Smooze attack!

"Well, this is where this thing is supposed to go!" The stallion grunted, as he and his partner dropped the crate on the grass. "Though ya got ta wonder who's gonna pick up somethin like this out here!"

"Maybe it's for that Zecora mare that supposed ta live out here?" The other stallion guessed. "I dunno. Anyway, I'm hungry! Let's go back into town an get a hay sandwich!"

The crate had been brought to the edge of the everfree forest by the local delivery Pegasus, after they had picked it up at the train station. The two had found it odd that their instructions had told them to drop a heavy box of unknown contents out in the middle of nowhere, but the orders had come from Canterlot, and the pay was considerably high, so who were they to question it?

As the two stallions flapped away, a mysterious looking unicorn mare in a cloak came trotting up and out of the woods.

"It's remarkable that I was able to get here, before the delivery arrived!" The pony sorceress Twinkleshine thought to herself. "Still, I suppose I should be grateful it arrived when it did!"

A malevolent grin on her face, Twinkleshine telekenetically pulled the nails out of the top of the crate, then looked in at the pile of bubbling purple goo.

"Awaken, my disgustingly gruesome friend!" The unicorn snorted, kicking the box over. "You must be hungry after your long trip, and it's time for your meal!"

"Urrgghhrrrrogaaaaah!" The pulsating mass drew itself up, a face appearing in it's center as a pair of arms formed.

"They say when Celestia mages first used their alchemy to bring you to life, you mimicked the sounds of thier singing whenever you heard music!" Twinkleshine motioned towards the forest. "Well, in return for freeing you, I wish for you to destroy Dream Valley and it's inhabitants. Sing those foolish pony outcasts the song of death!"

"D-r-r-e-e-a-a-m-m V-v-a-a-l-l-e-e-y-y-y!" The creature roared, as it began to slither it's way across the ground. Pushing it's way ever forward, the slimy blob rolled over bushed, plants, and trees, leaving only stripped dirt and lifeless waste in it's awake. All plant and animal life it passed over was swept up into the goo, and was dissolved in a haze of bubbles.

"Bow-bow-bow-bow-bow-bow!" The creature sang happily, cutting a swath through the everfree forest. "Something bad is coming down, have you heard the news?"

As the creature sang the foalhood jingle that parents used to scare little colts and fillies with on nightmare night, Twinkleshine sang along as the ever growing pile slithered away. "...no-thing can stop, the Smooze...."

...

"So let me get this straight..." Queen Rosaline asked, glaring at Minuette and North Pole angrily. "My kingdom, a gift from my most gracious aunt Luna, is sitting right on top of the gateway ponykind first came through to get to this world."

"That is correct, my queen." North Pole replied, looking at the ground.

Narrowing her eyes, Rosaline continued. "Furthermore, nopony- save this order of witches and warlocks who are now seeking our herd's demise- was aware of where this bridge to another world was located."

"T-that would appear to be the case, my queen..." Minuette agreed, not wanting to look Rosaline in the eye. "The bridge was only remembered in bits of ancient folklore, nopony ever gave a thought it might actually be real!"

"But why would the Order of Gloom not use it duing all the time the everfree forest was abandoned?" Noteworthy asked in disbelief. "Why only try to claim the bridge after our herd has moved into the valley?"

"I think maybe they weren’t trying to get to the rainbow to use it, Note." Redheart noted, thinking for a moment. "I'm wondering if they're not trying to keep anypony from using it for any reason!"

"The nurse may have a point, your grace." Minuette noted. "There must be a reason the order didn't want the rainbow bridge used, for them to go to the extremes they have to prevent ponies from accessing the world ponykind first came from!"

"Who cares what their reasons were!" North Pole snorted. "The point is, we have a valuable asset right under our hooves here, that our kingdom can use as we see fit! Who knows what new resources we could draw from this other world, if we were to-"

"Both of you, enough!" Queen Rosaline stamped her hoof angrily. "We have absolutely no idea what we are dealing with here, and until we do, I don't want anypony messing with that bridge in any way, shape, or form! Do I make myself clear?"

"As you wish, my queen." The four ponies replied in unison, before bowing and trotting out of the room. As Minuette and North Pole headed off towards the chancellor's private quarters, Noteworthy and Redheart trotted back towards the cafeteria.

"I knew there was something odd about this place." The stallion composer noted. "Have you noticed since we've gotten here, that many formerly gentle ponies have grown more and more aggressive?"

"I have, and I've also noticed that many of our ponies have been having... sleeping difficulties." The nurse mare replied. "Our unicorn psychologists told me that more and more ponies are suffering from insomnia and sleep apnea. And he believes that it's because Princess Luna can no longer access their dreams, due to the bizarre energies that emanate in Dream Valley."

"Energies North Pole now believes are emanating from that world across the rainbow bridge." Noteworthy shuddered. "Great Celestia, what is this place doing to us?"

"I wish I knew, Note." She replied, pulling up close to him as they trotted along. "Believe me, I wish I did."

...

"You hear that, Carrot Tawp?" Cheery Jubilee asked, looking up at Golden Harvest. "Sounds like somethin's gettin closer!"

The two pony friends had taken a team of a dozen mares and stallions outside of the castle walls, gathering roots and grub plants for potential growth in the castle's gardens. There had seemed to be some kind of excitement coming from the castle, but they and their teams had shrugged it off as more of the dream Castle pony's hijinks. But it wasn't long before the group heard a rumbling approaching Dream Valley, and they all looked up from their digging and scraping at the dirt to see.

"Sounds like... a wall of water approaching..." The twinkle eyed pony replied uncertainly, as the rumbling got louder.

Soon a liquid of pulsating purple began to ooze in between the trees, and a deep gurgling voice could be heard singing "Bow-bow-bow" Atrociously. From behind the trees however, the group could see the towering form of a terrifying creature made entirely of purple goo.

"It's some kind of monster!" One of the stallions screamed, as the entire group began to gallop towards the castle. "Run for your lives!"

Even Cherry Jubilee and Golden Harvest fled, racing along as fast as their hooves could carry them. A few ponies who fell behind were quickly engulfed by the moving purple sludge, screaming as their bodies dissolved into the muck, making the mass all the more larger. Six of them had been lost, by the time the survivors crossed the bridge into Dream Castle.

"What in the world?" The confused guard asked, as the ponies al came galloping in at once.

"Monster in the forest!" Golden Harvest gasped out, collapsing to the ground. "Close the gate, now!"

Behind them, the large purple creature made of goo reared up, ready to engulf the entire castle. The unicorn guards quickly raised the drawbridge, while several ponies in the castle's inner courtyard ran for cover.

"Oh no!" Golden Harvest wailed as a large purple wave swept over the castle. "We're done for!"

But just as the purple monstrosity came down on the tiny castle, it seemed to hit an invisible wall, pushing the purple goo back like an invisible bubble.

"What- what's goin' on?" Cherry Jubilee asked nervously. "What's savin' us from that gunk?"

Hearing all the ruckus and commotion, several ponies came trotting out of the castle, their jaws nearly hitting the ground when they see the wall of purple enveloping the sky over the castle. It was at that point that Caramel and Sassaflash came out of the castle, their eyes going wide at the sight above them.

"What- what in the world is that?" the stallion whinnied in shock. "Are we under attack?"

"That thar critter started to pour over the whole castle, but he jes got stuck there in the air!" Cherry Jubilee exclaimed. "We don't know whut could be holdin' it up like that!"

"It must be a force field of some kind, one of Princess Luna's defenses she installed in the castle!" Sassaflash exclaimed. "But I have no idea what that monster is out there!"

"We’ve got to tell the queen, at once!" Golden Harvest Exclaimed. "Before that thing finds a way to break through!"

...

All of the ponies were looking out the castle's windows, horrified at the sight of the purple slime that now formed a barrier over the entire castle. Several of said ponies were gathered in the canteen, staring out the big widow at the horrific sight outside. Evil faces formed in the goo and scowled at them. A few terrified ponies even claimed they saw the horrified faces of the ponies it had absorbed... but most unicorns thought it was just wild earth pony imaginations.

The kitchen staff thought they should be free to go home during this crisis, to be with their family and friends. But Blueblood and Inky still had a supper to prepare, and there weren’t going to let the kitchen staff off the hook.

"You ponies keep working! We still have a dinner to prepare!" Inky snorted.

"Miss Inky is correct, your duties come first!" The princely stallion agreed. "We shall continue, as if that giant pulsating creature of death were not outside the window!" He took Inky's hoof in his, and the two trotted out of the room together. "Now... carry on, then!"

"Wow, can you believe that thing out there?" Cherry Cola asked, loading several dishes into the washing sink. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Minuette told me the court's calling it the Smooze." Apple Cobbler replied, as she started preparing the dry rack. "Cause it keeps singing that silly nursery rhyme song about the creepy creature that kidnaps foals from thier cribs."

"Ugh, how creepy!" The stallion shivered. "I just hope our queen can come up with a way to get rid of that nasty thing! I don't even wanna know what would happen if it actually touched me!"

"I might be able to shed some light on that situation, my friends!" Sapphire shores announced, barging into the kitchen. "I've heard some really juicy info comin' out of the royal court!"

"Ahhhhh!" Cherry Cola screamed, virtually falling into the sink he was working at. "Sapphire, could you please knock before you come in?"

"Sorry Cherry, but I's just heard that the queen has sent the changelings to sneak out and get the flutter ponies!" The mare singer whinnied. "Lady Minuette thinks that wing thing attack of theirs might hurt that nasty gunk monster!"

"But how're they going to get out past the Smooze?" Apple asked curiously. "I don't think even the changelings could put a dent in that thing!"

Sapphire just shrugged. "All I know, is that Queen Rosaline says she has a plan..."

...

"Ugh! I don't believe this!" Twinkleshine snorted indignantly. "That stupid barrier is keeping my Smooze out! Curse that Luna and her stupid security systems!"

The mare was on a large hill overlooking the Smooze-immersed Dream Castle. She had come up here, hoping to find the beast had devoured the tiny palace, and all of the ponies that dwelled there. But to her horror, the Smooze had been held at bay by a magic force field, and the castle still stood beneath it's protective bubble.

"No matter, the order of Gloom's will shall still be carried out!" The angry unicorn scowled. "That shield cannot hold forever, and there is no way for them to get out!"

It was as the unicorn witch turned away, that three globs of Smooze broke away from the main creature, and seemed to slither away thought the forest unnoticed. They slithered out of Dream Valley, off towards their unknown destination.