Advent of the Black Strain
Chapter 1: Recon
Load Full Story Next Chapter"Hey... AJ."
"Yeah, RD?"
"...Where the buck are we?"
"Now how in tarnation do ya expect me ta know that, Rainbow?"
The question lingered as the two confused ponies scanned their surroundings. The immediate area around them was scorched black, but other than that, everything was covered in snow.
It was clear they had ended up in some kind of mountainous area. There were a few large rock formations and several large snow covered pine trees nearby. In the distance, they could see a small path and more mountains.
"Applejack! Rainbow Dash!"
The two ponies turned and looked behind them to see Pinkie fretting over their other three unmoving friends. Pinkie looked over to Applejack and Rainbow Dash with a worried expression.
"There's something weird going on with Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy!"
"What?" Rainbow cried as she flew over to where Pinkie was sitting, "lemme see!"
The cyan pegasus looked the three mares over with a concerned frown. She turned Fluttershy around and put an ear to her chest, reeling back in disgust and confusion a moment later.
"What... the buck?"
"I know right?" Pinkie replied as she waved her forelegs frantically, "their insides are making all kinds of weird noises!"
"What're ya'll goin' on about, now?" Applejack asked as she made her way over to the others, "what's goin' on with em'?
"I don't even know," Rainbow answered with a confused shake of her head, "I listened for some kinda heartbeat and... well..." she stepped aside and gestured to the three unconscious mares, "just listen for yourself."
Applejack frowned and leaned down towards Rarity. She lifted her hat and put an ear over her chest. It was faint, but she could hear what sounded like something -- or several somethings -- slithering around just beneath Rarity's skin. Her eyes widened and she quickly stepped away from the white unicorn mare.
"Now that's just plain disturbin'," she muttered.
"Tell me about it," Rainbow agreed with a grimace, "are they still... alive?"
"Ah... ah think so," Applejack replied uncertainly, "ah mean, ah did take a sword to the neck and it didn't bother me none. And ah'm sure they've taken some pretty bad hits and survived."
"Yup," Pinkie added in a matter-of-fact tone, "we're all reeeeaallly hard to kill now. One of those mean griffons stuck me with a super sharp spear that went all the way through me," Pinkie said with a small snort of laughter, "it was like I was some kind of Pinkiekebab!"
Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Sure, Pinkie casually talking about being impaled should've been extremely unsettling -- and to an extent it certainly was -- but for the most part they just took it in stride as Pinkie being Pinkie.
"Anyway, I'm sure they'll be fine," Pinkie continued, grabbing Rainbow and Applejack in a one legged hug, "they just need some rest is all," her smile faltered for a moment, "wish I could bake them some 'get-well-soon' cupcakes..."
Rainbow Dash winced and patted Pinkie on the back.
"Aw come on, Pinks don't be like that," she said with a reassuring smile, "I'm sure you'll get a chance at some point."
"Yeah, but before that..." Applejack pulled herself out of Pinkie's grip and looked around once more with a bemused frown, "...we gotta find out where the hay Twi sent us."
"Oh! Then why don't we go hiking?" Pinkie asked enthusiastically, "we are on a mountain path after all."
"Ah suppose we'll have to," Applejack replied with a slow thoughtful nod, "ain't like we got much of a choice."
"Pfft, speak for yourself," Rainbow scoffed as she took to the sky, "I've got these babies. There's no way I'm hoofin' it."
Pinkie narrowed her eyes and hummed to herself before letting out a loud gasp. She turned to Applejack with a toothy smile.
"She's right, Applejack!"
"Uh... right about what?" Applejack asked with a confused frown.
"We don't have to hoof it!"
Before Applejack could ask what Pinkie was talking about, the pink mare stuck out her tongue in concentration and shivered slightly. A few seconds and several tendrils later, a fuschia coated pegasus stallion was standing where Pinkie had just been.
He leapt into the air to join a bewildered Rainbow Dash.
"We can just be pegasi!" the stallion cried happily.
"Oh yeah," Rainbow replied flatly, "I forgot about that."
Applejack raised an eyebrow at the cheerful stallion.
"That's all well an' good, Pinkie," she called out, "but some of us are more comfortable on the ground. An' besides, we still need ta carry Twilight, Fluttershy an' Rarity, remember?"
"Eh, I can carry one of em' just fine in the air," Rainbow replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof, "no big deal."
"Fair enough," Applejack said with a nod before turning to the fuschia pegasus, "and you, Pinkie?"
"Hmmm..." Not-Pinkie tapped his chin contemplatively before lowering himself back to the ground with a shrug. She returned to her pink self in a brief flurry of tendrils, "I'll just join you on the ground. Being other ponies is fun, but I'd rather be Pinkie right now."
"Alright then," Applejack responded, "now that that's settled..."
She turned and trotted over to their three unconscious friends. With some effort, she managed to pull Twilight onto her back and turned to the others with a determined nod.
"...each of ya grab a pony and let's get movin'."
Svanhild allowed herself a small smile as she flew across the sparsely forested field of rock and snow. The more she thought about what she might find, the more excited she got.
She didn't know what she would find, but she had a feeling things would get very interesting very quickly. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so eager to do her job.
She shook her head and refocused on the task ahead, scanning the ground below for any sign of what could've caused that bright flash of light. It wasn't long until she spotted something out of the ordinary.
Is... is that a pony?!
She narrowed her eyes as she spotted what looked like an airborne cyan pegasus several meters away and heading in her own direction. It looked like it was carrying another pony -- much to Svanhild's shock.
They are ponies! What in the Emperor's name are ponies doing all the way out here?
From what she could see, it looked like the pegasus hadn't spotted her yet. She dropped back to the ground and moved swiftly into the cover of a nearby tree. She couldn't see the pegasus flying overhead anymore, but if it maintained it's course, it would pass directly overhead and she could follow it.
Svanhild's excitement only grew at this new revelation.
Ponies!
Actual ponies all the way out in the Tassel Mountain Range!
Svanhild had never seen a pony before -- at least not in the flesh -- but she had heard all sorts of stories about them from her granddad who had traveled to Equestria many years ago.
She stood in the shade of the tree grinning from ear to ear as her mind came up with all sorts of reasons why ponies would be flying out here. She was so caught up in her musings that she almost missed the voices coming from further down the trail.
"How much longer do ya think they'll be out?"
"I dunno, but it shouldn't be too much longer!"
"Ah hope yer right about that, Pinkie. I'm startin' ta get mighty worried..."
Svanhild's eyes widened in panicked surprise and she scrambled to reorient herself around the tree as two more ponies crested over a small hill. She peered out from behind the tree curiously.
One pony had a coat and a flat mane and tail that were all different shades of pink and the other had a more mundane looking orange coat and blonde mane and tail -- though the hat was rather odd.
They each appeared to be carrying a pony on their backs -- one pure white and another a bright lavender color. If she remembered they're descriptions correctly, the two ponies trotting down the path were earth ponies, but she couldn't tell the tribe of the unconscious ponies on their backs.
Svanhild ducked out of sight as the ponies passed her by and reappeared again after they moved on. She was able to get a better look at the two unconscious ponies and judging by their horns they had be unicorns.
She couldn't believe her luck!
She had stumbled upon not one, not two, not even three, but six ponies! And what's more, they all looked like they were heading in the direction of Squawken!
She knew she should've flown ahead and let the town guard know, but this was a prime opportunity to--
"Boo."
It would be said by the rest of the Squawken Town Guard much later that Svanhild's screech could be heard for miles.
The startled griffon whipped around to see the cyan pegasus from earlier lying flat on her stomach and pounding the ground with a hoof as she laughed hysterically.
lying on the ground a little ways away was the butter yellow pony she had seen the cyan pegasus carrying before.
"Oh -- oh sweet Celestia that was... that was too good!" the rainbow maned pegasus wheezed, "that scream and... and the look on your f-face! I just... I can't!"
The pegasus mare broke down into another heavy fit of laughter and Svanhild's terror was gradually replaced with indignation.
"You... you!" Svanhild sputtered angrily, "I can't believe you! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to make that much noise so close to the m--"
"Rainbow!" a voice cried out, "you okay back there? What in the hay was that -- oh..."
Svanhild turned to face the orange earth pony mare making her way over with a bemused frown. She could see the pink pony bringing up the rear and looking just as cheerful as she had seen earlier.
The orange mare looked from the still guffawing pegasus to the uncertain looking griffon standing next to her.
"Can somepony please tell me what in tarnation is going on here?"