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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
No Need to Thank Me
It was fortunate Fluttershy had fallen out next to rough terrain. Applejack carefully planted her rear hooves against the rocky surface.
"Here," said Rarity, handing Applejack two silk stockings.
"Oh for the love of... Rarity, did they have to be pink?" grumbled Applejack.
"Hay, what's wrong with pink?" whined Pinkie Pie.
"You should be thankful you have a friend who cares about saving Equestria in style," huffed Rarity.
"We're all under a lot of stress, girls," said a tired-looking Twilight Sparkle, her horn perpetually glowing in tandem with the blurry edges of the circle of non-darkness surrounding them. "Try to stay civil."
"Can't you just part the darkness around her?" asked Pinkie Pie.
Twilight shook her head. "It would knock Fluttershy unconscious. This spell I'm using to peel back Shadow isn't exactly gentle."
Applejack slipped the stockings onto her front hooves, gripped the black blob in front of her, and pulled as hard as she could. With one last yank, the black mass parted and spat Fluttershy out onto the earth, where she coughed and gasped.
"It was terrible!" said Fluttershy, shivering on the ground. "It was so cold, so empty... oh, poor Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie gave her a hug.
"The sooner we reach the summit, the sooner they'll all be free. Let's mosey," said Applejack.
Rarity and Pinkie helped Fluttershy up. Slowly, the small herd found their way up the slope, darkness melting ahead of them and reforming behind them.
"Like a needle in a haystack," complained Rarity, her horn glowing as she cast her gem-location spell again. The slope of the terrain was nearly invisible: darkness didn't coat the sky, but it absorbed all light from the ground and defied depth perception. "Twilight, twenty degrees to your left is a gradual rise and possible plateau."
The surface of a round stone table pushed its way into the light. Its edges were engraved in ancient runes.
"YES! Oh, thank Celestia," gasped Twilight, exhausted. "Pinkie, hand me the transcription for the verbal component," she asked.
"Say what?" said Pinkie Pie.
"The words, Pinkie," said Twilight, standing in the center of the table. "It's hard to cast two powerful spells at the same time."
Pinkie Pie reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a piece of parchment, upon which were written two very large words. "Here you go!" she said, setting it in front of Twilight.
"Pinkie, this is only two words," Twilight said, the nervousness rising in her voice. "I'd ask why you wrote them so large, but more importantly: where's the third?"
"Oh! I wrote them really big because you said they were super-duper important and you couldn't afford any mistakes," she said. "And the third word is on page two. Let me see, where is it..."
"This ain't gonna end good," Applejack muttered under her breath.
"Be nice," Fluttershy said, resting on the ground.
"Here we go!" said Pinkie Pie, to several sighs of relief. "Huh, there's more than one magic word here! There's 'milk', 'eggs', 'vanilla'..."
Rarity immediately grabbed Pinkie Pie by the shoulders and shoved her muzzle right up in her face. "Pinkie Pie. For the love of Equestria, please tell me we are not going to be trapped in this tacky darkness for a thousand years because you mistook a shopping list for a piece of paper with a single word on it."
"Oops?" said Pinkie Pie, grimacing. Applejack buried her face in her hooves, and Fluttershy looked on the verge of tears.
"It's okay, girls; I think I still remember," said Twilight. She cleared her throat, looked down at the sheet, and very carefully intoned the words...
"KLAATU, BARADA, NIKTU!" shouted Twilight Sparkle.
"Aw, look on the bright side, Rainbow. It coulda been a heckuva lot worse," said Applejack, unable to suppress the smirk from her lips. Everything in Ponyville looked just as it had before the Shadow's attack: the earth, the plants, the animals, even the cows and donkeys.
Not so much the ponies, though.
Rainbow Dash scowled at Applejack, though it was hard to see her facial features now that her feathers, mane, and pelt were so unnaturally black the light itself refused to touch them. A large herd of similarly pelt-blackened ponies had gathered outside the castle, awaiting an explanation from their colorful princess.
"So I hear I have you to thank for this, Pinkie P—" growled Rainbow, only to find a dusty pink hoof planted right in her muzzle.
"Don't mention it, Dashie!" said Pinkie, grinning proudly.
"Here," said Rarity, handing Applejack two silk stockings.
"Oh for the love of... Rarity, did they have to be pink?" grumbled Applejack.
"Hay, what's wrong with pink?" whined Pinkie Pie.
"You should be thankful you have a friend who cares about saving Equestria in style," huffed Rarity.
"We're all under a lot of stress, girls," said a tired-looking Twilight Sparkle, her horn perpetually glowing in tandem with the blurry edges of the circle of non-darkness surrounding them. "Try to stay civil."
"Can't you just part the darkness around her?" asked Pinkie Pie.
Twilight shook her head. "It would knock Fluttershy unconscious. This spell I'm using to peel back Shadow isn't exactly gentle."
Applejack slipped the stockings onto her front hooves, gripped the black blob in front of her, and pulled as hard as she could. With one last yank, the black mass parted and spat Fluttershy out onto the earth, where she coughed and gasped.
"It was terrible!" said Fluttershy, shivering on the ground. "It was so cold, so empty... oh, poor Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie gave her a hug.
"The sooner we reach the summit, the sooner they'll all be free. Let's mosey," said Applejack.
Rarity and Pinkie helped Fluttershy up. Slowly, the small herd found their way up the slope, darkness melting ahead of them and reforming behind them.
"Like a needle in a haystack," complained Rarity, her horn glowing as she cast her gem-location spell again. The slope of the terrain was nearly invisible: darkness didn't coat the sky, but it absorbed all light from the ground and defied depth perception. "Twilight, twenty degrees to your left is a gradual rise and possible plateau."
The surface of a round stone table pushed its way into the light. Its edges were engraved in ancient runes.
"YES! Oh, thank Celestia," gasped Twilight, exhausted. "Pinkie, hand me the transcription for the verbal component," she asked.
"Say what?" said Pinkie Pie.
"The words, Pinkie," said Twilight, standing in the center of the table. "It's hard to cast two powerful spells at the same time."
Pinkie Pie reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a piece of parchment, upon which were written two very large words. "Here you go!" she said, setting it in front of Twilight.
"Pinkie, this is only two words," Twilight said, the nervousness rising in her voice. "I'd ask why you wrote them so large, but more importantly: where's the third?"
"Oh! I wrote them really big because you said they were super-duper important and you couldn't afford any mistakes," she said. "And the third word is on page two. Let me see, where is it..."
"This ain't gonna end good," Applejack muttered under her breath.
"Be nice," Fluttershy said, resting on the ground.
"Here we go!" said Pinkie Pie, to several sighs of relief. "Huh, there's more than one magic word here! There's 'milk', 'eggs', 'vanilla'..."
Rarity immediately grabbed Pinkie Pie by the shoulders and shoved her muzzle right up in her face. "Pinkie Pie. For the love of Equestria, please tell me we are not going to be trapped in this tacky darkness for a thousand years because you mistook a shopping list for a piece of paper with a single word on it."
"Oops?" said Pinkie Pie, grimacing. Applejack buried her face in her hooves, and Fluttershy looked on the verge of tears.
"It's okay, girls; I think I still remember," said Twilight. She cleared her throat, looked down at the sheet, and very carefully intoned the words...
"KLAATU, BARADA, NIKTU!" shouted Twilight Sparkle.
"Aw, look on the bright side, Rainbow. It coulda been a heckuva lot worse," said Applejack, unable to suppress the smirk from her lips. Everything in Ponyville looked just as it had before the Shadow's attack: the earth, the plants, the animals, even the cows and donkeys.
Not so much the ponies, though.
Rainbow Dash scowled at Applejack, though it was hard to see her facial features now that her feathers, mane, and pelt were so unnaturally black the light itself refused to touch them. A large herd of similarly pelt-blackened ponies had gathered outside the castle, awaiting an explanation from their colorful princess.
"So I hear I have you to thank for this, Pinkie P—" growled Rainbow, only to find a dusty pink hoof planted right in her muzzle.
"Don't mention it, Dashie!" said Pinkie, grinning proudly.