and spun so many times that it was impossible to tell which direction they had been heading it. She glanced down at her compass. Though the constant churning of the basket made the needle wobble, she was able to make out that they were being blown west. In other words, they were being forced back the way they had come.
“Pinkie!” she shouted over a boom of thunder, “We need to land!” Instantly the pink pony was by her side, her eyes filled with merry resolute.
“Aye-aye, Cap’n,” she said as she grabbed onto the rope Twilight held, “How do we do it again?”
“First we…” Twilight suddenly paused as she realized something about the earth pony. It took a moment to register in her worried mind, but when it did it set off several alarms.
“Pinkie!” cried the unicorn, suddenly in a panic, “Your armor!”
“Yeah?” answered the pony with a blank smile.
“You need to take off your--” Her words were suddenly cut off by a crash of thunder. Pinkie raised an eyebrow and put a hoof to her ear.
“Pardon?” she said.
“You need to take off--” Again, a thunderclap overruled her voice.
“What?” called Pinkie, “Could you speak up?” Twilight suddenly grabbed the earth pony by the shoulders and roared furiously in her face.
“YOU NEED TO--” She never even finished her sentence, as that moment a bolt of lightning struck Pinkie’s metal-clad body. The energy traveled up through Twilight’s arms, causing her body to spasm along with that of her friend’s.
Trixie watched in horror as both of their smoking forms flopped over onto the floor. The crouching unicorn crawled over to their still bodies, a frantic look in her magenta eyes.
“No!” she shrieked, her voice dampened by the gales, “No, no, no!” She grabbed Twilight by the muzzle. “Wake up! Wake up! You need to land the balloon!” Trixie dealt the unicorn several powerful slaps to the face in an attempt to wake her. She did the same to Pinkie Pie, but in both cases it proved ineffectual. A horrible thought suddenly crossed Trixie’s mind. The panicked mare placed a hoof to Twilight’s neck. She felt some relief when she felt a dull rushing in the unicorn’s jugular. After confirming that Pinkie was still alive, the unicorn sat between the two ponies with a tearful look on her face. She was the only conscious pony on an out of control balloon in the middle of a tempest, and she had no idea how to land it.
Trixie looked back down at the two ponies. She didn’t like either of them, as she tended to dislike anypony who wasn’t herself. But the sight of their motionless, singed, soaked bodies made her uneasy all the same. The unicorn reluctantly began to unwrap the blanket from around herself, which had up until this point been keeping her dry and warm. She winced as she felt the cold rain and icy winds, which stabbed into her like a knife as she set the blanket over the unconscious ponies. Trixie weighted down the corners with sandbags to keep it from blowing away in the raging gales. The magician then wrapped her forelegs around the small bag she had brought along on the trip, feeling the teddy bear that lay inside of it.
“It’s just you and me now, Harry,” she murmured as she shrank back into her corner, trying her best to block out the creaking, groaning rigging of the balloon as it spiraled through the skies.
The beast growled crossly as it stomped down the road, the heavy raindrops running down his serpentine neck. Its antennae and barbels twitched and wavered in the wind, and the membranes of its wings fluttered like the ragged sails of ship. It had been having a very bad day. First it had been attacked by the dragon, and then it had been pestered by two equines in a flying blue box. To top it all off, it had journeyed into a flat farming expanse just as a storm broke out, leaving it bereft of shelter. But still it continued on, not at all deterred by the weather.
The creature spotted something overhead in the clouds. It glanced up with its enormous eyes to see a gigantic sphere being blown about in the sky uncontrollably, zigzagging west. At first the beast took it for a living creature, but as it trained its keen eyes upon the object, it realized that it was equine-made. It had no idea as to what it was, but as with most things that were equine made, the Jabberwock disliked it. It continued to watch as the object drifted away into distance.
Twilight let out a groan as she sat up, tenderly rubbing her head. She opened her eyes to see that the basket was in complete disarray--boxes had been overturned, their contents strewn about all over the floor. Immediately her OCD began to kick in, and the unicorn soon found herself arranging similar items into piles next to their corresponding boxes. But it was quickly overridden by the sight of Pinkie pie, lying in a heap in the corner. The unicorn rushed over to the unconscious equine and shook her by the shoulders.
“Pinkie!” she cried, “Wake up! Pinkie, are you okay?!”
“I’m super-duper fantastic, Twilight,” grinned the pink earth pony as her eyes suddenly snapped open. Twilight jumped, causing a nearby pile of maps to scatter about.
“Oh… good,” she sighed as she looked about the basket, “Now then, where’s Trixie?”
“Over here…” came a quiet reply. Both ponies looked over to see a tired-looking shape curled up in the corner, her mane disheveled and frizzled. The unicorn slowly rose up, looking as wet and miserable as could be.
“Trixie!” cried Twilight as she scooted over to the soaked unicorn, “Are you--?”
“I’m fine,” muttered the dripping mare, “C-can we please just land now?” At the mention of landing, the previous night’s exploits returned to Twilight’s memory. The purple unicorn suddenly recalled how the balloon had been tossed about by the gales. This would explain the sorry condition it appeared to be in. The unicorn was just now realizing that the basket was tilting to one side, as if weighted down. Twilight looked over to see the remains of her sailing apparatus, which had been reduced to broken dowels and tattered cloth suspended from a tangle of ropes. She grimaced as she surveyed the damage, hoping there was some possible way of repairing it.
“Pinkie,” said Twilight, “Make sure Trixie’s okay. I’m going to try and land us.”
“Okie Dokie lokie!” quipped the cheerful mare as she moved next to the shivering magician. Twilight reached up to pull on the cord to shut off the flame. The mare’s eyes suddenly went wide as she pulled down, for as she did she heard a distinctive snap. They moved to the left to see the broken cord dangling from her hoof.
“Uh-oh…”
A loud growl sounded out from the beast. The bone chilling noise did not originate in its throat, but rather it came from its stomach. The creature was hungry, as it had not eaten since it had left its ancient home. It simply had not yet come across something that would sate its hunger. The beast wasn’t hungry often, but when it was, it was absolutely ravenous. The creature’s hideous head surveyed the landscape, looking for something to feast upon. It quickly spotted something that would provide nourishment. The beast lurched forward, the ground quaking beneath its might. Wood splintered beneath its scaly, saurian foot as it stepped on a large, obnoxiously painted sign that up until that point had read ‘FlimFlam Farms’.
Flim awoke with a start, shaking his tools from the wooden work bench that he had been uncomfortably slumbering upon. The resulting metallic clatter awoke his brother, who had been resting in a small pile of hay.
“Ya hear that, brother?” Flim muttered.
“Yep…” replied Flam as he rose to his hooves. There was no possible way he could have not heard it, as it sounded like somepony was tearing up their property with an army of bulldozers.
“What do ya ’spose it is?” Flim asked.
“I’m not too keen on finding out,” answered Flam. The two unicorns stood in silence for a moment. Finally, Flim cleared his throat and stood up from the table.
“I think it’d be best for the business if we examined this a little more,” he suggested.
“Indeed,” agreed Flam. Both stood still, waiting for the other to take the lead. When it became clear to them that neither would move first, they simultaneously took a silent step toward the window.
Outside in the small orchard the twins had recently acquired was an enormous beast they both recognized from their foal-hood nightmares: The Jabberwock. It crouched down over their crop, snorting powerful jets of steam in the chilly morning air. The brothers watched wide-eyed as the creature’s snaking neck shot down, clamped its horrid jaws around an apple tree, and uprooted it from the earth with a loud ripping noise, sending enormous chunks of dirt everywhere. The hideous beast whipped its neck back and forth, shaking loose any dirt that remained in its roots. Flim and Flam stared in horror as it stood up to its full height, tossed its head back, and swallowed the arboreal organism whole. It then proceeded to move on to the next tree in the row, repeating the terrifying process.
They watched this for about five minutes, during which the beast consumed a total of eight trees.
“…Hey Flam?…”
“…Yeah?”
“You think we should do anything about this?”
“I don’t think we can do anything about this.” Flim had to agree with his brother. There was little two unicorns could do against a creature of such great size and fearsome disposition. However, even in the face of terror itself, Flim had to realize that with every tree it ate, the Jabberwock was eating a chunk of their profit. The pale unicorn hoped the beast would soon finish and continue on its merry way, leaving them with at least a few bushels of apples to convert into cider. These hopes were dashed in another moment, when a sorry-looking balloon hovered into view, catching the attention of the beast. The basket was level with its horrible head, growing closer by the minute.
There were no words to describe the terror felt by Twilight, Pinkie, and Trixie as they helplessly floated towards the scaly abomination. Twilight, always the first to come up with a plan of action, stared into the creature’s soulless eyes, her mind drawing a blank. Pinkie, so light-hearted and never known for being serious, stood as solemn and emotionless as a statue as the monster’s mouth drew into a sneer. Trixie, the self-proclaimed greatest, most heroic unicorn in all of Equestria, stood frozen in unimaginable fear. The three mares felt the creature’s hot breath as it let out a stench of burnt wood and black earth from its gullet. Its infamous incisors were barred menacingly at them, shining with oily saliva.
The silence was inevitably broken by a thunderous roar. The very air around Twilight seemed to waver from the sheer amount of decibels emitted from the monster’s maw. The force of the gale was so great that it pushed the balloon upwards, throwing it up into the sky. The mares screamed as their craft spun wildly out of control. They each searched for something, anything, to grab on to. Their ride at last came to an end when the balloon became lodged in a large cloud.
The Tele-noculars fell from Flim’s face, revealing his astonished expression to Flam. The mustachioed unicorn frowned nervously.
“What’s the situation?” he muttered. It took a moment for Flim to reply.
“You’re not going to believe this,” he said, still staring at the balloon, “But Lulamoon’s up there.” Flam’s jaw dropped.
“Lulamoon?” he echoed, “Trixie Lulamoon?”
“Yep,” gulped Flim, “And that’s not all…” Flam’s eyes went wide in disbelief.
“More?!” he cried, “I’d understand Lulamoon, but there’s no way there’s anypony else crazy enough to go after that thing!”
“There is,” said Flim, “It’s those Sparkle and Pie characters.” Flam couldn’t believe it, and from the look on Flim’s face, neither could he. They suddenly heard a loud snapping noise, like the sound of a ship’s sails being set. A jagged shadow grew across the barnyard as the reptilian beast opened its wings. The brothers’ mouths opened in horror as they traced the creature’s furious gaze up to the balloon. For a moment they stood helpless, struck frozen by the impending tragedy. An eternity seemed to pass until Flim snapped out of the trance and grabbed Flam by the shoulders.
“Flam,” he cried, “We gotta do something.” The mustachioed stallion grimaced despairingly.
“I know,” he said hoarsely, “But what? What can we do against that thing?”
“You know perfectly well what we can do,” snapped Flim. A look of realization washed across Flam’s face. He glanced over across the barn, then back at his brother.
“Flim…” he breathed, “It’ll never work…” Flim raced over the other side of the barn.
“It’s gonna have to,” he grunted as he threw a tarp the floor, “Flam, we have to do something about this.”
Twilight coughed out a chunk of cloud as she sat up. She looked down to see a length of rope tangled up in her back-legs, and immediately set about freeing herself. As she worked her hooves loose of the ragged knots, she looked over to see Pinkie and Trixie coming out of similar situations. Pinkie was crawling out of a pile of sandbags, while Trixie pushed a mound of canvas off of her body. They all froze in their struggles as a tremendous roar sounded off beneath them, cringing at the sheer level of fury it conveyed. This only strengthened their resolve to get loose of their predicaments.
Trixie was the first to free herself, and immediately rushed over to the peer over the side of the basket. She grimaced as she spotted the writhing form of the monster, its enormous eyes staring directly at her. Though it was at least a good five-hundred feet below them, Trixie did not feel safe, especially when she saw two scaly, membranous wings unfurl from its back.
“T…T-Twilight…” sputtered the mortified unicorn as she pointed a trembling hoof towards the snarling creature. By this time Twilight had pulled herself free of the ropes, and the purple mare ran to the magician’s side. She looked down to see the Jabberwock leering at her balloon, exposing its teeth in a frightful sneer. Like Trixie, she noted that it had spread out its wings. But unlike the azure mare, Twilight was able to spot several factors that put her mind at rest. A relieved smile slowly took place of her horrified frown. Trixie looked at the librarian as if she had lost her mind.
“What?” she demanded, “What is it?”
“It can’t get us,” Twilight said joyously as she pointed a hoof towards the beast, “Look at the wings. They don’t provide an adequate surface area for it to get airborne!” Her comment was lost on Trixie and Pinkie, as they both raised their eyebrows. The librarian cleared her throat.
“The wings are too small for it to fly,” she rephrased, “We’re safe!” Moments after the words left her mouth, an enormous shape rocketed past them up into the sky, causing the basket to lurch wildly back and forth. The three mares looked about wildly as they latched onto the basket’s edge, just as a monstrous shadow blotted out the sun. Twilight’s mouth dropped open as she gazed up at the Jabberwock. Its long, lithe body seemed to slither up into the sky as it flew upon its outstretched wings. At last it turned in a dive, aiming its cavernous jaws right for the pathetic little balloon. The dark maw grew closer and closer as the creature gained momentum in its descent. Twilight closed her eyes in preparation for her imminent doom.
A series of unfamiliar noises suddenly reached her ears. One of them sounded like a buzzing engine of some sort. The other was a hollow puff, as if something was firing a blast of compressed air. Both of them were promptly drowned out by a furious bellow, after which Twilight felt a great gale tug at her mane. The mare’s eyes snapped open as the basket heaved, sending her off balance. As she tumbled to the floor, she managed to catch glimpses of the Jabberwock snaking through the sky, twirling and dodging while screeching in anger. She hurriedly righted herself to see what was happening.
When she saw what had saved them from certain destruction, she fell back on her haunches in amazement. Circling the draconic creature was a craft of Equine design. It sped through the air like a sparrow, made of wood, tarp, and metal. Twilight saw two ponies piloting it, but due to the erratic motion of the airborne vehicle, was unable to properly identify them.
“Hey Flim?” Flam called over the roar of the engine as he glanced back at the monstrous set of jaws snapping loudly at them, “What were we to do once we got the Jabberwock’s attention?”
“No clue,” Flim replied as he yanked on the controls, “Mind blasting it again?”
“Not at all, brother,” Flam replied courteously as he held up a device that resembled a pipe covered in fanciful hoses. The unicorn took careful aim right between the beast’s fiery eyes, his mustache twitching as he pulled the weapon’s trigger. With a mechanical wheeze, a bright red apple was sent flying towards the Jabberwock, striking it on the forehead. The apple merely bounced harmlessly off of the ridged bumps upon its head, but all the same it seemed to infuriate the creature beyond all reason. Flam hesitantly sent a barrage of apples into its horrific face, his grimace growing wider with each shot.
“It’s not working, Flim,” he cried nervously.
“I know,” responded the equally worried unicorn as he maneuvered their Aero-plane into a stretching cluster of clouds, “I’m working on it.” Their craft suddenly disappeared into the stretch of condensed moisture, followed by the raging beast, its serpentine body twisting and looping madly.
Flim and Flam squinted as the world around them became blindingly white. Neither could see anything else beyond the bright clouds or the blue sky, but both heard the angry roars of the Jabberwock somewhere close behind.
“Brother,” Flam said as he scanned the clouds for the monster, “Do you remember the last time we saw Trixie?” Despite the situation at hand requiring his full attention, Flim was able to recall the event with vivid detail.
“Why yes I do,” said the stallion, “Last year’s Show-Ponies convention, wasn’t it?”
“Do you remember that trick she used to help us escape when she started the local schoolhouse on fire?” Flam said as he fired an apple into a patch of clouds that he thought might contain the Jabberwock. Flim turned and raised a nervous eyebrow at his mustachioed brother.
“Of course you recall, dear brother, that we had a Zap apple at the time.”
“Indeed I do,” said Flam, “And I’m aware that we don’t have one. But we do have these nice Gala Apples on hoof.” He held up a glistening apple to Flim, who looked at it with skepticism.
“It won’t work,” said the bare-faced stallion.
“We never tried it with a regular apple,” Flam interjected, “We don’t know what will happen.” Both stiffened up as there was a thunderous bellow only a few yards away.
“When you put it that way,” Flim gulped, “Let’s give it a whirl.”
Twilight, Trixie, and Pinkie all collectively jumped as a massive explosion of red and green light suddenly emanated from somewhere within the mass of clouds their saviors had disappeared into. Following the main detonation of crackling flashes was the ghastly wail of the Jabberwock, which chilled the three mares to their bones.
“Look!” cried Pinkie, pointing a hoof to an object that was emerging from the billowing clouds. A wild grin spread across the mare’s face. “It’s them!” Twilight looked to see that it was indeed the two ponies who had drawn the Jabberwock away from the balloon, their craft zooming towards the balloon. Unfortunately, Twilight also took note that the back end of the vehicle was on fire, and leaving a trail of thick, black smoke as it spun unsteadily through the air. The relieved look on the lavender mare’s face quickly became one of panic.
“DUCK!” she screeched as she pushed her friends to the floor of the basket. She dove just as she heard the sputtering aircraft crash into the balloon, dislodging it from the cloud. What followed next was the most thrillingly terrifying experience of Twilight’s life: The balloon, the vehicle, and five very frightened ponies went tumbling down to earth.
A great mass lay strewn about the yard of FlimFlam Farms. It consisted of a great quantity of shredded purple cloth, a variety of broken wood, a shattered frame of some winged object, and a smoldering engine. The pile of rubbish remained still for what seemed like an eternity. Something suddenly shifted. A purple hoof reached out of a fold of violet silk, slowly and apprehensively, like a turtle emerging from its shell. It was followed by another hoof, and then the messy mane of a wobbly unicorn mare. Her blank eyes were wide, and her mouth was stuck in a traumatized frown. Her left eye twitched as she began to crawl from the basket, dragging her body out onto the grass. She lay completely still for quite some time, just laying face down in the grass in silent appreciation of once again being on solid ground.
At last she finally began to rise up, letting out a sigh as she unsteadily lifted herself to her hooves. She became quiet as she noticed the damage around her. Her balloon was in tatters, the contents of its basket scattered about the wreckage. Merged with it was the remains of the flying machine that had rescued them. The unicorn stared at the damage, barely able to believe what she was seeing, and now just comprehending that her friends may have died in the crash.
Twilight jumped as Flim suddenly sat up from a mound of canvas and wood, tenderly holding a hoof to his head.
“Alright,” he called out rather irritably, “Sound off. Who’s not dead?” A chorus of groans came from various points of the wreckage, and it suddenly came to life with a flurry of feeble motion. Flam poked his head out of the bottom of a broken box, his mane and mustache a mess. Pinkie burst out of a pile of ruined maps, completely unharmed, while Trixie tried to untangle herself from a lopsided pile of rope.
Twilight did a double take upon seeing Flim and Flam.
“…You two?!” she cried in dumbfounded disbelief. Flim looked back at her from over his shoulder as he pulled Flam from the box.
“None other,” he grunted, yanking at his brother’s arms.
“It’s us alright,” added Flam.
“Hey!” Pinkie shouted excitedly as she bounded out of the busted balloon, “Flim and Flam! How ya doin’?”
“Flim and Flam?” Trixie cried venomously, struggling madly to untwist herself from the ropes, “What are those two thieving charlatans doing here?”
“It’s nice to see you again too, Trixie,” Flim said dryly as he freed his brother from the box. Trixie glared over at them from behind the web of frayed fibers that drooped over her face.
“And if you must know why we’re here,” said Flam as he dusted himself off, “It’s because we were saving you from the Jabberwock.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie could have handled it!” snapped the mare, though everyone present, even Pinkie, knew her statement was absolute bunk.
“Sure you could’ve,” replied Flim, “Just like you handled that Hodag back in Reignlander.” Trixie’s face became a portrait of rage as she furiously tore around in her prison of rope, desperate to free herself so that she could wring the stallion’s neck.
“That was entirely your fault!” roared the azure mare, “If it hadn’t of been for you two bumbling idiots--”
“You would have been Hodag-chow,” finished Flam. Trixie continued to angrily flail about in the ropes, until at last she came to resemble a great ball of yarn. Flim and Flam both trotted over to the mare, who was baring her teeth in rage.
“Look at that, Flam,” Flim chuckled, “She looks just like she did when we first met her.”
“Indeed she does, brother,” laughed Flam.
“Both of you shut up and get me out of here,” seethed the ire-eyed mare.
Twilight had been watching all of this with a mildly confused look on her face. From the way they interacted, it was quite obvious that the two parties had met before. The exact nature of their relationship was uncertain, but if she had to guess, it would be something between friendship and rivalry.
“Hey you guys!” Pinkie said, suddenly popping up among the three unicorns, “I just wanna thank you for saving us! I’m gonna throw you guys a Thanks-For-Saving-Us-From-Certain-Death-At-The-Jaws-Of-The-Jabberwock Party!” Flim and Flam paused as the mare hopped around them in a circle, her homemade armor clanking with each leap.
“Uh…Thank you dearly, Ms. Pie,” said Flim.
“Of course!” said the wildly grinning mare, “Anytime! And then maybe I could finally throw you a Welcome-To-Ponyville Party! I never got a chance to throw you one last time!” Pinkie paused, putting a hoof to her chin. “Or wait. Maybe I should throw the Welcome-To-Ponyville Party first, and then throw the Thanks-For-Saving-Us-From-Certain-Death-At-The-Jaws-Of-The-Jabberwock Party. Wait, Maybe--”
“Somepony shut her up and help me!” snarled Trixie, writhing about as best she could from within her hempen chrysalis. Pinkie continued to babble, not taking notice of the two stallions as they dragged Trixie out of the wreck.
“Watch what you’re doing, you imbeciles!” barked Trixie, “You’re giving me rope burn!”
“Hold on a sec,” said Flim, “I’ll be right back.” The cream-colored unicorn disappear in the barn for a moment before returning with an enormous pair of shears. Twilight winced as Flim snapped them open, their finely honed edges gleaming in the morning sun. Trixie grew pale as she laid eyes upon the tool.
“W-wait, what are you doing?” she muttered, “You’re not going to--” There was a loud clap as the shears closed, followed by a blood-curdling scream on Trixie’s part.
“You’ve killed me!” shrieked the magician, “You idiots killed me! You-” Trixie suddenly opened her eyes to see that her cocoon had been sliced open, and that she hadn’t received a scratch on her during the process. The azure mare’s eyes narrowed as she rose up from the ropes. Without even thanking them she turned and skulked away in sullen silence. Taking advantage of her absence, Twilight quickly stepped in to address the stallions.
“I…Don’t really know how I can make you understand how grateful I am for you saving us,” she began unsteadily, “Thank you both.”
“Oh, think nothing of it,” said Flim as he placed a hoof on his chest, “It’s part of the FlimFlam philosophy to help those in need.”
“Horse-Apples!” Trixie spat from across the yard. The three unicorns ignored her. They instead turned their attention to the mass of debris that now littered the FlimFlam’s lawn. Twilight caught sight of the machine the brothers had flown into battle of the Jabberwock. Mixed feelings of sorrow and fascination flooded her mind as she looked back at the twins with a sheepish smile.
“I’m sorry about your…invention,” she said, “And about your yard. I promise, I’ll do everything I can to--”
“No worries,” said Flam, “We’ll have it rebuilt in a jiffy. Besides, it was us who crashed into you.” The unicorn paused to restyle his mustache. “By the way, what were you three doing up there in the first place?”
The beast touched back down to the ground with a thunderous crash, its massive toes digging into the earth as it landed. It lurched forward as its wings furled close, letting out a snarl of discontent. Its thoughts were still of the unnatural thing that had dared to attack it. The fumes from the thing still hung heavy in its nostrils; a repugnant odor of some burnt substance. The beast whipped its neck from side to side, trying to clear its head of the smell.
It squawked and continued onward, wondering how much longer until it could return home.
“Sound’s like you’ve had yourselves quite an adventure,” Flim said after Twilight finished her story.
“I gotta say that’s a very bright idea, looking for clues and all,” added Flam. Twilight smiled.
“Thanks,” said the mare, “But we still haven’t found anything yet.” She looked back at the ruined balloon. “And I don’t think we’re going to, now that we’re grounded.” Flim and Flam looked at each other for a moment. They looked over at the barn, and then back to the purple mare.
“Say, Twilight,” said Flim, “My brother and I have an idea…”
