Atop a hill stood a being. It’s magical might was strong enough to shatter the strongest of boulders, stop the fastest of trains, and even align the moon just right in the sky. She was the sister of one of the most powerful alicorns imaginable. Yet with all her power she couldn’t stop what was happening before her.
Grassy hills stretching far into the horizon enclosed the remains of what used to be a great city. It is still inhabited of course, but not how you might think. Surrounding it, were its old inhabitants as they run for their lives. From this distance she could still see everything, every detail, about the fleeing population. The same could be said for those that chased them.
She knew what these creatures were, where they came from, and what they wanted. Made from the very dead they had massacred, they were outfitted with a variety of blades and claws. They pursued any living being with a reckless abandonment. They were just puppets being controlled by a greater power from behind the scenes. Its power was great, maybe even greater than her’s and her sister’s.
She watched as her beloved ponies ran. They fled to Celestia knows where trying to find shelter and protection from the creatures that followed them. Few are fast enough to elude the slashing claws of these creatures, to dodge the acid being hurled at them, or smart enough to hide in time. Countless have already fallen to these monsters, and many more will follow.
She had seen it happen countless times. She had been powerless to stop it then, and she was powerless to stop it now. No amount of magic would stop these creatures, no medicine would heal the scars they have already left upon the land she knew as Equestria. All that was left to do was wait for the end. It would be over soon, and with it her suffering. She had not asked for this. Nopony had asked for this. They had come to them from the vast reaches of space. She didn’t know why and she didn’t care to find out.
“Princess Luna!” A straggler had managed to find her. “What are you doing?! Help us!” The pony pleaded.
Don’t look. Ignore it.It’ll go away soon. They always do.
“Please help me! I’ve got a husband and child still in the city! They need you to-“ the pony didn’t finish. She knew why.
Coming towards them was one such monster that was creating red rivers in every street and hillside in Equestria. Its bloodlust didn’t stop at one or ten or one hundred or one thousand souls. It would only stop when there were no more. Standing Bipedal, pale peach in colour, it towered over even her. The marking on its body were unfamiliar to her. It was not a language that she understood or think she would ever live to understand. Its front hooves replaced with flesh and bone knives that pierced through pony and animal alike. Its eyes black and glossy, showing her an image of herself turned into one of them.
The pony that had questioned her before had run off to save herself. They always did and she didn’t expect anything from anyone anymore. Everyone she knew had been victims to this plague upon the land. She would be no different.
It stopped before her, as if to contemplate the reason she didn’t run like the others. She stood up on all fours, and looked at the creature once more. Their eyes locked and she knew it would be fast. But it would be very painful. As if to confirm her worries, the creature bend down and lowered its right arm. She knew what would happen, it never got easier to endure. The creature shot its arm right through her torso. Skewering her on its arm. Suspended in the air, the creature had free reign on her body, using its advantage to cut off both her right fore and back legs. She screamed of course, her shrill cry carrying far across the now barren and unloving countryside.
Biting her lips and tasting blood, she tried to stem the flow of tears. She didn’t know why this was so bad. This was much better than being force-fed stomach acid, or having her head ripped off. Her favorite was being blown to pieces, it was over in quite literally a moment.
The pain was starting to fade as she hung there bleeding out. Not fast enough she thought. Mustering her last reserves of energy, she moved her front hoof back and forth. This caught the creature’s attention. It drew its left arm back, preparing for the final cuts. She only closed her eyes. Her head was off, and her torso was in two after the creature had its way.
One life ushered into darkness. Time for the next. The creature didn’t dawdle but continued after the remaining ponies that were retreating, Leaving its latest victim in pieces.
She knew not how much time had elapsed, but she was once again standing atop the hill. She stared down at her mortal coil or what was left of it. She didn’t need to worry about attack any longer. She was no longer with the living.
It was not a long time before she could feel herself moving. She traversed vast distances without effort, only to continue on as a spectator. She was now observing a large group of survivors walk up to a castle that was situated on a large mountain bordering Equestria. It was not only ponies in the group. She counted a few griffins, diamond dogs, and an occasional dragon shivering against the icy winds and keeping a look out on their surroundings.
It was not long before they took the castle and fortified it to their liking. For the next few days, it was almost home to its inhabitants. They didn’t know it, but they were the one of the last groups of souls that were still alive in Equestria. Every animal was being hunted, every pony tracked, and every diamond dog snuffed out, and every dragon cornered.
Some survivors pretended that their world had not just been flipped upside down, and those were the first to break. Those that were broken were a hazard to the group’s safety and were thrown into the dungeons. From there it wasn’t long before they were under siege from the very monsters they had forgotten existed.
From the corners of their minds the deranged were told lies and falsehoods. These false prophets came in the guise of lost relatives and loved ones. Slowly the crazies broke the castle walls in their cells, as instructed. This was the beginning of the end.
The creatures were ushered in and the prisoners were the first to be relieved of their duty. Now attacked from both the outside and within, the group split into two parties. The main group consisting of every able bodied member of the group. These were to hold off the monsters in the hopes that the elders could escape. There was no escape, but there was no surviving either.
The elders reluctantly agreed and were barricaded into the last room that wasn’t under attack. From there they recorded. Every last detail that could be of importance to those that stumble upon these files in the future. Anything that visits this planet must be informed for the catastrophe that took place here. Once every fact was recorded, they waited. The sounds of fighting in the castle soon dwindled to silence.
The door was being barraged with the blows of countless creatures that hungered for the living that were locked inside. Some of those wanting admittance were the very survivors that had been fighting earlier. As with all things the door did eventually give way, and the ponies in the room accepted their fate.
She was whisked high up into the sky. The ground a blur as she ascended, only to stop once the ground was out of sight. A small light was present beneath her. It flickered before going out. She looked out across the clouds. She could see a small number of lights scattered across the land, and yet those too soon flickered and died out until none remained.
There is no fighting this, there was no surviving this, and there was no victory to be had in defeating the opponents that stood before pony kind. Only death await the land that was once called Equestria. The puppeteer pulling the strings revealed itself at last. From the darkness, an ancient relic of an alien species appeared. Its surface intertwined into two peaks and alien writing marked its surface. Its ghastly red glow seemed to call to her. Beckoning her to let it become whole.
She had no choice or alternative to its call and so she did as instructed. She let go. She was slowly dragged towards the columns.
She didn’t expect to be blinded by a bright light that appeared as suddenly as it had gone. Temporarily blinded, she slowly regained her sight. The pillars were no longer in sight, and she couldn’t feel their presence. Breathing a sigh of relief she looked around at her new surroundings. She was in a hallway composed almost entirely of metal. The only light was streaming in through a window on the side of the wall. Beyond that were a multitude of stars, far more than she could ever hope to see through any microscope or magic enhanced vision.
She was snapped out of her reprise by the sound of something approaching. She had only one guess as to what it was. Much to her surprise it was not one of the creatures currently attacking her planet. It was another bipedal, but something was entirely different about this creature. It was encased in a suit of fabrics and metal that had both rusted and been splattered with blood. A helmet that streaked the floor in three vertical strips of blue light. This faceguard in no way provided any vision to the creature inside. In its hand, a weapon of some kind was there at the ready.
The sound of scraping and clawing came from a nearby vent on the wall. The creature backed away and drew the weapon it was holding. Some parts of the device moved and shifted until faint blue streaks of light were pulsating from its entrance. This object also shed light on the vent that the noises came from.
Almost as soon as the light had hit the vent, a familiar creature had come hurtling out. It was like the biped from earlier but a far weaker variant. She expect it to be over very quickly. This armoured figure had no chance of running in the tight corridor they were all in. But it didn’t turn and run. It actually discharged its weapon on the monster before it. A blue wave of light seemed to fire out the machine and strike the monster’s bladed appendage.
The appendage came clean off. It was the straightest cut she had ever seen. The monster doubled back before lunging forward once again. Soon enough though, its other blade was decommissioned as well. It was left struggling on the floor at the masked figure stood above it.
She couldn’t believe it. How in the name of Celestia had this creature not only fought one of these creatures, but actually prevailed? Was it the weapon? It had to be.
Mercy was finally given as the figure brought up one of its legs and brought it down on the monster’s head, spraying Brain tissue, bone, and flesh across the floor.
It swung it’s head towards her. Could it see her? Did it think she was a threat? Her question were answered as the creature approached. It didn’t stop until it passed right through her, before continuing on its way. She knew not what this creature’s name was or where it was from. She felt that it instilled in her the hope she had so desperately needed the last few nights. She knew now that there was a single being that did not cower in fear or run, but fought to survive against the same threats she was fighting against herself.
She would do anything to get it onto her side.
Author's Note
So what do you guys think? Is it better than the first prologue?
The armoured figure was the last thing I saw before being assaulted by light. While scrambling to bring the covers over my eyes, I found that they were no longer there. As a last resort I covered her eyes with my hooves and tried to recover from the sudden attack.
“Wake up princess, you’re late to breakfast!” a familiar feminine voice said to my right.
My eyes had adjusted enough to at least give a vague impression as to whom was in the room with me. Sure enough a royal guard was by my bedside. Why this guard was here I hadn’t the faintest idea.
“Get up, Princess Celestia sent me to escort you.” The guard stated in a tired tone.
I grunted before bringing myself upright. Rubbing my eyes, I noticed the sheets I had so desperately sought were just out of my reach. I Looked towards the guard with a look of accusation.
“Do you really think I don’t know how to wake your highness up by now? This has been the fourth time this week alone princess.” The guard defended herself. “I’ve learnt that eliminating the blanket and using sunlight is the most effective strategy. Anything else and I would've had to drag you out of bed.”
I nodded in agreement. Memories of mornings past informed me that anything, but this method would result in me just shrugging the guard off. I started out of bed and the guard moved towards the door.
“I’ll be right outside. Don’t keep your sister waiting.” The guard said before closing the door behind her.
Stretching my fore and back legs, I glanced around my room. Unlike my sister’s room, mine was relatively empty aside from the essentials. A closet and dresser of clothes with a mirror sat next to the door. a lounge chair next to a fireplace I haven’t used in a while occupied a fifth of my room. A balcony next to my bed (Princess sized) allowed for midnight flights. Lastly, a desk with a layer of dust was beside my bed. All wrapped in the dark blue paint of the walls and floor.
Already in auto-pilot, I got dressed in the standard princess attire. Crown on, slippers slipped into, and mantle wrapped around my neck. Looking into the mirror, they all looked fine. Opening the dresser and taking out a comb kept my hair in line and normal. Sadly, the same couldn’t be said for my eyes. Red veins slowly advanced towards my pupils, the war has been long fought and the veins were ever present.
Dismissing what I couldn’t change, I opened the door and sure enough the guard was in the motion of knocking. Bringing down her hoof quickly, she started to lead the way. I followed.
“We are exactly twenty minutes late for breakfast princess.” The mare said almost provocatively. “I hope that we aren’t scolded for this”
“I’ll talk to Celestia about it.” I promised to the guard.
“That would be much appreciated princess.” The guard replied
An awkward silence enveloped us as we continued down the many halls of Canterlot Castle. To visitors and new recruits, it is an endless maze. Getting to your desired destination can either take a few minutes or one to two hours depending on whether or not you ask for help. To me, I grew up with these walls around me and I knew them inside out.
“Here we are princess. Enjoy your meal.” The guard said before opening the door for me.
I snapped out of my reverie, and walked into the room. Inside was a large table and a few chairs. Princess Celestia occupied one, and a few captains were in the others. Sounds could be heard from the room adjacent. The Mess Hall was also lively at this hour.
I walked towards the chair next to my sister and took a seat. A servant had seen me enter and had waited for me to settle down. He brought a platter with pancakes. They were buttered and off to the side were my utensils and maple syrup awaited my input.
“That will be all, thank you.” Celestia told the servant. He bowed before leaving the room.
“Good morning Luna, I hope you slept well.” My sister started with a smile. “I had your favorite made and served.”
“I thank you for that sister.” I replied automatically. “What did I miss today in the morning court?”
“Nothing special. The rich complaining about their lack of privilege, the royals complaining about minor offences against them, et cetera, et cetera.” My sister replied “I hope it was worth missing.”
“It helps, and I have to also thank you for that as well.” I said. “What is the weather looking like?”
“A downpour scheduled for the morning, and all will be sunny for the rest of the afternoon.” My sister said. She nodded to the captains as they finished up their meal and left the room. “How have the dreams been?”
“Horrible, they always start out the same way.” I tried to keep my composure. “I don’t know why this is happening sister, it is just too strange.”
“I don’t know how to help you Luna. If you need any help than you just have to ask.” Celestia replied; draping her wing over me. “I’ll always be here to help Wuna.”
“Thanks Tia, I’ve tried to understand them but i’d rather not even think of them at all.” I replied, snuggling closer to my sister. “I have a feeling that they aren’t going to stop anytime soon.”
“What did you see this time?” Celestia asked me. “Was it worse than last night’s?”
“The dreams always gets worse in someway. They either get longer or more vivid.” I tried to explain. “ I don’t know how to stop them. I don’t even know if what they entail will befall our Land, but every night I get more and more sure it will happen.”
“ Explaining them to me might help. You don’t have to burden yourself with this knowledge alone.” Celestia tried to console.
Thinking back to my dreams, I couldn’t describe them to anypony. It was horrible enough just being in them, but describing them would be in an entirely different league. Celestia’s my sister and the most powerful being on the planet. She could handle it right?
“Very well; I will tell you about them tonight. Are you available?” I asked my sister.
“For you? Always. Come to my room when you are ready to talk. Although, coming after the afternoon court would prove to be ideal.” Celestia replied unwrapping her wing.
“Be prepared Tia. These dreams are unlike any you, or even I, have ever experienced.” I warned
“I’ll be ready. All you have to do is explain. If there isn’t anything else, then I must be off. Have a nice day Wuna.” Celestia said as she parted from the room.
I sighed and turned back to my food. I had regained some of my appetite, but the pancakes still remained half finished as I left the room.
Ever since the dreams had started, I’ve been losing sleep. This lead to most of my duties being given to others. Currently, I was on vacation with no responsibilities other than keeping myself going. Easier said than done when these dreams advocate death and destruction of our race and every living thing in the world.
Turning a corner I heard voices from down the hall.
“So why do you think she has so much free time now?” Voice A asked
“We don’t know, but it maybe that she is suffering from some kind of sickness.” Voice B replied
“Or she just doesn’t want to work, that’s always on the table.” Voice C chimed in.
silently approaching the voices, I rounded a corner and they all saluted simultaneously.
“Princess! Nothing special to report.” Guard C stated.
“At ease, continue the good work.”I replied. before continuing on my way.
Rumour and speculation had been rampant throughout the castle. Ponies will wonder why one of their beloved sovereigns isn’t doing their job anymore.
Wandering had been my go-to strategy for dealing with the stress, but between the somewhat harsh glances received by guards and the growing awareness of my actions, or lack there of, I needed to be doing something that at least looked somewhat productive. Currently walking around and investigating the flora from the gardens got everyone to stop with the glares.
The gardens was exactly where I was going. I desperately needed a schedule to organize all the ‘work’ I’d need to do for the days to come.
The gardens were a calming sight. The lush abundance of colours and fragrances dulled my senses. I walked towards a pavilion in the distance, all the while taking in my surrounds and the ponies as well. I smiled, forgotten by the world for a short period of time.
I’d better make this a habit, I almost feel like starting up my duties again. Yet there was something nagging me at the back of my mind. It was truly the only thing keeping me from achieving a perfect state of mind.
“Come to my room when you are ready to talk.”
The words echoed in my head. For some reason I felt a growing dread in my stomach. I would need to talk to my sister about the dreams, but how could I? I wouldn’t know where to begin, let alone continue for long without breaking down.
The garden grew silent as I closed my eyes and pondered my predicament. I needed to tell Celestia about my dreams, but was now the right time? When is the right time to talk about nightmares that may or may not come true?
I was beginning to get a headache as I pondered my situation. opening my eyes, the first thing i noticed was that there were no living souls in the gardens besides myself. Weird, this is the busiest time for the gardeners. They must be slacking off as well.
“Luna” said a voice behind me. I turned to look but found that nopony was there.
Disregarding the strange atmosphere I now found myself in, i started on my way back to the castle. I couldn't take a step as I took in my surroundings. The scents I had been inhaling earlier were no longer present with only a stench of decay in it’s place.
What is going on here? It hadn’t been 5 minutes since I had taken a break. Am i going crazy?
“It’s coming Luna” the voice from before warned. The source was nowhere in the garden from the looks of it.
That was when i heard IT. The sound that made my blood run cold. A steady thumping coming from behind,indicating that something large was approaching. I’d heard it many time before, but not once in reality. It got louder and louder until I snapped my head to get a glimpse of the horrendous creature that was ready to eviscerate me.
Nothing was there, it was all my imagination I told myself. Only a glance at the flowers below me informed me that not all was right. Gone were the numerous colours only to be replaced with a dark blue. A red substance was starting to drip out of the flowers as i tried to back away.
Before I could blink the sky transformed from a cheery blue to a deep black. How I was able to see at all was beyond me, but unfortunately i still could. The gazebo from before started to rot as the wood turned to ruin right in front of me. Turning to the castle, it was even worse for wear. The walls started to crumble and turn to dust in the vicious winds.
“We are coming Luna” the voice said in my ear.
I couldn’t speak, it was hard enough keeping the tears from flowing as i watched my home blow away. Leaving behind only a wide tower I’d never seen before. Why this was the only building spared was beyond me, yet i was glad at least something survived.
“We are coming soon.” the voice promised me.
I was somehow enthralled by the tower before me. I somehow knew there was something inside, and that something was the key to this whole ordeal regarding the dreams. I focused on the building as it slowly opened itself like a box, spraying darkness outwards.
My hope shriveled up and I started to back away as I realized exactly what was inside. Even being in it’s presence was enough to unnerve and downright terrify even the toughest of ponies. Out from the darkness came the object from which all every nightmare would become reality. It’s red glow shone through the sludge covering its ancient surface.
“And you will make us whole” the voice said.
I felt a presence on my back and two legs appeared in my peripheral vision. They rested on my face and slowly brought my head to the side. What I saw was a white slim ape with three holes in what I would assume to be its face.
I couldn’t take a breath before the eyes started to glow a violent light. The being let out a high pitched shriek that invaded my skull and vibrated in my brain. I felt myself falling to the ground before everything went black.
Author's Note
18 weeks. That's a long time, too long. I'm going to make a schedule for chapters and I will give you people what you deserve. J̶U̶S̶T̶I̶C̶E̶ a somewhat satisfactory attempt at reviving a story you seem to enjoy reading so much.
P.S. Couldn't get in touch with my editor, and therefor couldn't get a second opinion on the chapter. If any of you are willing to help, PM me and we'll sort it out from there.
