“Will you please stop staring at me?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Starfire gave his vigilant watcher a deep, solemn frown. “I can’t concentrate with your eyes burning into the back of my head, thank you very much.”

“Very well...” Belove’s voice trailed off, sounding as sickeningly innocent as he possibly could. From the corner of his eye, Starfire saw him give Derky a strange, indecipherable signal of sorts. Derky merely nodded in response.

The brown Pegasus let out a squeak of surprise as his hoof connected with an un-earthed root, creeping low along the dark green ground like a long, twisting snake. He stumbled, but managed to regain his balance with some deft hoofwork, nearly swallowing a mouthful of daisies. “Are you sure you know where we are going? We’ve been walking for ages.”

“I told you, I can trace Nightmare Moon’s magic.” Starfire said with a lot less confidence than he had hoped. “I can see the path to her in my mind.”

Belove gave one, small laugh from behind him. “Ha! What a load of rottin' stink.”

The student teacher stopped, hesitated for a moment, then veered off to the right, changing direction yet again. “This way... I feel her magic coming from this way.”

Cananor wanted to believe his new friend knew where he was going, but even he had doubts. Starfire was changing course so often it felt like they had been walking in circles for the past hour and a half. He was sure he had seen that rock before, and that bush shaped like Sherclop Bassneigh...

Granted, there wasn’t much evidence to back up his backtracking theory. Everything in this blasted forest looked the same; just miles of trees, rocks, bushes, dirt, and the occasional wildflower which splashed a little vibrant colour over the otherwise bland, green-black environment. Apart from this, the forest was dark and gloomy, the infinite and unforgivable blackness so thick and gloopy that it actually took extra effort to even walk through it. The lawyer hoped his mental accusations were fabrications of his own imagination, and that Starfire really DID know where he was leading them. He had no desire to tread through such misery for all eternity.

Starfire stopped again, his train of followers nearly blindly stumbling into his backside.

“Apologies.” Weatherstorm dusted himself off. “But I cannot see the tip of my own nose in such dreary conditions.”

Starfire agreed. “I know. Hold on...” The unicorn lowered his head, closed his eyes, and concentrated. His felt his magic channel through his entire body, starting with a tingling sensation in his hooves, like the tickle of a feather. This electric tingle rose up his legs and into his stomach, along the length of his spine and ending at his unicorn horn. It was there that his magic gathered and compiled itself, forming a ball of electrons that gave off little sparks of miniature lightning. All this happened in less than a second.

He opened his eyes as his magic released, a ball of blue energy rocketing off with a whoosh of air as it streamlined toward a nearby tree. There was a scaled down explosion as the magic ball connected with the dark bark, light energy seeping through the pores in the wood with a sizzle of smoke. Less than a second later, the tree was turned into a makeshift lamp, blue veins running the length of the trunk and illuminating the area with a hum akin to that of an insect, causing everything in the surrounding area to grow and contort in an eerie blue haze of light, shadows dancing and twirling like woodland sprites.

With newfound light, the fellowship could see their surroundings clearly. There was little of any significance to comment on: trees and bushes are the most common components of a forest, after all. One towering, cragged mountain stood out in the gloom in particular, however, piercing the heavens and thrusting through the clouds, the tip disappearing into the night sky. It stood watching over a narrow dirt path which veered off in two separate directions and was lined with trees. It was a relief to finally get back on a proper trail and not have to worry about traipsing off the beaten path any longer.

“What... what’s that? Over in the distance?” Cananor widened his eyes in surprise at the sudden appearance of the mountain, the blue of his iris amplified by the light of the makeshift magic candle.

Starfire squinted. “A mountain, by the looks of it.”

“Well, how the hay didn’t we notice that huge thing before?”

“They way I see it,” Weatherstorm spoke up. “There are two possible reasons why it may not have been visible to us at first glance. Number one, the dark form of the mountain blended in perfectly with the horizon. Or number two, we are idiots.”

“That seems the more likely reason.”

But there was something else, snuggled away in the darkness...

From what Starfire could make out, there was a gaping black hole in the side of the rock-face, beyond the reach of their light source and their vision. It sat there, crouched like a bridge-goblin, beckoning them to come closer with mischievous intent.

“Is that a cave?” Derky’s tired eyes brightened up. “I think that’s a cave!”

Belove laughed and made some obscured, sly remark under his silent breath. The pegasus heard, and he hurt, but he said nothing.

“My throat is sore from being so funny. Think we could rest in there and call it a day?” Cananor inquired.

“Night,” he was corrected.

Belove shook his head before anypony else could voice their opinions to the idea. “No,” he said quickly, emotionlessly. “We’re not resting until this is all over.”

Derky groaned uncomfortably, hopping from hoof to hoof. “But my hooves are really sore. And my wings. Can’t we just have a little break?”

Cananor nodded. “I agree. I’m wrecked. We can at least sleep until sunrise...”

“No such thing.” He was corrected again.

“You know what I mean. This whole, ‘no sun’ thing is really confusing. ”

Starfire was quick to agree with Cananor and Derky. “Well... I don’t think having a quick rest would do much harm. After all, my... magic is... weak from, uh... tracking Nightmare Moon for so long.” He paused, as if considering what to say next. “I need time to, um... meditate. Yeah.”

Weatherstorm screwed up his nose. “Is there nowhere else we could settle for the night? Somewhere less... well, less of a cave?”

Cananor laughed. “What do you want, a bed and breakfast? A hotel?”

“It would be nice. However, considering I am hardly spoilt for choice here and I am the type of Pony that needs my sleep, I suppose I shall have to grin and bear it.”

Belove crossed his hooves in defiance. “Can you lot still hear me? I said no. N.O. Not a chance. Don’t you remember that Icarus is back there, hot on our tails? We can’t waste time!”

“For the last time,” Starfire let out an exasperated sigh. “I refuse to let myself get dragged into a petty rivalry between two over-proud fools. This isn’t about Icarus; it’s about stopping Nightmare Moon, and since the moon isn’t going to lower itself any time soon, I figure we have a little time to spare.”

“We are NOT staying here, and that’s final!” Belove stomped his hoof in temper, bringing it down hard on a small but jagged rock. He winced but said nothing, swallowing his scream.

Starfire casually turned to his comrades. “Who here thinks we should rest for the night?”

Three hooves shot up, and then a very hesitant fourth from a very germophobic, claustrophobic Pegasus.

“And those against the idea?”

Belove was alone.

Starfire gave Belove a small, self confident smile, something he had never done before. But as far as he was concerned, the Earth Pony deserved it, and he could allow himself a few moments to feel smug. “Four votes against one. Sorry, Belove, but democracy wins.”

If looks could kill, Starfire would have been, at that moment, fairly lifeless. “Fine,” The guard shrugged off his defeat reluctantly. “But we need to leave first thing tomorrow.”

Crunching over dry, dead leaf litter, the five stallions snuck their way over to the cave, the mountain growing larger and more profound with every small step they took. It burst through the tree canopy like a giant, moonlight gushing through, a waterfall of milky light. The mountain expanded into a cliffy path near the base, but part of the cliffside had broken away, crumbled into a mound of dirt at the bottom, likely over time. The top of the mountain was obscured by thick, cumulonimbus clouds which sailed through the sky like silent spectres, or sheep, depending on one’s interpretation.

After walking for another two minutes, they reached the cave entrance. The mountain smiled eerily at them, mouth agape, ready to swallow them whole if they dared set foot in its black depths. A faint dripping sound emanated from within.

“Meh, it’s still too dark.” Cananor said, leaning in as close as he could without actually going inside. “Can you do another one of those thingamabobs you did, Starfire? My magic is pretty limited.”

The unicorn silently agreed, shooting off another magic bolt of blue light in through the makeshift doorway. They listened for the tell tale fizzle of the magic ball hitting the wall of the cave. They were met only with silence.

Cananor whistled in surprise. “That’s one big cave. It still hasn’t reached the other...”

There was the distant sound of a pop, a waft of smoke, and then light came bursting from inside the cave. It illuminated dark grey walls, cracked stone covered with a thick layer of vines and moss, which seemed to stretch on for several hundred meters before reaching a back wall. Stalacites and stalagmites drooped from the cave roof and burst through the limestone floor like jagged, crooked teeth. Droplets of water squeezed their way out of pinprick holes in the ceiling, making soft plinking sounds as they hit the ground, forming shimmering clear puddles of water. The blue light burnt for a few more seconds, then fizzled and went out.

“Looks alright to me!” Cananor beamed. “Pretty roomy.” He put one hoof inside the cave perimeter but felt himself being pulled back sharply, his hooves kicking up dust. “Hey! That hurt.”

Starfire spat out the lawyer’s tail. “Sorry, but you can’t go rushing in there. We have to make sure it’s safe.”

Belove pushed past the unicorn, his powerful shoulder nearly ramming him headfirst into the wall. “He’s right. Dragons often reside in caves, so they do, and don’t take too kindly to ponies wondering in to their territory. They’re gold hoarders, you see, and so they...”

“We all know what a dragon is.” Cananor interrupted Belove, "They're a pretty HOT TOPIC at the moment."

Weatherstorm’s eyes lit up like jewels behind his glasses. “Ooh!” His hooves clasped together in glee. “Dragons? Do you think there is gold in there? Diamonds, jewels, treasures... do you think Rarity would prefer a crown or a tiara...”

Starfire snapped him out of his romanticised, materialistic daydream. “I doubt it. Cave this size isn’t big enough to house a dragon, and I certainly didn’t see a mound of treasure.”

Weatherstorm lowered his head in disappointment and wiped the lens of his glasses with a spotted handkerchief. “Oh.”

“It's more likely that we'll be dealing with a bear of sorts, which is still no less of a threat.”

Belove cracked his neck, and his hooves in anticipation. “So, how are we going to do this?”

“I’m not as aware of militarily techniques as you would be, Belove, but I think a slow, organised sweep of the perimeter in two groups will do. We should keep noise, and light, to a minimum, to attract less attention...”

Belove ‘pfft’, showering the unicorn with spittle before he could finish the plan. He knew that the unicorn was right, but the unicorn was not in charge. “Forget that, you wimp. Let’s just check the place out. The sooner we do, the sooner we’re back on the road. And if some cave-dwelling chancer is STUPID enough to take these bad boys on...” His voice trailed off as he flexed his powerful leg muscles. With that, he sauntered into the darkness, brimming with over-confidence.

Starfire sighed and face-hoofed. This cocky fool was sure to get them eaten. “Derky, would you like to come with me? Cananor and Weatherstorm, if you would like to pair up...”

“On it!” Cananor zipped off into the cave without a second glance, with as much confidence as Belove. He certainly was eager to prove himself a hero.

“Oh, I’d rather not, all the same.” Weatherstorm said, hesitantly. “I’ll be of little use, and I’ll probably get cobwebs in my mane. And my glasses will likely steam up. I can keep watch out here.”

Starfire put a hoof on his shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. I’ll stay out here. Mind the... trees.”

Starfire turned to Derky, who was letting a ladybird crawl up his leg. He watched it with childlike interest, occasionally laughing as it tickled his fur. He grew considerably less interested in the insect’s beauty when it climbed in his ear.

“Derky, do you want to come with me?” The unicorn inquired.

“Yeah, sure...” The Pegasus cocked his head to one side and hit the side of his scalp a few time with his hoof. After the fifth hit the ladybird barrelled out and landed on the grass with a plop. Derky kicked it away.

The two stallions joined their comrades inside, leaving Weatherstorm outside, alone. He shivered as a cold wind blew over him, just for a moment, then passed overhead, carrying leaves like paper planes. He waited until his two friends disappeared completely, voices and all, before he moved. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t want the others to see, but perhaps it was just because it didn’t concern them. She was HIS love, after all. Or maybe it did concern them? Regardless, the stallion snuck off from the cave entrance, over to the area where the cliffside had given away. Roots of plants sprung out of the damaged dirt, which crumbled from above him in a shower of soil. Weatherstorm peered up at the mountain. A narrow, hazardous path ran around the edge of the cliff, one route leading to a road covered by trees, the other running the length of the mountain and disappearing off into the distance.

It winked at him from the mound of clumped dirt at his hooves. Pawing through lumps of worm-infested soil, he unearthed the object and his heart skipped a beat. He felt just like Daring Doo herself when she made an astonishing archaeological discovery.

There, almost buried like a chest of treasure, was Rarity’s mirror.

He’d noticed it glinting out from its resting out of the corner of his eye, well before they had even reached the cave. That was one skill he had honed in his career as a journalist: keep a keen eye out for the unexpected. The mirror came loose with a sharp tug, trailing a long earthen root along with it. It was caked in dried muck.

He pieced together the story in his mind; Rarity and her party had been travelling along the high road when the cliffside had collapsed, likely under the collective weight of their hooves. However, there was no sign of her, or any of the other girls, meaning they must have been unharmed, backed up by the fact the soil was free of any point of impact that would have been caused by the fall. One question remained, however: if the girls had been travelling along the high road, which was unreachable from the point of entry to the forest Weatherstorm and his company had taken, that means that Rarity had taken a different route into the forest. If that were the case, then who had made the hoofprints they were following...?

Holding the object of his desire in his hoof, Weatherstorm blew away little specs of dirt and wiped the glass clear of mud. His reflection, though slightly distorted, stared back at him from behind swirling, brown-speckled spectacles. The Pegasus couldn’t help but wonder dreamily how many times the perfect white unicorn had had lent her starry gaze to the glass, styling her beautiful mane. He dearly hoped that she was okay...

He swallowed a gasp as he saw something move behind him, reflected in the mirror. He didn’t dare look behind him, keeping his wide eyed gaze staring straight ahead into the mirror. They say that, in times of unparalleled terror, the body will freeze up in fear, which was certainly true for Weatherstorm. The dark, shadowy figure crept up behind him, slowly, deliberately, eyes glowing red like hot coals. They illuminated the figure’s face.

And that’s when he saw IT.

Derky sneezed, unfortunately all over Starfire.

“Sorry,” He whispered, as if the dark walls of the cave were ready to come crashing down on him for daring to disturb them. “It’s all this dust. Goes right for my allergies.”

Starfire cringed, stuck out his tongue in disgust, and wiped the sticky fluids from his face. “It’s alright,” he spat out, barely managing to keep his lunch down. “Can’t be helped. But next time, sneeze AWAY from me, or at least cover your mouth.”

Derky flashed him a high-hoof. “Sure thing!” He beamed.

The unicorn didn’t have time to return the gesture before Derky sneezed in his face again, phlegm dripping from his nose like a tap. “Sorry. I forgot.” The Pegasus blushed a deep, vibrant scarlet.

Starfire controlled his temper. If there was something in there with them, he had to be very quiet. He did not have a deep desire to die covered in the contents of Derky’s nose. He could only hope the other ponies search efforts were turning out better than his.

Belove busied himself near the back wall, his eyes scanning furiously through the dark of the cavern. One tiny droplet of water manoeuvred its way out of the rocky ceiling, sliding down an icicle-like stalactite which hung from the ceiling like a bat and landing on the stallion’s head with a soft plop.

The earth pony squinted into the darkness. WAS it a...?

The bat hissed and unfurled its black, leathery wings with a resounding flap, which echoed through the hollowed rock.

Belove jumped back in fright as the bat took to the air, awoken from its thousand year slumber. It gave one low, horrifying gasp for air as its beady little eyes, small and blind, rolled over his quivering form, before sailing through a crack in the rooftop into the night sky above.

The guard allowed his heart to return to normal, taking in a big, deep breath, and then releasing it. At least he didn’t scream. He wasn’t going to give that stupid unicorn the satisfaction...

Belove screamed as another bat burst out of nowhere, gliding through the darkness with a shrill sonar shriek. He felt the beast’s fur slide through his mane, wet and greasy like slime. Recoiling in terror, he staggered backwards, brushing against the wall. He didn’t see the huge spider’s web nestled innocently in the corner of the cave, but he felt the silky, thread like fibres wrap around his body like the deathly embrace of a ghost; strangely soft and comforting. The wisps of white wrapped around his throat, strangling any cries that passed his lips. The more the Earth Pony thrashed to free himself, the more he managed to tangle himself into a pony-cocoon. Panicking, the stallion jolted his head upwards and saw an eight-legged freak crawling menacingly towards him, the huge furry form licking its fangs at the concept of another meal. Its 4 pairs of eyes feasted off of his fear, its pincers glistening with saliva. “Oh, no,” Belove whispered faintly, too scared to protest as the thing edged closer. “No, no, no...”

Starfire burst through the web like Daring Doo cleaving a way through jungle vines with a machete. “Hold on.” The unicorn commanded. Belove was just glad that he hadn’t told him to ‘hang in there.’

The student ripped apart the thin strands of web with his horn, rending and tearing at them, using the appendage like a makeshift joust to rip apart the web, thread by thread. At last, Belove felt himself fall to the ground, free from his spidery-shackles.

“Sorry about that.” The Earth Pony heard Starfire having a conversation behind him. “I’m sorry about the damage. He’ll be more careful next time.”

Was that unicorn having a conversation with the monster?

Belove turned to see an ordinary common or garden spider, shaking one of his many arms at him in rage, squabbling in some squeaky, indecipherable language. Not a huge, mutant spider at all. Just a little pipsqueak.

“Again, very sorry.” The unicorn shook one of the spider’s legs. “We meant you no harm, and I certainly didn’t mean to ruin your house.”

Derky came bounding through the web with the boundless enthusiasm of a dog chasing a ball. The last verges of the arachnids’ home fluttered to the ground behind him. “Ooh! A spider!” He cooed, hooves outstretched. “I love spiders. I’m going to keep him, and call him Spidey. Or maybe Mr. Spider...?”

‘Spidey’ or ‘Mr. Spider’ to allow him a formal title, gave him a tiny growl, turned, and shot a stream of webs which splattered all over the Pegasus’ face. “Why, Mr. Spider?” He cried, half blinded. “I thought we had a bond!”

Belove did find it strange that most animals, from the lowliest insect to the loyalist pet, took an instant disliking to Derky. Perhaps it was just his goofy face.

The Earth Pony staggered to his feet, blushing claret red. “I... didn’t see the web.” He explained to his ‘saviour’, half hushed.

Starfire nodded. He had learnt not to expect any form of gratitude from the stubborn guard.

"How do you know what the wee creature was saying, anyway?"

"Second year biology," Explained the student teacher. "Had to keep the class spider, Archie, every weekend. It's not a complicated language to pick up."

“Say, where’s Cananor?”

The lawyer span around in a blind panic. Where was he? Where were the others? And most importantly, where was the exit? The cave was deceptively large and blacker than black.

Something small and furry scuttled past him, the unicorn letting out a small ‘Eep!’ of surprise and jumping to one side. Something flew over his head with a shrill screech. The unicorn launched himself to the grimy, dusty floor with a thump as it passed overhead.

He waited for a few moments before rearing his head, staring off into whatever dark crevice the thing had wedged itself into.

He hated it here already; caves, forests, outdoors in general. And worse still, he had to SLEEP here. Still, though, he supposed that it wasn't much cleaner than his room back home...

That’s when it glinted in the darkness. Just a little slither of light as he moved his head, then gone. Curious, Cananor rose to his hooves and dusted the dirt from his twisted tie, speckled with grime. The object shone again in the darkness, giving off a radiant, spooky green glow, just for a second.

His eyes adjusting a little to his dark surroundings, Cananor edged further towards the light source. Behind him, he heard Belove and Starfire talking, but their words were hard to make out. Strangely, he wasn’t even remotely interested in following their source anymore; he felt unnaturally drawn to the flashing green haze like a glowbug to light. He reached the far end wall and the object shimmered emerald green one last time, then phased out and took on a shiny glaze. Up close, he was able to recognise its shape: a pickaxe, shiny and smooth, was lodged in the wall of the rock, jutting out at an angle, poised upwards. The head appeared to be made out of aqua blue diamond, the same shade as his mane and tail, with small notched chips around the curved point. Who knows how long the tool had been there? Instinctively, he wrapped his magic around the pick’s wooden handle. The pickaxe gave one small quiver, then dislodged itself from the wall.

The wall dislodged itself from the ceiling moments after, a large section of the rock simply collapsing altogether in an explosion of dust. Cananor coughed and dropped the pickaxe as powdery stone invaded his lungs: not exactly good for his overall health, he could hazard a guess.

And that’s what happens when I touch anything.

The lawyer’s first response was to swivel around on the spot and gulp, “I didn’t do it, honest,” a line he had found himself repeating more times than he should have in a courtroom. However, there was nopony to accuse him.

He turned his attention back to the wall of the cave he had just inadvertently deconstructed and, to his surprise, there lay a chamber behind the rubble.

It was a small room, hidden from the rest of the cave, around three meters wide. The stone walls were draped with silky spider webs which hung like curtains, blowing softly in the draught. The secret chamber was bare, indistinguishable from the main body of the cave, dark and dusty and with a stench of wet moss. However, a small crack lined the ceiling, from which rich, creamy moonlight poured through, particles of dust amplified as they floated through the pillar of light. It illuminated the only objects that sat in the room; six chickens.

Cananor edged closer into the room, parting the clouds of settling dust. The chickens had grey skin and blank, lifeless eyes. It took the unicorn a second to realise that the birds were made of stone; statues, gargoyles... garden furniture? But then, why were they here, in this cave? Why were they huddled against the back wall? Why were their foul features frozen in fear? He nudged one with his hoof. The stone bird teetered on rock hard talons for a few seconds, before falling to one side, a dull thump throwing up a cloud of smoky dust.

“What is it?”

Starfire’s soft voice behind him forced his hand. The trump card was deployed.

“I didn’t do it!” He stammered, jumping in front of the fallen statue. His hoof jolted out, knocking over another chicken, which set off a chain reaction like dominoes. “I didn’t do that either.”

“I heard something crash, so I hurried off to find you. I didn’t know you knocked half the cave down.” Starfire walked slowly past the defensive lawyer and inspected the stone statues. They stared back at him with glazed, wide eyes, their beaks twisted in terror.

Ugly statues. I wonder why they are here...

The student’s heart skipped a beat as a crazy thought invaded his mind.

“Cananor, this is a crazy thought, but... I think these statues...”

He was interrupted by a chilling, bloodcurdling scream. It came from outside.

“WEATHERSTORM!”

Belove was the first to reach the cave opening, bursting out of the darkness and into the wide, open forest. What he saw confused, shocked, and ultimately terrified him.

His feathered friend lay on his back in the grass, squirming and wrestling with a dark shadow, sitting on his chest. His assailant, for that is what it looked like, was small and round, wriggling furiously this way and that, trying to break free from the Pegasus’ grip. The thing’s head, or at least what the Earth Pony assumed was its head, was bowed menacingly towards its victim, its long nose rubbing against the stallion’s muzzle. Weatherstorm was futilely trying to keep the thing at bay, pushing it as far away from himself as he could. His head was jerking from left to right, his eyes shut tightly, his mouth curled up in fear. The journalist’s glasses were lying about a meter from him, on the small dirt path.

“Starfire?!” The Pegasus yelled out, turning his head and squinting his eyes. His eyesight without his glasses was poor, at best. “Derky, is that... Belove? BELOVE, HELP!”

“Hold on!” The Earth Pony bellowed, rushing forward, nearly slipping on the grass. With a burst of strength, Weatherstorm hoisted his attacker skyward, holding it away from his body like a golf ball nestled in a tee. The unidentified thing turned its shadowy head, barely catching a glimpse of Belove before the guard spun around and bucked it with his powerful back legs sending the thing blasting from Weatherstorm’s hooves and spiralling through the air like a football, letting out a most horrible otherworldly screech. It walloped into the mud with a splash, skidding for a few meters further on its face.

Weatherstorm was aided onto all fours by Belove. Coughing, the Pegasus brushed himself down and pulled a twig from his mane. “Nasty, rotten beast...” He cursed it under his breath. “Thank you for aiding me.” His spectacles were hastily reapplied.

Belove ignored his friend’s thanks, and stared off at whatever it was he had just saved him from. It rose slowly, dazedly from the ground in newfound light. Facing away from him, it reared its head, and Belove got a quick look at the monster.

“A CHICKEN?” Belove stammered to Weatherstorm, gobsmacked. From what he could tell, it WAS a chicken. “I just saved you from a CHICKEN?”

“Belove my friend, I assure you, that is no mere chicken.”

Belove laughed in his pal’s face. “This is pathetic, even for you!” He mocked, much to Weatherstorm’s dismay. “I had to save you from a chicken? I mean, look at it...”

“DO NOT LOOK AT IT!” Starfire screamed, bursting from the cave with such haste that he skidded, nearly tumbling head over hooves. “DO NOT EVEN LOOK NEAR IT!”

Belove span around to face Starfire, joined now by Cananor. Both unicorns seemed deeply concerned. “What is going on here?” He jeered, shrugging his shoulders. “Have you all gone doolally? Do you all suffer from electricophobias or somethin’?”

“Alektorophobia.” Weatherstorm rolled his eyes. “I think you might have invented a word.”

“Whatever.” Belove sighed, angry being proven wrong. “You know what I mean. It’s only a chicken, for Celestia’s sake.”

Starfire swallowed loudly, still watching from the mouth of the cave. “I know it looks like a chicken, but it isn’t. It’s a cockatrice.”

Although he was just as terrified, Cananor was still immature enough to giggle. “You said coc...”

“I KNOW WHAT I SAID!”

“For the last time, you eejits, stop getting so worked up over a CHICKEN.”

The ‘chicken’ fluttered off of the ground, flapping its wings, and turned to face Belove. The red-coated guard got a good look at his so called ‘chicken’ and instantly wished he hadn’t.

Whilst it certainly had a chicken’s head, from the neck down it was a hideous, writhing snake. It had horrifying, dark green wings, covered in scales and resembling those of a dragon. Its tail squirmed like a live worm behind it, long and sickeningly thick, covered in blood red spines. It had sharp talons, like gleaming swords, strong enough to cut through steel. Slowly, evilly, the ‘cockatrice’ as it was now to be referred to as, opened its malevolent eyes. Belove couldn’t help but feel drawn into them, as if in a trance. They were huge and bulging yet sat far back in its head, sunken into the thing’s hideous skull. They glowed, nay, BURNED like hot coals on a fire, heated and sustained by the embers of fury and hate. The Earth Pony took one hypnotised step towards the beast then another. Every step he took seemed to take more effort like he was getting heavier. The cocaktrice’s beak opened wide, revealing rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth. It beckoned him closer.

“Belove! Don’t look in its eyes!”

Belove didn’t hear Starfire’s desperate cries. All he could focus on was those captivating, deep red pools. They shimmered like sunset, an orange-red haze sinking beyond the horizon.

Surprisingly beautiful, in a way...

It took a good hoof sandwich from Weatherstorm to bring Belove to Equestria. Despite his outwardly ‘fru-fru’ characteristics, the journalist could sure pack a mean punch, he’d give him that.

“Snap out of it!” Weatherstorm shook theearth pony, who was clutching his battered nose with a shaking hoof. It wasn’t broken, but it hurt like heck. “You must snap out of it, Belove!”

For a moment, Belove felt inclined to punch the Pegasus back, before he realised that he had actually done him a favour.

“Wha... what happened?” Belove managed to snap his eyes away from the twin fireballs and into Weatherstorm’s deep eyes. The Pegasus apologised for punching him, but assured him it was for the better good, and that he only enjoyed it a little.

Starfire galloped forwards, pushing between the two. “Never look a cockatrice straight in the eyes. Any who look too deep into their eyes turn to stone.”

Belove huffed and folded his hooves. “I like how you only told me that now. It’s almost like you wanted me to turn to stone...”

“I tried to tell you several times, actually. You were too stubborn to listen.”

“Was not!”

“Belove, I agree with Starfire. We tried to warn you...”

“Shut up Cananor. Whose side on you on?”

“I wasn’t aware there were ‘sides’...”

“Yeah, well, if you want to ally yourself with that TRAITOR.”

“’Stormy, can you punch him again?”

“With pleasure.”

“Guys, where is the cockatrice?” Starfire asked, interrupting the squabble before it escalated into a full argument.

The cockatrice was gone, leaving behind little trace of its existence but for a flattened patch of grass where it had fallen.

There was an uncomfortable, unnatural stillness about the forest. It was silent; too silent.

“Where did it go?” inquired Weatherstorm, cautiously glancing around the area with sceptical eyes.

“Do you think it gave up and went home? Maybe it saw Belove and got scared.” Cananor said, breathing heavily.

“Darn right.”

“Because of how weird he looks.” He finished his sentence.

The earth pony growled and raised a hoof, itching for a fight. Starfire roughly grabbed his leg and forced it down again, against his will.

“A cockatrice never gives up. It’s around here somewhere.” He gestured to the thick forest of trees that surrounded them from every side. “It could be anywhere, waiting for us to go to sleep...”

Cananor nodded in understanding, backing against Weatherstorm. The Pegasus did likewise. “So, we’d better get looking then.”

“Exactly.”

They split into two groups of two, Weatherstorm and Cananor taking one side of the road, Starfire and an openly hostile Belove taking the other.

“Listen, Starfire,” Belove hissed in the unicorn’s ear as they scanned the dense forest for any signs of movement. “I know you are trying to undermine me all the time, trying to turn my friends against me, but I’m telling you now: It won’t work.”

Starfire couldn’t even be bothered replying by this point. The earth pony honestly had the most vivid imagination he had ever seen; in his mind, everypony and everything was out to get him. Starfire was no psychologist, but he was beginning to think that Belove’s constant accusations and general cockiness was nothing more than a cry out for attention.

Or maybe the guy was just a bit of a jerk. The latter seemed more likely.

The thought of an invisible threat had Cananor on edge. Somewhere, in that ever-flowing sea of trees, was a vile and lethal monster, lurking in the shadows, waiting for them to make one wrong move...

“This is pretty freaky right?” He whispered to his partner, who visibly jumped when he spoke.

“It is,” Weatherstorm whispered back. “And you are not helping. My nerves are shot as is.”

The unicorn apologised. “Right, right. Sorry.” He was silent for a few moments.

“Being turned to stone must suck.”

Weatherstorm groaned.

“Do you think you can still hear what’s going on around you?” The panic was clear in his voice. "I mean, I already have rock-solid hearing."

“I don’t know, Cananor, and I don’t...”

“How long do you think it takes?"

“Cananor, please!” Weatherstorm cried, a little louder than he had anticipated.

Cananor frowned. “Whoa, you wanna keep your voice down? You’ve probably given away our position by now.”

Weatherstorm removed his glasses and wiped his eyes. “I simply cannot deal with this, Cananor. Why don’t you check those trees, and I’ll check over here?”

The unicorn gave him a timid salute as the Pegasus wandered off in the opposite direction, holding his head, likely in dire need of a headache tablet.

Cananor bravely stuck his head through the nearest bush, bursting through the other side with a cry of “A-ha!” There was nothing but darkness beyond the leaves. No cockatrice.

The lawyer sighed in relief and checked behind him to make sure Weatherstorm wasn’t there, hooves folded. He was alone.

Who was he kidding? He could put on a brave face as much as he wanted in front of his friends, but that didn’t change how he felt inside. For how long would he have to keep this facade up? He was scared by TREES, for Celestia’s sake! His dad was right. He was pathetic, through and through.

“CANANOR!” Phoenix Flight screamed at him, exploding through the tree canopy with a crash. “YOU AREN’T GIVING UP YET!”

Not surprisingly, the unicorn jumped back in surprise. He tried to call out, but no sound escaped his throat, shut tight in fear.

The griffon, towering above him on two mighty paws, flexed his majestic feathered wings and roared, hot air blasting out of his beak like a bugle. “DON’T DOUBT YOURSELF, EVEN FOR A MOMENT! YOU’RE BETTER THAN THAT!”

Cananor began to protest. “B-but... Phoenix Flight? You're just a comic book character! How...? Wha...?”

A quick slap across the chops put him in his place. The lawyer was roughly bundled up in the griffon’s talons like a ragdoll. Screaming, he was brought closer to the heavenly attorney’s wide eyes, staring into his soul. “I NEVER WANT TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT!”

“W-what?”

“THAT!”

“I didn’t say anyth...”

He was smashed across the face again by the back of Phoenix’s paw. “DON’T ARGUE WITH ME, I’M A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION!”

“Then how can you hurt me?” Cananor grimaced, expecting another painful wallop.

“BECAUSE YOU KEEP HURTING YOURSELF!” Phoenix’s talons opened, and Cananor was re-introduced to the ground with a thump. “INSIDE! I KNOW RIGHT NOW YOU THINK YOU’RE WORTHLESS, PATHETIC, USELESS...”

“I get it.”

“WIMPY, WEAK, UGLY...”

“I don’t think I’m ugly!” Cananor defended himself. He was slapped again.

“WELL, YOU ARE!”

“Why are you saying these things?” Sobbed Cananor, cradling his face in his hooves.

“I’M NOT! YOU ARE!”

“Wha...”

SMACK! The force of Phoenix’s griffon-punch lifted the hapless stallion straight off his back. His frail body cracked as it collided with an aged oak tree, which spat bark upon his sudden and painful arrival. Branches snapped and leaves fluttered down upon his bruised and battered body as he lay slumped there. He had often wondered if stars and birds circled one’s head when dazed like in the comics, and it appeared the answer was yes. Or maybe those were REAL birds; after all, a nest had just dislodged itself from the upper branches and made its new home in his mane. The parents did not look pleased.

Phoenix Flight neatly lowered himself back to the ground on all fours with a powerful, resounding thump. “CANANOR!” He boomed, pointing one righteous clawed finger towards him. “YOU NEED TO FACE YOUR FEARS!” For some strange reason, the griffon had adopted the inexplicable ability to both duplicate and merge simultaneously. It was quite bizarre.

“I was meaning to ask...” Cananor gave the griffon a gap-toothed grin, his head teetering from side to side. “What way did that song go again? The one you sang in issue #79?”

Phoenix shrugged. “I'M NOT REALLY HERE, IDIOT! I'M JUST YOUR CONSCIENCE IN THE FORM OF A FICTIONAL CHARACTER! IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER, HOW THE HAY AM I SUPPOSED TO! POINT IS, THAT COCKATRICE IS UP THERE!”

The unicorn followed the direction of his outstretched talon. “Up where?”

“THE HEAVENS! YOU MUST PIERCE THE HEAVENS!”

“The tree?”

Cananor looked up to the leafy foliage of the tree, and saw a pair of glaring red eyes staring back at him.

It was then that Weatherstorm came back, and not a moment too soon. “Cananor, who are you talking...”

He stopped short. His friend was there, bundled against the trunk of a tree. The unicorn was frozen in fear, staring wide eyed up the length of the tree. The cockatrice, however, was slowly edging its way down the trunk, out of the bushes, stalking closer and closer to its powerless victim.

“LOOK OUT!” Weatherstorm zipped off of the ground, throwing himself in an ark towards his in-trance comrade. For the Pegasus, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, like the rest of the world came to a grinding halt. The hissing of the cockatrice drew out into a low, monotone hum, the rustling of the leaves droned out into the sort of sound one would hear a rainmaker create. Everything passed him by in what seemed like a lifetime, when in reality, it was in the blink of an eye.

Weatherstorm, hooves outstretched, reached Cananor milliseconds before the cockatrice did, both ponies exploding through the hedge and back onto the main dirt path outside the cave, wrapped in each other’s embrace.

“Wait, what?” Cananor shook away his hypnosis, fixing his wildly rolling eyes back to Weatherstorm. “Where’s Phoenix?”

Weatherstorm had little time for idle chat. “I’m afraid to say that I have not a notion as to what you are talking about, but we must make haste, for...”

For not the first time in his life, Weatherstorm took far too long saying “Let’s go” than he should have. The half chicken, half snake, all attitude monster jumped from its hiding spot, enraged at having lost such easy prey. The leaves of the bush seemed to part as it breezed over, almost out of fear. It landed on its scaly chicken’s legs on Weatherstorm’s chest, knocking him to the ground out of pure vengeance, and the Pegasus found himself in a familiar situation.

Winded, Weatherstorm collapsed onto his back, his left wing sharply bending at an angle. Sucking in pain, the journalist stared down the face of infinite evil, making sure to look anywhere but in the eyes. “Cananor!” He struggled to keep the thing away from his face. “Don’t stand... help!”

Cananor bounced from hoof to hoof, unsure of which plan of action to take. His green-blue tail flicked wildly behind him.

“Uh... I’ll get help!” He eventually called back. Up in the trees, he was sure that for a brief second, he saw Phoenix Flight glaring back down at him, cracking his knuckles. The beige unicorn gulped.

“Cana... Come back!” Weatherstorm rolled to one side, his saddlebag digging deeply into his right wing, tearing one of his neon blue feathers free. He grimaced in pain, the cockatrice screeching in his face, as he reached around to his saddlebag. If he could... just... reach...

There! The flap came undone with a flop of fabric and out fell Rarity’s hoof-mirror, pink plastic caked in earthy soil.

As quick as a flash of lightning, Storm scooped up the looking glass in his hoof and held it directly in front of him, smiling in victory. The cockatrice let out a squawk of surprise, but it knew it was already too late. Its own reflection stared back at it, eyes glowing red. The cockatrice couldn’t help but admire its reflection.

It had... such lovely eyes. Such deep, mystifying eyes...

Slowly, the beast began to change, its legs hardening to rock, its tail growing paler and paler, losing its green colour to a dull grey. It was, essentially, turning ITSELF to stone. And no matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t force itself away from the reflection.

It had been a shot in the dark really. Weatherstorm had no idea whether a cockatrice was immune to its own reflection, but, luckily for him, they were not. Looking back on it, he wished he had thought up a witty pun to accompany the cockatrice to its stony demise: something along the lines of “Nice to see you,” or “Reflecting on yourself?” or even just “Freeze!” but alas, his pounding heart prevented him from saying little.

What he did say, however, was “DERKY! WHY!” as the Pegasus in question stumbled from the blackness of the cave. The stallion, tumbling head over hooves in clumsy excitement, barrelled over the wrestling duo and knocked the mirror clear from Weatherstorm’s hoof. The journalist watched in dismay as it tumbled from his grasp, whistling as it sailed through the air and shattering under the weight of Derky’s misplaced hoof, shards of glass littering the forest floor.

“Oh, Hey, ‘Stormy. I finally found the exit and... what’s that?”

The orange maned ex-removal worker started down in confusion at the scene before him. Weatherstorm was on his back, gasping for air as... what was that slapping his face with its wing?

“A CHICKEN!” Derky beamed with quiet joy. “I love chickens, I do! Well, maybe not as much as ducks, but I hate swans.”

“Der... run!” Weatherstorm struggled to not look into those violent alizarin eyes, consuming his body as they took in every aspect of his figure. “It’s not... chicken... it’s a cocka...trice!”

The Pegasus sniggered. “Hey ‘Stormy, you said co...”

“I KNOW WHAT I SAID! GET HELP!”

“Hey Weatherstorm,” he continued, “Can I pet it? I’ve always wanted to pet a chicken.”

“DERKY, NO... I”

Without another word, Derky simply scooped up the cockatrice under one arm, flailing and squawking uncontrollably in protest. Weatherstorm watched in disbelief as his featherbrained friend cooed at the beast like an infant, rubbing the top of its head with a hoof, brushing through its comb. The cockatrice itself seemed as dumbstruck as Weatherstorm. This was new...

“Hello there, little chicken cockadoo.” He sang softly and sweetly in the beast’s face. “Who’s a good little freak of nature? You are!”

Weatherstorm wasn’t sure what to say in a moment like this. There was no word for it other than bizarre. “Derky, whatever you do, DO NOT LOOK INTO ITS EYES.”

Derky laughed innocently. “Why? It has lovely eyes.”

The cockatrice had had just about enough of this little intrusion. Still confused, it deployed its defence mechanism, glaring directly into Derky’s pupils, eyes glowing with crimson murderousness; a look that, by the natural laws of the universe, should have paralysed poor Derky and turned him to stone. Not so.

“Hey!” The Pegasus pouted, narrowing his eyes like a mare giving off to her child. He roughly bundled up the beast in a ball, holding it upside down by its feet. The cockatrice squawked loudly, a hiss of warning, its tail and wings madly thrashing, longing to be free. “Don’t you look at me like that, mister.”

The cockatrice, swaying dizzily with all the blood running to its head, hissed and swiped at Derky with its jagged tail. This was met only by a slap from the usually docile stallion. “No!” he scolded, like talking to a dog. “Bad!”

Lowering its head in what was perhaps shame, the cockatrice decided it was going nowhere with this blatantly insane pony and threw in the towel, admitting defeat. It allowed itself to go completely limp, dangling there upside down like Cananor’s rubber chicken toy.

When Cananor arrived back at the scene with Belove and Starfire, they were amazed and confused by what they saw.

“Derky!” Starfire stuttered, flabbergasted. “What did...? I mean, how?”

Derkington merely shrugged. “He just needed a little discipline, that’s all.” He turned and peered down into the cockatrice’s face. It cowered in fear. “Answer me honestly: have you been going around, turning animals to stone?” It meekly nodded in reply. “Well, shame on you doing that!” He ‘tut-tut’ showing his disapproval. “You had better go un-stone them, right now!” With that, he released his grip on it, sending it spiralling to the ground with a trail of feathers. It got up, dusted itself off, and glanced up at a rather cross looking Derky, hooves folded.

It hastily ran into the cave, and a few seconds later it ran out again, this time accompanied by a trail of wildly clucking chickens. They pattered off as fast as their little legs could carry them, likely back home to Fluttershy’s cottage. The cockatrice did likewise in the opposite direction, glad to be rid of those judging eyes.

“That... that was amazing!” Starfire smiled, still in utter disbelief at what had just happened.

Belove snorted. “It wasn’t THAT amazing...”

“Yeah, Derky, that was AWESOME! You totally handled that like Phoenix Flight himself.” Cananor instantly covered his mouth, just in case the Griffon in question was up in the trees, listening to his every word.

“You know,” Derky said, watching the cockatrice stumble away, bumping into trees as it went. “When this is all over and we stop Nightmare Moon, I’m coming back here and taking him home with me. He can be my pet.”

“Derky, I do not want that... THING anywhere near your house. I wish not to be petrified next time I visit.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Belove interrupted, breaking up the congratulation ceremony. “Derky did good. I get it. Now, since you were so insistent, can we please work on getting the cave ready?”