Darkness Shrouds Us All

Chapters

Just an Abnormal Morning
Strange Things Happen
Beautiful Town Now in Ruins
Threatened by a Rainbow
A Talk With Applejack
Hunted
Secrets Revealed
Things Get a Lot Worse
Doubting, and Then Belief
War is on the Horizon
Pools of Blood and Floods of Tears
A Tragic Death and a Lucky Save
A Mysterious Beam
Pink Ponies Can Turn Quite Blue
Meanwhile...
The Second Beam
The Evil Behind All This
The Cave
Preperations

Just an Abnormal Morning

Here, we find our pal, Twilight Sparkle, studying as she usually does. Interrupted by the sound of a crash, followed by screaming from a few smaller ponies which had also trotted away, she found Rainbow Dash lying in the grass outside Twilight's humble abode. She hurried to the window and saw her. "You okay there, Rainbow?" she yelled. The lightning-fast multicolored pony lifted her head weakily, saying, "Yeah," her head dropped back down, and continued speaking. "I'm fine!"

Then Fluttershy came around with a group of ducklings, looking as if she was leading them to their pond, and saw that Rainbow Dash had crashed. "Oh my gosh, Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?" she said shockingly, as loud as she can speak, which still isn't loud at all. Rainbow Dash replied with a loud, short moan. "Here. Lemme help you back up." Fluttershy, feeble and fragile as she seems and is, brought Rainbow back on all fours. "Thanks, Fluttershy. Kinda needed the help." Rainbow Dash said, happily. Fluttershy turned her head down, still looking at Rainbow's face. "Any time, Rainbow."

The two ponies turned their heads leftwards, noticing Pinkie Pie hopping down the street, heading for the two. "I heard something bad happened over here to Rainbow Dash!" She said, still hopping up and down. Rainbow Dash rubbed her head as if she had a headache, saying, "Yeah, I cr-," she was interrupted by the bouncy pink pony. "crashed onto the grass! So I decided to bring you a cupcake!" she said excitingly. She held up a cupcake that had multicolored sprinkles, aqua colorled cake-bread part, and Rainbow Dash's face drawn on with frosting and her name. "Wow, nice job on the cupcake, Pinkie! I appreciate it." the young sky-pony thanked.

Then comes trotting Rarity, looking as fancy as ever. She was shocked when she saw Rainbow Dash. She gasped saying, "Oh my! What ever happened to poor ol' Rainbow Dash?! You're a mess!" She trotted over to her and lifted up her filthy mane. "Just look at your mane! This is awful!" Rarity remarked. She stood up gracefully. "Looks like somepony needs some tidying up! Come with me, Rainbow Dash." They trotted over to Rarity's and got Rainbow Dash all fixed up. "Well...that was kinda harder to do than expected, but you're all good as new now!" Rarity informed. It began to rain, and everypony that was already outside went inside. "Dang it! That rain's gonna mess up your mane!" She pouted. "Well, it's a good thing you were fixing ME up. I'll go take care of the rain clouds." Rainbow Dash said. She started for takeoff. "Oh, and thanks, Rarity!" She said as she was flying away.

Back at Twilight Sparkle's house

Twilight Sparkle's little reptile assistant, Spike, came downstairs followed by a yawn. Twilight turned her head and greeted him. "Good morning, Spike." she said. "Mornin', Twilight," the purple reptile repiled. "Did you hear a crash this morning?" he continued. "Yeah, that was Rainbow Dash. She crashed-landed and a couple of our friends supported her." Twilight explained. "Oooohhh. Hey, can you try giving me a moustache again?" Spike asked. "Sure thing, Spike." she answered.

She aimed her unihorn at Spike. The unihorn now glowed light purple, glowing more in only seconds. Then, it shot a beam, causing a bushy moustache to appear on Spike's face. "Hmmm...maybe it's a bit TOO bushy...try it again." Spike criticized. "Spike, would it kill you to actually use manners once in a while?!" Twilight complained. "Okay, okay. Can you PLEASE change it?" Spike replied. Twilight was at it again, and another displeasing moustache appeared. This went on for about an hour, but they finally found the perfect one. "Perfect! This one's a keeper! Ahem...thank you." Spike said. "You're welcome, Spike." Twilight panted.

Strange Things Happen

In the morning, Rainbow Dash was awoken by the very voice of none other than Applejack. "Ya'll okay there, Rainbow Dash? Ya don't look too good layin' in the ground like that." Applejack said, with her western accent. Rainbow Dash opened slowly opened her eyes. "Morning...it's morning, right?" Rainbow Dash said weakly. "I reckon it is, Dashy. It's mornin'," Said Applejack. "And your wing seems to be bleedin'. Might wanna take care of that." She continued. Rainbow Dash looked over to her right, noticing her wing, shot by the beam, was bleeding. "I somehow only just now noticed that..." Rainbow Dash said. "What happened to ya?" asked Applejack.

Rainbow Dash explained what had happened yesterday, but mostly last night. Applejack shook her head ever so slightly saying, "Wow...I think we should take you to a doctor..." Applejack commented. Rainbow Dash's legs were still a pain, but she was still able to transport herself. She got up on all-fours. "Even my legs are sore." Rainbow Dash added. "Want me ta take you to the doctor's even though ya got working legs?" Offered Applejack. In return, Rainbow Dash gave a strange snarl. "Nah, I don't need your help." growled Rainbow Dash. "Woah woah, there Lassie! I was just givin' an offer!" Yelped Applejack. "What's that? Sorry, I can't hear you! You're a bit quiet for a cowgirl!" Rainbow Dash said. "I AM NOT A COWGIRL! I"M A FARM PONY! THERE'S A DIFFERENCE!" yelled Applejack. "Gah, you're full of it! In fact, you eat so many apples, you're even full of apples!" Replied Rainbow Dash.

Applejack has just about had it. She was filled with anger now. "THAT'S IT!! OUR FRIENDSHIP IS NOW OVER!! I BET YOU'RE HAPPY NOW!!!" screamed Applejack. An evil smirk ran across Rainbow Dash's face. "Very well then." she said. Rainbow Dash trotted away back to Ponyville in the midst. Applejack layed in bed. "What the heck was that..." she wondered. She then turned her head to look at a picture of Rainbow Dash and herself, when they were friends. "Not anymore..." she said to the picture. She then started crying. She picked up the picture, took it out of the frame, and tore it in half and kept the half with herself on it. She threw the Rainbow Dash part out the window and watched while it flew away like a little bird as tears ran down her face.

Beautiful Town Now in Ruins

Everypony was inside. Shops were shut down. Lampposts were cracked, some even broken. Plantation was caught on fire. All of Ponyville was once a beautiful town. All of it ruined by the once-loved Rainbow Dash. All of it. The skies were extremely cloudy, too. Sometimes, Rainbow Dash would beat anypony to a pulp that got in her way. In a dark alleyway, perhaps. Some victims even remained on the ground, lifeless. In other words, dead. Even most of the police were killed.

Then comes Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle. Also known as 'The Cutie Mark Crusaders'. "What in the world..." wondered Scootaloo, not knowing what in the world had happened, for they were off doing completely pointless stunts as usual. "Who in the applebuckin' world could have done this??" added Apple Bloom. They saw the dead mares lying on the streets, faces painted with their own blood. "This can't be happening..." the crusaders said together in total fear.

Threatened by a Rainbow

The Crusaders went around Ponyville, passing by soulless bodies. Also unaware of Rainbow Dash roaming around. They heard sobbing coming from a few homes. They also tried getting into a few buildings to investigate more. Unable to get in, for they doors were locked. "This is horrible..." cried Sweetie Belle. They eventually came by Pinkie Pie's bakery. And with any luck, they were able to go in.

All was dark as the Crusaders crept into the bakery. "Hellooo?" called out Scootaloo to the building itself. "Anyone here?" added Apple Bloom. They went a little farther into the bakery. Then they heard sobbing. It getting louder as they went farther. They followed it to a door, opened it, and found Pinkie Pie. Curled in a ball, sobbing in the back of what seemed to be a janitor closet. "Pinkie Pie?" said Sweetie Belle. No answer. Just sobbing. "Pinkie Pie!" Sweetie Belle yelled. Still no answer. "PINKIE PIE!!" she screamed. Pinkie Pie turned her head towards the crusaders. "Oh my gosh! You shouldn't be out in the open! Get in here!" Pinkie quietly yelled. She dragged them right in the closet and shut the door immediately. "What's going on??" Scootaloo asked.

Pinkie Pie sighed. "Well, I was doing my own business until Rainbow Dash came along. Strangely, she was being a complete grump-face and then got violent and started fighting me! And now everybody's afraid of her...and whoever gets in her way gets beaten up until they die.!" explained Pinkie Pie. The Crusaders were shocked. "WHAT?! Why Rainbow Dash?!!" squealed Scootaloo in severe worry. "Be quiet! Dashy will hear you!" Pinkie yelled quietly. "I say we visit the barn and see if all this happened there, too..." said Apple Bloom. "I agree." said Sweetie Belle. "Me too." agreed Scootaloo, as well.

"I say NOT to go." said Pinkie Pie. But then she realized they were already gone. The Crusaders headed for the path to Sweet Apple Acres. "I hope Applejack's okay..." said Apple Bloom, in a quiet tone. "I'm sure she's fine. Besides, Sweet Apple Acres is a short while away." replied Sweetie Belle. Suddenly, they saw a shadow emerging from the corner of a building. The Crusaders stopped in their tracks. From the shape of the shadow, they knew it was Rainbow Dash. They turned their heads looking for a hiding place. No luck.

Finally, Rainbow Dash appeared. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed the Crusaders. "Well well well...looks like I found myself a double kill-time." said Rainbow Dash, with an evil grin on her face. "You miscounted...there's three of us," corrected Apple Bloom. "You'll save us, right Scoo..." she turned her head in the direction Scootaloo was, only to find she wasn't there. "Taloo?" Sweetie Belle said, finishing Apple Bloom's sentence. "Scootaloo? She's here too, eh? I guess that'll make a TRIPLE kill-time!" Rainbow Dash said maniacally. "SCOOTALOO!!!" the Crusaders screamed, as loud as they can, that is. "Your days are OVER, chumps!" Rainbow Dash laughed, maniacally.

Suddenly, they heard a sound. Getting louder and louder. The thing zoomed right past Rainbow Dash ."Scootaloo! Where WERE you?!" Sweetie Belle said, in shock. "First of all, I had to get my new modified electric scooter so I could grab you guys outta here. And second of all, why would I let you guys die and me live the good life? I would rather die with you." explained Scootaloo. Apple Bloom turned her head and noticed Rainbow Dash was chasing them. "GO FASTER! Dashy's chasing us!!" yelled Apple Bloom. Scootaloo went as fast as she was able to go, Rainbow Dash still slightly faster. "I got an idea!" Scootaloo remarked. She drove all around Ponyville, around poles, buildings, and trees over and over again. Rainbow Dash got dizzy, which slowed her down dramatically. "HAH! Ya got her to slow down!" said Sweetie Belle. They were heading for Sweet Apple Acres. On the path, that is.

A Talk With Applejack

Once the Crusaders made it to the Apples' residence, they went inside to check on Applejack. She was already asleep at the time, but they did notice a puddle of tears on the ground. Apple Bloom decided to look around for no real reason. She then finally noticed the picture of Applejack. The one that was torn in half. The one with the Rainbow Dash half thrown out the window. About a minute later, Applejack woke up, finding the Crusaders are in her room. "...What're you guys doin' here?" asked Applejack. Apple Bloom picked up the picture. "Applejack, why's this picture torn in half?" Apple Bloom questioned back. She didn't reply and turned her head to the window then sighed. "Answer me, Applejack." demanded Apple Bloom. "...No." replied Applejack.

"...Me and Rainbow Dash got in a fight."Applejack continued, deciding to answer her. "Oooohhh..." replied Apple Bloom. "Yeah...I have no idea what had happened." Applejack said. "Does somepony need a hug?" offered Apple Bloom. "...No," Applejack declined. "Just leave me alone." she tried to go back to sleep. The Crusaders left the area.

Hunted

What had happened to Applejack was the same of what happened to Rainbow Dash. She became evil. Flames of death flared through her eyes. Rage building up in her body like construction workers making a house. The sudden urge to kill. "APPLEJACK!!!" screamed Apple Bloom. "RUN!!!" ordered Scootaloo. The three made a run for it, heading towards Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow Dash and Applejack chased The Crusaders.

They were all avoiding trees when they got to Sweet Apple Acres. Eventually, the evil two got lost through they very many trees being in their way. "I think we lost 'em..." panted Sweetie Belle. They wandered around hoping to find shelter. Or better, a way out. It seemed to them as if they were going in circles. They saw the exact same things as they were moving. "I'm hungry..." complained Sweetie Belle. She ran over to an apple that was just sitting there under a dead apple tree. She was clumsy and ended up getting a free ticket to a trip the ground instead of a apple. Which a root sticking out of the ground gave her. In other words, she tripped on a root.

"Ugh...damn you, hunger..." Sweetie Belle grunted. All of a sudden, a cave arose from the ground behind The Crusaders. "Say your sorry to hunger...your hunger probably just helped us." Scootaloo humorously said to Sweetie Belle. They went in the torch lit cave. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were setting up a plan to ambush The Crusaders for when they do cross paths again.

Secrets Revealed

The guard opened the scroll. It had an unusual spell written on it. A spell that nopony had ever used. "Portal releasing dark spirits of chaos? This isn't good..." he had read a scroll on how to summon a portal releasing dark spirits that once brought darkness and chaos to all of Equestria. "The one who summons the spirits controls what they do," he continued. "They can only be summoned if one harnesses all six of the Elements of Harmony. But he or she must be one being carrying every element. Then they must find a hidden shrine in the Everfree Forest that only few souls have ever found." he finished.

It was all clear to him now. "Now I understand why she's doing this...she wants to take over Equestria by summoning the dark spirits. But she needs all six of the Elements of Harmony. So she's been shooting beams of some sort at the several keepers of the elements so Luna could harness them all to herself and find a hidden shrine in the Everfree Forest..."

He then noticed the line of pictures of the six harnessers, the Rainbow Dash and Applejack pictures burnt to ashes. "Four left...we still got time." he firmly said to himself. Suddenly, he heard somepony coming. I went out the window and stood outside against the wall without leaving a trace of evidence he was in there. Luna came back in her room, while the guard managed to get to the bottom of the castle to the front doors. Then he went in back to his post.

Things Get a Lot Worse

The cave entrance closed just when they got out, and found themselves behind Sugarcube Corner. The building as in ruins now, too. It was set on fire, as well as the rest of Ponyville. Clouds of ash shrouded the unnoticeably morning sky. The Crusaders walked around a bit, ever so silently. They heard no sounds from the homes. All was dead silent, just like a rock. "If Rainbow Dash isn't here..." started Sweetie Bell. "Then who could've done this?" The other two said nothing. "We should head for Twilight Sparkle," added Sweetie Bell. "She might know who did it." Apple Bloom turned her head toward Sweetie Belle and replied, "But what if she's dead? What if whoever did this got to her? What if-" she was interrupted by Sweetie Belle. "I'm sure she's fine. Besides, she's an alicorn! She can fend off whoever threatens her."

After a series of an argumentative conversation, they made it to Twilight Sparkle's house. Thankfully, it wasn't set on fire. The Crusaders went inside the empty "tree" house. "... I told you she was dead!" yelled Apple Bloom, to Sweetie Belle. "Be quiet, Apple Bloom! She's probably upstairs." replied Scootaloo. They went upstairs. The lights were turned off, the room almost too dark to see anything. "Hello? You there, Twilight?" Scootaloo called out, a worried expression to her face. No answer. Scootaloo walked forward. "Helloooo?" she continued. Suddenly, a pair of red eyes appeared just in front of her. "AHH!" Scootaloo yelped, jumping backwards. The lights suddenly come on.

Just before their very eyes was Twilight Sparkle, her eyes twitching intensely and bloodshot, with an ominous red aura around her eyes. Around her was a line of dead ponies, hanging, blood smeared across the walls. Worst of all, they saw Spike. Dead and lifeless. The Crusaders screamed in a piercing pitch to the ears. They tried making a run for it, but just before they could make it to the door, it locked shut. Twilight Sparkle carried a very sharp and bloody knife with her magic, it levitating in front of her. "Looks like we got some new victims...!" scowled Twilight Sparkle. The Crusaders screamed all at once. Twilight flung the knife straight towards Apple Bloom, ending up missing by a centimeter, due to Apple Bloom shaking intensely in fear.

"Damn it, you little brat! Quit squirming!" yelled Twilight Sparkle. She charged toward Apple Bloom, her horn pointed toward the victim's face. Scootaloo shuts her eyes tightly and leaps right in front of Apple Bloom just before Twilight could make impact to her intended victim. Twilight put a stop to her tracks, Scootaloo dangling on her horn. Blood had been shed. Scootaloo had died. "Scootaloo, NOOO!!!!" Sweetie Belle screamed, tears bursting from her eyes like water being dumped out a bucket. Scootaloo slid off the horn, down to the hard, splintery floor. "Don't you kids know how to stay OUT of the way?!" yelled Twilight Sparkle. She kicked the other two Crusaders to the wall so hard, but only knocking them unconscious. "I've got plans for you two..." Twilight said in a deep voice, smirking evilly.

Doubting, and Then Belief

Meanwhile, at Canterlot Castle...

It was nightfall. The guard swept silently into the throne room, of which Princess Celestia is gazing out a large window, noticing all the destruction. The guard went up to her. "Princess Celestia, I have something very important to say." he said. Celestia turned her head toward him and questionably replied, "What is it that's important?"

"Last night, I found out who had started all this death and destruction to Ponyville. "Who would that 'who' be?" replied Celestia. "You sister of the night, Princess Luna." the guard answered. "She couldn't have done this. She is Nightmare Moon no longer!" Celestia argued. "How would YOU know?" the guard replied, argumentatively. "Do you have proof?" Celestia replied.

"As a matter of fact," the guard held out the scroll he found in Luna's bedroom. "I do." he gave it to Celestia. She read the scroll, a puzzled expression forming on her face. "What does this have to do with Luna?" Celestia asked. "Last night, I went to get myself some water. When I passed Luna's bedroom, I happened to accidentally overhear her talking about something to do with taking over all of the world for herself. So I decided to investigate her room once she left, and I found that scroll I just gave you." the guard explained.

Celestia gave him back the scroll. "You may be right... she has been acting a bit strange lately." replied Princess Celestia. "What should we do, your majesty?" the guard asked. "Get Shining Armor to get all the royal guards to fend off this new threat. We need all the protection and offence we can get." Celestia commanded. "But what if Luna never finds the hidden shrine in the Everfree Forest?" the guard asked. "Then have Shining Armor send out a large group of Equestria's finest knights to stop her from finding it."she commanded again. "Understood." the guard walked out of the room to consult Shining Armor.

War is on the Horizon

It was around the afternoon when Princess Luna was in possession the last of the Elements of Harmony. "Finally... the Elements of Harmony!" she said to herself aloud. She was now headed towards the Everfree Forest to begin her search for the very well hidden shrine. Luna could hardly see once she entered the forest, almost having second thoughts about doing this. "No," she shook her head. "I shall do this..." she journeyed into the terrifying trench of trees.

Meanwhile, at Twilight Sparkle's home...

The two remaining Crusaders were hanging on their legs upside-down in a pitch black room. Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom then woke up from their unconsciousness. "Wha... where am I...?" Sweetie Belle feebly asked. All was silent for a couple of moments, then the blinding lights came on. Twilight's face appeared before the two. The Crusaders yelped in shock, everything becoming clear to them. Tears started running down Apple Bloom's face, remembering the memory of Scootaloo sacrificing herself for Apple Bloom's life.

"It took you long enough for you two to wake up... no matter." Twilight started. "I've got plans for you, 'Cutie Mark Crusaders.' " she lit a fire below the two. "AAAYIEEEEEE!!!" The Crusaders screamed. "I'm going to light you two on fire! Then I'll stab you two with knives at a very slow rate!" Twilight laughed maniacally. The two victims struggled to get out, not caring how tough the ropes are. Twilight Sparkle lowered them slowly into the scorching fires of bloody death. Twilight Sparkle maniacally laughed in this process.

Suddenly, just at the point where the fire we touching Apple Bloom's large bow, the ground started rumbling fiercely. A knife fell off a shelf and gave Sweetie Belle a cut straight down the side if her face. She screamed in pain, as many other things started falling off tables and shelves. Twilight Sparkle took cover under a table, blood splattered across her back from all the glass and other sharp objects. "We need to get outta here!!" screamed Sweetie Belle. Suddenly, a large crate slid toward the two and knocked them through the wall and back outside and left the purple alicorn behind.

They panted heavily. Sweetie Belle looked up and noticed a massive purple-ish black portal rising from Everfree Forest. "Um... Apple Bloom...?" Sweetie Belle poked Apple Bloom. She looked up as well. "This don't look good..." Apple Bloom said quietly, yet shockingly.

Pools of Blood and Floods of Tears

It arose from the Everfree Forest. It was a darkness beyond comprehension. It was a sign of death. The two remaining Crusaders' eyes widened as they watched the portal grow more and more massive. "Wha... what is that??!" Sweetie Belle asked in a shocked tone. They both just stood there, watching the large portal of darkness.

Princess Luna stood directly in front of the mossy area that was identified as the shrine found in the Everfree Forest. "HEAR ME, DARK SPIRITS OF THE UNDERWORLD," she shouted out to the portal. "BRING TOTAL DARKNESS TO ALL OF EQUESTRIA!"

The portal emanated an ominous dark purple glow. The area then became gusty, and after a few moments, the portal spit out purple liquified drops. Once they hit the surface of the Earth itself, the puddles slowly morphed into an army of undead pegasi. Their dark red glowing eyes and bloody purple manes made a horrifying sight. Luna cocked her head toward the path she had taken and left. The evil spirits followed her out.

Meanwhile, at Canterlot Castle...

All the guards and warriors stood in a line across the entrance of the castle, with Shining Armor and Princess Celestia in the lead. Celestia raised her head and squinted at the portal that stood along the eerie and misty horizon. "This is it... the long awaited battle that will be held for centuries..." she thought aloud. Shining Armor looked up at Celestia. "All of Equestria is depending on us. We must do all we can to save this magical land." He replied., ever so grimly. Celestia replied with a nod, no words. Shining Armor then looked at the line of guards. "We got no time to lose, folks! Equestria's counting on us! Get out there and FIGHT!!" he yelled to the crowd. Everypony chanted loudly and ran out toward where the evil spiritual pegasi were. "Celestia," Shining Armor told Celestia. "Good luck. May luck be with you." he then ran out with the crowd. Celestia spread her massive wings and started taking flight, heading toward the future of Equestria. Only hope and effort can save the world now.

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville...

The two living Crusaders' eyes were largely widened as they watched the evil spiritual pegasi drop from the portal. "What's happening?!" Sweetie Belle loudly asked. "I don't know! But this looks BAD!! RUN!!!" Apple Bloom replied. She ran for her life toward the cave. Sweetie Belle followed. As surely as would've happened, the cave entrance didn't open. The two looked back toward Twilight Sparkle's house. "If we're gonna die, we're gonna have to die together. We need to get Scootaloo!" They headed back in the ruined home and ran downstairs to the basement they last came from. Twilight Sparkle was still laying on the ground, unconscious. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked around. They found Scootaloo and hauled her out as quickly with all their might.

Once they had gotten out of the house, they noticed guards charging through Ponyville toward the evil pegasi. A guard noticed the Crusaders with shock and went up to them. "What're you two...errr, three, doing here? You should be hiding, shouldn't you?!" The guard consulted. They looked up at the guard. "Mister guard, you seriously do not know WHAT we've been through." Apple Bloom told him. He formed a confused look on his face. The Crusaders could tell already he was confused. Sweetie Belle sighed quietly. "Here's what happened," Sweetie Belle started. "We come here to Ponyville after doing more recklessly dangerous stunts and we find Ponyville in ruins. After investigating the place, we encounter Rainbow Dash. Then she threatens to kill us with her speed and bare hooves. We make a hasty escape on Scootaloo's scooter and head for the Apple Family's residence. After our visit, Dashy appears again to threaten us. We would've been killed if it wasn't for Applejack saving us. Then a beam hits Applejack and then SHE becomes a death machine! So then we make a run for it toward Sweet Apple Acres and outrun our predators. We walk around, and then we come across a cave entrance after tripping on a twig. We go through and find Ponyville in even bigger ruins. We head for Twilight Sparkle's house. Apparently, she was zapped by that beam too. She intends to kill Apple Bloom, but Scootaloo sacrifices herself and Twilight kills her instead. We are knocked unconscious and are hung above a scorching fire. Then, thanks to nature, the earthquake occurred and a box slams us out of the home. And now here we are, standing before your very eyes." Sweetie Belle explained.

The guard looked at them now with a shocked look on his face. "Wow... just.. wow..." He was practically speechless. "Do you know where the beams came from?" Apple Bloom asked. "Well, the reason it's like this is becau - AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" The guard was suddenly killed bye an evil spirtitual pegasus. The two Crusaders screamed in a piercing tone. The pegasis squealed in return and fell to the ground trying to block the sound. While they still could, The Crusaders ran to a hiding spot as fast as they could while carrying Scootaloo.

They hid in an abandoned house as they watched the war. Swords slung, beams fired from unicorns' horns, punching and kicking. What's left over? Pools of blood. The whole battlefield. Coated in dark red. The deafening sounds of screaming. Like the intense volume of Vinyl Scratch's bass. "I never would've thought it would all come to this..." Apple Bloom whispered, her eyes now dropping tears. "If we do die," Sweetie Belle started. "Then at least we will die together..." Apple Bloom stared out the broken window. It was painful standing in the rundown home, as there were shards of glass scattered across the creaky floorboards. But they didn't care. It was sure they were going to die soon enough anyway.

A Tragic Death and a Lucky Save

It was a time of darkness. The sky gave out an eerie effect of dull light across the ocean of fog. Stains of blood were painted on the walls as if a vandal came to Equestria and done it. The portal was an ominous sight of pure evil. Many were living the afterlife. Many were still among the living and bravely fighting in this war. Few were cowardly. Princess Celestia searched for her evil sister. Unfortunately, Luna seemed to be hiding somewhere.

Meanwhile, laying in the dark, Twilight Sparkle slowly opened her eyes from her unconsciousness. Her eyes were in pain, but still able to see fine. Twilight went up to the hole the crate had made and started watching the war happening. "What do we have here...?" she said quietly, yet grimly. Evil was still soaring in her body, however she did not know who to fight; the Equestrian knights, or the evil pegasi. Or maybe both. Twilight Sparkle mindlessly ran straight toward the seemingly never-ending war.

About halfway along the trip to her destination, Twilight Sparkle noticed the house the Crusaders were hiding in and sensed something familiar was stalking. She stopped in her tracks and headed in the direction of the abandoned wrecked house. Apple Bloom gasped quickly and quietly and the Crusaders ducked under the windows they were looking through. They were shivering in fear - more violently overtime. When Twilight got to the door, she kicked it down hard. All the parts of the fragile door's pieces were scattered across the rugged floor. As for the Crusaders, there was no use finding a new hiding spot or running away. This is because Twilight Sparkle already turned her head and found them. "YOU TWO!" Twilight shouted. "HOW are you still alive?!"

Without any luck, Princess Celestia still could not find Luna. She then heard familiar screaming coming from the direction the Crusaders were being threatened. "I recognize that scream anywhere...!" Celestia exclaimed to herself. She flew swiftly in the direction of the scream. She landed right inside the rundown and damaged house, only to find her most intelligent student holding a large dagger to Sweetie Belle's throat. Because of seeing this, Celsetia gasped in mortal terror and shock. Twilight Sparkle turned around, for she felt the presence of yet another living soul in the room.

The vicious purple slaughterer evilly glared into Celestia's eyes of good. Nothing happened. All was silent. Not even the piercing sounds of dying soldiers at war could be heard, for their hearts were beating to quickly and loudly. It seemed as if time had stopped. Soon enough, Twilight Sparkle's teeth starting gritting and her legs became weak. Her eyes then shut down slowly and she dropped to the floor. There was no other way. The evil was locked within her. Princess Celestia had to kill her best student. Well, princess anyway.

Celestia sighed and looked toward The Crusaders. "Are you two allright?" she asked in sorrowful worry. They replied with a simple nod. Celestia nodded back. "Let me escort you to Canterlot Castle... it's bound to be safe there." she told them. The Crusaders climbed onto Celestia's back. The white alicorn then went outside the building and started flying back to Chanterlot. Hopefully, safety was ahead.

A Mysterious Beam

Zipping through the clouds, we find Rainbow Dash doing her job. Clearing away the clouds and such. Around night time, she was done. "Dang.. .those were some pretty tough clouds, even for ME." she said. She still had quite a bit of energy left. "...What the heck. I think I'll just go blow off all this extra energy and fly up in very high altitudes." she stated. She flew up, fast as lightning as she would usually do, and felt the pressure in the air tighten.

Eventually, she got to the perfect altitude for her to survive anyway."Alright...let's wing this thing!" she shouted. She started a countdown, starting from 3 to 0. "Three...two...o-" she was hit by a beam! The rainbow colored pony fell downwards at extreme speeds. "AAAAAHHHH!!!!!" she screamed.

Not even able to fly back up, she seemed to have been shot in split through her right wing. She couldn't hear herself screaming, temporarily deaf. She didn't feel anything, obviously the wind being the only thing to really feel at the moment. She was completely helpless...not that anypony even knew what was happening, since everypony was already sound asleep in their homes.

She eventually crashed into a tree, feeling extremely painful, especially because a beam shot her in the wing. Before she crash-landed, again, that is, she was already able to feel and hear. "Uuugh...ouch...what was that?!" she groaned, painfully. Rainbow Dash looked around. She couldn't tell where she had landed at all. Then she saw a barn and assumed she landed near Applejack's home.

"Well...that fall still was pretty awesome...but I still wished that didn't happen..." she said. She tried to get back up, but her legs were too sore. "I guess I'll just have to rest here until Applejack and the others find me..." she continued. She went to sleep almost immediately. She still felt painful, but she made it through the night. She even had nightmares about the beam that struck her. As she slept, the moon stood in the sky, as if it was watching her.

Pink Ponies Can Turn Quite Blue

Well, here we find Pinkie Pie bouncing around Ponyville, minding her own business. She then found Rainbow Dash walking into town and started bounce-walking towards her. "Hey, Rainbow Dash," Pinkie called. "I just came up with a new jok-" she was interrupted by Rainbow Dash, who scornfully replied, "Shut up, you big bouncy fluff ball." Pinkie didn't seem offended at all, so she still had an over-sized grin on her face. "Sounds like somepony needs a cupc-" she was interrupted again. "I SAID shut up!" Rainbow Dash scowled. She punched Pinkie's arm with her hoof as hard as she could. Which was pretty painful. Pinkie started to tear up, but had an unusually serious expression on her face. "Now you just stop it!" Pinkie screamed.

Everypony that was in the immediate area turned their heads in the direction of the two. Shop clerks came outside. Workers paused what the heck they were working on. "I said SHUT UP!! You're causing a scene, dumb ass!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "You started it!" Pinkie cried. "Then hows about we END IT?" replied Rainbow Dash. Pinkie was instantly punched in the face, which in another return got a bloody muzzle. She'd completely lost it. Pinkie jumped right onto Rainbow Dash and kept bouncing. Rainbow Dash then managed to grab hold of her hoof and threw Pinkie to the ground. Pinkie Pie was now bleeding quite a bit, but not enough to really need to go see a doctor. She got up and ran away, zipping right through the crowd sobbing. "I knew you'd finally get the message." Grumbled Rainbow Dash. She continued strolling through town, setting everypony in fear.

Meanwhile...

Meanwhile, we find Princess Celestia watching over all of Equestria. After checking every area, besides Ponyville, she finally looks over Ponyville. Certain she would find peacefulness, she obviously found just the opposite. "What the..." she said in shock, noticing Pinkie Pie curled in a ball sobbing, everypony galloping into the nearest buildings they could find when Rainbow Dash came around, and Applejack not doing what she would usually be doing. "What is the meaning of this," she wondered in worry. "This is ridiculous...this should not be happening!" Celestia continued.

She saw Rainbow Dash trotting down the street. Surprisingly, there was somepony not going inside. "Get outta the way, you damn boulder! I'm walkin' here!" Rainbow Dash yelled, apparently at the not-moving pony. The pony didn't say or do anything. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Rainbow Dash yelled again. Still no answer. "What the hell are you, DEAF?!" she yelled, YET AGAIN. Now the rainbow-pony was furious. She kicked him out of the way, with all the force she had at the moment. Now the pony was just laying on the ground to the side, without making a sound or movement. "...Weirdo..." Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"What has gotten into her?!" Celestia thought aloud, in shock.

The Second Beam

It was nightfall. Unusually clear sky. Unusual because it is still currently the times of death. The Crusaders were outside, thinking of what to do next, for there seemed of nothing they could do about anything at all. Sitting, doing nothing. Scootaloo glared up at the night sky. "Why, Dashy..." Scootaloo had thought to herself. "Why did you do all of this??" She then started silently crying.

Suddenly, they heard trampling heading straight towards them. A figure started to emerge. The mane of the figure started glowing, a rainbow pattern had been visible. Then it was all clear to The Crusaders that Rainbow Dash had been following them the whole time, waiting for the perfect timing to attack. They all screamed once Rainbow Dash got up close. "HAH! You actually thought I would give up on chasing you! SO GULLIBLE!! Idiots! You worthless IDIOTS!" Rainbow Dash laughed, maniacally. She kicked The Crusaders over, they not being able to get back up, for they were too stunned to move. "Time for you to DIE!!!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She readied her hoof back, getting ready for the first blow. "MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Suddenly, just before her hoof made impact to Scootaloo, she was kicked down from above by Applejack. "NOT TODAY, RAINBOW DASH!!!" Applejack screamed. Rainbow Dash got up from the ground, left eye bloodshot, muzzle bleeding, wings twitching wildly in pain. "Didn't see that one coming..." groaned Rainbow Dash, who was recovering from the sudden attack very quickly. "There's more from where that came from! Now leave them alone!" Applejack yelled to Rainbow Dash. "NEVER!!" grunted Rainbow Dash. She charged at Applejack. Applejack jumped over and used her lasso, the rope tightened on Rainbow Dash's neck, and swung her right into a tree. Rainbow Dash slid to the ground, panting heavily, her mane now bloodier than ever.

The Crusaders' eyes widened in amazement. Apple Bloom was the most amazed, for she never knew what her sister, Applejack, was capable of. But then she wished she didn't have an extremely skilled sister. Because Applejack was suddenly shot by the same beam that hit Rainbow Dash.

The Evil Behind All This

Meanwhile, we find Princess Luna stalking all of Ponyville. Nopony was in the immediate area at the time. She saw everything that had happened. An evil smirk ran across her dark blue colored face. "My plan is falling into place," she said to herself. "All of Equestria will soon be shrouded with darkness and miserable lives!" she laughed maniacally. "Rainbow Dash and Applejack...now filled with dark energy...two down,four to go..." she lit a picture of Applejack on fire, the Rainbow Dash picture already burnt to ashes.

She looked into her mirror. Through her vision, she did not see herself as Princess Luna. She saw herself as Nightmare Moon. "It won't be long now..." she said to the reflection.

She was unaware of the very presence of a guard that just so happened to go by and overhear everything Luna had said. He was shocked. Once he heard Luna heading for the door, the guard fled from the area. "Who would've known Luna would be responsible for all this?! It was lucky that I went down to the kitchen for water!" he thought to himself. When he made it to his post, he came up with the idea of sneaking into Luna's bedroom to find out more.

Once the coast was clear, the guard sprinted silently to Luna's bedroom. Before he went in, he looked both ways to ensure nopony was there to see him. Sure enough, he was able to. He slowly crept in the room and started searching. On a table, he found a scroll with writing on it.

The Cave

Meanwhile, The Crusaders were wandering in the large cave, which seemed a lot smaller on the outside. It was getting more and more eerie as they went forward. Only seemingly brave on the outside, everypony were frightened on the inside. But they didn't give up, for they are The Cutie Mark Crusaders. The ground was damp. It was dark, although the place was still lit with torches. All was silent - except the ceiling was dripping water, causing a dripping sound. Nopony dared say a word.

Eventually, light started to emerge. They had almost made it to the end of the cave, which was now identified as a tunnel. Apple Bloom broke the depressing silence, "Look! An exit!" yelled Sweetie Belle. They all hurried toward the light. As they went, it seemed to get more and more faint. Scootaloo put a stop in her tracks and said, "The exit! It seems to be getting...fainter!" The other two stopped as well. "I knew we should've never set hoof in here..." said Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom gave her a dirty look and replied, "And you couldn't tell us that because...?" No reply came from Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo squinted at the faint light for a few moments. "Wait a minute..." she said to the light. Scootaloo stepped back and saw that the light was getting less faint. "It's a mirror... only it doesn't show us in the reflection!" she explained. "Or an illusion!" Apple Bloom replied. They headed toward the "light" again, eventually bumping into a solid object, which was the illusion thing. "Now... let's see if we can get rid of this thing..." said Scootaloo. After only five minutes of exploration, Apple Bloom got impatient and decided to attempt to push the illusion-mirror thing. It had fallen down and shattered. That seemed a bit obvious... nice job, Apple Bloom." Scootaloo told her. Now there was a real light ahead of them. They all hurried out and found themselves back in Ponyville.

Preperations

The guard sprinted swiftly through the royal halls, to Shining Armor's quarters. He went up to Shining Armor. With his back turned to the guard in default, Shining Armor turned around. Noticing the worried expression spread across the guard's face, he also built up worrying thoughts. "What seems to be the matter?" asked Shining Armor. "Princess Celestia ordered me to order you to gather every solder, including our finest, and make up a whole army." he explained. It was now that Shining Armor formed a worried expression to his face. "Why ever so? We don't even know who our enemy is yet... do we?"Shining Armor replied. "Yes, sir, we do know. I discovered our enemy is Princess Luna herself."

"How could you have possibly found this out?!" Shining Armor asked in shock. "There's no time to explain. All I can tell you right now is that she's planning to take the world over for herself by summoning an army from a portal." The guard explained very quickly. "Understood. I will gather every soldier I can see and remember." Shining Armor replied. "Good. We need all the defense and offense we can get."

Later that night, Shining Armor started gathering soldiers and guards for the soon-to-come dreadful war. BIt was just about dawn when he had gotten the last of them. He spoke up firmly and loudly, "Listen up, and listen good, soldiers! The reason I have gathered you all here is because we are about to face a deadly threat! I need EVERYPONY to participate in this war! NO turning back! Do I make myself clear?" The soldiers all screamed in confidence.