El Turnia: Becoming Fire *DISCONTINUED*

Chapter 20: She's Back

"Fly faster!" I shouted as Christilia and I soared through the night sky.
"I am!" she shouted back.
We were on our way to help whomever had sent the distressed message. It only stated that it was from Ponington, a small town northwest of Trottingham, and that it needed help, probably a lot of it by the three words that were obviously written in a hurry. I was scared. What or who was waiting for us at our destination and were they friend or foe?
Probably foe.
"There it is!" Christilia cried and then more quietly. "Oh no."
Then I saw it. It lit up the night sky like a pillar of fire, it stuck up from the ground like somepony had thrust it up from underneath, and houses and trees that had once stood there were now dislodged, laying broken on the streets.
"What did this?" Christilia asked horrified.
"More like WHO did this." I corrected her. "This was the doing of a living, breathing creature."
"What one?" Christilia asked. "It couldn't be a pony.... could it?"
"No," I said slowly. "I think it was a certain draconequus."
"Lunacy!" Christilia whispered.
I nodded.
"Let's go!" Christilia said soaring down towards the town.
I followed her swooping down to the city below.
"WHO GOES THERE!?" a voice shouted from the ground.
"Queen Gloria and Christilia!" I yelled back.
"It's the queens!" another voice shouted with glee.
"We're saved!" yelled another.
Not yet.
"We got your letter! What happened?" Christilia said kindly as she touched down on the street.
Several ponies walked out from the shadows, they all looked weary and terrified.
"I don't know ma'am's." said the first pony, he was black with a yellow mane and eyes.
"And you are?" Christilia asked.
"Mayor Briar your majesty." the stallion bowed.
Then he pointed to a coco mare with a white and red mane and her foal, she was brown ( a baby ) with an orange mane.
"That there's Coco Heart and her daughter Pumpkin Spice." he said.
He pointed to another stallion.
"And that's Crabcake."
Crabcake had a white coat with a red mane that glowed slightly under the light from the pillar. He shifted his wings awkwardly and bowed.
"Where are the others?" I asked the mayor.
"Gone." he replied sadly.
"Gone!?" I said horrified.
"They all ran away when the pillar appeared, fled to the Thornwood forest." his voice was low when he said the forests name.
Everypony knew the stories of how that forest was haunted or full of beasts like nopony had ever seen before.
Probably both, we need to get those ponies home now!
As if he read my mind the mayor said:
"They won't come home until that there thing is gone! We need to take care of that first!"
You need US to take care of that first!
"Right!" I said quickly. "Let's take a look at that.... thing!"
Wow Gloria, very commanding.
The mayor nodded and led us towards the light.
"Holy crow!" Christilia said in awe.
"No kidding!" I agreed.
I walked closer to get a better look. It was amazing, colors swirled around inside its light and I could almost make out distant shapes.
"It may look amazing but it caused pure chaos when it erupted! Looked like another world had just collided with ours if ya know what I mean!" said Crabcake.
Pure chaos! Another world?
I looked closer at the pillar and saw a figure start to move and slide closer to me, I took a step beck startled. The figure moved smoothly towards me. I gasped in realization.
"It's not a pillar," I said quietly. "it's a cage. And it's being unlocked!
"What!?" Christilia asked shocked. "Stop talking in riddles!"
"You all know the story of Lunacy right?" I asked the confused crowd around me.
Everypony nodded.
"Then you all know she was trapped in a cocoon in a universe of chaos!"
"Sooo?" Christilia asked.
I looked at her and raised her eyebrows.
"Oh!" she said in realization. "Do you mean-"
"That's Lunacy's cocoon?!" Squealed Coco Heart.
"She's back!?" Crabcake said.
"I don't believe it!" shouted Mayor Briar.
"You'd better!" I said raising my brows.
"Then we must destroy it!" Coco Heart declared.
"Ye deswory ip!" Pumpkin Spice giggled. "Boomy booooom!"
Coco Heart shushed her quickly. I looked at the foal and her mother and was immediately reminded of mine, what would my mother have done?
She'd help them no matter what!
I sighed and looked around at the villagers.
"You need to leave!" I said sternly.
"WHAT!?" all the villagers yelled in unison.
"It's not safe here!" I said desperately.
"But this is our home!" Coco Heart said tears brimming in her eyes.
"I will send guards to contain the cocoon and keep your home safe, but I need you to gather the rest of the town and bring them to Trottingham, you'll be safe there!" I pleaded.
They have to believe me they. They must!
Mayor Briar's yellow eyes met my green ones and I could tell he understood. He nodded to Crabcake and Coco, they reluctantly nodded back.
"We'll find our friends and come with you to Trottingham, but please keep our home safe." he said.
"I will, I promise you!" I said.
I'll try.
In the morning villagers set out to find there friends and Christilia and I watched as a militia of guards arrived. They quickly contained the cocoon and set watch.
"What if this doesn't work?" Christilia asked nervously. "What if Lunacy escapes?"
I looked at her, her eyes reflected the sunrise and her face was lit up with the newly risen sun. I looked up at the ever lightening sky and spoke quietly so only she could hear:
"We can use the Tokens of Peace."
"But we've never used them and we don't know how!" Christilia said sounding panicked.
I put my hoof around her shoulder comfortingly.
"We can do it, I know we can!" I said encouragingly.
She put her head on my shoulder. I blushed.
"How are you so brave?" she asked.
I looked at her.
"I'm not." I said.
"Oh don't be so modest!" she laughed. "Of course you are!"
"No I'm not being modest, I'm not brave. I'm scared. So so scared. I don't know what could happen! What if I... what if I lose you or-" Christilia silenced me with a stare.
"Don't worry." she said. "I'm not going anywhere!"
I looked at her, grateful that she was with me and as the villagers returned comforting their friends and taking care of the young ones I knew that whatever happened El Turnia would stand through it to the end of it all.