Darkness licked at her heels, her hooves wanted to give in, to accept fate, as terrible as it was. The desperate wailing of the foal strapped to her back gave her the energy to move forward. She could not fly, because they rested overhead, she could only gallop and hope that she would make it in time. Her hooves tensed as she saw it, her opening. The metallic wall that lead downwards was still open, she could see ponies. Ponies who were hopefully that she would make it.

A tendril wrapped around her hindleg. A jolt of pain wracked it, the sensations was that of a million little thorns digging through her hide and actively tearing away at flesh and fur, she wasn't going to make it... Another wail came from the foal on her back, her resolve deepened and she yanked as hard as she could. Her body became numb to the pain, her mind focused on one goal. She did not hear the tearing of wet meaty flesh nor the crackling of brittle bones as her hindleg was detatched with such ease. She still wouldn't make it, she knew she wouldn't...

Magic enveloped her beloved foal, quickly. She knew the dangers, but it was better then death. "CLOSE IT!" she screamed just as she threw her only child through the open maw of metal. Moments later the gears whirred and the doorway to safety closed with a stressed groan. She had done it, she had saved all that mattered to her anymore... It was all a mother could do to save her only filly.

Magic took the place of her missing hoof and she stood firm. With her foal safe she could find an ease within her mind. Her thoughts pointed out how she could have avoided this situation, the 'what ifs' digging into her thoughts like a talon through flesh. It was much to late to regret over things, if only she had planned for this. The darkness crept forward, enclosing itself around her.

Her wings flared up defensively, her eyes ablaze with a brilliant white light that cut through the essence that surrounded her. "Back off." she found it odd how much she sounded like her deceased mentor, the way such a mare could be so full of mercy yet so intimidating at the same time was lost on her, but the tone.. "You have waited patiently, for this time. No more Queens or Kings, no more Princesses or Goddesses to account for." A thousand eyes stared at her from the darkness, hues of crimson which mocked her continued survival and regarded her with the lust of a starving pony.

Her magic lashed out, whipping away the tendrils that wished to feast upon her flesh. She could see the tin mouths, constantly biting at the air, as if her presence was good enough. But, you did not think that ponies themselves could ascend. You are young, younger then Celestia, younger then Luna." The eyes narrowed into a glower, but the tiny mouths began to giggle with untamed excitement. "Tasted! We tasted! The sun, the moon, so sweet and succulent. Ah! But there was no comparison to the fat roasted hen that was Love! Ohoho, we did not forget the elements, apples, rainbows, cupcakes, gems, ahh kindness.. With her will strive. Feed us, we command! Do not fight it, little pony.." the amount of screams and laughs would have driven a mortal pony to the brink of insanity.

She let out a breath she had been holding in. Celestia, Luna, Cadence, her best friends... For a moment her magic dimmed, her hope dying away. But a soft smile crept upon her lips. "But chaos continues to allude you." The darkness did not take kindly to her words. "Hush you fool! Once we have magic, Chaos will fall soon after. All shall be ours." Another burst of chortles escaped from the tendrils, until it was cut off by a single answer. "No."

"What? Magic thinks she can stop us?" The tendrils flickered back into the darkness, the small mouths reshaping into a diabolical grin. "Magic.. Flows through everyone, and everything. Not just ponies, and not just unicorns." From above, from below, to her left and right, behind her and in front of her.. Eyes appeared, staring from the darkness. But she paid no heed. The world was composed of magic, its essence was the life of all, including the planet itself. She dug through it, the dead she could feel. Her mentor, her family, her friends. She siphoned from the nation and beyond it.

To the lands of the Griffins and the Zebras, to the low, corrupted oceans of the Seaponies. She stole from everything and everyone that had been consumed by this beast of shadows and soon she swelled with magic.She would transcend Alicorn hood and reach for the heavens above, to become a true Goddess for her land, for her people. She was to become all, her great destiny, her final great invention. "I am Twilight Sparkle, last remaining Princess of Equestria, Goddess of Magic, and thus, Goddess of Life. You are nothing more then a shadow beneath my hoof, a necessary evil in this worlds survival. Justice will be swift, and your imprisonment shall last FOREVER!."

The darkness lunged forward and entrapped Twilight within its dark confines. Moments seemed like hours to her, but Twilights magic dived inwards, finally taking from the last remaining pony upon the surface. Herself. The explosion rocked the foundation of the world. Mountains were toppled, cities were obliterated, fields and valleys incinerated. Until all that remained was a barren wasteland that screamed for fertility, but only a fragment of Twilight Sparkles essence touched the barren land...

----

Forty Years Later

Sparkle's magical essence took to the world like a mother embracing her child. Thus life on the surface began anew after twenty years progress was made. The ruins of large cities became forests or swamps, oceans took the place of deserts.. But the world was hardly finished, and the magical presence was lethal to ponies, the air in the upper world was thin and made breathing for those brave enough to explore it a rather tedious task.

Thus, ponies remained in the Underground. In the olden days the Underground was a set of tunnels and stations that connected to one another. It was used to traverse easily among railways to collect precious minerals. Now it was home to Ponykind and any other race that had made its home in Equestria. Ponykind was anything but safe within the confines of the Underground, cave ins were natural and magical radiation leaks from above were all to common. The recent resurgence of dark monsters only added to the troubles of the Underground.

But Ponies were known to survive...

Author's Note

I expect many thumbs down and a lot of grammatical errors. Some feedback would be nice.