Twilight stepped inside Sugarcube Corner, followed by Luna. They went past the
numerous pegasi inside. A dance floor had formed in the middle, with
pegasi dancing to the tune of the upbeat music. The inside was
colorfully decorated and smelled of an odd mixture of sweat and sweets.
Twilight and Luna settled on the sideline next to a table with drinks.
Twilight poured the little punch that was left in the bowl into two
glasses. She drank from her glass. The sugary and fruity taste made her
feel a bit better. Luna sipped her drink from next to Twilight, looking
pleased. Pinkie soon came to the table carrying some of the drink she'd
made. After filling the bowl with punch, she went to talk with Luna and
Twilight.

"I'm so glad you came to my party. It wouldn't be the same without my best friends!” Pinkie said cheerfully.

“We're best friends already? I only met you today.” Luna said.

“Everypony is my friend! You know Twilight, so I'm sure you're the best of the bestest of best friends!” Pinkie said.

“Uh, thank you? I'm glad you think so highly of me, even if I don't quite get your logic.” Luna said.

“I doubt she gets it herself. Just play along.” Twilight said and shook her head.

“Best friends know everything about each other. I wanna know more about you. I
know you're not from ponyville, cause I know everypony here. Where are
you from?” Pinkie asked.

“I live in the royal castle in Canterlot.” Luna said.

“Really? That's a fancy place to live in. I went there once and it was like a
really high class place. You're so much nicer than the ponies I met
there. Why'd you decide to visit Ponyville? Wait, let me guess. You
heard of my parties! They're really popular, you know.” Pinkie said.

“Actually, Twilight invited me here. She needed my assistance in one issue and I decided to stay here afterwards.” Luna said.

“Sorry for dragging you into this mess. I wouldn't have asked you to come if I knew things would get this bad.” Twilight said.

“It's fine, really. I'm glad I can help you here. It was actually worse back
at the castle. They had a problem that I couldn't help them with.” Luna
said.

“What kind of problem?” Twilight asked.

“All I know is that the entrance to the underground vault was broken and
there were detectives going back and forth from there. The place was
heavily guarded, so I couldn't go inside myself. I tried asking my
sister about it, but she refused to tell me anything in case somepony
was eavesdropping. They're trying to avoid alerting the media until
they've investigated it further.” Luna said.

“That sounds serious. Could it have something to do with the situation here?” Twilight asked.

“It's possible. I didn't mention it before since I really don't know what
happened there or if it's even related to this situation. We'd have to
wait for official information to find out. Unfortunately, we won't be
able to hear it as long as the barrier is there.” Luna said.

“As vague as it is, that’s really the only lead we've got. Maybe we should
try to get through the barrier and go see for ourselves?” Twilight
wondered.

“If we can get past it. It seems awfully powerful, I don't think we can break it on our own.” Luna said.

“I know! You girls should go see the barrier team. They know everything
about that silly wall. You'll find them in the city hall. They've pretty
much locked themselves in there, so they'll be there all day. There's
no rush, so party some more! You can worry about all that stuff later.
Parties are all about having fun!” Pinkie said.

“We should stay a little longer. I really like the atmosphere in here, I
haven't been in such a pleasant party for ages.” Luna said.

“My parties are always fun! Hey, do you like dancing? I love dancing! Come
on, dance with me!” Pinkie said and pulled Luna to the dance floor.
Luna's awkward attempts at dancing were like something out of an old
book. Twilight playfully giggled as Luna stood out among the young
pegasi. The mood at the party was so happy that Twilight's depression
was fading away. Twilight joined the dance and showed Luna how modern
ponies dance. Luna seemed embarrassed and followed Twilight's example.
Twilight relaxed and enjoyed her time at the party. It made her worries
seem like they were so far away.

A loud howl sounded from the outside. The ponies at the party froze in
place at the unexpected sound. Rainbow Dash shook her head in
disappointment.

“Ugh, can't we ever catch a-” Dash was interrupted by a claw tearing through
Sugarcube Corner. The ponies reflexively ducked as wood flew through the
room. The music stopped as the record player laid broken on the floor.
The front wall and everything in front of it was torn to pieces by the
fearsome claws of the demon in front of them. Its red eye looked for the
pony with the most delicious flesh. The demon was full of rage, ready
to kill anything that stood on its way.

“Dammit, no time for plans! Get the demon out!” Dash ordered. The pegasi quickly
gathered themselves. One of the squad's members, Derpy Hooves, rushed
at the demon. She misjudged the distance between them and was hit by the
demon's swipe. She cried in pain as the claw pierced her skin. The
force slammed her at the back wall of the room. The blood dripping from
the wound left a red stain on the wall as she slid onto the floor. The
ponies watched in horror as the pegasus laid still next to the wall.

The members of the demon watch flew at the demon in revenge. Three of the
ponies acted as a distraction. They flew right outside of the demon's
range and taunted the demon. The demon tried to hit them and failed to
notice the pegasi flying towards the back of its head. They bucked its
head hard and flew outside. The demon cringed in pain and shifted its
attention at the ponies outside. The pegasi lured the demon away from
the building. It ran to the empty street, trying to catch up to the
pegasi. Dash's squad followed and surrounded the demon. Twilight watched
them to make sure they could handle the demon. The same tactics applied
to this demon. As long as it was surrounded and the ponies could dodge
its swipes, it couldn't do any harm.

“I'll go help them. You two take care of the injured pony!” Luna said and
flew outside. Twilight pushed through the rubble to where Derpy had
fallen. Derpy was wheezing on the floor, looking weak. Pinkie had laid
down next to her and covered the wound with her wing. It wasn't large
enough to cover the entire wound, as blood was still dripping from
inbetween her feathers.

“Stay strong, you're going to be okay.” Pinkie was speaking in the kindest voice she could muster to cheer up Derpy.

“Take care... of my daughter...” Derpy said weakly.

“Don't worry, you'll be with her again soon. Hey Twilight, use your magic to heal her wound!” Pinkie said.

“I can't, my horn doesn't work!” Twilight said while panicking. Her talent
had failed her when she needed it the most. Twilight was at a loss on
what to do without it.

“Oh, well, there's bandages in the bathroom drawer! Get them and help me
bandage her!” Pinkie said. Twilight went towards the bathroom
immediately. She kicked the rubble in front of it out of the way and
entered the room. The drawer was right next to the door. There was no
time to rummage through it, so Twilight pulled the contents to the
floor. She picked the white bandage roll from the pile into her mouth
and brought it to Pinkie. They carefully wrapped the bandage around
Derpy's body. She was still breathing, but she had fallen unconscious.

“I have to take her to the hospital! Help me lift her on my shoulders!” Pinkie said.

“It's too dangerous! Wait until the demon is gone!” Twilight said. The
shrieks from outside showed that the pegasi were still fighting the
demon. It would've been risky to go outside.

“I guess you're right. I can't believe something like this happened at my
party. I just wanted make everypony happy, but I ended up making things
worse. I shouldn’t have invited them here.” Pinkie said sadly.

“It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known this would happen. It's all because of those demons.” Twilight said.

“Yeah, those meanies have been nothing but trouble since they appeared. I'm
trying my best to keep everypony smiling, even if it is getting harder
all the time.” Pinkie said.

The demon shrieked and fell down to the ground. It shook on the ground for a
moment, then laid still in a pool of blood. Rainbow Dash led the pegasi
back to Sugarcube Corner. There was no feeling of accomplishment as
there were last time. The demon watch had let their guard down and
failed to protect the village. The first floor of Sugarcube Corner was
in ruins and Derpy had been severely wounded. This was below the
standards Rainbow Dash expected from herself and her squad. The squad
members waited outside as Dash checked the situation inside the
building.

“How's Derpy?” Dash asked in a low voice.

“She's alive, but she's in need of medical attention. Pinkie's going to take
her to the hospital.” Twilight answered. Pinkie laid next to Derpy,
waiting for Twilight's help. Twilight carefully raised Derpy and laid
her onto Pinkie's back. Pinkie rose and carried her away.

“You sure you can carry her on your own?” Dash asked as Pinkie went past her.

“Sure thing, she's actually pretty light. Don't worry, she'll be back in
action in no time!” Pinkie said as she forced a smile. She left the
building, going towards the village's hospital. The morale among the
pegasi had fallen, as they looked depressed over having failed to
protect the village. Dash firmly faced her squad.

“Listen up! This was a failure. Our duty is to protect Ponyville from the
demons, heavy damage to buildings is unacceptable. Never get caught off
guard again. No more breaks for the squad, we'll patrol throughout the
entire day. It sucks, but there's no way I'll allow this to happen
again! If we let our attention slip, we'll have more casualties! Forget
about slacking off, we’ll put everything we've got into protecting our
hometown! Our friends will never suffer under our watch!” Dash gave a
speech to encourage her squad. They hated the situation, but Dash's
determination reminded them of how important their duty was. Rainbow
Dash saluted, with the rest of her squad soon joining her.

“Alright, let's get back to our patrol. Stay strong, everypony. We’ll get through
this, I promise!” Dash said confidently. She flew towards the sky, with
the demon watch following her in formation. The only pony left on the
ground was Luna, who had been watching from the background. She went to
see Twilight, who was looking at the ruined building. Her dear friend's
home was destroyed in front of her eyes and she hadn't been able to do
anything to prevent it. Twilight's depression was back, stronger than
ever. It was foolish of her to think she could relax in this mess.

“The party didn't have quite the effect I intended. The situation really is getting out of hand.” Luna said.

“I know, it's insane. I didn't realize how serious this really is until I
saw Derpy like that. We don't have time for escapism. We have to stop
this madness!” Twilight said.

“Let's follow Rainbow Dash's example and never lose hope. We don't know much
about the situation yet, but we have to do our best to find out what’s
going on. Let's go meet that barrier team Pinkie mentioned.” Luna said.
The two left the building.

Luna and Twilight walked on the empty streets. The atmosphere in the village
was eerie. The pegasi patrolled up in the sky, while there was almost
nopony on the ground. The only thing Twilight could hear was Rainbow
Dash yelling orders in the distance. Nothing was happening around them.
The stillness was creepy compared to the usual liveliness in the
village. The two walked to the city hall in silence.

The door creaked as Twilight entered the lobby. It was dim inside, as none
of the magical lights were lit. Twilight and Luna's steps echoed as they
went towards the reception area. They passed many benches ponies would
usually sit in, but none of them were taken. There was no line at the
counter, either. Neither was there anypony behind it. The entire room
was empty, as if it was abandoned. Twilight rang the bell on the
counter. The dust that flew up made her cough. The chime seemed louder
than usual, but nopony reacted to it. Waiting felt like a waste of time,
so the two decided to wander further inside.

The two walked in the empty hallways. The only thing they could hear were
their own footsteps. Most of the doors were locked. The few that were
open had nothing noteworthy in them, only plenty of dust. The end of the
only hallway they hadn't explored was near. Twilight had almost given
up when she heard muffled talking from the furthest door. A few
different voices spoke in turn from inside. Twilight knocked on the
door. The two waited for a moment, but nopony opened the door. Twilight
put her ear at the door.

“-That's why I believe Ponyville has gone back in time. Trust me, I've got experience with this.” A male voice said.

“I keep telling you, that makes no sense!” An annoyed voice said.

“Guys? Can we pause this meeting for a minute? I heard somepony knock on the door.” A nearby female voice said.

“My theory is obviously true, you just don't get it! I'll repeat it until you accept it!” Another voice said.

“Ugh, they're not even listening.” The nearby voice said.

“Just go, they won't be done anytime soon. You're not going to miss anything important.” A voice next to her said.

The sound of a chair being pulled came from the inside. Twilight stepped
out of the way as the door opened. Lyra stood behind it, looking tired.
There was a large table behind her, with numerous ponies sitting around
it. One of them was drawing a diagram next to a whiteboard.

“How can I help you?” Lyra asked as she stretched her hooves.

“You're
the barrier team, right? We'd like to learn more about the barrier,
would you mind if I asked you some questions about it?” Twilight said.

“Sure, why not. I'll take any excuse to get out of that boring meeting. Let's
go talk at the lobby, the seats there are so comfy.” Lyra said. She
closed the door behind her and went towards the lobby with Twilight and
Luna.

“Those guys spend more time arguing than actually working. You can't count on
them to do anything.” Lyra complained as they walked in the empty
hallway.

“How did you join them? I didn't know you were into science.” Twilight asked.

“I'm not, really. I'm actually a musician. There aren't many unicorns in
Ponyville, so they asked me to help them. They said they needed all the
magic users they could get. Would you like to take my place?” Lyra
asked.

“I couldn't, I can't use magic right now.” Twilight said.

“Too bad. I wouldn't have taken the job if I knew how boring it would be. My
wife would be mad if I left for no reason, so I guess I'll have to
stick around.” Lyra said as they arrived at the lobby. Twilight and Luna
sat down on the couch next to the wall, while Lyra sat down in the
chair opposite from them. Luna seemed weirded out at the odd way Lyra
sat. Twilight didn't pay attention to it, as she'd seen it before.

“So, what do you know about the barrier?” Twilight asked.

“Not much. We know that it can't be broken with brute strength, so we've
been trying to come up with a spell that would get us past it. None of
the spells made for that have done anything to it. All of our efforts to
teleport behind it have been useless too. Nothing gets past it, which
is a real problem. We're going to run out of supplies eventually,
especially water. The barrier goes underneath the clouds, so we don't
get any rain in Ponyville.” Lyra said.

“I hadn't thought of that. How long do you think they'll last?” Twilight asked.

“At this rate, only a week or two. Ponyville wasn't prepared for an
emergency like this, so everything is poorly organized. Not to mention
the whole demon problem. They've already torn a few buildings and
injured some ponies. No confirmed deaths so far, but they're easily
capable of killing. We'd be screwed without the demon watch, good thing
Rainbow Dash established that quickly.” Lyra said.

“Why is it so quiet everywhere? We didn't see almost anypony on the way here.” Twilight asked.

“They're all scared. The demons look very threatening, even though they're
harmless if you surround them in the right way. The articles in The
Flower aren't helping. They've made the situation sound so bad that you
couldn't leave your home without dying. It's all exaggerated, of course.
Unfortunately, everypony blindly believes in what that rag says. It's
the only one around right now, so the whole village gets its news from
it.” Lyra said.

“Do you think you'll be able to break the barrier anytime soon?” Twilight asked.

“Honestly? No. We've been trying for a long time and haven't really advanced at
all. We've tried everything we could think of, so they're just making
ridiculous theories now. That wall really is mysterious. Maybe it's just
me, but something seems wrong about the world outside of it. I've never
seen anyone out there. No animals, no ponies, nothing. You'd think the
outside world would've noticed that something was wrong by now. Weird.
Anyway, did that satisfy your curiosity? I should get back to the
meeting.” Lyra said.

“Yes, thank you for your help. It was very useful.” Twilight said. Lyra got
up from her seat. She had some trouble due to the odd way she sat. She
said goodbyes to the two and walked towards the hallway. Luna and
Twilight were left alone in the lobby. The place was lonely without
anypony else around. Twilight thought about their next move.

“Do you still think we should try to break the barrier?” Luna asked.

“I don't think so. I doubt we could come up with anything they haven't
tried already. We really are stuck in here, huh?” Twilight said.

“It seems that way. We don't have much time, either. The situation is
getting worse every day. It's guaranteed that we won't survive longer
than a few weeks unless we do something.” Luna said.

“We have to think of something, fast!” Twilight said.