Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A2rBo07pzgi_xT6-6yez46LzWwkCLrwLydKGIAFvvoA/edit?usp=sharing

After escaping the Trottingham church, Twilight and her friends ran as far away as they could. Fearing to still be followed by demons or cultists, the group did not stop until they reached a large meadow outside of the city. A few hours later, the sun slowly began to rise again. Yet, none of them could even think of sleeping after what they had just experienced.

As usual, Twilight’s motivation quickly returned. She sent a letter to Princess Celestia, warning her about the cult’s plans. As soon as she was done, she turned to Fluttershy and Crystal Blossom.

“I know its a bit late, but... thank you for helping us. I’m not sure if we would have made it out without you two,” the purple mare spoke.

“It’s alright, Twilight. But what exactly happened down there? None of you could say a word until now,” Fluttershy wondered.

“We ran into a trap. In case you didn’t see them: There was a group of demons hiding in the sanctuary of the church,” Twilight started.

“I saw them. What did they do?” Crystal asked.

“They pulled some pretty nasty mind-tricks on us, making us believe they were our long dead friends. Demons sure are talented monsters... They could imitate them to the smallest detail,” Twilight explained.

Crystal Blossom lowered her head and placed her right front hoof on her chin. A moment later, she looked back at the purple mare.

“Did you see anything through which the demons could have come to the city? A tunnel? A teleportation rune or some sort of portal?” Crystal wanted to know.

“No. Nothing like that. In fact, it looked more like these demons were living down there for a while now. The sanctuary was well prepared, very spacious and enchanted with some kind of odd magic that repels light,” Twilight explained.

Again, the elder reaper seemed to sink into thoughts, lowering her head while rubbing her chin.

“I am puzzled,” she spoke, then turned over to her apprentice “Did you sense anything from the outside?”

“No. I’m pretty surprised myself. Reapers can sense demons, even from some distance and through walls. Why couldn’t we sense those?” Fluttershy asked.

“Wait... you couldn’t sense them?” Rarity asked in the background.

“Well... No... I should have been able to feel their presence, but I had no clue they were here until I saw them,” Fluttershy stated.

“What were these demons like, Twilight?” Crystal wondered.

“Wow... Describing that would be next to impossible. I don’t even know how to begin. Nothing about them made any sense. They were just... like... masses of black flesh, limbs, blades, claws and fanged mouths,” Twilight tried to explain.

“Didn’t you just say they looked like our dead friends?” Fluttershy wondered.

“They did, but then they... changed,” the purple mare continued.

“Changed?” Crystal repeated.

“I really don’t know how to describe it any better. They could shapeshift into anything they wanted to be. None of them looked like the other once we uncovered them,” Twilight stated.

“Mentor, what kind of demon were they?” Fluttershy wanted to know.

“That is exactly what puzzles me. I have never heard of demons with such advanced shapeshifting and disguising abilities... But I have a grim suspicion,” the elder reaper mare answered.

“What kind of suspicion?” Twilight wanted to know.

“Change... About three years ago, the changelings planned a large-scale onslaught on Equestria. We prepared for a war against them, but before it could even come this far, the demons executed a surprise attack and rendered them extinct. I was the first to arrive at the scenery after the massacre was over and I quickly came to realize that all they wanted where the souls of the changelings. We soon came to the assumption that the demons did this because they were preparing for a massive attack, but it never came to that. We had been maintaining Equestria in crisis state for months without any kind of response from the demons. This made us wonder what their true intentions really were... I suppose now we have the answer,” the light blue mare explained.

“Are you saying that those nasty things we have seen were demons who ate changeling souls?” Rarity wondered.

“Oh my goodness... I have heard of demons getting stronger, ranking up and transforming when they devour specific souls, but to think they planned to create a whole new type intentionally...” Fluttershy commented.

“Demons with the perfect disguising ability of changelings... So well mastered that not even reapers can sense them... They could freely roam through the streets and we would have no way of telling that they are there,” Crystal analyzed.

“Oh gosh... Now I’m starting to understand how the BloodClaw Cult organizes... If they don’t just worship demons, but actually cooperate with them, they can set up a whole new form of structure. That would explain why they don’t take any notes. If at least one of the cultists is actually a disguised... let’s just call this new demon type skin-walkers for now... so if one of them is actually a skin-walker, it can memorize all their decisions and very quickly pass on the order to other demons and cultists,” Twilight stated.

“Incorporating demons in their management structure would make the communication of the cult extremely effective. Not only are most demons very strong and fast, but these skin-walkers would also be able to just pass through any kind of security unseen. Nightmare Moon created a legion of perfect spies...” Crystal added.

“Oh my stars... Everything seems to look much darker than we thought, doesn’t it? I just hope that... Um... Applejack, darling. Are you alright?” Rarity spoke.

The group turned over to the orange mare. It was now that they realized she had been very quiet so far. She did not reply and just kept sitting idly, staring at the ground before her.

“Applejack?” Twilight called.

Again, no response was given, worrying all of her friends. As they walked over to her, they could see tear trails on her face, along with an expression of shock.

“Oh no... She is traumatized... Seeing Applebloom and Granny Smith like that must have been too much for her...” the purple mare analyzed and gently embraced the orange mare.

Rarity went right in front of her and placed her front hooves on Applejack’s shoulders.

“Applejack, darling... I completely understand that this must have been a shock for you, seeing how much you cared about them... But you can not let yourself go like that now. We are all here for you,” she spoke.

Applejack slowly nodded in response, but still was not able to move or speak. Fluttershy wanted to join in and already took a few steps when she suddenly saw something.

The gray figure had returned. This time, it was standing behind a large bush not far from them.

“Huh? What is that?” Twilight suddenly spoke.

“What is what?” Rarity wondered.

“I... I don’t know... There suddenly is some really strange disturbance in the flow of magic,” the purple mare explained.

“Girls... whatever it is, it’s over there,” Fluttershy whispered, pointing towards the bush.

Twilight instantly cast a spell that made a large net appear, launching it over to the bush. Just before it could hit its target, the gray figure vanished again. But still, the net seemed to wrap itself around something.

“Gotcha!” Twilight commented and started running over to the bush.

Fluttershy just stood in place, blinking a few times in confusion when Crystal came over to her.

“You have very sharp senses, apprentice. Even I did not notice that. Well done,” she congratulated.

“Actually... that was not what I-” the yellow mare started.

“Aha! Girls, come over here for a second,” Twilight requested.

Behind the bush, they found a mare in dark clothing. She shifted around in the net, struggling to get free.

“What in Equestria are you doing? Let me out of here!” she yelled.

“What were you doing behind that bush? Spying on us?” Twilight wanted to know.

“Spying?! I have no idea what you are talking about! I was just having my morning walk!” the mare replied, scandalized.

“At dawn? Yeah, right,” Twilight commented.

“What can I say! I’m an early bird! Is that a crime?” the mare asked.

“No, but worshipping demons and believing in Maledictum Insania as a blessing is,” Twilight replied.

With that statement, she clearly got her. The trapped mare looked around nervously, apparently trying to come up with an excuse. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t think of a way to believably explain why she knew of the curse of madness.

“Dang it...” the mare spoke and stopped struggling.

“That’s better,” the purple mare commented.

“Now the question is, is she a pony or a skin-walker? I mean you did feel something strange about her,” Rarity wondered.

“I couldn’t feel anything about those we met, so I don’t think she is one. Also, this wouldn’t have been so easy if she was a demon,” Twilight explained.

“Pff... Skin-walker... What a disrespectful name for our lords,” the trapped mare commented.

“I do believe you owe us some answers. Did the demons send you or did you come here on your own?” Twilight wanted to know.

“The only thing I will tell you is that this is just the beginning. You keepers of harmony started a fire that will burn down the whole world. We consider you our number one prey now and we will hunt you down,” the mare spoke.

What followed then was something none of them would have expected. They were dealing with a member of the BloodClaw Cult so professional and loyal that she actually preferred to bite off her own tongue over revealing any secrets of the cult. The sight shocked all of the keepers of harmony and even gave Applejack her voice back.

“What in tarnation?!” she shouted.

The mare moaned in pain as the blood gushed out of her mouth and she stared at the mares in hatred.

“The cult believes in Maledictum Insania as a blessing and source of power. Perhaps they are able to use the properties of the curse to perform such rash actions, violating any sense of self-protection. She is our enemy and just made herself useless to us. We might as well just end her suffering,” Crystal spoke and stepped forth.

In one quick movement, she summoned her scythe and decapitated the mare. Moments later, her soul left the body and vanished into the air.

“Ah! Warn me next time!” Rarity spoke in shock and turned her head away.

“Apologies,” Crystal replied and bowed down a bit.

“W... Well... W-what are we gonna do now, y’all?” Applejack wondered.

“I have no clue... The cult is searching for us in Trottingham now. I guess the population and size of the city is too low for us to stay hidden for long. The only one who could have given us an idea where to look next is dead now. Not that I’m saying what you did was wrong, Crystal. But now we are stranded in our investigation,” Twilight replied.

“D-do we really... wanna go on? After that? I-I mean...” Applejack stuttered.

“I know this is hard for you right now, AJ. But we all knew this would become dangerous. They want to prevent us from meddling any more in their affairs. Yet, now that we know all this, it is even much more crucial we keep going. We can’t let them get away with their plans,” the purple mare stated.

“Ah...g-guess you’re right... Darn... A-ah just can’t get over it... Granny... Applebloom... S-she’s blaming me for her death...” Applejack spoke.

“She is not, AJ. That was just a trick of the demons. They just wanted to guilt-trip you. You know that,” Twilight explained.

Again, the orange mare did not reply and just hung her head instead. So Rarity stepped next to her and placed a front hoof on her shoulder.

“Darling... I know how hard it is to lose a sister... I lost mine as well. I can fully understand how much you are still struggling with this. But we can not let ourselves get drowned in sorrow. We must keep going. Not only for ourselves, but also for our friends and families,” she spoke.

Applejack was listening, but gave no form of response. Rarity figured it would be the best to try to find something different to talk about right now, so she eyed up the dark dress this mare was wearing. She wanted to find something about it which she could make fun of to lighten the atmosphere again. But she actually had to admit that this dress was well made. In fact, it reminded her of something.

“Wait a minute. Girls! I know where this dress is from!” she announced.

“Really?” Twilight wondered.

“That kind of clothing is in high demand in Manehattan! I have been informing myself about the styles of this city not too long ago! She must have come to Trottingham for a meeting and then was assigned to spy on us! Hah! They forgot about Rarity it seems!” the fashion diva spoke, throwing a pose in pride.

“Excellent observation, Rarity! This is great! Now we are back on track!” Twilight commented in excitement.

“Manehattan is a darn huge city, Twi. If the cult’s there as well, we gotta be extra careful,” Applejack spoke.

“Don’t worry, AJ. With the cult hunting us now, I didn’t plan to go on any more dangerous missions anyway. We must think of other ways to gather information from the cult and foil their plans,” the purple mare replied.

It was decided. Fluttershy and Crystal Blossom took care to dispose of the dead cultist. But while they were transporting her away, Fluttershy’s eyes kept jumping back to the bush. Just what is this gray thing? What did it want from her and why can’t anypony besides her see it?

“Is something wrong, apprentice?” Crystal wondered.

“I saw this gray figure again. It seems to follow me,” the yellow mare replied.

“Strange. I have not seen this gray figure so far. Perhaps one of the demons you had been fighting before gave you some sort of curse that affects your perception. I will have a look at it once we are done here,” the elder reaper stated.

“Perhaps... thank you, mentor,” Fluttershy spoke.

---

Now having to be much more careful when using public transportation, the group spent the next three days using close to empty trains and alternate routes to reach Manehattan. Applejack did not exaggerate when she said that it was a big city. Most buildings were at least six floors tall and carriages were constantly stuffing the streets. Thousands of ponies were seen out of the houses all the time, making it a real struggle to walk through the city. This crowdedness in combination with the loud city noises was something the keepers of harmony quickly found very hard to handle, since they were only used to the quiet, sparsely populated Ponyville.

Constantly, the group had to squeeze through the masses while paper boys were shouting out the newest headline:

“Special edition! Series of mysterious celebrity disappearances continues! Hoity Toity vanished from his manor!”

“Huh? Hoity Toity disappeared? I’m buying one!” Rarity spoke, using her magic to lift two bits out of her saddlebag and handing them to the paper boy.

“Thank you most kindly, lady! Here you go!” he replied and handed out a fresh newspaper.

“Celebrities disappearing? That sure sounds suspicious,” Fluttershy commented.

“The BloodClaw Cult is planning to infiltrate and dismantle the organization structures of Equestria. It might well be that this is part of their plan, too,” Twilight assumed.

The group continued walking down the bustling streets of Manehattan, not yet knowing where to settle down. Rarity found herself so lost in the newspaper that she accidentally bumped into a stallion.

“Hey! Watch where you are... By Nightmare Moon! Heretic! Guys, they are here!” he shouted.

At once, a group of stallions appeared, surrounding the keepers of harmony. All of them instantly went into battle stance and the reapers summoned their scythes. But before any of the cultists could even attack, one of them was launched away by another pony pouncing him.

“Oh no, ya don’t!” a female voice shouted.

Suddenly, dozens of police officers appeared and swiftly pinned down the group of stallions. A moment later, the situation was defused.

“A bit radical, but effective! Well done, trainee!” one of the officers spoke to the mare who did the first move.

As the mare made sure she had the cultist shackled and disabled, she stood up again. It was a light brown teenager with short amaranth mane and tail with light green eyes. She was wearing a police uniform and hat, yet seemed to be still in training.

“Thanks, commissioner,” she replied, then turned to the group. “Are ya alr- Applejack! What are ya doin’ here?!”

“Babs Seed! Heavens to betsy, you have grown! Ya’re workin’ for the police now?” the orange mare wondered.

“I sure am! Have a look at that!” Babs replied and turned sideways.

It has been years since the last time they met Applebloom’s cousin. A lot seemed to have changed since then, since she now had her cutie mark. It was a set of hoof cuffs.

“Now that’s impressive! The apple family never had somepony with such a talent before!” Applejack commented.

“Heh, thanks. Actually, I owe my cutie mark to you! After the lessons you and AB taught me, I finally could deal with my bullies. Didn’t take long then that they gave up on teasin’ me and tried to bully a younger classmate. When they tried to steal his lunch money and I fought for him to get it back, I discovered that I’m really good at dealin’ with criminals! So naturally, as soon as I was done with school, I signed up for the Manehattan police!” Babs explained.

“That is amazing! Congratulations, Babs!” Twilight spoke.

The teenager grinned widely in pride and looked over to Applejack, hoping to hear a comment from her. But she suddenly gained a sad expression and looked to the ground. As soon as Babs Seed mentioned her younger sister, she remembered the scene of a few days ago and that Babs still didn’t know about what had happened to her.

“Uh... What’s the matter?” the teenager wondered.

“I’ll... talk about it with ya when we got more time, sugarcube...” Applejack replied.

“Well... okay... Was nice to see ya again. But I have to get back to work now,” the teenager replied.

“Actually, you have done a lot today. Why don’t you go and spend some time with your friends?” one of the officers spoke.

“Really? Well thanks a lot, sir! I’ll see ya tomorrow then!” Babs replied.

“Seeya!” the officers spoke and went on their way back to the police station with the cultists.

“Gosh... I can’t believe it. Just look at you! Ah still remember how small and shy ya were as a filly. Ya sure have grown, Babs!” Applejack commented while she tried to push the painful thoughts out of her mind again.

“Oh you are so right about that! I sure feel a lot better now since I know how to fight for myself and for others!” the teenager spoke happily, then turned around to look at the reaper mares. “Hey! I remember you! Um... Fluttershy, right?”

“Yes... Hello...” the yellow mare replied.

“You look different from what I remember. Hang on... You two are... reapers, right?” Babs assumed.

“Correct. I am elder Crystal Blossom and Fluttershy is my apprentice. It is always pleasant to meet somepony fighting for law and order in the land like we do,” the light blue mare replied.

“I haven’t met a reaper before. Kinda strange to come across two at once now. Hm... you weren’t a reaper the last time I met you, or were ya, Fluttershy?” Babs wondered.

Instantly, the yellow mare lowered her head.

“No... I became one just a few years ago,” she replied.

“Huh? You can become a reaper? I always assumed ya have to be born as one,” Babs stated.

“It’s a bit complex to explain. We will have enough time for that later. But for now, we are looking for a place to settle down,” Twilight stated.

“Ya’re plannin’ to stay in Manehattan? Has somethin’ happened?” the teenager wondered.

“Well, yes. These ponies who tried to attack us were members of a cult we are investigating, Twilight explained.

“The BloodClaw Cult I take,” Babs commented.

“You know about them?” the purple mare asked.

“I can hardly not know about them. Three days ago, they just popped out everywhere and started causin’ ruckus here in Manehattan. Sermons about Nightmare Moon on open streets upsettin’ the locals, vandalism in public parks where we found them destroyin’ statues of the princesses, repeated cases of murder. It’s pretty bad,” the teenager explained.

“So the cult really is openly presenting itself now,” Crystal analyzed.

“This is no good. We badly need to find some protected place for our investigation,” Rarity stated.

“Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t ya all come to my place? I moved out of my parents’ house and got plenty of space!” Babs offered.

“An apartment surely would be better than a hotel room. Thanks, Babs Seed,” Twilight replied.

“Ain’t no problem! We are all on the same side of law, so we should stick together!” the teenager replied happily.

The group spent the rest of the day together with her, telling them all about the criminal activities in Manehattan. As it started getting dark, they slowly went on their way to Babs Seed’s apartment.