The Connection

The gate of Canterlot castle was broken, and rusted, almost like it was rotted away quickly. However, the castle......

It had a giant chunk of it missing, an entire tower fell over, and it was crawling with those things. The entire city had been overrun. Out of options, Twilight took them to the only other place she thought to be safe. On top of the mountain. Upon arrival, the first thing she and the others saw was Terras sitting with his legs crossed and his dragon shaped wings outstretched. Twilight suddenly felt herself enveloped in warm fur and soft wings. Realizing it was her mentor and second mother, she returned the embrace in kind.

"I'm so happy to know you're okay." Celestia said.

"I am too Princess, but what's happening? Everything's being killed, and the ponies, and the plants, and-and everything's going to Tartarus!" Twilight began to get misty eyed after remembering what had happened to all the ponies in her town. To the best of her knowledge, her and the other elements were the only ones who survived up to now.

"I'm not the one you should be asking" Celestia said and turned to Terras, still sitting, stoically staring at the ruins of Canterlot.

"The things......they......they're going to destroy everything, and take the planet's resources for their own."

Celestia turned to Luna and saw that she was being awfully quiet as well.

"Luna, is something bothering you?"

"Yes" Luna said, "Something is, and if I hadn't jumped to a conclusion, not as many ponies would be dead now. I don't know how it slipped past my guard. It moved like lightning considering it was light years away."

"We all let our guard down when we have plenty of time to react." Celestia said.

"Yes but we had no time. This force was light years away. We had at least two years to prepare! And it arrives in the course of five days! Even if we had our guard up, it would have taken us by complete surprise."

Luna was right, this force moved unnaturally fast, and just so the world could prove her point, the formations started appearing on top of the mountain. They made low gorgling sounds, most likley from the acid in their mouths. A few of then approached the group, then shrieked a terrible shriek that made everyone's, except for Princess Celestia, Luna, and Terras.

Terras sat there, staring at Canterlot.

The formations moved closer, the princesses and the elements got in their fighting positions.

Terras sat there, staring at Canterlot, his eyes becoming red.

"Terras?! We're kinda being attacked!" Twilight called.

He stood up, Ruby Rose his armor and weapon. He turned around, eyes blazing red.

Terras took every single formation out with one swipe of his winged blade, releasing his spirit energy to everything in front of him. Celestia saw how is appearance had changed, and for the first time in thousands of years, she was afraid.

"Terras?" Celestia called. "Are you alright?"

His vision was blurry, voices muffled, and he felt the sickening urge to destroy everyting that hurt his planet, as well as anyone who got in his way. He tried to reason with himself, remember what his father told him about his over active anger. He closed his eyes and put his head in his hooves. Terras needed to clear his mind, think of the bright side. Whatever that was.

When Terras opened his eyes, he opened then to concerned faces staring at him.

"What?" Terras asked.

"What?" Applejack said. "You had your eyes closed and just looking at your hooves for a good minute there. We got worried."

"And you, of all ponies, worried about me, who you just ,met?"

"Of course. If you're a friend of Princess Celestia, you're a friend of mine."

"Me too!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Me as well" said Rarity.

"Me too..." Fluttershy said.

"You already know me Mr.Sonic Rainboom." Rainbow Dash said.

"Okay" Terras said. "All the formalities and friendships aside, we need to figure out what we're gonna do about this." He pointed to all of Canterlot, and looked expectantly at Princess Celestia. She didn't have a single clue of what to do. If there was more time to prepare, she would have had an entire plan as to what they'd do.

"The sudden appearance of this evil force has hit everything and everyone at home. Civilizations have fallen, and we're left to defend ourselves."

"Can't we ask the other ponies in the mountain to help?" Fluttershy asked.

Terras facehoofed. "Look, obviously because you six have a tile, this means you all together have tons of potential. The general public will have little to no understanding of what we have to do. Besides, I'd like to see what you're made of."

"Is that a challenge?" Rainbow Dash and Applejack said together and gave Terras a grudging look.

Terras looked at Celestia and saw that she was staring at the Canterlot ruins. He walked over to her, ignoring the mental challenges by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Celestia glanced at him from the corner of her eye without looking up.

"It's gone. Whatever isn't destroyed is tainted by those formations. I-"

Terras put a hoof on her shoulder. "I assure you, everything will be fine. Eventually. No, not very reassuring, but I know the most about these formations, and I'll give as much information as I can. We just need a place to start now."

Celestia's gears started up, she had an idea.

"Terras, I need you and Luna to come with me to the Canterlot Library."

"Wouldn't that place be destroyed by then?" Terras asked.

"It's worth trying. You showing up here means that dimensional travel is possible, given enough energy. We could search for everything-and I mean everything- related to dimensions. Even the slightest details will help."

"Okay, but what about the others?"

"They may help as well. My only concern is that the place is in ruins, and we aren't able to enter."

"We'll make an entrance. At this point I don't want what happened to my planet to happen to yours. And I'll do anything to protect it."

"You consider this place your home now. don't you?" Celestia said.

All Terras did was turn towards Luna and walk to her. The plan would soon be made clear and the library would be broken into if necessary.

"Okay, so how are we gonna get there?" Applejack said. "Me and Pinkie don't have wings, and I'm sure not going down there without something blunt or sharp."

Terras looked out again to the ruined land. The black clouds were still sending out more of those......things. And Applejack had a point. He was sure none of her friends wanted to go out here unarmed. Terras looked at the six ponies, and back at Canterlot. He sighed.

"Tough luck......."

"What do you mean 'Tough luck'? Twilight said. "They may be strong with the elements, but it's not like they're invincible! And from what you've been telling us, it seems these things are unstoppable! Can't you give them some type of shield or something?"

"Aren't unicorns able to use magic?"

"And you can't? We all just saw you use it!"

"That wasn't magic, it was spirit energy. It doesn't do anything besides destroy, heal, and protect. And I'll leave the protecting to you, Sparkle."

Twilight had to resist the urge to blast Terras away on the spot. He was just going to send her friends in with no way to survive! What happens if they get attacked, which they most certainly will at this point? Twilight started pacing to cool her head, and Terras walked towards the edge of the cliff.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Celestia stared at her ruined land. This could have been avoided. There could have been less casualties, less lives lost. Sometimes it wasn't fair. Her little ponies killed in the dozens and she, immortal can't do anything to help. She, immortal could not take those ponies' place.

She was snapped out of her trance-like state at the sound of voices rising. Celestia turned to see Twilight and Terras about to tear each other to peices.

"Aren't unicorns able to use magic?"

"And you can't? We all just saw you use it!"

"That wasn't magic, it was spirit energy. It doesn't do anything besides destroy, heal, and protect. And I'll leave all the protecting to you, Sparkle."

She watched Twilight put her hoof to her face, leave it there, and close her eyes.. Celestia walked towards the two and calmly.  She looked at Twilight, then to Terras.

"What is the problem here?" She asked.

"Uh....I think we need to rethink our plan on how to get to the library" Applejack said.

Twilight glared at Terras. "You think?"

"Listen, I can't do anything for them! All I can do is throw my body in the way for them! You want me to-"

"Twilight, Terras" Celestia said. Her voice was stern yet calm. "Deep breaths. Calm yourselves. Now, will someone please tell me what is happening?"

"Terras wants to just waltz into the library with those things crawling all around Canterlot!" Twilight said.

"Well I can't do anything about it" Terras said. "I can't make a shield that surrounds other things. I can't make a strong enough one for myself. I can protect you guys if anything jumps at us if that helps."

"You'd do that for us?" Fluttershy asked.

"Apparently, if it'll make this one happy." He motioned with his head towards Twilight.

"Fine, but I still don't think this is safe. What happens when we get swarmed?"

"That will not happen" Luna said. "I can place a visual invisibility spell on you five. You'll be invisible to everyone except for me. That means to stay close to me. Don't get separated, because you won't be able to see each other either. Celestia, Terras, Twilight, and I will be there to fight off any attacks."

"Sounds alright." Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah, let's do it." Applejack replied.

The others nodded in unison and all stood in a line across Luna. She closed her eyes and let the magic flow to her horn, enveloping it in its cobalt blue aura. One by one the five elements became invisible, just not to Luna. After about 45 seconds, she opened her eyes and looked at the five ponies. They were staring at what they thought was nothing, but was another invisible pony staring through them as well. Luna looked towards Terras and her sister.

"Can any of you see them?" she asked.

"No" was the reply of both Terras and Celestia.

"Wow, I need to learn that spell." Twilight said.

"Good" Luna said. "Now, how are going about this plan?"

Terras moved towards the edge. "Just follow me, Celestia, and Luna." and he stepped off the edge and slid down the mountain.

The others followed, with Celestia and Luna following up the rear, and Twilight serving as a second barrier to the other five.  Celestia quickly teleported the elements and Luna to the bottom of the mountain where Terras was just getting to the ground. After a silent nod from the group, they set off for the Canterlot library.

The roads of Canterlot were desolate. It was like one of those post apocalyptic towns. And who was to say this town and all of Equestria didn't just go through an apocalypse? Houses were unrecognizable, there were dead ponies everywhere, and the scent of rotting flesh just started to set in. And to make matters worse, every single light in town had been taken out. Not a single beam of light hit Canterlot anywhere, so the only source of light was magical lights. The occaisional frattering of the formations could be heard. The group treaded carefully, as if they were on a glass bridge. Twilight was left to her thoughts in the deafening silence.

I wonder why none of those things have shown up....

"Guys! Get ready!" Terras yelled and snapped Twilight out of her thinking. There were five formations that had just got sent down to Canterlot. Twilight cursed under her breath.

Cripes, jinxed it.

Terras got into his fighting position, as did Twilight. They could both take on the five, and the others would stay back as Celestia and Luna protected them. At the sound of an invisible and silent bell, both sides rushed each other.

Twilight destroyed the first one, immediatley blasting it with a magical beam. Terras was already on the second one, and with two stabs of his front hoof blades and a beam of spirit energy, dispatched the second formation. The formations were becoming angry, and came at the two with a renewed fury. One of them had managed to get behind Twilight.

"Twilight! Behind you!"

Heeding the warning, she bucked the one currently to her front, giving her enough time to deal with the formation behind her. She enveloped the the one attacking from behind in a telekinesis bubble, then sent a magical spike through its chest. Twilight then turned around and swiftly destroyed another formation. Terras had since destroyed the last one and was slightly out of breath due to the surprise, and that the formations had been so bloodthirsty.

After the two caught their breath and were ready to leave, an entire wave of formations dropped down on them. They surrounded the entire group, and while Terras, Twilight, Celestia , and Luna could handle them, the safety of the elements had just popped into his mind.

"Guys, let's go!" Twilight commanded.

She blew an opening in the formations wide enough for everyone to fit through, and Twilight, Terras, the Elements of Harmony, and the princesses, ran for it.

Sprinting through Canterlot with no real sense of where they were going, Twilight tried to look for something that resembled the library. She saw a sign and could just make out "Canterlot Library" on the ruined sign.

"I think that's the library!" Twilight yelled.

The group made a mad dash towards the doors, and when they got there, the door was locked. And it show any sign of budging.

"Oh what the heck?" Twilight said.

"You two might wanna hurry up so we don't get killed!" Rainbow Dash yelled. You couldn't see it but her face was for sure showing pure terror at the prospect of dying and being eaten.

Celestia faced the oncoming hoard, and Luna did the same.

"You two get the door open, we'll hold them off!" Celestia said.

Terras thought to himself for a second, and shot a beam of spirit energy at the door. It splintered into pieces.

"Ha! Works every time." Terras said.

Celestia and Luna combined their power to make an extra strong shield around the library. The group then went towards the front desk to cool down. Princess Luna had removed the invisibility spells on the five elements.

"Okay," Celestia said. "Everyone search this library high and low on anything and everything even remotely related to dimensional travel. I shall search the restricted section. Luna, you may come as well."

"Alright guys, let's get going!" Rainbow Dash said and took off to search the rows of books.

Terras sighed to himself. If they couldn't find anything, It would be the end of everything.