Never Go Outsideby WolokaiChaptersRuinLordHomeLiveHuntApplejackTogetherNightmareReunitedPlanHavenEndLove - Epilogue BloodRuinThey say the calls of the Warbler in the late days of midsummer will tell you how cold the coming winter will be. The temperature, the state of the wind, maybe even the length of it- according to a few Pegasus ponies- The light tune of a single bird echoed quietly through the calm, peaceful air. A butterfly or two fluttered about across the sky, dancing in the glinting light of the sun. Here and there, a small deer or a squirrel would walk or scamper about the mossy cobblestone and marble bricks of the northernmost streets of Canterlot. It was like a looking at a painting...the peaceful canvas of Canterlot stroked and touched by the brushes of serenity and tranquility. Splashed on its higher rises were the ethereal blues of the whispering sky, sprinkled with the marshmallow colors of clouds and the rumbling mountains that they covered. And it was all brought together by the city, the focal-point of the masterpiece. Its many buildings covered by vines and growth, nature's signature method of taking back the developed lands and turning them back into the wilderness once more. Ruined buildings and towers spiraled upwards, gently teetering in the wind but never falling, broken and smashed market carts littered the area. Just one simple month...to change everything. They still talked about it, the ponies of Equestria, still feared those times, still wondered if their home was ever truly going to be fully safe to live in again. Many were still afraid to go out at night, and the ones who did always traveled in groups. They all talked about it, all remembered it... ...but only one, continued to live it. Down the street from the caved-in structure of a coffee shop, a small doe raised her head with perked ears. The thudding of the tiny creatures heart could be heard steadily growing, adrenaline pumping in its veins. It was a basic animal instinct, of course, to sense when predators were coming close...to know that a hunter was entering the area, and it was time to run. Most still wonder exactly how these animals could possibly know such things, but know them they do, and all too well. The doe looked about slowly, turning its furry head in every direction. It had stopped in the middle of its meal when a sense of chill grasped the creature's heart in a near paralyzing grip. It knew danger was coming...but from where, it did not. The grass clamped in the doe's mouth was starting to turn bitter. It gently let the grass fall to the ground as it took a few steps backwards, its brain and heart saying the same simple message: Run. The small doe did not have to think twice in listening to two such vital organs as the quiet hiss of magic could be heard in the air. It started as a sharp hiss, growing into a light hum. The area near the doe had begun to darken, forcing the tiny one to finally bolt away as fast as its legs could carry it. It had only just crashed through one of the smashed-in market stalls when the loud thunder-crack of magic erupted in the middle of the street. All around the painting rapidly changed. The animals had all fled, chirping and yelping in alarm as the air of peace quickly turned into an air of danger. The canvas was splattered with menacing colors, all of which were the symbols of death. It was a definitive mark, a signature color that had come to be horrifically feared amongst the known populace of Equestria, of its ponies and its other inhabitants. It was the ever-so-alarming color of red, thick and gleaming with brightness. The threats of harm were carried through the ruined city of Canterlot as its animal populace quickly retreated, surrendering the area yet again to the world of Ponies. Or, in this case, one pony. The hum of magic quietly dissipated as the sounds of hooves against marble sounded loudly off of the ruined buildings. It was the sound of a pony that disturbed the tranquil peace of the demolished city, a visitor to a memorial. The pony walked at a calm, passive speed, one hoof gently in front of the other. Despite the alarm raised by nature...if one were to look to this one particular pony, all one would really see is just a simple traveler. A form cloaked and hooded with colors of brown, hooves bandaged with white strands of cloth that were smudged and scuffed with dirt and dust. The pony carried with it a sense of a passive, calm individual. Each hoof carefully and mathematically placed and walked upon, each movement full and smooth as the pony continued to move down the streets of Canterlot. It looked about from time to time, swinging its head forth and thro to survey and take in the destruction. It was a vivid, dark memory in this pony's mind...a memory that was as fresh as the scars that lay in wait just under those bandages. A memory that played back over...and over, an endless tune on replay. A memory months old now. This pony could only diagnose itself with something well known as, insanity. It had read the books, gone over the events in mind, and at the end of the day...the answer couldn't be anymore clear. It was nothing to be ashamed about, according to this particular pony. The others seemed to have developed some form of it in the past month when the weapons had finally been relinquished, when Canterlot finally grew quiet. It was because of this fact, that the pony had returned to Canterlot, for one reason: Closure. To be relieved of the ghosts...cleared of the guilt...forgiven for all the sins. But deep down, residing in its soul, this pony knew forgiveness was never an option. Inequality, sacrifice beyond measure, murder...could these things even beforgiven? It was doubtable. The hooded pony stopped suddenly halfway up the street of the broken city square. Its cloak fluttered softly in the breeze that had picked up, drawing a light sigh from the lone wanderer. It looked up to its left, hooves a mere two-foot distance from the first step up a long, winding marble staircase that ascended a large, dark tower. The structure itself was still intact, a shattered window here and there. Its walls were littered with decay and signs of the horrible events that had resided. A dark smudge on the door shown, that now in the heat of the sun, looked like nothing more than a smear of dirt. The pony knew better though...after all, blood had been a common sight that fateful evening... The hooded walker took a few more moments to take in the sight of the tower before turning and placing its hooves up on the first steps. With the same, calm manner of walk, the pony made its way up the winding staircase, ascending towards the large dome resting at the top. An entrance, surprisingly intact, greeted the lone wanderer as it gently rested on its flank. A set of double doors, faded in color from their original blue. It was a door the pony often remembered walking through quite often, if only to move to and from the Royal Castle. The pony quietly lifted a bandaged hoof towards the door, pushing the both of them open at the same time. The doors creaked loudly as they swung inward, banging loudly against the inner walls. The massive room inside the dome of the tower was well lit from the light of the sun, a pair of staircases resting in front of her. One wound down into a large living area, complete with tattered and old couches and a dirty fireplace. The other staircase led upwards towards a single plateau which held several towering bookcases, a statue or two, and an old, shattered hourglass. Nostalgia poured over the wanderer like a bucket of icy water, drawing it to shiver slightly as it got to its hooves and moved inside. As the pony made quiet noises against the wooden floor, it was as if the ghosts of the past had been disturbed, the small echo of old voices rising out of the dust to confront the intruder. "Spike! Spiiiike!? Spike?" Twilight Sparkle shouted and called, finally noticing the baby dragon sprawled out on the floor in front of her. "There you are!" She said, quickly galloping up the wooden steps and towards one of her large bookcases "Quick!" She commanded, bowing down to look at the lower shelves "Find me that old copy of Predictions and Prophecies!" The hooded pony moved quietly up the steps to the higher floor, looking about at the carnage of paper and books that littered the floors without care. The whole library portion of the tower was in utter ruin, just like the rest of Canterlot. The sounds of the past and the feelings of dread were still present in the tower. Its scent gave the aura of a simpler time, a time where fright and worry was not a constant factor to those who went outside during their day... "For you see...the mythical mare in the moon is in fact, Nightmare Moon!" She whispered, walking past her hourglass and the sand it quietly sprinkled into its basin. She never broke her confident stride as she went on, "And she's about to return to Equestria, and bring with her eternal night!" Finally, the hooded pony sat in front of the shattered hourglass, looking towards the serrated edges of its lower dome. It could see the reflection in the higher glass, the white mask that was pressed against its face, staring back. With a quiet movement of a gentle hoof, the pony reached up, and removed the mask. The sun was quick to illuminate the violet fur of a gentle mare, the thin scar that passed over her left cheek, and the purple horn signifying her as a unicorn. Eyes closed, the mare took in a deep breath and exhaled it out calmly. It had seemed like an eternity since she had done that, simply breathed, took in the peace. Breathed out disease. She felt tears brimming on the edges of her eyelids as she slowly peeked her eyes open, exposing to the sun the brilliant shine of those violet jewels....and the sweet blood reds that filled where her normal whites would be. The color shone like a gleaming ruby, completely bathing the whites of her eyes in color. It was this color that rang the alarms of the creatures, the triggers of danger developed in their soft, tender hearts. This color that had been repeatedly splashed and spilled in and on the canvas of Equestria for over five months. Twilight Sparkle let her eyes slowly wander across the ruined insides of her old tower, the place she used to call her home before she had been sent by Princess Celestia to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. So many memories, so many good times, now muddled and clouded by horror and fear. She shuddered, getting to her hooves and slipping the mask into her saddlebags and quietly walking over to an old study desk. It was littered with the usual assortment of items, many of which were old bottles of ink and several scrolls of paper that were scribbled with notes and drawings of experiments. She quietly shifted her hoof through the pile, looking for anything of interest, when her hoof hit something solid. Frowning, Twilight pushed a few of the notes away to reveal a small, rectangle shaped device with five small buttons dotting one side. "I remember this..." she whispered, her voice hoarse and weak. "I wonder..." She picked up the old device, gently pushing the correctly labeled button and waiting. She listened to the steady 'whirr'that the device made as she waited, amazed that despite its disuse, the recorder still worked. When it finally hit the beginning of the tape, Twilight hit another button labeled with a small sign indicating to play a recording, and listened as a younger version of her voice happily chirped through the speaker: "Good morning Twilight! This is Twilight! Well...you already knew that, but whatever! Anyway, today I learned that the properties of certain chemical compounds can be derived from-" The pressing of the button labeled to stop the recording halted the voice of the younger Twilight, the unicorn once again rewinding the tape for a few seconds until the device clicked again, signalling that the tape had been rewound. She looked up towards the massive window that almost made up one entire wall of her tower, noticing many panes had been shattered, but a few still remained. She smirked as she lit up her horn with magic, the low hum of her power purring in the air. She looked over towards the giant curtain resting on the far left of the window and began to pull it across the room, concealing the window from view and bringing a complete darkness to her tower. "Oh I remember this..." Twilight quietly whispered, her voice barely audible, even to herself. "The feeling, the darkness, the rules..." She quietly looked down at her old tape recorder, illuminating the small area around her with magic as she looked at the small button that was labeled with a red circle. She sucked in a breath as she pressed it, waiting a few seconds before opening her mouth and speaking. "My name, is Twilight Sparkle. I am a unicorn. I am a veteran. I am the enemy. The land you know as Equestria is a land of magic and friendship, a land where ponies can be free to roam happily and make friends whilst living in peace and harmony under the benevolent rules of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” She walked as she talked, speaking quietly into the recorder as she made her way back out of her tower and shutting the doors firmly behind her. The sky above was only just starting to turn a dull grey when she finally set her hooves down onto the firm pavement of the streets below. “but the land you once came to love and cherish is gone. It's been gone for months now, turned into something I don't think you'd quite recognize, or even believe existed if it was explained to you.” she paused, clenching the device tightly in her hooves, hating every word she said. “Sometimes it's hard to believe myself, hard to believe the stories that I was told. I don't think I could have ever believed them either, if I didn't already live them...” The wind howled as Twilight made her way down the ruined streets of Canterlot towards the upper district, her cloak flapping harshly in the wind as the unicorn tried her best to keep the dust out of her eyes. The weather around Canterlot had begun to act rather harshly since that fateful day so seemingly long ago, but it was barely a month. Perhaps it had been the inconceivable amount of magic that had been discharged in the once glorious city. Maybe the aura of such intense magic had disrupted the balance of nature, causing the whole area to act in a way similar to the Everfree Forest... “I cannot tell you exactly what has happened, not yet. But believe me when I say... history, cannot repeat itself... never again." Unpredictable. She looked down at the recorder still held firm, tape rolling and catching every fateful word she said. But yet she could barely find herself to continue. Repeating the story that changed the lives of every pony in the world was not going to help anything. Who would hear her? What would it matter? “What’s the use...” she mumbled, clicking the tape off and dropping it to the floor, hearing it clatter against the stone as she continued walking. ~ Twilight walked through the destroyed gates of the Royal Castle, the ruined fortress in front of her drawing pained groans out of her lungs along with the tight tugging of her wounded heart. It was sad, she had often thought... the last memory she had of the castle was how horrifying it looked like surrounded by thousands upon thousands of howling... things. Ponies... …more like monsters. She quickly moved up to the massive double doors leading inside, noticing they were both blown wide open. She stepped inside at a brisk pace, the torn apart foyer revealing itself to her as her purple and blood red eyes adjusted to the sudden dim light. She scrunched up her face, the smell of decay reaching her nostrils. Although most of the bodies had been removed... the scent was still very prominent in the old castle. She shook her head quickly, pushing herself forward and quickly trotting up the large staircase in front of her, one destination labeled clearly in her mind. As she progressed, it became harder and harder to move about the halls as more and more piles of rubble presented themselves as obstacles. As the minutes dragged by, Twilight continually hit wall after wall of rubble, frowning and grumbling as her progress was repeatedly halted by the boulders. She stopped at one such wall, igniting her horn at last with frustration, Twilight sent a strong pulse forward and managed to dislodge a few of the larger rocks. They rumbled and rolled onto the marble floor with heavy and loud thuds, allowing a good-sized peephole in which the unicorn could stare through. Peering through, Twilight could at least see her destination before her, though it was still a good distance away. "Alright...I guess there's really no choice but to cheat..." She grumbled, staring closely at the high-rising, ruined chair in the room at the end of the hall. She ignited her horn once more, narrowing her eyes at the large chair. The calculations came together quickly in her mind and with another crack of magic, she disappeared in a brilliant flash and reappeared inside the room, landing in the exact spot she aimed and calculated for. Twilight sat upon the throne, her eyes cast downwards onto the area in front of her. The throne room was in the same state as the rest of the castle: ruined, dusty, abandoned.. The tapestries had all been torn to shreds, the carpet had been eaten away by bugs and other creatures, and the windows had all been shattered, letting in gleaming rays of sunshine that illuminated the millions of dust particles floating about in the air. She had often wondered what it would be like to rule Equestria... heck, she almost did at one point. One simple movement of her magic, one quick thrust...and Equestria could have been hers. Hers to rule alone, and unchallenged. But no, the decision had already been made, mercy had reared its head, proclaiming dominance over revenge... Twilight sighed, turning to her right slowly and looking at a tiny spot next to the throne, the marble marked with two letters, "T. S." She smiled as she remembered those days, the days she sat next to Princess Celestia at the throne and pretended that she was also in charge of Equestria. Celestia had always laughed at the way Twilight tried to mimic her, turning her head all regal and prancing about the throne room like she had a stick up her rump. Simpler times, they were. Twilight shuddered as the familiar feeling of closing walls seeped into her mind and vision, and with a hurried turn and the swish of her cloak, she hurried out of throne room and towards the rear areas of the castle. The violet unicorn continued her walk down to the backside of the castle, heading towards the doors that lead to the back gardens. She had hated the gardens ever since Discord led them on a wild goose chase through the Royal Maze all those months ago. It was here though that everything ended... that peace returned to Equestria. It was always ironic to Twilight, how everything fit together. How the place where an age of Chaos and Disharmony began, was the place where another age of Chaos and Disharmony would end. Her saddlebags jingled loudly as she pushed her way out of the doors and into the gardens. The plants were mostly dead and dried up, with a few stragglers still holding on for the hopes of life amongst a sea of death. It was funny to her really...she never knew plants and ponies could have so much in common. With a heavy sigh, Twilight made her way into what remained of the overly massive hedge-maze that Discord ran them through all that time ago. It was still an uncomfortable place to be for poor Twilight, the unicorn remembering the terrible feelings she had of the walls closing in on her helpless form and the way all her friends had been savagely turned against her. Visions of greyed out ponies and angry snarls made Twilight blink for a moment, throwing off her concentration. There was a long pause as Twilight finally made it to the back exit of the maze, and into the wide open park-like area before her. She felt a lump form in her throat as she beheld the large stain before her yet again, remembering how tragic that night really was. Some days it bothered her...some days it didn't. Either way, the full weight of the sacrifices made during the past few months always hurt the hardest when Twilight slept, when her mental barriers came down and the nightmares crept inside. She shook her head of the weary thoughts, “History, a horrible thing. A story that will forever be continued to be written.” but this time, she had made sure to halt the story that destroyed everything... "As for me...well..." she mumbled while still casting her red and violet eyes towards the dried blood upon the ground. "That story is still being written..." Twilight finished with a quiet sigh, slowly lowering herself onto her belly and tucking her legs underneath her own form. She got as comfortable as possible before finally turning her head and observing the rest of the garden area. The many statues of famous ponies and past foes quietly watched over the area, only adding more to the uncomfortable nostalgic feeling that Twilight was getting rather sick of. She had picked the shade of Nightmare Moon as her resting point, igniting her horn and lifting out a small book that was labeled with the picture of a compass on the front. She had often referred to this book for her future plans, her plans to get out of Equestria and run. The world had only just recovered from too many disasters...she didn't want to make things worse by adding more misery to the burning pyre of Equestria. It was because of this that Twilight scanned and read through every location and map labeled in the book, hoping that she could find some kind of land or area where she could flee and finally find peace. Somewhere she could go to be safe, while still being within close enough range to make it back to Equestria...just in case. Equestria was still weak from the previous months...the never-ending days and weeks of chaos, horror, and madness. How could they survive another incident? Could anyone survive it again? It was these thoughts that constantly assaulted Twilight's logic, empowering the desires of her heart to stay and help out in the rebuilding and recovery process. It drew a sigh out of the depressed mare as she flipped another page of the guide, a large, cane-shaped land mass appearing before her eyes. "Hmm... Zebrica..." She began, a small smile stretching on her lips. "Seems nice enough. Maybe I could finally look into that Zebra Cultural thing that I always read about!" She closed her book, getting to her hooves quickly as she prepared to summon her magic, and begin her complicated teleportation spell. It would have to work in light bursts, quickly popping her in and out of dimensional planes and sending her across a great distance fairly quickly. As long as she did her geography and math right, she'd be able to avoid teleporting directly into a mountain or another object, and splicing herself through. She shuddered at such a thought, and did another recalculation just to be sure. If it was one thing she learned over the past few months...it was that you couldn't be too careful about anything. Her horn gleamed, and her magic filled the air with light humming as an aura of rose magic started to cover her form. Just before she could release her spell, however, a sudden voice interrupted her, causing her to jump slightly. "If I were you...I would have killed her..." the voice hissed, a sarcastic and sinister rumble to its tone. Twilight whipped her head about in every which direction as she shouted "Hello? Who's there!?" How did it know about her choice to let her live Who could have known? "Show yourself! I'm warning you!" "Bit of a sad thing I guess..." It went on, ignoring Twilight's threats. "I mean, look what she did to you! Did anypony ever seal her away when she did something naughty? Nooo...of course not...I told her I'm not as cruel as she thinks..." It was only then that Twilight started to remember that rumble...that sarcasm...that sinister laugh she could hear clear as day, and feel a cold wave of fear crash through her because of it. "I know that voice..." Twilight whispered, turning her head slowly to look behind her, towards the one statue she had always hated looking upon. The statue that contained the source of her misery for the past five months. The statue that now cried tears of blood as a deep, rumbling chaotic laugh echoed from the shocked expression etched into the stone, and the sinister words that echoed forth from it. "After all...I didn't turn ponies into MONSTERS." LordThere are many types of music in the world. Some are soft, some are loud, and others are heavenly and grim, but those are the worthiest of titles. They say music was one of the very pillars of creation during the formation of Equestria and The Known World, according to the myths and legends passed down by the generations of Old, tales of a distant and horrifying time that could only be mouthed and spoken as 'Twilieria Ravaginerina Chaos', or 'The Ravaged Void of Chaos and Twilight'. There was no land, no sky, nothing, all but a void of lifelessness, madness, and never-ending chaos. It was then described that a brilliant light was born onto the plane of chaos, an orb of dazzling gold and mesmerizing glints and glimmers of majesty. This orb, they said, was called 'The First Sun'. There were other known names for this brilliant star, but the most common that had been repeated through the scriptures of history was 'Queen Solaris of Harmonaya'. The Sun was described as a life-giving womb of pillars and healing, the celestial orb emitting bright solar flares that brought to the world one pillar of life at a time. First came Land. Then came Sky, Water, Love, Fire, and Wind. Six Elements of Harmony. Harmony that was given to the world of Chaos, and thus came the birth of Equestria. The Sun's womb was still filled however, despite the new stage that had it created being full and twinkling with freshly birthed Harmony and peace. A stage, like a play, needed actors after all.... In a final bright flash from The First Sun, a golden beam of sunshine came forth and fluttered to the ground with the lightness of a feather on the soothing wind. It chose a simple hill to rest its radiance, cradling something in its arms as it descended onto its life engorged earth. The light cooed and smiled as it quietly rested in a tiny bundle of white upon the hill, filling it with the magic of the sun. The First Sun ascended back into the sky, content that its actor had taken root in the world. It was excited to see what kind of show this tiny bundle would perform for The Sun, wondering if it would bring onto Equestria more Elements of Harmony. But alas...something was amiss. The Sun began to grow weary, stuck idly in the sky. It wanted to rest, wanted to sleep, wanted to move. It then realized that Equestria lacked two vital pillars to its foundation: Balance and Order. Balance and Order were needed in order to correctly stabilize Equestria, lest the fires of The Sun eventually bring ravenous, heated destruction to its carefully constructed world. It was because of this that The Sun created yet another bundle, a bundle of Midnight Blue, and raised a new orb to the sky: The First Moon. And thus, Celestia and Luna were born. With them they brought the Equestrians, the Equine race of Ponies to the Realm of Harmony. To Equestria, the ponies brought with them the remaining pillars to the world. Dance, Art, Knowledge, Family, Friendship, and of course... "Music!" Lyra said with a cheerful grin etched upon her face, trying her best to get through to her lovely mare friend Bon-Bon that music was certainly a better hobby than silly old art. "Come on, think about it! Music gives you beat, rhythm, dance! You can express so much more with music than with art!" At this, Bon-Bon sighed and took another sip of her steaming brown mocha. She grimaced as she looked down at the cup, quickly detesting its bitter taste. Perhaps another few sugars would do... "Seriously Bon-Bon, give me something here!" Lyra went on, her overly obnoxious and loud voice drawing a few ponies' heads to turn from all around the diner. Bon-Bon, finally reaching a mental level she could only call 'Finally being arsed to answer Lyra's philosophical inquiries', quietly put down her mug and said "Lyra, come on! Music might as well be called a form of 'art' itself!” she detested with annoyance, “notes can paint just as good of a picture as a painter with brushes and a wonderfully blank canvas. You can set a mood with music and art, you can set a rhythm." She paused to add two more sugar cubes to her coffee and stir with a casual hoof before going on. "Seriously, the only thing you could say is dissimilar about music and art is dance, and even then, many ponies consider dance an art form itself." Lyra merely frowned and narrowed her eyes as Bon-Bon shot her argument full of so many holes it would have made a piece of swiss cheese look like a solid cube of yellow mush. "But I... well! Um..." Lyra stumbled, quickly trying to piece together some kind of counter-point. Alas, the teal unicorn could do nothing but slump back in her seat and grumble, pushing her empty coffee cup around grudgingly with a hoof . Bon-Bon merely sat there, quietly stirring her own mocha with closed eyes and a satisfied smirk. She had often enjoyed these little bouts she had with Lyra, being able to tongue-tie and logic-smother the unicorn into a grumbling mess of harp strings and hilarity. Ha... she thought to herself. And they say unicorns are supposed to be the brains...heh heh. "Well whatever!" Lyra finally exclaimed, downing the rest of her black coffee and shuddering from its strong taste "You ready to go?" Bon-Bon nodded, sipping back her mocha and putting its plastic lid back over the top of its cup container. She placed the cup in a specialized cup holder slot in her saddlebags- a custom stitch that she took great pride in- and got up to leave with Lyra. The unicorn paused to lay a few bits on the table before tipping a nod to Pony Joe at the front and pushing her way out into the cold air of a fresh, new Ponyville. It was getting colder, the threats of winter quickly approaching. The warblers of late midsummer tweeted and sang their merry tunes of splendor, causing several pegasus ponies in the area to look up and grumble. They knew, just like the warblers, that cold, dreary times were quickly approaching, perhaps even sooner than they expected. There may have even been a coming storm. But nopony would be able to tell for sure. They usually couldn't until it was far too late. "Ugh... remind me to pack a scarf or a sweater and skirt next time." Bon-Bon groaned, shivering slightly from the wind that blew through the mostly empty streets of Ponyville. The sun was just beginning to move into its late evening stage. It was the time that the construction usually stopped for the day, drawing weary workers back to their homes and market vendors to close up. The time of relaxation was nigh. "How bout I don't?" Lyra said with a sly sneer, daring a firm hoof placement upon that of Bon-Bon's equally firm posterior and giving it a little pat "After all, why would you ever want to hide this?" With a quick slap of her own hoof against Lyra's, a red-faced Bon-Bon quickly rounded about and exclaimed "You watch where you put those hooves missy! And what do you mean ‘this’!? Are you telling me I have a fat flank?" Lyra let out a snort and a light chuckle, shaking her head, "No, silly! It's a nice size, besides... you always know what I say about a little 'Tank in da Flank'." she joked with a giggle. Bon-Bon's face lit up with a red hotter than the ripest cherries, quickly trotting down the street with a heavy 'humph!' from her throat. "Ah come on, Bons! I was kidding!" Lyra shouted, chasing after the blushing, heated mare. When the mood finally settled, the two of them found themselves taking a lovely, casual stroll through Ponyville's Town Square. The lovely autumn wind that cascaded through the skies brought several thrilling shivers to the two mares who walked side by side, the warblers growing quiet as they flew away to greener pastures. "A lovely day...isn't it?" Bon-Bon offered quietly, passing by one of the newly constructed homes that had been put up in the month or so time that had passed since... then... She didn't like to think about it often...and when she did... Hooves smashing through boards... "Bon-Bon?" Screeches of in-pony-like creatures... "Bon-Bon!" The stench of blood and the rot of decay... "Bon-Bon!" Lyra shouted in her marefriend's ear, causing her to jump in fright and break the grim trance she seemed to have fallen into. "Huh? What?!" Bon-Bon squeaked, looking around her quickly. A few passing ponies gave them queer, quizzical looks as they walked by, but paid no further attention to them as they drew away. Lyra trotted around Bon-Bon's front, halting their progress immediately and looking her dead in the eye. With a quiet mutter, the unicorn whispered the question Bon-Bon really...really didn't want to hear "You're thinking about it again...aren't you?" Bon-Bon was quiet for a moment, her bottom lip quivering as she said the words "Oh Lyra how could I not...you know how awful all that madness was!" Lyra groaned, putting a hoof to her face as she said, rather harshly "Bon-Bon we've been over this a thousand times already! It's done, it's over. All the... all the others are gone! It's just healthy, sane, loving ponies again!" "They're not gone from my dreams, Lyra!" Bon-Bon countered with a harsh, hurt tone "You were there next to me the whole time! The boarded up house, the basement, town hall, when you held me tight in your hooves! How could anypony just forget those screams... th- those... eyes!" Bon-Bon's face was suddenly squeezed between two hooves of Lyra's, the unicorn quickly cutting off any other word she would have spoken next and whispering, "Bons...I remember, ok? Dwelling on it won't help though! Yeah sure there's that 'Learning so that history doesn't repeat itself' thing, but that doesn't mean we have to dwell on all the bad things. Sure, bad things happened, but it's over now... ok? It's over. Twilight did her thing, they're gone, they're never coming back, ok?" Bon-Bon didn't respond with words, but with merely a whimper and a limp nod of her head. It drew a tender smile out of the flustered unicorn, the mare leaning forward and catching Bon-Bon's cheek in a tender kiss. The two smiled into one another and towards each other, minds once again tranquil, their afternoon stroll resuming its walking course. They walked across town. Through the parks, through the downtown area, even across the few fields that separated Sweet Apple Acres from Ponyville. As they walked amongst the outer fence of the farm, Bon-Bon caught Lyra looking up at all the luscious apples with a sense of respect. "It's kind of crazy..." Lyra whispered as they moved down the fence "Just looking at these apples fills you with a sense of hope...the hope of a fighting chance to get through the next day..." "Hey!" Bon Bon growled, leering at Lyra "I thought we weren't thinking about this!" Lyra rolled her eyes, looking towards Bon-Bon with a tiny smirk on her face. "At least I'm looking at the upper side of the whole thing" Lyra pointed out, "There's nothing more precious than an apple, that's a lesson I've taken to heart." "Eeyup, I'd say that as well, Miss!" hollered a deep, booming voice from across the fence. Lyra and Bon-Bon jumped as Big Macintosh thrust his large back legs backwards, crashing them into a tree and bucking all the apples from their evergreen leaves and dirt brown branches. "Sorry if Ah startled ya'll, bad habit Ah guess!" "Aw, it's nothing, big guy!" Lyra said, waving a dismissive hoof towards him in which Bon-Bon nodded in agreement with "What are you up to?" Big Macintosh held up a hoof, bucking another tree nearby with immense force and forcing all the apples out of the tree. He wore his usual yoke, his coat was its usual brown, and his eyes were just as green as they had ever been. The only difference in his usual appearance though... was the small wooden cradle attached to his back with a small bundle resting inside of it. "Goodness!" Bon-Bon exclaimed, "Does Applejack really let you buck the apples with-" "Eeyup!" Macintosh interjected, bucking yet another tree and dropping all of the apples into a few nearby baskets "So long as none o' the apples hit her in the head, it's all fine." "Well I don't think-" Bon-Bon began, a serious frown on her face, she was quickly cut off by Lyra stuffing a freshly dropped apple into her mouth. She laughed nervously as she turned Bon-Bon away and shoved her away from the fence, shouting, "Oh man, look at the time, we're late for our hoofacures. You two have fun now, Macintosh!" The stallion nearly chuckled, adding one last signature "Eeyup" to the conversation before bucking another tree. Lyra could hear the giggle of a little filly's laughter from Macintosh's back as she moved away, glaring daggers at Bon-Bon who had finally managed to swallow the apple after some very angry chewing. "What was that for?!" Bon-Bon growled in a hushed whisper as they moved out of Macintosh's hearing range. "It's not our place to tell him how he's supposed to raise a filly!" Lyra countered, looking back with a saddened glance as he continued to buck more apples "Poor guy, though. Can you imagine what it must be like with the... complications and all?" "No, I can't...I don't think I'd like to either." Bon-Bon whispered back, the two of them heading back towards the town. Lyra stole a glance towards the farmhouse, her eyes catching a fleck of orange and a streak of blueish gray moving across the porch. "Can you believe she actually lets that...night pony stay there?" She said with loathing, drawing a quizzical glance out of her friend. "What did he ever do to you?" Bon-Bon asked, raising an eyebrow to which Lyra responded with a narrowing of her own. "Want a list?" She muttered back. "The guy has done enough to mess things up... word has it the whole event was his fault anyway." Bon-Bon sighed, shaking her head and casting a forlorn look towards Lyra as they made their way back to town. "Lyra..." she began, speaking in a tone that signified one of those ‘told you a hundred times before' moments. "He may be at fault for a lot of things...but at least he stood up and attempted to fix everything! He led the charge back in Canterlot, he was on the front lines, I heard he was even... ya know...hurt by one of them, and he still kept fighting!" "Well... he just better watch out is all!" Lyra said with an affirmative snort out of her nostrils, making Bon-Bon roll her eyes once more. "Besides..." Bon-Bon went on after a few moments silence "If you're looking for the real villain here..." "Oh don't start, Bons!" Lyra groaned, the two of them passing into town limits and heading down the semi-busy market street where vendors kept some of their stalls open for the later evening shoppers. "I told you, if she was good in Twilight's book, she is good in ours!" Lyra stated, stopping at a small kiosk to loom over a few golden hoof bracelets that caught her eye. "She should still answer for her crimes...and can you believe they're actually healing her?! Horn and all, up in the newly-built Haven City!" Bon-Bon added as she joined an annoyed-looking Lyra in looking over the jewelery. "I honestly think there should be a trade off... give her the horn back and take her wings." The colt running the kiosk and Lyra both shot her an alarmed, skeptical look as the candy cutie-marked mare continued to browse idly over the bracelets. "Oh I quite like that one..." she muttered, poking one particular piece with a pair of crossing dolphins, the mythical creatures of The Great Water that was said to border the far eastern portions of Equestria from north to south. "You have problems..." Lyra muttered, the two of them nodding their thanks to the vendor in allowing them to browse before turning back towards the street. "No, I just hold grudges..." Bon-Bon countered, wrinkling her nose like she had just smelled something rather nasty. At this, Lyra jabbed a hoof at her and offered her own verbal counter, "Hey! If I can't hold grudges against that bat pony freak, then you can't hold grudges against 'Little Miss World Ruiner'...what does that even mean?" She finished the last part of her sentence under her breath, shaking her head and stopping at the crossroads of the southern portion of Ponyville. "Now, which way is the shorter one ho-" "Lyra! Look!" Bon-Bon suddenly squealed, pointing a hoof up towards the northern horizon. "Huh? What is it?" Lyra inquired, turning and looking in the direction of Bon-Bon's outstretched hoof. Others had heard Bon Bon's sudden shout, several ponies stopping in their tracks and turning to look as the sky darkened slightly. Bon-Bon was pointing at a dark cloud hovering Canterlot, several bolts of lightning crashing out of the blackness and striking several points in the city. "Um..." Lyra began, looking at Bon-Bon with an unimpressed expression "Yeah, it's what's left of Canterlot, so?” "I’ve never seen the altered weather so bad..." Bon-Bon said, her voice rising in pitch "When has the weather ever made the sky darken over here?" Lyra frowned, looking straight up at the slightly darkening sky of Ponyville. "Huh..." she muttered, looking around "That is a bit weird..." "Oh my goodness!" "Whoa! Look at that!" All attention was drawn towards the northwestern tip of the castle as a stunningly bright flash of purple burst from the evening’s slight darkness. Multiple gasps were heard as the top of one of the towers were seen cracking, and crumbling down to the ground. The crashes of the stone could be heard from the Everfree Forest. All was silent for a moment before one final ear-piercingly loud ‘crack’ was heard right after a bright white flash lit up the sky, and all was quiet, the skies very slowly lightening once more. The sun was already disappearing behind the horizon, though, so the town was becoming darker anyway. Lyra and Bon-Bon looked around with stunned faces, the rest of the residents were quietly and slowly filling the streets, muttering and whispering to themselves. One pony in particular pointing to three of his mates, asking, "Should we go tell a guard? They'll need to know about this." They nodded, quickly follow him while Lyra grimaced in disgust. "Why tell them of all ponies?" She grumbled, "Nopony put them in charge, why should they care?" Bon-Bon looked nervous, watching as many of the ponies began to move along in a hurry, the sudden urge to be home and safely inside taking hold in the hearts of many. "Lyra..." she whispered, tugging on her mare friend's fore hoof. "Come on...let's just go home. I don't want to be out here anymore..." "Yeah, yeah..." Lyra replied, shaking her head and turning back towards the crossroads "Come on, we can shortcut it through the alleys." The two of them moved quickly through the small alleyways, sharing only thoughts and speculations as to what those explosions and light flashes could have been. "Maybe a unicorn was trying to call for help in Canterlot?" Lyra offered, drawing a nervous lip twitch out of Bon-Bon. "Yeah b-but what did he need help from?!" she said, a large tone of worry dripping in her voice that made Lyra sigh and roll her eyes. "Bons, for the last time, they're gone!" Lyra barked, shaking her head. The two of them continued on for a couple more minutes, with Lyra sticking to the lead. As they approached yet another corner, Bon-Bon groaned and asked tiredly "Come on Lyra... are you sure this is a shortcu- aah!" She was quickly cut off by Lyra jumping back from around the corner and pushing Bon-Bon against the wall. She pushed a hoof against her mouth and whispered, "Shh! No screaming!" The only thing Bon Bon could do was muffle a squeaky "Oh, kay!" through Lyra's hoof, puffing up her cheeks as her eyes quivered with worry. Lyra nodded and pulled her hoof away, looking back around the corner. "I think I see something down there..." Lyra muttered, narrowing her eyes down the dark alley. Just as Bon Bon was about to say something, Lyra whispered "I... I think I hear someone, shh!" Lyra grew silent as a voice, dark and sinister in nature, crept up and down the walls of the alley. "Of course... she got away..." the voice grumbled... a voice Lyra was sure she heard before, but couldn't quite place. "No matter... with her running for the hills, I can get a good fresh start on some good old fashioned, lushy wushy, sweetie beetie CHAOS...” Lyra's eyes widened in horror as the voice let out a quiet chuckle, the source of it seeming to float all around them now, as if they were being surrounded. "And I think..." the voice whispered quietly, a victorious tone in its vile words, "I'll start... with you." ~ Remember the rules... ~ Bon-Bon gave a sudden shriek of pain, causing Lyra to whirl around in fright. "Bon-Bon! Are you ok!? What's wrong!?" "Ow!Ow ow ow!" Her friend whimpered, holding a hoof to the side of her neck, covering a tiny slice that had appeared from seemingly nowhere. And it burned. "Hold on Bon-Bon! We're gonna get you out of here!" The unicorn cried, grabbing onto her friend’s arm and slinging it around hers to pull her along. Bon-Bon's blood began to trickle down her neck. "Lyra, it hurts!" Bon-Bon cried, tears flowing down her cheeks as small droplets of blood on the ground behind them. "I know baby, I know! Just hang on!" Lyra shouted, looking up and directing her enraged voice towards the air, "Whoever you are that did this! You better hope I don't find you anytime soon! I'll rip your face off!" "Oh... I think I'm going to be the very least of your worries at the moment..." the voice mocked, letting out a dark chuckle as Bon-Bon began to squeal louder and louder in pain. "Lyra I'm BURNING!!!!" She roared, falling onto her side painfully and twitching with intense pain. "Bon-Bon!" Lyra cried, trying her best to get her friend to rise back up. "R-ru..." Bon-Bon wheezed, coughing loudly as she thrashed on the ground, crying out in pain... in fear... in rage. “RUN!!!" She shrieked, her voice growing ragged and rough, her eyes shutting tight as heavy tears of blood leaked from them. "Aaaarrrgh!!" She snapped her head towards Lyra, letting out a choking growl as she opened her eyes, revealing the solid red color of blood that were once the sweet color of blue. Lyra was silent, her own eyes wide with fear as she stared at her friend. “No...” The pony slowly got to her feet... red eyes locked onto the unicorn’s. “Please, no...” The creature that was once Bon-Bon lunged at Lyra, a terrifying growl piercing the air. Lyra screamed, jumping out of the way of her friend’s attack and spinning around, dashing away and running with blind fear from the creature. "Help!!!" Lyra shrieked as she tore out of the alley and into the street, her hooves taking her as fast as she could into town. All around several ponies looked over at the commotion... and saw Bon-Bon... And everything came back. History was a wild bitch that loved to repeat itself. The reaction was immediate. All the fear, all the terror from the past months, all flying back up into their primes. To see, once more in Equestria... one of them. Everypony screamed. The streets turned to chaos in mere moments as Lyra continued to bound away from a pursuing Bon-Bon. The once loving mare started to lose Lyra, however, her hooves only carrying her so fast. She instead turned to a nearby colt who was scrambling to get out from behind his market stall, tripping over some of his stock. Bon-Bon veered away from her course violently, launching herself towards the colt who in turn could only scream in utter terror. Lyra only let herself look back once, look as her once sweet, beautiful mare rocketed over the stall, tackling the colt out of sight, the shrieks of utter terror and panic from the male rung out clearly in the air, joining the other panicked cries of Ponyville citizens. Somewhere in the distance, a warning bell started tolling, signalling to anyone near and far... that Ponyville was no longer safe. That the peaceful town had once again become hell. Lyra rounded as many corners as she could, panting heavily and trying to keep her lungs under control, just like old times... "Breathe, in, out, check chest activity!" She recited to herself over and over again as she pushed herself forward, the shrieks of several more of those... monsters, echoing out in the area. She rushed forward towards an open alleyway, squealing as a mare fell backwards out of the entrance, a savagely mauled and bitten colt upon her chest. The mare shrieked and cried out in utter pain and anguish as the colt bit into her shoulder, signalling the fate that all feared. "Luna save me!" Lyra squeaked as she rushed past the two, the colt looking up and giving quick chase. The unicorn turned to see her pursuer and the mare... who was getting back up and joining the chase for Lyra as well. Her eyes, like the colts, were swimming with the color of blood. "Gotta go gotta go!!" Lyra cried, racing towards Town Hall. Other residents seemed to share the same idea, rushing towards the Town Square in large groups, trying to get away from the carnage that followed them. Much to Lyra's horror, on the opposite end of the square, other residents were being chased by other small groups of red-eyed ponies, as if... they were herding them, like lambs to slaughter. The residents were packed in tight, scrambling all over each other as the red-eyed ponies rushed into the square, charging right for them. A unified cry of panic and terror rang out across the city as the blood-thirsty monsters closed in... and suddenly stopped. The beasts stopped just short of the citizens, walking back slowly and creating a large ring around them of bodies. The residents of Ponyville looked about them, confused, horrified, unbelieving and stunned as the monsters that had haunted their nightmares for many months now stood before them, clear and real as day. Before anypony could say anything... before anypony could move, or even breathe, a laugh of sinister, chaotic malice rang out across the square. A mare squealed, pointing upwards as the rest of the residents did so, their pupils shrinking at the sight of the multi-beast-like creature hovering just above them. It's yellow and red eyes gleamed with savage delight as a sinister grin spread itself across its face. He hovered there above them, dark and ominous, before taking in a deep breath and exclaiming "Oh, Ponyville... where exactly did we leave off?" The multi-formed beast took a moment to mockingly scratch its own chin with a lion's paw before looking down with an evil grin and muttering quietly, "Oh yes..." Discord whispered menacingly down to the trapped residents of Ponyville, causing a rippling growl to emit itself from the ring of monsters surrounding them, "I remember now...you were all just accepting a little bit of my control over this world that I was...prematurely deported out of." He paused for a moment to allow himself to land next to the snarling form of Bon-Bon, her face contorted into a look of rage as saliva and blood dripped from her lips to her chin. "The choice, is quite simple really, the decision of who is really in charge now." Discord said in an obvious tone of boastful nature. He gave a look down towards Bon-Bon, bloody and ravaged, and then cast a dark, knowing look up towards the residents of Ponyville, the town quickly putting two and two together. Their bodies shook and quivered in fear as Discord's voice hissed with power and chaotic energy the chilling words: "I'm sure... the choice won't be too hard." Home~ "I've always marveled at the aspects of nature, young and old. To think that such elements could be the salvation and destruction of us all in the early years of our history… Then, of course, the Pegasi were created, and we no longer need to fear such deadly elements. “But think about the wind, dearest one, the wind! How it uplifted the spirits of the crying and the feeble, graced their manes with calming breath and the gentle caress of coolness like a stroking, comforting hoof through one's fur. Do you remember in those early years, before the Harmonaya? Remember how we played for days in that wind, marveling at such a creation? It was in that moment, in those updrafts sailing us throughout the cool currents and waves of turbulence in the sky, that I realized everypony should enjoy such a wonderful thing. Was I... wrong, maybe? Perhaps. I mean, when I really look back and think on it, we probably should have taken into some consideration the power those elements had behind them. We've seen what they're capable of; ripping up trees, splitting the earth with their mighty roars, flooding the land in a great cascading rush of never-ending water whenever it pleased. Was I naive to think even the Pegasi could keep such things at bay? They do not possess the Mana Leylines of magic, nor could they ever hope to fully understand or grasp its vast concepts, yet it was still their purpose to control it, to an extent… Such an oddity, don't you agree?" "...mmpgreehm..." "Ah...the sound is muffled still. That is completely alright with me, dearest, I... I would just like to know someone is at least listening to me. I can't... possibly express how maddening it is to speak to nothing." "Ahunmmnrstnd..." "Thank you, indeed. As I was saying, how interesting was it to place into their hooves, elements that could have easily destroyed their entire existence at a moment's notice. Were we mad? Crazy? Insane!? What if such a thing backfired... what if it all went wrong and everypony in the sky and on the ground succumbed to nature's wrath? I'm sure I wouldn't be too happy either to have my very element of existence bended and molded to one's own preference. I would hardly feel like myself again, forced against a purpose I felt was not like my own. ... But then again... I-I suppose I am guilty of such crimes. You know what I did, what I did similar to this, what backfired when I tried to take matters into my own hooves..." "Melsnnia..." "It's true though, isn't it? I can't stop thinking about it! I am sorry every day that I am still breathing upon this world, shamed by my existence. They're all right, all of them! I should have died, I should have been slaughtered like the genocidal monster I am! Oh what would mother say, what would Twili-" The helmet was removed... "Enough of this! Hush now, my beloved, you are relapsing again..." "I... I am sorry. I don't know what came over me." "’Tis a process...and we understand. Hush darling, hush... allow yourself to be well in time. Rest now." "Thank you, my dearest Luna." ~ The air was colder than it had been the previous night. Such an observation could be easily made by any equine with enough cognitive thought to process such a thing through one's mind. But, to a few others, the elements always meant something different to them. It was the attention to detail that was required by this few; the biting of the chilly air, the taste of the wind across one’s idle tongue, the dryness of a throat as the winter frost was drunken down in small gulps. It was these acts that were being performed by one such being, one of pony shape, but the stripes of a species that was not native to the land. Simple black hooves rested firmly in the lavish grass that the being had come to love and adore with all her heart. The female casually ran a hoof through her striped mane and sniffed it shortly afterwards, nodding simply to herself. "Ah..." she began, smiling slightly as a windy chill brushed through her again, "I cannot wait to see this ground aglow, when it finally comes time for it to snow!" She smiled at herself, imagining the wondrous colors and winds that she ever enjoyed. It had made her remember the times that she visited with the lavender unicorn that loved to visit her so often in her lonely home of the forest, as they would spend many evenings together in the bittersweet snow, conversing of simple, kind topics and learning new things about each other, teaching… Although, ever since the librarian had been turned into and back out of the form of stone by a cockatrice, there had been some less frequent visits. The striped mare understood, it was not very safe in the forest where she resided, but it was the only really good place where she could harvest the many natural ingredients needed for her potions and medicine. Though she did miss those visits, learning about pony culture, about the many adventures the librarian had with her friends. She had often wondered what it would have been like to have those kinds of adventures of her own, what stories she would tell. She sighed, hanging her striped muzzle slightly and turning to go back inside her home. It was nothing more than a simple dream anyway. She knew she'd be happy enough living alone in her forest, making medicine and potions to sell to clinics and hospitals or to simply experiment with different combinations of concoctions to share with her family if she ever traveled back home. It still made her feel dreary though; knowing those times with the librarian would never come again... The hut door opened as quietly as it closed, the breezy air continuing to whip about across the forest. The inside of the small wooden home was as roomy and cozy as she remembered it, the shelves upon shelves of ingredients, bottles, and other little odds and ends greeting her like the unique expressions of her tribal masks did. The zebra smiled, approaching her bubbling cauldron and taking a deep smell of the greenish vapors that rose quietly from its bubbling mass. She licked her lips quickly before quickly stating to herself, "Maybe just a single teaspoon, and this potion will be done very soon." She frowned after a moment though, as she smelled the mixture again, "Mmh… maybe two to be sure, I would not like for this to turn out poor..." She turned her head towards one of her ingredient shelves, her hooves automatically grasping a simple flask out and popping it open, slowly dripping a small amount into the cauldron. She smiled as the redness of the bottle started to come out slowly, like syrup down a tree but slightly faster. She would have to be fast if she was going to add the exact amount. If she didn't, the mixture might not turn out as she hoped. The zebra was alone in the Everfree Forest, the chances of anything actually happening to interrupt her were few and far between. It was this thought she had in etched in her brain as a thunderous explosion rocked her hut violently, causing her hoof to slip and drop the entire flask into the cauldron. The zebra whipped her head around at the sound of the thunderous crack. Her windows flashed with the color of purple as she rushed towards her door, crashing through it as the sky flashed with the colors of lavender and purple for only a few seconds before suddenly disappearing. The forest was in a complete uproar, animals crying and roaring with alarm as scores of birds and bats took to the skies in a panic. "What the...?" whispered the zebra, her native way of speaking abandoned in a fit of fear and nervousness. After a few moments of serene silence, she decided it must’ve been a simple spell mishap, she’d know if it was serious. Sighing, she turned back towards her cauldron and frowned as it began to overflow with a bubbling red mixture, the ruins of many days of hard labor and calculating wasted. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she made her way back inside the hut to begin cleaning up. A furious pounding sounded upon her freshly closed door, causing the zebra to look back in uncertainty, turning to open the door again. As she pushed it open, a throaty gasp echoed out of her suddenly icy lungs. "By the waters of the Nile, what is the meaning of th- librarian!?" Twilight Sparkle stood before the zebra, her brown cloak and hood shredded to near nothingness, her bandages unraveling slightly to reveal red marks scorched into her fur. She looked like she had been viciously attacked by a pack of javelinas. Her crimson-filled eyes shut tight, a couple tears of blood leaking down her muzzle as her expression displayed the very clear indications of pain. "Z-Zecora..." Twilight wheezed, her breath coming out in ragged heaves. "Hush now, child, come inside, quick!" Zecora whispered urgently, ushering the limping unicorn inside and kicking the door closed quickly after her. She helped Twilight to her bed, stripping off her ruined cloak and discarding it on the floor. As Twilight gently sat upon the edge of the bed, Zecora quickly rushed to fetch her a cup of water. As she returned and pushed the cup between Twilight's hooves, the zebra asked in worry "Child what in Equestria has happened to you? You look as if you have lost to the second battle with the manticore you told me stalks these woods!" Twilight grunted as she pounded the cup back, keeping her eyes shut tight as she wheezed painfully, "I-I mass teleported, took part of the tower with me. I had to get... I had to escape Canterlot before he..." She let out a choking sob as a fresh tear of crimson leaked from her eye, making Zecora press a hoof to her mouth in shock. After a few tense moments, the zebra whispered "Twilight... you have the dark blood coming out of your eyes...do you ne-" "Don’t touch it!” She snarled, dropping the cup in her hands and pushing her own hooves up against her eyes, quickly wiping them away, "Don't touch my blood, keep away!" Zecora stepped back quickly but calmly, speaking quickly, "I am away from you! I am away from your blood. I know enough its effects, believe me!" Twilight let out a tiny, weak whimper. "I'm sorry... I just, I don't want to end up losing you too..." She took in a few shuddering breaths before opening her eyes slowly, revealing her gleaming, glowing violets, and the dark reds that infested her once pearly whites "I'm so sorry..." Zecora's eyes softened considerably as she whispered "By the savannahs, you don't need to apologize to me. You are alive and well in a world that believes you dead!” Zecora’s eyes swept across the unicorn with confused happiness, “This is wonderful news, but what on earth has put you in such a shredded state? Have you encountered the red-eyed demons again? Have they returned?" Twilight shook her head, getting up off the bed and wincing as she felt a twinge of pain shoot through the back of one of her legs "There's no time Zecora, I'll explain later, but I need to know if you have anything that can cover up the smell of blood." The zebra blinked for a moment before she whispered "Well...I do have some potions that can do such a thing, but in your condition there could be side effects, I don't know if it's a good ide-" “It’s not for me!” Twilight abruptly interrupted, glancing out the window, knowing her time was running short. “Do you have anything?” Zecora nodded, closing her mouth as she quickly trotted towards one of her shelves, sifting through it with quick hooves. She was feeling several things at that moment; fear, panic, uncertainty, confusion. She trusted the librarian though, knew that when she spoke that there was always truth behind her words. Sick or not, she was Twilight Sparkle, and she could be trusted. That was all the zebra needed. "I think this one will do the trick you wish." Zecora explained as she showed a flask of yellow contents to the unicorn. She nodded. “Good, I want you to go outside and sprinkle it on all of your doors and windows carefully, and do it fast.” Twilight explained as she rose from the chair, wincing in pain again but walking forward towards the front door. "Of course..." Zecora whispered, nodding slightly, albeit slightly confused, but she didn’t question it, "Whatever you need of me, librarian." The unicorn smiled and eyed a dark brown traveling cloak hanging beside the entrance. “Can I borrow this?” she asked the zebra passively, earning a simple nod in return. Twilight thanked her quickly and carefully slipped it over her, dropping the fluttering fabric over her tail and obscuring most of her bright color. As she did so, her eye caught something metal and glinting on a nearby counter. Twilight slowly walked over, staring at it, emotions swiftly rushing back to her as she saw it slightly dirtied on the tip with a rusty color… Carefully fitting her hoof through the specially-designed battle-knife strap, she raised it up and met Zecora’s eyes, who answered the silent question with a fateful nod. "I'm so sorry for all of this trouble..." Twilight whispered, turning towards the door "I'll explain it all when I get back, I promise." She quickly made for the door, limping all the way and opening up the entrance to a world dangerous and diseased once more. "Oh..." Twilight whispered, turning her back towards Zecora, "One more thing... and please do this for your own safety." Zecora blinked and nodded once more, allowing Twilight to continue. The unicorn sighed and quickly spoke with a voice clear and steady as she said the fateful words. "When you're done with the potion...close your windows, make little to no noise, and please... don't, go, outside." ~ At first, a single hoof. Then a second, a third, twelve, twenty… they started crashing and pounding against the sides of the cottage, pummeling its surface with cracks and scrapes as the beasts below snarled with ferocious anger, and an insatiable hunger. An orange and yellow mare inside worked together to quickly push a large wooden dresser in front of the cottage door, barricading it as much as they could with furniture. Fluttershy was swift to close all of her curtains, even though she knew they were too high for any of the danger to get inside. And any with wings wouldn’t bother if all was dark and quiet inside… Finally, the Pegasus was silent as she plopped down into a nearby chair, watching her friend continuously run around the house, checking everything for signs of anything bad, and blowing out all candles and forms of light, “Applejack… please, sit down.” She spoke quietly as the orange mare walked by. Applejack paused, walking over to the timid pony and looking at her. “You alright? Ya didn’t get bit, did ya?” Fluttershy merely shook her head, quietly tucking her legs in under her and laying her head on the chair’s arm rest. “How… h-how did this happen?” she asked, speaking to the air. Applejack knew what she meant, and was instantly silent as a response. She only walked forward a bit and was about to reach a hoof around to comfort her friend, but she was interrupted with a loud screech from beyond the blocked doors. The Pegasus trembled slightly from the sound, knowing exactly what it meant. They had all watched as their entire town fell apart once more, by the ravaged forms of their friends. Turned into something far beyond what they were before; just a mindless creature. Applejack sighed, hearing the furious pounding on the sides of the cottage begin to slowly dwindle as the two ponies kept quiet. The mare tilted her Stetson and glanced at one of the closed window curtains anxiously, unsure if they were fully safe just yet. But she knew they were never safe, but at least for now, they could find some time for peace and regaining their thoughts after the horrible event. As long as they didn’t go outside. “Why don’t I go grab us a cuppa’ tea or somethin’?” Applejack asked absently. Her friend said nothing as she trotted off into the kitchen to prepare their drinks. The yellow mare simply closed her eyes, shutting away the dark room’s horrid ambiance. In a matter of minutes, the entire town that the citizens were so recently repairing had become a living hell once more. It was such a violent thrust back into a world so cold, a world full of fear, and death, full of locked doors, and quiet, dark lives every waking moment, a world where you could never go outside. The outside wasn’t friendly. A stumbling pair of two hooves crashed onto the roof of Fluttershy’s cottage near the outer edge of the Everfree Forest. A young-looking Pegasus, once going by the name of Cloudchaser, had pure blood-red eyes, scanning the air around her, sniffing multiple times and snarling ferociously, she could sense the building she stood on was occupied. …by food. Her ragged-looking blue wings flapped wildly as her power-spiked hooves clambered onto the chimney of the dark cottage. The magenta irises of the creature grew slightly in size as her nose was filled with the scent from the inside of the house when she breathed in the chimney. She stood upon it and looked down into the darkness. Hunger was what she felt, and she wanted to satisfy that. The yellow mare raised her head slightly, ears perking up at a strange sound. Her head swiveled as she searched for its source, knowing any little thing could mean danger at this point. “A-Applejack, is that you?” she whispered timidly, but knew the question fell unheard, as her friend was preparing their drinks in the kitchen. ‘crack’ Fluttershy’s curiosity and worry peaked. She rose from her chair, tentatively stepping her hooves onto her hard wooden floor and walking around, ears flicking at the annoyingly continuous scratching sound. She looked at the closed window curtains, still closed fine. The pounding on the walls from earlier had eventually subsided as the beasts from outside quietly lurked around her front yard. The mare peeked at her fireplace opening, glancing curiously at the idle logs sitting there, untouched since a couple days previously. That’s when something crashed down in front of her. Fluttershy did the last thing she should’ve: …screamed. Applejack rounded the living room corner just in time to watch her friend get tackled to the ground by a flesh-hungry blue Pegasus. The experienced earth-pony gasped in shock, reacting with stunning speed and reaching for a fire poker set next to the house’s chimney opening. The infected Cloudchaser screamed in fury as Applejack whipped the weapon across her face, knocking her cleanly off her friend before any damage could be done. Fluttershy jumped to her feet and ran to her friend, throwing her arms around her in a swift hug. “Sh-she came through the fireplace, I-I never would’ve expected that!” Fluttershy explained quickly, hysterical from the shocking attack, and near death. Her friend nodded, acting quick and inspecting said fireplace, making sure none had followed the pony down. It was luckily empty. Fluttershy gulped, timidly grabbing one of the fireplace tools and walking over to the knocked-out Pegasus on the floor. She was groaning quietly, eyes having opened once more and looking around wildly, the blow seemed to have damaged her brain. “Fluttershy, I’m gonna re-check any other alternate entrances, now that we know these darn things can get clever.” She snarled angrily. They had never seen the creatures pull a maneuver like that one before. “And finish that one off.” She noted, glancing at the stirring form of Cloudchaser. The yellow Pegasus gulped, but nodded. “Right.” She was just raised her tool, knowing what to do. The head was the quickest way; she knew from experience… ‘growl’ Her eyes widened as her three living room windows all shattered at once. “NO!” Applejack dashed back into the room, looking with horror as it was suddenly filled with four snarling Pegasi creatures broke inside and dashed straight for her friend again. She gripped her weapon tightly and jumped through the air, ramming one of the attacks out of the way and into Fluttershy’s chair, knocking both obstacles over. The other three quickly jumped straight for the orange mare, who spun on her fore hooves and with expert precision, bucked two of them in their broadened chests, sending them tumbling into the ground and delivering a fore hoof blow to the final one, taking the brief moment to spin and shout to her friend. “We gotta get outta here!” “O-outside?” “No other choice, they already know we’re here and how to get in.” she shouted, slamming the fire poker tool into the rising Cloudchaser’s head again, drawing blood this time from the side. She winced, that was never something to get used to. It was useless, two more of the snarling Pegasi had barreled into the compromised cottage, Applejack couldn’t fight off more than three at a time, and that many were surrounding her. Fluttershy stared with horror, trembling at the sight, they were doomed already. “Just go!” her friend shouted, launching herself at the nearest beast, crashing her shoulder into its chest and barreling it into the ground with fury. Fluttershy knew that she couldn’t freeze like this, it would mean her life was at stake, it only took a single moment to get bit… and her friend was surrounded. One of the hungry beasts broke off and dove for the yellow mare. A brown flash through the moonlit cottage was followed by the scream of the three infected creatures advancing on Applejack as they were thrown into the air without warning. The fourth roared out in rage and swiped a powerful hoof through the air blindly, attacking something that Fluttershy hadn’t seen. It cried out in shock as its arm was twisted, and snapped like a twig, right before its body was sent hurling against a wall. A bright glint of silver flashed through the air as a sharp blade drove straight the head of the fifth attacking Pegasus. Its screams were cut off instantly, and the lifeless corpse dropped to the ground, marking the presence of something new. But yet, the other four still rose to their feet, fury only rose powerfully as their red eyes searched for the new attacker, and they lurched once more. “Ceeeaasssse!!” The dark, hissing voice silenced everything. The four Pegasi merely stood for a moment, staring at the shadowed figure standing there before them, eyes covered by a brown hood. They snarled once more before dashing out the broken windows as quick as they came. “What in the hay…” Applejack mumbled, staring at the dark creature with utter confusion. It had just saved them, and scared the creatures off. Bandaged hooves reached up and gripped the brown hood, lowered it down to the traveling cloak. The figure turned around and Twilight Sparkle’s face illuminated in the moonlight. “New rule, girls.” The yellow and orange mare exchanged stunned expressions for a moment, eyes wide with utter shock. “Fight the hell back.” ~ "Rule number one... Don't Go Outside..." ~ Twilight ran. her breath heavy but under control as she headed towards one of the buildings lining the town's outskirts. She dove with her flank sliding across the ground, the mare stealthily pressing herself against the firm wall of the building. She looked around frantically, spotting two pairs of the bloody ponies approaching from both sides of her, patrolling the perimeter of the town. She quickly scooted along the wall as fast as she could, slipping into an alleyway and heading towards the other side. As she moved, however, her side bumped a trashcan, which clanged loudly against the wooden building, making the unicorn swear under her breath. She heard the sudden growls and barks of one of the creatures from the entrance of the alley, as well as the sounds of the patrolling ones behind her. She bit her lip, looking up towards her horn. She sighed, knowing she shouldn’t take the risk. But her options were running short because of time. As she started to collect her energy, a hoof pressing against her yelping mouth and dragging her backwards into a pile of garbage halted her move. "Shhh!" hissed a voice in her ear, the two of them growing still in the garbage as a few bloody ponies ran by the spot that Twilight had only recently occupied. They looked up and down the alleyway, growling and dripping a small amount of blood and saliva all over the ground. After a few tense moments, the diseased ones growled and grunted dismissively, retreating from the alley. "Whew, that was close," whispered the mare holding Twilight, her voice stunningly familiar to the unicorn. "It... it was. Thanks for th-" She stopped as she got up and turned to face her savior, face lighting up in a state of shock as the mare before her looked upon her with equal surprise. "Pinkie!?" "Twilight!?" They wheezed each others’ names at the same time, with Twilight looking upon the straightened, pink mane of her once happy and bouncy friend. "Twilight!" Pinkie whispered in glee, her hair curling slightly as she threw her hooves around her old friend, squeezing her tight. "I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, her eyes brimming with hot tears. "To everypony else, I still am... I’m surprised you took that so well," Twilight whispered back, hugging her friend. "Where have you been Twilight?" Pinkie's eyes were wide as Twilight looked around, constantly on the lookout for further danger. "I'll explain it all in time, Pinkie... I promise." Twilight whispered, pulling back to look her in the eyes "What I wanna know is why you're out here in the garbage, outside!" "I got caught outside when everything went down," Pinkie whispered quickly, "I found the closest hiding place and hid. That meany Discord is back and he's terrorizing everypony, I left the twins with Macintosh for awhile and-" "And that's the safest they can be right now Pinkie, ok?" Twilight whispered, drawing a nod out of the mare, "We'll come back for them, all of them, I promise. Right now, though, I need you to find Rainbow Dash and get her to Zecora's, ok? Fluttershy and...and Applejack are already on their way there.” She felt a low, somber tone creeping up in her voice as she mentioned her old country friend. Pinkie nodded grimly, watching as Twilight moved towards the front of the alleyway. "Twilight!" She whispered, causing the unicorn to turn towards her "It's… good to have you back." Twilight smiled, nodding once and turning back towards the entrance to the alleyway. Time was running out... the infected would start to catch on that something's going on... somepony was here... and that their leader would need to know. ~ "Ugh, how horrid! How is a lady supposed to do anything in this, darkness?" Rarity whined quietly, sitting in her upstairs bedroom, staring at the wall. She looked tired, weary, defeated. How could this have happened again? Twilight defeated the disease; that was what everypony had said. That golden magic... that wave of love... it had stopped all the pain, all the suffering. But now it was back… had her friend’s death been in vain? Was there nothing to stop evil from returning anyway? "Woe is us... what ever are we to do now..." Rarity whimpered, burying her face in her hooves and feeling hot tears wetting her eyes. "What am I supposed to do...what are any of us supposed to do now?" "Live..." whispered a voice in the darkness, causing Rarity to gasp and jump slightly. The unicorn looked up quickly, her eyes wide and staring into the darkness as a form emerged from the shadows. "We live, just as we always have." whispered the voice, drawing Rarity to peer closer at the unicorn walking closer to her. As she saw the lavender fur and the familiar streaks of color throughout that wonderfully violet and pink-blue mane, she had to try her hardest not to scream. "T...Twilight?" She whispered, her thoughts jumbled and confused as Twilight nodded and quickly gave her friend a firm hug. "It's me... I'm here, but we don't have a lot of time! Is Sweetie Belle safe?" Twilight asked, pulling away from their embrace and looking into Rarity's half-smiling face. "She's with our parents on holiday..." she whispered, looking Twilight over as if she were a ghost. Twilight chuckled, moving back towards the door that lead downstairs, and whispering fast, "You can critique me later on how I’m not dead, now we have to go, quickly!" Rarity nodded and followed her swiftly, the two of them stealthily leaving the front door to the boutique. They started to move quickly and quietly into the fields, moving as fast and as silently as possible. The wind started to pick up, shifting upwind towards Twilight and carrying with the scent of blood. The bandaged unicorn scrunched up her nose as the sounds of hooves galloping in the distance started to draw near. "Shit..." she swore, causing Rarity to stop and look around her. "What is it?" she whispered in fright, "Is it them?!" "It might be, we need to move, now!" Twilight urged, starting a gallop towards the outskirts of town. The trees of the Everfree were starting to come into sight, making Twilight turn and shout back "We're almost there, Rarity, keep run-" The unicorn had barely the time to react as the sounds of an explosive shriek sounded off above them both. The bloody forms of three Pegasus ponies dropped from the air towards the two of them, hooves extended and teeth bared and ready to maul. Twilight instantly drew Zecora’s battle knife, unhooking its hold and slinging it into position, and with perfect strength and precision, slicing the sharp knife straight through the head of the first descending Pegasus. The second crashed into Rarity, the mare shrieking as they rolled across the dark grass. "Don't let him bite you!" Twilight shrieked as she slammed a hoof into the stomach of the third Pegasus as it landed on the ground and lunged at her. The hit knocked this Pegasus off balance, sending its wings flapping wildly to the side. As Twilight rushed towards the remaining Pegasus, she could only listen and watch in horror as Rarity let out a shrill cry of pain, the sounds of teeth sinking into skin echoing through her ears. “NOOO!!" Twilight roared, shoving the blade through the back of the Pegasus’ head and killing it instantly. Rarity wept as she held a spot just under her neck, her hooves trying to stop the blood that gushed from her wound. "Tw…Twilight it bu- oh it burns already!" She cried, her head pounding with sudden pain and the sounds of galloping hooves that were drawing near. "Shh! Rarity just hold on!" Twilight cried, a tear of blood leaking from her eyes as she hoisted Rarity up over her back "Fight it Rarity! Fight it as long as you can!" Her friend let out a choking sob as the two entered the forest. Twilight moved with as much speed as she could, listening as Rarity growled and shook her head violently, trying her best to keep her mind intact. "Can't, won't…" Rarity growled savagely, blood dripping from her mouth as she felt her insides burn. "I can't! Have to... where am I... have to breathe! Hungry!" Twilight continued to weave through the trees, panting as she struggled to keep the struggling Rarity stable on her back. In her mind, however, she was calculating. She remembered studying it, studying the disease. It could have been several seconds, it could be several minutes. Whatever the case, Twilight was only reminded yet again of the simplicity of the dire matter that continued to plague her every bloody step. That time, was indeed over. ~ A.N.> (Massive kudos to BlackSnowyOwl, who went through sleep deprivation and constant focus to get this chapter edited and back to me! He's truly an awesome bro! Congrats to his new baby sister for being born!) -W.K. /) Live~ "A long time ago, in the magical land of Equestria.... There lived two sisters of great and powerful magic. One of these sisters wielded the mighty burning heart of the Sun, while the other wielded the calm soothing serenity of the Moon. It was these two that ruled over the land of Equestria with peace and harmony in their hearts and in the hearts of their loyal subjects. They oversaw the rise and fall of many villains, including the rise of one of their own inner monsters; Nightmare Moon. Evil after evil had been banished by the efforts of the six risen Elements of Harmony, the very foundations and pillars of the world themselves in pony form, come forth to banish chaos and disharmony wherever it chose to rear its head. But... they were not prepared for this. Chaos, like Harmony, is part of the balance. It is a part of every living creature's soul and is capable of as much destruction as Harmony is love. It lives in the hearts of every single pony, and every single one of its rulers... When fire and death loomed over Equestria like a deadly shadow, Chaos took hold of the fears and doubts of such a ruler, and plagued her poor heart with dismay and hopelessness. With none to help her and none who would ever dare question her, Chaos played havoc with her heart, mind, body, and soul, and thus doomed Equestria to become beset by the very essence of Chaos itself: a terrible Ravage. But as we know... Chaos is in the balance. If one scale is tipped, the other must restore the balance. As it was so for all the generations of ponykind, and so will it be again when Harmony is restored to the world. The cycle repeats itself without end. But always know that where there is Chaos, Harmony will always follow… until the scales break… …at least, that’s how it usually works." ~ Zecora sipped her herbal tea with a calm sigh through her snout, her ears doing their absolute best to tune out the argumentative banter of the four ponies who had taken an apparent residence in her hut. It was understandable as to why they were all so upset, but a little less volume would have been much appreciated to the poor Zebra. "Ah'm tellin' ya it's her fault!" Applejack barked at Rainbow Dash, the multi-colored pony held a face of anger as she stared back at her friend. "You take that back!" Rainbow spat back, pointing an accusing hoof towards the country mare, "She's always been our friend! Look at all she did for us, Applejack!" "Yeah, did is the word, Rainbow!" Applejack countered, slamming her Stetson down on the floor in frustration. "She smashed through the walls of Canterlot, brought her whole diseased group with her, and unleashed a horde of Afflicted onto everypony, nearly killing even the Princesses!” Rainbow let out a furious growl as she set her hooves down on the floor, struggling to wriggle out of Pinkie Pie’s grip as the pink pony tried to stop the fight from escalating, to not much avail. "She cured us all, Applejack! The most powerful magical blast we’d ever felt, was The Purge! She saved Equestria, you dummy!" "At what cost!?" Applejack roared, stamping her hooves violently, "She brought it back and she brought Discord with her! Everypony who was cured before isn't coming back this time if they get infected, Rainbow, that's how it works, remember!? How do you explain Twilight showing up just out of the blue with the virus trailing behind her?" Fluttershy was whimpering from a small corner in the hut, her front hooves ineffective at stopping the tears streaming from her eyes as she cried "P...please stop fighting! This isn't r-right!" Zecora gulped back the last of her tea and let out yet another sigh as she rubbed a pained spot on the top of her head with a hoof. "Please, librarian..." she whispered to herself as she went to make another batch of tea. "Do hurry yourself back here..." As if on cue, the sounds of distant galloping could be heard in the distance, loud enough to even carry over the furious banter between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Zecora's ears perked up as she heard this, quickly turning her head to shout "Everyone, hush! Open your ears and listen!" The ponies quieted down, but the glares were still traded back and forth as the sound of a distant and panicked scream echoed faintly through the walls of the hut; “Help!!” "What in tarnation…" Applejack mumbled, turning her head towards the door. "I need help!" screamed a voice outside the hut, the door shuddering for a moment. The ponies inside gasped and immediately shot towards the door, Rainbow flinging it open first and zooming outside. They all made it out in time to see Twilight Sparkle collapse onto the ground, dropping the infected form of a white unicorn, previously slung on her back. “Twilight, wh-“ Zecora was interrupted as Rarity pushed herself up on four hooves, and instantly lunged at the purple unicorn sitting there. But she was prepared. She slammed her own hooves into the ground and shot up into a defensive stance. The creature looked her in the eyes with its matching blood-red ones and snarled, a drop of blood dripping from her lips as it took a cautious step towards Twilight, tilting her head. The cloaked unicorn narrowed her eyes. This all happened in a single moment. The beast lunged again, but Twilight was ready; with expert precision, she wrapped her strong hooves around Rarity’s middle and shifted their weight, slamming the attacker belly-first into the forest floor. The ponies standing there finally realized the situation, and Fluttershy screamed in fear. “Twilight, no!” Rainbow shouted, unable to believe what she was seeing, while the zebra beside her shook her head solemnly. “Ah can’t believe it…” Applejack said quietly, eyes fixed upon her now growling friend, who snarled viscously and swiped a hoof at them as they stood a few steps up on the porch of the hut. “Get me some rope, now!” Twilight finally shouted, grunting as the infected unicorn thrashed wildly under her, and she struggled to dig a hoof into the dirt to get better leverage on her hold. “What for? She’s dead already.” The orange mare replied, staring at the unicorn with resentment, knowing her friend’s condition was the lavender mare’s fault. “I don’t care what the heck you think, Applejack! Get me some damn rope!!” she screamed, clenching her teeth as she gave the white unicorn another shove. But this time, Rarity snarled ferociously back and swung a strong hoof back, knocking Twilight in the chest and unbalancing her off. She squeaked in pain from the blow and backed up, coughing a bit for breath. As the unicorn turned with a red-eyed glare to the ponies standing there, she instantly locked onto the nearest one: Pinkie Pie. Before the beast could take another step, a rainbow flash appeared from the side, and suddenly a pair of cyan hooves curled around Rarity’s hind leg, and grappled onto her shoulder from the front. Next thing they knew, Rainbow kicked her legs into the ground and twirled into the air, flipping over and crashing the unicorn back-first into the rough floor- a blow that would’ve cracked any regular pony’s spine. “Rope!” she shouted, gripping tightly and using her powerful wings to force the unicorn into the ground. She growled angrily and flailed wildly, trying to escape the strong grip. Applejack emerged from the hut again and gripped a long piece of the required rope in her teeth, dashing over beside Rainbow and gripping the rope tightly. With speed of experience and precision of skill, she swiftly tied down Rarity’s kicking legs, and used the other end of the rope as a miniature lasso for the fore-hooves, binding them very tightly behind the unicorn’s back, arching her position. The two mares collapsed right there, belly’s rising and falling from complete exhaustion from that single, dramatic event. It made their hearts beat like crazy. Twilight slowly stepped over to them, looking down at the growling and thrashing pony. She quickly knelt down and carefully put her head against Rarity’s nearly touching their horns together as she stared deeply into those wild-red eyes, and hissed: “Ssssleeep.” Rarity, after kicking against her binds a couple more times, finally slowed, her eyes fluttering closed, quietly obeying the command and drifting off to sleep. “Thank you, girls, I’m very proud of you.” Twilight smiled warmly as she rose back up. She looked around at the group, all eyes were on her. Some fearful, some sad, some completely shocked. She knew one thing more than any other. “I...guess I have some explaining to do...” ~ “Macintosh..." she whispered with a smile from behind the red stallion's neck, breathing her sweet delicious breath upon him. "Mmmh... five more minutes, hun," the work horse whispered back, a deep rumbling sigh escaping his lips as he felt her hooves wrapping around his middle and giving him a firm squeeze. "But...Macintosh, you have to wake up."She whispered sweetly. "We're all going to die if you don't wake up." Macintosh's eyes snapped open as he caught sight of Lyra screaming down at him, her eyes wide and panicked as no noise escaped her lips. "You're all going to die like me, if you don't get up." "Macintosh, please! Get up! Hurry!" Lyra screamed as the sounds of splintering and crackling wood echoed all around him. The workhorse grunted as he scrambled to get up, looking all around him and spotted the ravaged pony, who had managed to shove him into one of the barn's support beams and knocked him out. It was dead, an iron pole pierced into its side. "Darn monsters... Ah've had just about enough o' them..." he grumbled to himself as he looked towards the entrance to the barn, the closed door creaking and cracking violently as several snarling voices rammed themselves against it. "Why did you even come out here? It's night time, you know what He said about going out at night!" Lyra hissed as Macintosh shook his head from the dull throbbing pain that had suddenly returned to his skull. "Forgot mah yoke." he whispered, heading towards the support beam which displayed his yoke on a hook, ready for wearing and working. He was so ready to go back to work too... if only. "Seriously? Your yoke?! You could have been killed, you big dummy!" She pointed over towards the dead pony laying just several feet away as she growled, "You would have been too if I hadn't rushed over to save you!" Macintosh let out a huff as he quickly made his way over to the ladder that led up to the hayloft. "Ah thank you for it too, Miss Lyra, but right now we gotta get quiet and get up here b’fore that door breaks." Lyra bit her lip for a moment, looking back towards the splintering door before nodding and rushing over to climb up the ladder that Macintosh was already half way up on. The stallion reached the secluded loft first, turning and reaching down to help pull Lyra up quickly. In turn, she reached up and hooked her hoof around Macintosh's, squeaking in surprise as she was pulled up with incredible speed. As wiggling rear hooves disappeared up into the hayloft, the front door to the barn crashed inwards and let in a torrent of ponies. They were bloody, they were angry, and they smelled food. The work horse pressed a hoof against Lyra's mouth as she let out a tiny squeak, shaking his head at her in an effort to make sure she understood not to make any noise. As she nodded towards him, Macintosh took a chance to carefully peer over the edge of the loft and down onto the floor of the barn. He grimaced as he spotted at least ten monstrous ponies, all of them with either dark crimson splashed against their faces, or adorned with some kind of bite mark in their tender fur. He looked over each of them carefully, planning out the best course of action to attack. Ten was a bit of a challenge, but one he had faced before. It would be quick and calculated, over before any alarm was raised. Just as he was about to make his move, however, an eleventh pony trudged into view. Macintosh closed his eyes with a pained expression as Bon-Bon twisted her head rapidly to the left and right, like a chicken sensing that its feed was close. Macintosh leaned back into the hayloft, his eyes centering on the small window that rested just beyond a few bales of hay. He pointed silently with a hoof towards it, drawing Lyra's eyes away from the edge and towards the window as well. She nodded and begun to quietly get up and stealthily walk over behind the hay bales. Macintosh followed after her quickly, making sure she didn't have a chance to peer over the edge. If Lyra saw her infected friend at any point like this... it'd probably be over for the both of them. He had already tasted rage once... another would be his last. Lyra reached the window first, the teal mare being as gentle as she could in pushing it open and letting the crisp night air reach them with a soft touch. She took a moment to peer out the window before hastily bringing her head back in with wide eyes. She turned towards Macintosh and shook her head, motioning towards the opening. At this, Macintosh frowned and took a step forward to look himself. He grimaced as he spotted five of the monsters standing between the barn and the farm house where the others were. "Darnit..." he whispered, his eyes scanning for any opening they could've used to escape. When he found none, he slowly turned his head towards Lyra, his eyes centering on her horn. She followed his gaze upwards, the tip of her horn coming into her view as her irises shrunk in a fit of panic. "Mac, no!" she whispered in terror, shaking her head several times. "Just to one corner o' the yard!" Macintosh retorted, his ears perking to the sounds of thudding against the hayloft ladder, "The magic'll attract ‘em to the barn and give us a good chance to make it to the house!" Lyra shook her head again as she whispered urgently "Macintosh, are you crazy!? I've never teleported more than a teacup or two! I can't teleport both of us down there!" Macintosh furrowed his brow, looking away from Lyra for a moment to think. An idea clicked in his head as he quickly breathed, "Can ya launch any kinda flare, or magic bolt or somethin'?" When Lyra nodded, he pointed over towards the Everfree Forest with a hoof and whispered "Over that way, give them somethin' to run after!" Lyra nodded once more, approaching the window and pointing her horn straight over towards the forest. "Please... go far," Lyra whispered as she reached into the recesses of her mind and magic. Her horn crackled for a moment before gleaming and stirring up a monstrous howl of a horde below. With a terrified cry, Lyra launched a bolt of teal magic out of the window, hurling it towards the Everfree Forest and immediately cutting off her magic flow. The red stallion watched as the ponies in the yard turned and bolted straight for the forest while the sounds of thudding from the hayloft ladder grew in intensity. "Ok, go! Go now!" Macintosh urged as Lyra scrambled out of the window. The work horse quickly followed her, pausing to close the window behind him. They reached the edge of the roof together, looking down towards the far ground before looking at each other and giving each other a firm nod. The two of them made a stunning leap as the group from inside the barn rushed out and joined in the chase after the wayward magic. Macintosh hit the ground first in a roll, making sure that not a single point of his body absorbed all of the impact. Lyra wasn't as fortunate, her hoof twisting slightly as she hit the ground and causing her to let out a loud whine of pain. Macintosh clenched his teeth as he looked over towards the forest, noticing that two or three of the bloody ponies had stopped, their ears perking as a new sound reached them. The sound of wounded prey. "Come on, Lyra!" Macintosh hissed as he hastily got to his belly. Lyra weakly pulled herself on top of him, barely having the strength to hold on as the work horse made a quick gallop towards the farm house. As the sounds of galloping started drifting back towards the barn, Macintosh shoved his way through the doors of his farmhouse and made for a quick gallop down the hall. Wasting no time, he ripped open a small door at the end of the main hall, rushing in and shutting it behind him. He bounded down the steps that were waiting for him just beyond the door, the work horse's breath labored and panicked as he reached one final door at the bottom of the stairs. He paused for a quick few breaths before quietly knocking on the door and whispering "Spike, ya'll open up now. It's me an’ Lyra!" There was a few moments pause before the young voice of a dragon whispered back through the door, asking, "Who does it belong to?" At this, Macintosh let his head hang slightly and his eyes shut painfully. He knew the answer... but every time he had to say it, he could swear his heart tore a little every time. "Twilight..." he whispered, stepping back as the sounds of the door unlocking were heard. The door opened a few seconds later, revealing a weary looking Spike and a few barrels of apple cider. Macintosh nodded towards the small dragon as he made his way in, whispering "Thanks Spike... everythin' alright here?" "As far as it can be I guess..." he said quietly, closing and locking the door behind them. The red stallion gently placed Lyra in the far corner of the cellar, next to the sleeping twins of the Cakes who were curled up against a pony who Macintosh was introduced to as 'Roseluck'. He sighed as he sat back on his flank next to a sleeping bundle in a tiny basket, watching as Spike took back his spot next to a sleeping Catie Cloud-Mane, the young Pegasus filly who had taken refuge with Twilight during the first incident. That dreadful... painful first incident. It seemed as though it was repeated… His eyes wandered to the right as he looked over a weeping Sweetie Belle pressed up against a worried Applebloom, with one of the weather ponies, Thunderlane, resting up against one of the cider barrels along the far wall. It was a lot of ponies for one apple cider cellar, but it would have to do. It was too dangerous to be up in the main house during the night. He jumped slightly as Spike called out to him "You good, Mac'?". Macintosh felt a smile tug at his lips as he whispered back, "Eeyup... peachy." His eyes drooped to a close as his tiredness finally caught up to him, drawing blackness once more to his vision. "Just... peachy..." The following day for Ponyville was far more different than anypony would have liked as the sounds of retreating monsters and snarling ponies dissipated towards the Everfree Forest. One by one, ponies carefully poked their heads outside, taking careful steps to ensure that the outside was safe... if only temporarily. Macintosh opened his eyes slowly as the sounds of clawed footsteps climbing down the stairs were heard, his head still throbbing from the grotesque sounds of howling ponies. From beside him, the sounds of a tiny creature gurgling reached his ears, causing him to turn his head. It was always something he adored, listening to the sounds of the very thing that he cherished more than anything in the entire world. A baby filly, lavender in color with small spots of red lined in her fur, she had a streak of blonde in her purple and pink mane, her eyes the most dazzling color of emeralds in all of Equestria, according to a few. A tiny unicorn horn poked through her dazzling mane, and her tiny smile was enough to make Macintosh's headache disappear, if only for a few moments. He gently reached a hoof over to rub at her belly as the door to the cellar opened. The stallion turned his head towards Spike, who walked in with a tired but determined look on his young face, the small dragon pointed a clawed thumb behind him and spoke, "Figured I'd give you a heads up... those traitors Lyra mentioned are coming." At this, Macintosh closed his eyes and sighed, nodding and getting up to his aching hooves. "How long was Ah out?" He asked sluggishly, his hooves feeling a bit wobbly as he turned towards his filly. "Almost all day, it's getting to be pretty late in the afternoon." Spike answered, drawing a deep sigh out of Macintosh. The stallion picked up his filly's basket in his teeth and carefully placed it on a balanced point on his back. With trudging hooves, he made his way out of the cellar and up into the main hall of the house. His pace was sluggish as he passed by the entrance to the living room, his ears perking to the sounds of quiet arguing from within. "We were just here to sample some of Macintosh's new Apple Cider!" Thunderlane grumbled as he pointed an accusing hoof towards Lyra "That was, until somebody led a whole mob of monsters over here! Now we might as well be trapped here!" "I was panicked, Thunderlane, give me a break!" Lyra shouted back, her mane disheveled and unkempt, "I've been having a little bit of a rough day if you haven't noticed! At least you still have your marefriend!" At this, Roseluck quickly shook her head and pulled the twins closer to her while whispering, "Please don't bring me into this, it's already taking too much of my energy to keep these little ones quiet..." Macintosh sighed as he made his way towards the front door, Spike following quickly at his side. As he saw the shadows of ponies just beyond the door, his mind wandered over exactly what happened the previous evening. Thunderlane and Roseluck, the two new happy parents of the orphaned Cake Twins come for a visit and a small sample of their new apple cider... with Lyra and an angry mob of savaged, bloody ponies screaming behind her. He didn't know what caused the re-infection or why... nor was he sure if he even cared anymore. So much blood and misery could play havoc on one's mind... and with so much more on the way, Macintosh wasn't sure if he could survive a second time. He reached the front of the door with a heavy sigh, pushing it open to reveal two black-armored ponies clanking up the steps towards him. They were both colts, their armor embezzled with several serrated edges and a few spikes. He had heard about the 'Volunteers' from Lyra after she had run all the way from Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres, but couldn't really believe that anypony would actually buy into Discord's lies, let alone the acceptance of his rule. "What do y'all want..." he asked them irritably, his mood for dealing with ponies very thin. "There were several attacks against Lord Discord's 'children' last night, particularly concerning the Elements of Harmony." The colt on the left growled "Do you know anything about that?" At this, Macintosh simply shook his head in annoyance and spat back at them, "Ah'm livin' all the way over here on this side of Ponyville, ya damn cowards, why would Ah know anythin' bout the Elements?" The colt on the right narrowed his eyes towards Macintosh as he retorted sinisterly "I think you know why..." The patience that Macintosh thought he had quickly snapped as he pointed a firm hoof at them and hollered "Who the hell do y'all think you are trudgin' up here to me askin' stupid questions! Ah don't know anythin' bout' any Elements so y'all can just tuck yer cowardly tails between y'alls legs and get off of mah damn farm!" The colts looked towards one another and then back at Macintosh, the two of them giving him one last glare before turning and moving away from the farmhouse. As they retreated, Lyra trotted up towards the red stallion and Spike, "What's going on up here? What's with the shouting?" "Two more of those wuss ponies came to question Big Mac." Spike answered, inclining his head towards the black armored ponies "What's their deal anyway?" Lyra sighed as Mac closed the door firmly, grumbling to himself and retreating back towards the kitchen. "They're just... scared, Spike," Lyra explained, "When I was in Ponyville, and Discord had us all cornered, he said that we'd be allowed outside during the day... but that we were too rowdy to be trusted." She followed Macintosh into the kitchen with Spike as she went on, "He promised to draw the ravaged ponies to the forest for the day if volunteers signed up to be his own little personal 'guard' or something. Never said why.” "Cowardly if ya ask me..." Macintosh grumbled, plucking an apple out of the basket and taking a bite out of it. Lyra sighed and shook her head, trotting towards the table to get an apple of her own. Spike simply watched for a moment before the sounds of tiny hooves met his ears, drawing him to turn his head. Catie was heading towards the door, her head drooping and her eyes weary and tired as if she hadn't slept in days. "Hey," Spike called, reaching a clawed paw out towards her. Catie stopped, lifting her head to meet his gaze as he asked "Where are you off to?" "Oh, um... just outside," Catie answered, looking towards the door "I just need some air." "I'll come with you if you want," Spike offered, turning and walking towards her, "It's not really safe to go out alone anyway." He watched as she thought it over for a moment before smiling and nodding at him. "Alright, cool!" He exclaimed, turning towards the hall "I'll go grab a few things and we can head out." Catie nodded and watched him disappear for a few moments, turning her head back towards the door. It was tough, she thought, having to switch lifestyles yet again. The very fact that the monsters had returned was enough to make her grimace and feel sick to her stomach. With Twilight dead and gone... what were they supposed to do now? Could anypony do anything to save them a second time? "Alright, I'm ready to go!" Spike said as he approached Catie once more. She turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, noticing the small brown belt he now wore along with the baseball bat he had leaning against one shoulder and the baseball he threw up and caught in his other hand. In the small belt there rested what looked like a can of manespray. "Um...Spike?" Catie asked, eying the can carefully. "As far as you know..." Spike whispered, winking towards the filly "I'm returning it to a friend." "What about the bat and ball?" Catie muttered, her eyes flicking over towards it. Spike simply chuckled and responded with "If anyone asks, I'm playing baseball with the sky and you're flying up to catch the ball." With a final nod, Catie pushed her way out of the farmhouse and out into the dreary afternoon. "Y'all don't stay too late out there!" Macintosh called after them, "It'll get dark before y'all know it!" "We won't!" Spike called back, closing the farmhouse door behind him and hurrying to catch up with Catie up ahead, who was already moving into the lines and lines of growing and fully grown apple trees. For a while, the two of them were quiet, walking side by side through the rows of trees. The wind was blowing gently through the leaves of Evergreen, bringing a sense of calm in a world gone mad once again. Spike was caught off guard when Catie suddenly spoke. "Do you miss her...?" she asked quietly, drawing a thin frown out of the young dragon. He took a moment to piece his words together before answering her. "Yes... but I think maybe it's better that she's gone." "What!?" Catie exclaimed with a gasp as they reached the bottom of a large, grassy hill. Spike sighed as the two of them started up the hill, turning his head to speak. "Well... think about it," Spike said as the wind whipped around them, "Twilight got infected, right? Twice. That means she can't become a regular old pony again." "Well... yeah that's true," Catie whispered, hanging her head. Spike nodded and went on, "I wouldn't really want her to be around all her friends and... and her family if she couldn't even get close to them, you know?" Catie sighed as they reached the top of the hill, a lone apple tree greeting them at the top. "I suppose you're right, but I still miss her..." "Same here," Spike muttered, taking a seat under the tree and leaning back against it. Catie dropped to her belly gently beside him, laying her head on the grass and letting out a quiet breath. "Hey, Spike...?" Catie asked, starting out across the wide expanse of the farm and at the pink clouds that loomed in the distance. When the dragon looked down towards her she whispered, "Do you think... things will go back to normal again?" Spike looked out towards the clouds as well, putting his hands behind his head as he whispered back "It'll probably take a while, but I'm sure everything will be just fine." The two of them fell into a silence, neither one of them uttering a word. It was a peaceful moment for Spike, his mind free to wander on all that he could. Was Twilight happy and at peace? Was she in a good afterlife? He turned his head to ask Catie something, but quietly closed his mouth as he beheld her sleeping form nestled up beside him. He smiled slightly, leaning his head back and closing his own eyes. A few minutes sleep wouldn't kill him. ~ Twilight’s violet eyes watched the window with resentment, seeing the creatures run by with speed as she assumed they were called back for the night… With a sigh, she turned away from the window, shutting the curtains and walking over to Zecora’s bed. It was occupied… The unicorn stood there, staring at the sleeping creature, watching its chest rising and falling like a normal living pony. Her eyes fluttered under their closed lids, hooves would move every so often. It was all perfectly average. But was Rarity really dreaming? Or just following a command? Twilight gulped slightly, not wanting to think about it, but she knew she must. Her friend had suffered through everything because of her. If she hadn’t worked so hard to break them all out, this probably never would’ve happened. But the mare couldn’t beat herself up too much for it, her motives were not selfish in any way, she had her reasons. With a sad sigh, she climbed onto the bed, and curled up next to the white unicorn tied down to the bed, resting her head on Rarity’s soft, furry belly. She seemed so innocent and peaceful when she slept… “I’m sorry, Rarity… I just… I can’t save you just yet, it would give us away.” The lavender mare whispered, talking mostly to herself, but she could feel a tear welling up her eye. “Just, if you can hear me… I promise you’ll make it out of this… we all will.” ~ The sounds of crickets was what woke Spike up first, the young dragon letting out a tiny yawn as he opened his eyes and frowned. "Crickets... what are crickets doing out during the-" He stopped as his eyes flew open to their widest point, the night time meeting his gaze. "Uh oh..." he gasped, turning to shake Catie awake. He pushed against her firmly as he whispered, "Catie, Catie wake up! We're in serious trouble!" "Huh, what?" She whispered back sleepily, opening her eyes slowly, "What's going o-" She cut herself off as a gasp burst from her lungs, her eyes widening as she looked up at Spike, "What happened?!" "We dozed off, come on we have to get out of here!" Spike whispered as he helped her to her hooves, the two of them making their way towards the edge of the hill top. As they made their way down the hill, a furious screeching exploded off above them, drawing a small scream out of Catie. "Spike they're already in the fields!" She cried, the sounds of galloping hooves echoing all around them. The young dragon whipped his head to the left and right as the sounds of snarling and growling weaved through the trees. They already had them sniffed out, there was no way that anything left outside wouldn't have been discovered by now. A feeling of hopelessness started to fill him as Catie skidded to a halt and let out a cry of fright. A dark shadow jumped in front of them, a pair of sinister red eyes glaring down at them. Spike wasted no time in rushing ahead of Catie with the reflexes of experience, swinging his bat wide and clobbering the ravaged pony before him across the face. The pony screeched as it was flung off to the side, drawing a loud shout of Spike as he pushed Catie forward, "Run! Go Catie keep moving!" There was no way they'd make it on foot, not with them surrounded like this. There was no way for them to make it safety back to the farmhouse. There was no way... for both of them. Spike slowly stopped, halting his movements as Catie ran ahead. She turned to look back and she too skidded to a halt as Spike clubbed another blood smeared pony who rushed towards him. "Spike!" She cried, the snarling of monsters only intensifying around her. "Just go!" He shouted, dropping his bat and pulling out the can of manespray "Hurry and get out of here!" Catie looked towards him with a sense of dread as a few more ponies rushed out of the shadows. But alas, her muscles took control of her mind, drawing her back around and into a full run as the young dragon took a deep intake of breath. As he exhaled, he aimed the can of manespray towards the closest pony and watched in awe as his once small burst of green fire turned into an emerald inferno, cascading outwards through the spray and smothering the now burning pony in front of him. He turned as he breathed, igniting the trees with green fire as more ponies emerged from the dark. "Come on then!" He shouted, picking up his bat as he ran out of breath, his lungs heaving for air "I don't have all day! Bring it on!" The afflicted did not move towards him, however, their forms simply retreating backwards as the greenish light from the fire danced across the darkness. "Where are you going?! I'm right here! What's wrong, you all scared!?" "You know that's very cute... coming from a little rascal like you..." boomed a voice behind him, drawing Spike's eyes to widen as the diseased ones all around him bounded away in a panic. "I say... you've made quite a mess… Spike." Discord said in a half amused, half disappointing tone. "That's not really good for business, you know." Spike let out a furious snarl as he whirled around, throwing the bat from his paws towards Discord's face. The chaotic beast merely laughed however as he snapped his fingers, turning the bat into a bouquet of flowers and catching it swiftly. Spike's jaw dropped as the multi-formed monster took a large whiff of the flowers and cackled with delight, "Oh, for me?! You shouldn't have Spike!" He then proceeded to throw the flowers upwards into one of the flaming trees as his yellow and red eyes narrowed towards the small dragon in rage. "You really... really shouldn't have." Spike felt a lot of things in that moment. Perhaps it was terror, or the adrenaline talking. Maybe it was the feeling of utter stupidity for having attempted to directly attack a supernatural being that could have easily unmade the world if he so wanted. But what he knew for sure that he felt, was pain. Pain ripped through his body as red blood glistened. Spike felt himself rise up into the air as claws slashed against him, tearing some of his scales off. The young dragon hit the ground with a mighty thud, rolling slightly before coming to a complete stop underneath one of the blazing trees. "There's a good boy." Discord chuckled as he licked the disease off of his claws, "Now, be a good boy and... use your anger for better things, hmm?" As Spike clutched his slightly bleeding side, feeling a stinging burning wind itself through him, he whimpered. "N-no!" He cried, a flash of red crossing his vision, "Not like this! Come on, is that all you got?!" The wounded dragon wobbled unsteadily as he supported himself against a tree, looking up towards the spot where Discord had vanished, his body burning with a feeling of rage. "Come back here!" Spike shouted, his cheek twitching as he felt something thick quietly sliding down his face "Come fight me fair you big loser!!!" "S...Spike?" whispered a tiny voice, drawing the raging dragon to look over to where Catie now stood. She had come back, standing between two trees that had yet to catch fire. Her eyes were wide with terror as she looked upon Spike, her breath coming out in ragged gasps as she pointed a hoof towards him. "What? What's wrong!?" Spike shouted at her, his claws digging into the tree with infuriating anger and strength. "Your... your eyes." Catie whispered quietly "You're…" And then she fainted. Her vision swimming with the only two colors she could see; the only colors that swam in those orbs of white green, orbs that were now laced with emerald and blood. Hunt"Now dearest...it is important to relax. Remain calm, and the situation will be quick-" "Calm!? CALM!? How can you expect me to remain calm?! It's back, HE'S back! How could this of happened, what did we do, what didn't we do!? Oh my ponies, my little ponies are being murdered by their nightmares once more! How can we stop it, stop him! Oh stars and planets above what are we going to-" "Celestia please! Calm thyself sister, we have taken steps to ensure that the virus will not consume our world again. Fail-safes are in place and they are being executed as we speak! We will restore order again, this I promise you." "But Discord...DISCORD! He has broken free Luna, the father of our terrible affliction. He breathes this sickness, seeps his chaos into every living, loving soul he can. He'll be coming here for us soon enough! What fail-safe do you have for HIM of all things!?" ... "Luna...? Tell me there's a plan for Discord....Luna?" ... "Oh gods above...Luna?" "I said don't worry about it." ~~~ Applejack grumbled quietly to herself as she drug her belly across the muddy dirt, crawling with extra care and carefulness between her apple trees. She could hear the low growling and the shuffling of diseased hooves somewhere around her, the harsh panting of a sick pony looking for a red, raw meal. Or in this case, a certain orange flank that looked as delicious as the three apples that adorned it. The country mare moved only a few inches at a time, pulling herself into a large clump of tall grass. She was already playing a very dangerous game with her life, having taking a roll through a pool of infected blood before venturing out into the fields, the smell of the disease covering her scent. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had taken overwhelming precautions to ensure the mare didn't have any open wounds or scratches that could risk her getting infected, although that still didn't play very well on her nerves. She had some pretty nerve-wracking close calls, including one afflicted pony coming within at least two feet of her while galloping on through the trees. "Why me?" she thought bitterly, her eyes looking left and right into an endless darkness outlined by thick apple trees. "This is Twilight's fault...stupid diseased unicorn. She shoulda just stayed away! She shoulda just kept her darn sickness away from the rest of us...now look at this place!". She stilled herself as a group of three Pegasai soared overhead, one of them clipping a few leaves from the tree above her. When she was sure the coast was clear, she started inching her way forward again. "Ah coulda' been managing my farm, spendin' time with Shadow-Mane, livin' a normal damn life!". She narrowed her eyes, spotting her barn in the distance and the farm house just beyond. "Buck you Sparkle...and damn you to Tartarus...". As she reached the edge of the tall grass, she thought back on the moments before she began her venture out into Sweet Apple Acres, the last words she said to Twilight... "I don't know what it is bout' em...but the varmints look like they're gettin' smarter." Applejack had whispered from her secluded hiding spot in one of the many berry bushes lining the treeline just on the other side of the fence lining Sweet Apple Acres. Beside her, a nestled Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes as she scanned the empty vegetable field just beyond the fence. The country mare sighed as she ran a hoof through her straw-colored mane, grumbling as she watched at least ten diseased ponies walking about in precise patterns. "Looks like they're patrollin', or somethin' like that." Rainbow Dash chewed on her lip for a moment, grumbling quietly to herself before whispering "It's Discord, remember they said it was one of his artifacts or whatever that housed the disease? I bet you his magic has got a pretty good influence on the Ravage. He can manipulate it, make it stronger probably...make his minions stronger." "So why can't Twilight just up n' purge em again?" Applejack shot back "She smothered all of Equestria with that golden magic o' hers, can't she just do it again?" The mare was already upset that she had to go and roll in the blood of a dead, diseased pony already, and her upcoming mission was certainly doing nothing to improve her mood, much less the return of Twilight whom she continued to blame for bringing back the source of her nightmares. At this, Rainbow merely shook her head and muttered "I don't think it's going to be that simple this time around AJ...a lot of ponies who were infected before have been infected again. There's not going to be a second chance for most of us, and with Discord about, he'll know about Twilight's magic and is probably going to do whatever he can to capture or kill her to prevent her from even trying." The Pegasus shared a long, sad look with her friend as she finished with a small crack in her voice "I...don't think we're walking away from this one AJ...not this time around." "So what do we do?" Applejack whispered, staring back out towards the fields "If there's no hope for most of the populace, what're we supposed to do?" "Save as many as we can..." whispered a third voice from behind them, causing the two mares in the bush to jump slightly. Turning around, they watched as Twilight Sparkle crept into the bush with them, nestling between the two and staring out towards Applejack's old fields. She whispered as she finally settled in on her belly "My purge will barely be as effective as it was the last time, so all we can really do is save who we can, and get them someplace safe." "Oh yeah? And exactly where the buck is that?" Applejack spat, pointing her hoof out towards the ravaged ponies milling about "If ya haven't noticed, nowhere is safe from these things. Appleloosa, Manehatten, every major city fell to this disease Twilight, and that was WITHOUT Discord's influence." Twilight merely sighed, staring out towards the trees and sniffing slightly. She couldn't see any of the monsters out there...but she could sure as hell smell them. They were out there...watching, waiting, hunting. She figured Discord would try to cut her off from the rest of their friends, and especially her kin...something that Twilight was happy was still safe, for now. "I don't know Applejack...but we can't give up." She whispered to her country friend "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be, but now is not the time!" She locked eyes with Applejack for a moment, looking at her with a worried and pleading expression and receiving only a hateful one in return "We need to unite and stand together if we're going to have any chance of beating Discord. We can stop him again with the Elements of Harmony, but only after we ensure all our friends and family are safe! To do that, we need to make sure we work together, not fall apart!" Applejack grimaced and looked away, narrowing her eyes towards the trees. She couldn't see nor smell them like Twilight could, but she knew they were out there too. "Ah'll be willin' to put mah differences aside once ah make sure Macintosh n' Shadow are safe...and after this is all done, ah don't care what happens," she took a moment to shoot Twilight a venomous look with her eyes and whisper harshly "But you WILL answer for what you've done to us. Ah swear it Twi', ya'll gonna pay for what you've done." Twilight looked away, sadly nodding to the mare. She had explained to her friends as best as she could have as to what happened after she had released the Great Purge in Canterlot, how she faked her death and disappeared to ensure the disease wouldn't be unleashed yet again. But when she returned to Canterlot, Discord's seal was already on the quick path to breaking, and there was no time to do anything about it. She had tried to convince Applejack that all the death and chaos in the previous months made Discord's return inevitable...but the country mare was convinced that the re-infection was Twilight's fault, that Discord broke out because of her intense magical connection to the disease in her blood. There was sadly...nothing she could do to convince her. Trying to change the subject, Twilight went back to discussing the plan "Alright...anyway, Applejack's going to try and sneak into Sweet Apple Acres, and make sure Macintosh and the others are ok. Twenty or so minutes after Applejack starts her approach, Rainbow Dash is going to cause a big distraction on the other side of the farm, and buy Applejack some time to get them out of the house and into the Everfree Forest. Take them straight towards the ruined castle, ok?" Rainbow Dash nodded and rolled out of the bush, slithering her way along the treeline in the direction of the far fields while Applejack merely nodded and grumbled "Fine...but you better pray to whatever heathen Gods still watchin' over ya that none of em' are hurt..." "Please Applejack..." Twilight whispered, the unicorn fighting back the tears she felt heating up her eyes "Just...just work with me for awhile...and I'll disappear for good, ok?" The country mare acknowledged her with only a snort as she begun to inch her way out of the bush, her ears picking up one final, whispered plea from Twilight. "Please...don't tell Macintosh." "Well ya shouldn't have even gotten close to him in the first place if all you were gonna' do was hurt him...give him a filly with no mama..." Applejack growled quietly to the air, sliding quietly against the outer wall of her barn, approaching the front corner slowly. She found it completely irresponsible and downright cruel that she would birth a filly, only to abandon it with its father to run and play dead. Moonlight Sparkle...daughter of Twilight Sparkle and Big Macintosh. Under the circumstances, Applejack still thought it was wrong of Twilight to do what she did and run, hurting Macintosh...but that little filly, in Applejack's opinion, was the last thing Twilight Sparkle did right. Regardless of the situation, that little filly was really the only thing that gave Macintosh any real reason to smile anymore. Applejack peeked her head around the corner of the barn, the screeches and howling of the Afflicted around the area crying out all around her. In the far distance, she could vaguely hear the voice of Rainbow Dash screaming "Here I am ya big morons! Come and get it, Rainbow's served!!!!" The country mare merely rolled her eyes as a small horde ran and flew off towards the other side of the farm, giving Applejack the window she needed. With a final check to see if the coast was clear and a huff of breath, she burst out from behind the barn and galloped as fast as she could towards the farmhouse. She reached the porch in seconds, shoving the door open and looking about quickly. The front hall, the kitchen, and the living room were abandoned from what she could tell, but there was indications that there were still ponies living there. A basket of apples, eaten and fresh, and personal belongings and blankets laid out in the living room. When she spoke, she did so in a raised voice, being careful not to be too loud. "Mac'?! Shadow? Where ya'll at?!" She called, trotting quickly through the doorway and letting the door slam behind her. "Macintosh, ya'll better call out n' lemmie know that yer alright!" "AJ!?" Came the muffled sound of Big Macintosh's voice from behind the door that led to the cellar "That you!?" Applejack gasped, rushing over to the door as it started to open, the familiar red face of a certain work horse poking through. "Brother!" Applejack wheezed, tears building up in her eyes as she pushed past the cellar door and into the open hooves of her dearest brother. Big Macintosh hugged her sister to him tightly, his own tears building up slightly. "Oh mah stars, what in the hay are ya doin' all the way out here at night?!" Macintosh half scolded, half pleaded to her "Ya'll coulda got bitten or worse! Don't scare me like this Sis, taint' good for mah heart!" Applejack shook her head, staring up at her brother before saying "There's no time Mac', me and..." She paused for a second, remembering Twilight's request to keep her presence a secret from him, for the obvious reason of keeping him calm and to not freak out over the realization that his true love was still alive. "Um...me n' Dash and the other girls are tryin' ta ferry as many ponies as we can to the castle in the Everfree Forest, you were one of our stops!" Applejack looked past her brother and into the darkness that rested at the bottom of the stairs "Who all do ya have left? Do ya have everypony?" Macintosh looked away slowly, his voice and tone thin and weak "We...have most o' everypony..." Applejack looked at him with a frantic, worried expression. A voiceless question was etched in her eyes, one that Macintosh was reluctant to answer but knew he had to. "We...have Miss Lyra and Roseluck, as well as Thunderlane. Mah little Moonlight and the Cakes' twins are ok, so are Apple Bloom, Catie, and Sweetie Belle...but-" "Sweetie Belle?!" Applejack whispered in surprise, her mind wandering back on the infected Rarity that was tied up back at Zecora's hut "What...ah thought she was with her parents...?" "Train was late Applejack...it never came for her." Macintosh simply answered, which didn't play well on Applejack's already breaking nerves. "That's...that's it. That's all we have" Macintosh finished, her sister's ears drooping at the names not mentioned. "But...what about Spike...? What about Shadow-Mane?!" she breathed the Lunar Guard's name as more of a desperate plea than a question, but the Stallion could only look away as he whispered quietly. "Shadow..." he said "He...went out the day Discord came back...said he was going to pick up something he ordered for you. He...never came back." He looked back towards his sister, tears freely flowing down her face as he whispered "Ah don't know what happened sugarcube...nopony does." "W..what about Spike?" She choked out "Is he...is he missin' too?" Macintosh opened his mouth to answer her, but the words just couldn't, wouldn't come out. He bowed his head slightly as Applejack whispered "N..no. He wasn't, he didn't get...Macintosh he's not one of em!?!?". The work horse merely sighed gravely, looking into his sister's eyes as he whispered "Catie and him were out and about, and they were taken a nap. They woke up late and were attacked...Catie got away, came back and told us that Spike was..." He couldn't bring himself to finish, the stallion ignorant to the unimaginable rage building up inside Applejack's gut. "Another innocent youngin' victimized by Twilight...and this time it was her own baby dragon..." she seethed in thought to herself, her right eye twitching slightly. She pushed her feelings aside as best as she could, looking up at her brother and whispering quickly "Whatever's happened Macintosh, it doesn't matter now. Somehow, someway we'll fix all o' this, but right now ya gotta get the others and follow me outta here. Rainbow's gone n' distracted the monsters outside so we'll have a chance to go, but we gotta go now!" Macintosh nodded, pulling away from his sister to run down to the cellar. In just a few minutes and after all the hellos and greetings were passed between Applejack and Macintosh's group, as well as a warm, tearful reunion between Applejack and Apple Bloom, the ponies had grouped up by the farm house's back door. "Alright..." Applejack whispered "Lemmie see if the coast is clear..." She gently pushed against the screen door, poking her head about and looking around into the night. The moon above was casting its gentle glow across the fields, the cloudless sky twinkling with an endless sea of stars. The last peaceful element left in Equestria, according to Applejack. "Looks clear..." she whispered, inching her way outside and trotting into the soft grass. In the distance, Applejack could still hear Rainbow Dash hooting and hollering like a mad mare, the sounds of pissed off monsters continuing to echo about. "Alright, let's go ya'll!" Applejack called back, waving her hoof towards the treeline. The group was headed by Big Macintosh, the work horse trotting with a very secured basket on his back containing his young filly, followed by Roseluck with the twins, Lyra with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and a very scared-looking Thunderlane bringing up the rear with Catie on his back. They galloped past Applejack and towards the trees, the country mare staying back to ensure nothing was following them. She scanned the area slowly as Macintosh reached the trees, rushing into the orchard with the others close behind. She was just about to turn and gallop off to join them when a small sliver of movement caught her eye. Her eyes instantly snapped towards one of the far off trees in the distance to her left. She narrowed her eyes slightly, staring hard at the outline of what looked like a pony standing under the dark shade of one of her trees. Peering closer, she could see the frayed whites of bandages and what looked like...bat-like wings. She gasped as the pony-like shape bolted back into the trees, her voice calling out after it "Wait! Shadow!?" "Applejack, come on!" Macintosh called after her, his voice frantic and his eyes darting about every which way, checking for any monsters coming back, only to discover that their trapped quarry was trying to escape. The country mare looked back towards her brother, and then back out towards the trees a few times before she finally shouted back "Ya'll go ahead! Apple Bloom knows where Zecora's hut is, she'll direct you in the direction of the castle!" "But what about you sis'!?" Apple Bloom cried out, the young filly extending a hoof outwards towards her "Where are ya goin'?!" "Ya'll don't worry bout' me!" Applejack shouted, turning and bolting towards the spot where she thought she saw Shadow "Just get to the castle and fast!" Ignoring the continuing calls out towards her, Applejack barreled into the other side of the orchard, whipping her head about to the left and right. "Shadow!? Is that you!? Where are ya sugarcube!?" she called out into the night. Shadow-Mane...Captain turned General by Princess Luna in her Royal, Lunar Guard for his heroic actions in defending Canterlot and all of Equestria against the Ravage Virus. A true war hero in Applejack's eyes...a true friend, a true special somepony. Or so...she secretly found herself hoping. She had invited him and Seargent Nightfire, his best friend, to stay with her at Sweet Apple Acres during Ponyville's reconstruction. Ever since the fall of Cloudsdale, the two Lunar Guards had nowhere to go, and thus agreed to Applejack's offer. The Seargent was called back to Haven City however by a very urgent letter from Princess Luna, leaving Shadow to help Applejack tend her growing apple orchard. So many nights spent on the hilltops talking, sharing each others hurts and worries, their experiences. So many tales she was told by the weary veteran about how he had personally delivered Discord's diseased ridden artifact to Celestia, the very artifact left behind by the King of Chaos, hidden away and the sole source of the terrible Ravage Virus that was now plaguing their poor, over-burdened population for a second time. She hurt for him, wished there was something she could do to ease his misery. She found they were alike in many ways...stubborn...proud...willing to do whatever it took to win and work through the day. She cared about him...cared about him to rush into the deadly darkness in search of him, regardless of whatever evil danger there was lying in wait for her. If there was any hope that she could bring him home, and clue or indication of his whereabouts. She'd chase it. She'd hunt for it. It was this feeling that drove her deeper into the trees, her eyes focused and searching, her hooves quick and swift in carrying her through the trees. "Shadow...where ya at!? Come on Shadow speak to me!" Another flash of movement drove her ever more desperately into the orchard. For fifteen minutes she chased the figure through the trees, emerging out of the treeline and onto the edges of a creek that split off a fourth of her orchard. It wound its way through the area, and was often commented on by other ponies that it was a great place to take a swim or two if the hot weather was just too much to bear. There were often times Applejack admitted it as well, although to herself more than others since she often found herself slacking off of work to take a quiet, secret dip by herself if she found herself too stressed out by the overwhelming amount of tasks and duties she had to do around the farm. She looked up and down the creek quickly, panting as she struggled to catch her breath. She couldn't see any sign of the fleeing pony around, causing her to swear under her breath and plop her flank down at the edge of the creek. She let out a heavy sigh, looking out into the darkness of the orchard and whispering "Shadow...where are you...?" Her ears perked as the sounds of galloping sounded off behind her, causing her to whip her head around. All she could see was grey fur and bat-wings as she was tackled over the edge and straight into the creek with a thunderous splash. Applejack tried to cry out, but all that came forth was a shrill gurgle of bubbles. She felt her heart hammer in pure shock and sorrow as she saw two orbs of red moving about in the water, the eyes of a diseased, monstrous pony upon her. She couldn't clearly tell who it was, the country mare wrestling violently with her attacker in the water. It continuously made an effort to bite and beat her, hoping to kill or infect her. She blocked as much as she could, holding a leg against its neck, under its chin in attempts to hold back her assailant. When some of the thrashing water cleared, she felt her heart catch. Her irises shrunk as she beheld the once peaceful, war-scarred face of Shadow-Mane looking upon her with a look of pure rage and anger. His once golden eyes, now a diseased red, bore into the bright emerald of hers. A set of five or so bite marks littered his back and legs, indicating he had been mauled by the monsters she hated the most. She let out a sorrowful, rageful roar underwater, her voice coming out in a harsh gurgling of water and bubbles. She shoved back her diseased friend, clambering her way to the surface as her air was starting to run out. She burst through the water with a heavy gasp, her screams penetrating the thick darkness. She scrambled up onto the bank, shrieking as tears spilled down her face and sorrow overwhelmed her heart. She let out a cry as Shadow burst out of the water, grasping onto one of her rear hooves. She kicked back her other hoof on instinct, bucking the bat-pony in the face and sending him back into the water. "Oh goddess above not you!" She cried towards the water, scrambling back away from the creek and choking out a sob as Shadow once again broke the surface, his snout bent slightly with fresh blood leaking out of his nostrils. He shrieked at Applejack, swiping his hooves towards the banks and trying to get a good hoof hold to pull himself out. Applejack looked about quickly, spotting a rock just nearby. She quickly rushed over to it, swiping it up with her hoof and looking back towards Shadow with a panicked, yet sorrowful look etched on her face. "Oh sugarcube, Ah'm sorry! Ah'm so sorry!" She cried, chucking the rock at his head and wincing as it clonked him in the forehead. She made sure that her throw wasn't a lethal one...but a good enough one to knock him out. He dropped like the rock that bounced off his skull, the bat-pony falling into unconsciousness quickly. She let out a few heaving breaths, her body finally finding the strength to move her trembling hooves towards her once beloved friend. She looked down on him, tears streaming down her face and dripping down onto Shadow's gently. He looked so peaceful, she thought, the pony looking like he was merely sleeping. He'd wake up, full of life and that old vigor she adored, ready for another day and another fight if he had to. She sniffed, wiping her eyes and nose as she whispered "Ah swear...ah don't care what it takes...ah know you haven't been sick before, so ah know you can be saved." She leaned down, planting a small kiss on his forehead and whispering into his ear "Ah'll save you...ah promise..." She stood back up slowly, her eyes narrowing in rage. She looked up towards the direction of the Everfree Forest. She heaved for breath as she felt an unspeakable anger boiling in her blood, her hooves carrying her forward at lightning speed towards Twilight Sparkle's predetermined meeting point. No one would ever believe it...but in that moment...Applejack's rage was greater than the rage any Ravaged pony would ever feel. ~~~ Twilight looked at the small watch clasped across her leg near her hoof, looking back up into the trees. She was resting on the edge of the large, foggy chasm that, a mile or so to the north, passed under the wooden bridge to the old castle. Rainbow Dash had only arrived a few minutes ago, letting Twilight know that she had led Macintosh and the others to the castle safely. "They said Applejack stayed behind to check something out but that she'd be following after them soon, I did a quick fly over but didn't see anything yet." Rainbow told her, sitting next to her carrier friend. The unicorn sighed quietly, shaking her head as she whispered "I wish Applejack didn't hate me so...I wish she'd see that this isn't my fault." "Well she's upset Twilight...she thought all the worst was behind her." Rainbow whispered back "She's just...she'll come around eventually, I'm sure of -" Her sentence was suddenly interrupted as a thunderous roar of a mare exploded out from the trees, Applejack blasting through the thick foliage and barreling right towards Twilight. "Applejack!?" Twilight gasped, watching as the country mare flew at her with immense speed, a look of pure rage on her face. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought Applejack was infected herself. "What are you do- ACK!!" She started to ask but was cut off as Applejack body slammed her, hooking her front hooves around her and tackling Twilight Sparkle over the edge. Rainbow Dash had let out a yelp of fright as Applejack roared past her, and cried out as the two mares tumbled into the thick fog below. Author's Note It's good to be back! More updates to come! Applejack"...Your word certainly means much. You can't be serious." "My dearest little Luna...after all we've seen and done together, you still doubt me? I must say, I'm quite hurt!" "Enough! I have no time to hear such foolishness, what with the griffons preparing their attack. My Lunar Guard is already stretched to its breaking point dealing with the infection AND the readying of our borders..." "Oh my apologies, my apologies indeed! You poor, overburdened thing you. I'm sure if you considered my proposal...I could maybe even the scales?" "You've already taken my best General, thrown the Elements of Harmony into complete disarray, and have plagued my poor sister's mind with your very presence! How can I even begin to trust that your words are true? You could betray us as any moment, finishing off Equestria for good! How do I trust you!?" "That's really the question, isn't it Luna? But then again, think about the alternative. Either way, it's quite simple. Without me, and without my help...you and your little ponies are all going to die. The griffons can destroy your empire just as easily as I could. So really...what do you have to lose?" "...I shudder at the very thought." ~~~ ...thud thud....thud thud....thud thud... "Your heartbeat is so...it's like a drum." Twilight breathed happily, her eyes fluttering shut as she buried her cheek into her stallion's thick fur. His hooves were around her, holding her tightly against him in a desperate, but comforting embrace. "Tain't that great...is it?" He mumbled quietly, running a hoof very softly up her spine, sending rippling shivers down her entire form. Twilight couldn't reply, simply sighing in delight and nuzzling her beloved. She looked up towards his weary face, looking deep into those emeralds that shone with so much love for her, yet so much pain for their broken world. "The train's going to leave soon...do you think we'll really be safe?" She asked him. For months she had been cooped up in her library, chaos swarming around her in a land gone mad with rage and anger. It was hard to believe that salvation was so close, that for once they could be truly be safe. Her beloved wore a tiny smile, tightening his hold on her ever so slightly and giving her a reassuring squeeze as he whispered to her "Ah reckon' so. That Shadow-Mane pony seems to know what he's doin', and ah trust that them Lunar ponies will do what they can to help us." He planted a small kiss on her forehead and finished with a quiet "Ah trust em'...ah think it's gonna be all ok." Twilight closed her eyes and rested her cheek once more upon his chest, sighing as he suddenly whispered "Assuming you don't die from this fall." "...Wha-?" "HOW COULD YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME!?!? AH HATE YOU!!!!" she screamed. A sorrowful, hateful scream. Twilight blinked as they tumbled through the fog. It took a few moments for her to recollect her thoughts and realize she was tumbling very fast and very violently towards her final demise. And only a few more moments for the pain to register in her left eye that she had been brutally punched. Her hoof swung up as if on instinct, the unicorn unaware of her body acting on its own as it swiped away another punch from a weeping, rage fueled Applejack. They swung and grappled at each other, punching and kicking with their hooves, their two forms tumbling through the dense fog of the eerie chasm that separated the castle plateau from the rest of the Everfree Forest. The unicorn swiped one of her former friend's punches away, growling as she looked around the swirling air for any chance of saving them. She couldn't teleport them, for fear of exposing them to Discord. That and she didn't want the diseased ponies being attracted to the general area of the castle, for fear of exposing her friends and the other civilians to her enemies as well. "You bucking piece of trash! Ah'm gonna friggin' kill you!" Applejack roared, planting a firm hit across Twilight's cheek. The unicorn let out a yelp as the hit connected, forcing her to close that eye for a moment. "Applejack please!!!" Twilight screamed, the wind whipping her mane about. The fog made it impossible to see how close they were too the ground, but deep in her heart, she knew it was coming soon. "Don't do this! We can't hope to ever defeat Discord if we divide ourselves now!!!" Applejack wasn't hearing any of it though, throwing another punch at the pony and shouting in frustration as it was slapped away yet again "You got him infected! You bucking FIX HIM! Give him back to me!!!" Twilight couldn't believe her ears as they plummeted further and further into the chasm. Applejack...had she completely lost it? Was the firm and calm country rodeo pony she knew nothing more than a crazy mess and a broken mare? She was just about to open her mouth to retort when the fog suddenly gave way, clearing to reveal a rocky ford only maybe a hundred feet below them. At their speed, a good three to five seconds before their deaths. "Macintosh..." Twilight whispered to herself. "I...I'm sor-" "GOT YA!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she tore through the air beneath them, catching them both with one hoof under each of their legs, hooking him close and tightening her hold. The cyan Pegasus had pushed herself down so hard, she left the craggy edges of the chasm walls behind her splattered with the after-burning color of rainbows. "Hold on!!!" She shouted, angling her wings and trying her best to keep them all steady while she made for the ground at a much slower speed. As she would on a runway, Rainbow leveled herself out perfectly before letting her legs spread out, releasing her friends to the ground with two loud thumps. She landed with a quick flurry of galloping hooves before finally settling down to a stop, turning quickly and shouting "Twilight, you two ok!?" "F...fine I think..." she answered, her wind-blown mane damp with sweat and dew from the fog "I think...I think I'm going to keep my hooves on the ground from now on." Rainbow nodded before shooting a deadly glare towards her 'friend', growling towards her with venom in her voice "Well that could have been done easily if SOMEPONY hadn't just attempted murder!" "Oh you would defend her!" Applejack shouted back, the orange mare having trouble steadying herself on her wobbly legs. She was a pony built for the ground as well, not the wild winds. "She got Shadow-Mane infected!" She stamped her front hooves loudly, drawing gasps out of the other two ponies in regards to her shocking statement. "Give him back, NOW!" She shouted, tears brimming her eyes. "Give him back, and GO AWAY!" Twilight opened her mouth slightly, her eyes softening in sadness and hurt...hurt for her friend. "Applejack...I'm, I'm so sorry..." she said, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. She had to tell her...she couldn't lie to her, not to the Element of Honesty. She had to tell her the truth...no matter what the consequences. "Applejack I can't...he's gone." "Whaddya mean he's gone?!" Applejack roared, her straw-colored mane broken free of its band and hanging limply around her body in a rough, wind-blown mess. "Ponies infected once can be brought back! FIX HIM!!!" She stamped her hooves again, her tears flowing freely and without any shame in her heart. She couldn't face another age of darkness, not without him, not again. "Applejack..." Twilight whispered "Please...calm down. I'm not your enemy." She took a deep breath, holding a hoof out to her and saying "My friend...my beautiful Applejack...Shadow, he..." Twilight flapped her magically conjured wings as hard as she could, dodging the deadly bolts of magic that flew from Trixie's horn. Above and all around, gun and cannon fire rang out across the battlefield known as Canterlot. Swarms upon swarms of ravaged and infected ponies flew and stampeded about, overwhelming most of the Lunar Guard who refused to back down, refused to retreat. It was pony against pony, monster against innocent. "Dammit...if I don't hurry up and finish this, there's not going to be any infected ponies left to save..." she muttered to herself. If she could kill Trixie and light the Great Purge off with her magic, there could be a chance to save most of the infected. It was actually a bit sad...the Lunar Guard were doing too GOOD of a job. She could only hope that Trixie would go down quickly. Any pony she could save was worth it, and time was of the absolute essence if she was to save as many as she could. She looked below as she heard the roaring cries of one certain pony, his wing-blades and sword thick with infected blood, bodies piled up all around him. The great Captain Shadow-Mane of the elite Shadow Squad, a group Luna would often refer to as her 'Special Forces'. The pony who, according to him, carried back the artifact that contained the sealed away bloods of every major race in Equestria and perhaps the world. Along with it...Discord's blood, what was pretty much the entirety of the Ravage Virus itself. When she thought about it...was it really a virus? Or...maybe it was just simply magic. Discord's Chaos...an element that spread and brought with it death and insanity to anything and everything it touched. Deep in his blood...touching all of the innocence of Equestria. Evil was an element that lived in the hearts of everypony, no matter how small. Maybe Discord's blood didn't infect them...maybe it just brought out the slumbering evil that rested deep in a pony's heart. Maybe they were all infected at heart...infected with themselves and their own deep chaos. She thought about this for a moment as she pursued Trixie, turning her head back only once to hear Captain Shadow-Mane cry out in pain. A lurker pony had bitten him through an exposed part of his armor, sinking its teeth into his tender flesh and sealing his doomed fate. The unicorn swore as the Captain threw the monster off of him, shouting at his fellow comrades to continue falling back. A true hero...continuing the fight despite a failing cause. "How brave..." Twilight whispered quietly, turning her head back towards her foe and narrowing her eyes. "All the more reason to kill you quickly and fix all who have been hurt by this terrible magic. Please...see reason or die quickly Trixie, these innocents can ill afford more delays to their salvation." "Y...You...!" Applejack sputtered, her irises shrinking to mere pinpricks, her breath coming out in shallow heaves. "You're lying!" She shouted, her eyes wide and terrified as she pointed a heavy hoof towards Twilight. "You're bucking lyin'! He can't have been...he's not one of them forever!!!" "Applejack I'm sorry..." Twilight whispered, her head and eyes cast towards the ground. "I watched it all happen as I chased Trixie...there was nothing I could do." She lifted her head to look at her rageful and sorrowful friend. "If I hadn't stopped Trixie then and there, a carrier hell bent on destroying all of us...if I hadn't stopped her, none of us would have walked away alive. I couldn't stop to help...he knew what was at stake." Applejack shook her head, tears streaming down her face and a sob choking itself out of her as Twilight went on "In his mind...he was fulfilling his final duty to Equestria and her ponies. He gave his life to save you Appleja-" "SHADDUP!" Screamed the country mare, shaking her head violently and splattering the ground with her tears. "Ah've heard enough!" At this, Rainbow simply let out a frustrated groan and tore at her rainbow mane with her hooves for a moment before shouting "AJ are you even listening to yourself right now!? You've gone completely bonkers! This is Twilight, your best FRIEND! She's trying to save us, not take away our loved ones!" Applejack was having none of it though, shaking her head furiously and shouting "NO! She should have just stayed away! All of this blood and madness just followed her back! She came back and brought the end of the world with her!" She pointed an accusing hoof towards the unicorn, the lavender mare wearing only a pained expression on her face. "No friend o' mine would destroy the world she loved! No pony would! How can you just sit there and defend her when all she's brought is misery!?" "All that I've seen her do," Rainbow spat back "It try and HELP us. Band us together to fight back against Discord! She ferried our friends away to safety, and is still working on getting others out of Ponyville! She's trying her very best to stay hidden and away from Discord, and buy us all the time we need to come up with a plan to fight back!" Applejack looked towards the ground, lost in her own misery as Rainbow rambled on "We have to fight! No matter what, I'm definitely not going to just roll over and let Discord have his way with me, or any of my friends! Why can't you pull your head out of your ass and SEE THAT?!" "Girls, please!" Twilight spoke up, her voice trembling with sadness "The more we pull apart, the more Discord wins. Rarity is infected but I can save her, if there's anything I can do, I'm going to try and save them all!" She looked towards Applejack, holding a hoof out towards her "All we know is what we've been told. I may have learned some things of the virus through the records of the scientists in the Everfree Forest's secret bunker, but that doesn't mean it's all true!" She took a few steps towards Applejack, being careful not to overstep her boundaries. Despite all of her anger, Twilight could tell Applejack was still listening. "Maybe the scientists hadn't had the full amount of time to study the Ravage before it got loose? Maybe...maybe they were looking for a cure, maybe they found one, besides the Great Purge!" She approached Applejack slowly, inching her way towards her before sitting back on her flank. She put a gentle hoof on her friend's shoulder, the country mare heaving with a few sobs. "Wouldn't it be wonderful...a beautiful thing if everypony could still be saved Applejack? If there was more we could learn, more we could do? Maybe...maybe Shadow-Mane can still come back." Applejack lifted her head slightly, tears flowing freely down her face. Her eyes were still looking away from her former unicorn friend, but they were wrought with concern and perhaps...perhaps a little bit of hope. "I..." she started to say, but was cut off by a loud screech and the flapping of familiar wings. "Guys look out!" Rainbow shouted as an infected Shadow-Mane blasted out of the fog, barreling straight for Twilight and Applejack. The unicorn gasped, grabbing Applejack in a tight hug and diving backwards with her friend. The infected bat-pony landed in the spot they had only just previously occupied. As Twilight straightened herself out, Applejack gave only a cry of anguish and fresh tears from spilled from her eyes. Rainbow hurried forward, putting herself between her friends and a slowly approaching infected Shadow. "You two stay back! Twilight you can't use your magic against him, Discord could find out!" "Stop!" Applejack shouted, rushing past Rainbow and towards the bat-pony. "He musta' followed mah scent!" "AJ STOP!" Rainbow roared after her, holding a hoof out towards her "What the hay are you doing!?" Twilight could do nothing but watch as Applejack charged towards Shadow-Mane, grasping him in a tight hug and pinning his body against hers. The infected pony thrashed against her, roaring and slobbering all over Applejack's back. "Ah had enough o' the death! All this pain!" she cried out, holding on as hard as she could. She pushed her forehead against Shadow's neck, the top of her head nuzzling the underside of his chin. She looked at Twilight from one of her eyes, her emeralds boring straight into her gleaming violets. "You say there could be a cure out there Twilight!? A way to end all o' this once n' for all!?" The unicorn desperately shook her head, holding a hoof out towards her and shouting "I don't know! There's no telling if there is or not!" She called out to her desperately, unsure if she really liked where this sudden, dire situation was going. "I don't know if I can really save everypony, but I'm trying my best!" Applejack simply nodded, her eyes darting upwards towards the still thrashing Shadow-Mane. "Alright..." she whispered, closing her eyes. "Ah don't believe you Twilight...Ah still think this is all your fault." She let out a heavy sigh as she slightly eased her grip on the struggling bat-pony. "If you really care...prove it." She opened her eyes slowly, looking straight at Twilight with a determined look on her face. "A...Applejack," Twilight gasped, her eyes widening "Don't! Applejack NO!" "If you really care............save him. If you really care...........save me". She eased her grip on Shadow-Mane, the bat pony taking his chance and pulling his head away from her as much as she could before throwing it down, his muzzle open to strike. Twilight and Rainbow Dash could only gasp in horror as Shadow sank his teeth into Applejack's shoulder, the country mare clenching her eyes tight, winching and letting out a muffled yelp as blood started to seep through her fur. "Rainbow Dash get out of here." Twilight growled, her eyes narrowing as she watched Applejack start to shake against Shadow-Mane, the corners of her eyes leaking not with tears...but with blood. "Get back to the castle, and don't look back." Rainbow was shedding her own tears, sniffing as she shook her head and whimpered "N...no! I can't just leave her like this...I can't just lose more of my friends!" "RAINBOW GO!" Twilight roared as Applejack opened her eyes, the once beautiful color of emeralds replaced with the most dazzling color of dark, bloody rubies. "Do whatever you can! Protect the others!" She turned towards the weeping cyan pony, a look of rage in her eyes "Find the answers, find them and use them to stop Discord! Hurry! GOOOO!!!" The cyan Pegasus lingered for only a few more moments before taking off with as much force as she could, cracking the ground underneath her. Shadow looked up after her, snarling and fanning out his wings in attempts to chase after her. "Oh no you don't!" Twilight snarled as the bat-pony took off. She quickly flicked her hoof upwards, the knife flying up out of its sheath. With a twirl, she caught the knife in clenched teeth and threw it with deadly accuracy into the sky. The blade honed in on its target, sinking its eager edges and point into one of Shadow-Mane's wings, drawing a deep howl out of the pony and sending him crashing back into the ground. The freshly infected Applejack roared towards the carrier, charging towards her in hopes of culling a pony that 'wasn't part of the herd'. Twilight grimaced as the diseased country mare charged toward her, her rampaging hooves kicking up grass and dirt where they thundered. Twilight simply leaned back as Applejack lunged at her, throwing her hooves out towards the unicorn. Twilight quickly wrapped her front legs around her friend, dipping back and using Applejack's momentum to smash her friends forehead into the ground, performing a perfect suplex. Applejack dropped like a complete rock, knocked completely out and falling over on the ground with a loud 'thump'! Shadow cried out in pain, whining like an animal as the sharp pain from the knife rippled through his body. Twilight, her eyes narrowed in anger, simply approached the bat-pony and ripped her blade right out of his wing. He let out a pained howl, but was quickly silenced as Twilight whispered "Shut up...", smashing him in the face with the handle of the knife. She knocked him out, shoving him backwards onto the ground. She sheathed her knife after a moment, looking between the two of her fallen friends and sighing. Turning her head and leaning forehead with her neck, Twilight gently placed her teeth around a small part of her back. She felt around for a good spot before sucking in a deep breath and biting down, breaking her skin and letting her own blood slowly fill her mouth. She drank down a small gulp before pulling her bloody lips away and letting her carrier scent fill the air. "There..." she whispered, looking upwards towards the fog and the Everfree Forest above "Follow me, away from my friends and family..." She narrowed her eyes as she turned, galloping towards the forest "Come to momma..." The lavender mare ran and ran, winding her way through the trees and putting as much speed as she could in her hooves and stride. Minutes passed, maybe an hour, and eventually...howls echoed through the trees. The carrier unicorn dove over a fallen tree as the scent of disease reached her over the wind. As she landed, an infected earth pony burst through some nearby bushes. "Screw hiding anymore..." Twilight growled, sliding to a stop and turning to face the pony. With a twirl of her body, she delivered a heavy round-house hoof to the pony's face, flinging her away into a nearby tree. "If Discord wants a fight, wants to keep taking my friends away from me, I'll give him a taste of my own chaos!" She flicked up two rocks with her hooves, turning and bucking them with as much force as she could with two new attackers that soared down from the canopy above. They met their mark, knocking them out and sending them towards the ground with heavy crashes. "He wants to tighten his grip? Fine, I'll just slip through his dreaded claws and stir up a bit of trouble! Whatever I can do to distract them from my friends...maybe give Rainbow some time!" As the howls of monsters closed in around her, she narrowed her eyes and looked up towards a tiny hole in the canopy. "I don't care what it takes..." she whispered menacingly towards what sky she could see "I'm going to do whatever it takes to undermine your rule. I'm going to hurt you, hurt you like you've hurt me..." The violets of her eyes gleamed even brighter with an ethereal, magical glow as she growled "Whatever it takes, even if it I fail, even if I can't save them..." She paused to clobber another infected pony rushing at her with a backhoof and to deliver a buck into another's face. "Even if I die trying, I'm coming after you Discord." "....And I am going to KILL YOU." Somewhere, far away in another city, high up in the sky and from atop a tiny, but comfortable cloud shaped into the shape of a hammock, a certain monster rested. He turned his head slowly, his eyes casting off in a certain direction as an eerie, evil smile spread across his face. He gave out a delightful, chaotic cackle as thunder boomed out around him, a few of his 'children' flying about, snarling and hissing at him as they patrolled the outer lengths of Haven City, the new capital of Equestria. Beside him, a very uncomfortable and angry looking Princess Luna rested on a nearby cloud, her front and back hooves shackled and chained together. A metal ring rested around her horn, cutting off her magic while her wings were clasped tightly to her side, a blue band of some kind of rubber resting firmly around her body. "We fail to see what you findeth so funny," she growled, trying to get to the irritated itch under one of the hoofcuffs adorning her legs. Discord ignored her, tapping his claws and paws together in sequence and smiling widely. "Oh...little Sparkle..." he whispered to himself, looking over for a moment to watch Luna nibble and gnaw at her restraints, going for the itch that Discord was secretly causing with his magic. "Cute..." Discord muttered to himself, looking back over towards the Everfree Forest. "Kill me will you...?" He let out a small, tiny laugh, his red and yellow eyes gleaming with chaos. "Oh...this is going to get interesting." He looked over towards Luna...a lingering look. Her eyes flicked up suddenly, her teeth in mid nibble. She caught his gaze and held it, a look of venom in her eyes but also....hope. "...very interesting indeed." Author's Note Here's that first update I promised you, second one is on it's way!!! Together"HOW COULD YOU!?" Celestia shrieked, her efforts to rip herself free of her harness giving her no results. She remained bound to the raised platform in the center of the room, her leather straps and belts holding her down as her horn gleamed with yellow healing magic. "How could you betray me so?!" She wept, tears spilling down her face. "Sister please!" Luna begged, pawing at the ground and biting her bottom lip in nervousness. This was not the way Luna wanted to go about handling the situation "You have to see reason, you must understand that this is the only way!" "LIES!!!!" Celestia roared, her horn flaring with a sudden burst of magic. The Lunar princess recoiled in shock as a sudden, invisible force slammed into her, throwing her off the platform and into the hard ground below. She yelped as she struck the surface, her chains rattling around her from the impact. "How could you buy into his lies, how could you even BEGIN to believe a word he said!?" Roared the sun princess, the glow from her encased horn traveling down to her helmet. Little by little, cracks began to form in the metal, spreading all over its surface. "Sister..." Luna breathed, crawling backwards and keeping her eyes locked on her furious elder sister "I did what I did for the good of my ponies, to save them!" This statement only seemed to enrage the Sun Princess more, her helmet suddenly bursting outwards into several pieces, crashing to the floor with a violent bang. "Do you have any idea..." she hissed, her eyes bringing a sharp gasp to her littler sister "What thou have DONE!? Who you sound like!?" Her pink eyes were glowing and agleam with bright light, wisps and trails of smoky magic emanating from her eyes. "You sound just like m-" "Aaahh....Princess Celestia, REBORN!" cackled a voice from behind the white alicorn, a voice which sent an involuntary shudder through her form. "How wonderful this is...all of us reunited again!" "Discord," Celestia spat, her words dripping with venom "You should have stayed buried, stayed dead in that stone!" She rounded on the multi-formed beast as her harness gleamed with a bright yellow aura before disintegrating into dust. "Why did you come back...what are you after?" she growled, fanning her giant wings outwards in a chest-puff sort of power display. "Oh but you already know don't you?" he whispered, slithering through the air towards her like a snake. He rested his bottom feet on the ground, drawing a claw up under the sun alicorn's chin. "We shared much back in those days...our dreams, our ambitions..." "Stop it," Celestia whispered, her voice faltering slightly as a small blush spread along her cheeks "I will not be swayed again." "Shared everything," he went on, staring into her gleaming eyes with his own reds "Even our bodies..." The lord of chaos wasn't surprised when the alicorn spit in his face, his smiles unfaltering as he wiped the saliva from his face. "You disgust me," she grunted, glaring back into his stare. "I missed that fire in you Celly," he whispered into her ear, running his claw from her chin down the side of her neck. She shivered once again as he whispered "You know what I want...and you know there's nothing you can do to stop me. I have a right as well as you do, and you WILL respect that." He pulled back to look at her face, a look of fury etched into her face. "It's that or...well I'll destroy EVERYTHING in this world, instead of the alternative." The alicorn scoffed, turning away from him to face her sister who lay cowering on the floor. "What will you do if I refuse, which I will anyway," she asked, glaring down at the poor lunar princess "What more damage can you do to my ponies that hasn't been done mentally or physically already?" "I could maybe have my way with this world, turn it back into the old lands...those lands you once marveled at." he paused to loom over the princess, looking down upon Luna as well. "Or maybe I could have my way with your sister..." Celestia slowly turned her head, glaring her most venomous glare into the beast's eyes as she whispered "Mark my words demon, and mark them well." She paused to fan out her wings to their fullest extent, her horn and eyes gleaming as a yellowish aura covered her and the surrounding guards keeping silent vigil over her and the throne room "No matter what happens, no matter what I do, or you do, or what anypony does..." She peered deeply into his chaotic orbs, her words sinister and firm "By the end of this war, she is going to kill you. Even if I have to guide the blade towards your heart myself, she is going to kill you" She turned her head towards her sister, an emotionless look on her face. "Let this be a lesson to you..." she said simply before she ignited a large burst of magic, her form and her guards' forms disappearing instantly. "Soon...yes...very soon," Discord breathed, smiling evilly at Luna. The poor alicorn shook and shivered in fear as he whispered menacingly "Now...where were we?" ~~~ "RAGE!!! HATE!!! KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL, I HATE THEM!" "Shhh...quiet your mind little one, it's ok." "I HATE HER, I HATE HER! KILL HER, BLEED HER, DESTROY HER!!!!" "Hush, dear Honesty, hush...do not lose yourself. Breathe dear, breathe." "CRUSH, KILL, DESTROY!!!!!" "You will soon learn. Just as I have. You will learn." "OH GODS AND GODDESSES ABOVE WHO AM I!?!?" She ran. Oh she ran. The poor mare ran and ran. Oh the poor mare. She ran as fast as she could, her hooves thundering on the ground beneath her as the howls of other monstrous creatures reached her ears. In the far off distance she could faintly hear the sounds of cannon and gunfire, but with the looming trees surrounding her and the mountainous terrain that made up the deeper part of the Everfree Forest, it was impossible to tell exactly where it was coming from since the sound bounced off all the nearby cliffs. Her ears perked to the sounds, the shrill sounds of blood curdling screaming and the hungry munching and chomping of pony teeth echoing loudly in her brain. She felt attracted to the sounds, her stomach rumbling loudly and a sudden, terrifying need to hunger gripping her around her raging, burning hot soul. She stopped temporarily, thrashing her head about and screaming. Blood and saliva splattered the nearby rocks around her as she flailed about, rolling across the gravel and grass beneath her. Her coat was quickly dirtied, her hooves kicking out every which way in a panic as the sounds intensified. "STOP." she roared to herself in her head "STOP!!!" The sound only seemed to intensify though, a new, sudden pain flaring through the poor mare's brain and causing her to let out a gurgling scream. Saliva seeped and drooled from between her teeth and fell in heavy, thick drips to the ground below. It was tinged with red, her body regurgitating blood and mixing it into the thick drool. She snorted, scrambling to her hooves and letting out several loud yelps as she bucked the air in several directions. It was if she was being ridden by some unseen force, but there was clearly nothing there. "EAT, INFECT, EAT, INFECT, KILL KILL KILL STOP!!!! STOP!!!" she heard screaming through her skull, the mare flailing her head about crazily for only a few more moments before kicking off and bolting off into the thick wood once more. She didn't know where she was going, she was even starting to forget where she was. All she could start to hear was the same never-ending chanting through her brain. "MURDER, EAT, BITE, CHOMP, SMASH, KILL!!!" She pushed on, thrashing her head in protest as her legs burned with fatigue, crying out for the poor mare to stop. She didn't listen, continuing to push herself harder and faster through the trees. Her speed and precision through the wood would be almost inconceivable to any normal pony looking on at the scene before them, a blur of a pony nimbly flying through the woods whilst dodging an untold number of thorny bushes, tangling branches, and other similar dangers to the careless traveler. She seemed to be making it through completely unscathed however, her agility utterly astounding as she took a leap up onto a log that only crossed a large ditch before her by only about half. She bolted up the log and without breaking her stride, kicked off into the air and performed at least three front flips before hitting the forest floor on the other side of the ditch, performing a forward roll through the grass and kicking perfectly back off into a full hard sprint. Her eyes were as wide as they could be, her irises small and filled with panic. She felt so many emotions at once she thought her heart, soul, and brain were going to explode at any moment. She felt rage mostly, anger, sorrow...and heat. She couldn't explain why, but she was just filled with such a massive amount of lust and the urge to just...murder something. She started to slow down slightly, her lungs heaving for air and forcing her body to give up at last. She moved down to a canter, and finally a fast to a moderate trot. She didn't want to stop, didn't dare stop. If she stopped, her mind would be free to wander into the ravaging chaos she felt trying to crush and infect its way through her entire body. She had to keep her mind focused on running. Maybe then she could find a way to get rid of that endless chanting. She knew something was wrong, something was going terribly wrong. Or...did she? How was she supposed to know how this whole process of infection worked? Was she supposed to give in to the chanting or resist it? Would it matter anyway? Maybe the infection had yet to kill her entire personality, her entire soul yet. Maybe...no matter what she did, she would be dragged into the fiery depths of rage and endless insanity and forced to become nothing more than another number in an ever growing army of chaos. She finally stopped in a large clearing, her lungs absolutely causing her to gasp and wheeze for air. Her breath came out in harsh rasps, the rasps that always frightened her whenever they started coming over the fence. That fence...riddled and mangled with bodies...all those ponies she killed. She suddenly whipped her about, screaming as she struggled to cope with those memories, an enormous amount of guilt and grief building up in her heart. She told herself that there was no other alternative! They were dead and gone, no longer good ponies! They were nothing but MONSTERS! But the Purge, maybe if she had just knocked em out and carted them off to some private section of town...if she had just waited, maybe the Purge could have cured them, given them a second chance at life. "NO! They were dead, they were dead! Their souls were gone, they were all gone!!! "But what about you...does that mean you're dead? You are mine now...MINE. Does that make your soul just as dead as theirs? Do you deserve to die like them...a mindless monster?" "SHUT UP, SHUT UP! KILL, CRUSH, KILL! I WON'T LISTEN, I WON'T!" Her ears perked suddenly to the sounds of crashing foliage and panicked night birds behind her. She slowly turned her head, her panting sending large vaporous plumes of breath outwards into the icy cold air. Something was rushing towards her through the woods, something that, judging by the snarling roars and cries, didn't seem very friendly. Without another word to herself, she turned and kicked off in yet another full gallop. Her lungs cramped up tightly in protest, attempting to stop her and drag her back down to a stop. She refused... She had to run... She had to get away... She ran and ran, the furious crashing growing louder and louder behind her. No matter what she did, the crashing got closer...and it started to turn into galloping. Somepony was following her...and judging on its unfaltering pace, it was catching up to her very, very quickly. She pushed her legs as hard as she could, her thundering galloping only serving as a direct trail to lead her pursuer right to her. She let out a shrill gasp as she burst through a sudden treeline, a massive wall of rock being the first thing she saw. She skidded to a halt, her hooves kicking up large clumps of grass and dirt and splattering them across the massive cliff face. She looked to her left and right quickly, her mind an erratic panic of thought and hopelessness. The wall extended and curved outwards into a massive 'C', leading into the trees on both sides. She had trapped herself. She let out a snort, turning her head back towards the crashing that was coming quickly towards her. Whatever it was...there was no running from it now. She had the clear, distinct feeling that whatever was coming after her, it was hostile. She toyed with the idea of giving into that endless, rageful chanting for a moment...using the strength of such an anger to take down whatever was out there. She was certain nothing was going to survive such a dreaded rage. After all...it seemed like nothing ever did in the end, even if you escaped it, it would just come back stronger and deadlier than before. She spread her legs outwards, getting low and baring her teeth as she let out a loud, threatening whinny to her would-be pursuer. The thunderous crashing suddenly halted however, the loud commotion quieting down to the mere sound of galloping and then trotting hooves. The mare blinked in confusion for a moment, her eyes locked on the foliage in front of her as the trotting got closer. Eventually, it sounded as if her pursuer was merely walking towards her now. The steady clip-clop of hooves against rocky gravel echoing out across the gigantic cliff-face. She pawed at the ground in front her, ready to charge head-long into battle. If her attacker was bent on toying with her, it would be a quick end to his miserable little life. Just as she was about to rush onwards, a pony poked its head through a bush in front of her. She didn't know what to think at that moment, seeing this pony...this particular pony. She felt her heart catch, her head suddenly pounding with a furious headache as her thoughts started rambling and flooding at her head at an insane speed. "HATE, PILLAGE, BURN, N...no! Love, LOVE! Care, devo...devotion! Nnnngh!!! RAGE, BLOOD....MINE, MY HEART, MY LOVE!" She fell back on her flank, her eyes clenched shut tight with pain. She put her front hooves upon her own head, shaking and thrashing her head about. She felt thick tears of blood leaking from her ears as painful, nerve-wracking sobs poured out of her. She wanted it to end, all of the pain, all of the misery. "You're incredibly difficult to keep up with...a worthy challenge...that's what I think I liked about you the most...the challenge." It's a trick...don't listen...he's one of them, you saw it! You saw him...you............what?! She opened her eyes slowly, her blood red eyes gleaming with chaos and infection. She stared up into a similar pair, a tinge of gold resting in those reds. A fleck of it here, a spot of it there....as if...as if despite such a sickness...a part of him remained. He was seated in front of her, looking down on her slightly. One of his wings was lashed with thick leaves and vines, a make-shift bandage covering the apparently wounded appendage. She opened her mouth to speak, her eyes wide and frightened. She felt like such a little filly, shock and awe plastered over her weary, blood-tear streaked face as if she was watching fireworks or a beautiful meteor shower. A tiny squeak echoed out of her as the stallion put a hoof against her cheek, peering close at her eyes. "Tell me it worked...tell me it's working on you too." She had to have been dreaming, or just completely hallucinating. There was no way that this was real, no way that this was in any shape or form a reality. "I'm dreaming..." she whispered, her own voice shocking the complete hell out of her. "I'm dreaming...having a nightmare...this isn't real." The stallion looked up suddenly, a sigh of relief and a light-hearted chuckle escaping his lips. He looked back down after a moment, bloody tears of his own dripping down his face as he whispered "Oh she wasn't full of shit...thank goodness. I can't believe it's actually working!" The mare simply stuttered, her frantic mind starting to quiet down. It was strange...but such a relief that the murderous chanting in her head was slowly quieting to nothingness. Thoughts started to seep through her brain yet again...calm thoughts. Slowly, bit by bit and piece by piece...she felt herself again. Memories started to pour into her, causing her to let out a sharp gasp as the memories of the pony before her flashed through her mind rapidly. Emotions roared through her, the rage and hatred simmering down to near nothingness....although they didn't disappear entirely. Joy swept through her, joy and relief...but above all...she felt a warm, tingling feeling grasping at her rapidly beating heart. She knew what that feeling was...knew what it...that one specific memory....that night...... ...."That night....I..." "So what do you think?" she said, smiling as she stared up at the star-speckled sky. "Was it everything ya'll imagined it'd be?" "Well I have to say..." he said back to her, pushing his side up against hers as he nestled his back into a more comfortable position in that soft grass he loved and often missed "It's certainly better than falling through that sky into combat." He turned his head to look at her, his eyes soft and lingering on her still star-gazing ones. Those...beautiful emeralds "It's...nice to be on the ground for once. It's...it's beautiful." She turned her head to face him, her eyes locking with his. They stared at each other for a few moments, their breath blowing against each others' snouts for a moment. "Hey..." he started to whisper, his eyes suddenly looking away and a blush creeping up on his cheeks "I don't mean to be...um...I just...I don't want to overstay my welcome here...I..." "Shhh...." she whispered, putting a hoof on his cheek as his eyes looked back into hers. They started to move towards one another, their eyes partially closed and their breath warm. He put a hoof around her, pulling them both closer to one another as they each closed their eyes, their lips just inches apart...and... "Hey ya'll!!!" Called the rough, deep voice of a stallion through the trees, causing the two ponies in the grass to gasp and scoot away from each other "Yer pie's gonna get cold! Ya'll know yer gonna get an ear full if ya don't eat it up now!" The mare's blush was undeniable, her voice calling back out into the night shakily "Um...yeah! We'll be right down!" The stallion sat up on his flank, looking away bashfully as he whispered "Sorry...about um...that..." The mare turned towards him, smiling and putting a hoof under his chin, gently forcing him to look at her. "Sa'll right." she whispered, nuzzling and planting a small kiss on his cheek "Ah won't tell a soul that you're just a big softie under that hard armor o' yers." They shared a quiet chuckle as she turned away to leave, her stomach suddenly rumbling for some of that apple pie. Just as she started to walk away, his voice calling out to her made her stop. He sounded...so far away...so...different. So...so... Her ears perked, her heartbeat starting to escalate rapidly as he whispered to her... "Hey...Applejack?" "Applejack? .... Applejack? .... Applejack? ........ "....Applejack? You...you still in there?" he whispered to her, nudging her cheek with his hoof. He was sitting on his flank in front of her, trying to snap her out of the sudden trance she seemed to be stuck in. "Come on now...you're scaring me." Applejack stared deeply into his eyes, his mind absolutely refusing to believe that any of this could still be real. She had seen it all, seen it all happen from the start to the current time. The very first Ravaged pony she had seen when she was with her beloved friends at that picnic...the first set of blood red eyes she had ever set her own eyes upon. There was no way that...out of all the others there was no...possible way... "Applejack...come on now say something, please!" But what if...what if this WAS real? How could that be possible, how could they both be...both be... "....Shadow...Mane...?" she whispered, her raspy voice cracking slightly. Shadow-Mane smiled, his gold-flecked bloody eyes gleaming in the darkness of the Everfree. He nodded his head as Applejack put her front hooves on his cheeks, letting out a sharp breath as she whispered "Shadow? Is...is this real?" The lunar guard put his own hooves over hers, nodding and smiling as he whispered back "It's real...this is real Applejack." She didn't care, couldn't care anymore. Dream or reality, nightmare or not, she wasn't going to let this moment go. She wasn't going to let him go again. She didn't care why they were different...why they were sick but not sick. Was she like Twilight now? Was she something special? A new Carrier or something? She didn't know...didn't care. All she cared about at that moment...was him. "So..." Shadow began, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly while he looked off to his right "I'm...not sure where to start...um...you see there's this mare who has Discor-MMPH!" He had been suddenly cut off by a body pushing up against his, hooves wrapping around his neck and his lips being crushed by something. His eyes darted back to his front, a teary set of reds flecked with emerald meeting his gaze. Shadow blinked, shock pouring through him as Applejack pushed her lips against his a little more firmly, pulling him tightly against her. The two of them stared at each other for only a few more moments before they each closed their eyes, pushing against one another firmly as they started to passionately kiss one another under the canopy and cliffs of the Everfree Forest. They kissed frantically, desperately, their hooves running all over each other as if they'd been holding back for a long time. The apple mare dipped herself backwards, pulling the stallion down with her as her back hit the soft patch of grass behind her. "AJ..." Shadow gasped between kisses, his cheeks hot with a blush "I don't...there's so much I need to explain and...I think that-" Applejack pulled her lips away from his, taking in a huge breath and exhaling with a hushed whisper of "Shut up..." she caressed his cheek slowly, looking deep into his eyes as she went on "Ah don't know what the hell is going on right now. Ah don't know why you and I are different, or anything." He went to open his mouth to explain but she quickly moved her hoof over his lips, smiling as she said "But right now...in this bloody, chaotic world, ah want this moment. Ah NEED this moment. Ah want to be away from this world...from this misery...just for a moment." She gave him a small smile, her own blush radiating through her orange fur "Could you give me that moment...could you?" He stared at her as she moved her hoof away, the two of them staring at one another as a gentle breeze blew over both of them. He slowly started to smile, nodding as he whispered back to her "Well...I DID miss you..." "Ah missed you too sugarcube..." she said, smiling and pulling his face back down towards her "Now shut up and kiss me you batty idiot..." He was almost too happy to oblige, the two of them locking into another passionate kiss. The stallion nibbled along her jawline down to her neck, drawing a happy sigh out of the mare as she felt her moment rushing to meet her quick. "AJ...are you su-" he started to ask, looking up at her. He was quickly cut off by a hard kiss from the country mare and a slight shifting of her body and rear legs under him. "Do you need any other invitation?" she scolded playfully, pausing for a breath and biting on one of his bat-like ears. He rolled his eyes in a joking manner, smiling as he tugged his ear away from her, pushing his lips against hers in another kiss as he held her front hooves over her head with his own. Just a moment...that's all she needed. And it was just....about.... "Oh mah STARS!" she seethed, grasping the stallion into a tight hug. "What is it, are you ok?!" Shadow asked, pressing his forehead against hers as they both panted slightly. She merely gave a slight shudder, shifting slightly underneath him as she whispered "Ah'm fine...just...well hell, it don't hurt as much as the headache does." Shadow let out a small, playful scoff, staring down at her with an unvoiced question. After about a minute or so, she took in a gulp of air and let her breath out slowly, nodding up to him. They smiled at each other, the ravaged, chaotic world around them forgotten for once. And for once, if just for a few hours........they both had their moment of peace. A bastion of peace, love, and lust....in a world marred and torn to pieces by war, hate, and chaos. A moment...together. NightmareNightfire simply blinked, the world coming into focus slowly. He felt his body moving slowly through the open air, although in reality he knew it should have been moving much, much faster. All of the sound that was supposed to accompany the situation seemed to be non existent as well, the open mouths of ponies before him throwing screams and shouts in silence. Another soundless boom sent shivers through his body as he watched a group of his guards being blown apart in slow motion, their guts and entrails splattering the snow in thick torrents of red. He merely blinked as he sailed through the air very,very slowly. All around, it looked as if somepony had slowed down time to a grueling crawl, bullets and tracers flying gracefully through the air. His eyes slowly shifted to the right as he beheld a furious looking Sky-Driver rearing back on his hind legs, lining up a shot with his bolt-action rifle. He pulled the trigger back and staggered slightly as a flash erupted from the barrel, its bullet catching a massive, charging, and heavily armored griffon in the eye-slit of its helmet visor. Sky ducked as the griffon tumbled through the air over him, the lunar guard pulling the second of four bullets he had clenched in his teeth out and sticking it into the open chamber of the rifle, closing the bolt and lining up another shot. The world continued to spin slowly, now looking as if he was sideways. A shift of his eyes upwards had him seeing Moon-Lance riding on the back of another roaring and flailing griffon, his front legs wrapped around the front of his neck, his mouth moving and dishing out soundless screaming as Wind-Weaver rammed his own rifle's bayonet into an exposed part of the griffon's chest armor, twisting his hooves so that the blade would do as much damage as possible. A few seconds passed, the officer blinking once more and causing time to quickly begin to speed up. The ground was approaching fast, a low whining noise echoing in his ears. Before he knew it, he had hit the ground with a heavy thud, the impact knocking most of the wind out of him. He bounced only twice as he rolled through the snow, the low whine in his ears quickly becoming a loud, shrill screech before completely cutting out and restoring the complete extent of his hearing. "Stab him again dammit!!!" "I AM STABBING HIM, FUCK, HOLD HIM STILL!" "Get him in the fucking eye, I don't care! By Celestia's beard, he moves more than my ex-marefriend!" "HEEYAH! Take that you feathered shit bird!" Moon tumbled off the now dead griffon, panting heavily as he pulled his helmet out of the snow and slammed it back down on top of his head. Gunfire and the screams of griffons and ponies echoed out across the entire length of the city as the sky lit up like fireworks, artillery and bullets from each side flying about in a deadly torrent of chaos. Sky fired another shot from his rifle, pulling the bolt back and stealing a glance backwards towards his superior. "Nightfire!!! Are you ok!?" he shouted through clenched teeth, pulling another bullet out from his mouth's hold and reloading a round. The lunar officer shook his head, slightly dazed and trying his best to get the dizziness out of his senses. Moon and Wind rushed over to him, quickly ducking to avoid a fiery rocket passing over head. Wind reared back on his hind legs, aiming the rifle all around as Moon quickly ran his hooves over the dazed Nightfire, checking for any serious injuries. "He gonna make it?" Wind asked, covering them as best as he could. "Yeah, armor took most of the shrapnel. There's only two tiny pieces that hit skin but it won't kill him," Moon shouted back, laughing as he patted the officer's back "Can't believe you took that artillery shell and lived Night! Damn it all if you aren't the only Pegasus I know with a hide thicker than Sky's skull!" Sky let another shot ring forth as he turned his head, rolling his eyes and growling "Oh ha ha, the crowd's going wild with that one Moon. Can you get serious for a second and realize we're under serious attack here?! We're being invaded for Luna's sake!" Nightfire put a hoof to his head, shaking it slightly as the dizziness started to pass, his voice finally finding its way up out of his throat "M...make a line right here in the street! Get Aurora Squad to start lining up crates, tables, anything we can use as barricades. Make two lines and set up defensive positions in the center! Shadow and Cloud Squads, give them covering fire and start throwing lead back at these bastards!" Wind let forth a shot at a passing Griffon, clipping his wing and sending the beast spiraling through the sky. The Pegasus let out a whoop of joy as the feathered behemoth crashed into a building, his body crunching and ripping itself apart from the impact. "Ugh...nasty!" he laughed, loading another round and feeling his ears perk to the Lieutenant's orders. Turning his head he shouted "Sir, you sure that's a good idea with the artillery pounding our flanks into the ground!?" "We're gonna be getting shelled anywhere we go Wind!" Nightfire shouted, looking over his shoulder towards his two miniguns, shifting his wings and watching them spool up. As least they were still working, the contraption on his back starting to load rounds and prepare for a heavy barrage of lead. "We need to dig in somewhere and buy the rest of the battalion time to get their wounded into the buildings, now let's go, double time it!" Gunfire soared up and down the street, a few ponies falling here and there from the torrent of death. After ten tense minutes, the two lines of makeshift barricades had been erected, with all that was left of Aurora Squad taking cover with Nightfire and his ponies behind them. Sky reloaded another round after a fresh shot through a griffon's skull, the Pegasus watching as inch by bloody inch, a few squads of griffons inched closer, their own twisted versions of bolt actions and wing-cannons firing their own deadly lead towards them. They dove into alleys and behind overturned carts and carriages, taking whatever shot they could towards the defenders. "Oh this is bullshit!" Wind-Weaver shouted, loading another round and firing it over the barricade "Who knows how many of these feathered punks they have up on those sky ships! There's no way we're getting reinforcements through this much snow!" "Stow it and keep firing!" Nightfire roared, his miniguns spooling up rapidly and his wings pushing themselves forward, activating both triggers on his cannons. The twelve barrels in total that numbered up from both guns roared thunderously, an insane storm of bullets completely blasting away at whatever cover the griffons were using. He roared a furious battle cry as shell casings flooded around him quickly, his bullets ripping a small market cart and half and tearing two griffons hiding behind it to pieces. "Eat it you bastards, EAT IT!!!!" A pony to Nightfire's left pointed a hoof to the sky as she screamed "Marauders, twelve o'clock high!!!" Several ponies reared back and started firing at the sky as a squad of six griffons flew down towards them. The battle raged on all around them, ponies screaming and throwing whatever they could at the invaders. No matter what they did however, when a griffon fell, two more plummeted from the sky, landing in and kicking up furious clouds of snow before quickly opening fire on whatever they could set their sights on. Inch by inch, blood and bullets everywhere, the griffons pushed closer and closer to Nightfire and his ponies. "We're losing too much ground here!" Moon shouted, quickly grabbing up the rifle of a fallen comrade as he ran out of ammo for his own, heaving it over the barricade and opening fire. "I'm running dryer than an Appaloosen creek on ammo here!" "Keep firing, keep firing!" Nightfire shouted, his own guns starting to run empty "We have to kill as many as we can, do whatever we can to thin out this force!" Artillery blasted away at the ground around them, a few shells even hitting the griffons. Sky ran a hoof through the snow in a panic, grabbing up as many good bullets as he could find lying about and trying his best to reload and get back into the fight. "Shit, I'm out!" Wind shouted, rearing back and holding his rifle up like a spear, his bayonet ready to plunge into an invader's heart. With a mighty cry, he heaved his body forward, hurling the rifle over the barricade and catching a landing griffon in the face, the beast (much to the hilarious amusement of Wind-Weaver) getting clothes lined slightly as it landed. "Ha! Lay an egg and sit on THAT one you punk-ass!" As guns started to run dry, the griffons saw their opportunity and began to push their advance, growing dangerously close to the Lunar Guards' position. Nightfire unsheathed one of his longswords, growling menacingly "Not without a fight you bastards!" Sky fixed a bayonet on the end of his rifle as Moon and Wind pulled their own swords out, the rest of Aurora Squad doing the same. "This is it, get ready gents!" Nightfire shouted as the griffons began to charge, their unified battlecry echoing through his helmet. Just as the invaders neared the barricades, a series of sudden thuds and explosions echoed out from above. Chancing a look upwards, Nightfire let out a gasp as he beheld a torrent of MASSIVE yellow-colored bolts of magic slamming into two of the griffons' skyships, their hulls exploding in flame. It wasn't long after this that Nightfire started to see streaks of yellow zooming this way and that, the gunfire around them increasing thirty-fold. "Oh shit, LOOK OUT!" Sky screamed as a figure roared down from above, two white wings fanning out and slowing its furious descent. It slammed down to the ground on its hooves, kicking up a large plume of snow. Nightfire shielded his eyes for a moment to avoid getting caught in the eyes from the snow. When he looked back to what was happening, his eyes widened considerably and he felt his jaw drop. A massive stallion stood before him, his flank to him. He was clad in ornate golden armor, two miniguns resting on his back just like Nightfire's. The stallion turned his head to the left and right, taking in the scene before him as the griffons in front of him were taken aback slightly at his sudden appearance. With a heavy, booming voice, the stallion spooled up his miniguns and roared "All who would stand against the sun and its princess, WILL, BURN!" Nightfire's eyes continued to widen as the stallion's guns boomed thunderously, the front of the barrels emitting strands of fire as his bullets raced outwards. The most amazing thing about his ammunition was that whatever was hit...was caught on fire. Hellfire bullets tore through many screaming griffons, setting many of them and the snow around their positions on fire. Several more stallions adorned with much of the same armor and weaponry landed around their position, quickly turning the tide of the battle and sending many of the griffons packing. "Holy mother of Equestria, it's the Solar Guard!!!" Sky yelped, pointing a shaking hoof at the marauding stallions lighting the entire street on fire. "That means its....its...!!!!" As if his statement, prayers, and expectations were answered, the celestial being herself plummeted through the sky, landing with slamming hooves into the ground. She stood as tall as she could, her chest puffed out in strength and pride. Her royal, sunlit battle armor clung to her perfectly, a single, massive minigun attached to her back. A massive broadsword of ornate design was slung to her back as well, the fronts of her wings covered in two mighty yellow blades. Her horn was crackling with fury, a magic of untold power, her light purple eyes gleaming with a bright, authoritative glow. Wisps of purple power emanated from those eyes, centering on a completely shocked Nightfire. Princess Celestia, had entered the battle. "Lieutenant Nightfire!" she shouted, her royal Canterlot voice booming through the air. Nightfire gave her a mighty salute, his senses quickly coming back to him. "We are here to help you retake the city, Discord has taken the capital and Princess Luna has been captured. I need your help my old friend." "Whatever you need Princess!" Nightfire shouted, smiling as his squad trotted to his side "Whatever you need of us!" Celestia nodded, looking back over her advancing guards as they pushed through the flame-torn streets "Good," she said, her eyes flicking up to the sky to watch the third sky ship get caught in a torrent of magical fire "Taking the city is our secondary objective, once we are done here, we will pursue our primary." The members of Shadow Squad looked at each other quizzically, the three Pegasai looking to their commander with questionable looks. Nightfire raised an eyebrow as he asked "Primary...objective?" At this, Celestia turned her head towards Nightfire and nodded, a smile forming on her face as she said with booming pride "We shall find the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle herself!" ~~~~ "So why can't ya tell me what in the hay is goin' on again?" a raspy-voice, infected Applejack asked an equally sick Shadow-Mane in frustration "Ah dunno what's supposed to be so hush hush bout' this whole thing." The two of them were trotting quickly through one of the more dense, overgrown areas of the Everfree Forest. Shadow whimpered apologies every now and again when they had to pass through thick thorn bushes or climb through thick vines and other entangling plants. The colt was just helping Applejack up from a small fall he had taken by getting tripped up by a small log when she asked him the question she wouldn't stop pestering him with. He couldn't really blame her though for asking so many times. In her horseshoes, he'd demand answers as well, and keep pushing until he got them. Unfortunately..."I can't tell you this far out from our destination. Discord's minions and ravaged could be anywhere, listening. I promise, I'll let her tell you everything when we get there." "Who's this her ya'll keep goin' on about?" Applejack grumbled, trying her best to follow Shadow through the dense growth "Is she the one responsible fer...ya know...you n' me?" The night was quickly starting to recede, the songs of morning birds beginning to quirk up here and there. Tiredness clung to the weary country mare, and it was only then that she started to think about the last time she actually had a full, decent night's sleep. Shadow nodded to her question, holding back a large tree branch to let the apple mare pass through. "You...could say that." Shadow said, letting the branch swing back outwards as Applejack passed through "She's helped a lot of other ponies...some you might know I'm sure." "She must be a pretty powerful unicorn to be able to give the infected ponies their minds back." Applejack muttered, emerging into a large clearing with the lunar guard not too far behind. Shadow chuckled, walking up beside her and sitting his flank upon the dew-covered grass. "You'll see soon enough," he whispered, leaning over and giving her a small kiss on her cheek. Applejack blushed, sitting down beside him and looking about the clearing as she asked "So uh...how much farther is it till we get there? Mah hooves are killin' me." "Well...we're already here." Shadow said with a chuckle, smiling at the confused look the country mare was giving him. "Just give it a minute," he said, pulling her close to him "You'll see soon enough." Applejack took a breath in and out, her ears perking to the sounds of the forest. Her eyes scanned the thick treeline carefully, looking for the answers she needed. How was being a carrier for an earth pony and a Pegasus possible? It shouldn't have been, only unicorns, powerful ones at that, were the only ones who could ever had a chance at being immune from the Ravage's effects. Yet...there they were, two ponies who should have been driven insane...but weren't. The beams of the sun were just starting to peak through the trees when a certain set of sounds reached Applejack's ears...sounds she hadn't heard for so, so long. It was the sound...of laughter. She could barely hear the words float through the trees, but once they were done and said, a chorus of laughing followed them, and it was coming their way. "Shadow..." she whispered, looking out into the wood where the laughter was coming from "We ain't...we're safe, right?" she clung to him slightly as the lunar guard nuzzled her cheek slightly and nodded. It wasn't too long before the voices starting to get clearer. "Oh man, did you see the look on her face!?" A colt's voice echoed out "She totally thought we were gonna eat her!" Another voice, a mare's, followed his quickly "And the way she held onto that little plushie, you'd think she was just a little filly getting attacked by the monsters under her bed!" "Well, guys, technically we are monsters..." said another, younger colt's voice, drawing some giggles out of the mare. Applejack watched as some bushes were parted, and three ponies walked out into the clearing. The bigger colt, his coat a fine shade blue with a lighter blue, unkempt medium length mane, lead the other two ponies into the clearing, a typical jock smile on his face. The mare, her coat a chocolate brown with a sand colored, ponytail-tied mane, trailed behind, giggling at whatever the younger colt behind her said. He looked as if he was just getting out of his adolescent years, his dark green coat looking slightly tacky compared to his short light blue mane. The lead colt's smile instantly vanished as his eyes passed over the two ponies already occupying the clearing. He stopped in mid stride, causing the two ponies behind him to run into his flank. "Oof, hey! Noteworthy, what's the hold up?" the mare whined, looking around him to the two ponies sitting before them. Unlike the colt's reaction, the mare's smile returned quickly and even grew as she exclaimed "Shadow!!! You're ba- oooh and you brought a friend!" Shadow blushed, giving a little wave as he said "Hey there Coco, you doing ok?" Applejack's jaw dropped as he heard her name, the apple mare stunned that...no, it couldn't be! Coco smiled, motioning with her head towards the smaller colt as she said "Heh, yeah, Grassy here was just trying to put the moves on me with his sweet talk." At this, Grassy blushed and rubbed the back of his head as he said "Ah'm sure it'll work...ventually'" his voice was dripping with very much the same accent Applejack had, but that wasn't the most expressive feature about him, or the other two. The most distinguishing thing that Applejack could see right off the bat...was that their eyes were all blood red. They were all infected...but what she couldn't believe that it was actually- "Coco...?" Applejack whispered, her eyes wide "Ah thought...ah thought you died! That day at the park when ya...ya know!" At this, Coco let out a girlish giggle and said "Yeah, I thought I was a goner too! But then, like a week or so later, I found myself slowly being able to think again! If it wasn't for the Captain, I don't know what I'd do." The country mare raised an eyebrow as she asked "Captain...as in Shadow-Mane?" Coco started to open her mouth to answer, but another answered for her. It was that of another mare's voice, but she sounded...much older. A lace of power rested within her words, and her tone seemed almost...wise, in nature. "I think she means me," said the voice as it emerged from the bushes behind them. The country mare gasped as she approached, the mystery mare who stood as big and as tall as Princess Luna. She had a medium length length that was a dull and very faded shade of light purple which fit her gray coat well, her bat-pony ears matching her bat wings. She was adorned in a set of what Applejack perceived to be Lunar Guard armor...but it didn't look like any armor she had seen any guards wear before. It was of an interesting design, ornate in a way. Various sets of runes lined their way across the sides, with a large crescent moon implanted on the front. If anything...she could only vaguely remember seeing such armor in a museum she had once visited with Twilight way back before the madness had started. The one thing that was out of place about her...was the weird looking necklace she wore around her neck. It was nothing simpler than a necklace of beads, except there were very tiny vials of red spaced out between them. Just looking at it gave Applejack the shivers. But just like the rest of them, the mare also had an equally infected pair of eyes. It seemed nopony could escape the disease nowadays. What Applejack was really gasping at however, was the small occupant riding on the large mare's back, the rider being none other than - "Spike!" Applejack shouted, the small dragon jumping off the mare and rushing towards her "Applejack! No way, I can't believe it's you!" Spike answered with glee, jumping into Applejack's expecting hug and holding her tightly "I was so scared that you and the other girls weren't gonna make it! Are you ok? Is the change working for you too?!" Applejack chuckled, rubbing a hoof on his head and staring into his ruby-colored eyes as she said "Well...whatever is that's been done to me is workin'...ah'm sorry this happened to you though..." Spike shrugged, crossing his arms as he said "Eh, it's no big deal, being like this has made it a lot easier to move around. Well, with the Captain's help of course." "And I believe..." whispered the large mare as she approached from behind the small dragon "That Miss Applejack would like a few words with me. I believe she's tired of being left in the dark." She looked up towards Shadow and asked him quietly "Could you take Spike and the others and get a fire going? I believe some heat will do well for our bones." Shadow nodded, giving her a salute and saying a simple "Aye aye ma'am," before leading Spike away from them. Spike turned and waved towards the apple mare, shouting a quick "We so need to catch up after you guys talk!" before padding off with Shadow. Applejack smiled, giving him a wave back as the big mare sat on her flank, the necklace around her neck jingling slightly against her breastplate. She smiled as Applejack followed suit, the two of them getting comfortable before the mare began "Well then...I'm sure you have many questions Applejack, perhaps if I started with my name?" Applejack nodded, reaching up to tilt her stetson back but quickly realizing it wasn't there. She frowned, mourning the loss of her prized hat for a moment as the mare said "Well, my name is Captain Vivid Nightmare, retired soldier of the Lunar Guard and the previous leader of Shadow Squad." Applejack blinked, a mightily impressed look passing over her face as she let forth a whistle and said "Old leader o' Shadow Squad huh? Musta' been one hell of a soldier. Shadow never mentioned you though..." Nightmare smiled, casting a look over towards Shadow who was currently banging two rocks together and trying to get a small fire started. It was hilarious to watch it seemed, the ponies and one dragon surrounding him laughing hysterically as the weary bat pony swore all sorts of obscene remarks at the rocks. "Well...wouldn't be able to," Nightmare said, turning back towards Applejack and sighing "His memory and the memories of the other members of Shadow Squad concerning me were wiped clean. I became a ghost to all of Equestria when Celestia decreed me a traitor and that any traces of my existence be erased from all the archives." "Damn," Applejack breathed, an impressed look on her face "Ya'll must have done some pretty serious stuff to get blacklisted by ol'Celly!" "Heh...well," Nightmare whispered, blushing slightly as she tapped her two front hooves together in embarrassment. "I may have...stolen something from her." Applejack let out a bit of a chuckle, the thoughts of what ridiculous things she could have stolen passing through her mind. "So what?" Applejack asked, snorting slightly in laughter "Ya steal her favorite pair of slippers or somethin'?" At this, Nightmare simply laughed along with her, taking a moment to breathe as she said "Ha! Well I...um...well I may have stolen Discord's necklace...the um, the same one that contained the original virus..." Applejack's laugh quickly died in her throat as Nightmare looked away kind of bashfully. "You...stole, the necklace where all the blood...all the chaos, where all of our pain and misery came from?" Nightmare sighed, nodding her head sadly as she asked quietly "If I could have a moment to...explain." Applejack blinked, the surprise on her face still very apparent and her questions no doubt increasing. Applejack finally had the strength to nod, motioning for her to go on. The retired Captain sighed as she looked up at the stars, her voice quivering for a moment before she started to speak... "It was such a long, long time ago. I was a six year combat veteran and one of Luna's prized Pegasus guards. A real top ace in those days. I was so great, that when the time came for Luna to open up a new, special forces group in the Lunar Guard, she chose me to lead the team. I lived up to my name of 'Vivid Nightmare' when I chose very carefully my candiates for the team. Moon-Lance, Wind-Weaver, Sky-Driver, Shadow-Mane....even my own son." "Whoa now...," Applejack interrupted for a moment, her eyes widening so much she thought there were going to roll freely out of her head "Your son...you mean Nightfire!?" Nightmare sighed, nodding her head sadly as she went on "Yes...I even brought my own son onto the team. He was so adorable in his younger years, always jealous whenever his mother got to go on adventures, leaving his poor little self with his father whenever I was deployed. He wanted so badly to follow in my hoofsteps that he joined the Lunar Guard. He did so well...he really became one of the most perfect candidates I had ever seen. Anyway, so I let them onto the team, and oh the adventures we all had together. From the peaks of the northern mountains to the darkest, gloomiest caves in the east. We fought and battled our way through so much. She paused, sighing for a moment as she hugged herself slightly, letting out a small whimper as she found herself struggling to continue "I...I remember that one fateful day when Celestia ordered us to go deep into the Razor Talon mountains to the north on the rumor that there was dark magic at work near one of the peaks. Our mission was to find out what was causing such dark energy, and destroy it. So we went...simple enough. What we found in those dark, deadly caves, was this necklace." She ran a hoof over it, smiling slightly as it jingled lightly in her hold "It's gotten so heavy over the years...anyway, I was maintaining a magical mental link with Celestia at the time, and I told her that we had found the source of the energies, explaining to her that it was some kind of dark necklace with some kind of mysterious runes carved into the pedestal it rested on. I told her I was going to destroy it, but she told me to wait and get a good look at the runes first. So I did, I stared and let her see through my eyes what was written in the stone. Well...after that her view towards the artifact completely changed, she wanted us to bring it back to her as quickly as possible. I thought it was rather odd, strange of course but...I was a mare of orders, and I followed them no matter what." Applejack leaned back, resting her front hooves behind her to hold her up as she listened to the Captain's tale. "Sounds like whatever them runes were sayin' must have made some kind o' sense to her." Applejack said, her brow furrowed "To her, it mighta' meant a solution to the Griffons that were pushin' her borders." Nightmare nodded, looking back up to the sky as the hoots and hollers of celebratory ponies rang out behind her, signalling the fire had finally been made. "It may have very well been that. I was always wondering when we'd get that fateful order to march to the north and take the fight to the griffons...but ever since she found that necklace, the order never came. Instead, we were sent from one underground bunker to the next, harboring the artifact to scientists and historians and all kinds of specialist ponies. It wasn't long before a lot of us started to listen in on some of their conversations. We heard so many theories, so many suggestions of what it could have been. The only thing they all agreed on however...was that this necklace was definitely the property of the Lord of Chaos, Discord himself. They said that the vials of blood lining the necklace might have been part of what they called 'The Scales of Balance', something that the runes we saw were referring to. Instead of a virus...they said it was the very essence of Chaos itself mixed in, a sort of make-shift weapon that could be used when the scales tipped way too far in the direction of Harmony. According to the experts, the weapon appeared to have been lost for centuries, and may have only been activated and able to be found because of the ever growing amounts of Harmony triumphing in the world." "Ya mean..." Applejack interjected, rubbing a hoof under her chin "When me and the other Elements of Harmony defeated Nightmare Moon n' Discord once before...we stopped a massive amount of chaos from happenin' and that paved the way for a heap o' Harmony." Nightmare nodded, her ears perking to Noteworthy telling a whole bunch of dirty jokes that the guys would laugh at, leaving Coco to merely roll her eyes. "Those incidents of Harmony may have very well been the final straw that tipped the scales too far, and activated the resonating magic of the necklace. Celestia wanted to use it against the Griffons, not only to rid her precious kingdom of a dangerous threat, but to restore order to the scales by creating a hellstorm of chaos. Unfortunately...the necklace had other ideas. It was like it had a mind of its own, slowly driving Celestia insane as she raced to find some way to harness the blood contained in the vials and use it against the Griffons. It reached out to her, plaguing her poor mind. I suppose it figured that if it could break apart one of the strongest pillars of Harmony in the world, ultimate Chaos could be achieved." "Looks like it's worked..." Applejack sighed, scratching her head as she asked "But how does that explain all of this? Me being...almost normal, Shadow being able to think. We're not unicorns! How're YOU normal?!" Nightmare ran a hoof along the necklace, her eyes saddening slightly as she went on "Well...I wasn't really comfortable with the idea of mass genocide, regardless of who our enemies were. A fight needed to be met head on, in glorious battle! It didn't need to be fought with cheap weapons of biological warfare. I stole the necklace, trying to save the world from a terrible fate. When I put it on however...it infected me. I don't know how, but I felt the same burning hatred deep within my veins that many of the others in this world suffer from. I wandered the frozen wastes of the north, wondering who I was, what I was becoming. I was scared, afraid that nopony would ever want anything to do with me ever again. But then I started feeling...different. I slowly started to feel stronger, more powerful...more in control. Before the infection broke out into Ponyville...I snuck into the underground bunker in the Everfree Forest. Don't ask me how...it was quite embarrassing." She blushed heavily for a moment before quickly clearing her throat and moving on "I was there when they brought Twilight Sparkle into the facility, and right before they infected her...something happened. I suddenly felt a surge of power flow through me, and I concentrated solely on Twilight. I think...that somehow I used magic, because once I hit her with whatever spell came out of that necklace...it turned her into a Carrier. The same thing happened when I happened across Trixie....and so on and so forth." Applejack frowned, leaning forward and saying "So let me get this straight, Discord's necklace...gave you the power to wield magic...and that this magic actually stopped ponies from goin' all stir crazy?" Nightmare sighed, shaking her head and whispering "It's all that I can think of that happened. It's like...maybe what Celestia did, maybe all of this has caused TOO much chaos. Maybe this is just nature's way of working through me to bring some kind of balance back." The apple mare put a hoof to her head, a confused expression on her face as she said "Well this answers a lot ah guess...still a lot of questions though." "I know what you mean, this hasn't really been the easiest of years for me lately." Nightmare sighed, getting to her hooves and turning towards the fire. She took a look back towards Applejack for a moment as she said "I've not been able to...momentarily cure many ponies, only about a hundred. We're scattered about, staying hidden where we can. If Discord knew what I was up to...he'd surely come after me and my flock." She looked down at the necklace again, a hopeful look on her face as she went on "I hope to maybe use this necklace to find a cure...maybe find a way to reverse all of this and bring Harmony back to the world again. That's all I have though...is the hope." She quietly trotted away towards the fire to join the others, leaving Applejack to sit there and ponder what she said. A long lost Pegasus, shunned and exiled by Princess Celestia for trying to steal away the very source of Discord's terrible Ravage Virus in the hopes to find a cure...maybe atone for the sins she's brought across the world. Would anypony believe her if she told them that was what was happening? "This is just all comin' too fast...ah don't even know what's what anymore..." she whispered to herself, holding her aching head in her hooves. So much change in just a few nights. Would there ever be an end to it all? Perhaps Nightmare had a solid plan...maybe she was really onto a cure, something that could help the world be rid of the Ravage. She let out one final sigh, falling to her back and staring up at the sky as a few shooting stars streaked through the sky. "Whatever she's got cookin' in that brain o' hers..." she whispered, looking up into the stars "Ah hope she puts it to good use soon...ah don't know how much more anypony can take..." ReunitedThe air was thick with blood. It was almost as if she were dancing an elegant ballet. The steady thuds and booms of magic throughout the darkness calling more and more to her. She screamed, whipping her head about violently as her magic cascaded itself over any living thing coming too close. Twilight Sparkle swung her head to the left as a magical tendril of energy flailed about like a thick whip, lashing and slicing trees and ravaged ponies in half. With a quick buck behind her, she knocked out a shrieking mare's teeth with a quick follow through via magical dagger to the throat. Quickly grasping the mare's lifeless body, Twilight heaved her over and threw her into a group of three other ponies flanking her from the rear. She was panting lightly, her magical reserves nowhere near exhausted but her physical stamina...that was a different story. She threw a hoof forward, punching a colt right in the face and causing the vile beast to let out a howl of pain. With a quick lunge of her hooves, she twirled and grasped him in a tight headlock. With a heavy turn of her legs and body, she snapped his neck clean with a sickening 'crack!', dropping him like a dead weight before turning and throwing a hoof straight out to clothesline a mare running towards her. The mare yelped as she did a half-backflip, catching a bolt of magic in the back of her head as she flipped upside down, a bolt which tore her head clean off and seared through two other ponies before exploding and taking another five. Twilight reared her head to the sky and let out a loud, mareish shriek. "Come!!!!" she roared, conjuring two magical shortswords in the air and giving them an ethereal twirl "Is this all?! Is this the best you can do!?". She let forth a guttural scream, a battle cry that literally shook many of the leaves from the trees around her with magical force, causing four ponies around her to drop to the ground, holding their now bleeding ears with pained expressions on their face and loud screeches emanating from their raspy lungs. Twilight wasted no time in gutting the wounded ponies around her with the swords, twirling and cleaving another pony's head clean off. She swung and swung, cutting and stabbing and cleaving any pony who would dare get near her. No matter how many she killed, it just felt like more and more were taking their places. She paused for a moment as she ripped one of her magical swords free of a pony's skull, blood squirting up into the air from its fresh kill and now lifeless host. She looked around her, her lungs heaving for air. She narrowed her eyes towards the dark treeline around her, watching as more and more shapes started to materialize. She swore, turning a bolting into the forest. She galloped as fast as her aching lungs would allow her, swinging and cutting her way through every pony that got in her way or got too close. She wasn't even surprised when she heard that unmistakeable, dark voice on the wind somewhere in the forest "Heh...how many more ponies are you going to kill before you finally realize there's nothing you can do to stop me? Pretty soon, you're going to run out of ponies in the population...what then? Will you go after the Griffons who're just now, invading your precious north and east?" Twilight merely let out a grunt and spat "When are YOU going to realize that no matter how many bodies you throw at me Discord, you're not gonna stop ME from killing you!?" She cleaved off another mare's head as she continued to run through the forest. "What? Don't believe me?" Discord asked with a laugh from somewhere above the weary unicorn. "I'm telling you the truth, kill one and I'll replace it with twenty." She heard him snap his fingers from above as he cackled and roared "Here, let me show you!!!" The ravaged ponies who were in hot pursuit of Twilight suddenly skidded to a halt, turning on their hooves and running away like crazy. They were yelping in panic as if a dog had gotten swiped in the rear by its angry owner with a newspaper, drawing Twilight herself to quickly slow to a stop. She turned her head slowly, panting and pushing her disheveled and sweaty mane out of her face with a hoof as the diseased mob galloped for the hills. It was a moment to breathe, she realized. Just a moment before Discord threw something really nasty at her. She let herself smile as she gave her longswords a quick twirl, positioning them defensively by her sides as she crouched and braced herself. If Discord was making things harder for her...he was getting scared. He wasn't facing her in direct combat, which he could have surely done and win if he wanted. Perhaps he was nervous about going against the magically buffed, diseased unicorn. That or he was simply playing his part as 'Lord of Chaos', making things as annoying and chaotic for Twilight as possible. She didn't have long to ponder the possibilities as a murderous screech of a bird sounded off above her. A large spot in the canopy of the forest snapped and thundered about violently, causing Twilight to tense up, preparing for whatever was coming. A shape much larger than Twilight fell through the hole in the forest ceiling, crashing into the ground on what looked like...claws and paws. "Uh oh..." Twilight muttered, her eyes widening slightly as the beast stood to its fullest height, its massive body clad in heavy battle armor while its mighty wings were free to unfurl at its sides to an intimidating wingspan. Its helmet visor was down, but that didn't stop the bright red light of undeniable chaos to gleam through the eyes slits. It let out a guttural roar towards her face as two more massive forms crashed through the canopy on either side of the beast, clacking their claws against the dirt. Twilight's irises shrank as the three monstrosities started lurking towards her, growling through beaked helmets. The tired unicorn had only thing to say as she raised her swords in preparations to attack, a curse passing through hushed lips as she whispered to herself: "Horseapples..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Momma I'm scared..." "I know dear, it's going to be ok..." "Alright now, ya'll just come on through here and straight on, there's plenty o' room so don't get greedy ya hear?" "Wow, look at this place! I always wondered where the Princesses used to live!" "Yeesh, no wonder they moved to Canterlot, a castle this deep in the Everfree? Psh, no thanks!" "I wonder how many Lunar Guard are left...I don't know if we can survive another 'Canterlot'..." "I heard that a good chunk of them got sent to Stalliongrad, wonder what for?" "You think the Griffons are still going to invade us?" "Ha! Why would they?! It's not like there's anything healthy here to conquer..." Big Macintosh kept his bravest face on as he ushered in another group of twenty ponies over the ruined drawbridge to the Old Castle. Ponies...more like refugees. They carried saddlebags, baskets, even a cart as they moved over the bridge and into the relative 'safety' of the ruined castle. Maybe it was the massive discharge of Harmony that was set off during the battle against Nightmare Moon or just the sheer remote location of the castle that kept the afflicted ponies away. Either one suited Macintosh just fine, quickly beckoning the group inside as Rainbow Dash landed on the bridge behind them, facing the forest. She did a slow scan with her eyes into the trees, being sure that there wasn't anything nasty lying in wait for an ambush. A tense minute passed before Rainbow gave an affirmative nod, trotting over the bridge and nodding to the work horse. "Everypony made it, safe n' sound. Roll her up big guy!" Macintosh nodded, moving quickly towards the large wooden wheel that was responsible for raising and lowering the drawbridge. He reared up on his hind legs, planting his hooves firmly around one of the wooden stakes jutting outwards from the wheel and taking in a deep breath. With a mighty heave backwards, he very slowly spun the wheel and started to raise the drawbridge. It resisted for a moment before giving a loud, groaning defeat and submitting to the stallion's movements. The chains rattled loudly as the bridge was raised higher and higher before coming to its eventual stop at its upright position. The workhorse let out a loud 'whew!' before dropping back to all fours and wiping the sweat from his brow, turning to the waiting Rainbow Dash and muttering "Ah don't like the way them damn chains go n' rattle every time ah raise or lower the bridge...makes me nervous about getting heard." Rainbow nodded, falling into a walk next to Macintosh as they proceeded into the depths of the castle. "I hear ya Mac, but after a hundred survivors, you'd think any of those red-eyed punks would have noticed by now." The workhorse nodded with a smile as the group of ponies ahead of them entered into a massive rotunda-like area where the rest of the refugees were camped out. Covered wagons, crates, blankets and pillows, anything you could of taking when running away was strewn about across the large, open ground. This way and that ponies walked n' talked, thankful they could be away from the carnage of the outside, chaotic world. The only two rules they had to follow while staying under "Harmony's Roof?": Play nice, don't go outside. The work horse and weather mare sat side by side at the top of the large, wide stairway leading up to the throne room, taking in the scene before them. Foals and fillies ran about, playing tag with one another while many of the adults tried to sleep curled up in blankets and a pillow. A few checked on their belongings while others tried socializing or taking a few breezing, walking laps around the rotunda to clear their head and cure the boredom. "Almost seems...normal," Rainbow muttered, nodding towards a colt who bowed his and smiled as he passed by the bottom of the stairs "You know?" She turned her head towards the big red stallion, watching his lips curl into a small smile. "Eeyup, it's good to see some normal in the world again..." he muttered, letting out a sigh and scratching the back of his head. "Can't believe we got so many ponies out...surprised Discord n' his cronies didn't notice so many houses n' streets empty." He felt his frown deepening however, a sudden realization hitting him "Too bad there's no more ponies to save...everypony else has either gone n' gotten bit or have run fer the hills in their own direction..." It had taken a bit of work, but with the help of Lyra, Thunderlane, and Rainbow Dash, Macintosh managed to convert the ruined fortress into a suitable refugee camp for ponies looking to escape New Ponyville or wherever it was they were running from. Zecora's hut was invaluable to any pony group being led by Rainbow Dash as a pit stop, taking a moment to rest their hooves and take a breather...unaware of a diseased unicorn locked up in a small chest at the foot of the zebra's bed. When ponies asked why the box was moving about so violently, she would tell them it was just one of the forest animals she caught making a fuss, and assured them the lock was quite strong. It didn't play too well on the nerves of the refugees, but they were too thankful to be away from the ravaged ponies town to complain. There was one thing that was seriously bothering the two ponies greatly, with one particular matter bothering only Rainbow. Applejack still had yet to come back from whatever it was she went to chase after at Sweet Apple Acres. For Rainbow Dash...it was the fact Twilight hadn't showed back up either. Sure she didn't want to reveal to Big Macintosh that she was still alive...but how long would she be able to pull off that particular charade? How long did she plan on hiding herself from him? Was she going to disappear again once the Ravage and Discord were beaten? Rainbow snorted, shaking her head and narrowing her eyes. No way, no way was she just going to let Twilight up and leave again. Diseased or not, Twilight owed it to Macintosh for the misery he'd been through. That was the only thing she agreed with Applejack on. They needed their friend back, and the Rainbow mare swore to herself not to lose that egghead again. She was distracted from her train of thought slightly as Macintosh suddenly said "Can't believe we got so many ponies up in here." he looked up as he saw a couple kissing gently while they pressed up against each others sides. A blanket was draped across their backs, keeping their embrace warm and toasty as the poor stallion felt his heart crack. He tried to ignore the painful feeling swelling up in his chest as he went on "But...now what? What's the plan past this point? Sit here until something happens?" Rainbow sighed, leaning back and putting her front two legs behind her, keeping herself propped up. She stared at the ceiling as she gave a tiny shrug and muttered "I don't know...we didn't really talk about a plan up past this point." She turned her head back towards the throne room, grimacing slightly "Guess we should probably sit down and probably have a meeting." She got up slowly, stretching her wings out and giving them a good flap or two to keep them from going stiff. He let out a quiet sigh, turning her head toward the work horse and asking "You coming?" The work horse nodded, getting to his hooves as well and following her through the giant, open stone doors leading into the throne room. The two of them walked in silence into the large open throne room, old scorch marks and battle scars from when the battle between the Elements of Harmony and Nightmare Moon took place still etched into the old stone. Macintosh looked to his left, spotting Thunderlane and Roseluck asleep comfortably together. Roseluck shifted slightly on her side, her body thankful for the warmth her lover was giving her as he pressed his belly against her back, half hugging her from behind. The Cake's twins were nestled just by Roseluck's head and her own soft belly, the two of them just as exhausted as their adopted parents. "Hey Fluttershy," Rainbow said as they passed by the canary-yellow Pegasus collecting some petals from a flower growing through one of the overgrown cracks in the floor. "What you up to?" "O...oh, well um..." Fluttershy began, hiding behind her mane for a moment as she dropped the petals in a small pouch that rested inside her saddlebags "I was just...um...collecting some flower petals that I know can be mashed down to create a sort of cream that helps prevent infection in wounds..." Rainbow smiled, walking up to the timid pony and giving her a soft nuzzle by her ear as she said "Great thinking Flutters, that could help if somepony gets hurt." Fluttershy responded only with a small smile, a blush, and a very tiny 'meep!' as Rainbow pointed a hoof over near the steps leading up to the large platform that used to hold the throne, the surface where Nightmare Moon herself once stood. "We're going to have a small meeting to see if we can't come up with any ideas or some kind of plan about what to do since we've rescued all that we can from Ponyville. Wanna come?" "Oh! S..sure!" Fluttershy responded with a small smile, closing her saddlebags and following the two towards the platform. A tired looking Pinkie Pie was already seated on tucked in hooves, watching over a sleeping Applebloom and Catie Cloud-Mane while a bored-looking Lyra stood nearby, peering through the ancient, dusty mirrors into the foggy forest beyond. Pinkie looked up as the three approached, giving her best smile as she waved a hoof and said quietly in greeting "Hey guys, what's up?" Lyra turned her head to listen as Rainbow Dash sat back on her flank, the rest of the group following suit. She gave Pinkie a wave of greeting in return as she said "We're going to talk about what we should do about this point about future plans." "Should I get Thunderlane?" Lyra asked, trotting over to the group and receiving a nod from Big Macintosh. "Eeyup, ah think we could use his opinion." answered the stallion, receiving an affirmative nod from Lyra. "Don't wake up Roseluck though...poor mare could do with some sleep fer takin' care of the twins." Lyra motioned a hoof towards the two sleeping fillies nearby and whispered "Should I take them over as well?" "Nah," Rainbow said with a shrug "As long as we keep our voices down, we'll be ok." With a final nod, Lyra trotted over to the sleeping family off a ways. Macintosh watched with a turned head as the teal unicorn nudged the sleeping Pegasus with her nose, stirring him awake. He saw them exchange a few words before watching Thunderlane let out a groan, pushing a hoof against his face in tiredness and mild annoyance before getting up. He pulled a small blanket he had tucked away in his saddlebags nearby over her sleeping beloved, giving her a small kiss on the cheek before following Lyra back towards the platform. Macintosh couldn't help but feel jealous of Thunderlane. At least his family kept together. The weather colt gave a loud yawn as he trotted up with Lyra, the two of them sitting on the other side of Fluttershy and completing the circle. "Alright..." Thunder grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes "Let's get this over with...I'm dead tired." "Yeah, join the club Thunderlane." Rainbow growled, her own eyes looking like they could slam shut at any moment. Macintosh cleared his throat loudly, nipping that potential argument in the bud as all eyes focused on him. "Now then," he started, looking amongst all of them "Ah think we can all agree that it's bout' time we started thinking on what we oughta do now that we've gotten everypony outta Ponyville." "Are we sure that we got them all?" Fluttershy asked, drawing a nod out of Pinkie Pie. "I'm gonna have to agree with Flutters on that one" Pinkie added, holding her hoof out "Are we sure we got every pony out? There could be some hiding in a basement or something somewhere." To this, Rainbow merely shook her head and let out a simple "Positive," before scratching her head and going on. "I had plenty of time to check every building, every nook and cranny I could think of. Even places YOU would be Pinkie." Everypony looked amazed to hear such a statement, their eyes widening slightly as Lyra breathed "No way...how'd you manage to sneak past all the Afflicted?" Rainbow Dash grimaced, her body shivering slightly as she recounted exactly how she did. Her stomach gave an involuntary heave as she muttered "I don't...want to really talk about it, if that's ok?" The group nodded slowly as she went on "Point is, I know for sure that we got everypony out that we could. The rest have either fallen to the Ravage or have gone their own separate way. Point is, it's not going to be long before Discord notices and starts sending his diseased freaks to come search for us." Thunderlane grimaced, looking towards the dusty windows behind him and Lyra as he said "Yeah...if he hasn't already." He turned his head back towards the other and asked "So what then? We've got a good amount of ponies, do we just sit here in this dusty old castle and wait for rescue? Last I heard, the Lunar Guard was stretched pretty thin before the Ravage hit again. I don't think rescue's going to be coming anytime soon, IF any rescue is gonna come that is." "Well...ah might have one idea..." Macintosh muttered, all of the group's eyes focused on him as a look of determination passed over his face "We got a good number o' ponies...bout a hundred strong right?" he asked, drawing a nervous shake of the head by Lyra. "I see that look in your eye Macintosh..." she muttered, a warning tone in her voice "I'm not sure that I like where this is going..." Rainbow Dash smiled, already starting to piece what Macintosh was going to say together "Awwwww yeah, now that's a plan!" "Whoa now!" Thunder growled, pointing an accusing hoof at the work horse and asking angrily "You're not thinking about leading ponies into a fight are you!?" "Why not?" Macintosh asked as Rainbow rolled her eyes at the weather colt "Either we stay here, run outta supplies eventually and starve, or we take a stand n' fight!" Lyra raised an eyebrow as a mightily confused expression spread across her face, drawing her to ask "But...why? Rainbow Dash just went through the trouble of leading all those survivors over here, why send them all back?" "Yeah," Thunderlane said in agreement, turning his head towards Macintosh after an affirmative nod towards the unicorn "Why don't you play it smart for a moment, think about what Twilight would do, wouldn't she want to think about the consequences of sending an untrained group of civilians to war?!" Macintosh growled loudly, narrowing his eyes at Thunderlane about mentioning Twilight to him in such a way. He was just getting to his hooves to say something about it when Rainbow Dash put a hoof to his shoulder, sharing a look with the work horse and shaking her head, implying that it wasn't worth it. As he sat back down, grumbling quietly to himself, Rainbow Dash took the moment to speak and answer the thick headed colt. "What would Twilight do?" She asked angrily, pointing a hoof towards Thunderlane as she said "She'd take a stand and fight! She had the boulders to charge head first into Nightmare Moon, hell she even stood up to Princess Celestia!" She leaned in real close, her eyes narrowing as she growled "And wasn't it your precious little Roseluck who was saved by the Great Purge that Twilight unleashed during the Battle of Canterlot? Thank goodness Twilight chose to side with us and take the fight to the enemy before someone's marefriend got gunned down in a hail of Lunar bullets..." Thunderlane felt his face flush hot with anger, letting out a deep growl as Pinkie Pie waved a hoof about frantically, her eyes shifting to a mumbling and sleeping Applebloom who had shifted slightly. "Guys come on, play nice!" She whispered urgently, trying to calm the situation down before it got out of hand. "It still doesn't make sense to fight send ponies back into the very hell they just escaped from." Lyra interjected as the three worked up ponies around her took a few calming breaths, trying to simmer down and take Pinkie's advice. "I don't think many of them are going to be thrilled about having to go fight the living monsters of their nightmares..." To this, Fluttershy spoke up, an idea sparking into her head. "Um...well why don't you just ask them all at once?" she asked, drawing a few curious looks from the group. "Ask who wants to go and who wants to stay," She went on, causing Macintosh and Thunderlane to look at each other with raised eyebrows "That way, everypony wins...right?" The group shifted their eyes away, thinking deeply for a moment before Lyra finally spoke up. "Yeah, that seems pretty sensible. Whoever wants to go fight can fight, and everypony else can stay here." "Where's this fight even going to take place Macintosh?" Thunderlane asked, his doubts still verly clear about the whole thing. "You can't drag an army of civilians across all of Equestria, they aren't seasoned for it!" Macintosh nodded, agreeing with him on that point, but already he had a sort of good idea. "Ah figure we try n' find any Lunar Guard or Royal Guard unit still operatin' out there. If we can find them, we can find out where the fight is." He sighed, rubbing at his head for a moment before going on with "That or...well we take the fight to the capital. Ah'm not just gonna sit round n' get toyed with by Discord. He wants this land so bad, he's gonna find out real quick that it's gonna take blood!" "Sounds a bit dangerous Macintosh..." Lyra muttered, a sad-eyed grimace on her face. Thunderlane merely scoffed, shaking his head and growling "More like suicide..." "Well that's up to the others to decide," Rainbow interjected, crossing her front legs and narrowing her eyes at the colt "I think it's time to let them decide." With a quick nod to one another, the group dismissed themselves. Rainbow and Macintosh headed down the steps and towards the main rotunda. Lyra quickly trotted after them as Thunderlane quickly went back to his lover's side. Fluttershy went back to her flower picking, happily trotting along the overgrown parts of the large room and leaving Pinkie Pie to keep silent vigil over the two fillies, ensuring they slept soundly. Rainbow was confused as to why Lyra was joining them, raising an eyebrow as the unicorn trotted to her side. "I thought you didn't want to fight," Rainbow said, drawing a shrug out of the mare as they moved towards the door. "I was a little concerned that your plan had too many holes in it," Lyra answered, looking towards the ground slightly as she went on and muttered "But then I...started thinking about Bon Bon...I know she'd fight for me if I were in her skin right now." "Mighty brave of ya there Lyra," Macintosh offered, giving her a small smile as they moved out of the doors. "Ah'm sure she'd be mighty proud of ya fer being so brave." Lyra didn't say anything in return, but she gave a simple nod and a smile, sitting down with Rainbow at the top of the steps as Macintosh cleared is throat and shouted out into the Rotunda "Everypony, can ah have ya'lls attention for just a second?" All around, ponies started looking in Macintosh's direction, a mixture of confused and curious expressions spread out amongst the sea of refugees. "Now, ah know some of ya'll just got here," Macintosh began, trying his best to sound official "But ah'm afraid ah have to ask ya'll a mighty tough question. Now ya don't have to say yes, ya'll are entitled to choose and say for yerselves what ya wanna do..." He took in a deep breath, finally letting the question drop and hoping they wouldn't scream out in an uproar "But...ah need your help. Rainbow n' her friends need yer help. Ah'm proposin' we take the fight to Discord! Ah say we oughta fight back!" There was an immediate mix of shouts, approval and disapproval. At least they ALL weren't completely against it, Macintosh thought. There could be some hope yet. "Now if ya'll wanna fight, ah suggest ya say yer goodbyes to any loved ones with you, make peace with your Princesses, n' meet me by the drawbridge wheel to leave. If not, well ya'll are welcome to stay here and rest for however long ya need to. That's all." The large group of ponies immediately set off to ponder their decision, a loud chorus of murmuring and voices echoing off the old walls of the castle. "Well...let's go I guess." muttered, getting to her hooves and following Macintosh down towards the entrance way that led to the old drawbridge. As the three ponies waited by the large wheel that controlled the drawbridge's movements, more and more ponies started to make their way over to them. It took only maybe five minutes as Macintosh found himself seated in front of around forty ponies had all grouped up, waiting for his word. Mares and colts alike, some a bit younger than Macintosh would have been comfortable with and a few who looked to be well into their middle-aged years. He scanned the crowd carefully for a moment before he gave a single nod and said "Alright...ah think we all know what we're up against out there. We're gonna see if we can't find some weapons to help out against them diseased folk. Until then, just go for the neck. Stomp on em, kick em', throttle em if ya got to. Just make your energy count!" They nodded quickly, anticipating and fear making a few of them shiver as Macintosh started to turn the large wheel, dropping the Drawbridge down to the ground. "Here we go again..." Rainbow Dash whispered to herself, following Macintosh with his militia group over the drawbridge and back over into the forest. It was only an hour or so after that Macintosh, trying his best to lead his large group through the dense trees and underbrush, came across a large clearing. He noticed that light was starting to seep its way into the sky, giving way to a brand new dawn on the horizon. "Alright..." Macintosh muttered, turning towards Rainbow Dash and the others and shouting "We'll stop here fer now! Rest yer hooves if ya gotta. Don't go too far though!" The large group broke up slightly, each trying to find a good place to rest for a moment. Rainbow sat with Macintosh, a weary but determined look in her eyes. When she really thought about it, she wasn't sure when exactly she had time to get a decent night's sleep. She could see it in Macintosh's eyes as well, those emerald eyes begging to be closed. "You ok Macintosh...?" she muttered, patting the big pony on his massive side "Don't go falling asleep on me now!" Macintosh merely chuckled, shaking his head and the tiredness out of his eyes as he answered back "Ah know. Maybe once all o' this is over...ah think ah'm gonna sleep for a week straight." "Heh, I'm with you on that one," Rainbow agreed, smiling "Nothing's going to keep me from the perfect napping cloud ever ag-" Her words were suddenly cut off as a thunderous boom echoed through the forest, the startled faces of many ponies shooting their looks along the treeline where the explosion originated from. "What in the hay was...?" Macintosh muttered, hearing crashing noises through the trees. A crashing...that was heading their way. "Ya'll get into the trees now and keep low!" Big Macintosh shouted, waving his hoof frantically to the woods behind them. "Don't attack until we're sure we got the drop on em!" They bolted for the trees quickly as the thunderous booms increased in intensity and volume, the ground beneath the workhorse's hooves vibrating slightly. He retreated back into the trees as well as a tree on the opposite side of the clearing lit up with purple magic before exploding violently, sending shards of lumber in all directions. He gave a mighty yelp as he dove for cover, Rainbow gasping and pointing towards the blown apart tree "Holy horseapples! Macintosh it's Discord!" "What?!" Macintosh hollered back, taking cover behind the tree next to Rainbow's and peeking his head out. Sure enough, the Lord of Chaos himself could be seen sailing through the trees, a very angry look about on his face as he weaved this way and that, avoiding giant bolts of reddish, purple magic. "Look's like he's running from something..." Rainbow whispered, watching as Discord swerved violently to avoid a bolt from taking his head off, turning in the direction of Macintosh and his group. "Shit...he's coming this way!" "Now let's just keep it cool Rainbow..." Macintosh muttered, listening to the panicked whispering of his militia ponies about Discord's presence. "We dunno if the magic user shooting at him is an enemy to us either, they could very well go n' shoot at us t- RAINBOW!" He hadn't even bothered to look back towards Rainbow to see if she was there, his attention too focused on Discord. A rainbow blur shot away from the trees, soaring towards the incoming Discord who was too busy looking behind him to notice the cyan mare twirling and aiming a rear hoof towards his face in a sailing kick. "Hey, ASSHOLE!" Rainbow shouted "How's your dentistry insurance?!" Discord turned his head back around, an eyebrow raised. His eyes suddenly widened as the hoof connected with his face, bucking him right in the mouth. The multi-formed monster roared as he recoiled in shock and pain, snarling as he reached out with a clawed hand, grasping his mouth with the other. "You...little...SHIT!" Discord spat, grabbing Rainbow around her neck and causing her to let out a tight wheeze. The poor mare pawed at his hand with her hooves, trying to pry the beast off of her as the chaos wielder growled "I do not have time for you and your Elements today. You're all going to pay for your stupidity and foolish bravery soon enough!" He reared back his arm and threw her forward with a mighty heave, sending her tumbling into the wet grass. She slid to a stop, gasping for air and coughing like crazy. She held a tender hoof to her neck, coughing madly while Discord flexed his griffon hand, the claws starting to gleam a bright red. "I think..." he rumbled, holding his claw back "You'll be the first to discover it! One less Element is one less fool to stop me!" He swiped at the air, three large, crescent moon blades or red sailing through the air towards the helpless Pegasus. Macintosh gasped, watching as the blades soared towards the mare. Without even thinking, he burst out from behind his hiding spot, rushing out towards hers. "Rainbow!!!!" he screamed, diving towards her as the blades neared their target. Rainbow barely time to react as her vision filled with red, the blades finally entering her vision. It was like slow motion as the cyan mare felt strong hooves shove her out of the way, sending her careening across the grass like a ragdoll. The work horse however, was not so lucky. Two of the three blades slammed into his side, cutting into his flesh and drawing a thunderous, wounded holler out of the stallion. He was thrown through the air, crashing into a tree as Discord swore and prepared his claws for another attack. "I'll have you this time you little-" A bright flash of yellow light cut off the beast quickly as a massive bolt of sunlit energy soared through the air, causing the chaos lord to duck quickly to avoid it. Princess Celestia stood in all her glory, flanked by the members of Shadow Squad and a few of her Royal Warriors. "I knew it!" She shouted, her horn crackling with the might of the sun "All I had to do was follow the magical discharges flying about and I knew I'd find you!" She aimed her horn towards Discord, snarling as the Nightfire spun up his miniguns, narrowing his eyes while Moon-Lance, Wind-Weaver, and Sky-Driver all lined up shots with their bolt actions. "Prepare yourself, Lord of Chaos! Your reign of Tyranny ends here!" Discord, for a split second....looked like he was afraid. The thunderous crashing of the trees returned behind him, causing him to look over his shoulder and growl. He quickly looked back towards Celestia, narrowing her eyes and hissing "Sssooon..." before snapping his fingers and disappearing into a flash of red magic. The sun princess let out a breath as Discord disappeared, swearing quietly to herself. "Dammit..." she muttered, staring at the spot where Discord had only just occupied "We nearly had him, I suppose we shall continue to monitor for more large magical disch-" "MACINTOSH!" Rainbow screamed, cutting off Princess Celestia's words and causing the five of them to jump slightly, startled and amazed at the fact that they were not alone. Quickly turning her head, Celestia watched as Rainbow was thrown away violently, a thrashing Macintosh screaming at her to stay back. "Don't come a...any closer!" roared the stallion, his side burning heavily and his clenched shut eyes leaking with blood "Ya'll go on n' get out of here, ah'm done for!" Rainbow shook her head, rushing back over towards her friend as she screamed "Don't say that! You're gonna be ok, you're gonna be fine!!!" She was once again hurled away as the stallion let out a raspy shout, shaking his head and trying his best to stem away the old rage he had once felt in Canterlot "Ah said stay away! Ah can't...ah ain't gonna...take care o' little Moonlight...d...don't let her...!" He let out a savage roar as another mare matched his scream in perfect sync. Her shrill cry was enough to cause many ponies' ears to ring as a mare screamed "NNNOOOOOOOOO!" Twilight Sparkle crashed through the treeline, her horn still crackling with the high powered magic she had only just been shooting at Discord when he started to slip away from her in the trees. Tears of blood spilled from her eyes as she rushed towards the flailing stallion, the mare completely ignoring Princess Celestia and Rainbow Dash as she flew as fast as her hooves could carry her. "Twilight!" Gasped the alicorn and cyan Pegasus, the two of them shocked to see the unicorn. The lavender mare rushed to the stallion's side, putting her hooves on him and trying her best to pin him down. "Oh honey, sweetie no! Please no! I c...I can't lose you now!" She cried, watching helplessly as Macintosh kept his eyes shut, holding his head in his hooves and letting out heavy whines. The unicorn felt absolutely helpless as she ran through in her mind ANY solution she could use...anything to save him. But getting infected a second time...it was just game over. "There has to be something, anything!" She shouted, the stallion starting to grow still. His breath came out in ragged heaves, streaks of blood staining the fur under his eyes. The unicorn could do nothing except push her hooves against her eyes, weeping as she felt him move beside her. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry!" She whispered, his shadow passing over her as she wept "I should have told you...I shouldn't have hid from you! Please forgive me!!!" The ponies around them could only look in absolute wonder as Macintosh reached for the lavender unicorn, his hooves inching towards her neck. Twilight felt his hooves on her cheeks, knowing the inevitable twist of his hooves and the snap of her neck was imminent. She could have easily broken away, easy beaten him but...she just didn't have it in her heart to kill him. She felt her chin being tilted up, a raspy breath taken in and.......lips pressed against hers. Her eyes flew open, her gleaming violet eyes staring into the gleaming color of ruby eyes. Macintosh pushed his lips harder against her, drawing a muffled 'squeak' of shock out of Twilight. They stayed that way for a good moment before they slowly moved their heads away just enough to stare at one another. The wide-eyed unicorn could do nothing except stare at him, utter disbelief upon her eyes. Could it have been a trick? There was no way...no way at all that he could be...! Rainbow was the first one to call it out, pointing a hoof at a carrier Macintosh who merely smiled slightly, a blush on his cheeks. "HOW!?" She shouted, causing Princess Celestia to merely blink in surprise as well "How the...when did...WHAT!?" she screamed, her mind absolutely in a confused flux. "Well then..." said a voice on the opposite side of the clearing, drawing everypony's heads to turn to the source....a large, heavily armored bat-pony as big as Princess Luna, ethereal wisps of red, smokey magic emanating from her blood red eyes. A necklace with several tiny of vials hung around her neck, one of them in particular gleaming with bright red magic. It didn't help the completely shocked pony's mass confusion as Applejack and Shadow-Mane themselves, infected by the looks of their eyes, came trotting out from behind her, standing on both sides of her. "Looks like we were just in time, that's a relief." Said the large bat-pony, a big smile stretching on her face. For a moment, nopony spoke, nopony moved. It was a tense few moments that drew the large pony to raise an eyebrow as she muttered "Um...hello?" The only sound that came out of anypony at that point, was a high-pitched, voice-cracking Rainbow Dash squeaking quite simply: "WHAT?!" Author's Note Oh mah stars it's 7 A.M. I'm going to bed >.< Sorry if errors, will fix. Can't think, brain burnout. More updates soon. PlanFor a moment, nopony moved, nopony spoke. It was an immensely awkward moment for them all, a meeting that no one could have foreseen even if they had planned it themselves. Although...perhaps it was fate or destiny that plotted this move, drew the greatest powers of the world together for some unknown purpose. Whatever the reason, no one would have the moment to ponder or think about it as Rainbow once again yelped a shrill "WHAT?!", her head and eyes darting about every which way at the three groups of ponies around her. Twilight and Macintosh refused to stop staring at one another, the unicorn's eyes wide and terrified, the work horse's eyes soft and loving, a small smile etched on his face as he rubbed his beloved's cheek. Captain Nightmare held a tight grimace on her face, an uneasy look in her eyes as she stared across at Princess Celestia. Applejack couldn't tear her own gleaming, ruby eyes away from the two lovers nearby, her heart swelling with happiness as Shadow-Mane gulped, staring towards the two miniguns pointing at him from Nightfire's back. The officer looked officially pissed off, a snort of hot air escaping his snout as Celestia held Captain Nightmare's gaze, an equally uneasy look plastered on her face. As for the other three lunar guard, they just simply shrugged and pointed their guns at both parties and Rainbow Dash herself. When everyone did start coming to their senses, however, it was Celestia who spoke first. She cleared her throat and offered a hoof outwards, saying simply "Ok...maybe we should all just take a minute and talk all this out..." Macintosh nodded, getting up on wobbling legs and rasping "Ah...ah agree...ah've got a small army o' ponies waiting in the trees beyond, we should get some fires goin'." He paused, looking down at Twilight and gently bumping her with a hoof "And you...ya'll got some explaining to do as well! You ain't leavin' mah sight, ya hear?" Twilight meekly nodded, turning her head towards Celestia for a moment. The two of them could feel the uneasiness between them...knowing it had only been many, many months since they had battled on the edge of the Everfree Forest. They shared a short, friendly nod though, the unicorn walking off with Big Macintosh in the direction of his forces. "Whoa now!" Rainbow shouted, following them "Don't you think you're going to need to explain to them why you're...you know...and this whole situation about Twilight?!" She flapped off after them, leaving the carriers and the soldiers to their own devices. "So..." Captain Nightmare began, pawing at the ground nervously "How um....how you been Milady?" Celestia simply narrowed her eyes, the Sun-empowered alicorn snorting once. "Peachy..." answered the princess, dropping down to her belly and tucking her hooves in. Around her, Shadow Squad lowered their weapons except Nightfire, who started to walk forward, his guns still trained on Shadow-Mane. "Nightfire..." The Lieutenant ignored the sunlit goddess, his eyes trained solely on the ravaged Shadow-Mane. "Relax, lieutenant. Shadow-Mane appears to be on our side, as does the Element of Honesty. It is safe to lower your weapon. "With all due respect, milady..." Nightfire grumbled, his eyes accusingly flicking between all three of the sick ponies before him "I've had my fair share of carriers or any others of the sort. I'll be keeping my guns trained, regardless of the level of safety or not..." Shadow looked to have been hurt by his former friend's words, his ears drooping as Nightfire growled "Precautions...we're at war after all." At this, Applejack blinked in surprise, asking "War...? Has the infection grown that big already?" The ponies in shadow squad all looked at each other, a few of them biting their lips while Moon simply gave himself a tight hug, as if his stomach had suddenly started to hurt. "Um...what? Something ah said?" she asked, scratching through her straw-colored hair with a bloody hoof. "It's...a bit worse than that now," Celestia offered, a tinge of pain in her voice. "The...griffons have invaded through the northern borders." "Say WHAT?!" Shadow roared, his eyes of ruby blood gleaming brightly. Nightfire gave his wings a flick, his muscles just resting behind the wing-trigger that would unleash a torrent of metal death, his eyes narrowing at the outburst as Shadow went on "When...how?! The Ravage is bad enough to deal with, how are we going to repel a full scale invasion force?" He stamped one of his hooves, Celestia merely giving a tiny sigh in response. "I don't know Shadow..." she said quietly, her ears perking to the sound of several panicked voices in the trees beyond. She could just make out Rainbow's pleas for everyone to relax and calm down, the sun princess shaking her head "The griffons are in nature, stronger and more powerful than our soldiers. Tactics and keen thinking will slowly be the factor that overcomes an invasion force or theirs...but even then there will be a high fatality rate. We'd need a large enough standing army to be able to suffer those kind of losses...and ever since the ravage..." Captain Nightmare sat back on her flank, rubbing the underside of her chin with a hoof "With such heavy losses already due to the Ravage...I don't see any workable way to defend Equestria. The Lunar Guard, according to Shadow, had already dwindled to around twenty percent of its original numbers since the end of the Siege of Canterlot...and that was against an enemy that didn't even shoot back." Applejack bit her bottom lip for a moment before directing her next question to Celestia, the apple mare speaking with a deeply worried tone in her voice "Well...what about the Solar Guard...ya'll surely got a lot of numbers right?" Celestia, much to Applejack's dismay, shook her head and sighed. "Ever since the rebellions during Old Ponyville's dire situation during the first Ravage outbreak, my guard had taken a serious blow. Add to that the discontinued support and lack of morale from my subjects, on top of the guards I lost to the Ravage in the early months....I've only got around two to three hundred guards to work with." She looked up at the morning sky, a beautiful swath of red and orange dancing across the sky. She wondered who actually brought that sun up as she went on "The only ones left are my most loyal...if not most fanatical, of my guard. Bezerkers and Paladins most of them with hellfire and sunfire rounds. Good for killing troop morale, but still not enough to hold off an entire invasion force." The group looked up as Twilight and Rainbow Dash came back through the trees, a flustered look on the cyan mare's face. "For the love of my feathers, ponies are such scaredy cats...they see the color red and most of em wanna go running!" Twilight nodded meekly, sitting on her flank and offering a small smile as she said "The good news is, Macintosh is talking to them now. We should still be ok as long as none of them get too panicky." "That is good..." Celestia said weakly, a forced smile resting on her face. She looked upon her old pupil carefully, an odd feeling coursing through her blood as Twilight's ruby and violet eyes flicked towards her...a feeling of fear. She had every right to be scared of Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn who had nearly murdered her on the grounds of Canterlot, the mare who had, all that time ago, had sheared her own horn off. The pain of growing it back, every single agonizing hour that she had endured regrowing her own horn was just another painful reminder of how she had failed not only her land and her ponies...but her most prized student. "We..should probably start discussing what we're going to do about Discord." "Aye, and about the griffons." Shadow added, drawing a panicked look out of Rainbow and Twilight. "Long story short...the griffons have attacked. We're fighting a two-front war now." "Shoot..." Rainbow sighed, face-hoofing "That's going to make things complicated..." Twilight narrowed her eyes, thinking for a moment as she looked towards Applejack and Captain Nightmare. "You...you're normal. You're not unicorns but you guys are...normal." She stated, the sudden reality of the impossible sitting before her finally settling in. "Yep" Applejack answered, patting Captain Nightmare on the side of her olden-styled armor "Nightmare here has got the necklace that brought the Ravage to the world. She's able to make ponies sane but..she can't cure em." "In theory I can't cure them..." Nightmare piped up, pawing at the ground shamefully "I...I'm not strong enough to try such a thing. The energy it would take to pull something off of that magnitude would kill me, I could feel it." Twilight blinked and stared at the necklace for a moment before whispering "Interesting..." she let the gears of her mind click away as she narrowed down as many possibilities of a semi-decent plan as she could, a few thoughts popping out here and there. "What are you thinking Twilight...?" Rainbow asked, the eyes of everyone in the group on her. The lavender mare let out a small snort, looking over towards Celestia as she said "Well...Celestia seems to be in combative shape again, and if she has forces we can combine those with as many Lunar guard we have left. Bring the entire army back together again to fight." "No chance." Shadow immediately countered, an official tone echoing in his voice "With the griffons on a full scale assault, most if not all of the Lunar Guard are going to be on the front lines, doing their best to hold the borders." "That's exactly it," Twilight continued, drawing a few lines in the dirt and a few squares, a crude outline of her own thoughts being carved into the earth "We bring all of them back, drop the borders and commit our entire force to attacking Discord." The ponies seated around her looked upon her with complete shock etched on their faces. Applejack was the first to speak after several tense, quiet moments. "You..." she whispered "You want to let the griffons steamroll through Equestria, let em have free reign over the land?" "Temporarily, yes." Twilight said, drawing a line in the dirt from a triangle to a circle, her thoughts coming together swiftly. "Divided over two fronts, neither force will be able to meet their goals. Together, we'll at least be able to accomplish one, and that one goal should be killing Discord." Nightfire scratched his chin, his miniguns clanking slightly as he sat on his rear "Why Discord first?" he asked "Really the griffons are more dangerous. They got a lot more fire power and pose the bigger threat." "Not if we have her." Twilight replied, pointing at Captain Nightmare "With Discord's necklace, we'd be able to combat any ravaged pony without fear of losing soldiers. Whoever is infected can get back up and keep fighting, or we can commit to turning ALL of the ravaged ponies into carriers." The ponies looked at each other, contemplating the pros and cons of such a plan as Twilight went on "Without a force of infection, Discord's not going to have anything to throw at us except his own little protege' of traitors and his own magic." Celestia nodded along to Twilight's words, getting the picture clearly as she said "Of course...if this plan works, we'll lose less than to at least a hundred, instead of most. This battle can be over within an hour if we push hard and fast." Rainbow Dash seemed to have doubts, however, the cyan mare shaking her head and letting out a frustrated sigh as she spoke out. "I don't know...," she grumbled "Just think about it, this is DISCORD, you know? He's the Lord and ruler of all Chaos! I don't think it's going to be as easy as simply walking up the front steps of his fortress and gutting him." She looked up to the sky as well, the morning cries of birds intensifying as the forest began to rise from its dark slumber as she went on. "The Griffons can fly as well, let's not forget...it's not going to be too hard for them to cover a lot of ground quickly. They could be on us before we even realized what's happened." "Dammit!" Shadow barked, a sudden realization passing over him "I know just where'd they try and go too! That's why they attacked Stalliongrad first!" The group all gave Shadow a quizzical look, eager to hear his explanation. The colt pieced his thoughts together as they came, the soldier growling as he spoke "It's a basic tactic but an effective one, hit em around the borders to pull the military in that direction...and then hit the bigger, more important attacks from another flank, catch the enemy completely off guard!" "You're saying..." Nightmare interjected, his irises shrinking as he started to see where Shadow's point was going "Stalliongrad was just a sham...they attacked it to pull us out...?" He slowly looked over towards Celestia, a wide-eyed look on her face as well. "Oh lords...Celestia herself was there. How much more of a fighting force can you pull away from the capitals if the Princess of the Sun herself is there?!" Shadow nodded, a grimace on his face as he finished with "Aye...they've seen all they needed to. They'll have been moving at an even harder pace now, probably trying to cut around to Canterlot. Once they've realized that Canterlot is nothing more than a barren ruin...well...I wouldn't be surprised if the entire Griffon populace came running." "Then we're going to get moving," Twilight said, getting to her hooves and looking across the weary, but determined faces of the others. "We need to strike now while we have an opening. Send word to the guards and have them meet us at...where is Discord set up again?" "Haven City," Celestia answered quickly, getting to her hooves as well as Shadow Squad formed up behind her "It's set up to the far west of Canterlot." She took the time to quickly etch a circle in the dirt with her hoof and flared up her horn, using her magic to quickly raise a sort of small-scale model of the city. "As you can see," she began, pointing to various key points of the little sculpture "It's fitted with high walls all around it, with a large keep in the middle shaped and designed after the keep in the Crystal Empire. As far as the town is concerned, they are all one to two-story buildings with the exception of a few larger apartment buildings." "Not much for a tactical fight," Shadow pointed out, walking towards the sculpture and furrowing his brow "It'll all boil down to who can fight better in an urban setting....then again..." He looked up, cocking an eyebrow upwards "We're dealing with ravaged ponies who can't think tactically...and traitors, ponies who were just citizens looking for a safe alternative to getting mauled to death. Granted there might be a few soldiers amongst them but...not enough to pose a threat." The group all looked towards Twilight Sparkle, who, after taking a few more moments to study the dirt sculpture of Haven City, nodded and said "Alright then, let's go kill a Lord." Haven"Twi...why...?" was all Macintosh could ask, his expression displaying clearly how hurt he was over Twilight's deceit. "Why did you...ah thought you were dead, ya know that?" The two of them walked alone through the dense brush of the Everfree Forest, Twilight mostly leading the way. She had gone to studying much of the Everfree when she had been turned into a Carrier by Trixie, wanting to travel back and see if maybe the bunker the virus escaped from had anything she could have missed, a cure or answers. Sadly...nothing was left, nothing but scorch marks from the time Celestia and Twilight viciously struck at one another in the labs as the Sun Princess attempted to make her escape. Twilight felt her heart sank as her mind dwelt on the harsh tragedies she had endured over the grueling months....Canterlot...Celestia...Trixie. She hadn't wanted to kill Trixie outright...if anything, she could have saved her. Trixie had only been infected once...she could have had the chance to live a regular life. Trixie gave her no choice, the Ravage having already done it's permanent damage to her brain and mind. A ruthless killing machine was all that was left...a machine Twilight had been forced to shut down. But there had to been something more she could have done! Something she could have said or maybe she could have- It was Macintosh's voice that snapped her back to reality, the lavender unicorn quickly blinking and shaking her head as the stallion put a hoof against her side, gently stopping them. "Huh? Wha-?" Twilight said stupidly, her train of though completely derailed. Macintosh frowned, gently asking again "Ah was just wondering why you...why you went and hid? That day in Canterlot...that great golden light...you left our baby and just...ran." Twilight sighed, turning towards her infected lover and looking up at him, staring into those red and emerald eyes. She knew that this conversation had to come eventually. Deep down, hiding from Macintosh forever was going to be impossible, and she knew he'd be aching for answers. He was stubborn...one of the prime traits she always knew ran deep in the Apple Family. Hell, he managed to break himself out of Canterlot and travel half way around Equestria in search of her. She felt her throat rasp with dryness as she struggled to find the words to explain it to him as best as she could. "It's just," she began, sighing and looking deeply into his eyes "Equestria, for once, was infection free. We had beaten the Ravage and it had been vanquished from the world...what good would it do for me to stay when I was infected?" He made to open his mouth to speak but she gently pushed a hoof against his lips, shushing him as she went on "Ponies had been living in fear for too long Macintosh, from the time we were all boarded up in our own homes in Old Ponyville to when they were running for their lives when the great shield in Canterlot crashed into pieces. Equestria deserved to live with the belief that they were forever safe from the Ravage Virus...safe from me. If ponies knew I was still alive, they'd tried to have me killed. The only thing associated with the Ravage is evil, and evil doesn't belong in a world built upon the pillars and foundations of Harmony." Macintosh sighed, shaking his head and growling in retort as he said "But that tain't fair to me, or yer daughter! Lam sakes Twilight, do you know how tough it is to be out here when Moonlight is all alone with Miss Shy n' Miss Pie? How are we supposed to take care of her if somethin' happens to us out here?" Twilight felt her heart flutter slightly as she whispered "Y...you named her Moonlight?" Macintosh nodded as the unicorn gave him a tender smile and whispered "That's...really beautiful." "Eeyup...and it's a shame you had to go and leave her..." Macintosh muttered, his turn expression turning slightly more sour "Twern't fair at all Twi'...and now it's the both of us sick and cut off from her." "Macintosh I didn't have a choice!" Twilight suddenly burst out in a pleading tone. "I couldn't risk the infection spreading through Equestria, I couldn't risk our own DAUGHTER catching this hellish disease. Would it have been better if Moonlight teethed on something I had handled that wasn't sanitized? I sneeze on her by accident, or she gets a cut and I'm there trying to fix it....it was just too big of a risk, for EVERYPONY!" Macintosh sighed, knowing he was losing the argument and looking out over the forest and the vast lines of trees around them. She was right, he knew it deep down...but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Not sure what good it did with you hiding Twi'....The Ravage went and found its way back here regardless." "Hey, that was an unpredictable variable that nopony could have seen coming" Twilight countered, giving him a gentle peck on his cheek and turning to push on into the forest. "I don't think any of us could have seen Discord's return coming, it was just something nopony ever thought to plan for." The apple stallion merely nodded, whispering gently "At least...well once this is over, maybe things can finally go back to normal...it'd be nice to raise Moonlight...together." Twilight smiled, looking towards him as her shredded brown cloak flapped gently in a small breeze that had whisked its way through the tree line. "I'd like that...," she whispered, gently bumping him with her side as they walked "A normal life...with my family." She looked forward, just barely making out the straw roofing of Zecora's hut in the thick patch of trees just beyond a few thorn bushes "We shouldn't really dwell on it too much until AFTER we've killed Discord and driven the Griffons back...one thing at a time." "Eeyup," Macintosh said in agreement, the stallion also spotting the zebra's hut through the trees. "This that Zebra girl ya'll been talkin' bout that lives here?" he asked, throwing in another question as Twilight answered him with a nod "Well...what're we doing here?" Twilight had instructed the main force with Celestia and Captain Nightmare to push on without them towards Haven City whilst she and Macintosh went to Zecora's. She ensured them that she'd catch back up by the time the fighting was ready to start. They moved around the thorn bushes and stood before the door, the unicorn lifting a hoof to knock as she muttered "Tying up a loose end..." she knocked loudly, a loud cluttering sound echoing outwards from within the hut as a high-pitched squeal followed by a guttural snarling sound reached Macintosh's drooping ears. "What...was that?" whispered the stallion as the door to the hut opening gently, a dark, teal eye staring out towards them. "Who is the one who so foolishly knocks!" Zecora growled from behind the door "I am warning you, I have sharp rocks!" Twilight couldn't help but smirk slightly as she said "Zecora, it's me...I've come for Rarity." "Rarity?!" Macintosh blurted out, his irises shrinking "Ah nuggets, don't tell me she gone n' bit the sick bucket too!?" Zecora quickly opening the door, her face brightening considerably as she threw her front hooves around the unicorn, pulling her into a tight hug. "Oh thank goodness that you are alright! It is so good to see you, my dear Twilight!" Zecora said, practically squealing in joy. Behind her, in the middle of the floor, sat a snarling Rarity in a cage built with what looked like bamboo. There were several chew marks and dents in the cage, obvious escape attempts in the hopes Rarity could make a quick meal out of the Zebra. Fortunately, it looked as if Zecora had her game one step up from Rarity's. "It's good to see you too Zecora," Twilight said with glee, moving out of the Zebra's embrace and into the hut towards Rarity. Macintosh followed, being looked upon by Zecora's sympathetic eyes. He offered her a polite nod as he walked by her, the unicorn tucking her hooves under her as she laid upon her belly, ignoring the snarling, headbutting Rarity as she attempted to bash the cage's bamboo bars down with brute force. "You've been taking good care of her?" Twilight asked, flaring up her horn and whispering "Relaaaax....ressssst..." Zecora nodded as Rarity blinked, mirroring Twilight and tucking her self down and resting on her belly, staring at Twilight with a completely blank face. "A tough and dangerous job most certainly, but I have done well to take care of Rarity." She went over to one of her tables, picking up her cup of tea and sipping from it slightly before saying "I have done my best to feed her you see...but it has been worrying with her snapping at me." Macintosh sighed as she flopped back on his flank, putting a hoof to his head as he felt another sharp headache coursing through his skull. "First Twi'...then Applejack...now Rarity...it just don't stop does it?" he muttered, growling to himself as Zecora gasped slightly in surprise. "Please tell me that these are lies, and that the sickness has not claimed poor APPLEJACK's eyes!" She whispered in sorrow, to which Twilight sadly nodded and said "Yes...Applejack is infected as well, but we've got her...under control." She looked back at Rarity, the white unicorn doing nothing but blinking at her. "It's a long story......now then..." she lowered her head, pointing her horn at Rarity as she said "It's about time Rarity woke up from her nightmares..." "But Twilight think of the Chaos Lord!" Zecora quickly shouted, holding a warning hoof out towards Twilight "Surely you don't want to attract Discord!?" "He already knows we're coming Zecora," Twilight said, the unicorn getting to her hooves and bracing herself as a bright golden glow of magic starting to emanate from her horn. "Besides...Rarity's suffered enough, she shouldn't have to suffer this curse any longer than she has to." Twilight sucked in a breath as her magic crackled loudly, a loud humming noise growing louder by the second as her horn swirled with golden magic. She took a moment to steady herself, channel her energy and focus on drawing from the vast pools of her inner mana before releasing her spell with a heavy heave of her head upwards. In an instant, a golden bubble of sparkling energy blasted outwards from her horn, sweeping through the ponies around her and through the straw walls of Zecora's hut before quickly vanishing, leaving behind a tiny, shimmering shower of sparkling glitter-like energy. All was quiet for a few moments as Macintosh's red eyes gleamed with infection, his head pounding heavily and drawing a deep groan out of the workhorse. It was clear the virus within his body didn't take too kindly to the attempt to purge it. Zecora seemed to be knocked back slightly by the sudden outburst of the spell, her legs shaking slightly as she found herself needing to sit down. When somepony did speak, it was much to the surprise of Zecora as Rarity muttered "Would somepony mind explaining to me what I'm doing locked up in this cage like some animal!?" Her eyes were sparkling with pure, clean whiteness as she gently poked at the chewed up bars of her cage, a tight grimace on her face "This is completely barbaric...is this somepony's idea of a prank!?" "Oh Rarity!" Twilight shouted with glee, her horn flaring up once more and quickly tearing apart the cage, the unicorn being careful to set the parts aside in a neat pile near Zecora's bed. She quickly pulled the confused looking Rarity in a tight hug, being careful not to let the tears of joy she was holding back spill. It'd be a complete dumb move on her part if she accidentally re-infected Rarity after only JUST purging her. "It's so good to have you back!" "Back...? What happened?" Rarity asked, a genuinely confused expression etched on her face. Twilight chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head as she whispered "Um...long story short...? You...got sick." Rarity's expression soured as she found it hard not to gag, trying her to best to speak as she said "U..Ugh...tell me my beautiful form was not subjected to that...gross disease for too long..." "Not...too long," Twilight answered, clearing her throat and hoping Rarity wouldn't push for more answers. "What's important now is that you're safe and clean again...we're moving on Discord soon so we don't have much time to waste." The diva smiled and nodded as she exclaimed "Oh good! It's about time we took the fight to that vile criminal! When do we...oh what's the military term for it...move out?" Twilight shook her head, sighing sadly as she said "Sorry Rarity...but you and Zecora need to go to the Everfree Castle, we're already late meeting back up with the main army." "But...but Twilight!" Rarity gasped, holding a hoof out towards her "Won't you need the Elements to defeat Discord?! I thought we were all in this together!" The lavender mare sighed, shaking her head as she said "I'm sorry Rarity...but it's just too dangerous. There's going to be a lot of fighting in the Capital, and I can't risk you getting killed or re-infected during the fighting." She put a comforting, reassuring against one of Rarity's front legs as she went on "I'm strong enough to be able to teleport to the castle if I need to...besides, Fluttershy and Pinkie are there taking care of the Refugees and my daughter, you and Zecora will be safe there." Rarity's concerned expression didn't seem to change, Twilight giving her the best reassuring smile she could and saying "If I need the Elements, you can bet your fashionable flank that I'll come to get you girls within a moment's notice. It's important that you guys get going now though...just in case Discord tries to come after us here." Zecora nodded, quickly grabbing a set of saddlebags from a nearby table and heading towards the door. "Are you sure you're going to be alright darling?" Rarity asked as she followed Zecora out the door, Twilight and Macintosh quickly bringing up the rear. "You will be careful, won't you?" "Of course Rarity!" Twilight said, a big smile etched on her face "We haven't come this far to die out of carelessness now! We'll be back before you know it." Rarity let herself smile slightly, the unicorn nodding as she said "Well...alright, best of luck to you Twilight...I hope that the next time we meet, it's going to be over a nice cup of tea and a spa treatment...without murderous sick ponies trying to kill us." Twilight nodded, giving her a final goodbye hug before letting her go, stepping back as Zecora led the way into the forest. The two of them watched the mares gently trot away, Macintosh looking down at Twilight as he muttered "You didn't tell her bout' Applejack...or much bout' anything." Twilight sighed, turning in the opposite direction and setting off at a slow walk, muttering to Macintosh as he followed quickly behind her "She's had enough to deal with just being sick and living in a cage...she doesn't need more panic and stress running through her head right now. Besides...you know how much of a drama queen she can be sometimes." Macintosh sighed, giving a simple "Eeyup," and falling into silence, the two of them pushing onwards into the forest. "Now then..." Twilight said, taking in a deep breath and exhaling it...the last one she was starting to think she'd enjoy for a good long while. "...let's go kill Discord." ~~~~ "FOOOOOOORM UP!" "HAIL, HAIL!" "Take positions! Move up that cart, get those actions clear and ensure ammo integrity!" "Alpha through Echo squads, remember your objectives and hug the inner wall tightly!" "Captain, Shadow Squad is ready to go!" "Aye, we're all set here!" "Ready on the left!" "Prepared on the right!" "Center is ready, awaiting your orders your majesty!" "Any sign of Twilight Sp-" "Present! Sorry we're late, what did we miss?" Captain Nightmare stood tall and firm, her eyes locked tightly on the large, shadowy keep looming on the distant horizon. It's dark, deadly spires piercing the clouds, casting their dark shadows across the surrounding city. Celestia's model was accurate, the city nothing more than a large circle surrounded by a high wall of black stone, concealing a good majority of the buildings behind them save for a few of the tall office and apartment buildings that peeked up over the rise. Nightmare could just barely make out several shapes moving across the rooftops, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Lieutenant," barked the Captain, her head turning sharply to cast her eyes upon the battle-ready Nightfire who stood beside her, binoculars pressed against his eyes "Report." Nightfire grimaced slightly, pulling his eyes away from the zooming spectacles and shaking his head "There's a good number of Discord's Loyalists setting up on those buildings. I see mostly rifle's...a few scoped but we're well out of their range currently." He pushed the binoculars back against his eyes as he growled "Don't see any of the Ravaged...bet you Discord's got em all huddled up against the wall. They'll probably start pouring out once we bring it down." "Not a problem..." Nightmare muttered, shaking her body slightly trying to get her outdated Lunar Armor to sit right "Leave them to me." She looked to her left, through the valley that rested just beside the large, towering hill she stood upon with Nightfire. All throughout the area that she could see, Solar, Lunar, and Refugee ponies were lining up and grouping up into their respective squads. From what she could see of Celestia's troops, they were all knelt down low, their helmets and faces in the dirt. Celestia looked as if she was giving a sermon, probably blessing her troops and encouraging them to fight for glory and honor, and for the salvation of Equestria. Shadow looked to be doing the same for the Lunar Guard, except he seemed to be more fluid, more entergetic, stirring up and rattling the ribs of his guards like cages to get their hearts racing and ready. Macintosh seemed to be the one in between, probably inspiring the citizens now turned soldiers to fight for home and loved ones. The only one who did not partake in this "pre-battle meditation"...was Twilight. She stood alone on a hill much like Nightmare's, staring outwards towards Haven with a slight grimaced and narrowed eyes. The pain she saw in those eyes...eyes like her own. What that unicorn must have felt...the horrors she had to endure. She, like her...was a survivor, battle-hardened and blood-soaked. There was blood on those hooves she knew would never wash out, scars that were going to have to be carried for the rest of her life. She could only hope and pray, that whatever life lay for her on the other side of this coming bloodbath...was a quiet, peaceful one. There were shouts amongst the rough mixing pot of soldiers, indicating that the speeches were all done and over with. "Heh..." Nightmare scoffed to herself, turning her head back towards the front. She wasn't much for those speeches. Just give her an objective...she'd see it completed. A mare of action, not words...that's how she held herself. And judging from the low rumbling of hooves in the valley...the time for words had all but passed. Now was the moment, the moment they had all been waiting for. Twilight didn't blink nor flinch as Celestia took her place beside her, donned in her golden regalia as well as her ornate armor. Captain Shadow, Applejack, and Macintosh took their places on the left of her as they all looked out towards Haven City. "Bout' time...ain't it?" Applejack muttered, drawing a nod out of Celestia. "Aye," she said, taking a look behind her as she breathed "The mages are ready, and if you've all grasped onto your resolve...we'll see this through now, to the end." "To the end..." Macintosh said, nodding in agreement and stamping a massive hoof against the ground. "And to whatever come after..." Shadow grunted, flipping his helmet visor down and letting out a sharp, steamy breath out through his metallic mask. From behind the army, ten groups of five unicorn's each were situated in close, tight formations, each with their horns pointed towards a unicorn in the center of their prospective groups. The four surrounding unicorns channeled as much mana as they could to the fifth's unicorn, both making sure the center mage had both the power he or she needed, and the stability and control to handle the massive spells they were weaving. Looks of concentration were etched upon each of their faces, with a look of strain and heavy focus on each amplified unicorn. One by one, large balls of pure, unrestrained magic were weaved and spun atop the horn of each center unicorn, sweat already beginning to drip and show on many of their faces. Within ten seconds, ten massive balls of energy were ready to go, all awaiting the quick word from Princess Celestia. They did not have to wait long as the sun princess turned her head back sharply, a look of pure determination and anger on her face as she threw a golden armored hoof forward and roared "FIRE! FIRE AT WILL!" The unicorns gave a mighty shout as one by one, they amplified and launched a tremendous blast of force behind their magic spheres, launching them up and over their heads in the direction of the city. "Warriors of Equestria!!!!" Celestia boomed out with her royal equestrian voice "The time to take back what is yours, our land, our ponies, our freedom, has come!" The spheres roared overhead, many smashing into the walls while a few detonated behind them and causing many buildings to explode or erupt in flames. More spheres were being weaved as Celestia led the slow march down over the hill, shouting as they went "We will sit by no longer! Never again shall we be cast into the dark and shadows, forced to live within the sanctuary of our homes, caged and barred like animals! They told us, nay, DEMANDED to us, to never go outside! To stay a prisoner, at the mercy of a false ruler and a dark tyrant! I say to you now, NO! I will not let this come to pass, I refuse to allow this any longer! Taste the sweet, delicious air citizens of Equestria! We are OUTSIDE!" The unified roar of the collaborative army shook the ground as Celestia turned her head, looking back across the hundreds and hundreds of faces staring back at her...not just as a ruler or a princess anymore...but a pony. A pony fighting to right the wrongs committed against Equestria, to bring peace to not just her home...but all of theirs. "We're outside my brothers...my sisters...my friends...tell me, what will you do to hold onto your freedom, your air, and your lives? Answer this not to me...." she paused, turning to look back towards the crumbling wall of the city, her ears perking at the sounds of shouting and high-pitched shrieking and howling from just beyond those dark walls "Give HIM....your answer." Twilight bowed her head as they marched, taking whatever small moments they had left of calm to settle her rapidly beating heart, and to pray to Luna and Celestia that she would make it off the field alive...that they would all live to fight another day. ~~~ "There is nothing here sir...." "Nothing...?" "Aye...nothing but dust, ghosts, and nature." A massive griffon, tall and mighty in his stature stood before the ruined stone steps of Princess Celestia's throne, staring up at it with narrowed eyes. His Abyss-black colored armor shone in the light of the burning, radiant sun as it rent its way through the many holes and cracks in the ceiling. His helmet visor was down, hiding his expression but adding a significant amount of dread and foreboding to his demeanor. His talons were razor sharp, splitting the ground slightly as he walked. His top Major found him easily enough from the large tracks his mammoth-like general left behind. "Canterlot is naught but a ruin...skeletons littered the place here and there, but only grass grows between their bones now...and they're all pony in shape and size." "Perhaps Equestria has fallen to their own devices faster than our own...," rumbled the general, his voice deep like a roaring wave crashing across the land "Though, I cannot believe that Stalliongrad was all that Celestia had to offer.....no...they are out there, hiding...and we will find them." The Major nodded, taking a moment to reach into the right pocket of his saddlebags and pulling out a small, rectangular like contraption. "There was...," started the Major, holding the device out in his giant, clawed hand "one thing we did find. One of our scouts nearly stepped on it during his sweeps...a recording device of some kind." The General turned, his clawed steps thudding heavily against the stone as he took the device from his Major, furrowing his brow and looking back up towards him, muttering "Did our scouts report anything else...a direction or a lead as to where the enemy is?" "Groups of ponies, guards mostly, were seen flocking to the west...it is possible they are amassing their forces to prepare for some sort of counter-assaulting action or a defensive hold," answered the Major, shaking his head slightly "Other than that, no report." "Follow those ponies Major..." boomed the General, the great beast looking down on the device "Find them...and don't come back till they are all dead." The Major gave a mighty salute and turned, quickly unfurling his giant wings and taking off through one of the holes in the ceiling of the throne room. The General paused only for a moment to watch him go before looking back down at the device, one of his claws finding the play button. He pushed it in gently as a female voice, slightly raspy in nature, crackled through the speakers. "....My name, is Twilight Sparkle." ~~~~ "I am a unicorn. I am a veteran. I am the enemy. The land you know as Equestria is a land of magic and friendship, a land where ponies can be free to roam happily and make friends whilst living in peace and harmony under the benevolent rules of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Twilight looked back up as Haven City stood before her, massive bolts of energy roaring over her and crashing into the walls. "Trotting speed!!!!" Celestia roared, the army picking up the pace and going into a quick trot, their faces hardening, their eyes narrowing as the rumble of their hooves grew in intensity. “But the land you once came to love and cherish is gone. It's been gone for months now, turned into something I don't think you'd quite recognize, or even believe existed if it was explained to you. Sometimes it's hard to believe myself, hard to believe the stories that I was told. I don't think I could have ever believed them either, if I didn't already live them..” Celestia took in a heaving breath as three more great spheres of magic crashed into the wall, exploding with violent force and tearing a large hole through it to it's foundation. The air was tense for a moment as the dust of the crumbling wall came billowing up into the air. The moment where life and death were to be decided, the events of all their past horrors, their struggles, their lives, all coming together in this one shining moment. Equestria's greatest charge. “I cannot tell you exactly what has happened, not yet. But believe me when I say... history, cannot repeat itself... never again." There was an air of silence for only a moment...and then... "CHAAAAAARGE!!!!!" Celestia screamed, her horn igniting with a magnificent, radiant light, the sun overhead gleaming brightly with brilliant majesty. The army of ponies let out a unified battle cry, shaking the earth beneath them as they broke out into a full gallop, charging towards the several hundreds of shapes that could be barely seen moving in the massive dust cloud of the crumbled wall. The battle for Equestria, once again, had begun . Author's Note Been too long, hope it was worth the wait guys! Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout the wait, and let's bring this story to its climax EndThe sky was a beautiful cyan blue...speckled and smeared here and there with beautiful expanses of marshmallow white clouds. High above, the sun gleamed and shone with intense, dazzling light, casting its mighty rays across the vast ocean of endless sky and wind. A light breeze was gently pushing at the trees of the forests, their leaves lapping at the air as an eerie silence fell over Equestria. It was many would call 'the calm before the storm', the last little piece of peace of harmony that could ever be savored before the floodgates of terror and battle spilled forth in great, terrible cascade of violence and destruction. Here and there, a few animals would slowly and carefully walk about near their homes, fearful to venture out too far in case any of the 'madponies' were lurking. It was a dangerous time to be out in the world...but deep down, in the hearts of all who lived in Equestria, one could feel that a change was in the air. Something was coming: a turn, a twist, a shift. But of what, and whether it would bring Chaos or Harmony remained to be seen. But the signs could not be ignored, it WAS there...it could be felt in the sudden change in the wind, the way it buffeted about from the sudden beats of thousands of pairs of wing beats. It could be felt in the sky and air, the great hum and crackling of magic as it carried the distant booms and echoes of great power. It could even be felt in the ground from the many, many hooves that galloped onward towards victory or death, the earth shaking beneath them as they roared in the face of their oppressor. Ear's perked all around, creature and critter alike as a distant chorus of never-ending voices cried in unison one word: "EQUESTRIAAAAAA!!!!" "EQUESTRIA!!!!!" roared the great and mighty Princess Celestia, her battle armor clattering loudly as she headed the charge towards a wall of Ravage infected ponies that charged back towards them. Behind her ran her freedom fighting citizens, civilian and soldier alike, ready to take back their land, risk and give up everything to reclaim Equestria, or die trying. "EQUESTRIA!!!!" screamed the grand army of nearly three thousand strong, the steady ponies staring a force nearly five times their own size in the face, daring them to come meet them on the battlefield. From above, Rainbow Dash beat her wings heavily, her hooves outstretched and ready to clobber and destroy anything that got in her way of that free sky she so desperately wanted back. Twilight Sparkle, on the ground with Big Macintosh, Captain Nightmare and Shadow Squad, and Applejack galloped beside Celestia, each ready and all determined to make the day theirs. "Twilight, it's up to you!" Celestia shouted, turning her head towards her former student "Take Captain Nightmare and Shadow Squad and find Discord! We shall hold the line as long as we can and catch up to you as fast as possible!" Twilight turned her head towards Celestia and nodded, spreading her magical wings and taking to the sky alongside Nightmare, Shadow Mane, and the rest of Shadow Squad, veering off to the right in a wide flank. Bullets and other bolts of magic crackled off in the sky after them from Discord's Loyalists in the city, the unicorn quickly flaring up a magenta shield around the seven of them, catching several of the projectiles. "Stay within the shield! Don't stray too far!" Twilight shouted as enemy fire pinged off the shield. Their part of the plan was Discord, getting Twilight to him and getting him put down. It was Shadow Squad's job to get her there, by ANY means possible. If it meant their lives, they would give them without hesitation. NOTHING else mattered but Discord's death, and Twilight's life. "Rainbow, you're up!" Macintosh shouted upwards towards the cyan pegasus, a salute going back down to him from her as she veered high up into the sky with the rest of the Pegasai. "Make it rain..." he muttered to himself, dipping his head back down to look forward into the oncoming storm roaring towards them. Rainbow soared at the head of the group, going higher and higher as bullets and magic shot past them. A few ponies were hit in the stream, many crying out and plummeting out of the formation and towards the ground. Many wounded and a few dead, the Pegasai continued to rise despite the fire, their part of the plan clear in their minds: 'Death from above'. To clear out the rooftops and Loyalists holding the many tall buildings was the plan, to help secure the charge for the ground forces, and to make sure Twilight was undisturbed by too much enemy fire, paving her way to the prize. And finally...that left Celestia and the rest of Equestria...one clear objective in their minds...and that was to push. Push forward, never backward, keep going and keep going until they stormed through the gates of the castle and straight on to victory. Like a crushing tidal wave they'd move, their momentum never faltering for a second. All that would stand before them would either move...or get crushed underhoof. "EQUESTRIA!!!!" Celestia roared again as the massive army of Ravaged came charging towards them, hellbent on halting their advance. "EQUESTRIA!!!!" "EQUESTRIA!!!!!!" "EQUESTRIA!!!!" Celestia could see the very reds of the infected ponies before her as she flared up her horn, pointing it forward and screaming for one final time "EQUESTRIAAAAAAAAA!!!!" before unleashing a bolt of great magic forward. It tore its way down the center line of the enemy flanks, incinerating a good number but barely putting a dent in their charge. The army of Equestria let out a unified crash as the two swelling masses came together, crashing violently with a thunderous 'BOOM!'. Ponies flew into the air, swarming over one another as blood and screams flowed across the ground and sky. Macintosh charged forward with Celestia, the two of them never pulling back on their speed, stomping and crushing anything in front of them. "Keep going, do not slow, do not falter! Push! PUSH!!!!" cried Princess Celestia, the ponies behind her slicing and shooting when they could at their assailants, pushing straight for the gaping hole within the wall that was their ticket into the city. From high above, Rainbow Dash tipped her wings, angling herself from a position of ascent, to descent. "Alright everypony, let's make for these punks a rain they'll NEVER forget! DOWN!!!! DOWN!!!!" The Pegasai roared with fury, their swarming mass dipping and diving downwards, plummeting straight for the city. From the rooftops, the Loyalists clad in their black, ornate armored shouted in panic, throwing whatever fire they could into the sky, whether it was magic, spears, or bullets. Rainbow Dash ducked just under a bolt of magic coming straight at her, the fur on her back being singed only slightly as around her, several ponies took the lethal brunt of the volley, a good number already tumbling out of the sky. Twilight, far on the right flank, watched as her attackers turned their guns in the direction of the diving Pegasai force, clearly labeling them as the more dire threat. She looked backwards towards Celestia's force, watching as they crashed through their enemies lines. They had slowed, becoming more and more bogged down by the relentless waves of attackers...but they did not stop. Behind the force could be seen stragglers of both sides who were lucky enough to not get trampled to death by friend and foe alike, and who were not fighting a vicious battle of their own. Celestia was nearing the make-shift entrance to the city, which meant that Twilight needed to speed up her part of the plan. If she couldn't get the Chaos Lord to go down quickly enough, she was worried he might something desperate...and a desperate Chaos Lord was nothing to trifle with. She beat her wings faster, pushing her team onwards over the city and towards the citadel. "FORWARD!!!!" Celestia roared, her army barreling through the Ravaged ponies who, despite their great number, could do little to halt their advance. Their diseased flanks were wider though, the far ends of the Ravaged turning inwards to surround them slowly. Celestia surged on even faster, using her magic as a deadly jackhammer to pound and blast their way through the middle, leveling anything she could in front of her to ash. "DOWNWARD!!!" Shrieked Rainbow Dash, the cyan Pegasus front flipping downward through the air on top of a building with three others, the rest of the Pegasai touching down and unsheathing their blades. As soon as Rainbow felt her hooves touch the hard shingles of the roof, she brought front hoof up into the chin of a Loyalist soldier bringing his knife to bear, uppercutting him violently. Gunfire and blades clashing soon dominated the rooftops as the thunderous roaring of hooves reached the great hole in the wall of Haven City. "INWARDS!!!" cried Celestia, her force charging straight through the hole in the wall and into a wide open courtyard. The princess gasped as on the fire side of the courtyard, a large, fortified line of Loyalists aimed their guns directly towards the force. She had only just barely been able to bring a shield up of magic before a great volley of bullets rushed towards them in a lethal cascade of death. Several ponies went down quickly before the shield could harden, catching several off guard. There was only a slight falter from the Sun Princess before she shouted "Flank! FLANK! Rear guard, hold this breach, do not let the Ravaged catch us on our backs! The rest of you, push around and forward, we MUST break through these lines." The reaction was immediate, two large columns of ponies shifting left and right, with Big Macintosh leading the left group and Applejack leading the Right, into the alleys and side roads while Celestia pushed forward, holding the magical shield wall in front of her as steady as she could. Behind her, the rear guard, a detachment of a hundred or so ponies, shifting into a defensive semi-circle, un-holstering gun and blade in preparations to hold back the flood they had only charged through so dangerously to get there. Celestia dipped her head low as the galloped forward, her horn crackling with magic. She struggled to hold onto the shield as a relentless torrent of bullets and fire met her, hell bent on tearing her down. It was difficult to maintain a continuous usage of magic, even for her as she hadn't quite fully recovered from her re-horning, and it was clearly taking its toll on her. Sweat dripped from her snout and mane as her ponies shouted from behind her, encouraging her onwards and roaring death threats towards their foes. From the right flank through the alley, Applejack and her column of ponies galloped through, catching many of the Loyalists off guard who were running that way to attempt to open a flank of their own. The country mare, with her eyes lit up like red and emerald fire, tore a knife from its sheath on one of her legs and pushed it into the neck of one such Loyalist in front of her, many of the other guards and citizen soldiers following suit with quick takedowns and quick executions of a rifle. The same push was working for Macintosh on the far left, the work horse roaring as he pushed his head underneath the belly of one Loyalist before him, lifting him up and rushing into a nearby dumpster with a great crash. The Loyalist's spine and neck broke upon impact, killing him instantly as Macintosh hurled his body towards his comrades, shouting "If ya stand against us, yer gonna get BURIED!!!" As a few minutes dragged by, Celestia panted for air, her shield crackling slightly and starting to wane. She was starting to get a little worried when a mad rush of ponies from both sides of the enemy line came crashing through, barreling right into the rear. From behind Celestia, a renewed battle cry sounded off as the Princess's shield shimmered away, allowing her group to blast out into the front, eagerly rushing towards their attackers, ready for a bloodbath. For Celestia, she was pleased to see that her ground force was moving through swiftly and efficiently...but they had only made it through the wall... ...there was still a lot of ground to cover. ~~~ "My...isn't this a sight?" rumbled a massive, beastly griffon standing upon a cliff in the mountains overlooking the entirety of Haven City. His insignia of a Griffon General shone brilliantly upon the shoulder pads of his dark armor, displaying to the many hundreds of winged beasts perched upon the rocks around him that he was their center, their heartbeat, their voice, AND their claw that directed where they would strike down with the sword that was their army. The Major had scouted outwards earlier before the battle and urged the General to come witness the interesting spectacle for himself...and he was not disappointed. "It appears somebody beat us to the Equestrian Throne before we did...how...irritating." the General rumbled, the rock beneath him cracking slightly as he tightened his clawed grip on the stone. "Though I will admit," he went on as he turned his head to his Major "This is certainly amusing to watch none the less. The ponies fighting for their little land against a force many times their number...how patriotic." The Major nodded, turning his head towards the General to meet his gaze as he said "Indeed sir, if you wish it, I can have our force come down upon them and give you the field within the hour if you so desire." Smirking, the General turned his piercing gaze back towards the smoking city, watching the battle unfold. He paused for a moment, thinking before he shook his head and chuckled "Nay, I would like to see how this plays out first, besides...it's not like we can't just crush the remainder of what remains of either side in the aftermath." He took a moment to sigh, getting comfortable on his perch as he said "Though it would have been more fun if they could put up a more decent of a fight...the outcome is sealed anyway. Why waste good griffons?" The Major grunted in approval, looking back out amongst the carnage and muttering "A good point sir, as always." ~~~ Rainbow Dash ducked under the swing of a Loyalist, twirling and pushing her own blade upwards at an angle and running her attacker through, felling him quickly. She panted and looked upwards and around, watching the rest of her small squad mop up what remained. She panted, pointing over to the next roof where another squad was in desperate need of help, shouting "NEXT ONE, LET'S GO!" From below, Applejack bucked a Ravaged pony in the neck, snapping it instantly as Macintosh threw the limp body of a dead Loyalist into a group of his comrades, tying them up long enough for him to move in close for the kills. Celestia pushed through the middle, charging head long into the fray as her royal guard flanked beside her, dispatching stragglers here and there and raining hellfire bullets upon the lines the Loyalists struggled to keep hold of. The Rearguard was having trouble though, with a non stop shower of bullets flying towards the opening in the wall, piling bodies higher and higher and slowly filling up the blasted in entrance with its own wall of bodies. Many managed to break through, being picked off as best as the Rearguard could do, hoping that their forward frontal lines could reach their objectives soon. None could even imagine what was going on with the stragglers outside, those who were left behind during the initial clashing of the two forces. It was a nightmare for them to be sure, the brave group fighting tooth and nail for every inch of bloody ground they could claim. Though the hour was dire for them they fought on regardless, knowing that every Ravaged they killed outside the wall was one less the Rearguard had to deal with inside. "Fan out!" Celestia shouted as they reached the central square of the city, a large, open courtyard of sorts with a giant, ornate stone fountain located within its center. "Separate into your squads and groups and start completing your objectives, take the streets and houses, turn their own emplacements against them!" Quickly and efficiently, the army started to divide and shotgun outwards in a mad array of directions, hollers and shouts echoing from their snouts. "Main Guard, with me! We push on to the Citadel Gates!" A large detachment of Solar and Lunar Guard, along with a smaller group of civilian ponies formed in behind her, Macintosh and Applejack bringing up the rear. "We're here Princess!" Applejack half shouted, half panted "Our squads're cleanin' up the rear alleys n' are reinforcin' the Rearguard!" "EEYUP! We're ready ta go!" Macintosh added, nodding in affirmation as Celestia nodded back, turning her gaze upwards towards the Citadel. She could just barely make out the outlines of Twilight and Shadow Squad high in the air towards the right flank, starting their turn towards the dark fortress. "Alright...let's move out, we're short on time!" Celestia barked, the force beginning their push forward. They surged and galloped around and past the fountain, moving as quickly as they could up the main street. Whatever attackers that tried to stop them were quickly met by flanking squads or Rainbow Dash's rooftop assailants, executing their parts and plans perfectly and paving the way for the Gate-breaking force. "Keep moving forwards!" Rainbow shouted, leaping over the gap between two rooftops and tackling a Loyalist as he lined up a shot on Big Macintosh with his rifle. She snapped his neck with a quick flick of hooves, her squad following behind her and hastily engaging the enemy head on. Celestia led her force up a large stone stairway leading up towards the courtyard that held the gates, her unicorns already powering up their horns in preparation to blast through. As they galloped over the summit and onto the flat stones however...Celestia suddenly skidded to a halt, a heavy gasp passing through her teeth. Her force's charge quickly grinded to a halt behind her as they beheld a pony figure standing before the gates, barring their entrance through. It was with a very heavy heart that Celestia whispered towards the figure "Luna...oh sweet Luna no..." Luna, the Princess of the Moon, breathed with savage, rasping gasps, her legs shaking and her wings twitching as blood dripped from her nose and lips, pattering on the ground before her. Her eyes were not but a red, gleaming glow, and her horn crackling with deadly, sinister magic. "Oh gods...what has he done to you...?" Celestia breathed, looking upon her plagued sister in horror. She shivered as she went on "I wanted you to learn your lesson from the grave mistake you made...but this..." she felt her voice catch in her throat as Luna snarled, her red eyes narrowing and her stance growing low and at the ready, as if she were preparing to pounce. "Celesta, ah think we can take her," Applejack muttered from beside her "Just give the word n' we can-" "No..." Celestia interjected quickly, looking down towards Applejack. The country mare looked at her, confused as she opened her mouth to speak. A gentle white hoof pressed against her lips before she could say a word however, the sun princess continuing to speak "Take the force with Macintosh and make a wide flank, blast your way through another section of the wall and take the inner courtyards." Macintosh leaned in towards them as he said "But...what bout' you, what're you gonna-" Celestia quickly turned her head to Macintosh as she breathed "Once you do that, move towards the rendezvous point and link up with Shadow Squad, hold the entrance to the Citadel and ensure nothing gets past you, NOTHING must come between Twilight and Discord, NOTHING!" Applejack whispered as Celestia lowered her hoof "But...but Luna...?" "Leave Luna to me..." Celestia muttered, looking back towards her murderous looking sister "This...is a family matter." Applejack and Macintosh looked towards each other for a moment before nodding, quickly leading the force away towards the right flank, seeking a new entryway into the Citadel grounds...leaving the two sisters behind. "So..." Celestia muttered, narrowing her eyes at her sister and fanning out her wings as she conjured up a sword of yellow, ethereal magic "Shall you come quietly, or shall I force Discord's influence from you the hard way dear sister?" Luna merely responded with a growl, two blades of dark lunar magic shimmering into the air and twirling around her, poised and ready to strike. Celestia gave a great, heavy sigh as she muttered "So be it..." bowing her head for a moment before charging ahead, bringing her blade up towards Luna in a vicious uppercut. The Lunar Princess snarled in reply to her sister's words, a mind-crushing rage the only thing she could feel through her body as she crossed her blades like an 'X', catching Celestia's and shoving it away, dashing forward for a sinister counter attack. Celestia was ready however, swatting away one of Luna's blades with her own before ducking under the second, her head low and her horn pointed for the perfect strike, a non-lethal blast of magical energy bursting outwards from the tip, throwing Luna backwards against the gates. Luna shook her head, growling as her eyes shone with a sinister hatred. She pushed herself off the gates, lunging at Celestia and bringing her blades to bear. The two sisters began a most deadly dance of swordplay, Celestia elegantly twirling her blade to the right and down, smacking away a strike and quickly heaving the blade to her left to catch her sister's other blade as it came in for a follow-through. Luna jumped to the side as Celestia's sword came crashing down from overhead in a heavy counter to her push, and quickly surged a large portion of magic through her horn and into her own blades, powering them up for a devastating strike. Celestia saw the planned strike coming quickly, having only just enough time to empower her own blade and to give a mighty horizontal swing outwards, catching both of Luna's blades with her own. The impacting force of all three magical blades connecting made them shatter with a thunderous explosion, blasting the two alicorns away from one another. They landed roughly, Celestia's body aching with the magical singing of her fur as she struggled to stand. Across the courtyard, she watched Luna stand quickly, her horn gleaming brightly and powering up for what Celestia knew could be a fatal attack. She swore as she looked upwards towards her sister, her body aching. She empowered her horn quickly, drawing in as much power as she could as Luna lowered her head, roaring and sending a great, radiating beam of dark lunar magic towards her sister. Celestia had only just enough time to finish her own mana conjuring before she sent her own yellow beam of sun magic back towards Luna, their beams hitting in the middle ground between them. The swirling mass of magic that connected the two beams pushed back and forth between them, like a deadly game of reverse tug-of-war, with both alicorn's lives at stake. Sweat dripped and ran down across Celestia's body as her horn crackled and her head rang with pain. It was clear that Discord's magic was empowering her sister beyond her normal magical limits, and with Celestia still not fully recovered from the re-horning...the Sun Princess could only pray and pray to whatever gods or goddesses that still watched over that Twilight could reach Discord, and defeat him very soon. ~~~ Twilight Sparkle hit the ground galloping, Shadow Squad landing with her and quickly forming a defensive knot around the unicorn. Wind-Weaver pointed his rifle outwards, muttering "Alright...who's first?" Shadow-Mane and Nightfire looked around them carefully as Nightmare scanned the rooftops around them, watching for any movement. Sky-Driver's ears perked as he heard shouting coming from their rear, the sounds of hooves and guns loading drawing closer. "Looks like they're trying to hit us from the rear" Moon-Lance grunted, turning his gun towards the entrance to the main street behind them. "Aye, let's spread out and get ready for an ambush" Shadow-Mane barked, looking towards Twilight and Captain Nightmare "We'll hold here for as long as you need...so make whatever time you get count." Twilight nodded as she said "Understood, Discord is going down, NOW!" With a quick look to Nightmare, she muttered "Let's go." and took into a gallop towards the front entrance. "Right behind you!" Nightmare shouted, galloping in behind her and rushing towards and into the Citadel. Shadow-Mane paused for a moment to watch them go before returning his attention back to the squad and muttering "Alright guys, defense pattern Omega-7, let's get to it." "Oh sweet!" Wind exclaimed, hoof-pumping the air "Just like that move in Dandelion Fields during the Aurora Occupation, mad hype!" Sky-Driver rolled his eyes, groaning in disgust as he ensured his rifle was loaded properly and shouting "Is EVERY little thing a joke to you Wind?! By Celestia's tail you're such a child." At this, Moon-Lance merely chuckled as he patted Sky on the back and trotted past him, looking over his shoulder to say "Oh you're just a sore loser cause we keep beating your scores." He paused to load a round into his rifle and scan the rooftops for a good position to set up as he went on "Tell you what, I'll keep score for the both of us this time, just in case you panic and lose count yourself in the wicked heat of battle, ok?" "You better be ready to start that count..." Nightfire muttered, his miniguns spooling up and his eyes narrowing towards the shadows dancing on the walls of buildings lining the main street "Cause we're about to have some numbers..." Twilight shoved her way through the heavy iron-clad doors, Nightmare keeping close behind her. The main hall was decorated with sinister variations of red and black, tapestries displaying Discord in a myriad of ridiculous poses. The unicorn looked upwards towards the center stairwell, narrowing her eyes as a large squad of Loyalists rushed down the stairs towards them, blades drawn and at the ready. "You said you were a combat veteran Captain?" Twilight muttered, quirking an eyebrow and smiling towards the lunar mare. "Only about a hundred medals worth of one, why?" Nightmare asked, returning the smile with a sinister one of her own. Twilight's horn crackled with magic as two magenta blades swirled into the air around her, the mare lowering herself into a readied stance as she said simply "Now's your time to prove it." ~~~ At the very top of the Citadel, within the rotunda that once held Princess Celestia during her recovery, stood Discord, a very annoyed expression etched upon his face. Before him, in the middle of the rotunda, stood a door colored with the darkest, deepest color of blood red imaginable. Along its edges, tendrils of nightmarish, midnight-colored smoke whipped about like the tentacles of a monstrous demon. Discord's ears were perked, his expression souring as he listened to the quiet, soft whispers of an eerie presence floating through the door. "Oh come now, that is absurd!" he spat, crossing his arms and floating up into the air, leaning back lazily "I have done nothing except follow the specific instructions given to me since the very start of this whole operation!" A cold, dark voice suddenly floated through the door. It was the most chilling, soulless voice that could have ever been conceived of in all known existence, its words dripping with despair, madness, and the rotting stink of death. It was as if it was the voice of Hell made manifest itself. "Ponnnyviiiiille....Elementsssss of Haaaarmonyyyy...." At this, Discord merely scoffed and held up his hands in exasperation, clearly unamused and unfazed by the soul-freezing whispers. "A setback that has cost us nothing but a little time, your return was inevitable anyway! Regardless of what these peasants do, you'll be up and out of there in no time, I can assure you of that." The voice whispered to him yet again, its tone unchanging and unwavering as it drew a heavy groan out of Discord. "Necklaaaaace....Niiiightmaaaaare...." "Oh PA-LEAAASE!" Discord huffed, face palming loudly and shouting towards the door "Even if she does have the necklace, it's not going to change anything. The damage is done, the balance has been shifted way too many times. Once the final world's balance shifts into Chaos, the Azilians will realize there's nothing left they can do but make way. It's in the bag!" "The only bag that anything is going into is a BODY bag Discord, and I think I can conjure up one JUST your size!" Shouted a voice from the doorway, making the Lord of Chaos turn about in a hurry, an enraged expression forming on his face. Twilight Sparkle panted slightly, her hooves and some of her fur stained with blood. Beside her, Captain Nightmare let out a heavy breath, her left wing hanging and drooping limply beside her. The necklace around her neck gleaming with sinister chaotic energy. "Oh poo..." Discord growled, turning to face his would-be assassins "What's your damage, honestly? Don't you two know a lost cause when you see one?" He lazily backstroked through the air, swimming towards them as he chuckled "You two wouldn't know defeat if it bit you on the ass, why bother?" Twilight stamped a hoof, her horn flaring up as she shouted "Because there's ALWAYS a chance Discord! You gave us an inch and we took it a mile! If we're so 'beaten', how do you explain me and Nightmare here, ready to put a final stop to your chaotic tyranny once and for all?!" Discord scoffed, dismissing the foolish words with a wave of his hand as he said "Oh please, this whole 'grand battle' thing going on outside? What a pathetic ruse! Adding more chaos to the mess is just the cherry to the sundae, why not have a little more fun before the end? Besiiiiides..." he cackled, poofing into thin air and reappearing between the two mares, an arm around each of them. He pulled them into a semi hug as he sighed happily, looking towards the door and whispering "Just think, with so many ponies dying outside, the griffons will just snowball on through in the aftermath, Equestria will be destroyed, and my work here will be done!" Twilight's eyes widened as Discord disappeared again and reappeared above them, playing with some puppet strings attached to a crudely made stuffed plushie of Twilight and a griffon, making them dance in the air "I really have to hand it to you Twilight," Discord giggled, making the griffon puppet tear the Twilight puppet's head off "You really make things too easy sometimes, it's hardly ever any fun anymore." "The griffons..." Nightmare muttered, a worried expression forming on her face "Goddesses above, what are we even going to do about them...?" Discord cackled maniacally, holding his gut as the door started to glow a bit brighter in color. The laughter was cut short however as the Chaos Lord had to duck suddenly to avoid a beam of magenta magic that was aimed to blow his head clean off. "We FIGHT!" Twilight growled, lowering herself into a ready stance and narrowing her eyes. "Equestria's fighting for its life right now out there, I don't see any reason for that to change now, or ever, no matter who's invading her borders!" "Oh, well then..." Discord chuckled, floating towards the door and crossing his arms, smiling as he said "I don't suppose if I invite a friend a long for the 'big fight'? It's going to be QUITE a good show, I can already tell." "Nightmare..." Twilight whispered, chancing a glance over towards the lunar mare "What's with that door anyway...? Do you know what it is?" The Captain shook her head, a shiver passing through her body as she whispered back "No...I don't, but I've got a very good feeling whatever is on the other side of it, it's not going to bode well for Equestria." She looked closely towards the door, the smoking energy and light whispers coming from the wood giving her a very uneasy feeling "It could be a gateway to Tartarus, or maybe even the realm that Discord himself came from. It could be bringing him reinforcements or...summoning some kind of dark entity to be used against us. Either way, we can't let that door open. No matter what!" Twilight nodded, looking towards a smug Discord who sipped out of a freshly summoned glass of what looked like apple juice "Alright so what's the plan?" she muttered, looking between the door and Discord. Nightmare narrowed her eyes, looking down at her necklace then back up towards the dark wood. "You deal with Discord," she said, her ravaged eyes gleaming as the necklace around her neck started to glow "I'll deal with the door. I figure if this thing is made of dark, Chaotic magic, I can use this necklace to manipulate it, maybe even cast Discord back to where he came from...maybe cast the Ravage as well." "You think you can do all that Nightmare...?" Twilight breathed, staring towards Nightmare in concern. The Captain sighed, shaking her head and shooting a death glare towards Discord "I don't know, but it's all we can hope to do now." Twilight nodded, looking back towards Discord and narrowing her eyes "This ends NOW Discord, you're gonna pay for all the ponies you've hurt, tortured, and killed today, and for all that you've done to us in the past!" Discord chuckled, waving his pawed hand horizontally through the air to his left, a black shimmer of magic humming in the air. He closed his clawed hand around the end point of the shimmer, a dark, ornate blade morphing out of the air. It was a large broadsword of sorts, with bloody runes lining its length on both sides. Along its deadly edge, a slight shimmer of red energy rippled, ready to cleave the unicorn in half with ease. "By all means Twilight Sparkle..." Discord spat, his sinister smile widening as he gave his blade a twirl and pointed it in her direction "Let's dance." Twilight wasted no time as she hurled herself backwards into a backflip, her hind legs hitting the closed door behind her. She unfurled her magical wings, kicking off the surface with heavy momentum. She spun like a drill through the air, her blades whirling around her and slicing the air loudly. She crashed into Discord's blade with her own, the momentum from the strike pushing him back slightly and giving Twilight the moment she needed to land quickly from the forceful rebound and lunge towards him, both blades poised to stab. She sent the first forward for a jab while she twirled her body around with the second blade, a horizontal slice coming in for a follow through. Discord merely snaked his body to the left, avoiding the jab and slapping the slice away with a parry of his own blade. The unicorn quickly jumped back, her blades twirling towards her and crashing together quickly in the shape of an 'X', catching Discord's countering downward slam in the scissor like grip of her weapons. She heaved her swords upwards, closing in the scissor grip and hurling Discord's blade upwards with the heavy push. Discord let the push carry his body around in a twirl of his own, allowing him to quickly turn with his blade and throw in a fatal jab of his own towards her. Twilight gasped, ducking as the blade passed right over her where her neck used to be, luckily shearing off a piece of her mane instead of her head. The unicorn flared her horn up quickly, pointing it towards the ground and sending out a concussive blast of magic into the smooth stone floor between them. The blast detonated with a heavy force, propelling the two combatants away from each other. Twilight flew through the air for a moment before her back hit the stone, the unicorn bouncing up and twirling into the air. She let out a heaving yell as shot her blades outwards to the left and right like boomerangs, the whirling hum of their magical edges cascading through the air. She landed on all four hooves in a slide, her horn gleaming brightly with magenta magic, already weaving together a myriad of offensive spells to cast towards Discord. The Chaos Lord merely smirked as he tossed his own blade up into the air, the edge suddenly moving as if it had a mind of its own, twirling to clash against Twilight's blades that attempted to flank him. The blades clashed violently in the air all around them as the unicorn charged forward in a gallop, bolts of arcane energy rippling forth from her horn. Discord shot his own offensive spells of Chaos magic towards her from his hands, meeting hers in mid air and causing a series of mini-explosions to echo across the rotunda. As the intense fighting raged on between the two powerful entities, Captain Nightmare carefully made her away around the far edges of the make-shift arena, crawling towards the sinister looking door. She could tell that this gateway was unlike anything on this earth, already hearing the dark whispers of some kind of undesirable language floating through her head. She took a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Discord was too busy dealing with Twilight to see her flank, and once she was sure of his occupied attention, turned her own towards the door. "Ok..." she whispered, taking a breath "Ok...let's do this...give me something here door..." She closed her eyes, putting her front hooves upon the necklace and concentrating. The vials of blood began to gleam as Discord threw a heavy bolt of chaos magic towards Twilight, a roaring scream following it as he followed up with a large beam of laser-like magic. The bolt crashed over a small ethereal shield Twilight had barely managed to erect before the spell, and gasped as the beam hit the surface right afterwards. Unprepared for the attack, she felt her body rocket backwards and slam into a hard surface. The wall gave way however from the force, the unicorn crashing through and onto one of the high roofs that made up one of the outward wings of the Citadel. She staggered to her hooves as Discord quickly hurried through after her, their swords following in quick succession and continuing their deadly dance of finesse. With a jerk of her head and a magical flash from her horn, Twilight's blades whirled back towards her, the mare shifting her hooves and lowering herself into a readied stance. Discord charged forward as his own blade returned to him, the Chaos Lord roaring as he through a heavy swing at her and screaming "Would you just DIE already Sparkle?! You have NO idea how annoying this is!!!" Twilight leaped backwards in a twirl, her blades spinning around her middle and clashing across Discord's edge, parrying the strike away. She landed with a snarl, throwing her blades forward and engaging Discord in a deadly dance of sword play. The two clashed back and forth across the roof for a good few minutes, each slashing and stabbing at one another. Discord managed to slip through Twilight's bladed defense with one decisive blow, countering a slash of her own and running the edge of his blade along her side, slicing her skin open slightly with a six inch cut. The unicorn cried out suddenly as Discord followed up with a twirling horizontal slash, forcing the Unicorn off of the roof. She dove backwards and plummeted through the air, twirling and throwing her blades upward to block a downward stab from Discord who quickly jumped after her. They clashed over and over, blade against blade rattling loudly and making it very clear that neither one was anyone close to backing down, now or ever. Twilight's magical wings fanned out and she beat them heavily, throwing herself horizontally through the air and turning her to take a dive to the right, soaring downwards towards the rooftops below. The battle of Haven City raged around them as Freedom Fighter and Loyalist roared and clashed with one another, bullets and magic flying around the two savage combatants. The unicorn shot several bolts of magic backwards towards Discord, sending her blades outwards once more to fight him. They soared about, magic roaring back and forth between them and catching several of the buildings in the crossfire. Debris and rubble cascaded down into the streets wherever they passed over head. Twilight beat her wings heavily, soaring upwards and pointing her horn downwards. Her horn hummed loudly with energy as she powered up her next spell, letting out a furious roar as a large beam of magenta magic flared down towards Discord. The force from such a beam sent Twilight rocketing upwards, flying up past the hole in the wall where she had originally been shot out of. Discord merely dodged out of the way, the beam slamming into one of the city squares below and incinerating it with a giant explosion of arcane magic. The Chaos Lord soared upwards as Twilight did a backflip through the air and beat her wings backwards with heavy force, sending her diving back downwards. The unicorn with a quick hoof to unsheathe Zecora's knife from its resting place in its harness, the lavender mare lining up a stab. Discord held his clawed hand upwards, a black ball of chaos magic forming within his grip. In mere seconds, the two met each other in the air. Zecora's knife stabbed the ball chaos magic, detonating it within Discord's grasp and blowing his clawed appendage clear off. Black blood spewed out into the air as the force of the explosion sent Twilight upwards into the air, the shrill screams of Discord piercing her ears for only a second before a searing pain tore across her side. She found herself flying back towards the Citadel, crashing through the wall yet again and into the Rotunda. She hit the ground on her side, seething in pain as she slid across the floor and to an eventual stop. Nightmare gasped as she turned her head to see Twilight crash through, shouting "Twilight are you ok?!" "Y...yeah!" Choked out the panting, exhausted unicorn. Her magical wings shimmered away as she tried to get to her hooves but fell short, collapsing again on her side. She peered towards the gash, a red-sticky splotch of raw, smoking skin meeting her gaze. Her fur had been singed away, some of her red muscle bubbling slightly from the impact of a dark, chaotic shot. "I...I don't think I can hold this up much longer Nightmare! How's it coming with that door?!" Nightmare shivered as she looked back to the door for a moment, her teeth chattering in fright. "It's a dark entity unlike anything I've ever felt before Twilight..." she said, the necklace around her pulsating with a red glow "But I think I might know what it is...the dark whispering coming from the door. All it talks about is scales...balance...this necklace." She turned her head towards Twilight, pointing a hoof down towards it "I think it's the necklace, that it's the key! Think about it, the resonating magic within this thing only activated after large displays of harmony! It brought the Ravage virus to the world, it could be what's anchoring Discord to our realm, why it brought him back...to tip the scales between Harmony and Chaos back to a more favorable position!" Twilight coughed, spitting out a glob of blood as she wheezed "B...but what does that mean? What scales...what're you talking about?" Nightmare rubbed at her temples, groaning as the voices from behind the door penetrated her skull "I...I don't know! Think of it like the scales of justice used in Equestrian courts! Everything has a balance, even the world! Maybe you and the Elements of Harmony tipped them too far...and this is nature's way of tipping them back!" "Seems a bit too far of a tip if you ask me!" Twilight groaned, gingerly holding her side as she stared towards the second hole in the far wall. She'd have to get up soon, it'd only be a few more moments before Discord would come rushing in, ready to resume their deadly engagement. She looked towards Nightmare, coughing as she said "So...what is this door then? A gateway to these 'scales'? Another result of them being tipped too far?" "I don't know..." whispered the Captain, looking down at the necklace before taking it off and holding it in her hooves "But if these 'scales' are tipped too far into Chaos's favor...maybe, maybe if we destroy the necklace, we can tip it back into Harmony's favor! This thing has brought nothing but a massive wave of terror and destruction to Equestria, it's nearly wiped us off the face of the earth! This could be the one thing that can finally pull us back into the light!" Twilight coughed, holding a hoof out to Nightmare as she said "Think about what you're saying Nightmare! That necklace has the Ravage, and it could be our only source for a possible cure! Are you certain that by destroying that necklace we can banish Discord from this world?! How do you know all this, how can you be absolutely sure Nightmare!??!" For a few moments, the Captain stared towards the door, her head pained and aching, the voices beyond its dreaded passageway whispering and talking to her. After a tense pause, Nightmare turned her head towards Twilight and whispered "I don't know...but I feel that it's the right thing to do." Just as Twilight opened her mouth to speak, Discord rushed through the hole in the wall, his rage knowing no bounds as he let forth a mighty roar, charging towards the wounded unicorn with his blade clutched in his still existing arm. The mare gasped as Discord's sword came down towards her, being met with a thunderous clash of steel from Nightmare's own sword. The Captain had taken a stunning leap from the door just in time as she shoved her weight against Discord, forcing him backwards. The necklace had dropped from her clutches, clattering to the ground loudly away from Twilight. The unicorn swore quietly as she started to crawl towards the necklace, dragging her lower half along as she pawed at the stone before her with her front hooves, trying her best to ignore the aching pain in her side. Nightmare clashed violently with Discord, the Captain huffing and trying her best to keep the Chaos Lord as tied up as possible with her. "Just have to buy Twilight time!" She whispered to herself, blocking a heavy blow from Discord and pushing back against it "Need to give her enough time to destroy it!" The two of them clashed together heavily, Nightmare slashing and jabbing at Discord who merely swatted her blade away, throwing his own strikes back at her. "Give it up Discord, it's all over!" shouted the Captain, aiming a forward stab towards Discord, pushing her full weight behind it. "It certainly is!!!" roared the enraged Chaos Lord, swatting her blade to the side with a horizontal downward slash and sending his blade forward towards her "FOR YOU!!!!" His blade pushed straight through her breastplate, the point slicing clean through her chest and pushing out through her back. Nightmare gasped as she staggered backwards, slowly looking down towards the blade protruding from her body. She fell to her knees as she let out a hacking cough, blood starting to seep from her mouth as she looked to the area behind Discord, smiling as she heaved for air and gasped "No I mean it Discord...I...It's over..." She fell upon her side as Discord turned his head, gasping loudly as Twilight pointed her horn downwards, a great aura of magic shimmering around her horn. "NOOOO! DON'T YOU DARE! TWILIGHT SPARKLE DON'T YOU-" She released the magic without further delay, the spell flowing over the necklace and blasting it to pieces, the impact of the spell sending Twilight across the rotunda. In an instant, a guttural roar of monstrous volume came blasting through the door, the rotunda shaking violently as an aura intense magical energy wafted its way through the air. "What have you done?!" Discord screamed, conjuring for himself another blade and preparing himself to lunge towards Twilight "I'LL KILL YOU!" he cried, raising his blade "I'LL KILL Y-" He stopped, the rotunda continuing to rumble and shake as if an earthquake had erupted beneath them. He looked down, staring blankly as Captain Nightmare's blade tore through his middle, cutting him clean in half. Nightmare finished her swing with a mighty yell, the grip on her blade loosening as well as her footing crumbling away, the blade and body of the Captain hitting the ground with a clatter and a thud. Discord could only stare in horror as his body quickly crackled and turned rapidly stone, falling into the floor. He shattered upon impact, the several hundred pieces that once made up his body scattering upon the rotunda floor. The door, with its roars intensifying, suddenly burst open, great black flames roaring outwards into the rotunda. The pieces of Discord were quickly sucked into the chaotic abyss, unlike with the shattered remains of his necklace, passing through into the nightmarish void. The door quickly shut after it, bursting into flames itself before shrinking into a tiny, flaming ball. It hovered there for a few moments before it flashed brightly, and exploded into a great, magnificent golden light. The light flared outwards, crashing through the Rotunda and blowing apart the entirety of the ceiling and the walls, cascading outwards in a large pulse of immense magic. It passed through Haven city and quickly beyond, washing over the land and all that stood upon it, the force from the wave blasting every living creature off of its feet and out of the sky. Rainbow Dash gasped as she was blown off of a building, tumbling through the air as the wave passed through her. She hit the ground with a painful thud, sliding for a moment before shaking her head and groaning. "W...what the...hay...?" She moaned, putting a hoof to her head and looking upwards towards the golden wave. There were sudden shouts and a few cheers here and there as Rainbow turned her head to watch a group of four ponies running down the street passed her. They were cheering and hollering as the whites of their eyes gleamed with a golden color, sparkling in the light of the sun. "What's going on!" Rainbow shouted, struggling to get up "What happened? Did we win?!?!" Celestia's horn crackled and finally whined down, completely out of juice as she panted heavily upon her side. Her battle with Luna had dragged on much longer then she could bear, her energy sapped and depleted. She could hear the clopping of her sister's hooves drawing closer and closer as she shivered, hoping that maybe she managed to buy enough time for Twilight and Nightmare to succeed. She felt her breath catch as Luna walked up right next to her and stopped, her breathing loud and raspy. Celestia shut her eyes tight just after watching one of her lunar hooves raise up slightly. A step on the neck...how crude and cruel. Though it was no less then Celestia deserved still, according to the sun princess. Perhaps now she could die with a clear conscious, knowing she at least tried to right the wrongs and absolve the sins she had committed during the Ponyville Incident. The princess blinked in surprise however, her eyes shooting open as she felt Luna's hoof gently press against her neck, rubbing it gently. She looked upwards with a shuddering gasp as a cured Luna looked down to her, the whites of her eyes sparkling with golden light. She smiled as she sank to her belly, tucking her legs under her and whispering "Dearest sister, we are so glad to see you are not too badly injured!" Celestia cried out suddenly, grasping her sister in a tight hug and clutching the lunar mare to her desperately. She wept tears of joy as Luna ran a hoof down her back, chuckling and whispering "There there Celly...thy secret is safe with us, we shall not tell any soul that we finally managed to best you at combat. It would be very embarrassing indeed, we are sure of it." Celestia choked out a laugh, the two of them clutching at each other and chuckling. The city broke out into roaring cheers, the Loyalists quickly dropping their weapons and surrendering to their attackers as the once Ravaged stood tall, eyes golden with purity. It had seemed the Ravage had once again been defeated...but where was the pony responsible...? Where was Discord? Twilight Sparkle dragged her body across the floor, tears streaming down her face as she groaned "Nightmare....Nightmare!!!" The Captain shook slightly as the pool of blood underneath her grew larger and larger with each passing second. The unicorn, finally managing to crawl over towards the wounded bat pony, sat up and dragged Nightmare into her hooves, her cheek resting against the higher portion of Twilight's belly and chest. The Captain wheezed as she croaked "G...got him..." She smiled slightly, her breathing labored as flicked her eyes downward to look at Discord's blade shimmering away from her body, his magic dissipating from the world at last. "Just hold on Nightmare!" Twilight panted, her horn crackling and preparing whatever healing magic she could muster "I can save you, just hold-" She stopped as Nightmare put a gentle hoof on Twilight's, shaking her head and whispering "Twilight...no..." The unicorn opened her mouth to protest but was quickly cut off as she went on "I've lived...long enough dear. A good, full life is what I'm finishing the day with...and that's all I could ever had asked for." The unicorn's tears dripped gently onto Nightmare's face and mane as she cried quietly "B...but the griffons...we still have to fight the griffons Captain...we need you..." At this, the Captain smiled a bit wider and shook her head, muttering "I've grown too weary of war...it's all I've known my entire life. From filly to mare, I've soaked my hooves in the blood of too many living creatures. I think...I think now it's time I finally got some rest." She looked up towards Twilight, her breathing strained as she whispered "I...lived...Twilight Sparkle...and I'll live still in the hearts and memories of the ponies I had the honor of meeting during my time here in Equestria...and that is what you need to do as well..." She reached a shaking hoof upwards, gently placing it against Twilight's cheek. The unicorn folded her two front hooves over the Captain's her tears flowing freely as she went on "Live...Twilight Sparkle, raise your family, enjoy the life you've been given back...clean, and pure." Twilight's eyes sparkled with golden light, her body cleansed and purified from the ravenous infection. "Live..." Nightmare whispered, her eyes drooping and closing as she grew still, letting out one final breath and whispering one final time... "Live............." Twilight Sparkle cried in anguish as Captain Nightmare died in her hold, the mare passing away with a peaceful expression upon her face. She held the mare tightly as the sounds of galloping reached the main door of the Rotunda, the heavy metal flying open as Shadow Squad, accompanied by Applejack and Big Macintosh, rushed through the door, weapons at the ready. "Twilight!" Macintosh shouted, a joyful expression on his face "We're all cured! The Ravage is gone n' left, we did it, we-..." he stopped suddenly as Twilight's sobs reached his ears, his eyes looking down towards the mare she clutched to her. "Oh no..." Nightfire whispered, the rest of Shadow Squad pulling their helmets off and pressing them to their chests. Macintosh walked over towards the two mares, slowly lowering himself to sit on his flank and to put a hoof upon his beloved. For the ponies of Equestria, the day had been won, the war against the Ravage finally coming to a close. From the very first day when Twilight hammered the first board into the windows of her home, hiding away in the darkness, to her nightmarish days as a Carrier, despairing as the Ravage tried to turn her against her friends, and finally to the final battle with Discord, the lavender unicorn took in a deep breath, sighing as a weight lifted off of her heart. She shivered as she stroked Captain Nightmare's cheek, whispering quietly to her "Thank you...." The ponies gathered around Twilight, each pressing a gentle hoof to Nightmare's body and bowing their heads, paying their final respects to her as she whispered one more thank you to her. ~~~ It was several hours later that Princess Celestia found herself atop the wall of Haven City, looking outwards across the fields towards the mountains that once held Canterlot. Beside her, Princess Luna held the same gaze, looking towards the moving bodies she could just faintly see on the horizon. "They are wasting no time it seems," Luna whispered, a heavy sigh passing through her "I do not know if this is a war we can win dearest sister...the odds-" "The odds are always in our favor Luna," Celestia interjected, looking downwards as Shadow-Mane loaded a few bullets into his rifle, joining the reformed lines of what remained of the Equestrian army. "There are ponies out there, hiding and wondering what is happening to their world. They will need to answer the call...or accept the control of the griffon populace." Luna turned her head towards her sister, a concerned look on her face. "What about Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony? Where have they gone?" "Home..." Celestia whispered, a small smile on her face "Twilight has gone to bury Captain Nightmare, and to take whatever refugees she can to a new land...somewhere where they can start again, live the lives they've fought, bled, and suffered for." "Does this mean..." Luna started, looking out across the land around them "Equestria has been...destroyed?" Celestia smiled, chuckling as she shook her head and said "No dear sister...Equestria can never be destroyed, it lives in the hearts and mind of all her citizens and those who fight for her." Shadow-Mane gave a mighty shout as he pointed his hoof into the direction of the advancing Griffon army marching across the fields. "As long as a pony is willing to do what they can to fight, to push back against their oppressors, Equestria can never be taken from us." The army of Equestria began its slow march towards their foes, some battered and many bloodied, but they marched on regardless. "We will fight in the streets...we will fight in the forests, in the rivers and in the skies, we will fight in the mountains and fight them wherever they dare show their beaks!" Shadow-Mane broke into a trot as Celestia whispered "We fought the civil war, we fought the Ravage, we've beaten chaos and tyranny at every battle it's challenged us to, THIS, is no different. Their attack, their so called 'invasion' is nothing more than a desperation play, a scared and overburdened populace with nowhere else to turn to but war....but we are no strangers to it." The army shifted into a light gallop, hoots and hollers coming from various points within the ranks. They couldn't be stopped, no matter what was put in front of them. Dragons, changelings, Ravaged, it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was freedom, and the sheer determination that any who would take it from them would be destroyed, no matter the cost. "OOOOH YEAH!" Moon-Lance shouted in glee as he galloped behind Shadow-Mane "Maybe I'll finally get to beat my high score!" "You're a psychopath, did you know that?!" Sky-Driver shouted from beside him "How many kills is that anyway, a hundred? Two??" At this, Wind-Weaver merely laughed and shook his head, shouting over Moon-Lance "One hundred n' forty two! I know cause I've been constantly trying to beat it!" The three of them shouted back and forth at one another as the army surged forward, rushing ever so closer to their next greatest battle. "CHARGE!!!!" Shadow-Mane roared, the army behind him letting forth a unified battle cry as they surged forward, a look of mad determination in their eyes. "Once more Equestria!" He shouted, watching the griffons coming closer and closer "Once more into the breach! Once more into the storm! For home and Harmony, for land and equality, for peace and prosperity! FORWARD!!!" They rocketed forward as the two armies drew ever closer. "This is our time," Celestia shouted as she fanned out her wings, taking flight over the wall and flying out towards the army, Luna right beside her. With them came what remained of the Pegasai division of the army, their swarm rushing outwards to meet their enemies "Let our blades sink the message into their hearts! Let our screams carry the word through their ears, let our hooves stomp into their minds who we are!" As the armies grew seconds away from clashing, Shadow-Mane jumped up into the air, aiming his blade downwards towards the fist griffon who would be added to his kill count for the day. "This is EQUESTRIA, and she will NEVER be defeated!" Love - Epilogue Love - Epilogue All was quiet. For once in her life, all was quiet. There was no disease to worry about, no blood, no battles. For once, Twilight Sparkle could breathe peacefully, worried not about when or where the next dreaded engagement would take place...but when it was time to make sure her daughter got her appropriate, nutritious snack...something Big Macintosh was still trying to figure out. "Ah don't understand why she's gotta eat PEARS Twi'!" Grumbled the apple stallion, his teeth crunching down on a delicious apple "Pears are nothin' but gross!" At this, Twilight merely rolled her eyes, gently pushing a tiny piece of a mushed pear into her daughters open, expecting mouth. Moonlight munched on it, a happy look upon her face as the unicorn said back "It's a good source of vitamin C, and it's a good source of fiber. You should learn to eat some yourself some time." The three of them were situated on the top of a high hill just outside of a massive valley to the far, far south of the Equestrian border. The refugees of the country had followed them downwards, away from the vicious fighting between their armies and the griffons. Through the entire valley, a thriving colony was prospering, ponies working around the clock to build shelters, plant crops, raise walls, and solidify their new position in the world, a new place to call home. Twilight nestled Moonlight in her hooves, nuzzling her cheek as she sighed, relaxing under the delicate hooves her lover ran up and down her sides with. It had been nearly a month since the Battle of Haven City, Celestia sending them word every chance she could get about how the war was going. Despite their awful numbers and odds, ponies from across many regions were flocking to Equestria to fight against the griffons, knowing that it was a very real possibility that if the griffons took over Equestria, there was no guarantee that they would stop there. Stalliongrad had been retaken, along with Manehatten and Phillydelphia, with the main object now to push on to Hoofington and secure the eastern shores. The unicorn sighed happily as she was pulled into the hooves of her stallion, Moonlight playfully pawing at her mother's cheeks. It was a long, quiet moment for the three of them, the wind gently pushing across them as Macintosh suddenly asked "Do ya think this is it Twi'...? Ya think it's finally over...that we're gonna be ok?" Twilight turned her head upwards to look at him, to stare into his clean, pure eyes as she thought about all that had happened to them. There was a long pause as Twilight's smile grew, pressing her lips against his for a moment before she drew back and whispered "You know...I think despite all that's happened...what we've all been through....this time...this time I think we're all gonna be ok." She looked up into the sky, the sun setting and splaying its beautiful colors of a sunset orange and purple across the air, ending the final chapter of their bloody struggle for Equestria. "I think we're gonna be just fine." The End Author's Note I would just like to take a moment to apologize for how long it has been since I have updated. My life has been one of a wayward spiral of uncertainty these past few months, where money has been tight and my dreams and goals I once thought I had began to blur and become an uncertainty themselves. To my editor BlackSnowyOwl, who I have not talked to in quite some time, I give my deepest apologies to you. For dropping off the face of the planet as I did to you and to the rest of my fans, it is something I am not sure I could ever forgive myself for, but I can only pray that maybe one day you could find it within your heart to forgive me for my foolishness. I have worked tirelessly for several nights to bring this story to its final close, and I must say I believe I am very pleased with how it has turned out. Though I may not be a master of writing, and that the quality of the work may not be the best in the eyes of many, I am confident that as I continue to work, I will grow in both skill and efficiency. The road to success as a writer has been a long, hard one, and I know I'm no where near close to reaching its end yet. But I want to thank all of my followers, fans, friends, and family for supporting me along the way. Without you all, these worlds I have created with my imagination could never have existed. So again, to all of you I apologize...and thank you for being so supportive and understanding. Thank you to you all. -Wolokai E.A. KuRR. Blood"She will never accept audience with thee after all the crimes thou hath committed!" Luna growled, walking semi-awkwardly next to the floating Discord, her chains rattling and clinking together against her legs and hooves. The draconequus merely chuckled, spinning slightly in the air as the Solar Guards lining the hallway narrowed their eyes at him. "Oh...I'm sure she'll come to listen in time." Discord hissed, snapping his fingers and causing the doors before him to open. Luna merely rolled her eyes, following the lord of chaos through the doorway and into a large rotunda that was lined with several buff and heavy looking royal guards. They wore full suits of yellowish armor, the Pegasus equipped with mounted blades on the front of their wings and a large metal contraption on their back. The machinery fixated to the back of their arm consisted of a large metal box with a six-cylinder barrel protruding from the left and right sides of it. It was the famed Dreadnought suit that the most elite of the royalty's guards wore, making any kind of attack on the princesses a sure suicide mission. "Everything has gone according to how it should Luna...all this blood and madness could have been avoided you know." Discord went on, the gasps of a certain mare reaching his ears. "Hello!?" Cried an elderly, motherly voice "Who is there...? Luna? Is that you dear sister?" Celestia shifted slightly in her restraining harness, the former princess trying to get comfortable. The white-furred mare was seated on a raised platform, a leather sort of harness securing her to it by a variety of belts. Upon her head she wore an odd sort of helmet that shielded her ears and eyes with a sort of visor, and completely covered her horn with a cylinder-shaped piece of metal. The horn part of the case pulsated steadily with yellow magic, the efforts of healing Celestia's horn clearly displayed to all who looked upon her. She had been savagely de-horned by Twilight Sparkle many months ago, back when the princess had lost all reason and determined that she would use the Ravage Virus to destroy the Griffon threat that even know, despite the prolonged time, remained a very real and very sinister danger to Equestria. "I can't see you Luna...tell me you are well! Tell me that brute Discord has not hurt you!" Luna bit her bottom lip for a moment, looking up towards Discord. He wore a simple amused expression on his face, staring towards the former ruler of the sun and trying his best not to chuckle. "We...we are fine dearest!" Luna called to her sister in a raised voice so that she could hear "We were simply taking a stroll to stretch our wings!" "Oh good..." Celestia breathed, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. "I was beginning to grow worried. Tell me, any news concerning Twilight?" "She still lives..." Luna answered her, clanking her way up to her sister and sitting before her on the platform. "Despite the overwhelming power required by the Great Purge, Twilight Sparkle hath cheated death, and she remains at large." Celestia smiled, dipping her head and sniffing slightly as a pair of tears rolled down her face from her eyes. "Thank the heavens..." she whispered happily "Perhaps we are not all truly lost. Tell me Luna, have you formulated a plan for destroying Discord yet?" Luna grimaced slightly, looking past Celestia and towards Discord, the chaotic beast's smile widening considerably. She didn't say anything at first, but then "We are working on it..." ~~~ "It's s..s..so cold..." whined a particular Pegasus, his wings shivering like mad. He shook like crazy, even though he wore a thick layer of padded wool under his elite Lunar Guard armor. His particular armor was a deep black color, unlike the usual light blue and purple that most of the other common rabble wore. His wings were fronted with a large, sharp blade latched into a harness that covered both wing fronts, his sides clasped with two belts of knives and a simple short sword tied to his back. On the side of his armor, a small name had been etched into the plate, just over an array of tally marks counting seventy in number. The name that was displayed upon the pony's armor was none other than- "Sky-Driver, could you maybe stop your moping for at least a minute. JUST a minute, I'm begging you!" griped another Pegasus beside him. This particular Pegasus was geared in much of the same attire as Sky, but with a medium-sized, collapsible rifle slung across his back. "Wind-Weaver, you complain more than any pony I know!" Sky countered, trying his best to keep his own shivering under control "If anything, I'm surprised YOU aren't constantly moaning about the chills!" The two of them were vastly different in their talents and personality, Sky being the engineer while Wind took his title as 'Ace Aerial-Combat Pilot' seriously. The one thing they DID have in common though was their hate for the cold and the fact that they were both in the same elite, well renown Shadow Squad. The squad had been hoof-picked personally by the 'late', Legendary Captain Night-Mare many moons ago to be Princess Luna's royal and nigh unstoppable special forces group. They were the toughest of the tough, meanest of the mean, and the bravest of the br- "ACHOO!" Wind sneezed, grumbling and hugging himself tighter with his two front legs. "Why Stalliongrad of all ruddy cities...?" He spat, trying to sniff a hanging thread of snot back up his nose "It's not even a strategically sound city! It's in the middle of nowhere, hours and hours away from Haven City and far away from the battle back at home!" He let out a yelp suddenly as the large, covered wagon they were hit a rock with one of its wheels, making the two of them bounce violently for a moment. "You can't even FLY there it's so cold!" He went on, motioning to his heavily blanket-padded wings "The battle's at home, with the re-infection and against Discord!!!" Sky merely face-hoofed, letting out a groan and shouting "Yeah I get it Wind, you've only explained this EIGHT times over already! I'm not even surprised Moon-Lance wanted to ride up in the wagon up front!" The entire squad, minus General Shadow-Mane, had been requisitioned and ordered to the north by Princess Luna shortly before the re-infection hit Equestria, and no new orders to come back and fight had reached them yet. Why they were moving up there in a large, armed convoy of nearly a hundred military wagons with nearly a thousand other soldiers was a mystery to most of the group. Even Second-Lieutenant Nightfire, a freshly promoted officer and new direct field-leader of Shadow Squad (under General Shadow of course) was left in the dark, his only clue to their intentions being Luna's order to "Move north to Stalliongrad. Keep the borders, await further orders." It was rumored that their convoy had enough firepower, munitions, rations, and other supplies to siege four major cities in a row without stopping. Most of the soldiers figured it was just a puff of the chest, a show of force and pride on Luna's behalf to scare away potential invaders. With the Ravage having destroyed most of Equestria and forcing most of the population to rebuild...most were even convinced that Equestria wasn't even worth invading anymore, let alone steal a passing glance at to even the most desperate of weary travelers. So why Stalliongrad? That was the million bit question spread about among the others in 'Able-Wing Batallion', the designation of the thousand soldiers riding to the frozen city. The pool of betting was up to two thousand bits, each making a square bet against the other about the truth of their orders. The wagons themselves weren't built to last, the wooden and metal frames struggling to hold together from the furious wind that whipped about outside, tearing at the thick cloth that was clasped down to it with heavy leather straps. It was a simple transport, holding around ten ponies each, with several Unicorns to each wagon to help pull it magically. It was much too dangerous to pull physically, what with the extreme weather. That didn't stop a few ponies from marching outside, one heavily armored pony in particular. His armor was as black as the darkest midnight, with gold time edging the main body piece. On his back rested the large, double cylinder miniguns with the heavy silver box, his legs clasped with several throwing knives as ornate as the two long swords that were belted to his side. His helmet visor was down, thick clouds of vaporous breath steaming out from the mesh of metal. His mane was ruffled and messy but stiff from the cold, his eyes narrowed and staring towards the distant city that was nearly shrouded completely in the snowstorm. His wings were heavily padded, his feathers radiating with trapped warm with brought some comfort to the weary soldier. He stood upon a high slope, his yellow eyes slowly moving from the distant city to his convoy. A lone Unicorn stood next to him in his regularly clad armor, his horn aglow with a white sort of magic. "No matter where I go..." he whispered, drawing a small heart in the snow with a careful hoof "Death and war...blood that never stops flowing." The Unicorn merely nodded in agreement, keeping his horn lit and continuing to monitor their perimeter. His concentration was slightly broken however, as the sudden shouts of another pony reached their ears. "Lieutenant Nightfire! Sir!" called out one of his Lunar ponies, the poor Pegasus having trouble stomping up the snow towards him. Nightfire raised an eyebrow behind his visor, turning his head towards the soldier to give him his attention. When the guard finally reached him, he gave his officer a mighty salute which Nightfire returned before he spoke. "Our forward scouts have returned sir," He said, lowering his salute "But the city representatives that were supposed to meet us aren't there..." "Not there?" Nightfire asked, his eyes widening in confusion "That's not right, the mayor of Stalliongrad was given VERY specific instructions. What about city hall? Did our scouts complete our secondary objectives?" The soldier merely gulped, drawing nervously in the snow as he muttered "There...wasn't anypony there." He looked up to his Lieutenant with a grim expression and said "There's nopony. The whole city has been abandoned." Nightfire stood rooted to the spot, his irises shrinking slightly. "The whole city...gone," Nightfire stated, his soldier nodding in confirmation. "How can the whole city be gone?!" He shouted, turning back towards the city "Are you sure there's nopony? You searched the buildings, the streets, basements, everything?!" "Yes sir..." replied the Pegasus "With the storm slowing down our march so much, we've had plenty of time to search the city. Everypony's just...vanished." "Was it the infection?" Nightfire asked curiously, trying to piece this sudden mystery together. His soldier merely shook his head, however, pointing towards the sky and saying "Not from what we could tell. There's no signs of fighting, no panic, nothing. No blood or bodies, not even a feather." The Lieutenant bit his chapped bottom lip and looked back towards the city. A population of several hundred thousand...gone? How was it possible? If it was the infection there would surely be signs. Maybe the population finally got tired of the harsh weather and decided to skip town. If that was the case...where did they all go? There would have been some kind of news or reports of such a vast migration...even more troubling was the fact that there were was only one real solid way in and out of the city, what with it being surrounded by vast mountain ranges. If the ponies of Stalliongrad had in fact left...Able-Wing Battalion would have run into them, or vice-versa. For the whole city to just be... "Double the efforts to push us into the city" Nightfire barked, turning his head to the soldier "Since there is no worry of disturbing the populace or the peace, we will take the city and set up immediate headquarters in City Hall." The scout gave a quick salute followed by a "Right away sir!" before trudging away. Nightfire took a moment to steal another glance at the city before directing his next orders to his Unicorn companion. "Initiate occupation order Zeta-Aurora," Nightfire said, pointing his hoof towards the city "We will have our positions set up by the night. Tell them that the faster we get dug in, the faster we can get some heat back in our bones." The Unicorn gave a firm salute before running off to complete Nightfire's orders. The officer was left alone upon the hill to ponder his thoughts as the convoy gave a mighty lurch forward, its speed increasing significantly. With a tight grimace, Nightfire made his way off of the hill and towards one of the many wagons in line. A few quiet moments and a slightly warmer place away from the wind would do his poor bones good. He could only hope the rest of the world was in a much better state than he and his soldiers. Five hours later... "To the Princess goes the gold, to the devils go our souls, one by one and ten by ten, we'll march into the griffon's den! Heads up high, rifles true, bleed those buzzards run em' through! For our sun and for our moon, a griffon's life we plague with doom! For the country they would not dare, to take our lands or our fine mares!" Moon-Lance and Wind-Weaver clung to each other, laughing and singing loudly and badly off key as the seven empty bottles of cheap vodka twinkled in the fire light around them. Sky-Driver merely rolled his eyes, doing his best to work out a kink in one of Nightfire's miniguns, the six-barreled cylinder slightly disassembled at his hooves. Nightfire himself was seated on a small rock, a much larger rock resting in front of him that served as a makeshift desk. It turned out, there was one odd thing about the city at first glance after all. One of the buildings, a bar, had a caved in roof. There was no signs of explosives or foul-play, but it suited Nightfire just find as a private barracks for him and Shadow Squad. He let the rest of his soldiers have run of the apartment complexes, being sure to facilitate the sentries and guards needed to keep the massive perimeter. He was still amazed at his only hoof-work, being able to coordinate the full setting up and structure of a complete defensive occupation of Stalliongrad in just a matter of hours. He rubbed at his temples roughly, drawing a deep sigh out of his snout. He cast his eyes down upon his large rock-table, the slab clustered with paperwork and a few broken pencils. His headache was not doing much to help with his current (in his opinion, 'pointless') assignment. He was starting to wonder if giving Moon and Wind alcohol to leave him alone and to stop them from badgering him with questions was such a good idea. "Will you two act your AGE for once!?" Cried Sky, his hoof slightly slipping on one of the screws on Nightfire's minigun "Honestly you two are the biggest bird brains I've ever had the misfortune of ever meeting!" At this, Moon merely giggled like a school-filly, flopping down on his stomach in front of the annoyed Pegasus and fanning out his wings lazily. "Aww come off it Sky!" He wheezed drunkenly, his tongue lolling out of his mouth "Think of it like a vacasshhion! All the boosh ya want for free!" "Have you forgotten we're on assignment?!" Sky barked angrily, fastening the minigun to the left side of the metal box that made up the Dreadnought weapon. He gave it a quick spin to ensure it spooled up correctly before stopping it with his hoof. He crossed his left front leg over his right front one, assuming a comfortable position before rambling on "Honestly I don't know how you two were even picked for Shadow Squad! It was a miracle Shadow even gave you two a passing glance!" "Oh leave them alone Sky," Nightfire said in a bored tone, shuffling his papers together and looking over towards his two drunken squad mates. They looked like they were playing patty-cake, tapping their hooves together and giggling like idiots. "We never catch a break these days anyway, and the heat from that alcohol will keep them healthy for a little while." Sky grimaced, stealing a glance towards his old friend and superior. They locked eyes for a moment, the Lieutenant giving Sky a semi-pleading look before the corporal merely sighed and muttered "Fine..." "Come now gents," Nightfire said, hopping from his rock and trotting over to his colts "Let's get some sleep, the night time is coming and it's going to get dreadfully cold. We're going on recon tomorrow, so try to get some sleep." Moon and Wind gave sloppy, drunken salutes, falling over on one another and dozing off. Sky merely rolled his eyes at his fellow squad mates, lowering his head down on his legs and closing his eyes. "Night sir..." he mumbled sleepily, drawing a small smile out of the Lieutenant who took his own place next to Sky. He sighed, burying his face in his legs and closing his eyes. "I hope Shadow's having a better time than I am right now..." "Gone away... "So far away... "No frowns my dearest baaaby...." Nightfire stirred slightly, his body feeling absolutely weightless and warm. What frightened him though...was the remembering of a certain time where he felt such a way before. "Am I dead..?" he muttered, the fur on his back tingling from the sensation of being touched. "W...who's there?" he called out, trying to open his eyes but finding himself to be unable. "Ssshhh..." cooed a mare's voice. Her voice was much older than Nightfire's, with a tone of wisdom and friendship laced in her words. "You are safe little one," she whispered, the sensations of being rubbed continuing to spark up Nightfire's back. The soldier gave an involuntary whimper, the tension in his muscles fading away slowly. "Who are you?" He whispered back to her, willing his body to move. Like his eyes however, they remained immobile. "Where am I?" "Who and where aren't important my dearest Nightfire," cooed the voice yet again, the mare's voice echoing right into his ear, as if her lips were mere inches away from him "The question is...why?" Nightfire frowned, his mind muddled with questions. "Ok then...why?" He asked the mare, his wings flapping involuntarily from the hoof being dragged up his spine smoothly. "That's indeed the question isn't it?" The mare said, drawing a slightly frustrated growl out of Nightfire before she went on "Why has this happened, why is this happening to our ponies again. I tried to stop it, to ferry it as far away as I could before its terrible secrets were unlocked." Nightfire turned his head towards the mare, his eyes still refusing to open as he asked "What do you mean, what did you carry? What secrets, I don't understand!" "I was labeled a traitor and a murderer by Princess Celestia, all traces of my existence erased from the Lunar Archives," she went on, scratching a suddenly itchy spot behind Nightfire's ear "They simply labeled me missing in action, covering up all the work and effort I put into keeping Equestria safe." She paused to lower her voice, a tinge of sadness making its way into her tone. "We should have taken heed, we should have paid attention to the signs. But no...now we must pay for our crimes and our sins." She gently laid herself upon the soldier's back, giving him a firm hug as she whispered "My dearest Nightfire...oh how you've grown. Time is running short and it will not be long before Discord comes for what is his." She whispered quickly into his ear as a sudden rush of wind blew over his body "You must be strong Nightfire...if the Scales are to ever be rebalanced, all of the worlds at stake must be ready to fight against the very Chaos of Disharmony itself..." "What do you mean?!" Nightfire cried, the presence of the mare fading away. "I don't understand! Twilight's dead, gone from the purge! What scales, what are you hiding!? What is Discord after?!?! ANSWER ME!!!" He shouted and shouted, but no answer was given to him. Nightfire could only stare off into the darkness of his own eyelids as the screams of a distant pony began to ring out in his ears. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!!!" Screamed a pony from outside, the furious shouts and frantic cries of several other ponies joining in the chorus of Chaos that stirred Nightfire form his sleep. He blinked rapidly, his eyes widening as Sky-Driver burst into the bar, panting heavily. "Sir, we've come under bombardment from the sky!" he shouted, motioning towards the outside "The cloud cover is too thick to see who it is, and every scout we've sent up there has been shot down dead!" Nightfire growled, rushing outside past Sky and into the cold, dreary dawn. "Assume defensive positions and quit panicking!" He roared as an air to ground artillery shell pounded the street to his left. "Take cover in the buildings and keep down!" "SIR! LOOK!" Sky cried, pointing a hoof to the air. As Nightfire looked up, a terrifying fear gripped at his heart. It was a sight that he couldn't believe he was seeing, his hopes crushing down under the weight of what was coming down through the clouds. They had said it was inevitable, but no matter what, Nightfire refused to believe it. They should have stayed away, should have known Equestria was under attack by a ravenous infection. Why didn't they heed the signs, why didn't they stay away!? "Everypony lock and load!" Nightfire screamed, spooling his miniguns up in preparations for a barrage of bullets to the sky "We've got company!" All around, the sounds of weapons clicking and loading were heard, the preparations for immediate battle sounding out. The artillery stopped shortly after, drawing a deep shiver out of the officer. Stopping an artillery bombardment meant only one thing. Paving the way...for the invaders. As the large, hulking, feathery beasts clad in heavy battle armor descended from the sky in swarms of hundreds, the underbelly of at least four different wooden hulls made themselves visible in the grey, cloudy sky. "What is it!? What's up there!??!" Sky cried, taking cover behind an old market stall where Nightfire joined him. "It's what we've come to fear for a long time Sky..." Night grumbled, peeking out from the stall "They have come for us at last..." Sky poked his own head out, peering at the large shapes that were descending quickly from the sky. "Who's up there?" he whispered in fear, his poor wings shaking. "Griffons," Nightfire whispered, double-checking to make sure his miniguns were loaded "It's the Griffons, Equestria is being invaded."
RuinThey say the calls of the Warbler in the late days of midsummer will tell you how cold the coming winter will be. The temperature, the state of the wind, maybe even the length of it- according to a few Pegasus ponies- The light tune of a single bird echoed quietly through the calm, peaceful air. A butterfly or two fluttered about across the sky, dancing in the glinting light of the sun. Here and there, a small deer or a squirrel would walk or scamper about the mossy cobblestone and marble bricks of the northernmost streets of Canterlot. It was like a looking at a painting...the peaceful canvas of Canterlot stroked and touched by the brushes of serenity and tranquility. Splashed on its higher rises were the ethereal blues of the whispering sky, sprinkled with the marshmallow colors of clouds and the rumbling mountains that they covered. And it was all brought together by the city, the focal-point of the masterpiece. Its many buildings covered by vines and growth, nature's signature method of taking back the developed lands and turning them back into the wilderness once more. Ruined buildings and towers spiraled upwards, gently teetering in the wind but never falling, broken and smashed market carts littered the area. Just one simple month...to change everything. They still talked about it, the ponies of Equestria, still feared those times, still wondered if their home was ever truly going to be fully safe to live in again. Many were still afraid to go out at night, and the ones who did always traveled in groups. They all talked about it, all remembered it... ...but only one, continued to live it. Down the street from the caved-in structure of a coffee shop, a small doe raised her head with perked ears. The thudding of the tiny creatures heart could be heard steadily growing, adrenaline pumping in its veins. It was a basic animal instinct, of course, to sense when predators were coming close...to know that a hunter was entering the area, and it was time to run. Most still wonder exactly how these animals could possibly know such things, but know them they do, and all too well. The doe looked about slowly, turning its furry head in every direction. It had stopped in the middle of its meal when a sense of chill grasped the creature's heart in a near paralyzing grip. It knew danger was coming...but from where, it did not. The grass clamped in the doe's mouth was starting to turn bitter. It gently let the grass fall to the ground as it took a few steps backwards, its brain and heart saying the same simple message: Run. The small doe did not have to think twice in listening to two such vital organs as the quiet hiss of magic could be heard in the air. It started as a sharp hiss, growing into a light hum. The area near the doe had begun to darken, forcing the tiny one to finally bolt away as fast as its legs could carry it. It had only just crashed through one of the smashed-in market stalls when the loud thunder-crack of magic erupted in the middle of the street. All around the painting rapidly changed. The animals had all fled, chirping and yelping in alarm as the air of peace quickly turned into an air of danger. The canvas was splattered with menacing colors, all of which were the symbols of death. It was a definitive mark, a signature color that had come to be horrifically feared amongst the known populace of Equestria, of its ponies and its other inhabitants. It was the ever-so-alarming color of red, thick and gleaming with brightness. The threats of harm were carried through the ruined city of Canterlot as its animal populace quickly retreated, surrendering the area yet again to the world of Ponies. Or, in this case, one pony. The hum of magic quietly dissipated as the sounds of hooves against marble sounded loudly off of the ruined buildings. It was the sound of a pony that disturbed the tranquil peace of the demolished city, a visitor to a memorial. The pony walked at a calm, passive speed, one hoof gently in front of the other. Despite the alarm raised by nature...if one were to look to this one particular pony, all one would really see is just a simple traveler. A form cloaked and hooded with colors of brown, hooves bandaged with white strands of cloth that were smudged and scuffed with dirt and dust. The pony carried with it a sense of a passive, calm individual. Each hoof carefully and mathematically placed and walked upon, each movement full and smooth as the pony continued to move down the streets of Canterlot. It looked about from time to time, swinging its head forth and thro to survey and take in the destruction. It was a vivid, dark memory in this pony's mind...a memory that was as fresh as the scars that lay in wait just under those bandages. A memory that played back over...and over, an endless tune on replay. A memory months old now. This pony could only diagnose itself with something well known as, insanity. It had read the books, gone over the events in mind, and at the end of the day...the answer couldn't be anymore clear. It was nothing to be ashamed about, according to this particular pony. The others seemed to have developed some form of it in the past month when the weapons had finally been relinquished, when Canterlot finally grew quiet. It was because of this fact, that the pony had returned to Canterlot, for one reason: Closure. To be relieved of the ghosts...cleared of the guilt...forgiven for all the sins. But deep down, residing in its soul, this pony knew forgiveness was never an option. Inequality, sacrifice beyond measure, murder...could these things even beforgiven? It was doubtable. The hooded pony stopped suddenly halfway up the street of the broken city square. Its cloak fluttered softly in the breeze that had picked up, drawing a light sigh from the lone wanderer. It looked up to its left, hooves a mere two-foot distance from the first step up a long, winding marble staircase that ascended a large, dark tower. The structure itself was still intact, a shattered window here and there. Its walls were littered with decay and signs of the horrible events that had resided. A dark smudge on the door shown, that now in the heat of the sun, looked like nothing more than a smear of dirt. The pony knew better though...after all, blood had been a common sight that fateful evening... The hooded walker took a few more moments to take in the sight of the tower before turning and placing its hooves up on the first steps. With the same, calm manner of walk, the pony made its way up the winding staircase, ascending towards the large dome resting at the top. An entrance, surprisingly intact, greeted the lone wanderer as it gently rested on its flank. A set of double doors, faded in color from their original blue. It was a door the pony often remembered walking through quite often, if only to move to and from the Royal Castle. The pony quietly lifted a bandaged hoof towards the door, pushing the both of them open at the same time. The doors creaked loudly as they swung inward, banging loudly against the inner walls. The massive room inside the dome of the tower was well lit from the light of the sun, a pair of staircases resting in front of her. One wound down into a large living area, complete with tattered and old couches and a dirty fireplace. The other staircase led upwards towards a single plateau which held several towering bookcases, a statue or two, and an old, shattered hourglass. Nostalgia poured over the wanderer like a bucket of icy water, drawing it to shiver slightly as it got to its hooves and moved inside. As the pony made quiet noises against the wooden floor, it was as if the ghosts of the past had been disturbed, the small echo of old voices rising out of the dust to confront the intruder. "Spike! Spiiiike!? Spike?" Twilight Sparkle shouted and called, finally noticing the baby dragon sprawled out on the floor in front of her. "There you are!" She said, quickly galloping up the wooden steps and towards one of her large bookcases "Quick!" She commanded, bowing down to look at the lower shelves "Find me that old copy of Predictions and Prophecies!" The hooded pony moved quietly up the steps to the higher floor, looking about at the carnage of paper and books that littered the floors without care. The whole library portion of the tower was in utter ruin, just like the rest of Canterlot. The sounds of the past and the feelings of dread were still present in the tower. Its scent gave the aura of a simpler time, a time where fright and worry was not a constant factor to those who went outside during their day... "For you see...the mythical mare in the moon is in fact, Nightmare Moon!" She whispered, walking past her hourglass and the sand it quietly sprinkled into its basin. She never broke her confident stride as she went on, "And she's about to return to Equestria, and bring with her eternal night!" Finally, the hooded pony sat in front of the shattered hourglass, looking towards the serrated edges of its lower dome. It could see the reflection in the higher glass, the white mask that was pressed against its face, staring back. With a quiet movement of a gentle hoof, the pony reached up, and removed the mask. The sun was quick to illuminate the violet fur of a gentle mare, the thin scar that passed over her left cheek, and the purple horn signifying her as a unicorn. Eyes closed, the mare took in a deep breath and exhaled it out calmly. It had seemed like an eternity since she had done that, simply breathed, took in the peace. Breathed out disease. She felt tears brimming on the edges of her eyelids as she slowly peeked her eyes open, exposing to the sun the brilliant shine of those violet jewels....and the sweet blood reds that filled where her normal whites would be. The color shone like a gleaming ruby, completely bathing the whites of her eyes in color. It was this color that rang the alarms of the creatures, the triggers of danger developed in their soft, tender hearts. This color that had been repeatedly splashed and spilled in and on the canvas of Equestria for over five months. Twilight Sparkle let her eyes slowly wander across the ruined insides of her old tower, the place she used to call her home before she had been sent by Princess Celestia to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. So many memories, so many good times, now muddled and clouded by horror and fear. She shuddered, getting to her hooves and slipping the mask into her saddlebags and quietly walking over to an old study desk. It was littered with the usual assortment of items, many of which were old bottles of ink and several scrolls of paper that were scribbled with notes and drawings of experiments. She quietly shifted her hoof through the pile, looking for anything of interest, when her hoof hit something solid. Frowning, Twilight pushed a few of the notes away to reveal a small, rectangle shaped device with five small buttons dotting one side. "I remember this..." she whispered, her voice hoarse and weak. "I wonder..." She picked up the old device, gently pushing the correctly labeled button and waiting. She listened to the steady 'whirr'that the device made as she waited, amazed that despite its disuse, the recorder still worked. When it finally hit the beginning of the tape, Twilight hit another button labeled with a small sign indicating to play a recording, and listened as a younger version of her voice happily chirped through the speaker: "Good morning Twilight! This is Twilight! Well...you already knew that, but whatever! Anyway, today I learned that the properties of certain chemical compounds can be derived from-" The pressing of the button labeled to stop the recording halted the voice of the younger Twilight, the unicorn once again rewinding the tape for a few seconds until the device clicked again, signalling that the tape had been rewound. She looked up towards the massive window that almost made up one entire wall of her tower, noticing many panes had been shattered, but a few still remained. She smirked as she lit up her horn with magic, the low hum of her power purring in the air. She looked over towards the giant curtain resting on the far left of the window and began to pull it across the room, concealing the window from view and bringing a complete darkness to her tower. "Oh I remember this..." Twilight quietly whispered, her voice barely audible, even to herself. "The feeling, the darkness, the rules..." She quietly looked down at her old tape recorder, illuminating the small area around her with magic as she looked at the small button that was labeled with a red circle. She sucked in a breath as she pressed it, waiting a few seconds before opening her mouth and speaking. "My name, is Twilight Sparkle. I am a unicorn. I am a veteran. I am the enemy. The land you know as Equestria is a land of magic and friendship, a land where ponies can be free to roam happily and make friends whilst living in peace and harmony under the benevolent rules of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” She walked as she talked, speaking quietly into the recorder as she made her way back out of her tower and shutting the doors firmly behind her. The sky above was only just starting to turn a dull grey when she finally set her hooves down onto the firm pavement of the streets below. “but the land you once came to love and cherish is gone. It's been gone for months now, turned into something I don't think you'd quite recognize, or even believe existed if it was explained to you.” she paused, clenching the device tightly in her hooves, hating every word she said. “Sometimes it's hard to believe myself, hard to believe the stories that I was told. I don't think I could have ever believed them either, if I didn't already live them...” The wind howled as Twilight made her way down the ruined streets of Canterlot towards the upper district, her cloak flapping harshly in the wind as the unicorn tried her best to keep the dust out of her eyes. The weather around Canterlot had begun to act rather harshly since that fateful day so seemingly long ago, but it was barely a month. Perhaps it had been the inconceivable amount of magic that had been discharged in the once glorious city. Maybe the aura of such intense magic had disrupted the balance of nature, causing the whole area to act in a way similar to the Everfree Forest... “I cannot tell you exactly what has happened, not yet. But believe me when I say... history, cannot repeat itself... never again." Unpredictable. She looked down at the recorder still held firm, tape rolling and catching every fateful word she said. But yet she could barely find herself to continue. Repeating the story that changed the lives of every pony in the world was not going to help anything. Who would hear her? What would it matter? “What’s the use...” she mumbled, clicking the tape off and dropping it to the floor, hearing it clatter against the stone as she continued walking. ~ Twilight walked through the destroyed gates of the Royal Castle, the ruined fortress in front of her drawing pained groans out of her lungs along with the tight tugging of her wounded heart. It was sad, she had often thought... the last memory she had of the castle was how horrifying it looked like surrounded by thousands upon thousands of howling... things. Ponies... …more like monsters. She quickly moved up to the massive double doors leading inside, noticing they were both blown wide open. She stepped inside at a brisk pace, the torn apart foyer revealing itself to her as her purple and blood red eyes adjusted to the sudden dim light. She scrunched up her face, the smell of decay reaching her nostrils. Although most of the bodies had been removed... the scent was still very prominent in the old castle. She shook her head quickly, pushing herself forward and quickly trotting up the large staircase in front of her, one destination labeled clearly in her mind. As she progressed, it became harder and harder to move about the halls as more and more piles of rubble presented themselves as obstacles. As the minutes dragged by, Twilight continually hit wall after wall of rubble, frowning and grumbling as her progress was repeatedly halted by the boulders. She stopped at one such wall, igniting her horn at last with frustration, Twilight sent a strong pulse forward and managed to dislodge a few of the larger rocks. They rumbled and rolled onto the marble floor with heavy and loud thuds, allowing a good-sized peephole in which the unicorn could stare through. Peering through, Twilight could at least see her destination before her, though it was still a good distance away. "Alright...I guess there's really no choice but to cheat..." She grumbled, staring closely at the high-rising, ruined chair in the room at the end of the hall. She ignited her horn once more, narrowing her eyes at the large chair. The calculations came together quickly in her mind and with another crack of magic, she disappeared in a brilliant flash and reappeared inside the room, landing in the exact spot she aimed and calculated for. Twilight sat upon the throne, her eyes cast downwards onto the area in front of her. The throne room was in the same state as the rest of the castle: ruined, dusty, abandoned.. The tapestries had all been torn to shreds, the carpet had been eaten away by bugs and other creatures, and the windows had all been shattered, letting in gleaming rays of sunshine that illuminated the millions of dust particles floating about in the air. She had often wondered what it would be like to rule Equestria... heck, she almost did at one point. One simple movement of her magic, one quick thrust...and Equestria could have been hers. Hers to rule alone, and unchallenged. But no, the decision had already been made, mercy had reared its head, proclaiming dominance over revenge... Twilight sighed, turning to her right slowly and looking at a tiny spot next to the throne, the marble marked with two letters, "T. S." She smiled as she remembered those days, the days she sat next to Princess Celestia at the throne and pretended that she was also in charge of Equestria. Celestia had always laughed at the way Twilight tried to mimic her, turning her head all regal and prancing about the throne room like she had a stick up her rump. Simpler times, they were. Twilight shuddered as the familiar feeling of closing walls seeped into her mind and vision, and with a hurried turn and the swish of her cloak, she hurried out of throne room and towards the rear areas of the castle. The violet unicorn continued her walk down to the backside of the castle, heading towards the doors that lead to the back gardens. She had hated the gardens ever since Discord led them on a wild goose chase through the Royal Maze all those months ago. It was here though that everything ended... that peace returned to Equestria. It was always ironic to Twilight, how everything fit together. How the place where an age of Chaos and Disharmony began, was the place where another age of Chaos and Disharmony would end. Her saddlebags jingled loudly as she pushed her way out of the doors and into the gardens. The plants were mostly dead and dried up, with a few stragglers still holding on for the hopes of life amongst a sea of death. It was funny to her really...she never knew plants and ponies could have so much in common. With a heavy sigh, Twilight made her way into what remained of the overly massive hedge-maze that Discord ran them through all that time ago. It was still an uncomfortable place to be for poor Twilight, the unicorn remembering the terrible feelings she had of the walls closing in on her helpless form and the way all her friends had been savagely turned against her. Visions of greyed out ponies and angry snarls made Twilight blink for a moment, throwing off her concentration. There was a long pause as Twilight finally made it to the back exit of the maze, and into the wide open park-like area before her. She felt a lump form in her throat as she beheld the large stain before her yet again, remembering how tragic that night really was. Some days it bothered her...some days it didn't. Either way, the full weight of the sacrifices made during the past few months always hurt the hardest when Twilight slept, when her mental barriers came down and the nightmares crept inside. She shook her head of the weary thoughts, “History, a horrible thing. A story that will forever be continued to be written.” but this time, she had made sure to halt the story that destroyed everything... "As for me...well..." she mumbled while still casting her red and violet eyes towards the dried blood upon the ground. "That story is still being written..." Twilight finished with a quiet sigh, slowly lowering herself onto her belly and tucking her legs underneath her own form. She got as comfortable as possible before finally turning her head and observing the rest of the garden area. The many statues of famous ponies and past foes quietly watched over the area, only adding more to the uncomfortable nostalgic feeling that Twilight was getting rather sick of. She had picked the shade of Nightmare Moon as her resting point, igniting her horn and lifting out a small book that was labeled with the picture of a compass on the front. She had often referred to this book for her future plans, her plans to get out of Equestria and run. The world had only just recovered from too many disasters...she didn't want to make things worse by adding more misery to the burning pyre of Equestria. It was because of this that Twilight scanned and read through every location and map labeled in the book, hoping that she could find some kind of land or area where she could flee and finally find peace. Somewhere she could go to be safe, while still being within close enough range to make it back to Equestria...just in case. Equestria was still weak from the previous months...the never-ending days and weeks of chaos, horror, and madness. How could they survive another incident? Could anyone survive it again? It was these thoughts that constantly assaulted Twilight's logic, empowering the desires of her heart to stay and help out in the rebuilding and recovery process. It drew a sigh out of the depressed mare as she flipped another page of the guide, a large, cane-shaped land mass appearing before her eyes. "Hmm... Zebrica..." She began, a small smile stretching on her lips. "Seems nice enough. Maybe I could finally look into that Zebra Cultural thing that I always read about!" She closed her book, getting to her hooves quickly as she prepared to summon her magic, and begin her complicated teleportation spell. It would have to work in light bursts, quickly popping her in and out of dimensional planes and sending her across a great distance fairly quickly. As long as she did her geography and math right, she'd be able to avoid teleporting directly into a mountain or another object, and splicing herself through. She shuddered at such a thought, and did another recalculation just to be sure. If it was one thing she learned over the past few months...it was that you couldn't be too careful about anything. Her horn gleamed, and her magic filled the air with light humming as an aura of rose magic started to cover her form. Just before she could release her spell, however, a sudden voice interrupted her, causing her to jump slightly. "If I were you...I would have killed her..." the voice hissed, a sarcastic and sinister rumble to its tone. Twilight whipped her head about in every which direction as she shouted "Hello? Who's there!?" How did it know about her choice to let her live Who could have known? "Show yourself! I'm warning you!" "Bit of a sad thing I guess..." It went on, ignoring Twilight's threats. "I mean, look what she did to you! Did anypony ever seal her away when she did something naughty? Nooo...of course not...I told her I'm not as cruel as she thinks..." It was only then that Twilight started to remember that rumble...that sarcasm...that sinister laugh she could hear clear as day, and feel a cold wave of fear crash through her because of it. "I know that voice..." Twilight whispered, turning her head slowly to look behind her, towards the one statue she had always hated looking upon. The statue that contained the source of her misery for the past five months. The statue that now cried tears of blood as a deep, rumbling chaotic laugh echoed from the shocked expression etched into the stone, and the sinister words that echoed forth from it. "After all...I didn't turn ponies into MONSTERS."
LordThere are many types of music in the world. Some are soft, some are loud, and others are heavenly and grim, but those are the worthiest of titles. They say music was one of the very pillars of creation during the formation of Equestria and The Known World, according to the myths and legends passed down by the generations of Old, tales of a distant and horrifying time that could only be mouthed and spoken as 'Twilieria Ravaginerina Chaos', or 'The Ravaged Void of Chaos and Twilight'. There was no land, no sky, nothing, all but a void of lifelessness, madness, and never-ending chaos. It was then described that a brilliant light was born onto the plane of chaos, an orb of dazzling gold and mesmerizing glints and glimmers of majesty. This orb, they said, was called 'The First Sun'. There were other known names for this brilliant star, but the most common that had been repeated through the scriptures of history was 'Queen Solaris of Harmonaya'. The Sun was described as a life-giving womb of pillars and healing, the celestial orb emitting bright solar flares that brought to the world one pillar of life at a time. First came Land. Then came Sky, Water, Love, Fire, and Wind. Six Elements of Harmony. Harmony that was given to the world of Chaos, and thus came the birth of Equestria. The Sun's womb was still filled however, despite the new stage that had it created being full and twinkling with freshly birthed Harmony and peace. A stage, like a play, needed actors after all.... In a final bright flash from The First Sun, a golden beam of sunshine came forth and fluttered to the ground with the lightness of a feather on the soothing wind. It chose a simple hill to rest its radiance, cradling something in its arms as it descended onto its life engorged earth. The light cooed and smiled as it quietly rested in a tiny bundle of white upon the hill, filling it with the magic of the sun. The First Sun ascended back into the sky, content that its actor had taken root in the world. It was excited to see what kind of show this tiny bundle would perform for The Sun, wondering if it would bring onto Equestria more Elements of Harmony. But alas...something was amiss. The Sun began to grow weary, stuck idly in the sky. It wanted to rest, wanted to sleep, wanted to move. It then realized that Equestria lacked two vital pillars to its foundation: Balance and Order. Balance and Order were needed in order to correctly stabilize Equestria, lest the fires of The Sun eventually bring ravenous, heated destruction to its carefully constructed world. It was because of this that The Sun created yet another bundle, a bundle of Midnight Blue, and raised a new orb to the sky: The First Moon. And thus, Celestia and Luna were born. With them they brought the Equestrians, the Equine race of Ponies to the Realm of Harmony. To Equestria, the ponies brought with them the remaining pillars to the world. Dance, Art, Knowledge, Family, Friendship, and of course... "Music!" Lyra said with a cheerful grin etched upon her face, trying her best to get through to her lovely mare friend Bon-Bon that music was certainly a better hobby than silly old art. "Come on, think about it! Music gives you beat, rhythm, dance! You can express so much more with music than with art!" At this, Bon-Bon sighed and took another sip of her steaming brown mocha. She grimaced as she looked down at the cup, quickly detesting its bitter taste. Perhaps another few sugars would do... "Seriously Bon-Bon, give me something here!" Lyra went on, her overly obnoxious and loud voice drawing a few ponies' heads to turn from all around the diner. Bon-Bon, finally reaching a mental level she could only call 'Finally being arsed to answer Lyra's philosophical inquiries', quietly put down her mug and said "Lyra, come on! Music might as well be called a form of 'art' itself!” she detested with annoyance, “notes can paint just as good of a picture as a painter with brushes and a wonderfully blank canvas. You can set a mood with music and art, you can set a rhythm." She paused to add two more sugar cubes to her coffee and stir with a casual hoof before going on. "Seriously, the only thing you could say is dissimilar about music and art is dance, and even then, many ponies consider dance an art form itself." Lyra merely frowned and narrowed her eyes as Bon-Bon shot her argument full of so many holes it would have made a piece of swiss cheese look like a solid cube of yellow mush. "But I... well! Um..." Lyra stumbled, quickly trying to piece together some kind of counter-point. Alas, the teal unicorn could do nothing but slump back in her seat and grumble, pushing her empty coffee cup around grudgingly with a hoof . Bon-Bon merely sat there, quietly stirring her own mocha with closed eyes and a satisfied smirk. She had often enjoyed these little bouts she had with Lyra, being able to tongue-tie and logic-smother the unicorn into a grumbling mess of harp strings and hilarity. Ha... she thought to herself. And they say unicorns are supposed to be the brains...heh heh. "Well whatever!" Lyra finally exclaimed, downing the rest of her black coffee and shuddering from its strong taste "You ready to go?" Bon-Bon nodded, sipping back her mocha and putting its plastic lid back over the top of its cup container. She placed the cup in a specialized cup holder slot in her saddlebags- a custom stitch that she took great pride in- and got up to leave with Lyra. The unicorn paused to lay a few bits on the table before tipping a nod to Pony Joe at the front and pushing her way out into the cold air of a fresh, new Ponyville. It was getting colder, the threats of winter quickly approaching. The warblers of late midsummer tweeted and sang their merry tunes of splendor, causing several pegasus ponies in the area to look up and grumble. They knew, just like the warblers, that cold, dreary times were quickly approaching, perhaps even sooner than they expected. There may have even been a coming storm. But nopony would be able to tell for sure. They usually couldn't until it was far too late. "Ugh... remind me to pack a scarf or a sweater and skirt next time." Bon-Bon groaned, shivering slightly from the wind that blew through the mostly empty streets of Ponyville. The sun was just beginning to move into its late evening stage. It was the time that the construction usually stopped for the day, drawing weary workers back to their homes and market vendors to close up. The time of relaxation was nigh. "How bout I don't?" Lyra said with a sly sneer, daring a firm hoof placement upon that of Bon-Bon's equally firm posterior and giving it a little pat "After all, why would you ever want to hide this?" With a quick slap of her own hoof against Lyra's, a red-faced Bon-Bon quickly rounded about and exclaimed "You watch where you put those hooves missy! And what do you mean ‘this’!? Are you telling me I have a fat flank?" Lyra let out a snort and a light chuckle, shaking her head, "No, silly! It's a nice size, besides... you always know what I say about a little 'Tank in da Flank'." she joked with a giggle. Bon-Bon's face lit up with a red hotter than the ripest cherries, quickly trotting down the street with a heavy 'humph!' from her throat. "Ah come on, Bons! I was kidding!" Lyra shouted, chasing after the blushing, heated mare. When the mood finally settled, the two of them found themselves taking a lovely, casual stroll through Ponyville's Town Square. The lovely autumn wind that cascaded through the skies brought several thrilling shivers to the two mares who walked side by side, the warblers growing quiet as they flew away to greener pastures. "A lovely day...isn't it?" Bon-Bon offered quietly, passing by one of the newly constructed homes that had been put up in the month or so time that had passed since... then... She didn't like to think about it often...and when she did... Hooves smashing through boards... "Bon-Bon?" Screeches of in-pony-like creatures... "Bon-Bon!" The stench of blood and the rot of decay... "Bon-Bon!" Lyra shouted in her marefriend's ear, causing her to jump in fright and break the grim trance she seemed to have fallen into. "Huh? What?!" Bon-Bon squeaked, looking around her quickly. A few passing ponies gave them queer, quizzical looks as they walked by, but paid no further attention to them as they drew away. Lyra trotted around Bon-Bon's front, halting their progress immediately and looking her dead in the eye. With a quiet mutter, the unicorn whispered the question Bon-Bon really...really didn't want to hear "You're thinking about it again...aren't you?" Bon-Bon was quiet for a moment, her bottom lip quivering as she said the words "Oh Lyra how could I not...you know how awful all that madness was!" Lyra groaned, putting a hoof to her face as she said, rather harshly "Bon-Bon we've been over this a thousand times already! It's done, it's over. All the... all the others are gone! It's just healthy, sane, loving ponies again!" "They're not gone from my dreams, Lyra!" Bon-Bon countered with a harsh, hurt tone "You were there next to me the whole time! The boarded up house, the basement, town hall, when you held me tight in your hooves! How could anypony just forget those screams... th- those... eyes!" Bon-Bon's face was suddenly squeezed between two hooves of Lyra's, the unicorn quickly cutting off any other word she would have spoken next and whispering, "Bons...I remember, ok? Dwelling on it won't help though! Yeah sure there's that 'Learning so that history doesn't repeat itself' thing, but that doesn't mean we have to dwell on all the bad things. Sure, bad things happened, but it's over now... ok? It's over. Twilight did her thing, they're gone, they're never coming back, ok?" Bon-Bon didn't respond with words, but with merely a whimper and a limp nod of her head. It drew a tender smile out of the flustered unicorn, the mare leaning forward and catching Bon-Bon's cheek in a tender kiss. The two smiled into one another and towards each other, minds once again tranquil, their afternoon stroll resuming its walking course. They walked across town. Through the parks, through the downtown area, even across the few fields that separated Sweet Apple Acres from Ponyville. As they walked amongst the outer fence of the farm, Bon-Bon caught Lyra looking up at all the luscious apples with a sense of respect. "It's kind of crazy..." Lyra whispered as they moved down the fence "Just looking at these apples fills you with a sense of hope...the hope of a fighting chance to get through the next day..." "Hey!" Bon Bon growled, leering at Lyra "I thought we weren't thinking about this!" Lyra rolled her eyes, looking towards Bon-Bon with a tiny smirk on her face. "At least I'm looking at the upper side of the whole thing" Lyra pointed out, "There's nothing more precious than an apple, that's a lesson I've taken to heart." "Eeyup, I'd say that as well, Miss!" hollered a deep, booming voice from across the fence. Lyra and Bon-Bon jumped as Big Macintosh thrust his large back legs backwards, crashing them into a tree and bucking all the apples from their evergreen leaves and dirt brown branches. "Sorry if Ah startled ya'll, bad habit Ah guess!" "Aw, it's nothing, big guy!" Lyra said, waving a dismissive hoof towards him in which Bon-Bon nodded in agreement with "What are you up to?" Big Macintosh held up a hoof, bucking another tree nearby with immense force and forcing all the apples out of the tree. He wore his usual yoke, his coat was its usual brown, and his eyes were just as green as they had ever been. The only difference in his usual appearance though... was the small wooden cradle attached to his back with a small bundle resting inside of it. "Goodness!" Bon-Bon exclaimed, "Does Applejack really let you buck the apples with-" "Eeyup!" Macintosh interjected, bucking yet another tree and dropping all of the apples into a few nearby baskets "So long as none o' the apples hit her in the head, it's all fine." "Well I don't think-" Bon-Bon began, a serious frown on her face, she was quickly cut off by Lyra stuffing a freshly dropped apple into her mouth. She laughed nervously as she turned Bon-Bon away and shoved her away from the fence, shouting, "Oh man, look at the time, we're late for our hoofacures. You two have fun now, Macintosh!" The stallion nearly chuckled, adding one last signature "Eeyup" to the conversation before bucking another tree. Lyra could hear the giggle of a little filly's laughter from Macintosh's back as she moved away, glaring daggers at Bon-Bon who had finally managed to swallow the apple after some very angry chewing. "What was that for?!" Bon-Bon growled in a hushed whisper as they moved out of Macintosh's hearing range. "It's not our place to tell him how he's supposed to raise a filly!" Lyra countered, looking back with a saddened glance as he continued to buck more apples "Poor guy, though. Can you imagine what it must be like with the... complications and all?" "No, I can't...I don't think I'd like to either." Bon-Bon whispered back, the two of them heading back towards the town. Lyra stole a glance towards the farmhouse, her eyes catching a fleck of orange and a streak of blueish gray moving across the porch. "Can you believe she actually lets that...night pony stay there?" She said with loathing, drawing a quizzical glance out of her friend. "What did he ever do to you?" Bon-Bon asked, raising an eyebrow to which Lyra responded with a narrowing of her own. "Want a list?" She muttered back. "The guy has done enough to mess things up... word has it the whole event was his fault anyway." Bon-Bon sighed, shaking her head and casting a forlorn look towards Lyra as they made their way back to town. "Lyra..." she began, speaking in a tone that signified one of those ‘told you a hundred times before' moments. "He may be at fault for a lot of things...but at least he stood up and attempted to fix everything! He led the charge back in Canterlot, he was on the front lines, I heard he was even... ya know...hurt by one of them, and he still kept fighting!" "Well... he just better watch out is all!" Lyra said with an affirmative snort out of her nostrils, making Bon-Bon roll her eyes once more. "Besides..." Bon-Bon went on after a few moments silence "If you're looking for the real villain here..." "Oh don't start, Bons!" Lyra groaned, the two of them passing into town limits and heading down the semi-busy market street where vendors kept some of their stalls open for the later evening shoppers. "I told you, if she was good in Twilight's book, she is good in ours!" Lyra stated, stopping at a small kiosk to loom over a few golden hoof bracelets that caught her eye. "She should still answer for her crimes...and can you believe they're actually healing her?! Horn and all, up in the newly-built Haven City!" Bon-Bon added as she joined an annoyed-looking Lyra in looking over the jewelery. "I honestly think there should be a trade off... give her the horn back and take her wings." The colt running the kiosk and Lyra both shot her an alarmed, skeptical look as the candy cutie-marked mare continued to browse idly over the bracelets. "Oh I quite like that one..." she muttered, poking one particular piece with a pair of crossing dolphins, the mythical creatures of The Great Water that was said to border the far eastern portions of Equestria from north to south. "You have problems..." Lyra muttered, the two of them nodding their thanks to the vendor in allowing them to browse before turning back towards the street. "No, I just hold grudges..." Bon-Bon countered, wrinkling her nose like she had just smelled something rather nasty. At this, Lyra jabbed a hoof at her and offered her own verbal counter, "Hey! If I can't hold grudges against that bat pony freak, then you can't hold grudges against 'Little Miss World Ruiner'...what does that even mean?" She finished the last part of her sentence under her breath, shaking her head and stopping at the crossroads of the southern portion of Ponyville. "Now, which way is the shorter one ho-" "Lyra! Look!" Bon-Bon suddenly squealed, pointing a hoof up towards the northern horizon. "Huh? What is it?" Lyra inquired, turning and looking in the direction of Bon-Bon's outstretched hoof. Others had heard Bon Bon's sudden shout, several ponies stopping in their tracks and turning to look as the sky darkened slightly. Bon-Bon was pointing at a dark cloud hovering Canterlot, several bolts of lightning crashing out of the blackness and striking several points in the city. "Um..." Lyra began, looking at Bon-Bon with an unimpressed expression "Yeah, it's what's left of Canterlot, so?” "I’ve never seen the altered weather so bad..." Bon-Bon said, her voice rising in pitch "When has the weather ever made the sky darken over here?" Lyra frowned, looking straight up at the slightly darkening sky of Ponyville. "Huh..." she muttered, looking around "That is a bit weird..." "Oh my goodness!" "Whoa! Look at that!" All attention was drawn towards the northwestern tip of the castle as a stunningly bright flash of purple burst from the evening’s slight darkness. Multiple gasps were heard as the top of one of the towers were seen cracking, and crumbling down to the ground. The crashes of the stone could be heard from the Everfree Forest. All was silent for a moment before one final ear-piercingly loud ‘crack’ was heard right after a bright white flash lit up the sky, and all was quiet, the skies very slowly lightening once more. The sun was already disappearing behind the horizon, though, so the town was becoming darker anyway. Lyra and Bon-Bon looked around with stunned faces, the rest of the residents were quietly and slowly filling the streets, muttering and whispering to themselves. One pony in particular pointing to three of his mates, asking, "Should we go tell a guard? They'll need to know about this." They nodded, quickly follow him while Lyra grimaced in disgust. "Why tell them of all ponies?" She grumbled, "Nopony put them in charge, why should they care?" Bon-Bon looked nervous, watching as many of the ponies began to move along in a hurry, the sudden urge to be home and safely inside taking hold in the hearts of many. "Lyra..." she whispered, tugging on her mare friend's fore hoof. "Come on...let's just go home. I don't want to be out here anymore..." "Yeah, yeah..." Lyra replied, shaking her head and turning back towards the crossroads "Come on, we can shortcut it through the alleys." The two of them moved quickly through the small alleyways, sharing only thoughts and speculations as to what those explosions and light flashes could have been. "Maybe a unicorn was trying to call for help in Canterlot?" Lyra offered, drawing a nervous lip twitch out of Bon-Bon. "Yeah b-but what did he need help from?!" she said, a large tone of worry dripping in her voice that made Lyra sigh and roll her eyes. "Bons, for the last time, they're gone!" Lyra barked, shaking her head. The two of them continued on for a couple more minutes, with Lyra sticking to the lead. As they approached yet another corner, Bon-Bon groaned and asked tiredly "Come on Lyra... are you sure this is a shortcu- aah!" She was quickly cut off by Lyra jumping back from around the corner and pushing Bon-Bon against the wall. She pushed a hoof against her mouth and whispered, "Shh! No screaming!" The only thing Bon Bon could do was muffle a squeaky "Oh, kay!" through Lyra's hoof, puffing up her cheeks as her eyes quivered with worry. Lyra nodded and pulled her hoof away, looking back around the corner. "I think I see something down there..." Lyra muttered, narrowing her eyes down the dark alley. Just as Bon Bon was about to say something, Lyra whispered "I... I think I hear someone, shh!" Lyra grew silent as a voice, dark and sinister in nature, crept up and down the walls of the alley. "Of course... she got away..." the voice grumbled... a voice Lyra was sure she heard before, but couldn't quite place. "No matter... with her running for the hills, I can get a good fresh start on some good old fashioned, lushy wushy, sweetie beetie CHAOS...” Lyra's eyes widened in horror as the voice let out a quiet chuckle, the source of it seeming to float all around them now, as if they were being surrounded. "And I think..." the voice whispered quietly, a victorious tone in its vile words, "I'll start... with you." ~ Remember the rules... ~ Bon-Bon gave a sudden shriek of pain, causing Lyra to whirl around in fright. "Bon-Bon! Are you ok!? What's wrong!?" "Ow!Ow ow ow!" Her friend whimpered, holding a hoof to the side of her neck, covering a tiny slice that had appeared from seemingly nowhere. And it burned. "Hold on Bon-Bon! We're gonna get you out of here!" The unicorn cried, grabbing onto her friend’s arm and slinging it around hers to pull her along. Bon-Bon's blood began to trickle down her neck. "Lyra, it hurts!" Bon-Bon cried, tears flowing down her cheeks as small droplets of blood on the ground behind them. "I know baby, I know! Just hang on!" Lyra shouted, looking up and directing her enraged voice towards the air, "Whoever you are that did this! You better hope I don't find you anytime soon! I'll rip your face off!" "Oh... I think I'm going to be the very least of your worries at the moment..." the voice mocked, letting out a dark chuckle as Bon-Bon began to squeal louder and louder in pain. "Lyra I'm BURNING!!!!" She roared, falling onto her side painfully and twitching with intense pain. "Bon-Bon!" Lyra cried, trying her best to get her friend to rise back up. "R-ru..." Bon-Bon wheezed, coughing loudly as she thrashed on the ground, crying out in pain... in fear... in rage. “RUN!!!" She shrieked, her voice growing ragged and rough, her eyes shutting tight as heavy tears of blood leaked from them. "Aaaarrrgh!!" She snapped her head towards Lyra, letting out a choking growl as she opened her eyes, revealing the solid red color of blood that were once the sweet color of blue. Lyra was silent, her own eyes wide with fear as she stared at her friend. “No...” The pony slowly got to her feet... red eyes locked onto the unicorn’s. “Please, no...” The creature that was once Bon-Bon lunged at Lyra, a terrifying growl piercing the air. Lyra screamed, jumping out of the way of her friend’s attack and spinning around, dashing away and running with blind fear from the creature. "Help!!!" Lyra shrieked as she tore out of the alley and into the street, her hooves taking her as fast as she could into town. All around several ponies looked over at the commotion... and saw Bon-Bon... And everything came back. History was a wild bitch that loved to repeat itself. The reaction was immediate. All the fear, all the terror from the past months, all flying back up into their primes. To see, once more in Equestria... one of them. Everypony screamed. The streets turned to chaos in mere moments as Lyra continued to bound away from a pursuing Bon-Bon. The once loving mare started to lose Lyra, however, her hooves only carrying her so fast. She instead turned to a nearby colt who was scrambling to get out from behind his market stall, tripping over some of his stock. Bon-Bon veered away from her course violently, launching herself towards the colt who in turn could only scream in utter terror. Lyra only let herself look back once, look as her once sweet, beautiful mare rocketed over the stall, tackling the colt out of sight, the shrieks of utter terror and panic from the male rung out clearly in the air, joining the other panicked cries of Ponyville citizens. Somewhere in the distance, a warning bell started tolling, signalling to anyone near and far... that Ponyville was no longer safe. That the peaceful town had once again become hell. Lyra rounded as many corners as she could, panting heavily and trying to keep her lungs under control, just like old times... "Breathe, in, out, check chest activity!" She recited to herself over and over again as she pushed herself forward, the shrieks of several more of those... monsters, echoing out in the area. She rushed forward towards an open alleyway, squealing as a mare fell backwards out of the entrance, a savagely mauled and bitten colt upon her chest. The mare shrieked and cried out in utter pain and anguish as the colt bit into her shoulder, signalling the fate that all feared. "Luna save me!" Lyra squeaked as she rushed past the two, the colt looking up and giving quick chase. The unicorn turned to see her pursuer and the mare... who was getting back up and joining the chase for Lyra as well. Her eyes, like the colts, were swimming with the color of blood. "Gotta go gotta go!!" Lyra cried, racing towards Town Hall. Other residents seemed to share the same idea, rushing towards the Town Square in large groups, trying to get away from the carnage that followed them. Much to Lyra's horror, on the opposite end of the square, other residents were being chased by other small groups of red-eyed ponies, as if... they were herding them, like lambs to slaughter. The residents were packed in tight, scrambling all over each other as the red-eyed ponies rushed into the square, charging right for them. A unified cry of panic and terror rang out across the city as the blood-thirsty monsters closed in... and suddenly stopped. The beasts stopped just short of the citizens, walking back slowly and creating a large ring around them of bodies. The residents of Ponyville looked about them, confused, horrified, unbelieving and stunned as the monsters that had haunted their nightmares for many months now stood before them, clear and real as day. Before anypony could say anything... before anypony could move, or even breathe, a laugh of sinister, chaotic malice rang out across the square. A mare squealed, pointing upwards as the rest of the residents did so, their pupils shrinking at the sight of the multi-beast-like creature hovering just above them. It's yellow and red eyes gleamed with savage delight as a sinister grin spread itself across its face. He hovered there above them, dark and ominous, before taking in a deep breath and exclaiming "Oh, Ponyville... where exactly did we leave off?" The multi-formed beast took a moment to mockingly scratch its own chin with a lion's paw before looking down with an evil grin and muttering quietly, "Oh yes..." Discord whispered menacingly down to the trapped residents of Ponyville, causing a rippling growl to emit itself from the ring of monsters surrounding them, "I remember now...you were all just accepting a little bit of my control over this world that I was...prematurely deported out of." He paused for a moment to allow himself to land next to the snarling form of Bon-Bon, her face contorted into a look of rage as saliva and blood dripped from her lips to her chin. "The choice, is quite simple really, the decision of who is really in charge now." Discord said in an obvious tone of boastful nature. He gave a look down towards Bon-Bon, bloody and ravaged, and then cast a dark, knowing look up towards the residents of Ponyville, the town quickly putting two and two together. Their bodies shook and quivered in fear as Discord's voice hissed with power and chaotic energy the chilling words: "I'm sure... the choice won't be too hard."
Home~ "I've always marveled at the aspects of nature, young and old. To think that such elements could be the salvation and destruction of us all in the early years of our history… Then, of course, the Pegasi were created, and we no longer need to fear such deadly elements. “But think about the wind, dearest one, the wind! How it uplifted the spirits of the crying and the feeble, graced their manes with calming breath and the gentle caress of coolness like a stroking, comforting hoof through one's fur. Do you remember in those early years, before the Harmonaya? Remember how we played for days in that wind, marveling at such a creation? It was in that moment, in those updrafts sailing us throughout the cool currents and waves of turbulence in the sky, that I realized everypony should enjoy such a wonderful thing. Was I... wrong, maybe? Perhaps. I mean, when I really look back and think on it, we probably should have taken into some consideration the power those elements had behind them. We've seen what they're capable of; ripping up trees, splitting the earth with their mighty roars, flooding the land in a great cascading rush of never-ending water whenever it pleased. Was I naive to think even the Pegasi could keep such things at bay? They do not possess the Mana Leylines of magic, nor could they ever hope to fully understand or grasp its vast concepts, yet it was still their purpose to control it, to an extent… Such an oddity, don't you agree?" "...mmpgreehm..." "Ah...the sound is muffled still. That is completely alright with me, dearest, I... I would just like to know someone is at least listening to me. I can't... possibly express how maddening it is to speak to nothing." "Ahunmmnrstnd..." "Thank you, indeed. As I was saying, how interesting was it to place into their hooves, elements that could have easily destroyed their entire existence at a moment's notice. Were we mad? Crazy? Insane!? What if such a thing backfired... what if it all went wrong and everypony in the sky and on the ground succumbed to nature's wrath? I'm sure I wouldn't be too happy either to have my very element of existence bended and molded to one's own preference. I would hardly feel like myself again, forced against a purpose I felt was not like my own. ... But then again... I-I suppose I am guilty of such crimes. You know what I did, what I did similar to this, what backfired when I tried to take matters into my own hooves..." "Melsnnia..." "It's true though, isn't it? I can't stop thinking about it! I am sorry every day that I am still breathing upon this world, shamed by my existence. They're all right, all of them! I should have died, I should have been slaughtered like the genocidal monster I am! Oh what would mother say, what would Twili-" The helmet was removed... "Enough of this! Hush now, my beloved, you are relapsing again..." "I... I am sorry. I don't know what came over me." "’Tis a process...and we understand. Hush darling, hush... allow yourself to be well in time. Rest now." "Thank you, my dearest Luna." ~ The air was colder than it had been the previous night. Such an observation could be easily made by any equine with enough cognitive thought to process such a thing through one's mind. But, to a few others, the elements always meant something different to them. It was the attention to detail that was required by this few; the biting of the chilly air, the taste of the wind across one’s idle tongue, the dryness of a throat as the winter frost was drunken down in small gulps. It was these acts that were being performed by one such being, one of pony shape, but the stripes of a species that was not native to the land. Simple black hooves rested firmly in the lavish grass that the being had come to love and adore with all her heart. The female casually ran a hoof through her striped mane and sniffed it shortly afterwards, nodding simply to herself. "Ah..." she began, smiling slightly as a windy chill brushed through her again, "I cannot wait to see this ground aglow, when it finally comes time for it to snow!" She smiled at herself, imagining the wondrous colors and winds that she ever enjoyed. It had made her remember the times that she visited with the lavender unicorn that loved to visit her so often in her lonely home of the forest, as they would spend many evenings together in the bittersweet snow, conversing of simple, kind topics and learning new things about each other, teaching… Although, ever since the librarian had been turned into and back out of the form of stone by a cockatrice, there had been some less frequent visits. The striped mare understood, it was not very safe in the forest where she resided, but it was the only really good place where she could harvest the many natural ingredients needed for her potions and medicine. Though she did miss those visits, learning about pony culture, about the many adventures the librarian had with her friends. She had often wondered what it would have been like to have those kinds of adventures of her own, what stories she would tell. She sighed, hanging her striped muzzle slightly and turning to go back inside her home. It was nothing more than a simple dream anyway. She knew she'd be happy enough living alone in her forest, making medicine and potions to sell to clinics and hospitals or to simply experiment with different combinations of concoctions to share with her family if she ever traveled back home. It still made her feel dreary though; knowing those times with the librarian would never come again... The hut door opened as quietly as it closed, the breezy air continuing to whip about across the forest. The inside of the small wooden home was as roomy and cozy as she remembered it, the shelves upon shelves of ingredients, bottles, and other little odds and ends greeting her like the unique expressions of her tribal masks did. The zebra smiled, approaching her bubbling cauldron and taking a deep smell of the greenish vapors that rose quietly from its bubbling mass. She licked her lips quickly before quickly stating to herself, "Maybe just a single teaspoon, and this potion will be done very soon." She frowned after a moment though, as she smelled the mixture again, "Mmh… maybe two to be sure, I would not like for this to turn out poor..." She turned her head towards one of her ingredient shelves, her hooves automatically grasping a simple flask out and popping it open, slowly dripping a small amount into the cauldron. She smiled as the redness of the bottle started to come out slowly, like syrup down a tree but slightly faster. She would have to be fast if she was going to add the exact amount. If she didn't, the mixture might not turn out as she hoped. The zebra was alone in the Everfree Forest, the chances of anything actually happening to interrupt her were few and far between. It was this thought she had in etched in her brain as a thunderous explosion rocked her hut violently, causing her hoof to slip and drop the entire flask into the cauldron. The zebra whipped her head around at the sound of the thunderous crack. Her windows flashed with the color of purple as she rushed towards her door, crashing through it as the sky flashed with the colors of lavender and purple for only a few seconds before suddenly disappearing. The forest was in a complete uproar, animals crying and roaring with alarm as scores of birds and bats took to the skies in a panic. "What the...?" whispered the zebra, her native way of speaking abandoned in a fit of fear and nervousness. After a few moments of serene silence, she decided it must’ve been a simple spell mishap, she’d know if it was serious. Sighing, she turned back towards her cauldron and frowned as it began to overflow with a bubbling red mixture, the ruins of many days of hard labor and calculating wasted. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she made her way back inside the hut to begin cleaning up. A furious pounding sounded upon her freshly closed door, causing the zebra to look back in uncertainty, turning to open the door again. As she pushed it open, a throaty gasp echoed out of her suddenly icy lungs. "By the waters of the Nile, what is the meaning of th- librarian!?" Twilight Sparkle stood before the zebra, her brown cloak and hood shredded to near nothingness, her bandages unraveling slightly to reveal red marks scorched into her fur. She looked like she had been viciously attacked by a pack of javelinas. Her crimson-filled eyes shut tight, a couple tears of blood leaking down her muzzle as her expression displayed the very clear indications of pain. "Z-Zecora..." Twilight wheezed, her breath coming out in ragged heaves. "Hush now, child, come inside, quick!" Zecora whispered urgently, ushering the limping unicorn inside and kicking the door closed quickly after her. She helped Twilight to her bed, stripping off her ruined cloak and discarding it on the floor. As Twilight gently sat upon the edge of the bed, Zecora quickly rushed to fetch her a cup of water. As she returned and pushed the cup between Twilight's hooves, the zebra asked in worry "Child what in Equestria has happened to you? You look as if you have lost to the second battle with the manticore you told me stalks these woods!" Twilight grunted as she pounded the cup back, keeping her eyes shut tight as she wheezed painfully, "I-I mass teleported, took part of the tower with me. I had to get... I had to escape Canterlot before he..." She let out a choking sob as a fresh tear of crimson leaked from her eye, making Zecora press a hoof to her mouth in shock. After a few tense moments, the zebra whispered "Twilight... you have the dark blood coming out of your eyes...do you ne-" "Don’t touch it!” She snarled, dropping the cup in her hands and pushing her own hooves up against her eyes, quickly wiping them away, "Don't touch my blood, keep away!" Zecora stepped back quickly but calmly, speaking quickly, "I am away from you! I am away from your blood. I know enough its effects, believe me!" Twilight let out a tiny, weak whimper. "I'm sorry... I just, I don't want to end up losing you too..." She took in a few shuddering breaths before opening her eyes slowly, revealing her gleaming, glowing violets, and the dark reds that infested her once pearly whites "I'm so sorry..." Zecora's eyes softened considerably as she whispered "By the savannahs, you don't need to apologize to me. You are alive and well in a world that believes you dead!” Zecora’s eyes swept across the unicorn with confused happiness, “This is wonderful news, but what on earth has put you in such a shredded state? Have you encountered the red-eyed demons again? Have they returned?" Twilight shook her head, getting up off the bed and wincing as she felt a twinge of pain shoot through the back of one of her legs "There's no time Zecora, I'll explain later, but I need to know if you have anything that can cover up the smell of blood." The zebra blinked for a moment before she whispered "Well...I do have some potions that can do such a thing, but in your condition there could be side effects, I don't know if it's a good ide-" “It’s not for me!” Twilight abruptly interrupted, glancing out the window, knowing her time was running short. “Do you have anything?” Zecora nodded, closing her mouth as she quickly trotted towards one of her shelves, sifting through it with quick hooves. She was feeling several things at that moment; fear, panic, uncertainty, confusion. She trusted the librarian though, knew that when she spoke that there was always truth behind her words. Sick or not, she was Twilight Sparkle, and she could be trusted. That was all the zebra needed. "I think this one will do the trick you wish." Zecora explained as she showed a flask of yellow contents to the unicorn. She nodded. “Good, I want you to go outside and sprinkle it on all of your doors and windows carefully, and do it fast.” Twilight explained as she rose from the chair, wincing in pain again but walking forward towards the front door. "Of course..." Zecora whispered, nodding slightly, albeit slightly confused, but she didn’t question it, "Whatever you need of me, librarian." The unicorn smiled and eyed a dark brown traveling cloak hanging beside the entrance. “Can I borrow this?” she asked the zebra passively, earning a simple nod in return. Twilight thanked her quickly and carefully slipped it over her, dropping the fluttering fabric over her tail and obscuring most of her bright color. As she did so, her eye caught something metal and glinting on a nearby counter. Twilight slowly walked over, staring at it, emotions swiftly rushing back to her as she saw it slightly dirtied on the tip with a rusty color… Carefully fitting her hoof through the specially-designed battle-knife strap, she raised it up and met Zecora’s eyes, who answered the silent question with a fateful nod. "I'm so sorry for all of this trouble..." Twilight whispered, turning towards the door "I'll explain it all when I get back, I promise." She quickly made for the door, limping all the way and opening up the entrance to a world dangerous and diseased once more. "Oh..." Twilight whispered, turning her back towards Zecora, "One more thing... and please do this for your own safety." Zecora blinked and nodded once more, allowing Twilight to continue. The unicorn sighed and quickly spoke with a voice clear and steady as she said the fateful words. "When you're done with the potion...close your windows, make little to no noise, and please... don't, go, outside." ~ At first, a single hoof. Then a second, a third, twelve, twenty… they started crashing and pounding against the sides of the cottage, pummeling its surface with cracks and scrapes as the beasts below snarled with ferocious anger, and an insatiable hunger. An orange and yellow mare inside worked together to quickly push a large wooden dresser in front of the cottage door, barricading it as much as they could with furniture. Fluttershy was swift to close all of her curtains, even though she knew they were too high for any of the danger to get inside. And any with wings wouldn’t bother if all was dark and quiet inside… Finally, the Pegasus was silent as she plopped down into a nearby chair, watching her friend continuously run around the house, checking everything for signs of anything bad, and blowing out all candles and forms of light, “Applejack… please, sit down.” She spoke quietly as the orange mare walked by. Applejack paused, walking over to the timid pony and looking at her. “You alright? Ya didn’t get bit, did ya?” Fluttershy merely shook her head, quietly tucking her legs in under her and laying her head on the chair’s arm rest. “How… h-how did this happen?” she asked, speaking to the air. Applejack knew what she meant, and was instantly silent as a response. She only walked forward a bit and was about to reach a hoof around to comfort her friend, but she was interrupted with a loud screech from beyond the blocked doors. The Pegasus trembled slightly from the sound, knowing exactly what it meant. They had all watched as their entire town fell apart once more, by the ravaged forms of their friends. Turned into something far beyond what they were before; just a mindless creature. Applejack sighed, hearing the furious pounding on the sides of the cottage begin to slowly dwindle as the two ponies kept quiet. The mare tilted her Stetson and glanced at one of the closed window curtains anxiously, unsure if they were fully safe just yet. But she knew they were never safe, but at least for now, they could find some time for peace and regaining their thoughts after the horrible event. As long as they didn’t go outside. “Why don’t I go grab us a cuppa’ tea or somethin’?” Applejack asked absently. Her friend said nothing as she trotted off into the kitchen to prepare their drinks. The yellow mare simply closed her eyes, shutting away the dark room’s horrid ambiance. In a matter of minutes, the entire town that the citizens were so recently repairing had become a living hell once more. It was such a violent thrust back into a world so cold, a world full of fear, and death, full of locked doors, and quiet, dark lives every waking moment, a world where you could never go outside. The outside wasn’t friendly. A stumbling pair of two hooves crashed onto the roof of Fluttershy’s cottage near the outer edge of the Everfree Forest. A young-looking Pegasus, once going by the name of Cloudchaser, had pure blood-red eyes, scanning the air around her, sniffing multiple times and snarling ferociously, she could sense the building she stood on was occupied. …by food. Her ragged-looking blue wings flapped wildly as her power-spiked hooves clambered onto the chimney of the dark cottage. The magenta irises of the creature grew slightly in size as her nose was filled with the scent from the inside of the house when she breathed in the chimney. She stood upon it and looked down into the darkness. Hunger was what she felt, and she wanted to satisfy that. The yellow mare raised her head slightly, ears perking up at a strange sound. Her head swiveled as she searched for its source, knowing any little thing could mean danger at this point. “A-Applejack, is that you?” she whispered timidly, but knew the question fell unheard, as her friend was preparing their drinks in the kitchen. ‘crack’ Fluttershy’s curiosity and worry peaked. She rose from her chair, tentatively stepping her hooves onto her hard wooden floor and walking around, ears flicking at the annoyingly continuous scratching sound. She looked at the closed window curtains, still closed fine. The pounding on the walls from earlier had eventually subsided as the beasts from outside quietly lurked around her front yard. The mare peeked at her fireplace opening, glancing curiously at the idle logs sitting there, untouched since a couple days previously. That’s when something crashed down in front of her. Fluttershy did the last thing she should’ve: …screamed. Applejack rounded the living room corner just in time to watch her friend get tackled to the ground by a flesh-hungry blue Pegasus. The experienced earth-pony gasped in shock, reacting with stunning speed and reaching for a fire poker set next to the house’s chimney opening. The infected Cloudchaser screamed in fury as Applejack whipped the weapon across her face, knocking her cleanly off her friend before any damage could be done. Fluttershy jumped to her feet and ran to her friend, throwing her arms around her in a swift hug. “Sh-she came through the fireplace, I-I never would’ve expected that!” Fluttershy explained quickly, hysterical from the shocking attack, and near death. Her friend nodded, acting quick and inspecting said fireplace, making sure none had followed the pony down. It was luckily empty. Fluttershy gulped, timidly grabbing one of the fireplace tools and walking over to the knocked-out Pegasus on the floor. She was groaning quietly, eyes having opened once more and looking around wildly, the blow seemed to have damaged her brain. “Fluttershy, I’m gonna re-check any other alternate entrances, now that we know these darn things can get clever.” She snarled angrily. They had never seen the creatures pull a maneuver like that one before. “And finish that one off.” She noted, glancing at the stirring form of Cloudchaser. The yellow Pegasus gulped, but nodded. “Right.” She was just raised her tool, knowing what to do. The head was the quickest way; she knew from experience… ‘growl’ Her eyes widened as her three living room windows all shattered at once. “NO!” Applejack dashed back into the room, looking with horror as it was suddenly filled with four snarling Pegasi creatures broke inside and dashed straight for her friend again. She gripped her weapon tightly and jumped through the air, ramming one of the attacks out of the way and into Fluttershy’s chair, knocking both obstacles over. The other three quickly jumped straight for the orange mare, who spun on her fore hooves and with expert precision, bucked two of them in their broadened chests, sending them tumbling into the ground and delivering a fore hoof blow to the final one, taking the brief moment to spin and shout to her friend. “We gotta get outta here!” “O-outside?” “No other choice, they already know we’re here and how to get in.” she shouted, slamming the fire poker tool into the rising Cloudchaser’s head again, drawing blood this time from the side. She winced, that was never something to get used to. It was useless, two more of the snarling Pegasi had barreled into the compromised cottage, Applejack couldn’t fight off more than three at a time, and that many were surrounding her. Fluttershy stared with horror, trembling at the sight, they were doomed already. “Just go!” her friend shouted, launching herself at the nearest beast, crashing her shoulder into its chest and barreling it into the ground with fury. Fluttershy knew that she couldn’t freeze like this, it would mean her life was at stake, it only took a single moment to get bit… and her friend was surrounded. One of the hungry beasts broke off and dove for the yellow mare. A brown flash through the moonlit cottage was followed by the scream of the three infected creatures advancing on Applejack as they were thrown into the air without warning. The fourth roared out in rage and swiped a powerful hoof through the air blindly, attacking something that Fluttershy hadn’t seen. It cried out in shock as its arm was twisted, and snapped like a twig, right before its body was sent hurling against a wall. A bright glint of silver flashed through the air as a sharp blade drove straight the head of the fifth attacking Pegasus. Its screams were cut off instantly, and the lifeless corpse dropped to the ground, marking the presence of something new. But yet, the other four still rose to their feet, fury only rose powerfully as their red eyes searched for the new attacker, and they lurched once more. “Ceeeaasssse!!” The dark, hissing voice silenced everything. The four Pegasi merely stood for a moment, staring at the shadowed figure standing there before them, eyes covered by a brown hood. They snarled once more before dashing out the broken windows as quick as they came. “What in the hay…” Applejack mumbled, staring at the dark creature with utter confusion. It had just saved them, and scared the creatures off. Bandaged hooves reached up and gripped the brown hood, lowered it down to the traveling cloak. The figure turned around and Twilight Sparkle’s face illuminated in the moonlight. “New rule, girls.” The yellow and orange mare exchanged stunned expressions for a moment, eyes wide with utter shock. “Fight the hell back.” ~ "Rule number one... Don't Go Outside..." ~ Twilight ran. her breath heavy but under control as she headed towards one of the buildings lining the town's outskirts. She dove with her flank sliding across the ground, the mare stealthily pressing herself against the firm wall of the building. She looked around frantically, spotting two pairs of the bloody ponies approaching from both sides of her, patrolling the perimeter of the town. She quickly scooted along the wall as fast as she could, slipping into an alleyway and heading towards the other side. As she moved, however, her side bumped a trashcan, which clanged loudly against the wooden building, making the unicorn swear under her breath. She heard the sudden growls and barks of one of the creatures from the entrance of the alley, as well as the sounds of the patrolling ones behind her. She bit her lip, looking up towards her horn. She sighed, knowing she shouldn’t take the risk. But her options were running short because of time. As she started to collect her energy, a hoof pressing against her yelping mouth and dragging her backwards into a pile of garbage halted her move. "Shhh!" hissed a voice in her ear, the two of them growing still in the garbage as a few bloody ponies ran by the spot that Twilight had only recently occupied. They looked up and down the alleyway, growling and dripping a small amount of blood and saliva all over the ground. After a few tense moments, the diseased ones growled and grunted dismissively, retreating from the alley. "Whew, that was close," whispered the mare holding Twilight, her voice stunningly familiar to the unicorn. "It... it was. Thanks for th-" She stopped as she got up and turned to face her savior, face lighting up in a state of shock as the mare before her looked upon her with equal surprise. "Pinkie!?" "Twilight!?" They wheezed each others’ names at the same time, with Twilight looking upon the straightened, pink mane of her once happy and bouncy friend. "Twilight!" Pinkie whispered in glee, her hair curling slightly as she threw her hooves around her old friend, squeezing her tight. "I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, her eyes brimming with hot tears. "To everypony else, I still am... I’m surprised you took that so well," Twilight whispered back, hugging her friend. "Where have you been Twilight?" Pinkie's eyes were wide as Twilight looked around, constantly on the lookout for further danger. "I'll explain it all in time, Pinkie... I promise." Twilight whispered, pulling back to look her in the eyes "What I wanna know is why you're out here in the garbage, outside!" "I got caught outside when everything went down," Pinkie whispered quickly, "I found the closest hiding place and hid. That meany Discord is back and he's terrorizing everypony, I left the twins with Macintosh for awhile and-" "And that's the safest they can be right now Pinkie, ok?" Twilight whispered, drawing a nod out of the mare, "We'll come back for them, all of them, I promise. Right now, though, I need you to find Rainbow Dash and get her to Zecora's, ok? Fluttershy and...and Applejack are already on their way there.” She felt a low, somber tone creeping up in her voice as she mentioned her old country friend. Pinkie nodded grimly, watching as Twilight moved towards the front of the alleyway. "Twilight!" She whispered, causing the unicorn to turn towards her "It's… good to have you back." Twilight smiled, nodding once and turning back towards the entrance to the alleyway. Time was running out... the infected would start to catch on that something's going on... somepony was here... and that their leader would need to know. ~ "Ugh, how horrid! How is a lady supposed to do anything in this, darkness?" Rarity whined quietly, sitting in her upstairs bedroom, staring at the wall. She looked tired, weary, defeated. How could this have happened again? Twilight defeated the disease; that was what everypony had said. That golden magic... that wave of love... it had stopped all the pain, all the suffering. But now it was back… had her friend’s death been in vain? Was there nothing to stop evil from returning anyway? "Woe is us... what ever are we to do now..." Rarity whimpered, burying her face in her hooves and feeling hot tears wetting her eyes. "What am I supposed to do...what are any of us supposed to do now?" "Live..." whispered a voice in the darkness, causing Rarity to gasp and jump slightly. The unicorn looked up quickly, her eyes wide and staring into the darkness as a form emerged from the shadows. "We live, just as we always have." whispered the voice, drawing Rarity to peer closer at the unicorn walking closer to her. As she saw the lavender fur and the familiar streaks of color throughout that wonderfully violet and pink-blue mane, she had to try her hardest not to scream. "T...Twilight?" She whispered, her thoughts jumbled and confused as Twilight nodded and quickly gave her friend a firm hug. "It's me... I'm here, but we don't have a lot of time! Is Sweetie Belle safe?" Twilight asked, pulling away from their embrace and looking into Rarity's half-smiling face. "She's with our parents on holiday..." she whispered, looking Twilight over as if she were a ghost. Twilight chuckled, moving back towards the door that lead downstairs, and whispering fast, "You can critique me later on how I’m not dead, now we have to go, quickly!" Rarity nodded and followed her swiftly, the two of them stealthily leaving the front door to the boutique. They started to move quickly and quietly into the fields, moving as fast and as silently as possible. The wind started to pick up, shifting upwind towards Twilight and carrying with the scent of blood. The bandaged unicorn scrunched up her nose as the sounds of hooves galloping in the distance started to draw near. "Shit..." she swore, causing Rarity to stop and look around her. "What is it?" she whispered in fright, "Is it them?!" "It might be, we need to move, now!" Twilight urged, starting a gallop towards the outskirts of town. The trees of the Everfree were starting to come into sight, making Twilight turn and shout back "We're almost there, Rarity, keep run-" The unicorn had barely the time to react as the sounds of an explosive shriek sounded off above them both. The bloody forms of three Pegasus ponies dropped from the air towards the two of them, hooves extended and teeth bared and ready to maul. Twilight instantly drew Zecora’s battle knife, unhooking its hold and slinging it into position, and with perfect strength and precision, slicing the sharp knife straight through the head of the first descending Pegasus. The second crashed into Rarity, the mare shrieking as they rolled across the dark grass. "Don't let him bite you!" Twilight shrieked as she slammed a hoof into the stomach of the third Pegasus as it landed on the ground and lunged at her. The hit knocked this Pegasus off balance, sending its wings flapping wildly to the side. As Twilight rushed towards the remaining Pegasus, she could only listen and watch in horror as Rarity let out a shrill cry of pain, the sounds of teeth sinking into skin echoing through her ears. “NOOO!!" Twilight roared, shoving the blade through the back of the Pegasus’ head and killing it instantly. Rarity wept as she held a spot just under her neck, her hooves trying to stop the blood that gushed from her wound. "Tw…Twilight it bu- oh it burns already!" She cried, her head pounding with sudden pain and the sounds of galloping hooves that were drawing near. "Shh! Rarity just hold on!" Twilight cried, a tear of blood leaking from her eyes as she hoisted Rarity up over her back "Fight it Rarity! Fight it as long as you can!" Her friend let out a choking sob as the two entered the forest. Twilight moved with as much speed as she could, listening as Rarity growled and shook her head violently, trying her best to keep her mind intact. "Can't, won't…" Rarity growled savagely, blood dripping from her mouth as she felt her insides burn. "I can't! Have to... where am I... have to breathe! Hungry!" Twilight continued to weave through the trees, panting as she struggled to keep the struggling Rarity stable on her back. In her mind, however, she was calculating. She remembered studying it, studying the disease. It could have been several seconds, it could be several minutes. Whatever the case, Twilight was only reminded yet again of the simplicity of the dire matter that continued to plague her every bloody step. That time, was indeed over. ~ A.N.> (Massive kudos to BlackSnowyOwl, who went through sleep deprivation and constant focus to get this chapter edited and back to me! He's truly an awesome bro! Congrats to his new baby sister for being born!) -W.K. /)
Live~ "A long time ago, in the magical land of Equestria.... There lived two sisters of great and powerful magic. One of these sisters wielded the mighty burning heart of the Sun, while the other wielded the calm soothing serenity of the Moon. It was these two that ruled over the land of Equestria with peace and harmony in their hearts and in the hearts of their loyal subjects. They oversaw the rise and fall of many villains, including the rise of one of their own inner monsters; Nightmare Moon. Evil after evil had been banished by the efforts of the six risen Elements of Harmony, the very foundations and pillars of the world themselves in pony form, come forth to banish chaos and disharmony wherever it chose to rear its head. But... they were not prepared for this. Chaos, like Harmony, is part of the balance. It is a part of every living creature's soul and is capable of as much destruction as Harmony is love. It lives in the hearts of every single pony, and every single one of its rulers... When fire and death loomed over Equestria like a deadly shadow, Chaos took hold of the fears and doubts of such a ruler, and plagued her poor heart with dismay and hopelessness. With none to help her and none who would ever dare question her, Chaos played havoc with her heart, mind, body, and soul, and thus doomed Equestria to become beset by the very essence of Chaos itself: a terrible Ravage. But as we know... Chaos is in the balance. If one scale is tipped, the other must restore the balance. As it was so for all the generations of ponykind, and so will it be again when Harmony is restored to the world. The cycle repeats itself without end. But always know that where there is Chaos, Harmony will always follow… until the scales break… …at least, that’s how it usually works." ~ Zecora sipped her herbal tea with a calm sigh through her snout, her ears doing their absolute best to tune out the argumentative banter of the four ponies who had taken an apparent residence in her hut. It was understandable as to why they were all so upset, but a little less volume would have been much appreciated to the poor Zebra. "Ah'm tellin' ya it's her fault!" Applejack barked at Rainbow Dash, the multi-colored pony held a face of anger as she stared back at her friend. "You take that back!" Rainbow spat back, pointing an accusing hoof towards the country mare, "She's always been our friend! Look at all she did for us, Applejack!" "Yeah, did is the word, Rainbow!" Applejack countered, slamming her Stetson down on the floor in frustration. "She smashed through the walls of Canterlot, brought her whole diseased group with her, and unleashed a horde of Afflicted onto everypony, nearly killing even the Princesses!” Rainbow let out a furious growl as she set her hooves down on the floor, struggling to wriggle out of Pinkie Pie’s grip as the pink pony tried to stop the fight from escalating, to not much avail. "She cured us all, Applejack! The most powerful magical blast we’d ever felt, was The Purge! She saved Equestria, you dummy!" "At what cost!?" Applejack roared, stamping her hooves violently, "She brought it back and she brought Discord with her! Everypony who was cured before isn't coming back this time if they get infected, Rainbow, that's how it works, remember!? How do you explain Twilight showing up just out of the blue with the virus trailing behind her?" Fluttershy was whimpering from a small corner in the hut, her front hooves ineffective at stopping the tears streaming from her eyes as she cried "P...please stop fighting! This isn't r-right!" Zecora gulped back the last of her tea and let out yet another sigh as she rubbed a pained spot on the top of her head with a hoof. "Please, librarian..." she whispered to herself as she went to make another batch of tea. "Do hurry yourself back here..." As if on cue, the sounds of distant galloping could be heard in the distance, loud enough to even carry over the furious banter between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Zecora's ears perked up as she heard this, quickly turning her head to shout "Everyone, hush! Open your ears and listen!" The ponies quieted down, but the glares were still traded back and forth as the sound of a distant and panicked scream echoed faintly through the walls of the hut; “Help!!” "What in tarnation…" Applejack mumbled, turning her head towards the door. "I need help!" screamed a voice outside the hut, the door shuddering for a moment. The ponies inside gasped and immediately shot towards the door, Rainbow flinging it open first and zooming outside. They all made it out in time to see Twilight Sparkle collapse onto the ground, dropping the infected form of a white unicorn, previously slung on her back. “Twilight, wh-“ Zecora was interrupted as Rarity pushed herself up on four hooves, and instantly lunged at the purple unicorn sitting there. But she was prepared. She slammed her own hooves into the ground and shot up into a defensive stance. The creature looked her in the eyes with its matching blood-red ones and snarled, a drop of blood dripping from her lips as it took a cautious step towards Twilight, tilting her head. The cloaked unicorn narrowed her eyes. This all happened in a single moment. The beast lunged again, but Twilight was ready; with expert precision, she wrapped her strong hooves around Rarity’s middle and shifted their weight, slamming the attacker belly-first into the forest floor. The ponies standing there finally realized the situation, and Fluttershy screamed in fear. “Twilight, no!” Rainbow shouted, unable to believe what she was seeing, while the zebra beside her shook her head solemnly. “Ah can’t believe it…” Applejack said quietly, eyes fixed upon her now growling friend, who snarled viscously and swiped a hoof at them as they stood a few steps up on the porch of the hut. “Get me some rope, now!” Twilight finally shouted, grunting as the infected unicorn thrashed wildly under her, and she struggled to dig a hoof into the dirt to get better leverage on her hold. “What for? She’s dead already.” The orange mare replied, staring at the unicorn with resentment, knowing her friend’s condition was the lavender mare’s fault. “I don’t care what the heck you think, Applejack! Get me some damn rope!!” she screamed, clenching her teeth as she gave the white unicorn another shove. But this time, Rarity snarled ferociously back and swung a strong hoof back, knocking Twilight in the chest and unbalancing her off. She squeaked in pain from the blow and backed up, coughing a bit for breath. As the unicorn turned with a red-eyed glare to the ponies standing there, she instantly locked onto the nearest one: Pinkie Pie. Before the beast could take another step, a rainbow flash appeared from the side, and suddenly a pair of cyan hooves curled around Rarity’s hind leg, and grappled onto her shoulder from the front. Next thing they knew, Rainbow kicked her legs into the ground and twirled into the air, flipping over and crashing the unicorn back-first into the rough floor- a blow that would’ve cracked any regular pony’s spine. “Rope!” she shouted, gripping tightly and using her powerful wings to force the unicorn into the ground. She growled angrily and flailed wildly, trying to escape the strong grip. Applejack emerged from the hut again and gripped a long piece of the required rope in her teeth, dashing over beside Rainbow and gripping the rope tightly. With speed of experience and precision of skill, she swiftly tied down Rarity’s kicking legs, and used the other end of the rope as a miniature lasso for the fore-hooves, binding them very tightly behind the unicorn’s back, arching her position. The two mares collapsed right there, belly’s rising and falling from complete exhaustion from that single, dramatic event. It made their hearts beat like crazy. Twilight slowly stepped over to them, looking down at the growling and thrashing pony. She quickly knelt down and carefully put her head against Rarity’s nearly touching their horns together as she stared deeply into those wild-red eyes, and hissed: “Ssssleeep.” Rarity, after kicking against her binds a couple more times, finally slowed, her eyes fluttering closed, quietly obeying the command and drifting off to sleep. “Thank you, girls, I’m very proud of you.” Twilight smiled warmly as she rose back up. She looked around at the group, all eyes were on her. Some fearful, some sad, some completely shocked. She knew one thing more than any other. “I...guess I have some explaining to do...” ~ “Macintosh..." she whispered with a smile from behind the red stallion's neck, breathing her sweet delicious breath upon him. "Mmmh... five more minutes, hun," the work horse whispered back, a deep rumbling sigh escaping his lips as he felt her hooves wrapping around his middle and giving him a firm squeeze. "But...Macintosh, you have to wake up."She whispered sweetly. "We're all going to die if you don't wake up." Macintosh's eyes snapped open as he caught sight of Lyra screaming down at him, her eyes wide and panicked as no noise escaped her lips. "You're all going to die like me, if you don't get up." "Macintosh, please! Get up! Hurry!" Lyra screamed as the sounds of splintering and crackling wood echoed all around him. The workhorse grunted as he scrambled to get up, looking all around him and spotted the ravaged pony, who had managed to shove him into one of the barn's support beams and knocked him out. It was dead, an iron pole pierced into its side. "Darn monsters... Ah've had just about enough o' them..." he grumbled to himself as he looked towards the entrance to the barn, the closed door creaking and cracking violently as several snarling voices rammed themselves against it. "Why did you even come out here? It's night time, you know what He said about going out at night!" Lyra hissed as Macintosh shook his head from the dull throbbing pain that had suddenly returned to his skull. "Forgot mah yoke." he whispered, heading towards the support beam which displayed his yoke on a hook, ready for wearing and working. He was so ready to go back to work too... if only. "Seriously? Your yoke?! You could have been killed, you big dummy!" She pointed over towards the dead pony laying just several feet away as she growled, "You would have been too if I hadn't rushed over to save you!" Macintosh let out a huff as he quickly made his way over to the ladder that led up to the hayloft. "Ah thank you for it too, Miss Lyra, but right now we gotta get quiet and get up here b’fore that door breaks." Lyra bit her lip for a moment, looking back towards the splintering door before nodding and rushing over to climb up the ladder that Macintosh was already half way up on. The stallion reached the secluded loft first, turning and reaching down to help pull Lyra up quickly. In turn, she reached up and hooked her hoof around Macintosh's, squeaking in surprise as she was pulled up with incredible speed. As wiggling rear hooves disappeared up into the hayloft, the front door to the barn crashed inwards and let in a torrent of ponies. They were bloody, they were angry, and they smelled food. The work horse pressed a hoof against Lyra's mouth as she let out a tiny squeak, shaking his head at her in an effort to make sure she understood not to make any noise. As she nodded towards him, Macintosh took a chance to carefully peer over the edge of the loft and down onto the floor of the barn. He grimaced as he spotted at least ten monstrous ponies, all of them with either dark crimson splashed against their faces, or adorned with some kind of bite mark in their tender fur. He looked over each of them carefully, planning out the best course of action to attack. Ten was a bit of a challenge, but one he had faced before. It would be quick and calculated, over before any alarm was raised. Just as he was about to make his move, however, an eleventh pony trudged into view. Macintosh closed his eyes with a pained expression as Bon-Bon twisted her head rapidly to the left and right, like a chicken sensing that its feed was close. Macintosh leaned back into the hayloft, his eyes centering on the small window that rested just beyond a few bales of hay. He pointed silently with a hoof towards it, drawing Lyra's eyes away from the edge and towards the window as well. She nodded and begun to quietly get up and stealthily walk over behind the hay bales. Macintosh followed after her quickly, making sure she didn't have a chance to peer over the edge. If Lyra saw her infected friend at any point like this... it'd probably be over for the both of them. He had already tasted rage once... another would be his last. Lyra reached the window first, the teal mare being as gentle as she could in pushing it open and letting the crisp night air reach them with a soft touch. She took a moment to peer out the window before hastily bringing her head back in with wide eyes. She turned towards Macintosh and shook her head, motioning towards the opening. At this, Macintosh frowned and took a step forward to look himself. He grimaced as he spotted five of the monsters standing between the barn and the farm house where the others were. "Darnit..." he whispered, his eyes scanning for any opening they could've used to escape. When he found none, he slowly turned his head towards Lyra, his eyes centering on her horn. She followed his gaze upwards, the tip of her horn coming into her view as her irises shrunk in a fit of panic. "Mac, no!" she whispered in terror, shaking her head several times. "Just to one corner o' the yard!" Macintosh retorted, his ears perking to the sounds of thudding against the hayloft ladder, "The magic'll attract ‘em to the barn and give us a good chance to make it to the house!" Lyra shook her head again as she whispered urgently "Macintosh, are you crazy!? I've never teleported more than a teacup or two! I can't teleport both of us down there!" Macintosh furrowed his brow, looking away from Lyra for a moment to think. An idea clicked in his head as he quickly breathed, "Can ya launch any kinda flare, or magic bolt or somethin'?" When Lyra nodded, he pointed over towards the Everfree Forest with a hoof and whispered "Over that way, give them somethin' to run after!" Lyra nodded once more, approaching the window and pointing her horn straight over towards the forest. "Please... go far," Lyra whispered as she reached into the recesses of her mind and magic. Her horn crackled for a moment before gleaming and stirring up a monstrous howl of a horde below. With a terrified cry, Lyra launched a bolt of teal magic out of the window, hurling it towards the Everfree Forest and immediately cutting off her magic flow. The red stallion watched as the ponies in the yard turned and bolted straight for the forest while the sounds of thudding from the hayloft ladder grew in intensity. "Ok, go! Go now!" Macintosh urged as Lyra scrambled out of the window. The work horse quickly followed her, pausing to close the window behind him. They reached the edge of the roof together, looking down towards the far ground before looking at each other and giving each other a firm nod. The two of them made a stunning leap as the group from inside the barn rushed out and joined in the chase after the wayward magic. Macintosh hit the ground first in a roll, making sure that not a single point of his body absorbed all of the impact. Lyra wasn't as fortunate, her hoof twisting slightly as she hit the ground and causing her to let out a loud whine of pain. Macintosh clenched his teeth as he looked over towards the forest, noticing that two or three of the bloody ponies had stopped, their ears perking as a new sound reached them. The sound of wounded prey. "Come on, Lyra!" Macintosh hissed as he hastily got to his belly. Lyra weakly pulled herself on top of him, barely having the strength to hold on as the work horse made a quick gallop towards the farm house. As the sounds of galloping started drifting back towards the barn, Macintosh shoved his way through the doors of his farmhouse and made for a quick gallop down the hall. Wasting no time, he ripped open a small door at the end of the main hall, rushing in and shutting it behind him. He bounded down the steps that were waiting for him just beyond the door, the work horse's breath labored and panicked as he reached one final door at the bottom of the stairs. He paused for a quick few breaths before quietly knocking on the door and whispering "Spike, ya'll open up now. It's me an’ Lyra!" There was a few moments pause before the young voice of a dragon whispered back through the door, asking, "Who does it belong to?" At this, Macintosh let his head hang slightly and his eyes shut painfully. He knew the answer... but every time he had to say it, he could swear his heart tore a little every time. "Twilight..." he whispered, stepping back as the sounds of the door unlocking were heard. The door opened a few seconds later, revealing a weary looking Spike and a few barrels of apple cider. Macintosh nodded towards the small dragon as he made his way in, whispering "Thanks Spike... everythin' alright here?" "As far as it can be I guess..." he said quietly, closing and locking the door behind them. The red stallion gently placed Lyra in the far corner of the cellar, next to the sleeping twins of the Cakes who were curled up against a pony who Macintosh was introduced to as 'Roseluck'. He sighed as he sat back on his flank next to a sleeping bundle in a tiny basket, watching as Spike took back his spot next to a sleeping Catie Cloud-Mane, the young Pegasus filly who had taken refuge with Twilight during the first incident. That dreadful... painful first incident. It seemed as though it was repeated… His eyes wandered to the right as he looked over a weeping Sweetie Belle pressed up against a worried Applebloom, with one of the weather ponies, Thunderlane, resting up against one of the cider barrels along the far wall. It was a lot of ponies for one apple cider cellar, but it would have to do. It was too dangerous to be up in the main house during the night. He jumped slightly as Spike called out to him "You good, Mac'?". Macintosh felt a smile tug at his lips as he whispered back, "Eeyup... peachy." His eyes drooped to a close as his tiredness finally caught up to him, drawing blackness once more to his vision. "Just... peachy..." The following day for Ponyville was far more different than anypony would have liked as the sounds of retreating monsters and snarling ponies dissipated towards the Everfree Forest. One by one, ponies carefully poked their heads outside, taking careful steps to ensure that the outside was safe... if only temporarily. Macintosh opened his eyes slowly as the sounds of clawed footsteps climbing down the stairs were heard, his head still throbbing from the grotesque sounds of howling ponies. From beside him, the sounds of a tiny creature gurgling reached his ears, causing him to turn his head. It was always something he adored, listening to the sounds of the very thing that he cherished more than anything in the entire world. A baby filly, lavender in color with small spots of red lined in her fur, she had a streak of blonde in her purple and pink mane, her eyes the most dazzling color of emeralds in all of Equestria, according to a few. A tiny unicorn horn poked through her dazzling mane, and her tiny smile was enough to make Macintosh's headache disappear, if only for a few moments. He gently reached a hoof over to rub at her belly as the door to the cellar opened. The stallion turned his head towards Spike, who walked in with a tired but determined look on his young face, the small dragon pointed a clawed thumb behind him and spoke, "Figured I'd give you a heads up... those traitors Lyra mentioned are coming." At this, Macintosh closed his eyes and sighed, nodding and getting up to his aching hooves. "How long was Ah out?" He asked sluggishly, his hooves feeling a bit wobbly as he turned towards his filly. "Almost all day, it's getting to be pretty late in the afternoon." Spike answered, drawing a deep sigh out of Macintosh. The stallion picked up his filly's basket in his teeth and carefully placed it on a balanced point on his back. With trudging hooves, he made his way out of the cellar and up into the main hall of the house. His pace was sluggish as he passed by the entrance to the living room, his ears perking to the sounds of quiet arguing from within. "We were just here to sample some of Macintosh's new Apple Cider!" Thunderlane grumbled as he pointed an accusing hoof towards Lyra "That was, until somebody led a whole mob of monsters over here! Now we might as well be trapped here!" "I was panicked, Thunderlane, give me a break!" Lyra shouted back, her mane disheveled and unkempt, "I've been having a little bit of a rough day if you haven't noticed! At least you still have your marefriend!" At this, Roseluck quickly shook her head and pulled the twins closer to her while whispering, "Please don't bring me into this, it's already taking too much of my energy to keep these little ones quiet..." Macintosh sighed as he made his way towards the front door, Spike following quickly at his side. As he saw the shadows of ponies just beyond the door, his mind wandered over exactly what happened the previous evening. Thunderlane and Roseluck, the two new happy parents of the orphaned Cake Twins come for a visit and a small sample of their new apple cider... with Lyra and an angry mob of savaged, bloody ponies screaming behind her. He didn't know what caused the re-infection or why... nor was he sure if he even cared anymore. So much blood and misery could play havoc on one's mind... and with so much more on the way, Macintosh wasn't sure if he could survive a second time. He reached the front of the door with a heavy sigh, pushing it open to reveal two black-armored ponies clanking up the steps towards him. They were both colts, their armor embezzled with several serrated edges and a few spikes. He had heard about the 'Volunteers' from Lyra after she had run all the way from Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres, but couldn't really believe that anypony would actually buy into Discord's lies, let alone the acceptance of his rule. "What do y'all want..." he asked them irritably, his mood for dealing with ponies very thin. "There were several attacks against Lord Discord's 'children' last night, particularly concerning the Elements of Harmony." The colt on the left growled "Do you know anything about that?" At this, Macintosh simply shook his head in annoyance and spat back at them, "Ah'm livin' all the way over here on this side of Ponyville, ya damn cowards, why would Ah know anythin' bout the Elements?" The colt on the right narrowed his eyes towards Macintosh as he retorted sinisterly "I think you know why..." The patience that Macintosh thought he had quickly snapped as he pointed a firm hoof at them and hollered "Who the hell do y'all think you are trudgin' up here to me askin' stupid questions! Ah don't know anythin' bout' any Elements so y'all can just tuck yer cowardly tails between y'alls legs and get off of mah damn farm!" The colts looked towards one another and then back at Macintosh, the two of them giving him one last glare before turning and moving away from the farmhouse. As they retreated, Lyra trotted up towards the red stallion and Spike, "What's going on up here? What's with the shouting?" "Two more of those wuss ponies came to question Big Mac." Spike answered, inclining his head towards the black armored ponies "What's their deal anyway?" Lyra sighed as Mac closed the door firmly, grumbling to himself and retreating back towards the kitchen. "They're just... scared, Spike," Lyra explained, "When I was in Ponyville, and Discord had us all cornered, he said that we'd be allowed outside during the day... but that we were too rowdy to be trusted." She followed Macintosh into the kitchen with Spike as she went on, "He promised to draw the ravaged ponies to the forest for the day if volunteers signed up to be his own little personal 'guard' or something. Never said why.” "Cowardly if ya ask me..." Macintosh grumbled, plucking an apple out of the basket and taking a bite out of it. Lyra sighed and shook her head, trotting towards the table to get an apple of her own. Spike simply watched for a moment before the sounds of tiny hooves met his ears, drawing him to turn his head. Catie was heading towards the door, her head drooping and her eyes weary and tired as if she hadn't slept in days. "Hey," Spike called, reaching a clawed paw out towards her. Catie stopped, lifting her head to meet his gaze as he asked "Where are you off to?" "Oh, um... just outside," Catie answered, looking towards the door "I just need some air." "I'll come with you if you want," Spike offered, turning and walking towards her, "It's not really safe to go out alone anyway." He watched as she thought it over for a moment before smiling and nodding at him. "Alright, cool!" He exclaimed, turning towards the hall "I'll go grab a few things and we can head out." Catie nodded and watched him disappear for a few moments, turning her head back towards the door. It was tough, she thought, having to switch lifestyles yet again. The very fact that the monsters had returned was enough to make her grimace and feel sick to her stomach. With Twilight dead and gone... what were they supposed to do now? Could anypony do anything to save them a second time? "Alright, I'm ready to go!" Spike said as he approached Catie once more. She turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, noticing the small brown belt he now wore along with the baseball bat he had leaning against one shoulder and the baseball he threw up and caught in his other hand. In the small belt there rested what looked like a can of manespray. "Um...Spike?" Catie asked, eying the can carefully. "As far as you know..." Spike whispered, winking towards the filly "I'm returning it to a friend." "What about the bat and ball?" Catie muttered, her eyes flicking over towards it. Spike simply chuckled and responded with "If anyone asks, I'm playing baseball with the sky and you're flying up to catch the ball." With a final nod, Catie pushed her way out of the farmhouse and out into the dreary afternoon. "Y'all don't stay too late out there!" Macintosh called after them, "It'll get dark before y'all know it!" "We won't!" Spike called back, closing the farmhouse door behind him and hurrying to catch up with Catie up ahead, who was already moving into the lines and lines of growing and fully grown apple trees. For a while, the two of them were quiet, walking side by side through the rows of trees. The wind was blowing gently through the leaves of Evergreen, bringing a sense of calm in a world gone mad once again. Spike was caught off guard when Catie suddenly spoke. "Do you miss her...?" she asked quietly, drawing a thin frown out of the young dragon. He took a moment to piece his words together before answering her. "Yes... but I think maybe it's better that she's gone." "What!?" Catie exclaimed with a gasp as they reached the bottom of a large, grassy hill. Spike sighed as the two of them started up the hill, turning his head to speak. "Well... think about it," Spike said as the wind whipped around them, "Twilight got infected, right? Twice. That means she can't become a regular old pony again." "Well... yeah that's true," Catie whispered, hanging her head. Spike nodded and went on, "I wouldn't really want her to be around all her friends and... and her family if she couldn't even get close to them, you know?" Catie sighed as they reached the top of the hill, a lone apple tree greeting them at the top. "I suppose you're right, but I still miss her..." "Same here," Spike muttered, taking a seat under the tree and leaning back against it. Catie dropped to her belly gently beside him, laying her head on the grass and letting out a quiet breath. "Hey, Spike...?" Catie asked, starting out across the wide expanse of the farm and at the pink clouds that loomed in the distance. When the dragon looked down towards her she whispered, "Do you think... things will go back to normal again?" Spike looked out towards the clouds as well, putting his hands behind his head as he whispered back "It'll probably take a while, but I'm sure everything will be just fine." The two of them fell into a silence, neither one of them uttering a word. It was a peaceful moment for Spike, his mind free to wander on all that he could. Was Twilight happy and at peace? Was she in a good afterlife? He turned his head to ask Catie something, but quietly closed his mouth as he beheld her sleeping form nestled up beside him. He smiled slightly, leaning his head back and closing his own eyes. A few minutes sleep wouldn't kill him. ~ Twilight’s violet eyes watched the window with resentment, seeing the creatures run by with speed as she assumed they were called back for the night… With a sigh, she turned away from the window, shutting the curtains and walking over to Zecora’s bed. It was occupied… The unicorn stood there, staring at the sleeping creature, watching its chest rising and falling like a normal living pony. Her eyes fluttered under their closed lids, hooves would move every so often. It was all perfectly average. But was Rarity really dreaming? Or just following a command? Twilight gulped slightly, not wanting to think about it, but she knew she must. Her friend had suffered through everything because of her. If she hadn’t worked so hard to break them all out, this probably never would’ve happened. But the mare couldn’t beat herself up too much for it, her motives were not selfish in any way, she had her reasons. With a sad sigh, she climbed onto the bed, and curled up next to the white unicorn tied down to the bed, resting her head on Rarity’s soft, furry belly. She seemed so innocent and peaceful when she slept… “I’m sorry, Rarity… I just… I can’t save you just yet, it would give us away.” The lavender mare whispered, talking mostly to herself, but she could feel a tear welling up her eye. “Just, if you can hear me… I promise you’ll make it out of this… we all will.” ~ The sounds of crickets was what woke Spike up first, the young dragon letting out a tiny yawn as he opened his eyes and frowned. "Crickets... what are crickets doing out during the-" He stopped as his eyes flew open to their widest point, the night time meeting his gaze. "Uh oh..." he gasped, turning to shake Catie awake. He pushed against her firmly as he whispered, "Catie, Catie wake up! We're in serious trouble!" "Huh, what?" She whispered back sleepily, opening her eyes slowly, "What's going o-" She cut herself off as a gasp burst from her lungs, her eyes widening as she looked up at Spike, "What happened?!" "We dozed off, come on we have to get out of here!" Spike whispered as he helped her to her hooves, the two of them making their way towards the edge of the hill top. As they made their way down the hill, a furious screeching exploded off above them, drawing a small scream out of Catie. "Spike they're already in the fields!" She cried, the sounds of galloping hooves echoing all around them. The young dragon whipped his head to the left and right as the sounds of snarling and growling weaved through the trees. They already had them sniffed out, there was no way that anything left outside wouldn't have been discovered by now. A feeling of hopelessness started to fill him as Catie skidded to a halt and let out a cry of fright. A dark shadow jumped in front of them, a pair of sinister red eyes glaring down at them. Spike wasted no time in rushing ahead of Catie with the reflexes of experience, swinging his bat wide and clobbering the ravaged pony before him across the face. The pony screeched as it was flung off to the side, drawing a loud shout of Spike as he pushed Catie forward, "Run! Go Catie keep moving!" There was no way they'd make it on foot, not with them surrounded like this. There was no way for them to make it safety back to the farmhouse. There was no way... for both of them. Spike slowly stopped, halting his movements as Catie ran ahead. She turned to look back and she too skidded to a halt as Spike clubbed another blood smeared pony who rushed towards him. "Spike!" She cried, the snarling of monsters only intensifying around her. "Just go!" He shouted, dropping his bat and pulling out the can of manespray "Hurry and get out of here!" Catie looked towards him with a sense of dread as a few more ponies rushed out of the shadows. But alas, her muscles took control of her mind, drawing her back around and into a full run as the young dragon took a deep intake of breath. As he exhaled, he aimed the can of manespray towards the closest pony and watched in awe as his once small burst of green fire turned into an emerald inferno, cascading outwards through the spray and smothering the now burning pony in front of him. He turned as he breathed, igniting the trees with green fire as more ponies emerged from the dark. "Come on then!" He shouted, picking up his bat as he ran out of breath, his lungs heaving for air "I don't have all day! Bring it on!" The afflicted did not move towards him, however, their forms simply retreating backwards as the greenish light from the fire danced across the darkness. "Where are you going?! I'm right here! What's wrong, you all scared!?" "You know that's very cute... coming from a little rascal like you..." boomed a voice behind him, drawing Spike's eyes to widen as the diseased ones all around him bounded away in a panic. "I say... you've made quite a mess… Spike." Discord said in a half amused, half disappointing tone. "That's not really good for business, you know." Spike let out a furious snarl as he whirled around, throwing the bat from his paws towards Discord's face. The chaotic beast merely laughed however as he snapped his fingers, turning the bat into a bouquet of flowers and catching it swiftly. Spike's jaw dropped as the multi-formed monster took a large whiff of the flowers and cackled with delight, "Oh, for me?! You shouldn't have Spike!" He then proceeded to throw the flowers upwards into one of the flaming trees as his yellow and red eyes narrowed towards the small dragon in rage. "You really... really shouldn't have." Spike felt a lot of things in that moment. Perhaps it was terror, or the adrenaline talking. Maybe it was the feeling of utter stupidity for having attempted to directly attack a supernatural being that could have easily unmade the world if he so wanted. But what he knew for sure that he felt, was pain. Pain ripped through his body as red blood glistened. Spike felt himself rise up into the air as claws slashed against him, tearing some of his scales off. The young dragon hit the ground with a mighty thud, rolling slightly before coming to a complete stop underneath one of the blazing trees. "There's a good boy." Discord chuckled as he licked the disease off of his claws, "Now, be a good boy and... use your anger for better things, hmm?" As Spike clutched his slightly bleeding side, feeling a stinging burning wind itself through him, he whimpered. "N-no!" He cried, a flash of red crossing his vision, "Not like this! Come on, is that all you got?!" The wounded dragon wobbled unsteadily as he supported himself against a tree, looking up towards the spot where Discord had vanished, his body burning with a feeling of rage. "Come back here!" Spike shouted, his cheek twitching as he felt something thick quietly sliding down his face "Come fight me fair you big loser!!!" "S...Spike?" whispered a tiny voice, drawing the raging dragon to look over to where Catie now stood. She had come back, standing between two trees that had yet to catch fire. Her eyes were wide with terror as she looked upon Spike, her breath coming out in ragged gasps as she pointed a hoof towards him. "What? What's wrong!?" Spike shouted at her, his claws digging into the tree with infuriating anger and strength. "Your... your eyes." Catie whispered quietly "You're…" And then she fainted. Her vision swimming with the only two colors she could see; the only colors that swam in those orbs of white green, orbs that were now laced with emerald and blood.
Hunt"Now dearest...it is important to relax. Remain calm, and the situation will be quick-" "Calm!? CALM!? How can you expect me to remain calm?! It's back, HE'S back! How could this of happened, what did we do, what didn't we do!? Oh my ponies, my little ponies are being murdered by their nightmares once more! How can we stop it, stop him! Oh stars and planets above what are we going to-" "Celestia please! Calm thyself sister, we have taken steps to ensure that the virus will not consume our world again. Fail-safes are in place and they are being executed as we speak! We will restore order again, this I promise you." "But Discord...DISCORD! He has broken free Luna, the father of our terrible affliction. He breathes this sickness, seeps his chaos into every living, loving soul he can. He'll be coming here for us soon enough! What fail-safe do you have for HIM of all things!?" ... "Luna...? Tell me there's a plan for Discord....Luna?" ... "Oh gods above...Luna?" "I said don't worry about it." ~~~ Applejack grumbled quietly to herself as she drug her belly across the muddy dirt, crawling with extra care and carefulness between her apple trees. She could hear the low growling and the shuffling of diseased hooves somewhere around her, the harsh panting of a sick pony looking for a red, raw meal. Or in this case, a certain orange flank that looked as delicious as the three apples that adorned it. The country mare moved only a few inches at a time, pulling herself into a large clump of tall grass. She was already playing a very dangerous game with her life, having taking a roll through a pool of infected blood before venturing out into the fields, the smell of the disease covering her scent. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had taken overwhelming precautions to ensure the mare didn't have any open wounds or scratches that could risk her getting infected, although that still didn't play very well on her nerves. She had some pretty nerve-wracking close calls, including one afflicted pony coming within at least two feet of her while galloping on through the trees. "Why me?" she thought bitterly, her eyes looking left and right into an endless darkness outlined by thick apple trees. "This is Twilight's fault...stupid diseased unicorn. She shoulda just stayed away! She shoulda just kept her darn sickness away from the rest of us...now look at this place!". She stilled herself as a group of three Pegasai soared overhead, one of them clipping a few leaves from the tree above her. When she was sure the coast was clear, she started inching her way forward again. "Ah coulda' been managing my farm, spendin' time with Shadow-Mane, livin' a normal damn life!". She narrowed her eyes, spotting her barn in the distance and the farm house just beyond. "Buck you Sparkle...and damn you to Tartarus...". As she reached the edge of the tall grass, she thought back on the moments before she began her venture out into Sweet Apple Acres, the last words she said to Twilight... "I don't know what it is bout' em...but the varmints look like they're gettin' smarter." Applejack had whispered from her secluded hiding spot in one of the many berry bushes lining the treeline just on the other side of the fence lining Sweet Apple Acres. Beside her, a nestled Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes as she scanned the empty vegetable field just beyond the fence. The country mare sighed as she ran a hoof through her straw-colored mane, grumbling as she watched at least ten diseased ponies walking about in precise patterns. "Looks like they're patrollin', or somethin' like that." Rainbow Dash chewed on her lip for a moment, grumbling quietly to herself before whispering "It's Discord, remember they said it was one of his artifacts or whatever that housed the disease? I bet you his magic has got a pretty good influence on the Ravage. He can manipulate it, make it stronger probably...make his minions stronger." "So why can't Twilight just up n' purge em again?" Applejack shot back "She smothered all of Equestria with that golden magic o' hers, can't she just do it again?" The mare was already upset that she had to go and roll in the blood of a dead, diseased pony already, and her upcoming mission was certainly doing nothing to improve her mood, much less the return of Twilight whom she continued to blame for bringing back the source of her nightmares. At this, Rainbow merely shook her head and muttered "I don't think it's going to be that simple this time around AJ...a lot of ponies who were infected before have been infected again. There's not going to be a second chance for most of us, and with Discord about, he'll know about Twilight's magic and is probably going to do whatever he can to capture or kill her to prevent her from even trying." The Pegasus shared a long, sad look with her friend as she finished with a small crack in her voice "I...don't think we're walking away from this one AJ...not this time around." "So what do we do?" Applejack whispered, staring back out towards the fields "If there's no hope for most of the populace, what're we supposed to do?" "Save as many as we can..." whispered a third voice from behind them, causing the two mares in the bush to jump slightly. Turning around, they watched as Twilight Sparkle crept into the bush with them, nestling between the two and staring out towards Applejack's old fields. She whispered as she finally settled in on her belly "My purge will barely be as effective as it was the last time, so all we can really do is save who we can, and get them someplace safe." "Oh yeah? And exactly where the buck is that?" Applejack spat, pointing her hoof out towards the ravaged ponies milling about "If ya haven't noticed, nowhere is safe from these things. Appleloosa, Manehatten, every major city fell to this disease Twilight, and that was WITHOUT Discord's influence." Twilight merely sighed, staring out towards the trees and sniffing slightly. She couldn't see any of the monsters out there...but she could sure as hell smell them. They were out there...watching, waiting, hunting. She figured Discord would try to cut her off from the rest of their friends, and especially her kin...something that Twilight was happy was still safe, for now. "I don't know Applejack...but we can't give up." She whispered to her country friend "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be, but now is not the time!" She locked eyes with Applejack for a moment, looking at her with a worried and pleading expression and receiving only a hateful one in return "We need to unite and stand together if we're going to have any chance of beating Discord. We can stop him again with the Elements of Harmony, but only after we ensure all our friends and family are safe! To do that, we need to make sure we work together, not fall apart!" Applejack grimaced and looked away, narrowing her eyes towards the trees. She couldn't see nor smell them like Twilight could, but she knew they were out there too. "Ah'll be willin' to put mah differences aside once ah make sure Macintosh n' Shadow are safe...and after this is all done, ah don't care what happens," she took a moment to shoot Twilight a venomous look with her eyes and whisper harshly "But you WILL answer for what you've done to us. Ah swear it Twi', ya'll gonna pay for what you've done." Twilight looked away, sadly nodding to the mare. She had explained to her friends as best as she could have as to what happened after she had released the Great Purge in Canterlot, how she faked her death and disappeared to ensure the disease wouldn't be unleashed yet again. But when she returned to Canterlot, Discord's seal was already on the quick path to breaking, and there was no time to do anything about it. She had tried to convince Applejack that all the death and chaos in the previous months made Discord's return inevitable...but the country mare was convinced that the re-infection was Twilight's fault, that Discord broke out because of her intense magical connection to the disease in her blood. There was sadly...nothing she could do to convince her. Trying to change the subject, Twilight went back to discussing the plan "Alright...anyway, Applejack's going to try and sneak into Sweet Apple Acres, and make sure Macintosh and the others are ok. Twenty or so minutes after Applejack starts her approach, Rainbow Dash is going to cause a big distraction on the other side of the farm, and buy Applejack some time to get them out of the house and into the Everfree Forest. Take them straight towards the ruined castle, ok?" Rainbow Dash nodded and rolled out of the bush, slithering her way along the treeline in the direction of the far fields while Applejack merely nodded and grumbled "Fine...but you better pray to whatever heathen Gods still watchin' over ya that none of em' are hurt..." "Please Applejack..." Twilight whispered, the unicorn fighting back the tears she felt heating up her eyes "Just...just work with me for awhile...and I'll disappear for good, ok?" The country mare acknowledged her with only a snort as she begun to inch her way out of the bush, her ears picking up one final, whispered plea from Twilight. "Please...don't tell Macintosh." "Well ya shouldn't have even gotten close to him in the first place if all you were gonna' do was hurt him...give him a filly with no mama..." Applejack growled quietly to the air, sliding quietly against the outer wall of her barn, approaching the front corner slowly. She found it completely irresponsible and downright cruel that she would birth a filly, only to abandon it with its father to run and play dead. Moonlight Sparkle...daughter of Twilight Sparkle and Big Macintosh. Under the circumstances, Applejack still thought it was wrong of Twilight to do what she did and run, hurting Macintosh...but that little filly, in Applejack's opinion, was the last thing Twilight Sparkle did right. Regardless of the situation, that little filly was really the only thing that gave Macintosh any real reason to smile anymore. Applejack peeked her head around the corner of the barn, the screeches and howling of the Afflicted around the area crying out all around her. In the far distance, she could vaguely hear the voice of Rainbow Dash screaming "Here I am ya big morons! Come and get it, Rainbow's served!!!!" The country mare merely rolled her eyes as a small horde ran and flew off towards the other side of the farm, giving Applejack the window she needed. With a final check to see if the coast was clear and a huff of breath, she burst out from behind the barn and galloped as fast as she could towards the farmhouse. She reached the porch in seconds, shoving the door open and looking about quickly. The front hall, the kitchen, and the living room were abandoned from what she could tell, but there was indications that there were still ponies living there. A basket of apples, eaten and fresh, and personal belongings and blankets laid out in the living room. When she spoke, she did so in a raised voice, being careful not to be too loud. "Mac'?! Shadow? Where ya'll at?!" She called, trotting quickly through the doorway and letting the door slam behind her. "Macintosh, ya'll better call out n' lemmie know that yer alright!" "AJ!?" Came the muffled sound of Big Macintosh's voice from behind the door that led to the cellar "That you!?" Applejack gasped, rushing over to the door as it started to open, the familiar red face of a certain work horse poking through. "Brother!" Applejack wheezed, tears building up in her eyes as she pushed past the cellar door and into the open hooves of her dearest brother. Big Macintosh hugged her sister to him tightly, his own tears building up slightly. "Oh mah stars, what in the hay are ya doin' all the way out here at night?!" Macintosh half scolded, half pleaded to her "Ya'll coulda got bitten or worse! Don't scare me like this Sis, taint' good for mah heart!" Applejack shook her head, staring up at her brother before saying "There's no time Mac', me and..." She paused for a second, remembering Twilight's request to keep her presence a secret from him, for the obvious reason of keeping him calm and to not freak out over the realization that his true love was still alive. "Um...me n' Dash and the other girls are tryin' ta ferry as many ponies as we can to the castle in the Everfree Forest, you were one of our stops!" Applejack looked past her brother and into the darkness that rested at the bottom of the stairs "Who all do ya have left? Do ya have everypony?" Macintosh looked away slowly, his voice and tone thin and weak "We...have most o' everypony..." Applejack looked at him with a frantic, worried expression. A voiceless question was etched in her eyes, one that Macintosh was reluctant to answer but knew he had to. "We...have Miss Lyra and Roseluck, as well as Thunderlane. Mah little Moonlight and the Cakes' twins are ok, so are Apple Bloom, Catie, and Sweetie Belle...but-" "Sweetie Belle?!" Applejack whispered in surprise, her mind wandering back on the infected Rarity that was tied up back at Zecora's hut "What...ah thought she was with her parents...?" "Train was late Applejack...it never came for her." Macintosh simply answered, which didn't play well on Applejack's already breaking nerves. "That's...that's it. That's all we have" Macintosh finished, her sister's ears drooping at the names not mentioned. "But...what about Spike...? What about Shadow-Mane?!" she breathed the Lunar Guard's name as more of a desperate plea than a question, but the Stallion could only look away as he whispered quietly. "Shadow..." he said "He...went out the day Discord came back...said he was going to pick up something he ordered for you. He...never came back." He looked back towards his sister, tears freely flowing down her face as he whispered "Ah don't know what happened sugarcube...nopony does." "W..what about Spike?" She choked out "Is he...is he missin' too?" Macintosh opened his mouth to answer her, but the words just couldn't, wouldn't come out. He bowed his head slightly as Applejack whispered "N..no. He wasn't, he didn't get...Macintosh he's not one of em!?!?". The work horse merely sighed gravely, looking into his sister's eyes as he whispered "Catie and him were out and about, and they were taken a nap. They woke up late and were attacked...Catie got away, came back and told us that Spike was..." He couldn't bring himself to finish, the stallion ignorant to the unimaginable rage building up inside Applejack's gut. "Another innocent youngin' victimized by Twilight...and this time it was her own baby dragon..." she seethed in thought to herself, her right eye twitching slightly. She pushed her feelings aside as best as she could, looking up at her brother and whispering quickly "Whatever's happened Macintosh, it doesn't matter now. Somehow, someway we'll fix all o' this, but right now ya gotta get the others and follow me outta here. Rainbow's gone n' distracted the monsters outside so we'll have a chance to go, but we gotta go now!" Macintosh nodded, pulling away from his sister to run down to the cellar. In just a few minutes and after all the hellos and greetings were passed between Applejack and Macintosh's group, as well as a warm, tearful reunion between Applejack and Apple Bloom, the ponies had grouped up by the farm house's back door. "Alright..." Applejack whispered "Lemmie see if the coast is clear..." She gently pushed against the screen door, poking her head about and looking around into the night. The moon above was casting its gentle glow across the fields, the cloudless sky twinkling with an endless sea of stars. The last peaceful element left in Equestria, according to Applejack. "Looks clear..." she whispered, inching her way outside and trotting into the soft grass. In the distance, Applejack could still hear Rainbow Dash hooting and hollering like a mad mare, the sounds of pissed off monsters continuing to echo about. "Alright, let's go ya'll!" Applejack called back, waving her hoof towards the treeline. The group was headed by Big Macintosh, the work horse trotting with a very secured basket on his back containing his young filly, followed by Roseluck with the twins, Lyra with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and a very scared-looking Thunderlane bringing up the rear with Catie on his back. They galloped past Applejack and towards the trees, the country mare staying back to ensure nothing was following them. She scanned the area slowly as Macintosh reached the trees, rushing into the orchard with the others close behind. She was just about to turn and gallop off to join them when a small sliver of movement caught her eye. Her eyes instantly snapped towards one of the far off trees in the distance to her left. She narrowed her eyes slightly, staring hard at the outline of what looked like a pony standing under the dark shade of one of her trees. Peering closer, she could see the frayed whites of bandages and what looked like...bat-like wings. She gasped as the pony-like shape bolted back into the trees, her voice calling out after it "Wait! Shadow!?" "Applejack, come on!" Macintosh called after her, his voice frantic and his eyes darting about every which way, checking for any monsters coming back, only to discover that their trapped quarry was trying to escape. The country mare looked back towards her brother, and then back out towards the trees a few times before she finally shouted back "Ya'll go ahead! Apple Bloom knows where Zecora's hut is, she'll direct you in the direction of the castle!" "But what about you sis'!?" Apple Bloom cried out, the young filly extending a hoof outwards towards her "Where are ya goin'?!" "Ya'll don't worry bout' me!" Applejack shouted, turning and bolting towards the spot where she thought she saw Shadow "Just get to the castle and fast!" Ignoring the continuing calls out towards her, Applejack barreled into the other side of the orchard, whipping her head about to the left and right. "Shadow!? Is that you!? Where are ya sugarcube!?" she called out into the night. Shadow-Mane...Captain turned General by Princess Luna in her Royal, Lunar Guard for his heroic actions in defending Canterlot and all of Equestria against the Ravage Virus. A true war hero in Applejack's eyes...a true friend, a true special somepony. Or so...she secretly found herself hoping. She had invited him and Seargent Nightfire, his best friend, to stay with her at Sweet Apple Acres during Ponyville's reconstruction. Ever since the fall of Cloudsdale, the two Lunar Guards had nowhere to go, and thus agreed to Applejack's offer. The Seargent was called back to Haven City however by a very urgent letter from Princess Luna, leaving Shadow to help Applejack tend her growing apple orchard. So many nights spent on the hilltops talking, sharing each others hurts and worries, their experiences. So many tales she was told by the weary veteran about how he had personally delivered Discord's diseased ridden artifact to Celestia, the very artifact left behind by the King of Chaos, hidden away and the sole source of the terrible Ravage Virus that was now plaguing their poor, over-burdened population for a second time. She hurt for him, wished there was something she could do to ease his misery. She found they were alike in many ways...stubborn...proud...willing to do whatever it took to win and work through the day. She cared about him...cared about him to rush into the deadly darkness in search of him, regardless of whatever evil danger there was lying in wait for her. If there was any hope that she could bring him home, and clue or indication of his whereabouts. She'd chase it. She'd hunt for it. It was this feeling that drove her deeper into the trees, her eyes focused and searching, her hooves quick and swift in carrying her through the trees. "Shadow...where ya at!? Come on Shadow speak to me!" Another flash of movement drove her ever more desperately into the orchard. For fifteen minutes she chased the figure through the trees, emerging out of the treeline and onto the edges of a creek that split off a fourth of her orchard. It wound its way through the area, and was often commented on by other ponies that it was a great place to take a swim or two if the hot weather was just too much to bear. There were often times Applejack admitted it as well, although to herself more than others since she often found herself slacking off of work to take a quiet, secret dip by herself if she found herself too stressed out by the overwhelming amount of tasks and duties she had to do around the farm. She looked up and down the creek quickly, panting as she struggled to catch her breath. She couldn't see any sign of the fleeing pony around, causing her to swear under her breath and plop her flank down at the edge of the creek. She let out a heavy sigh, looking out into the darkness of the orchard and whispering "Shadow...where are you...?" Her ears perked as the sounds of galloping sounded off behind her, causing her to whip her head around. All she could see was grey fur and bat-wings as she was tackled over the edge and straight into the creek with a thunderous splash. Applejack tried to cry out, but all that came forth was a shrill gurgle of bubbles. She felt her heart hammer in pure shock and sorrow as she saw two orbs of red moving about in the water, the eyes of a diseased, monstrous pony upon her. She couldn't clearly tell who it was, the country mare wrestling violently with her attacker in the water. It continuously made an effort to bite and beat her, hoping to kill or infect her. She blocked as much as she could, holding a leg against its neck, under its chin in attempts to hold back her assailant. When some of the thrashing water cleared, she felt her heart catch. Her irises shrunk as she beheld the once peaceful, war-scarred face of Shadow-Mane looking upon her with a look of pure rage and anger. His once golden eyes, now a diseased red, bore into the bright emerald of hers. A set of five or so bite marks littered his back and legs, indicating he had been mauled by the monsters she hated the most. She let out a sorrowful, rageful roar underwater, her voice coming out in a harsh gurgling of water and bubbles. She shoved back her diseased friend, clambering her way to the surface as her air was starting to run out. She burst through the water with a heavy gasp, her screams penetrating the thick darkness. She scrambled up onto the bank, shrieking as tears spilled down her face and sorrow overwhelmed her heart. She let out a cry as Shadow burst out of the water, grasping onto one of her rear hooves. She kicked back her other hoof on instinct, bucking the bat-pony in the face and sending him back into the water. "Oh goddess above not you!" She cried towards the water, scrambling back away from the creek and choking out a sob as Shadow once again broke the surface, his snout bent slightly with fresh blood leaking out of his nostrils. He shrieked at Applejack, swiping his hooves towards the banks and trying to get a good hoof hold to pull himself out. Applejack looked about quickly, spotting a rock just nearby. She quickly rushed over to it, swiping it up with her hoof and looking back towards Shadow with a panicked, yet sorrowful look etched on her face. "Oh sugarcube, Ah'm sorry! Ah'm so sorry!" She cried, chucking the rock at his head and wincing as it clonked him in the forehead. She made sure that her throw wasn't a lethal one...but a good enough one to knock him out. He dropped like the rock that bounced off his skull, the bat-pony falling into unconsciousness quickly. She let out a few heaving breaths, her body finally finding the strength to move her trembling hooves towards her once beloved friend. She looked down on him, tears streaming down her face and dripping down onto Shadow's gently. He looked so peaceful, she thought, the pony looking like he was merely sleeping. He'd wake up, full of life and that old vigor she adored, ready for another day and another fight if he had to. She sniffed, wiping her eyes and nose as she whispered "Ah swear...ah don't care what it takes...ah know you haven't been sick before, so ah know you can be saved." She leaned down, planting a small kiss on his forehead and whispering into his ear "Ah'll save you...ah promise..." She stood back up slowly, her eyes narrowing in rage. She looked up towards the direction of the Everfree Forest. She heaved for breath as she felt an unspeakable anger boiling in her blood, her hooves carrying her forward at lightning speed towards Twilight Sparkle's predetermined meeting point. No one would ever believe it...but in that moment...Applejack's rage was greater than the rage any Ravaged pony would ever feel. ~~~ Twilight looked at the small watch clasped across her leg near her hoof, looking back up into the trees. She was resting on the edge of the large, foggy chasm that, a mile or so to the north, passed under the wooden bridge to the old castle. Rainbow Dash had only arrived a few minutes ago, letting Twilight know that she had led Macintosh and the others to the castle safely. "They said Applejack stayed behind to check something out but that she'd be following after them soon, I did a quick fly over but didn't see anything yet." Rainbow told her, sitting next to her carrier friend. The unicorn sighed quietly, shaking her head as she whispered "I wish Applejack didn't hate me so...I wish she'd see that this isn't my fault." "Well she's upset Twilight...she thought all the worst was behind her." Rainbow whispered back "She's just...she'll come around eventually, I'm sure of -" Her sentence was suddenly interrupted as a thunderous roar of a mare exploded out from the trees, Applejack blasting through the thick foliage and barreling right towards Twilight. "Applejack!?" Twilight gasped, watching as the country mare flew at her with immense speed, a look of pure rage on her face. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought Applejack was infected herself. "What are you do- ACK!!" She started to ask but was cut off as Applejack body slammed her, hooking her front hooves around her and tackling Twilight Sparkle over the edge. Rainbow Dash had let out a yelp of fright as Applejack roared past her, and cried out as the two mares tumbled into the thick fog below. Author's Note It's good to be back! More updates to come!
Applejack"...Your word certainly means much. You can't be serious." "My dearest little Luna...after all we've seen and done together, you still doubt me? I must say, I'm quite hurt!" "Enough! I have no time to hear such foolishness, what with the griffons preparing their attack. My Lunar Guard is already stretched to its breaking point dealing with the infection AND the readying of our borders..." "Oh my apologies, my apologies indeed! You poor, overburdened thing you. I'm sure if you considered my proposal...I could maybe even the scales?" "You've already taken my best General, thrown the Elements of Harmony into complete disarray, and have plagued my poor sister's mind with your very presence! How can I even begin to trust that your words are true? You could betray us as any moment, finishing off Equestria for good! How do I trust you!?" "That's really the question, isn't it Luna? But then again, think about the alternative. Either way, it's quite simple. Without me, and without my help...you and your little ponies are all going to die. The griffons can destroy your empire just as easily as I could. So really...what do you have to lose?" "...I shudder at the very thought." ~~~ ...thud thud....thud thud....thud thud... "Your heartbeat is so...it's like a drum." Twilight breathed happily, her eyes fluttering shut as she buried her cheek into her stallion's thick fur. His hooves were around her, holding her tightly against him in a desperate, but comforting embrace. "Tain't that great...is it?" He mumbled quietly, running a hoof very softly up her spine, sending rippling shivers down her entire form. Twilight couldn't reply, simply sighing in delight and nuzzling her beloved. She looked up towards his weary face, looking deep into those emeralds that shone with so much love for her, yet so much pain for their broken world. "The train's going to leave soon...do you think we'll really be safe?" She asked him. For months she had been cooped up in her library, chaos swarming around her in a land gone mad with rage and anger. It was hard to believe that salvation was so close, that for once they could be truly be safe. Her beloved wore a tiny smile, tightening his hold on her ever so slightly and giving her a reassuring squeeze as he whispered to her "Ah reckon' so. That Shadow-Mane pony seems to know what he's doin', and ah trust that them Lunar ponies will do what they can to help us." He planted a small kiss on her forehead and finished with a quiet "Ah trust em'...ah think it's gonna be all ok." Twilight closed her eyes and rested her cheek once more upon his chest, sighing as he suddenly whispered "Assuming you don't die from this fall." "...Wha-?" "HOW COULD YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME!?!? AH HATE YOU!!!!" she screamed. A sorrowful, hateful scream. Twilight blinked as they tumbled through the fog. It took a few moments for her to recollect her thoughts and realize she was tumbling very fast and very violently towards her final demise. And only a few more moments for the pain to register in her left eye that she had been brutally punched. Her hoof swung up as if on instinct, the unicorn unaware of her body acting on its own as it swiped away another punch from a weeping, rage fueled Applejack. They swung and grappled at each other, punching and kicking with their hooves, their two forms tumbling through the dense fog of the eerie chasm that separated the castle plateau from the rest of the Everfree Forest. The unicorn swiped one of her former friend's punches away, growling as she looked around the swirling air for any chance of saving them. She couldn't teleport them, for fear of exposing them to Discord. That and she didn't want the diseased ponies being attracted to the general area of the castle, for fear of exposing her friends and the other civilians to her enemies as well. "You bucking piece of trash! Ah'm gonna friggin' kill you!" Applejack roared, planting a firm hit across Twilight's cheek. The unicorn let out a yelp as the hit connected, forcing her to close that eye for a moment. "Applejack please!!!" Twilight screamed, the wind whipping her mane about. The fog made it impossible to see how close they were too the ground, but deep in her heart, she knew it was coming soon. "Don't do this! We can't hope to ever defeat Discord if we divide ourselves now!!!" Applejack wasn't hearing any of it though, throwing another punch at the pony and shouting in frustration as it was slapped away yet again "You got him infected! You bucking FIX HIM! Give him back to me!!!" Twilight couldn't believe her ears as they plummeted further and further into the chasm. Applejack...had she completely lost it? Was the firm and calm country rodeo pony she knew nothing more than a crazy mess and a broken mare? She was just about to open her mouth to retort when the fog suddenly gave way, clearing to reveal a rocky ford only maybe a hundred feet below them. At their speed, a good three to five seconds before their deaths. "Macintosh..." Twilight whispered to herself. "I...I'm sor-" "GOT YA!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she tore through the air beneath them, catching them both with one hoof under each of their legs, hooking him close and tightening her hold. The cyan Pegasus had pushed herself down so hard, she left the craggy edges of the chasm walls behind her splattered with the after-burning color of rainbows. "Hold on!!!" She shouted, angling her wings and trying her best to keep them all steady while she made for the ground at a much slower speed. As she would on a runway, Rainbow leveled herself out perfectly before letting her legs spread out, releasing her friends to the ground with two loud thumps. She landed with a quick flurry of galloping hooves before finally settling down to a stop, turning quickly and shouting "Twilight, you two ok!?" "F...fine I think..." she answered, her wind-blown mane damp with sweat and dew from the fog "I think...I think I'm going to keep my hooves on the ground from now on." Rainbow nodded before shooting a deadly glare towards her 'friend', growling towards her with venom in her voice "Well that could have been done easily if SOMEPONY hadn't just attempted murder!" "Oh you would defend her!" Applejack shouted back, the orange mare having trouble steadying herself on her wobbly legs. She was a pony built for the ground as well, not the wild winds. "She got Shadow-Mane infected!" She stamped her front hooves loudly, drawing gasps out of the other two ponies in regards to her shocking statement. "Give him back, NOW!" She shouted, tears brimming her eyes. "Give him back, and GO AWAY!" Twilight opened her mouth slightly, her eyes softening in sadness and hurt...hurt for her friend. "Applejack...I'm, I'm so sorry..." she said, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. She had to tell her...she couldn't lie to her, not to the Element of Honesty. She had to tell her the truth...no matter what the consequences. "Applejack I can't...he's gone." "Whaddya mean he's gone?!" Applejack roared, her straw-colored mane broken free of its band and hanging limply around her body in a rough, wind-blown mess. "Ponies infected once can be brought back! FIX HIM!!!" She stamped her hooves again, her tears flowing freely and without any shame in her heart. She couldn't face another age of darkness, not without him, not again. "Applejack..." Twilight whispered "Please...calm down. I'm not your enemy." She took a deep breath, holding a hoof out to her and saying "My friend...my beautiful Applejack...Shadow, he..." Twilight flapped her magically conjured wings as hard as she could, dodging the deadly bolts of magic that flew from Trixie's horn. Above and all around, gun and cannon fire rang out across the battlefield known as Canterlot. Swarms upon swarms of ravaged and infected ponies flew and stampeded about, overwhelming most of the Lunar Guard who refused to back down, refused to retreat. It was pony against pony, monster against innocent. "Dammit...if I don't hurry up and finish this, there's not going to be any infected ponies left to save..." she muttered to herself. If she could kill Trixie and light the Great Purge off with her magic, there could be a chance to save most of the infected. It was actually a bit sad...the Lunar Guard were doing too GOOD of a job. She could only hope that Trixie would go down quickly. Any pony she could save was worth it, and time was of the absolute essence if she was to save as many as she could. She looked below as she heard the roaring cries of one certain pony, his wing-blades and sword thick with infected blood, bodies piled up all around him. The great Captain Shadow-Mane of the elite Shadow Squad, a group Luna would often refer to as her 'Special Forces'. The pony who, according to him, carried back the artifact that contained the sealed away bloods of every major race in Equestria and perhaps the world. Along with it...Discord's blood, what was pretty much the entirety of the Ravage Virus itself. When she thought about it...was it really a virus? Or...maybe it was just simply magic. Discord's Chaos...an element that spread and brought with it death and insanity to anything and everything it touched. Deep in his blood...touching all of the innocence of Equestria. Evil was an element that lived in the hearts of everypony, no matter how small. Maybe Discord's blood didn't infect them...maybe it just brought out the slumbering evil that rested deep in a pony's heart. Maybe they were all infected at heart...infected with themselves and their own deep chaos. She thought about this for a moment as she pursued Trixie, turning her head back only once to hear Captain Shadow-Mane cry out in pain. A lurker pony had bitten him through an exposed part of his armor, sinking its teeth into his tender flesh and sealing his doomed fate. The unicorn swore as the Captain threw the monster off of him, shouting at his fellow comrades to continue falling back. A true hero...continuing the fight despite a failing cause. "How brave..." Twilight whispered quietly, turning her head back towards her foe and narrowing her eyes. "All the more reason to kill you quickly and fix all who have been hurt by this terrible magic. Please...see reason or die quickly Trixie, these innocents can ill afford more delays to their salvation." "Y...You...!" Applejack sputtered, her irises shrinking to mere pinpricks, her breath coming out in shallow heaves. "You're lying!" She shouted, her eyes wide and terrified as she pointed a heavy hoof towards Twilight. "You're bucking lyin'! He can't have been...he's not one of them forever!!!" "Applejack I'm sorry..." Twilight whispered, her head and eyes cast towards the ground. "I watched it all happen as I chased Trixie...there was nothing I could do." She lifted her head to look at her rageful and sorrowful friend. "If I hadn't stopped Trixie then and there, a carrier hell bent on destroying all of us...if I hadn't stopped her, none of us would have walked away alive. I couldn't stop to help...he knew what was at stake." Applejack shook her head, tears streaming down her face and a sob choking itself out of her as Twilight went on "In his mind...he was fulfilling his final duty to Equestria and her ponies. He gave his life to save you Appleja-" "SHADDUP!" Screamed the country mare, shaking her head violently and splattering the ground with her tears. "Ah've heard enough!" At this, Rainbow simply let out a frustrated groan and tore at her rainbow mane with her hooves for a moment before shouting "AJ are you even listening to yourself right now!? You've gone completely bonkers! This is Twilight, your best FRIEND! She's trying to save us, not take away our loved ones!" Applejack was having none of it though, shaking her head furiously and shouting "NO! She should have just stayed away! All of this blood and madness just followed her back! She came back and brought the end of the world with her!" She pointed an accusing hoof towards the unicorn, the lavender mare wearing only a pained expression on her face. "No friend o' mine would destroy the world she loved! No pony would! How can you just sit there and defend her when all she's brought is misery!?" "All that I've seen her do," Rainbow spat back "It try and HELP us. Band us together to fight back against Discord! She ferried our friends away to safety, and is still working on getting others out of Ponyville! She's trying her very best to stay hidden and away from Discord, and buy us all the time we need to come up with a plan to fight back!" Applejack looked towards the ground, lost in her own misery as Rainbow rambled on "We have to fight! No matter what, I'm definitely not going to just roll over and let Discord have his way with me, or any of my friends! Why can't you pull your head out of your ass and SEE THAT?!" "Girls, please!" Twilight spoke up, her voice trembling with sadness "The more we pull apart, the more Discord wins. Rarity is infected but I can save her, if there's anything I can do, I'm going to try and save them all!" She looked towards Applejack, holding a hoof out towards her "All we know is what we've been told. I may have learned some things of the virus through the records of the scientists in the Everfree Forest's secret bunker, but that doesn't mean it's all true!" She took a few steps towards Applejack, being careful not to overstep her boundaries. Despite all of her anger, Twilight could tell Applejack was still listening. "Maybe the scientists hadn't had the full amount of time to study the Ravage before it got loose? Maybe...maybe they were looking for a cure, maybe they found one, besides the Great Purge!" She approached Applejack slowly, inching her way towards her before sitting back on her flank. She put a gentle hoof on her friend's shoulder, the country mare heaving with a few sobs. "Wouldn't it be wonderful...a beautiful thing if everypony could still be saved Applejack? If there was more we could learn, more we could do? Maybe...maybe Shadow-Mane can still come back." Applejack lifted her head slightly, tears flowing freely down her face. Her eyes were still looking away from her former unicorn friend, but they were wrought with concern and perhaps...perhaps a little bit of hope. "I..." she started to say, but was cut off by a loud screech and the flapping of familiar wings. "Guys look out!" Rainbow shouted as an infected Shadow-Mane blasted out of the fog, barreling straight for Twilight and Applejack. The unicorn gasped, grabbing Applejack in a tight hug and diving backwards with her friend. The infected bat-pony landed in the spot they had only just previously occupied. As Twilight straightened herself out, Applejack gave only a cry of anguish and fresh tears from spilled from her eyes. Rainbow hurried forward, putting herself between her friends and a slowly approaching infected Shadow. "You two stay back! Twilight you can't use your magic against him, Discord could find out!" "Stop!" Applejack shouted, rushing past Rainbow and towards the bat-pony. "He musta' followed mah scent!" "AJ STOP!" Rainbow roared after her, holding a hoof out towards her "What the hay are you doing!?" Twilight could do nothing but watch as Applejack charged towards Shadow-Mane, grasping him in a tight hug and pinning his body against hers. The infected pony thrashed against her, roaring and slobbering all over Applejack's back. "Ah had enough o' the death! All this pain!" she cried out, holding on as hard as she could. She pushed her forehead against Shadow's neck, the top of her head nuzzling the underside of his chin. She looked at Twilight from one of her eyes, her emeralds boring straight into her gleaming violets. "You say there could be a cure out there Twilight!? A way to end all o' this once n' for all!?" The unicorn desperately shook her head, holding a hoof out towards her and shouting "I don't know! There's no telling if there is or not!" She called out to her desperately, unsure if she really liked where this sudden, dire situation was going. "I don't know if I can really save everypony, but I'm trying my best!" Applejack simply nodded, her eyes darting upwards towards the still thrashing Shadow-Mane. "Alright..." she whispered, closing her eyes. "Ah don't believe you Twilight...Ah still think this is all your fault." She let out a heavy sigh as she slightly eased her grip on the struggling bat-pony. "If you really care...prove it." She opened her eyes slowly, looking straight at Twilight with a determined look on her face. "A...Applejack," Twilight gasped, her eyes widening "Don't! Applejack NO!" "If you really care............save him. If you really care...........save me". She eased her grip on Shadow-Mane, the bat pony taking his chance and pulling his head away from her as much as she could before throwing it down, his muzzle open to strike. Twilight and Rainbow Dash could only gasp in horror as Shadow sank his teeth into Applejack's shoulder, the country mare clenching her eyes tight, winching and letting out a muffled yelp as blood started to seep through her fur. "Rainbow Dash get out of here." Twilight growled, her eyes narrowing as she watched Applejack start to shake against Shadow-Mane, the corners of her eyes leaking not with tears...but with blood. "Get back to the castle, and don't look back." Rainbow was shedding her own tears, sniffing as she shook her head and whimpered "N...no! I can't just leave her like this...I can't just lose more of my friends!" "RAINBOW GO!" Twilight roared as Applejack opened her eyes, the once beautiful color of emeralds replaced with the most dazzling color of dark, bloody rubies. "Do whatever you can! Protect the others!" She turned towards the weeping cyan pony, a look of rage in her eyes "Find the answers, find them and use them to stop Discord! Hurry! GOOOO!!!" The cyan Pegasus lingered for only a few more moments before taking off with as much force as she could, cracking the ground underneath her. Shadow looked up after her, snarling and fanning out his wings in attempts to chase after her. "Oh no you don't!" Twilight snarled as the bat-pony took off. She quickly flicked her hoof upwards, the knife flying up out of its sheath. With a twirl, she caught the knife in clenched teeth and threw it with deadly accuracy into the sky. The blade honed in on its target, sinking its eager edges and point into one of Shadow-Mane's wings, drawing a deep howl out of the pony and sending him crashing back into the ground. The freshly infected Applejack roared towards the carrier, charging towards her in hopes of culling a pony that 'wasn't part of the herd'. Twilight grimaced as the diseased country mare charged toward her, her rampaging hooves kicking up grass and dirt where they thundered. Twilight simply leaned back as Applejack lunged at her, throwing her hooves out towards the unicorn. Twilight quickly wrapped her front legs around her friend, dipping back and using Applejack's momentum to smash her friends forehead into the ground, performing a perfect suplex. Applejack dropped like a complete rock, knocked completely out and falling over on the ground with a loud 'thump'! Shadow cried out in pain, whining like an animal as the sharp pain from the knife rippled through his body. Twilight, her eyes narrowed in anger, simply approached the bat-pony and ripped her blade right out of his wing. He let out a pained howl, but was quickly silenced as Twilight whispered "Shut up...", smashing him in the face with the handle of the knife. She knocked him out, shoving him backwards onto the ground. She sheathed her knife after a moment, looking between the two of her fallen friends and sighing. Turning her head and leaning forehead with her neck, Twilight gently placed her teeth around a small part of her back. She felt around for a good spot before sucking in a deep breath and biting down, breaking her skin and letting her own blood slowly fill her mouth. She drank down a small gulp before pulling her bloody lips away and letting her carrier scent fill the air. "There..." she whispered, looking upwards towards the fog and the Everfree Forest above "Follow me, away from my friends and family..." She narrowed her eyes as she turned, galloping towards the forest "Come to momma..." The lavender mare ran and ran, winding her way through the trees and putting as much speed as she could in her hooves and stride. Minutes passed, maybe an hour, and eventually...howls echoed through the trees. The carrier unicorn dove over a fallen tree as the scent of disease reached her over the wind. As she landed, an infected earth pony burst through some nearby bushes. "Screw hiding anymore..." Twilight growled, sliding to a stop and turning to face the pony. With a twirl of her body, she delivered a heavy round-house hoof to the pony's face, flinging her away into a nearby tree. "If Discord wants a fight, wants to keep taking my friends away from me, I'll give him a taste of my own chaos!" She flicked up two rocks with her hooves, turning and bucking them with as much force as she could with two new attackers that soared down from the canopy above. They met their mark, knocking them out and sending them towards the ground with heavy crashes. "He wants to tighten his grip? Fine, I'll just slip through his dreaded claws and stir up a bit of trouble! Whatever I can do to distract them from my friends...maybe give Rainbow some time!" As the howls of monsters closed in around her, she narrowed her eyes and looked up towards a tiny hole in the canopy. "I don't care what it takes..." she whispered menacingly towards what sky she could see "I'm going to do whatever it takes to undermine your rule. I'm going to hurt you, hurt you like you've hurt me..." The violets of her eyes gleamed even brighter with an ethereal, magical glow as she growled "Whatever it takes, even if it I fail, even if I can't save them..." She paused to clobber another infected pony rushing at her with a backhoof and to deliver a buck into another's face. "Even if I die trying, I'm coming after you Discord." "....And I am going to KILL YOU." Somewhere, far away in another city, high up in the sky and from atop a tiny, but comfortable cloud shaped into the shape of a hammock, a certain monster rested. He turned his head slowly, his eyes casting off in a certain direction as an eerie, evil smile spread across his face. He gave out a delightful, chaotic cackle as thunder boomed out around him, a few of his 'children' flying about, snarling and hissing at him as they patrolled the outer lengths of Haven City, the new capital of Equestria. Beside him, a very uncomfortable and angry looking Princess Luna rested on a nearby cloud, her front and back hooves shackled and chained together. A metal ring rested around her horn, cutting off her magic while her wings were clasped tightly to her side, a blue band of some kind of rubber resting firmly around her body. "We fail to see what you findeth so funny," she growled, trying to get to the irritated itch under one of the hoofcuffs adorning her legs. Discord ignored her, tapping his claws and paws together in sequence and smiling widely. "Oh...little Sparkle..." he whispered to himself, looking over for a moment to watch Luna nibble and gnaw at her restraints, going for the itch that Discord was secretly causing with his magic. "Cute..." Discord muttered to himself, looking back over towards the Everfree Forest. "Kill me will you...?" He let out a small, tiny laugh, his red and yellow eyes gleaming with chaos. "Oh...this is going to get interesting." He looked over towards Luna...a lingering look. Her eyes flicked up suddenly, her teeth in mid nibble. She caught his gaze and held it, a look of venom in her eyes but also....hope. "...very interesting indeed." Author's Note Here's that first update I promised you, second one is on it's way!!!
Together"HOW COULD YOU!?" Celestia shrieked, her efforts to rip herself free of her harness giving her no results. She remained bound to the raised platform in the center of the room, her leather straps and belts holding her down as her horn gleamed with yellow healing magic. "How could you betray me so?!" She wept, tears spilling down her face. "Sister please!" Luna begged, pawing at the ground and biting her bottom lip in nervousness. This was not the way Luna wanted to go about handling the situation "You have to see reason, you must understand that this is the only way!" "LIES!!!!" Celestia roared, her horn flaring with a sudden burst of magic. The Lunar princess recoiled in shock as a sudden, invisible force slammed into her, throwing her off the platform and into the hard ground below. She yelped as she struck the surface, her chains rattling around her from the impact. "How could you buy into his lies, how could you even BEGIN to believe a word he said!?" Roared the sun princess, the glow from her encased horn traveling down to her helmet. Little by little, cracks began to form in the metal, spreading all over its surface. "Sister..." Luna breathed, crawling backwards and keeping her eyes locked on her furious elder sister "I did what I did for the good of my ponies, to save them!" This statement only seemed to enrage the Sun Princess more, her helmet suddenly bursting outwards into several pieces, crashing to the floor with a violent bang. "Do you have any idea..." she hissed, her eyes bringing a sharp gasp to her littler sister "What thou have DONE!? Who you sound like!?" Her pink eyes were glowing and agleam with bright light, wisps and trails of smoky magic emanating from her eyes. "You sound just like m-" "Aaahh....Princess Celestia, REBORN!" cackled a voice from behind the white alicorn, a voice which sent an involuntary shudder through her form. "How wonderful this is...all of us reunited again!" "Discord," Celestia spat, her words dripping with venom "You should have stayed buried, stayed dead in that stone!" She rounded on the multi-formed beast as her harness gleamed with a bright yellow aura before disintegrating into dust. "Why did you come back...what are you after?" she growled, fanning her giant wings outwards in a chest-puff sort of power display. "Oh but you already know don't you?" he whispered, slithering through the air towards her like a snake. He rested his bottom feet on the ground, drawing a claw up under the sun alicorn's chin. "We shared much back in those days...our dreams, our ambitions..." "Stop it," Celestia whispered, her voice faltering slightly as a small blush spread along her cheeks "I will not be swayed again." "Shared everything," he went on, staring into her gleaming eyes with his own reds "Even our bodies..." The lord of chaos wasn't surprised when the alicorn spit in his face, his smiles unfaltering as he wiped the saliva from his face. "You disgust me," she grunted, glaring back into his stare. "I missed that fire in you Celly," he whispered into her ear, running his claw from her chin down the side of her neck. She shivered once again as he whispered "You know what I want...and you know there's nothing you can do to stop me. I have a right as well as you do, and you WILL respect that." He pulled back to look at her face, a look of fury etched into her face. "It's that or...well I'll destroy EVERYTHING in this world, instead of the alternative." The alicorn scoffed, turning away from him to face her sister who lay cowering on the floor. "What will you do if I refuse, which I will anyway," she asked, glaring down at the poor lunar princess "What more damage can you do to my ponies that hasn't been done mentally or physically already?" "I could maybe have my way with this world, turn it back into the old lands...those lands you once marveled at." he paused to loom over the princess, looking down upon Luna as well. "Or maybe I could have my way with your sister..." Celestia slowly turned her head, glaring her most venomous glare into the beast's eyes as she whispered "Mark my words demon, and mark them well." She paused to fan out her wings to their fullest extent, her horn and eyes gleaming as a yellowish aura covered her and the surrounding guards keeping silent vigil over her and the throne room "No matter what happens, no matter what I do, or you do, or what anypony does..." She peered deeply into his chaotic orbs, her words sinister and firm "By the end of this war, she is going to kill you. Even if I have to guide the blade towards your heart myself, she is going to kill you" She turned her head towards her sister, an emotionless look on her face. "Let this be a lesson to you..." she said simply before she ignited a large burst of magic, her form and her guards' forms disappearing instantly. "Soon...yes...very soon," Discord breathed, smiling evilly at Luna. The poor alicorn shook and shivered in fear as he whispered menacingly "Now...where were we?" ~~~ "RAGE!!! HATE!!! KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL, I HATE THEM!" "Shhh...quiet your mind little one, it's ok." "I HATE HER, I HATE HER! KILL HER, BLEED HER, DESTROY HER!!!!" "Hush, dear Honesty, hush...do not lose yourself. Breathe dear, breathe." "CRUSH, KILL, DESTROY!!!!!" "You will soon learn. Just as I have. You will learn." "OH GODS AND GODDESSES ABOVE WHO AM I!?!?" She ran. Oh she ran. The poor mare ran and ran. Oh the poor mare. She ran as fast as she could, her hooves thundering on the ground beneath her as the howls of other monstrous creatures reached her ears. In the far off distance she could faintly hear the sounds of cannon and gunfire, but with the looming trees surrounding her and the mountainous terrain that made up the deeper part of the Everfree Forest, it was impossible to tell exactly where it was coming from since the sound bounced off all the nearby cliffs. Her ears perked to the sounds, the shrill sounds of blood curdling screaming and the hungry munching and chomping of pony teeth echoing loudly in her brain. She felt attracted to the sounds, her stomach rumbling loudly and a sudden, terrifying need to hunger gripping her around her raging, burning hot soul. She stopped temporarily, thrashing her head about and screaming. Blood and saliva splattered the nearby rocks around her as she flailed about, rolling across the gravel and grass beneath her. Her coat was quickly dirtied, her hooves kicking out every which way in a panic as the sounds intensified. "STOP." she roared to herself in her head "STOP!!!" The sound only seemed to intensify though, a new, sudden pain flaring through the poor mare's brain and causing her to let out a gurgling scream. Saliva seeped and drooled from between her teeth and fell in heavy, thick drips to the ground below. It was tinged with red, her body regurgitating blood and mixing it into the thick drool. She snorted, scrambling to her hooves and letting out several loud yelps as she bucked the air in several directions. It was if she was being ridden by some unseen force, but there was clearly nothing there. "EAT, INFECT, EAT, INFECT, KILL KILL KILL STOP!!!! STOP!!!" she heard screaming through her skull, the mare flailing her head about crazily for only a few more moments before kicking off and bolting off into the thick wood once more. She didn't know where she was going, she was even starting to forget where she was. All she could start to hear was the same never-ending chanting through her brain. "MURDER, EAT, BITE, CHOMP, SMASH, KILL!!!" She pushed on, thrashing her head in protest as her legs burned with fatigue, crying out for the poor mare to stop. She didn't listen, continuing to push herself harder and faster through the trees. Her speed and precision through the wood would be almost inconceivable to any normal pony looking on at the scene before them, a blur of a pony nimbly flying through the woods whilst dodging an untold number of thorny bushes, tangling branches, and other similar dangers to the careless traveler. She seemed to be making it through completely unscathed however, her agility utterly astounding as she took a leap up onto a log that only crossed a large ditch before her by only about half. She bolted up the log and without breaking her stride, kicked off into the air and performed at least three front flips before hitting the forest floor on the other side of the ditch, performing a forward roll through the grass and kicking perfectly back off into a full hard sprint. Her eyes were as wide as they could be, her irises small and filled with panic. She felt so many emotions at once she thought her heart, soul, and brain were going to explode at any moment. She felt rage mostly, anger, sorrow...and heat. She couldn't explain why, but she was just filled with such a massive amount of lust and the urge to just...murder something. She started to slow down slightly, her lungs heaving for air and forcing her body to give up at last. She moved down to a canter, and finally a fast to a moderate trot. She didn't want to stop, didn't dare stop. If she stopped, her mind would be free to wander into the ravaging chaos she felt trying to crush and infect its way through her entire body. She had to keep her mind focused on running. Maybe then she could find a way to get rid of that endless chanting. She knew something was wrong, something was going terribly wrong. Or...did she? How was she supposed to know how this whole process of infection worked? Was she supposed to give in to the chanting or resist it? Would it matter anyway? Maybe the infection had yet to kill her entire personality, her entire soul yet. Maybe...no matter what she did, she would be dragged into the fiery depths of rage and endless insanity and forced to become nothing more than another number in an ever growing army of chaos. She finally stopped in a large clearing, her lungs absolutely causing her to gasp and wheeze for air. Her breath came out in harsh rasps, the rasps that always frightened her whenever they started coming over the fence. That fence...riddled and mangled with bodies...all those ponies she killed. She suddenly whipped her about, screaming as she struggled to cope with those memories, an enormous amount of guilt and grief building up in her heart. She told herself that there was no other alternative! They were dead and gone, no longer good ponies! They were nothing but MONSTERS! But the Purge, maybe if she had just knocked em out and carted them off to some private section of town...if she had just waited, maybe the Purge could have cured them, given them a second chance at life. "NO! They were dead, they were dead! Their souls were gone, they were all gone!!! "But what about you...does that mean you're dead? You are mine now...MINE. Does that make your soul just as dead as theirs? Do you deserve to die like them...a mindless monster?" "SHUT UP, SHUT UP! KILL, CRUSH, KILL! I WON'T LISTEN, I WON'T!" Her ears perked suddenly to the sounds of crashing foliage and panicked night birds behind her. She slowly turned her head, her panting sending large vaporous plumes of breath outwards into the icy cold air. Something was rushing towards her through the woods, something that, judging by the snarling roars and cries, didn't seem very friendly. Without another word to herself, she turned and kicked off in yet another full gallop. Her lungs cramped up tightly in protest, attempting to stop her and drag her back down to a stop. She refused... She had to run... She had to get away... She ran and ran, the furious crashing growing louder and louder behind her. No matter what she did, the crashing got closer...and it started to turn into galloping. Somepony was following her...and judging on its unfaltering pace, it was catching up to her very, very quickly. She pushed her legs as hard as she could, her thundering galloping only serving as a direct trail to lead her pursuer right to her. She let out a shrill gasp as she burst through a sudden treeline, a massive wall of rock being the first thing she saw. She skidded to a halt, her hooves kicking up large clumps of grass and dirt and splattering them across the massive cliff face. She looked to her left and right quickly, her mind an erratic panic of thought and hopelessness. The wall extended and curved outwards into a massive 'C', leading into the trees on both sides. She had trapped herself. She let out a snort, turning her head back towards the crashing that was coming quickly towards her. Whatever it was...there was no running from it now. She had the clear, distinct feeling that whatever was coming after her, it was hostile. She toyed with the idea of giving into that endless, rageful chanting for a moment...using the strength of such an anger to take down whatever was out there. She was certain nothing was going to survive such a dreaded rage. After all...it seemed like nothing ever did in the end, even if you escaped it, it would just come back stronger and deadlier than before. She spread her legs outwards, getting low and baring her teeth as she let out a loud, threatening whinny to her would-be pursuer. The thunderous crashing suddenly halted however, the loud commotion quieting down to the mere sound of galloping and then trotting hooves. The mare blinked in confusion for a moment, her eyes locked on the foliage in front of her as the trotting got closer. Eventually, it sounded as if her pursuer was merely walking towards her now. The steady clip-clop of hooves against rocky gravel echoing out across the gigantic cliff-face. She pawed at the ground in front her, ready to charge head-long into battle. If her attacker was bent on toying with her, it would be a quick end to his miserable little life. Just as she was about to rush onwards, a pony poked its head through a bush in front of her. She didn't know what to think at that moment, seeing this pony...this particular pony. She felt her heart catch, her head suddenly pounding with a furious headache as her thoughts started rambling and flooding at her head at an insane speed. "HATE, PILLAGE, BURN, N...no! Love, LOVE! Care, devo...devotion! Nnnngh!!! RAGE, BLOOD....MINE, MY HEART, MY LOVE!" She fell back on her flank, her eyes clenched shut tight with pain. She put her front hooves upon her own head, shaking and thrashing her head about. She felt thick tears of blood leaking from her ears as painful, nerve-wracking sobs poured out of her. She wanted it to end, all of the pain, all of the misery. "You're incredibly difficult to keep up with...a worthy challenge...that's what I think I liked about you the most...the challenge." It's a trick...don't listen...he's one of them, you saw it! You saw him...you............what?! She opened her eyes slowly, her blood red eyes gleaming with chaos and infection. She stared up into a similar pair, a tinge of gold resting in those reds. A fleck of it here, a spot of it there....as if...as if despite such a sickness...a part of him remained. He was seated in front of her, looking down on her slightly. One of his wings was lashed with thick leaves and vines, a make-shift bandage covering the apparently wounded appendage. She opened her mouth to speak, her eyes wide and frightened. She felt like such a little filly, shock and awe plastered over her weary, blood-tear streaked face as if she was watching fireworks or a beautiful meteor shower. A tiny squeak echoed out of her as the stallion put a hoof against her cheek, peering close at her eyes. "Tell me it worked...tell me it's working on you too." She had to have been dreaming, or just completely hallucinating. There was no way that this was real, no way that this was in any shape or form a reality. "I'm dreaming..." she whispered, her own voice shocking the complete hell out of her. "I'm dreaming...having a nightmare...this isn't real." The stallion looked up suddenly, a sigh of relief and a light-hearted chuckle escaping his lips. He looked back down after a moment, bloody tears of his own dripping down his face as he whispered "Oh she wasn't full of shit...thank goodness. I can't believe it's actually working!" The mare simply stuttered, her frantic mind starting to quiet down. It was strange...but such a relief that the murderous chanting in her head was slowly quieting to nothingness. Thoughts started to seep through her brain yet again...calm thoughts. Slowly, bit by bit and piece by piece...she felt herself again. Memories started to pour into her, causing her to let out a sharp gasp as the memories of the pony before her flashed through her mind rapidly. Emotions roared through her, the rage and hatred simmering down to near nothingness....although they didn't disappear entirely. Joy swept through her, joy and relief...but above all...she felt a warm, tingling feeling grasping at her rapidly beating heart. She knew what that feeling was...knew what it...that one specific memory....that night...... ...."That night....I..." "So what do you think?" she said, smiling as she stared up at the star-speckled sky. "Was it everything ya'll imagined it'd be?" "Well I have to say..." he said back to her, pushing his side up against hers as he nestled his back into a more comfortable position in that soft grass he loved and often missed "It's certainly better than falling through that sky into combat." He turned his head to look at her, his eyes soft and lingering on her still star-gazing ones. Those...beautiful emeralds "It's...nice to be on the ground for once. It's...it's beautiful." She turned her head to face him, her eyes locking with his. They stared at each other for a few moments, their breath blowing against each others' snouts for a moment. "Hey..." he started to whisper, his eyes suddenly looking away and a blush creeping up on his cheeks "I don't mean to be...um...I just...I don't want to overstay my welcome here...I..." "Shhh...." she whispered, putting a hoof on his cheek as his eyes looked back into hers. They started to move towards one another, their eyes partially closed and their breath warm. He put a hoof around her, pulling them both closer to one another as they each closed their eyes, their lips just inches apart...and... "Hey ya'll!!!" Called the rough, deep voice of a stallion through the trees, causing the two ponies in the grass to gasp and scoot away from each other "Yer pie's gonna get cold! Ya'll know yer gonna get an ear full if ya don't eat it up now!" The mare's blush was undeniable, her voice calling back out into the night shakily "Um...yeah! We'll be right down!" The stallion sat up on his flank, looking away bashfully as he whispered "Sorry...about um...that..." The mare turned towards him, smiling and putting a hoof under his chin, gently forcing him to look at her. "Sa'll right." she whispered, nuzzling and planting a small kiss on his cheek "Ah won't tell a soul that you're just a big softie under that hard armor o' yers." They shared a quiet chuckle as she turned away to leave, her stomach suddenly rumbling for some of that apple pie. Just as she started to walk away, his voice calling out to her made her stop. He sounded...so far away...so...different. So...so... Her ears perked, her heartbeat starting to escalate rapidly as he whispered to her... "Hey...Applejack?" "Applejack? .... Applejack? .... Applejack? ........ "....Applejack? You...you still in there?" he whispered to her, nudging her cheek with his hoof. He was sitting on his flank in front of her, trying to snap her out of the sudden trance she seemed to be stuck in. "Come on now...you're scaring me." Applejack stared deeply into his eyes, his mind absolutely refusing to believe that any of this could still be real. She had seen it all, seen it all happen from the start to the current time. The very first Ravaged pony she had seen when she was with her beloved friends at that picnic...the first set of blood red eyes she had ever set her own eyes upon. There was no way that...out of all the others there was no...possible way... "Applejack...come on now say something, please!" But what if...what if this WAS real? How could that be possible, how could they both be...both be... "....Shadow...Mane...?" she whispered, her raspy voice cracking slightly. Shadow-Mane smiled, his gold-flecked bloody eyes gleaming in the darkness of the Everfree. He nodded his head as Applejack put her front hooves on his cheeks, letting out a sharp breath as she whispered "Shadow? Is...is this real?" The lunar guard put his own hooves over hers, nodding and smiling as he whispered back "It's real...this is real Applejack." She didn't care, couldn't care anymore. Dream or reality, nightmare or not, she wasn't going to let this moment go. She wasn't going to let him go again. She didn't care why they were different...why they were sick but not sick. Was she like Twilight now? Was she something special? A new Carrier or something? She didn't know...didn't care. All she cared about at that moment...was him. "So..." Shadow began, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly while he looked off to his right "I'm...not sure where to start...um...you see there's this mare who has Discor-MMPH!" He had been suddenly cut off by a body pushing up against his, hooves wrapping around his neck and his lips being crushed by something. His eyes darted back to his front, a teary set of reds flecked with emerald meeting his gaze. Shadow blinked, shock pouring through him as Applejack pushed her lips against his a little more firmly, pulling him tightly against her. The two of them stared at each other for only a few more moments before they each closed their eyes, pushing against one another firmly as they started to passionately kiss one another under the canopy and cliffs of the Everfree Forest. They kissed frantically, desperately, their hooves running all over each other as if they'd been holding back for a long time. The apple mare dipped herself backwards, pulling the stallion down with her as her back hit the soft patch of grass behind her. "AJ..." Shadow gasped between kisses, his cheeks hot with a blush "I don't...there's so much I need to explain and...I think that-" Applejack pulled her lips away from his, taking in a huge breath and exhaling with a hushed whisper of "Shut up..." she caressed his cheek slowly, looking deep into his eyes as she went on "Ah don't know what the hell is going on right now. Ah don't know why you and I are different, or anything." He went to open his mouth to explain but she quickly moved her hoof over his lips, smiling as she said "But right now...in this bloody, chaotic world, ah want this moment. Ah NEED this moment. Ah want to be away from this world...from this misery...just for a moment." She gave him a small smile, her own blush radiating through her orange fur "Could you give me that moment...could you?" He stared at her as she moved her hoof away, the two of them staring at one another as a gentle breeze blew over both of them. He slowly started to smile, nodding as he whispered back to her "Well...I DID miss you..." "Ah missed you too sugarcube..." she said, smiling and pulling his face back down towards her "Now shut up and kiss me you batty idiot..." He was almost too happy to oblige, the two of them locking into another passionate kiss. The stallion nibbled along her jawline down to her neck, drawing a happy sigh out of the mare as she felt her moment rushing to meet her quick. "AJ...are you su-" he started to ask, looking up at her. He was quickly cut off by a hard kiss from the country mare and a slight shifting of her body and rear legs under him. "Do you need any other invitation?" she scolded playfully, pausing for a breath and biting on one of his bat-like ears. He rolled his eyes in a joking manner, smiling as he tugged his ear away from her, pushing his lips against hers in another kiss as he held her front hooves over her head with his own. Just a moment...that's all she needed. And it was just....about.... "Oh mah STARS!" she seethed, grasping the stallion into a tight hug. "What is it, are you ok?!" Shadow asked, pressing his forehead against hers as they both panted slightly. She merely gave a slight shudder, shifting slightly underneath him as she whispered "Ah'm fine...just...well hell, it don't hurt as much as the headache does." Shadow let out a small, playful scoff, staring down at her with an unvoiced question. After about a minute or so, she took in a gulp of air and let her breath out slowly, nodding up to him. They smiled at each other, the ravaged, chaotic world around them forgotten for once. And for once, if just for a few hours........they both had their moment of peace. A bastion of peace, love, and lust....in a world marred and torn to pieces by war, hate, and chaos. A moment...together.
NightmareNightfire simply blinked, the world coming into focus slowly. He felt his body moving slowly through the open air, although in reality he knew it should have been moving much, much faster. All of the sound that was supposed to accompany the situation seemed to be non existent as well, the open mouths of ponies before him throwing screams and shouts in silence. Another soundless boom sent shivers through his body as he watched a group of his guards being blown apart in slow motion, their guts and entrails splattering the snow in thick torrents of red. He merely blinked as he sailed through the air very,very slowly. All around, it looked as if somepony had slowed down time to a grueling crawl, bullets and tracers flying gracefully through the air. His eyes slowly shifted to the right as he beheld a furious looking Sky-Driver rearing back on his hind legs, lining up a shot with his bolt-action rifle. He pulled the trigger back and staggered slightly as a flash erupted from the barrel, its bullet catching a massive, charging, and heavily armored griffon in the eye-slit of its helmet visor. Sky ducked as the griffon tumbled through the air over him, the lunar guard pulling the second of four bullets he had clenched in his teeth out and sticking it into the open chamber of the rifle, closing the bolt and lining up another shot. The world continued to spin slowly, now looking as if he was sideways. A shift of his eyes upwards had him seeing Moon-Lance riding on the back of another roaring and flailing griffon, his front legs wrapped around the front of his neck, his mouth moving and dishing out soundless screaming as Wind-Weaver rammed his own rifle's bayonet into an exposed part of the griffon's chest armor, twisting his hooves so that the blade would do as much damage as possible. A few seconds passed, the officer blinking once more and causing time to quickly begin to speed up. The ground was approaching fast, a low whining noise echoing in his ears. Before he knew it, he had hit the ground with a heavy thud, the impact knocking most of the wind out of him. He bounced only twice as he rolled through the snow, the low whine in his ears quickly becoming a loud, shrill screech before completely cutting out and restoring the complete extent of his hearing. "Stab him again dammit!!!" "I AM STABBING HIM, FUCK, HOLD HIM STILL!" "Get him in the fucking eye, I don't care! By Celestia's beard, he moves more than my ex-marefriend!" "HEEYAH! Take that you feathered shit bird!" Moon tumbled off the now dead griffon, panting heavily as he pulled his helmet out of the snow and slammed it back down on top of his head. Gunfire and the screams of griffons and ponies echoed out across the entire length of the city as the sky lit up like fireworks, artillery and bullets from each side flying about in a deadly torrent of chaos. Sky fired another shot from his rifle, pulling the bolt back and stealing a glance backwards towards his superior. "Nightfire!!! Are you ok!?" he shouted through clenched teeth, pulling another bullet out from his mouth's hold and reloading a round. The lunar officer shook his head, slightly dazed and trying his best to get the dizziness out of his senses. Moon and Wind rushed over to him, quickly ducking to avoid a fiery rocket passing over head. Wind reared back on his hind legs, aiming the rifle all around as Moon quickly ran his hooves over the dazed Nightfire, checking for any serious injuries. "He gonna make it?" Wind asked, covering them as best as he could. "Yeah, armor took most of the shrapnel. There's only two tiny pieces that hit skin but it won't kill him," Moon shouted back, laughing as he patted the officer's back "Can't believe you took that artillery shell and lived Night! Damn it all if you aren't the only Pegasus I know with a hide thicker than Sky's skull!" Sky let another shot ring forth as he turned his head, rolling his eyes and growling "Oh ha ha, the crowd's going wild with that one Moon. Can you get serious for a second and realize we're under serious attack here?! We're being invaded for Luna's sake!" Nightfire put a hoof to his head, shaking it slightly as the dizziness started to pass, his voice finally finding its way up out of his throat "M...make a line right here in the street! Get Aurora Squad to start lining up crates, tables, anything we can use as barricades. Make two lines and set up defensive positions in the center! Shadow and Cloud Squads, give them covering fire and start throwing lead back at these bastards!" Wind let forth a shot at a passing Griffon, clipping his wing and sending the beast spiraling through the sky. The Pegasus let out a whoop of joy as the feathered behemoth crashed into a building, his body crunching and ripping itself apart from the impact. "Ugh...nasty!" he laughed, loading another round and feeling his ears perk to the Lieutenant's orders. Turning his head he shouted "Sir, you sure that's a good idea with the artillery pounding our flanks into the ground!?" "We're gonna be getting shelled anywhere we go Wind!" Nightfire shouted, looking over his shoulder towards his two miniguns, shifting his wings and watching them spool up. As least they were still working, the contraption on his back starting to load rounds and prepare for a heavy barrage of lead. "We need to dig in somewhere and buy the rest of the battalion time to get their wounded into the buildings, now let's go, double time it!" Gunfire soared up and down the street, a few ponies falling here and there from the torrent of death. After ten tense minutes, the two lines of makeshift barricades had been erected, with all that was left of Aurora Squad taking cover with Nightfire and his ponies behind them. Sky reloaded another round after a fresh shot through a griffon's skull, the Pegasus watching as inch by bloody inch, a few squads of griffons inched closer, their own twisted versions of bolt actions and wing-cannons firing their own deadly lead towards them. They dove into alleys and behind overturned carts and carriages, taking whatever shot they could towards the defenders. "Oh this is bullshit!" Wind-Weaver shouted, loading another round and firing it over the barricade "Who knows how many of these feathered punks they have up on those sky ships! There's no way we're getting reinforcements through this much snow!" "Stow it and keep firing!" Nightfire roared, his miniguns spooling up rapidly and his wings pushing themselves forward, activating both triggers on his cannons. The twelve barrels in total that numbered up from both guns roared thunderously, an insane storm of bullets completely blasting away at whatever cover the griffons were using. He roared a furious battle cry as shell casings flooded around him quickly, his bullets ripping a small market cart and half and tearing two griffons hiding behind it to pieces. "Eat it you bastards, EAT IT!!!!" A pony to Nightfire's left pointed a hoof to the sky as she screamed "Marauders, twelve o'clock high!!!" Several ponies reared back and started firing at the sky as a squad of six griffons flew down towards them. The battle raged on all around them, ponies screaming and throwing whatever they could at the invaders. No matter what they did however, when a griffon fell, two more plummeted from the sky, landing in and kicking up furious clouds of snow before quickly opening fire on whatever they could set their sights on. Inch by inch, blood and bullets everywhere, the griffons pushed closer and closer to Nightfire and his ponies. "We're losing too much ground here!" Moon shouted, quickly grabbing up the rifle of a fallen comrade as he ran out of ammo for his own, heaving it over the barricade and opening fire. "I'm running dryer than an Appaloosen creek on ammo here!" "Keep firing, keep firing!" Nightfire shouted, his own guns starting to run empty "We have to kill as many as we can, do whatever we can to thin out this force!" Artillery blasted away at the ground around them, a few shells even hitting the griffons. Sky ran a hoof through the snow in a panic, grabbing up as many good bullets as he could find lying about and trying his best to reload and get back into the fight. "Shit, I'm out!" Wind shouted, rearing back and holding his rifle up like a spear, his bayonet ready to plunge into an invader's heart. With a mighty cry, he heaved his body forward, hurling the rifle over the barricade and catching a landing griffon in the face, the beast (much to the hilarious amusement of Wind-Weaver) getting clothes lined slightly as it landed. "Ha! Lay an egg and sit on THAT one you punk-ass!" As guns started to run dry, the griffons saw their opportunity and began to push their advance, growing dangerously close to the Lunar Guards' position. Nightfire unsheathed one of his longswords, growling menacingly "Not without a fight you bastards!" Sky fixed a bayonet on the end of his rifle as Moon and Wind pulled their own swords out, the rest of Aurora Squad doing the same. "This is it, get ready gents!" Nightfire shouted as the griffons began to charge, their unified battlecry echoing through his helmet. Just as the invaders neared the barricades, a series of sudden thuds and explosions echoed out from above. Chancing a look upwards, Nightfire let out a gasp as he beheld a torrent of MASSIVE yellow-colored bolts of magic slamming into two of the griffons' skyships, their hulls exploding in flame. It wasn't long after this that Nightfire started to see streaks of yellow zooming this way and that, the gunfire around them increasing thirty-fold. "Oh shit, LOOK OUT!" Sky screamed as a figure roared down from above, two white wings fanning out and slowing its furious descent. It slammed down to the ground on its hooves, kicking up a large plume of snow. Nightfire shielded his eyes for a moment to avoid getting caught in the eyes from the snow. When he looked back to what was happening, his eyes widened considerably and he felt his jaw drop. A massive stallion stood before him, his flank to him. He was clad in ornate golden armor, two miniguns resting on his back just like Nightfire's. The stallion turned his head to the left and right, taking in the scene before him as the griffons in front of him were taken aback slightly at his sudden appearance. With a heavy, booming voice, the stallion spooled up his miniguns and roared "All who would stand against the sun and its princess, WILL, BURN!" Nightfire's eyes continued to widen as the stallion's guns boomed thunderously, the front of the barrels emitting strands of fire as his bullets raced outwards. The most amazing thing about his ammunition was that whatever was hit...was caught on fire. Hellfire bullets tore through many screaming griffons, setting many of them and the snow around their positions on fire. Several more stallions adorned with much of the same armor and weaponry landed around their position, quickly turning the tide of the battle and sending many of the griffons packing. "Holy mother of Equestria, it's the Solar Guard!!!" Sky yelped, pointing a shaking hoof at the marauding stallions lighting the entire street on fire. "That means its....its...!!!!" As if his statement, prayers, and expectations were answered, the celestial being herself plummeted through the sky, landing with slamming hooves into the ground. She stood as tall as she could, her chest puffed out in strength and pride. Her royal, sunlit battle armor clung to her perfectly, a single, massive minigun attached to her back. A massive broadsword of ornate design was slung to her back as well, the fronts of her wings covered in two mighty yellow blades. Her horn was crackling with fury, a magic of untold power, her light purple eyes gleaming with a bright, authoritative glow. Wisps of purple power emanated from those eyes, centering on a completely shocked Nightfire. Princess Celestia, had entered the battle. "Lieutenant Nightfire!" she shouted, her royal Canterlot voice booming through the air. Nightfire gave her a mighty salute, his senses quickly coming back to him. "We are here to help you retake the city, Discord has taken the capital and Princess Luna has been captured. I need your help my old friend." "Whatever you need Princess!" Nightfire shouted, smiling as his squad trotted to his side "Whatever you need of us!" Celestia nodded, looking back over her advancing guards as they pushed through the flame-torn streets "Good," she said, her eyes flicking up to the sky to watch the third sky ship get caught in a torrent of magical fire "Taking the city is our secondary objective, once we are done here, we will pursue our primary." The members of Shadow Squad looked at each other quizzically, the three Pegasai looking to their commander with questionable looks. Nightfire raised an eyebrow as he asked "Primary...objective?" At this, Celestia turned her head towards Nightfire and nodded, a smile forming on her face as she said with booming pride "We shall find the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle herself!" ~~~~ "So why can't ya tell me what in the hay is goin' on again?" a raspy-voice, infected Applejack asked an equally sick Shadow-Mane in frustration "Ah dunno what's supposed to be so hush hush bout' this whole thing." The two of them were trotting quickly through one of the more dense, overgrown areas of the Everfree Forest. Shadow whimpered apologies every now and again when they had to pass through thick thorn bushes or climb through thick vines and other entangling plants. The colt was just helping Applejack up from a small fall he had taken by getting tripped up by a small log when she asked him the question she wouldn't stop pestering him with. He couldn't really blame her though for asking so many times. In her horseshoes, he'd demand answers as well, and keep pushing until he got them. Unfortunately..."I can't tell you this far out from our destination. Discord's minions and ravaged could be anywhere, listening. I promise, I'll let her tell you everything when we get there." "Who's this her ya'll keep goin' on about?" Applejack grumbled, trying her best to follow Shadow through the dense growth "Is she the one responsible fer...ya know...you n' me?" The night was quickly starting to recede, the songs of morning birds beginning to quirk up here and there. Tiredness clung to the weary country mare, and it was only then that she started to think about the last time she actually had a full, decent night's sleep. Shadow nodded to her question, holding back a large tree branch to let the apple mare pass through. "You...could say that." Shadow said, letting the branch swing back outwards as Applejack passed through "She's helped a lot of other ponies...some you might know I'm sure." "She must be a pretty powerful unicorn to be able to give the infected ponies their minds back." Applejack muttered, emerging into a large clearing with the lunar guard not too far behind. Shadow chuckled, walking up beside her and sitting his flank upon the dew-covered grass. "You'll see soon enough," he whispered, leaning over and giving her a small kiss on her cheek. Applejack blushed, sitting down beside him and looking about the clearing as she asked "So uh...how much farther is it till we get there? Mah hooves are killin' me." "Well...we're already here." Shadow said with a chuckle, smiling at the confused look the country mare was giving him. "Just give it a minute," he said, pulling her close to him "You'll see soon enough." Applejack took a breath in and out, her ears perking to the sounds of the forest. Her eyes scanned the thick treeline carefully, looking for the answers she needed. How was being a carrier for an earth pony and a Pegasus possible? It shouldn't have been, only unicorns, powerful ones at that, were the only ones who could ever had a chance at being immune from the Ravage's effects. Yet...there they were, two ponies who should have been driven insane...but weren't. The beams of the sun were just starting to peak through the trees when a certain set of sounds reached Applejack's ears...sounds she hadn't heard for so, so long. It was the sound...of laughter. She could barely hear the words float through the trees, but once they were done and said, a chorus of laughing followed them, and it was coming their way. "Shadow..." she whispered, looking out into the wood where the laughter was coming from "We ain't...we're safe, right?" she clung to him slightly as the lunar guard nuzzled her cheek slightly and nodded. It wasn't too long before the voices starting to get clearer. "Oh man, did you see the look on her face!?" A colt's voice echoed out "She totally thought we were gonna eat her!" Another voice, a mare's, followed his quickly "And the way she held onto that little plushie, you'd think she was just a little filly getting attacked by the monsters under her bed!" "Well, guys, technically we are monsters..." said another, younger colt's voice, drawing some giggles out of the mare. Applejack watched as some bushes were parted, and three ponies walked out into the clearing. The bigger colt, his coat a fine shade blue with a lighter blue, unkempt medium length mane, lead the other two ponies into the clearing, a typical jock smile on his face. The mare, her coat a chocolate brown with a sand colored, ponytail-tied mane, trailed behind, giggling at whatever the younger colt behind her said. He looked as if he was just getting out of his adolescent years, his dark green coat looking slightly tacky compared to his short light blue mane. The lead colt's smile instantly vanished as his eyes passed over the two ponies already occupying the clearing. He stopped in mid stride, causing the two ponies behind him to run into his flank. "Oof, hey! Noteworthy, what's the hold up?" the mare whined, looking around him to the two ponies sitting before them. Unlike the colt's reaction, the mare's smile returned quickly and even grew as she exclaimed "Shadow!!! You're ba- oooh and you brought a friend!" Shadow blushed, giving a little wave as he said "Hey there Coco, you doing ok?" Applejack's jaw dropped as he heard her name, the apple mare stunned that...no, it couldn't be! Coco smiled, motioning with her head towards the smaller colt as she said "Heh, yeah, Grassy here was just trying to put the moves on me with his sweet talk." At this, Grassy blushed and rubbed the back of his head as he said "Ah'm sure it'll work...ventually'" his voice was dripping with very much the same accent Applejack had, but that wasn't the most expressive feature about him, or the other two. The most distinguishing thing that Applejack could see right off the bat...was that their eyes were all blood red. They were all infected...but what she couldn't believe that it was actually- "Coco...?" Applejack whispered, her eyes wide "Ah thought...ah thought you died! That day at the park when ya...ya know!" At this, Coco let out a girlish giggle and said "Yeah, I thought I was a goner too! But then, like a week or so later, I found myself slowly being able to think again! If it wasn't for the Captain, I don't know what I'd do." The country mare raised an eyebrow as she asked "Captain...as in Shadow-Mane?" Coco started to open her mouth to answer, but another answered for her. It was that of another mare's voice, but she sounded...much older. A lace of power rested within her words, and her tone seemed almost...wise, in nature. "I think she means me," said the voice as it emerged from the bushes behind them. The country mare gasped as she approached, the mystery mare who stood as big and as tall as Princess Luna. She had a medium length length that was a dull and very faded shade of light purple which fit her gray coat well, her bat-pony ears matching her bat wings. She was adorned in a set of what Applejack perceived to be Lunar Guard armor...but it didn't look like any armor she had seen any guards wear before. It was of an interesting design, ornate in a way. Various sets of runes lined their way across the sides, with a large crescent moon implanted on the front. If anything...she could only vaguely remember seeing such armor in a museum she had once visited with Twilight way back before the madness had started. The one thing that was out of place about her...was the weird looking necklace she wore around her neck. It was nothing simpler than a necklace of beads, except there were very tiny vials of red spaced out between them. Just looking at it gave Applejack the shivers. But just like the rest of them, the mare also had an equally infected pair of eyes. It seemed nopony could escape the disease nowadays. What Applejack was really gasping at however, was the small occupant riding on the large mare's back, the rider being none other than - "Spike!" Applejack shouted, the small dragon jumping off the mare and rushing towards her "Applejack! No way, I can't believe it's you!" Spike answered with glee, jumping into Applejack's expecting hug and holding her tightly "I was so scared that you and the other girls weren't gonna make it! Are you ok? Is the change working for you too?!" Applejack chuckled, rubbing a hoof on his head and staring into his ruby-colored eyes as she said "Well...whatever is that's been done to me is workin'...ah'm sorry this happened to you though..." Spike shrugged, crossing his arms as he said "Eh, it's no big deal, being like this has made it a lot easier to move around. Well, with the Captain's help of course." "And I believe..." whispered the large mare as she approached from behind the small dragon "That Miss Applejack would like a few words with me. I believe she's tired of being left in the dark." She looked up towards Shadow and asked him quietly "Could you take Spike and the others and get a fire going? I believe some heat will do well for our bones." Shadow nodded, giving her a salute and saying a simple "Aye aye ma'am," before leading Spike away from them. Spike turned and waved towards the apple mare, shouting a quick "We so need to catch up after you guys talk!" before padding off with Shadow. Applejack smiled, giving him a wave back as the big mare sat on her flank, the necklace around her neck jingling slightly against her breastplate. She smiled as Applejack followed suit, the two of them getting comfortable before the mare began "Well then...I'm sure you have many questions Applejack, perhaps if I started with my name?" Applejack nodded, reaching up to tilt her stetson back but quickly realizing it wasn't there. She frowned, mourning the loss of her prized hat for a moment as the mare said "Well, my name is Captain Vivid Nightmare, retired soldier of the Lunar Guard and the previous leader of Shadow Squad." Applejack blinked, a mightily impressed look passing over her face as she let forth a whistle and said "Old leader o' Shadow Squad huh? Musta' been one hell of a soldier. Shadow never mentioned you though..." Nightmare smiled, casting a look over towards Shadow who was currently banging two rocks together and trying to get a small fire started. It was hilarious to watch it seemed, the ponies and one dragon surrounding him laughing hysterically as the weary bat pony swore all sorts of obscene remarks at the rocks. "Well...wouldn't be able to," Nightmare said, turning back towards Applejack and sighing "His memory and the memories of the other members of Shadow Squad concerning me were wiped clean. I became a ghost to all of Equestria when Celestia decreed me a traitor and that any traces of my existence be erased from all the archives." "Damn," Applejack breathed, an impressed look on her face "Ya'll must have done some pretty serious stuff to get blacklisted by ol'Celly!" "Heh...well," Nightmare whispered, blushing slightly as she tapped her two front hooves together in embarrassment. "I may have...stolen something from her." Applejack let out a bit of a chuckle, the thoughts of what ridiculous things she could have stolen passing through her mind. "So what?" Applejack asked, snorting slightly in laughter "Ya steal her favorite pair of slippers or somethin'?" At this, Nightmare simply laughed along with her, taking a moment to breathe as she said "Ha! Well I...um...well I may have stolen Discord's necklace...the um, the same one that contained the original virus..." Applejack's laugh quickly died in her throat as Nightmare looked away kind of bashfully. "You...stole, the necklace where all the blood...all the chaos, where all of our pain and misery came from?" Nightmare sighed, nodding her head sadly as she asked quietly "If I could have a moment to...explain." Applejack blinked, the surprise on her face still very apparent and her questions no doubt increasing. Applejack finally had the strength to nod, motioning for her to go on. The retired Captain sighed as she looked up at the stars, her voice quivering for a moment before she started to speak... "It was such a long, long time ago. I was a six year combat veteran and one of Luna's prized Pegasus guards. A real top ace in those days. I was so great, that when the time came for Luna to open up a new, special forces group in the Lunar Guard, she chose me to lead the team. I lived up to my name of 'Vivid Nightmare' when I chose very carefully my candiates for the team. Moon-Lance, Wind-Weaver, Sky-Driver, Shadow-Mane....even my own son." "Whoa now...," Applejack interrupted for a moment, her eyes widening so much she thought there were going to roll freely out of her head "Your son...you mean Nightfire!?" Nightmare sighed, nodding her head sadly as she went on "Yes...I even brought my own son onto the team. He was so adorable in his younger years, always jealous whenever his mother got to go on adventures, leaving his poor little self with his father whenever I was deployed. He wanted so badly to follow in my hoofsteps that he joined the Lunar Guard. He did so well...he really became one of the most perfect candidates I had ever seen. Anyway, so I let them onto the team, and oh the adventures we all had together. From the peaks of the northern mountains to the darkest, gloomiest caves in the east. We fought and battled our way through so much. She paused, sighing for a moment as she hugged herself slightly, letting out a small whimper as she found herself struggling to continue "I...I remember that one fateful day when Celestia ordered us to go deep into the Razor Talon mountains to the north on the rumor that there was dark magic at work near one of the peaks. Our mission was to find out what was causing such dark energy, and destroy it. So we went...simple enough. What we found in those dark, deadly caves, was this necklace." She ran a hoof over it, smiling slightly as it jingled lightly in her hold "It's gotten so heavy over the years...anyway, I was maintaining a magical mental link with Celestia at the time, and I told her that we had found the source of the energies, explaining to her that it was some kind of dark necklace with some kind of mysterious runes carved into the pedestal it rested on. I told her I was going to destroy it, but she told me to wait and get a good look at the runes first. So I did, I stared and let her see through my eyes what was written in the stone. Well...after that her view towards the artifact completely changed, she wanted us to bring it back to her as quickly as possible. I thought it was rather odd, strange of course but...I was a mare of orders, and I followed them no matter what." Applejack leaned back, resting her front hooves behind her to hold her up as she listened to the Captain's tale. "Sounds like whatever them runes were sayin' must have made some kind o' sense to her." Applejack said, her brow furrowed "To her, it mighta' meant a solution to the Griffons that were pushin' her borders." Nightmare nodded, looking back up to the sky as the hoots and hollers of celebratory ponies rang out behind her, signalling the fire had finally been made. "It may have very well been that. I was always wondering when we'd get that fateful order to march to the north and take the fight to the griffons...but ever since she found that necklace, the order never came. Instead, we were sent from one underground bunker to the next, harboring the artifact to scientists and historians and all kinds of specialist ponies. It wasn't long before a lot of us started to listen in on some of their conversations. We heard so many theories, so many suggestions of what it could have been. The only thing they all agreed on however...was that this necklace was definitely the property of the Lord of Chaos, Discord himself. They said that the vials of blood lining the necklace might have been part of what they called 'The Scales of Balance', something that the runes we saw were referring to. Instead of a virus...they said it was the very essence of Chaos itself mixed in, a sort of make-shift weapon that could be used when the scales tipped way too far in the direction of Harmony. According to the experts, the weapon appeared to have been lost for centuries, and may have only been activated and able to be found because of the ever growing amounts of Harmony triumphing in the world." "Ya mean..." Applejack interjected, rubbing a hoof under her chin "When me and the other Elements of Harmony defeated Nightmare Moon n' Discord once before...we stopped a massive amount of chaos from happenin' and that paved the way for a heap o' Harmony." Nightmare nodded, her ears perking to Noteworthy telling a whole bunch of dirty jokes that the guys would laugh at, leaving Coco to merely roll her eyes. "Those incidents of Harmony may have very well been the final straw that tipped the scales too far, and activated the resonating magic of the necklace. Celestia wanted to use it against the Griffons, not only to rid her precious kingdom of a dangerous threat, but to restore order to the scales by creating a hellstorm of chaos. Unfortunately...the necklace had other ideas. It was like it had a mind of its own, slowly driving Celestia insane as she raced to find some way to harness the blood contained in the vials and use it against the Griffons. It reached out to her, plaguing her poor mind. I suppose it figured that if it could break apart one of the strongest pillars of Harmony in the world, ultimate Chaos could be achieved." "Looks like it's worked..." Applejack sighed, scratching her head as she asked "But how does that explain all of this? Me being...almost normal, Shadow being able to think. We're not unicorns! How're YOU normal?!" Nightmare ran a hoof along the necklace, her eyes saddening slightly as she went on "Well...I wasn't really comfortable with the idea of mass genocide, regardless of who our enemies were. A fight needed to be met head on, in glorious battle! It didn't need to be fought with cheap weapons of biological warfare. I stole the necklace, trying to save the world from a terrible fate. When I put it on however...it infected me. I don't know how, but I felt the same burning hatred deep within my veins that many of the others in this world suffer from. I wandered the frozen wastes of the north, wondering who I was, what I was becoming. I was scared, afraid that nopony would ever want anything to do with me ever again. But then I started feeling...different. I slowly started to feel stronger, more powerful...more in control. Before the infection broke out into Ponyville...I snuck into the underground bunker in the Everfree Forest. Don't ask me how...it was quite embarrassing." She blushed heavily for a moment before quickly clearing her throat and moving on "I was there when they brought Twilight Sparkle into the facility, and right before they infected her...something happened. I suddenly felt a surge of power flow through me, and I concentrated solely on Twilight. I think...that somehow I used magic, because once I hit her with whatever spell came out of that necklace...it turned her into a Carrier. The same thing happened when I happened across Trixie....and so on and so forth." Applejack frowned, leaning forward and saying "So let me get this straight, Discord's necklace...gave you the power to wield magic...and that this magic actually stopped ponies from goin' all stir crazy?" Nightmare sighed, shaking her head and whispering "It's all that I can think of that happened. It's like...maybe what Celestia did, maybe all of this has caused TOO much chaos. Maybe this is just nature's way of working through me to bring some kind of balance back." The apple mare put a hoof to her head, a confused expression on her face as she said "Well this answers a lot ah guess...still a lot of questions though." "I know what you mean, this hasn't really been the easiest of years for me lately." Nightmare sighed, getting to her hooves and turning towards the fire. She took a look back towards Applejack for a moment as she said "I've not been able to...momentarily cure many ponies, only about a hundred. We're scattered about, staying hidden where we can. If Discord knew what I was up to...he'd surely come after me and my flock." She looked down at the necklace again, a hopeful look on her face as she went on "I hope to maybe use this necklace to find a cure...maybe find a way to reverse all of this and bring Harmony back to the world again. That's all I have though...is the hope." She quietly trotted away towards the fire to join the others, leaving Applejack to sit there and ponder what she said. A long lost Pegasus, shunned and exiled by Princess Celestia for trying to steal away the very source of Discord's terrible Ravage Virus in the hopes to find a cure...maybe atone for the sins she's brought across the world. Would anypony believe her if she told them that was what was happening? "This is just all comin' too fast...ah don't even know what's what anymore..." she whispered to herself, holding her aching head in her hooves. So much change in just a few nights. Would there ever be an end to it all? Perhaps Nightmare had a solid plan...maybe she was really onto a cure, something that could help the world be rid of the Ravage. She let out one final sigh, falling to her back and staring up at the sky as a few shooting stars streaked through the sky. "Whatever she's got cookin' in that brain o' hers..." she whispered, looking up into the stars "Ah hope she puts it to good use soon...ah don't know how much more anypony can take..."
ReunitedThe air was thick with blood. It was almost as if she were dancing an elegant ballet. The steady thuds and booms of magic throughout the darkness calling more and more to her. She screamed, whipping her head about violently as her magic cascaded itself over any living thing coming too close. Twilight Sparkle swung her head to the left as a magical tendril of energy flailed about like a thick whip, lashing and slicing trees and ravaged ponies in half. With a quick buck behind her, she knocked out a shrieking mare's teeth with a quick follow through via magical dagger to the throat. Quickly grasping the mare's lifeless body, Twilight heaved her over and threw her into a group of three other ponies flanking her from the rear. She was panting lightly, her magical reserves nowhere near exhausted but her physical stamina...that was a different story. She threw a hoof forward, punching a colt right in the face and causing the vile beast to let out a howl of pain. With a quick lunge of her hooves, she twirled and grasped him in a tight headlock. With a heavy turn of her legs and body, she snapped his neck clean with a sickening 'crack!', dropping him like a dead weight before turning and throwing a hoof straight out to clothesline a mare running towards her. The mare yelped as she did a half-backflip, catching a bolt of magic in the back of her head as she flipped upside down, a bolt which tore her head clean off and seared through two other ponies before exploding and taking another five. Twilight reared her head to the sky and let out a loud, mareish shriek. "Come!!!!" she roared, conjuring two magical shortswords in the air and giving them an ethereal twirl "Is this all?! Is this the best you can do!?". She let forth a guttural scream, a battle cry that literally shook many of the leaves from the trees around her with magical force, causing four ponies around her to drop to the ground, holding their now bleeding ears with pained expressions on their face and loud screeches emanating from their raspy lungs. Twilight wasted no time in gutting the wounded ponies around her with the swords, twirling and cleaving another pony's head clean off. She swung and swung, cutting and stabbing and cleaving any pony who would dare get near her. No matter how many she killed, it just felt like more and more were taking their places. She paused for a moment as she ripped one of her magical swords free of a pony's skull, blood squirting up into the air from its fresh kill and now lifeless host. She looked around her, her lungs heaving for air. She narrowed her eyes towards the dark treeline around her, watching as more and more shapes started to materialize. She swore, turning a bolting into the forest. She galloped as fast as her aching lungs would allow her, swinging and cutting her way through every pony that got in her way or got too close. She wasn't even surprised when she heard that unmistakeable, dark voice on the wind somewhere in the forest "Heh...how many more ponies are you going to kill before you finally realize there's nothing you can do to stop me? Pretty soon, you're going to run out of ponies in the population...what then? Will you go after the Griffons who're just now, invading your precious north and east?" Twilight merely let out a grunt and spat "When are YOU going to realize that no matter how many bodies you throw at me Discord, you're not gonna stop ME from killing you!?" She cleaved off another mare's head as she continued to run through the forest. "What? Don't believe me?" Discord asked with a laugh from somewhere above the weary unicorn. "I'm telling you the truth, kill one and I'll replace it with twenty." She heard him snap his fingers from above as he cackled and roared "Here, let me show you!!!" The ravaged ponies who were in hot pursuit of Twilight suddenly skidded to a halt, turning on their hooves and running away like crazy. They were yelping in panic as if a dog had gotten swiped in the rear by its angry owner with a newspaper, drawing Twilight herself to quickly slow to a stop. She turned her head slowly, panting and pushing her disheveled and sweaty mane out of her face with a hoof as the diseased mob galloped for the hills. It was a moment to breathe, she realized. Just a moment before Discord threw something really nasty at her. She let herself smile as she gave her longswords a quick twirl, positioning them defensively by her sides as she crouched and braced herself. If Discord was making things harder for her...he was getting scared. He wasn't facing her in direct combat, which he could have surely done and win if he wanted. Perhaps he was nervous about going against the magically buffed, diseased unicorn. That or he was simply playing his part as 'Lord of Chaos', making things as annoying and chaotic for Twilight as possible. She didn't have long to ponder the possibilities as a murderous screech of a bird sounded off above her. A large spot in the canopy of the forest snapped and thundered about violently, causing Twilight to tense up, preparing for whatever was coming. A shape much larger than Twilight fell through the hole in the forest ceiling, crashing into the ground on what looked like...claws and paws. "Uh oh..." Twilight muttered, her eyes widening slightly as the beast stood to its fullest height, its massive body clad in heavy battle armor while its mighty wings were free to unfurl at its sides to an intimidating wingspan. Its helmet visor was down, but that didn't stop the bright red light of undeniable chaos to gleam through the eyes slits. It let out a guttural roar towards her face as two more massive forms crashed through the canopy on either side of the beast, clacking their claws against the dirt. Twilight's irises shrank as the three monstrosities started lurking towards her, growling through beaked helmets. The tired unicorn had only thing to say as she raised her swords in preparations to attack, a curse passing through hushed lips as she whispered to herself: "Horseapples..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Momma I'm scared..." "I know dear, it's going to be ok..." "Alright now, ya'll just come on through here and straight on, there's plenty o' room so don't get greedy ya hear?" "Wow, look at this place! I always wondered where the Princesses used to live!" "Yeesh, no wonder they moved to Canterlot, a castle this deep in the Everfree? Psh, no thanks!" "I wonder how many Lunar Guard are left...I don't know if we can survive another 'Canterlot'..." "I heard that a good chunk of them got sent to Stalliongrad, wonder what for?" "You think the Griffons are still going to invade us?" "Ha! Why would they?! It's not like there's anything healthy here to conquer..." Big Macintosh kept his bravest face on as he ushered in another group of twenty ponies over the ruined drawbridge to the Old Castle. Ponies...more like refugees. They carried saddlebags, baskets, even a cart as they moved over the bridge and into the relative 'safety' of the ruined castle. Maybe it was the massive discharge of Harmony that was set off during the battle against Nightmare Moon or just the sheer remote location of the castle that kept the afflicted ponies away. Either one suited Macintosh just fine, quickly beckoning the group inside as Rainbow Dash landed on the bridge behind them, facing the forest. She did a slow scan with her eyes into the trees, being sure that there wasn't anything nasty lying in wait for an ambush. A tense minute passed before Rainbow gave an affirmative nod, trotting over the bridge and nodding to the work horse. "Everypony made it, safe n' sound. Roll her up big guy!" Macintosh nodded, moving quickly towards the large wooden wheel that was responsible for raising and lowering the drawbridge. He reared up on his hind legs, planting his hooves firmly around one of the wooden stakes jutting outwards from the wheel and taking in a deep breath. With a mighty heave backwards, he very slowly spun the wheel and started to raise the drawbridge. It resisted for a moment before giving a loud, groaning defeat and submitting to the stallion's movements. The chains rattled loudly as the bridge was raised higher and higher before coming to its eventual stop at its upright position. The workhorse let out a loud 'whew!' before dropping back to all fours and wiping the sweat from his brow, turning to the waiting Rainbow Dash and muttering "Ah don't like the way them damn chains go n' rattle every time ah raise or lower the bridge...makes me nervous about getting heard." Rainbow nodded, falling into a walk next to Macintosh as they proceeded into the depths of the castle. "I hear ya Mac, but after a hundred survivors, you'd think any of those red-eyed punks would have noticed by now." The workhorse nodded with a smile as the group of ponies ahead of them entered into a massive rotunda-like area where the rest of the refugees were camped out. Covered wagons, crates, blankets and pillows, anything you could of taking when running away was strewn about across the large, open ground. This way and that ponies walked n' talked, thankful they could be away from the carnage of the outside, chaotic world. The only two rules they had to follow while staying under "Harmony's Roof?": Play nice, don't go outside. The work horse and weather mare sat side by side at the top of the large, wide stairway leading up to the throne room, taking in the scene before them. Foals and fillies ran about, playing tag with one another while many of the adults tried to sleep curled up in blankets and a pillow. A few checked on their belongings while others tried socializing or taking a few breezing, walking laps around the rotunda to clear their head and cure the boredom. "Almost seems...normal," Rainbow muttered, nodding towards a colt who bowed his and smiled as he passed by the bottom of the stairs "You know?" She turned her head towards the big red stallion, watching his lips curl into a small smile. "Eeyup, it's good to see some normal in the world again..." he muttered, letting out a sigh and scratching the back of his head. "Can't believe we got so many ponies out...surprised Discord n' his cronies didn't notice so many houses n' streets empty." He felt his frown deepening however, a sudden realization hitting him "Too bad there's no more ponies to save...everypony else has either gone n' gotten bit or have run fer the hills in their own direction..." It had taken a bit of work, but with the help of Lyra, Thunderlane, and Rainbow Dash, Macintosh managed to convert the ruined fortress into a suitable refugee camp for ponies looking to escape New Ponyville or wherever it was they were running from. Zecora's hut was invaluable to any pony group being led by Rainbow Dash as a pit stop, taking a moment to rest their hooves and take a breather...unaware of a diseased unicorn locked up in a small chest at the foot of the zebra's bed. When ponies asked why the box was moving about so violently, she would tell them it was just one of the forest animals she caught making a fuss, and assured them the lock was quite strong. It didn't play too well on the nerves of the refugees, but they were too thankful to be away from the ravaged ponies town to complain. There was one thing that was seriously bothering the two ponies greatly, with one particular matter bothering only Rainbow. Applejack still had yet to come back from whatever it was she went to chase after at Sweet Apple Acres. For Rainbow Dash...it was the fact Twilight hadn't showed back up either. Sure she didn't want to reveal to Big Macintosh that she was still alive...but how long would she be able to pull off that particular charade? How long did she plan on hiding herself from him? Was she going to disappear again once the Ravage and Discord were beaten? Rainbow snorted, shaking her head and narrowing her eyes. No way, no way was she just going to let Twilight up and leave again. Diseased or not, Twilight owed it to Macintosh for the misery he'd been through. That was the only thing she agreed with Applejack on. They needed their friend back, and the Rainbow mare swore to herself not to lose that egghead again. She was distracted from her train of thought slightly as Macintosh suddenly said "Can't believe we got so many ponies up in here." he looked up as he saw a couple kissing gently while they pressed up against each others sides. A blanket was draped across their backs, keeping their embrace warm and toasty as the poor stallion felt his heart crack. He tried to ignore the painful feeling swelling up in his chest as he went on "But...now what? What's the plan past this point? Sit here until something happens?" Rainbow sighed, leaning back and putting her front two legs behind her, keeping herself propped up. She stared at the ceiling as she gave a tiny shrug and muttered "I don't know...we didn't really talk about a plan up past this point." She turned her head back towards the throne room, grimacing slightly "Guess we should probably sit down and probably have a meeting." She got up slowly, stretching her wings out and giving them a good flap or two to keep them from going stiff. He let out a quiet sigh, turning her head toward the work horse and asking "You coming?" The work horse nodded, getting to his hooves as well and following her through the giant, open stone doors leading into the throne room. The two of them walked in silence into the large open throne room, old scorch marks and battle scars from when the battle between the Elements of Harmony and Nightmare Moon took place still etched into the old stone. Macintosh looked to his left, spotting Thunderlane and Roseluck asleep comfortably together. Roseluck shifted slightly on her side, her body thankful for the warmth her lover was giving her as he pressed his belly against her back, half hugging her from behind. The Cake's twins were nestled just by Roseluck's head and her own soft belly, the two of them just as exhausted as their adopted parents. "Hey Fluttershy," Rainbow said as they passed by the canary-yellow Pegasus collecting some petals from a flower growing through one of the overgrown cracks in the floor. "What you up to?" "O...oh, well um..." Fluttershy began, hiding behind her mane for a moment as she dropped the petals in a small pouch that rested inside her saddlebags "I was just...um...collecting some flower petals that I know can be mashed down to create a sort of cream that helps prevent infection in wounds..." Rainbow smiled, walking up to the timid pony and giving her a soft nuzzle by her ear as she said "Great thinking Flutters, that could help if somepony gets hurt." Fluttershy responded only with a small smile, a blush, and a very tiny 'meep!' as Rainbow pointed a hoof over near the steps leading up to the large platform that used to hold the throne, the surface where Nightmare Moon herself once stood. "We're going to have a small meeting to see if we can't come up with any ideas or some kind of plan about what to do since we've rescued all that we can from Ponyville. Wanna come?" "Oh! S..sure!" Fluttershy responded with a small smile, closing her saddlebags and following the two towards the platform. A tired looking Pinkie Pie was already seated on tucked in hooves, watching over a sleeping Applebloom and Catie Cloud-Mane while a bored-looking Lyra stood nearby, peering through the ancient, dusty mirrors into the foggy forest beyond. Pinkie looked up as the three approached, giving her best smile as she waved a hoof and said quietly in greeting "Hey guys, what's up?" Lyra turned her head to listen as Rainbow Dash sat back on her flank, the rest of the group following suit. She gave Pinkie a wave of greeting in return as she said "We're going to talk about what we should do about this point about future plans." "Should I get Thunderlane?" Lyra asked, trotting over to the group and receiving a nod from Big Macintosh. "Eeyup, ah think we could use his opinion." answered the stallion, receiving an affirmative nod from Lyra. "Don't wake up Roseluck though...poor mare could do with some sleep fer takin' care of the twins." Lyra motioned a hoof towards the two sleeping fillies nearby and whispered "Should I take them over as well?" "Nah," Rainbow said with a shrug "As long as we keep our voices down, we'll be ok." With a final nod, Lyra trotted over to the sleeping family off a ways. Macintosh watched with a turned head as the teal unicorn nudged the sleeping Pegasus with her nose, stirring him awake. He saw them exchange a few words before watching Thunderlane let out a groan, pushing a hoof against his face in tiredness and mild annoyance before getting up. He pulled a small blanket he had tucked away in his saddlebags nearby over her sleeping beloved, giving her a small kiss on the cheek before following Lyra back towards the platform. Macintosh couldn't help but feel jealous of Thunderlane. At least his family kept together. The weather colt gave a loud yawn as he trotted up with Lyra, the two of them sitting on the other side of Fluttershy and completing the circle. "Alright..." Thunder grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes "Let's get this over with...I'm dead tired." "Yeah, join the club Thunderlane." Rainbow growled, her own eyes looking like they could slam shut at any moment. Macintosh cleared his throat loudly, nipping that potential argument in the bud as all eyes focused on him. "Now then," he started, looking amongst all of them "Ah think we can all agree that it's bout' time we started thinking on what we oughta do now that we've gotten everypony outta Ponyville." "Are we sure that we got them all?" Fluttershy asked, drawing a nod out of Pinkie Pie. "I'm gonna have to agree with Flutters on that one" Pinkie added, holding her hoof out "Are we sure we got every pony out? There could be some hiding in a basement or something somewhere." To this, Rainbow merely shook her head and let out a simple "Positive," before scratching her head and going on. "I had plenty of time to check every building, every nook and cranny I could think of. Even places YOU would be Pinkie." Everypony looked amazed to hear such a statement, their eyes widening slightly as Lyra breathed "No way...how'd you manage to sneak past all the Afflicted?" Rainbow Dash grimaced, her body shivering slightly as she recounted exactly how she did. Her stomach gave an involuntary heave as she muttered "I don't...want to really talk about it, if that's ok?" The group nodded slowly as she went on "Point is, I know for sure that we got everypony out that we could. The rest have either fallen to the Ravage or have gone their own separate way. Point is, it's not going to be long before Discord notices and starts sending his diseased freaks to come search for us." Thunderlane grimaced, looking towards the dusty windows behind him and Lyra as he said "Yeah...if he hasn't already." He turned his head back towards the other and asked "So what then? We've got a good amount of ponies, do we just sit here in this dusty old castle and wait for rescue? Last I heard, the Lunar Guard was stretched pretty thin before the Ravage hit again. I don't think rescue's going to be coming anytime soon, IF any rescue is gonna come that is." "Well...ah might have one idea..." Macintosh muttered, all of the group's eyes focused on him as a look of determination passed over his face "We got a good number o' ponies...bout a hundred strong right?" he asked, drawing a nervous shake of the head by Lyra. "I see that look in your eye Macintosh..." she muttered, a warning tone in her voice "I'm not sure that I like where this is going..." Rainbow Dash smiled, already starting to piece what Macintosh was going to say together "Awwwww yeah, now that's a plan!" "Whoa now!" Thunder growled, pointing an accusing hoof at the work horse and asking angrily "You're not thinking about leading ponies into a fight are you!?" "Why not?" Macintosh asked as Rainbow rolled her eyes at the weather colt "Either we stay here, run outta supplies eventually and starve, or we take a stand n' fight!" Lyra raised an eyebrow as a mightily confused expression spread across her face, drawing her to ask "But...why? Rainbow Dash just went through the trouble of leading all those survivors over here, why send them all back?" "Yeah," Thunderlane said in agreement, turning his head towards Macintosh after an affirmative nod towards the unicorn "Why don't you play it smart for a moment, think about what Twilight would do, wouldn't she want to think about the consequences of sending an untrained group of civilians to war?!" Macintosh growled loudly, narrowing his eyes at Thunderlane about mentioning Twilight to him in such a way. He was just getting to his hooves to say something about it when Rainbow Dash put a hoof to his shoulder, sharing a look with the work horse and shaking her head, implying that it wasn't worth it. As he sat back down, grumbling quietly to himself, Rainbow Dash took the moment to speak and answer the thick headed colt. "What would Twilight do?" She asked angrily, pointing a hoof towards Thunderlane as she said "She'd take a stand and fight! She had the boulders to charge head first into Nightmare Moon, hell she even stood up to Princess Celestia!" She leaned in real close, her eyes narrowing as she growled "And wasn't it your precious little Roseluck who was saved by the Great Purge that Twilight unleashed during the Battle of Canterlot? Thank goodness Twilight chose to side with us and take the fight to the enemy before someone's marefriend got gunned down in a hail of Lunar bullets..." Thunderlane felt his face flush hot with anger, letting out a deep growl as Pinkie Pie waved a hoof about frantically, her eyes shifting to a mumbling and sleeping Applebloom who had shifted slightly. "Guys come on, play nice!" She whispered urgently, trying to calm the situation down before it got out of hand. "It still doesn't make sense to fight send ponies back into the very hell they just escaped from." Lyra interjected as the three worked up ponies around her took a few calming breaths, trying to simmer down and take Pinkie's advice. "I don't think many of them are going to be thrilled about having to go fight the living monsters of their nightmares..." To this, Fluttershy spoke up, an idea sparking into her head. "Um...well why don't you just ask them all at once?" she asked, drawing a few curious looks from the group. "Ask who wants to go and who wants to stay," She went on, causing Macintosh and Thunderlane to look at each other with raised eyebrows "That way, everypony wins...right?" The group shifted their eyes away, thinking deeply for a moment before Lyra finally spoke up. "Yeah, that seems pretty sensible. Whoever wants to go fight can fight, and everypony else can stay here." "Where's this fight even going to take place Macintosh?" Thunderlane asked, his doubts still verly clear about the whole thing. "You can't drag an army of civilians across all of Equestria, they aren't seasoned for it!" Macintosh nodded, agreeing with him on that point, but already he had a sort of good idea. "Ah figure we try n' find any Lunar Guard or Royal Guard unit still operatin' out there. If we can find them, we can find out where the fight is." He sighed, rubbing at his head for a moment before going on with "That or...well we take the fight to the capital. Ah'm not just gonna sit round n' get toyed with by Discord. He wants this land so bad, he's gonna find out real quick that it's gonna take blood!" "Sounds a bit dangerous Macintosh..." Lyra muttered, a sad-eyed grimace on her face. Thunderlane merely scoffed, shaking his head and growling "More like suicide..." "Well that's up to the others to decide," Rainbow interjected, crossing her front legs and narrowing her eyes at the colt "I think it's time to let them decide." With a quick nod to one another, the group dismissed themselves. Rainbow and Macintosh headed down the steps and towards the main rotunda. Lyra quickly trotted after them as Thunderlane quickly went back to his lover's side. Fluttershy went back to her flower picking, happily trotting along the overgrown parts of the large room and leaving Pinkie Pie to keep silent vigil over the two fillies, ensuring they slept soundly. Rainbow was confused as to why Lyra was joining them, raising an eyebrow as the unicorn trotted to her side. "I thought you didn't want to fight," Rainbow said, drawing a shrug out of the mare as they moved towards the door. "I was a little concerned that your plan had too many holes in it," Lyra answered, looking towards the ground slightly as she went on and muttered "But then I...started thinking about Bon Bon...I know she'd fight for me if I were in her skin right now." "Mighty brave of ya there Lyra," Macintosh offered, giving her a small smile as they moved out of the doors. "Ah'm sure she'd be mighty proud of ya fer being so brave." Lyra didn't say anything in return, but she gave a simple nod and a smile, sitting down with Rainbow at the top of the steps as Macintosh cleared is throat and shouted out into the Rotunda "Everypony, can ah have ya'lls attention for just a second?" All around, ponies started looking in Macintosh's direction, a mixture of confused and curious expressions spread out amongst the sea of refugees. "Now, ah know some of ya'll just got here," Macintosh began, trying his best to sound official "But ah'm afraid ah have to ask ya'll a mighty tough question. Now ya don't have to say yes, ya'll are entitled to choose and say for yerselves what ya wanna do..." He took in a deep breath, finally letting the question drop and hoping they wouldn't scream out in an uproar "But...ah need your help. Rainbow n' her friends need yer help. Ah'm proposin' we take the fight to Discord! Ah say we oughta fight back!" There was an immediate mix of shouts, approval and disapproval. At least they ALL weren't completely against it, Macintosh thought. There could be some hope yet. "Now if ya'll wanna fight, ah suggest ya say yer goodbyes to any loved ones with you, make peace with your Princesses, n' meet me by the drawbridge wheel to leave. If not, well ya'll are welcome to stay here and rest for however long ya need to. That's all." The large group of ponies immediately set off to ponder their decision, a loud chorus of murmuring and voices echoing off the old walls of the castle. "Well...let's go I guess." muttered, getting to her hooves and following Macintosh down towards the entrance way that led to the old drawbridge. As the three ponies waited by the large wheel that controlled the drawbridge's movements, more and more ponies started to make their way over to them. It took only maybe five minutes as Macintosh found himself seated in front of around forty ponies had all grouped up, waiting for his word. Mares and colts alike, some a bit younger than Macintosh would have been comfortable with and a few who looked to be well into their middle-aged years. He scanned the crowd carefully for a moment before he gave a single nod and said "Alright...ah think we all know what we're up against out there. We're gonna see if we can't find some weapons to help out against them diseased folk. Until then, just go for the neck. Stomp on em, kick em', throttle em if ya got to. Just make your energy count!" They nodded quickly, anticipating and fear making a few of them shiver as Macintosh started to turn the large wheel, dropping the Drawbridge down to the ground. "Here we go again..." Rainbow Dash whispered to herself, following Macintosh with his militia group over the drawbridge and back over into the forest. It was only an hour or so after that Macintosh, trying his best to lead his large group through the dense trees and underbrush, came across a large clearing. He noticed that light was starting to seep its way into the sky, giving way to a brand new dawn on the horizon. "Alright..." Macintosh muttered, turning towards Rainbow Dash and the others and shouting "We'll stop here fer now! Rest yer hooves if ya gotta. Don't go too far though!" The large group broke up slightly, each trying to find a good place to rest for a moment. Rainbow sat with Macintosh, a weary but determined look in her eyes. When she really thought about it, she wasn't sure when exactly she had time to get a decent night's sleep. She could see it in Macintosh's eyes as well, those emerald eyes begging to be closed. "You ok Macintosh...?" she muttered, patting the big pony on his massive side "Don't go falling asleep on me now!" Macintosh merely chuckled, shaking his head and the tiredness out of his eyes as he answered back "Ah know. Maybe once all o' this is over...ah think ah'm gonna sleep for a week straight." "Heh, I'm with you on that one," Rainbow agreed, smiling "Nothing's going to keep me from the perfect napping cloud ever ag-" Her words were suddenly cut off as a thunderous boom echoed through the forest, the startled faces of many ponies shooting their looks along the treeline where the explosion originated from. "What in the hay was...?" Macintosh muttered, hearing crashing noises through the trees. A crashing...that was heading their way. "Ya'll get into the trees now and keep low!" Big Macintosh shouted, waving his hoof frantically to the woods behind them. "Don't attack until we're sure we got the drop on em!" They bolted for the trees quickly as the thunderous booms increased in intensity and volume, the ground beneath the workhorse's hooves vibrating slightly. He retreated back into the trees as well as a tree on the opposite side of the clearing lit up with purple magic before exploding violently, sending shards of lumber in all directions. He gave a mighty yelp as he dove for cover, Rainbow gasping and pointing towards the blown apart tree "Holy horseapples! Macintosh it's Discord!" "What?!" Macintosh hollered back, taking cover behind the tree next to Rainbow's and peeking his head out. Sure enough, the Lord of Chaos himself could be seen sailing through the trees, a very angry look about on his face as he weaved this way and that, avoiding giant bolts of reddish, purple magic. "Look's like he's running from something..." Rainbow whispered, watching as Discord swerved violently to avoid a bolt from taking his head off, turning in the direction of Macintosh and his group. "Shit...he's coming this way!" "Now let's just keep it cool Rainbow..." Macintosh muttered, listening to the panicked whispering of his militia ponies about Discord's presence. "We dunno if the magic user shooting at him is an enemy to us either, they could very well go n' shoot at us t- RAINBOW!" He hadn't even bothered to look back towards Rainbow to see if she was there, his attention too focused on Discord. A rainbow blur shot away from the trees, soaring towards the incoming Discord who was too busy looking behind him to notice the cyan mare twirling and aiming a rear hoof towards his face in a sailing kick. "Hey, ASSHOLE!" Rainbow shouted "How's your dentistry insurance?!" Discord turned his head back around, an eyebrow raised. His eyes suddenly widened as the hoof connected with his face, bucking him right in the mouth. The multi-formed monster roared as he recoiled in shock and pain, snarling as he reached out with a clawed hand, grasping his mouth with the other. "You...little...SHIT!" Discord spat, grabbing Rainbow around her neck and causing her to let out a tight wheeze. The poor mare pawed at his hand with her hooves, trying to pry the beast off of her as the chaos wielder growled "I do not have time for you and your Elements today. You're all going to pay for your stupidity and foolish bravery soon enough!" He reared back his arm and threw her forward with a mighty heave, sending her tumbling into the wet grass. She slid to a stop, gasping for air and coughing like crazy. She held a tender hoof to her neck, coughing madly while Discord flexed his griffon hand, the claws starting to gleam a bright red. "I think..." he rumbled, holding his claw back "You'll be the first to discover it! One less Element is one less fool to stop me!" He swiped at the air, three large, crescent moon blades or red sailing through the air towards the helpless Pegasus. Macintosh gasped, watching as the blades soared towards the mare. Without even thinking, he burst out from behind his hiding spot, rushing out towards hers. "Rainbow!!!!" he screamed, diving towards her as the blades neared their target. Rainbow barely time to react as her vision filled with red, the blades finally entering her vision. It was like slow motion as the cyan mare felt strong hooves shove her out of the way, sending her careening across the grass like a ragdoll. The work horse however, was not so lucky. Two of the three blades slammed into his side, cutting into his flesh and drawing a thunderous, wounded holler out of the stallion. He was thrown through the air, crashing into a tree as Discord swore and prepared his claws for another attack. "I'll have you this time you little-" A bright flash of yellow light cut off the beast quickly as a massive bolt of sunlit energy soared through the air, causing the chaos lord to duck quickly to avoid it. Princess Celestia stood in all her glory, flanked by the members of Shadow Squad and a few of her Royal Warriors. "I knew it!" She shouted, her horn crackling with the might of the sun "All I had to do was follow the magical discharges flying about and I knew I'd find you!" She aimed her horn towards Discord, snarling as the Nightfire spun up his miniguns, narrowing his eyes while Moon-Lance, Wind-Weaver, and Sky-Driver all lined up shots with their bolt actions. "Prepare yourself, Lord of Chaos! Your reign of Tyranny ends here!" Discord, for a split second....looked like he was afraid. The thunderous crashing of the trees returned behind him, causing him to look over his shoulder and growl. He quickly looked back towards Celestia, narrowing her eyes and hissing "Sssooon..." before snapping his fingers and disappearing into a flash of red magic. The sun princess let out a breath as Discord disappeared, swearing quietly to herself. "Dammit..." she muttered, staring at the spot where Discord had only just occupied "We nearly had him, I suppose we shall continue to monitor for more large magical disch-" "MACINTOSH!" Rainbow screamed, cutting off Princess Celestia's words and causing the five of them to jump slightly, startled and amazed at the fact that they were not alone. Quickly turning her head, Celestia watched as Rainbow was thrown away violently, a thrashing Macintosh screaming at her to stay back. "Don't come a...any closer!" roared the stallion, his side burning heavily and his clenched shut eyes leaking with blood "Ya'll go on n' get out of here, ah'm done for!" Rainbow shook her head, rushing back over towards her friend as she screamed "Don't say that! You're gonna be ok, you're gonna be fine!!!" She was once again hurled away as the stallion let out a raspy shout, shaking his head and trying his best to stem away the old rage he had once felt in Canterlot "Ah said stay away! Ah can't...ah ain't gonna...take care o' little Moonlight...d...don't let her...!" He let out a savage roar as another mare matched his scream in perfect sync. Her shrill cry was enough to cause many ponies' ears to ring as a mare screamed "NNNOOOOOOOOO!" Twilight Sparkle crashed through the treeline, her horn still crackling with the high powered magic she had only just been shooting at Discord when he started to slip away from her in the trees. Tears of blood spilled from her eyes as she rushed towards the flailing stallion, the mare completely ignoring Princess Celestia and Rainbow Dash as she flew as fast as her hooves could carry her. "Twilight!" Gasped the alicorn and cyan Pegasus, the two of them shocked to see the unicorn. The lavender mare rushed to the stallion's side, putting her hooves on him and trying her best to pin him down. "Oh honey, sweetie no! Please no! I c...I can't lose you now!" She cried, watching helplessly as Macintosh kept his eyes shut, holding his head in his hooves and letting out heavy whines. The unicorn felt absolutely helpless as she ran through in her mind ANY solution she could use...anything to save him. But getting infected a second time...it was just game over. "There has to be something, anything!" She shouted, the stallion starting to grow still. His breath came out in ragged heaves, streaks of blood staining the fur under his eyes. The unicorn could do nothing except push her hooves against her eyes, weeping as she felt him move beside her. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry!" She whispered, his shadow passing over her as she wept "I should have told you...I shouldn't have hid from you! Please forgive me!!!" The ponies around them could only look in absolute wonder as Macintosh reached for the lavender unicorn, his hooves inching towards her neck. Twilight felt his hooves on her cheeks, knowing the inevitable twist of his hooves and the snap of her neck was imminent. She could have easily broken away, easy beaten him but...she just didn't have it in her heart to kill him. She felt her chin being tilted up, a raspy breath taken in and.......lips pressed against hers. Her eyes flew open, her gleaming violet eyes staring into the gleaming color of ruby eyes. Macintosh pushed his lips harder against her, drawing a muffled 'squeak' of shock out of Twilight. They stayed that way for a good moment before they slowly moved their heads away just enough to stare at one another. The wide-eyed unicorn could do nothing except stare at him, utter disbelief upon her eyes. Could it have been a trick? There was no way...no way at all that he could be...! Rainbow was the first one to call it out, pointing a hoof at a carrier Macintosh who merely smiled slightly, a blush on his cheeks. "HOW!?" She shouted, causing Princess Celestia to merely blink in surprise as well "How the...when did...WHAT!?" she screamed, her mind absolutely in a confused flux. "Well then..." said a voice on the opposite side of the clearing, drawing everypony's heads to turn to the source....a large, heavily armored bat-pony as big as Princess Luna, ethereal wisps of red, smokey magic emanating from her blood red eyes. A necklace with several tiny of vials hung around her neck, one of them in particular gleaming with bright red magic. It didn't help the completely shocked pony's mass confusion as Applejack and Shadow-Mane themselves, infected by the looks of their eyes, came trotting out from behind her, standing on both sides of her. "Looks like we were just in time, that's a relief." Said the large bat-pony, a big smile stretching on her face. For a moment, nopony spoke, nopony moved. It was a tense few moments that drew the large pony to raise an eyebrow as she muttered "Um...hello?" The only sound that came out of anypony at that point, was a high-pitched, voice-cracking Rainbow Dash squeaking quite simply: "WHAT?!" Author's Note Oh mah stars it's 7 A.M. I'm going to bed >.< Sorry if errors, will fix. Can't think, brain burnout. More updates soon.
PlanFor a moment, nopony moved, nopony spoke. It was an immensely awkward moment for them all, a meeting that no one could have foreseen even if they had planned it themselves. Although...perhaps it was fate or destiny that plotted this move, drew the greatest powers of the world together for some unknown purpose. Whatever the reason, no one would have the moment to ponder or think about it as Rainbow once again yelped a shrill "WHAT?!", her head and eyes darting about every which way at the three groups of ponies around her. Twilight and Macintosh refused to stop staring at one another, the unicorn's eyes wide and terrified, the work horse's eyes soft and loving, a small smile etched on his face as he rubbed his beloved's cheek. Captain Nightmare held a tight grimace on her face, an uneasy look in her eyes as she stared across at Princess Celestia. Applejack couldn't tear her own gleaming, ruby eyes away from the two lovers nearby, her heart swelling with happiness as Shadow-Mane gulped, staring towards the two miniguns pointing at him from Nightfire's back. The officer looked officially pissed off, a snort of hot air escaping his snout as Celestia held Captain Nightmare's gaze, an equally uneasy look plastered on her face. As for the other three lunar guard, they just simply shrugged and pointed their guns at both parties and Rainbow Dash herself. When everyone did start coming to their senses, however, it was Celestia who spoke first. She cleared her throat and offered a hoof outwards, saying simply "Ok...maybe we should all just take a minute and talk all this out..." Macintosh nodded, getting up on wobbling legs and rasping "Ah...ah agree...ah've got a small army o' ponies waiting in the trees beyond, we should get some fires goin'." He paused, looking down at Twilight and gently bumping her with a hoof "And you...ya'll got some explaining to do as well! You ain't leavin' mah sight, ya hear?" Twilight meekly nodded, turning her head towards Celestia for a moment. The two of them could feel the uneasiness between them...knowing it had only been many, many months since they had battled on the edge of the Everfree Forest. They shared a short, friendly nod though, the unicorn walking off with Big Macintosh in the direction of his forces. "Whoa now!" Rainbow shouted, following them "Don't you think you're going to need to explain to them why you're...you know...and this whole situation about Twilight?!" She flapped off after them, leaving the carriers and the soldiers to their own devices. "So..." Captain Nightmare began, pawing at the ground nervously "How um....how you been Milady?" Celestia simply narrowed her eyes, the Sun-empowered alicorn snorting once. "Peachy..." answered the princess, dropping down to her belly and tucking her hooves in. Around her, Shadow Squad lowered their weapons except Nightfire, who started to walk forward, his guns still trained on Shadow-Mane. "Nightfire..." The Lieutenant ignored the sunlit goddess, his eyes trained solely on the ravaged Shadow-Mane. "Relax, lieutenant. Shadow-Mane appears to be on our side, as does the Element of Honesty. It is safe to lower your weapon. "With all due respect, milady..." Nightfire grumbled, his eyes accusingly flicking between all three of the sick ponies before him "I've had my fair share of carriers or any others of the sort. I'll be keeping my guns trained, regardless of the level of safety or not..." Shadow looked to have been hurt by his former friend's words, his ears drooping as Nightfire growled "Precautions...we're at war after all." At this, Applejack blinked in surprise, asking "War...? Has the infection grown that big already?" The ponies in shadow squad all looked at each other, a few of them biting their lips while Moon simply gave himself a tight hug, as if his stomach had suddenly started to hurt. "Um...what? Something ah said?" she asked, scratching through her straw-colored hair with a bloody hoof. "It's...a bit worse than that now," Celestia offered, a tinge of pain in her voice. "The...griffons have invaded through the northern borders." "Say WHAT?!" Shadow roared, his eyes of ruby blood gleaming brightly. Nightfire gave his wings a flick, his muscles just resting behind the wing-trigger that would unleash a torrent of metal death, his eyes narrowing at the outburst as Shadow went on "When...how?! The Ravage is bad enough to deal with, how are we going to repel a full scale invasion force?" He stamped one of his hooves, Celestia merely giving a tiny sigh in response. "I don't know Shadow..." she said quietly, her ears perking to the sound of several panicked voices in the trees beyond. She could just make out Rainbow's pleas for everyone to relax and calm down, the sun princess shaking her head "The griffons are in nature, stronger and more powerful than our soldiers. Tactics and keen thinking will slowly be the factor that overcomes an invasion force or theirs...but even then there will be a high fatality rate. We'd need a large enough standing army to be able to suffer those kind of losses...and ever since the ravage..." Captain Nightmare sat back on her flank, rubbing the underside of her chin with a hoof "With such heavy losses already due to the Ravage...I don't see any workable way to defend Equestria. The Lunar Guard, according to Shadow, had already dwindled to around twenty percent of its original numbers since the end of the Siege of Canterlot...and that was against an enemy that didn't even shoot back." Applejack bit her bottom lip for a moment before directing her next question to Celestia, the apple mare speaking with a deeply worried tone in her voice "Well...what about the Solar Guard...ya'll surely got a lot of numbers right?" Celestia, much to Applejack's dismay, shook her head and sighed. "Ever since the rebellions during Old Ponyville's dire situation during the first Ravage outbreak, my guard had taken a serious blow. Add to that the discontinued support and lack of morale from my subjects, on top of the guards I lost to the Ravage in the early months....I've only got around two to three hundred guards to work with." She looked up at the morning sky, a beautiful swath of red and orange dancing across the sky. She wondered who actually brought that sun up as she went on "The only ones left are my most loyal...if not most fanatical, of my guard. Bezerkers and Paladins most of them with hellfire and sunfire rounds. Good for killing troop morale, but still not enough to hold off an entire invasion force." The group looked up as Twilight and Rainbow Dash came back through the trees, a flustered look on the cyan mare's face. "For the love of my feathers, ponies are such scaredy cats...they see the color red and most of em wanna go running!" Twilight nodded meekly, sitting on her flank and offering a small smile as she said "The good news is, Macintosh is talking to them now. We should still be ok as long as none of them get too panicky." "That is good..." Celestia said weakly, a forced smile resting on her face. She looked upon her old pupil carefully, an odd feeling coursing through her blood as Twilight's ruby and violet eyes flicked towards her...a feeling of fear. She had every right to be scared of Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn who had nearly murdered her on the grounds of Canterlot, the mare who had, all that time ago, had sheared her own horn off. The pain of growing it back, every single agonizing hour that she had endured regrowing her own horn was just another painful reminder of how she had failed not only her land and her ponies...but her most prized student. "We..should probably start discussing what we're going to do about Discord." "Aye, and about the griffons." Shadow added, drawing a panicked look out of Rainbow and Twilight. "Long story short...the griffons have attacked. We're fighting a two-front war now." "Shoot..." Rainbow sighed, face-hoofing "That's going to make things complicated..." Twilight narrowed her eyes, thinking for a moment as she looked towards Applejack and Captain Nightmare. "You...you're normal. You're not unicorns but you guys are...normal." She stated, the sudden reality of the impossible sitting before her finally settling in. "Yep" Applejack answered, patting Captain Nightmare on the side of her olden-styled armor "Nightmare here has got the necklace that brought the Ravage to the world. She's able to make ponies sane but..she can't cure em." "In theory I can't cure them..." Nightmare piped up, pawing at the ground shamefully "I...I'm not strong enough to try such a thing. The energy it would take to pull something off of that magnitude would kill me, I could feel it." Twilight blinked and stared at the necklace for a moment before whispering "Interesting..." she let the gears of her mind click away as she narrowed down as many possibilities of a semi-decent plan as she could, a few thoughts popping out here and there. "What are you thinking Twilight...?" Rainbow asked, the eyes of everyone in the group on her. The lavender mare let out a small snort, looking over towards Celestia as she said "Well...Celestia seems to be in combative shape again, and if she has forces we can combine those with as many Lunar guard we have left. Bring the entire army back together again to fight." "No chance." Shadow immediately countered, an official tone echoing in his voice "With the griffons on a full scale assault, most if not all of the Lunar Guard are going to be on the front lines, doing their best to hold the borders." "That's exactly it," Twilight continued, drawing a few lines in the dirt and a few squares, a crude outline of her own thoughts being carved into the earth "We bring all of them back, drop the borders and commit our entire force to attacking Discord." The ponies seated around her looked upon her with complete shock etched on their faces. Applejack was the first to speak after several tense, quiet moments. "You..." she whispered "You want to let the griffons steamroll through Equestria, let em have free reign over the land?" "Temporarily, yes." Twilight said, drawing a line in the dirt from a triangle to a circle, her thoughts coming together swiftly. "Divided over two fronts, neither force will be able to meet their goals. Together, we'll at least be able to accomplish one, and that one goal should be killing Discord." Nightfire scratched his chin, his miniguns clanking slightly as he sat on his rear "Why Discord first?" he asked "Really the griffons are more dangerous. They got a lot more fire power and pose the bigger threat." "Not if we have her." Twilight replied, pointing at Captain Nightmare "With Discord's necklace, we'd be able to combat any ravaged pony without fear of losing soldiers. Whoever is infected can get back up and keep fighting, or we can commit to turning ALL of the ravaged ponies into carriers." The ponies looked at each other, contemplating the pros and cons of such a plan as Twilight went on "Without a force of infection, Discord's not going to have anything to throw at us except his own little protege' of traitors and his own magic." Celestia nodded along to Twilight's words, getting the picture clearly as she said "Of course...if this plan works, we'll lose less than to at least a hundred, instead of most. This battle can be over within an hour if we push hard and fast." Rainbow Dash seemed to have doubts, however, the cyan mare shaking her head and letting out a frustrated sigh as she spoke out. "I don't know...," she grumbled "Just think about it, this is DISCORD, you know? He's the Lord and ruler of all Chaos! I don't think it's going to be as easy as simply walking up the front steps of his fortress and gutting him." She looked up to the sky as well, the morning cries of birds intensifying as the forest began to rise from its dark slumber as she went on. "The Griffons can fly as well, let's not forget...it's not going to be too hard for them to cover a lot of ground quickly. They could be on us before we even realized what's happened." "Dammit!" Shadow barked, a sudden realization passing over him "I know just where'd they try and go too! That's why they attacked Stalliongrad first!" The group all gave Shadow a quizzical look, eager to hear his explanation. The colt pieced his thoughts together as they came, the soldier growling as he spoke "It's a basic tactic but an effective one, hit em around the borders to pull the military in that direction...and then hit the bigger, more important attacks from another flank, catch the enemy completely off guard!" "You're saying..." Nightmare interjected, his irises shrinking as he started to see where Shadow's point was going "Stalliongrad was just a sham...they attacked it to pull us out...?" He slowly looked over towards Celestia, a wide-eyed look on her face as well. "Oh lords...Celestia herself was there. How much more of a fighting force can you pull away from the capitals if the Princess of the Sun herself is there?!" Shadow nodded, a grimace on his face as he finished with "Aye...they've seen all they needed to. They'll have been moving at an even harder pace now, probably trying to cut around to Canterlot. Once they've realized that Canterlot is nothing more than a barren ruin...well...I wouldn't be surprised if the entire Griffon populace came running." "Then we're going to get moving," Twilight said, getting to her hooves and looking across the weary, but determined faces of the others. "We need to strike now while we have an opening. Send word to the guards and have them meet us at...where is Discord set up again?" "Haven City," Celestia answered quickly, getting to her hooves as well as Shadow Squad formed up behind her "It's set up to the far west of Canterlot." She took the time to quickly etch a circle in the dirt with her hoof and flared up her horn, using her magic to quickly raise a sort of small-scale model of the city. "As you can see," she began, pointing to various key points of the little sculpture "It's fitted with high walls all around it, with a large keep in the middle shaped and designed after the keep in the Crystal Empire. As far as the town is concerned, they are all one to two-story buildings with the exception of a few larger apartment buildings." "Not much for a tactical fight," Shadow pointed out, walking towards the sculpture and furrowing his brow "It'll all boil down to who can fight better in an urban setting....then again..." He looked up, cocking an eyebrow upwards "We're dealing with ravaged ponies who can't think tactically...and traitors, ponies who were just citizens looking for a safe alternative to getting mauled to death. Granted there might be a few soldiers amongst them but...not enough to pose a threat." The group all looked towards Twilight Sparkle, who, after taking a few more moments to study the dirt sculpture of Haven City, nodded and said "Alright then, let's go kill a Lord."
Haven"Twi...why...?" was all Macintosh could ask, his expression displaying clearly how hurt he was over Twilight's deceit. "Why did you...ah thought you were dead, ya know that?" The two of them walked alone through the dense brush of the Everfree Forest, Twilight mostly leading the way. She had gone to studying much of the Everfree when she had been turned into a Carrier by Trixie, wanting to travel back and see if maybe the bunker the virus escaped from had anything she could have missed, a cure or answers. Sadly...nothing was left, nothing but scorch marks from the time Celestia and Twilight viciously struck at one another in the labs as the Sun Princess attempted to make her escape. Twilight felt her heart sank as her mind dwelt on the harsh tragedies she had endured over the grueling months....Canterlot...Celestia...Trixie. She hadn't wanted to kill Trixie outright...if anything, she could have saved her. Trixie had only been infected once...she could have had the chance to live a regular life. Trixie gave her no choice, the Ravage having already done it's permanent damage to her brain and mind. A ruthless killing machine was all that was left...a machine Twilight had been forced to shut down. But there had to been something more she could have done! Something she could have said or maybe she could have- It was Macintosh's voice that snapped her back to reality, the lavender unicorn quickly blinking and shaking her head as the stallion put a hoof against her side, gently stopping them. "Huh? Wha-?" Twilight said stupidly, her train of though completely derailed. Macintosh frowned, gently asking again "Ah was just wondering why you...why you went and hid? That day in Canterlot...that great golden light...you left our baby and just...ran." Twilight sighed, turning towards her infected lover and looking up at him, staring into those red and emerald eyes. She knew that this conversation had to come eventually. Deep down, hiding from Macintosh forever was going to be impossible, and she knew he'd be aching for answers. He was stubborn...one of the prime traits she always knew ran deep in the Apple Family. Hell, he managed to break himself out of Canterlot and travel half way around Equestria in search of her. She felt her throat rasp with dryness as she struggled to find the words to explain it to him as best as she could. "It's just," she began, sighing and looking deeply into his eyes "Equestria, for once, was infection free. We had beaten the Ravage and it had been vanquished from the world...what good would it do for me to stay when I was infected?" He made to open his mouth to speak but she gently pushed a hoof against his lips, shushing him as she went on "Ponies had been living in fear for too long Macintosh, from the time we were all boarded up in our own homes in Old Ponyville to when they were running for their lives when the great shield in Canterlot crashed into pieces. Equestria deserved to live with the belief that they were forever safe from the Ravage Virus...safe from me. If ponies knew I was still alive, they'd tried to have me killed. The only thing associated with the Ravage is evil, and evil doesn't belong in a world built upon the pillars and foundations of Harmony." Macintosh sighed, shaking his head and growling in retort as he said "But that tain't fair to me, or yer daughter! Lam sakes Twilight, do you know how tough it is to be out here when Moonlight is all alone with Miss Shy n' Miss Pie? How are we supposed to take care of her if somethin' happens to us out here?" Twilight felt her heart flutter slightly as she whispered "Y...you named her Moonlight?" Macintosh nodded as the unicorn gave him a tender smile and whispered "That's...really beautiful." "Eeyup...and it's a shame you had to go and leave her..." Macintosh muttered, his turn expression turning slightly more sour "Twern't fair at all Twi'...and now it's the both of us sick and cut off from her." "Macintosh I didn't have a choice!" Twilight suddenly burst out in a pleading tone. "I couldn't risk the infection spreading through Equestria, I couldn't risk our own DAUGHTER catching this hellish disease. Would it have been better if Moonlight teethed on something I had handled that wasn't sanitized? I sneeze on her by accident, or she gets a cut and I'm there trying to fix it....it was just too big of a risk, for EVERYPONY!" Macintosh sighed, knowing he was losing the argument and looking out over the forest and the vast lines of trees around them. She was right, he knew it deep down...but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Not sure what good it did with you hiding Twi'....The Ravage went and found its way back here regardless." "Hey, that was an unpredictable variable that nopony could have seen coming" Twilight countered, giving him a gentle peck on his cheek and turning to push on into the forest. "I don't think any of us could have seen Discord's return coming, it was just something nopony ever thought to plan for." The apple stallion merely nodded, whispering gently "At least...well once this is over, maybe things can finally go back to normal...it'd be nice to raise Moonlight...together." Twilight smiled, looking towards him as her shredded brown cloak flapped gently in a small breeze that had whisked its way through the tree line. "I'd like that...," she whispered, gently bumping him with her side as they walked "A normal life...with my family." She looked forward, just barely making out the straw roofing of Zecora's hut in the thick patch of trees just beyond a few thorn bushes "We shouldn't really dwell on it too much until AFTER we've killed Discord and driven the Griffons back...one thing at a time." "Eeyup," Macintosh said in agreement, the stallion also spotting the zebra's hut through the trees. "This that Zebra girl ya'll been talkin' bout that lives here?" he asked, throwing in another question as Twilight answered him with a nod "Well...what're we doing here?" Twilight had instructed the main force with Celestia and Captain Nightmare to push on without them towards Haven City whilst she and Macintosh went to Zecora's. She ensured them that she'd catch back up by the time the fighting was ready to start. They moved around the thorn bushes and stood before the door, the unicorn lifting a hoof to knock as she muttered "Tying up a loose end..." she knocked loudly, a loud cluttering sound echoing outwards from within the hut as a high-pitched squeal followed by a guttural snarling sound reached Macintosh's drooping ears. "What...was that?" whispered the stallion as the door to the hut opening gently, a dark, teal eye staring out towards them. "Who is the one who so foolishly knocks!" Zecora growled from behind the door "I am warning you, I have sharp rocks!" Twilight couldn't help but smirk slightly as she said "Zecora, it's me...I've come for Rarity." "Rarity?!" Macintosh blurted out, his irises shrinking "Ah nuggets, don't tell me she gone n' bit the sick bucket too!?" Zecora quickly opening the door, her face brightening considerably as she threw her front hooves around the unicorn, pulling her into a tight hug. "Oh thank goodness that you are alright! It is so good to see you, my dear Twilight!" Zecora said, practically squealing in joy. Behind her, in the middle of the floor, sat a snarling Rarity in a cage built with what looked like bamboo. There were several chew marks and dents in the cage, obvious escape attempts in the hopes Rarity could make a quick meal out of the Zebra. Fortunately, it looked as if Zecora had her game one step up from Rarity's. "It's good to see you too Zecora," Twilight said with glee, moving out of the Zebra's embrace and into the hut towards Rarity. Macintosh followed, being looked upon by Zecora's sympathetic eyes. He offered her a polite nod as he walked by her, the unicorn tucking her hooves under her as she laid upon her belly, ignoring the snarling, headbutting Rarity as she attempted to bash the cage's bamboo bars down with brute force. "You've been taking good care of her?" Twilight asked, flaring up her horn and whispering "Relaaaax....ressssst..." Zecora nodded as Rarity blinked, mirroring Twilight and tucking her self down and resting on her belly, staring at Twilight with a completely blank face. "A tough and dangerous job most certainly, but I have done well to take care of Rarity." She went over to one of her tables, picking up her cup of tea and sipping from it slightly before saying "I have done my best to feed her you see...but it has been worrying with her snapping at me." Macintosh sighed as she flopped back on his flank, putting a hoof to his head as he felt another sharp headache coursing through his skull. "First Twi'...then Applejack...now Rarity...it just don't stop does it?" he muttered, growling to himself as Zecora gasped slightly in surprise. "Please tell me that these are lies, and that the sickness has not claimed poor APPLEJACK's eyes!" She whispered in sorrow, to which Twilight sadly nodded and said "Yes...Applejack is infected as well, but we've got her...under control." She looked back at Rarity, the white unicorn doing nothing but blinking at her. "It's a long story......now then..." she lowered her head, pointing her horn at Rarity as she said "It's about time Rarity woke up from her nightmares..." "But Twilight think of the Chaos Lord!" Zecora quickly shouted, holding a warning hoof out towards Twilight "Surely you don't want to attract Discord!?" "He already knows we're coming Zecora," Twilight said, the unicorn getting to her hooves and bracing herself as a bright golden glow of magic starting to emanate from her horn. "Besides...Rarity's suffered enough, she shouldn't have to suffer this curse any longer than she has to." Twilight sucked in a breath as her magic crackled loudly, a loud humming noise growing louder by the second as her horn swirled with golden magic. She took a moment to steady herself, channel her energy and focus on drawing from the vast pools of her inner mana before releasing her spell with a heavy heave of her head upwards. In an instant, a golden bubble of sparkling energy blasted outwards from her horn, sweeping through the ponies around her and through the straw walls of Zecora's hut before quickly vanishing, leaving behind a tiny, shimmering shower of sparkling glitter-like energy. All was quiet for a few moments as Macintosh's red eyes gleamed with infection, his head pounding heavily and drawing a deep groan out of the workhorse. It was clear the virus within his body didn't take too kindly to the attempt to purge it. Zecora seemed to be knocked back slightly by the sudden outburst of the spell, her legs shaking slightly as she found herself needing to sit down. When somepony did speak, it was much to the surprise of Zecora as Rarity muttered "Would somepony mind explaining to me what I'm doing locked up in this cage like some animal!?" Her eyes were sparkling with pure, clean whiteness as she gently poked at the chewed up bars of her cage, a tight grimace on her face "This is completely barbaric...is this somepony's idea of a prank!?" "Oh Rarity!" Twilight shouted with glee, her horn flaring up once more and quickly tearing apart the cage, the unicorn being careful to set the parts aside in a neat pile near Zecora's bed. She quickly pulled the confused looking Rarity in a tight hug, being careful not to let the tears of joy she was holding back spill. It'd be a complete dumb move on her part if she accidentally re-infected Rarity after only JUST purging her. "It's so good to have you back!" "Back...? What happened?" Rarity asked, a genuinely confused expression etched on her face. Twilight chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head as she whispered "Um...long story short...? You...got sick." Rarity's expression soured as she found it hard not to gag, trying her to best to speak as she said "U..Ugh...tell me my beautiful form was not subjected to that...gross disease for too long..." "Not...too long," Twilight answered, clearing her throat and hoping Rarity wouldn't push for more answers. "What's important now is that you're safe and clean again...we're moving on Discord soon so we don't have much time to waste." The diva smiled and nodded as she exclaimed "Oh good! It's about time we took the fight to that vile criminal! When do we...oh what's the military term for it...move out?" Twilight shook her head, sighing sadly as she said "Sorry Rarity...but you and Zecora need to go to the Everfree Castle, we're already late meeting back up with the main army." "But...but Twilight!" Rarity gasped, holding a hoof out towards her "Won't you need the Elements to defeat Discord?! I thought we were all in this together!" The lavender mare sighed, shaking her head as she said "I'm sorry Rarity...but it's just too dangerous. There's going to be a lot of fighting in the Capital, and I can't risk you getting killed or re-infected during the fighting." She put a comforting, reassuring against one of Rarity's front legs as she went on "I'm strong enough to be able to teleport to the castle if I need to...besides, Fluttershy and Pinkie are there taking care of the Refugees and my daughter, you and Zecora will be safe there." Rarity's concerned expression didn't seem to change, Twilight giving her the best reassuring smile she could and saying "If I need the Elements, you can bet your fashionable flank that I'll come to get you girls within a moment's notice. It's important that you guys get going now though...just in case Discord tries to come after us here." Zecora nodded, quickly grabbing a set of saddlebags from a nearby table and heading towards the door. "Are you sure you're going to be alright darling?" Rarity asked as she followed Zecora out the door, Twilight and Macintosh quickly bringing up the rear. "You will be careful, won't you?" "Of course Rarity!" Twilight said, a big smile etched on her face "We haven't come this far to die out of carelessness now! We'll be back before you know it." Rarity let herself smile slightly, the unicorn nodding as she said "Well...alright, best of luck to you Twilight...I hope that the next time we meet, it's going to be over a nice cup of tea and a spa treatment...without murderous sick ponies trying to kill us." Twilight nodded, giving her a final goodbye hug before letting her go, stepping back as Zecora led the way into the forest. The two of them watched the mares gently trot away, Macintosh looking down at Twilight as he muttered "You didn't tell her bout' Applejack...or much bout' anything." Twilight sighed, turning in the opposite direction and setting off at a slow walk, muttering to Macintosh as he followed quickly behind her "She's had enough to deal with just being sick and living in a cage...she doesn't need more panic and stress running through her head right now. Besides...you know how much of a drama queen she can be sometimes." Macintosh sighed, giving a simple "Eeyup," and falling into silence, the two of them pushing onwards into the forest. "Now then..." Twilight said, taking in a deep breath and exhaling it...the last one she was starting to think she'd enjoy for a good long while. "...let's go kill Discord." ~~~~ "FOOOOOOORM UP!" "HAIL, HAIL!" "Take positions! Move up that cart, get those actions clear and ensure ammo integrity!" "Alpha through Echo squads, remember your objectives and hug the inner wall tightly!" "Captain, Shadow Squad is ready to go!" "Aye, we're all set here!" "Ready on the left!" "Prepared on the right!" "Center is ready, awaiting your orders your majesty!" "Any sign of Twilight Sp-" "Present! Sorry we're late, what did we miss?" Captain Nightmare stood tall and firm, her eyes locked tightly on the large, shadowy keep looming on the distant horizon. It's dark, deadly spires piercing the clouds, casting their dark shadows across the surrounding city. Celestia's model was accurate, the city nothing more than a large circle surrounded by a high wall of black stone, concealing a good majority of the buildings behind them save for a few of the tall office and apartment buildings that peeked up over the rise. Nightmare could just barely make out several shapes moving across the rooftops, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Lieutenant," barked the Captain, her head turning sharply to cast her eyes upon the battle-ready Nightfire who stood beside her, binoculars pressed against his eyes "Report." Nightfire grimaced slightly, pulling his eyes away from the zooming spectacles and shaking his head "There's a good number of Discord's Loyalists setting up on those buildings. I see mostly rifle's...a few scoped but we're well out of their range currently." He pushed the binoculars back against his eyes as he growled "Don't see any of the Ravaged...bet you Discord's got em all huddled up against the wall. They'll probably start pouring out once we bring it down." "Not a problem..." Nightmare muttered, shaking her body slightly trying to get her outdated Lunar Armor to sit right "Leave them to me." She looked to her left, through the valley that rested just beside the large, towering hill she stood upon with Nightfire. All throughout the area that she could see, Solar, Lunar, and Refugee ponies were lining up and grouping up into their respective squads. From what she could see of Celestia's troops, they were all knelt down low, their helmets and faces in the dirt. Celestia looked as if she was giving a sermon, probably blessing her troops and encouraging them to fight for glory and honor, and for the salvation of Equestria. Shadow looked to be doing the same for the Lunar Guard, except he seemed to be more fluid, more entergetic, stirring up and rattling the ribs of his guards like cages to get their hearts racing and ready. Macintosh seemed to be the one in between, probably inspiring the citizens now turned soldiers to fight for home and loved ones. The only one who did not partake in this "pre-battle meditation"...was Twilight. She stood alone on a hill much like Nightmare's, staring outwards towards Haven with a slight grimaced and narrowed eyes. The pain she saw in those eyes...eyes like her own. What that unicorn must have felt...the horrors she had to endure. She, like her...was a survivor, battle-hardened and blood-soaked. There was blood on those hooves she knew would never wash out, scars that were going to have to be carried for the rest of her life. She could only hope and pray, that whatever life lay for her on the other side of this coming bloodbath...was a quiet, peaceful one. There were shouts amongst the rough mixing pot of soldiers, indicating that the speeches were all done and over with. "Heh..." Nightmare scoffed to herself, turning her head back towards the front. She wasn't much for those speeches. Just give her an objective...she'd see it completed. A mare of action, not words...that's how she held herself. And judging from the low rumbling of hooves in the valley...the time for words had all but passed. Now was the moment, the moment they had all been waiting for. Twilight didn't blink nor flinch as Celestia took her place beside her, donned in her golden regalia as well as her ornate armor. Captain Shadow, Applejack, and Macintosh took their places on the left of her as they all looked out towards Haven City. "Bout' time...ain't it?" Applejack muttered, drawing a nod out of Celestia. "Aye," she said, taking a look behind her as she breathed "The mages are ready, and if you've all grasped onto your resolve...we'll see this through now, to the end." "To the end..." Macintosh said, nodding in agreement and stamping a massive hoof against the ground. "And to whatever come after..." Shadow grunted, flipping his helmet visor down and letting out a sharp, steamy breath out through his metallic mask. From behind the army, ten groups of five unicorn's each were situated in close, tight formations, each with their horns pointed towards a unicorn in the center of their prospective groups. The four surrounding unicorns channeled as much mana as they could to the fifth's unicorn, both making sure the center mage had both the power he or she needed, and the stability and control to handle the massive spells they were weaving. Looks of concentration were etched upon each of their faces, with a look of strain and heavy focus on each amplified unicorn. One by one, large balls of pure, unrestrained magic were weaved and spun atop the horn of each center unicorn, sweat already beginning to drip and show on many of their faces. Within ten seconds, ten massive balls of energy were ready to go, all awaiting the quick word from Princess Celestia. They did not have to wait long as the sun princess turned her head back sharply, a look of pure determination and anger on her face as she threw a golden armored hoof forward and roared "FIRE! FIRE AT WILL!" The unicorns gave a mighty shout as one by one, they amplified and launched a tremendous blast of force behind their magic spheres, launching them up and over their heads in the direction of the city. "Warriors of Equestria!!!!" Celestia boomed out with her royal equestrian voice "The time to take back what is yours, our land, our ponies, our freedom, has come!" The spheres roared overhead, many smashing into the walls while a few detonated behind them and causing many buildings to explode or erupt in flames. More spheres were being weaved as Celestia led the slow march down over the hill, shouting as they went "We will sit by no longer! Never again shall we be cast into the dark and shadows, forced to live within the sanctuary of our homes, caged and barred like animals! They told us, nay, DEMANDED to us, to never go outside! To stay a prisoner, at the mercy of a false ruler and a dark tyrant! I say to you now, NO! I will not let this come to pass, I refuse to allow this any longer! Taste the sweet, delicious air citizens of Equestria! We are OUTSIDE!" The unified roar of the collaborative army shook the ground as Celestia turned her head, looking back across the hundreds and hundreds of faces staring back at her...not just as a ruler or a princess anymore...but a pony. A pony fighting to right the wrongs committed against Equestria, to bring peace to not just her home...but all of theirs. "We're outside my brothers...my sisters...my friends...tell me, what will you do to hold onto your freedom, your air, and your lives? Answer this not to me...." she paused, turning to look back towards the crumbling wall of the city, her ears perking at the sounds of shouting and high-pitched shrieking and howling from just beyond those dark walls "Give HIM....your answer." Twilight bowed her head as they marched, taking whatever small moments they had left of calm to settle her rapidly beating heart, and to pray to Luna and Celestia that she would make it off the field alive...that they would all live to fight another day. ~~~ "There is nothing here sir...." "Nothing...?" "Aye...nothing but dust, ghosts, and nature." A massive griffon, tall and mighty in his stature stood before the ruined stone steps of Princess Celestia's throne, staring up at it with narrowed eyes. His Abyss-black colored armor shone in the light of the burning, radiant sun as it rent its way through the many holes and cracks in the ceiling. His helmet visor was down, hiding his expression but adding a significant amount of dread and foreboding to his demeanor. His talons were razor sharp, splitting the ground slightly as he walked. His top Major found him easily enough from the large tracks his mammoth-like general left behind. "Canterlot is naught but a ruin...skeletons littered the place here and there, but only grass grows between their bones now...and they're all pony in shape and size." "Perhaps Equestria has fallen to their own devices faster than our own...," rumbled the general, his voice deep like a roaring wave crashing across the land "Though, I cannot believe that Stalliongrad was all that Celestia had to offer.....no...they are out there, hiding...and we will find them." The Major nodded, taking a moment to reach into the right pocket of his saddlebags and pulling out a small, rectangular like contraption. "There was...," started the Major, holding the device out in his giant, clawed hand "one thing we did find. One of our scouts nearly stepped on it during his sweeps...a recording device of some kind." The General turned, his clawed steps thudding heavily against the stone as he took the device from his Major, furrowing his brow and looking back up towards him, muttering "Did our scouts report anything else...a direction or a lead as to where the enemy is?" "Groups of ponies, guards mostly, were seen flocking to the west...it is possible they are amassing their forces to prepare for some sort of counter-assaulting action or a defensive hold," answered the Major, shaking his head slightly "Other than that, no report." "Follow those ponies Major..." boomed the General, the great beast looking down on the device "Find them...and don't come back till they are all dead." The Major gave a mighty salute and turned, quickly unfurling his giant wings and taking off through one of the holes in the ceiling of the throne room. The General paused only for a moment to watch him go before looking back down at the device, one of his claws finding the play button. He pushed it in gently as a female voice, slightly raspy in nature, crackled through the speakers. "....My name, is Twilight Sparkle." ~~~~ "I am a unicorn. I am a veteran. I am the enemy. The land you know as Equestria is a land of magic and friendship, a land where ponies can be free to roam happily and make friends whilst living in peace and harmony under the benevolent rules of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Twilight looked back up as Haven City stood before her, massive bolts of energy roaring over her and crashing into the walls. "Trotting speed!!!!" Celestia roared, the army picking up the pace and going into a quick trot, their faces hardening, their eyes narrowing as the rumble of their hooves grew in intensity. “But the land you once came to love and cherish is gone. It's been gone for months now, turned into something I don't think you'd quite recognize, or even believe existed if it was explained to you. Sometimes it's hard to believe myself, hard to believe the stories that I was told. I don't think I could have ever believed them either, if I didn't already live them..” Celestia took in a heaving breath as three more great spheres of magic crashed into the wall, exploding with violent force and tearing a large hole through it to it's foundation. The air was tense for a moment as the dust of the crumbling wall came billowing up into the air. The moment where life and death were to be decided, the events of all their past horrors, their struggles, their lives, all coming together in this one shining moment. Equestria's greatest charge. “I cannot tell you exactly what has happened, not yet. But believe me when I say... history, cannot repeat itself... never again." There was an air of silence for only a moment...and then... "CHAAAAAARGE!!!!!" Celestia screamed, her horn igniting with a magnificent, radiant light, the sun overhead gleaming brightly with brilliant majesty. The army of ponies let out a unified battle cry, shaking the earth beneath them as they broke out into a full gallop, charging towards the several hundreds of shapes that could be barely seen moving in the massive dust cloud of the crumbled wall. The battle for Equestria, once again, had begun . Author's Note Been too long, hope it was worth the wait guys! Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout the wait, and let's bring this story to its climax
EndThe sky was a beautiful cyan blue...speckled and smeared here and there with beautiful expanses of marshmallow white clouds. High above, the sun gleamed and shone with intense, dazzling light, casting its mighty rays across the vast ocean of endless sky and wind. A light breeze was gently pushing at the trees of the forests, their leaves lapping at the air as an eerie silence fell over Equestria. It was many would call 'the calm before the storm', the last little piece of peace of harmony that could ever be savored before the floodgates of terror and battle spilled forth in great, terrible cascade of violence and destruction. Here and there, a few animals would slowly and carefully walk about near their homes, fearful to venture out too far in case any of the 'madponies' were lurking. It was a dangerous time to be out in the world...but deep down, in the hearts of all who lived in Equestria, one could feel that a change was in the air. Something was coming: a turn, a twist, a shift. But of what, and whether it would bring Chaos or Harmony remained to be seen. But the signs could not be ignored, it WAS there...it could be felt in the sudden change in the wind, the way it buffeted about from the sudden beats of thousands of pairs of wing beats. It could be felt in the sky and air, the great hum and crackling of magic as it carried the distant booms and echoes of great power. It could even be felt in the ground from the many, many hooves that galloped onward towards victory or death, the earth shaking beneath them as they roared in the face of their oppressor. Ear's perked all around, creature and critter alike as a distant chorus of never-ending voices cried in unison one word: "EQUESTRIAAAAAA!!!!" "EQUESTRIA!!!!!" roared the great and mighty Princess Celestia, her battle armor clattering loudly as she headed the charge towards a wall of Ravage infected ponies that charged back towards them. Behind her ran her freedom fighting citizens, civilian and soldier alike, ready to take back their land, risk and give up everything to reclaim Equestria, or die trying. "EQUESTRIA!!!!" screamed the grand army of nearly three thousand strong, the steady ponies staring a force nearly five times their own size in the face, daring them to come meet them on the battlefield. From above, Rainbow Dash beat her wings heavily, her hooves outstretched and ready to clobber and destroy anything that got in her way of that free sky she so desperately wanted back. Twilight Sparkle, on the ground with Big Macintosh, Captain Nightmare and Shadow Squad, and Applejack galloped beside Celestia, each ready and all determined to make the day theirs. "Twilight, it's up to you!" Celestia shouted, turning her head towards her former student "Take Captain Nightmare and Shadow Squad and find Discord! We shall hold the line as long as we can and catch up to you as fast as possible!" Twilight turned her head towards Celestia and nodded, spreading her magical wings and taking to the sky alongside Nightmare, Shadow Mane, and the rest of Shadow Squad, veering off to the right in a wide flank. Bullets and other bolts of magic crackled off in the sky after them from Discord's Loyalists in the city, the unicorn quickly flaring up a magenta shield around the seven of them, catching several of the projectiles. "Stay within the shield! Don't stray too far!" Twilight shouted as enemy fire pinged off the shield. Their part of the plan was Discord, getting Twilight to him and getting him put down. It was Shadow Squad's job to get her there, by ANY means possible. If it meant their lives, they would give them without hesitation. NOTHING else mattered but Discord's death, and Twilight's life. "Rainbow, you're up!" Macintosh shouted upwards towards the cyan pegasus, a salute going back down to him from her as she veered high up into the sky with the rest of the Pegasai. "Make it rain..." he muttered to himself, dipping his head back down to look forward into the oncoming storm roaring towards them. Rainbow soared at the head of the group, going higher and higher as bullets and magic shot past them. A few ponies were hit in the stream, many crying out and plummeting out of the formation and towards the ground. Many wounded and a few dead, the Pegasai continued to rise despite the fire, their part of the plan clear in their minds: 'Death from above'. To clear out the rooftops and Loyalists holding the many tall buildings was the plan, to help secure the charge for the ground forces, and to make sure Twilight was undisturbed by too much enemy fire, paving her way to the prize. And finally...that left Celestia and the rest of Equestria...one clear objective in their minds...and that was to push. Push forward, never backward, keep going and keep going until they stormed through the gates of the castle and straight on to victory. Like a crushing tidal wave they'd move, their momentum never faltering for a second. All that would stand before them would either move...or get crushed underhoof. "EQUESTRIA!!!!" Celestia roared again as the massive army of Ravaged came charging towards them, hellbent on halting their advance. "EQUESTRIA!!!!" "EQUESTRIA!!!!!!" "EQUESTRIA!!!!" Celestia could see the very reds of the infected ponies before her as she flared up her horn, pointing it forward and screaming for one final time "EQUESTRIAAAAAAAAA!!!!" before unleashing a bolt of great magic forward. It tore its way down the center line of the enemy flanks, incinerating a good number but barely putting a dent in their charge. The army of Equestria let out a unified crash as the two swelling masses came together, crashing violently with a thunderous 'BOOM!'. Ponies flew into the air, swarming over one another as blood and screams flowed across the ground and sky. Macintosh charged forward with Celestia, the two of them never pulling back on their speed, stomping and crushing anything in front of them. "Keep going, do not slow, do not falter! Push! PUSH!!!!" cried Princess Celestia, the ponies behind her slicing and shooting when they could at their assailants, pushing straight for the gaping hole within the wall that was their ticket into the city. From high above, Rainbow Dash tipped her wings, angling herself from a position of ascent, to descent. "Alright everypony, let's make for these punks a rain they'll NEVER forget! DOWN!!!! DOWN!!!!" The Pegasai roared with fury, their swarming mass dipping and diving downwards, plummeting straight for the city. From the rooftops, the Loyalists clad in their black, ornate armored shouted in panic, throwing whatever fire they could into the sky, whether it was magic, spears, or bullets. Rainbow Dash ducked just under a bolt of magic coming straight at her, the fur on her back being singed only slightly as around her, several ponies took the lethal brunt of the volley, a good number already tumbling out of the sky. Twilight, far on the right flank, watched as her attackers turned their guns in the direction of the diving Pegasai force, clearly labeling them as the more dire threat. She looked backwards towards Celestia's force, watching as they crashed through their enemies lines. They had slowed, becoming more and more bogged down by the relentless waves of attackers...but they did not stop. Behind the force could be seen stragglers of both sides who were lucky enough to not get trampled to death by friend and foe alike, and who were not fighting a vicious battle of their own. Celestia was nearing the make-shift entrance to the city, which meant that Twilight needed to speed up her part of the plan. If she couldn't get the Chaos Lord to go down quickly enough, she was worried he might something desperate...and a desperate Chaos Lord was nothing to trifle with. She beat her wings faster, pushing her team onwards over the city and towards the citadel. "FORWARD!!!!" Celestia roared, her army barreling through the Ravaged ponies who, despite their great number, could do little to halt their advance. Their diseased flanks were wider though, the far ends of the Ravaged turning inwards to surround them slowly. Celestia surged on even faster, using her magic as a deadly jackhammer to pound and blast their way through the middle, leveling anything she could in front of her to ash. "DOWNWARD!!!" Shrieked Rainbow Dash, the cyan Pegasus front flipping downward through the air on top of a building with three others, the rest of the Pegasai touching down and unsheathing their blades. As soon as Rainbow felt her hooves touch the hard shingles of the roof, she brought front hoof up into the chin of a Loyalist soldier bringing his knife to bear, uppercutting him violently. Gunfire and blades clashing soon dominated the rooftops as the thunderous roaring of hooves reached the great hole in the wall of Haven City. "INWARDS!!!" cried Celestia, her force charging straight through the hole in the wall and into a wide open courtyard. The princess gasped as on the fire side of the courtyard, a large, fortified line of Loyalists aimed their guns directly towards the force. She had only just barely been able to bring a shield up of magic before a great volley of bullets rushed towards them in a lethal cascade of death. Several ponies went down quickly before the shield could harden, catching several off guard. There was only a slight falter from the Sun Princess before she shouted "Flank! FLANK! Rear guard, hold this breach, do not let the Ravaged catch us on our backs! The rest of you, push around and forward, we MUST break through these lines." The reaction was immediate, two large columns of ponies shifting left and right, with Big Macintosh leading the left group and Applejack leading the Right, into the alleys and side roads while Celestia pushed forward, holding the magical shield wall in front of her as steady as she could. Behind her, the rear guard, a detachment of a hundred or so ponies, shifting into a defensive semi-circle, un-holstering gun and blade in preparations to hold back the flood they had only charged through so dangerously to get there. Celestia dipped her head low as the galloped forward, her horn crackling with magic. She struggled to hold onto the shield as a relentless torrent of bullets and fire met her, hell bent on tearing her down. It was difficult to maintain a continuous usage of magic, even for her as she hadn't quite fully recovered from her re-horning, and it was clearly taking its toll on her. Sweat dripped from her snout and mane as her ponies shouted from behind her, encouraging her onwards and roaring death threats towards their foes. From the right flank through the alley, Applejack and her column of ponies galloped through, catching many of the Loyalists off guard who were running that way to attempt to open a flank of their own. The country mare, with her eyes lit up like red and emerald fire, tore a knife from its sheath on one of her legs and pushed it into the neck of one such Loyalist in front of her, many of the other guards and citizen soldiers following suit with quick takedowns and quick executions of a rifle. The same push was working for Macintosh on the far left, the work horse roaring as he pushed his head underneath the belly of one Loyalist before him, lifting him up and rushing into a nearby dumpster with a great crash. The Loyalist's spine and neck broke upon impact, killing him instantly as Macintosh hurled his body towards his comrades, shouting "If ya stand against us, yer gonna get BURIED!!!" As a few minutes dragged by, Celestia panted for air, her shield crackling slightly and starting to wane. She was starting to get a little worried when a mad rush of ponies from both sides of the enemy line came crashing through, barreling right into the rear. From behind Celestia, a renewed battle cry sounded off as the Princess's shield shimmered away, allowing her group to blast out into the front, eagerly rushing towards their attackers, ready for a bloodbath. For Celestia, she was pleased to see that her ground force was moving through swiftly and efficiently...but they had only made it through the wall... ...there was still a lot of ground to cover. ~~~ "My...isn't this a sight?" rumbled a massive, beastly griffon standing upon a cliff in the mountains overlooking the entirety of Haven City. His insignia of a Griffon General shone brilliantly upon the shoulder pads of his dark armor, displaying to the many hundreds of winged beasts perched upon the rocks around him that he was their center, their heartbeat, their voice, AND their claw that directed where they would strike down with the sword that was their army. The Major had scouted outwards earlier before the battle and urged the General to come witness the interesting spectacle for himself...and he was not disappointed. "It appears somebody beat us to the Equestrian Throne before we did...how...irritating." the General rumbled, the rock beneath him cracking slightly as he tightened his clawed grip on the stone. "Though I will admit," he went on as he turned his head to his Major "This is certainly amusing to watch none the less. The ponies fighting for their little land against a force many times their number...how patriotic." The Major nodded, turning his head towards the General to meet his gaze as he said "Indeed sir, if you wish it, I can have our force come down upon them and give you the field within the hour if you so desire." Smirking, the General turned his piercing gaze back towards the smoking city, watching the battle unfold. He paused for a moment, thinking before he shook his head and chuckled "Nay, I would like to see how this plays out first, besides...it's not like we can't just crush the remainder of what remains of either side in the aftermath." He took a moment to sigh, getting comfortable on his perch as he said "Though it would have been more fun if they could put up a more decent of a fight...the outcome is sealed anyway. Why waste good griffons?" The Major grunted in approval, looking back out amongst the carnage and muttering "A good point sir, as always." ~~~ Rainbow Dash ducked under the swing of a Loyalist, twirling and pushing her own blade upwards at an angle and running her attacker through, felling him quickly. She panted and looked upwards and around, watching the rest of her small squad mop up what remained. She panted, pointing over to the next roof where another squad was in desperate need of help, shouting "NEXT ONE, LET'S GO!" From below, Applejack bucked a Ravaged pony in the neck, snapping it instantly as Macintosh threw the limp body of a dead Loyalist into a group of his comrades, tying them up long enough for him to move in close for the kills. Celestia pushed through the middle, charging head long into the fray as her royal guard flanked beside her, dispatching stragglers here and there and raining hellfire bullets upon the lines the Loyalists struggled to keep hold of. The Rearguard was having trouble though, with a non stop shower of bullets flying towards the opening in the wall, piling bodies higher and higher and slowly filling up the blasted in entrance with its own wall of bodies. Many managed to break through, being picked off as best as the Rearguard could do, hoping that their forward frontal lines could reach their objectives soon. None could even imagine what was going on with the stragglers outside, those who were left behind during the initial clashing of the two forces. It was a nightmare for them to be sure, the brave group fighting tooth and nail for every inch of bloody ground they could claim. Though the hour was dire for them they fought on regardless, knowing that every Ravaged they killed outside the wall was one less the Rearguard had to deal with inside. "Fan out!" Celestia shouted as they reached the central square of the city, a large, open courtyard of sorts with a giant, ornate stone fountain located within its center. "Separate into your squads and groups and start completing your objectives, take the streets and houses, turn their own emplacements against them!" Quickly and efficiently, the army started to divide and shotgun outwards in a mad array of directions, hollers and shouts echoing from their snouts. "Main Guard, with me! We push on to the Citadel Gates!" A large detachment of Solar and Lunar Guard, along with a smaller group of civilian ponies formed in behind her, Macintosh and Applejack bringing up the rear. "We're here Princess!" Applejack half shouted, half panted "Our squads're cleanin' up the rear alleys n' are reinforcin' the Rearguard!" "EEYUP! We're ready ta go!" Macintosh added, nodding in affirmation as Celestia nodded back, turning her gaze upwards towards the Citadel. She could just barely make out the outlines of Twilight and Shadow Squad high in the air towards the right flank, starting their turn towards the dark fortress. "Alright...let's move out, we're short on time!" Celestia barked, the force beginning their push forward. They surged and galloped around and past the fountain, moving as quickly as they could up the main street. Whatever attackers that tried to stop them were quickly met by flanking squads or Rainbow Dash's rooftop assailants, executing their parts and plans perfectly and paving the way for the Gate-breaking force. "Keep moving forwards!" Rainbow shouted, leaping over the gap between two rooftops and tackling a Loyalist as he lined up a shot on Big Macintosh with his rifle. She snapped his neck with a quick flick of hooves, her squad following behind her and hastily engaging the enemy head on. Celestia led her force up a large stone stairway leading up towards the courtyard that held the gates, her unicorns already powering up their horns in preparation to blast through. As they galloped over the summit and onto the flat stones however...Celestia suddenly skidded to a halt, a heavy gasp passing through her teeth. Her force's charge quickly grinded to a halt behind her as they beheld a pony figure standing before the gates, barring their entrance through. It was with a very heavy heart that Celestia whispered towards the figure "Luna...oh sweet Luna no..." Luna, the Princess of the Moon, breathed with savage, rasping gasps, her legs shaking and her wings twitching as blood dripped from her nose and lips, pattering on the ground before her. Her eyes were not but a red, gleaming glow, and her horn crackling with deadly, sinister magic. "Oh gods...what has he done to you...?" Celestia breathed, looking upon her plagued sister in horror. She shivered as she went on "I wanted you to learn your lesson from the grave mistake you made...but this..." she felt her voice catch in her throat as Luna snarled, her red eyes narrowing and her stance growing low and at the ready, as if she were preparing to pounce. "Celesta, ah think we can take her," Applejack muttered from beside her "Just give the word n' we can-" "No..." Celestia interjected quickly, looking down towards Applejack. The country mare looked at her, confused as she opened her mouth to speak. A gentle white hoof pressed against her lips before she could say a word however, the sun princess continuing to speak "Take the force with Macintosh and make a wide flank, blast your way through another section of the wall and take the inner courtyards." Macintosh leaned in towards them as he said "But...what bout' you, what're you gonna-" Celestia quickly turned her head to Macintosh as she breathed "Once you do that, move towards the rendezvous point and link up with Shadow Squad, hold the entrance to the Citadel and ensure nothing gets past you, NOTHING must come between Twilight and Discord, NOTHING!" Applejack whispered as Celestia lowered her hoof "But...but Luna...?" "Leave Luna to me..." Celestia muttered, looking back towards her murderous looking sister "This...is a family matter." Applejack and Macintosh looked towards each other for a moment before nodding, quickly leading the force away towards the right flank, seeking a new entryway into the Citadel grounds...leaving the two sisters behind. "So..." Celestia muttered, narrowing her eyes at her sister and fanning out her wings as she conjured up a sword of yellow, ethereal magic "Shall you come quietly, or shall I force Discord's influence from you the hard way dear sister?" Luna merely responded with a growl, two blades of dark lunar magic shimmering into the air and twirling around her, poised and ready to strike. Celestia gave a great, heavy sigh as she muttered "So be it..." bowing her head for a moment before charging ahead, bringing her blade up towards Luna in a vicious uppercut. The Lunar Princess snarled in reply to her sister's words, a mind-crushing rage the only thing she could feel through her body as she crossed her blades like an 'X', catching Celestia's and shoving it away, dashing forward for a sinister counter attack. Celestia was ready however, swatting away one of Luna's blades with her own before ducking under the second, her head low and her horn pointed for the perfect strike, a non-lethal blast of magical energy bursting outwards from the tip, throwing Luna backwards against the gates. Luna shook her head, growling as her eyes shone with a sinister hatred. She pushed herself off the gates, lunging at Celestia and bringing her blades to bear. The two sisters began a most deadly dance of swordplay, Celestia elegantly twirling her blade to the right and down, smacking away a strike and quickly heaving the blade to her left to catch her sister's other blade as it came in for a follow-through. Luna jumped to the side as Celestia's sword came crashing down from overhead in a heavy counter to her push, and quickly surged a large portion of magic through her horn and into her own blades, powering them up for a devastating strike. Celestia saw the planned strike coming quickly, having only just enough time to empower her own blade and to give a mighty horizontal swing outwards, catching both of Luna's blades with her own. The impacting force of all three magical blades connecting made them shatter with a thunderous explosion, blasting the two alicorns away from one another. They landed roughly, Celestia's body aching with the magical singing of her fur as she struggled to stand. Across the courtyard, she watched Luna stand quickly, her horn gleaming brightly and powering up for what Celestia knew could be a fatal attack. She swore as she looked upwards towards her sister, her body aching. She empowered her horn quickly, drawing in as much power as she could as Luna lowered her head, roaring and sending a great, radiating beam of dark lunar magic towards her sister. Celestia had only just enough time to finish her own mana conjuring before she sent her own yellow beam of sun magic back towards Luna, their beams hitting in the middle ground between them. The swirling mass of magic that connected the two beams pushed back and forth between them, like a deadly game of reverse tug-of-war, with both alicorn's lives at stake. Sweat dripped and ran down across Celestia's body as her horn crackled and her head rang with pain. It was clear that Discord's magic was empowering her sister beyond her normal magical limits, and with Celestia still not fully recovered from the re-horning...the Sun Princess could only pray and pray to whatever gods or goddesses that still watched over that Twilight could reach Discord, and defeat him very soon. ~~~ Twilight Sparkle hit the ground galloping, Shadow Squad landing with her and quickly forming a defensive knot around the unicorn. Wind-Weaver pointed his rifle outwards, muttering "Alright...who's first?" Shadow-Mane and Nightfire looked around them carefully as Nightmare scanned the rooftops around them, watching for any movement. Sky-Driver's ears perked as he heard shouting coming from their rear, the sounds of hooves and guns loading drawing closer. "Looks like they're trying to hit us from the rear" Moon-Lance grunted, turning his gun towards the entrance to the main street behind them. "Aye, let's spread out and get ready for an ambush" Shadow-Mane barked, looking towards Twilight and Captain Nightmare "We'll hold here for as long as you need...so make whatever time you get count." Twilight nodded as she said "Understood, Discord is going down, NOW!" With a quick look to Nightmare, she muttered "Let's go." and took into a gallop towards the front entrance. "Right behind you!" Nightmare shouted, galloping in behind her and rushing towards and into the Citadel. Shadow-Mane paused for a moment to watch them go before returning his attention back to the squad and muttering "Alright guys, defense pattern Omega-7, let's get to it." "Oh sweet!" Wind exclaimed, hoof-pumping the air "Just like that move in Dandelion Fields during the Aurora Occupation, mad hype!" Sky-Driver rolled his eyes, groaning in disgust as he ensured his rifle was loaded properly and shouting "Is EVERY little thing a joke to you Wind?! By Celestia's tail you're such a child." At this, Moon-Lance merely chuckled as he patted Sky on the back and trotted past him, looking over his shoulder to say "Oh you're just a sore loser cause we keep beating your scores." He paused to load a round into his rifle and scan the rooftops for a good position to set up as he went on "Tell you what, I'll keep score for the both of us this time, just in case you panic and lose count yourself in the wicked heat of battle, ok?" "You better be ready to start that count..." Nightfire muttered, his miniguns spooling up and his eyes narrowing towards the shadows dancing on the walls of buildings lining the main street "Cause we're about to have some numbers..." Twilight shoved her way through the heavy iron-clad doors, Nightmare keeping close behind her. The main hall was decorated with sinister variations of red and black, tapestries displaying Discord in a myriad of ridiculous poses. The unicorn looked upwards towards the center stairwell, narrowing her eyes as a large squad of Loyalists rushed down the stairs towards them, blades drawn and at the ready. "You said you were a combat veteran Captain?" Twilight muttered, quirking an eyebrow and smiling towards the lunar mare. "Only about a hundred medals worth of one, why?" Nightmare asked, returning the smile with a sinister one of her own. Twilight's horn crackled with magic as two magenta blades swirled into the air around her, the mare lowering herself into a readied stance as she said simply "Now's your time to prove it." ~~~ At the very top of the Citadel, within the rotunda that once held Princess Celestia during her recovery, stood Discord, a very annoyed expression etched upon his face. Before him, in the middle of the rotunda, stood a door colored with the darkest, deepest color of blood red imaginable. Along its edges, tendrils of nightmarish, midnight-colored smoke whipped about like the tentacles of a monstrous demon. Discord's ears were perked, his expression souring as he listened to the quiet, soft whispers of an eerie presence floating through the door. "Oh come now, that is absurd!" he spat, crossing his arms and floating up into the air, leaning back lazily "I have done nothing except follow the specific instructions given to me since the very start of this whole operation!" A cold, dark voice suddenly floated through the door. It was the most chilling, soulless voice that could have ever been conceived of in all known existence, its words dripping with despair, madness, and the rotting stink of death. It was as if it was the voice of Hell made manifest itself. "Ponnnyviiiiille....Elementsssss of Haaaarmonyyyy...." At this, Discord merely scoffed and held up his hands in exasperation, clearly unamused and unfazed by the soul-freezing whispers. "A setback that has cost us nothing but a little time, your return was inevitable anyway! Regardless of what these peasants do, you'll be up and out of there in no time, I can assure you of that." The voice whispered to him yet again, its tone unchanging and unwavering as it drew a heavy groan out of Discord. "Necklaaaaace....Niiiightmaaaaare...." "Oh PA-LEAAASE!" Discord huffed, face palming loudly and shouting towards the door "Even if she does have the necklace, it's not going to change anything. The damage is done, the balance has been shifted way too many times. Once the final world's balance shifts into Chaos, the Azilians will realize there's nothing left they can do but make way. It's in the bag!" "The only bag that anything is going into is a BODY bag Discord, and I think I can conjure up one JUST your size!" Shouted a voice from the doorway, making the Lord of Chaos turn about in a hurry, an enraged expression forming on his face. Twilight Sparkle panted slightly, her hooves and some of her fur stained with blood. Beside her, Captain Nightmare let out a heavy breath, her left wing hanging and drooping limply beside her. The necklace around her neck gleaming with sinister chaotic energy. "Oh poo..." Discord growled, turning to face his would-be assassins "What's your damage, honestly? Don't you two know a lost cause when you see one?" He lazily backstroked through the air, swimming towards them as he chuckled "You two wouldn't know defeat if it bit you on the ass, why bother?" Twilight stamped a hoof, her horn flaring up as she shouted "Because there's ALWAYS a chance Discord! You gave us an inch and we took it a mile! If we're so 'beaten', how do you explain me and Nightmare here, ready to put a final stop to your chaotic tyranny once and for all?!" Discord scoffed, dismissing the foolish words with a wave of his hand as he said "Oh please, this whole 'grand battle' thing going on outside? What a pathetic ruse! Adding more chaos to the mess is just the cherry to the sundae, why not have a little more fun before the end? Besiiiiides..." he cackled, poofing into thin air and reappearing between the two mares, an arm around each of them. He pulled them into a semi hug as he sighed happily, looking towards the door and whispering "Just think, with so many ponies dying outside, the griffons will just snowball on through in the aftermath, Equestria will be destroyed, and my work here will be done!" Twilight's eyes widened as Discord disappeared again and reappeared above them, playing with some puppet strings attached to a crudely made stuffed plushie of Twilight and a griffon, making them dance in the air "I really have to hand it to you Twilight," Discord giggled, making the griffon puppet tear the Twilight puppet's head off "You really make things too easy sometimes, it's hardly ever any fun anymore." "The griffons..." Nightmare muttered, a worried expression forming on her face "Goddesses above, what are we even going to do about them...?" Discord cackled maniacally, holding his gut as the door started to glow a bit brighter in color. The laughter was cut short however as the Chaos Lord had to duck suddenly to avoid a beam of magenta magic that was aimed to blow his head clean off. "We FIGHT!" Twilight growled, lowering herself into a ready stance and narrowing her eyes. "Equestria's fighting for its life right now out there, I don't see any reason for that to change now, or ever, no matter who's invading her borders!" "Oh, well then..." Discord chuckled, floating towards the door and crossing his arms, smiling as he said "I don't suppose if I invite a friend a long for the 'big fight'? It's going to be QUITE a good show, I can already tell." "Nightmare..." Twilight whispered, chancing a glance over towards the lunar mare "What's with that door anyway...? Do you know what it is?" The Captain shook her head, a shiver passing through her body as she whispered back "No...I don't, but I've got a very good feeling whatever is on the other side of it, it's not going to bode well for Equestria." She looked closely towards the door, the smoking energy and light whispers coming from the wood giving her a very uneasy feeling "It could be a gateway to Tartarus, or maybe even the realm that Discord himself came from. It could be bringing him reinforcements or...summoning some kind of dark entity to be used against us. Either way, we can't let that door open. No matter what!" Twilight nodded, looking towards a smug Discord who sipped out of a freshly summoned glass of what looked like apple juice "Alright so what's the plan?" she muttered, looking between the door and Discord. Nightmare narrowed her eyes, looking down at her necklace then back up towards the dark wood. "You deal with Discord," she said, her ravaged eyes gleaming as the necklace around her neck started to glow "I'll deal with the door. I figure if this thing is made of dark, Chaotic magic, I can use this necklace to manipulate it, maybe even cast Discord back to where he came from...maybe cast the Ravage as well." "You think you can do all that Nightmare...?" Twilight breathed, staring towards Nightmare in concern. The Captain sighed, shaking her head and shooting a death glare towards Discord "I don't know, but it's all we can hope to do now." Twilight nodded, looking back towards Discord and narrowing her eyes "This ends NOW Discord, you're gonna pay for all the ponies you've hurt, tortured, and killed today, and for all that you've done to us in the past!" Discord chuckled, waving his pawed hand horizontally through the air to his left, a black shimmer of magic humming in the air. He closed his clawed hand around the end point of the shimmer, a dark, ornate blade morphing out of the air. It was a large broadsword of sorts, with bloody runes lining its length on both sides. Along its deadly edge, a slight shimmer of red energy rippled, ready to cleave the unicorn in half with ease. "By all means Twilight Sparkle..." Discord spat, his sinister smile widening as he gave his blade a twirl and pointed it in her direction "Let's dance." Twilight wasted no time as she hurled herself backwards into a backflip, her hind legs hitting the closed door behind her. She unfurled her magical wings, kicking off the surface with heavy momentum. She spun like a drill through the air, her blades whirling around her and slicing the air loudly. She crashed into Discord's blade with her own, the momentum from the strike pushing him back slightly and giving Twilight the moment she needed to land quickly from the forceful rebound and lunge towards him, both blades poised to stab. She sent the first forward for a jab while she twirled her body around with the second blade, a horizontal slice coming in for a follow through. Discord merely snaked his body to the left, avoiding the jab and slapping the slice away with a parry of his own blade. The unicorn quickly jumped back, her blades twirling towards her and crashing together quickly in the shape of an 'X', catching Discord's countering downward slam in the scissor like grip of her weapons. She heaved her swords upwards, closing in the scissor grip and hurling Discord's blade upwards with the heavy push. Discord let the push carry his body around in a twirl of his own, allowing him to quickly turn with his blade and throw in a fatal jab of his own towards her. Twilight gasped, ducking as the blade passed right over her where her neck used to be, luckily shearing off a piece of her mane instead of her head. The unicorn flared her horn up quickly, pointing it towards the ground and sending out a concussive blast of magic into the smooth stone floor between them. The blast detonated with a heavy force, propelling the two combatants away from each other. Twilight flew through the air for a moment before her back hit the stone, the unicorn bouncing up and twirling into the air. She let out a heaving yell as shot her blades outwards to the left and right like boomerangs, the whirling hum of their magical edges cascading through the air. She landed on all four hooves in a slide, her horn gleaming brightly with magenta magic, already weaving together a myriad of offensive spells to cast towards Discord. The Chaos Lord merely smirked as he tossed his own blade up into the air, the edge suddenly moving as if it had a mind of its own, twirling to clash against Twilight's blades that attempted to flank him. The blades clashed violently in the air all around them as the unicorn charged forward in a gallop, bolts of arcane energy rippling forth from her horn. Discord shot his own offensive spells of Chaos magic towards her from his hands, meeting hers in mid air and causing a series of mini-explosions to echo across the rotunda. As the intense fighting raged on between the two powerful entities, Captain Nightmare carefully made her away around the far edges of the make-shift arena, crawling towards the sinister looking door. She could tell that this gateway was unlike anything on this earth, already hearing the dark whispers of some kind of undesirable language floating through her head. She took a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Discord was too busy dealing with Twilight to see her flank, and once she was sure of his occupied attention, turned her own towards the door. "Ok..." she whispered, taking a breath "Ok...let's do this...give me something here door..." She closed her eyes, putting her front hooves upon the necklace and concentrating. The vials of blood began to gleam as Discord threw a heavy bolt of chaos magic towards Twilight, a roaring scream following it as he followed up with a large beam of laser-like magic. The bolt crashed over a small ethereal shield Twilight had barely managed to erect before the spell, and gasped as the beam hit the surface right afterwards. Unprepared for the attack, she felt her body rocket backwards and slam into a hard surface. The wall gave way however from the force, the unicorn crashing through and onto one of the high roofs that made up one of the outward wings of the Citadel. She staggered to her hooves as Discord quickly hurried through after her, their swords following in quick succession and continuing their deadly dance of finesse. With a jerk of her head and a magical flash from her horn, Twilight's blades whirled back towards her, the mare shifting her hooves and lowering herself into a readied stance. Discord charged forward as his own blade returned to him, the Chaos Lord roaring as he through a heavy swing at her and screaming "Would you just DIE already Sparkle?! You have NO idea how annoying this is!!!" Twilight leaped backwards in a twirl, her blades spinning around her middle and clashing across Discord's edge, parrying the strike away. She landed with a snarl, throwing her blades forward and engaging Discord in a deadly dance of sword play. The two clashed back and forth across the roof for a good few minutes, each slashing and stabbing at one another. Discord managed to slip through Twilight's bladed defense with one decisive blow, countering a slash of her own and running the edge of his blade along her side, slicing her skin open slightly with a six inch cut. The unicorn cried out suddenly as Discord followed up with a twirling horizontal slash, forcing the Unicorn off of the roof. She dove backwards and plummeted through the air, twirling and throwing her blades upward to block a downward stab from Discord who quickly jumped after her. They clashed over and over, blade against blade rattling loudly and making it very clear that neither one was anyone close to backing down, now or ever. Twilight's magical wings fanned out and she beat them heavily, throwing herself horizontally through the air and turning her to take a dive to the right, soaring downwards towards the rooftops below. The battle of Haven City raged around them as Freedom Fighter and Loyalist roared and clashed with one another, bullets and magic flying around the two savage combatants. The unicorn shot several bolts of magic backwards towards Discord, sending her blades outwards once more to fight him. They soared about, magic roaring back and forth between them and catching several of the buildings in the crossfire. Debris and rubble cascaded down into the streets wherever they passed over head. Twilight beat her wings heavily, soaring upwards and pointing her horn downwards. Her horn hummed loudly with energy as she powered up her next spell, letting out a furious roar as a large beam of magenta magic flared down towards Discord. The force from such a beam sent Twilight rocketing upwards, flying up past the hole in the wall where she had originally been shot out of. Discord merely dodged out of the way, the beam slamming into one of the city squares below and incinerating it with a giant explosion of arcane magic. The Chaos Lord soared upwards as Twilight did a backflip through the air and beat her wings backwards with heavy force, sending her diving back downwards. The unicorn with a quick hoof to unsheathe Zecora's knife from its resting place in its harness, the lavender mare lining up a stab. Discord held his clawed hand upwards, a black ball of chaos magic forming within his grip. In mere seconds, the two met each other in the air. Zecora's knife stabbed the ball chaos magic, detonating it within Discord's grasp and blowing his clawed appendage clear off. Black blood spewed out into the air as the force of the explosion sent Twilight upwards into the air, the shrill screams of Discord piercing her ears for only a second before a searing pain tore across her side. She found herself flying back towards the Citadel, crashing through the wall yet again and into the Rotunda. She hit the ground on her side, seething in pain as she slid across the floor and to an eventual stop. Nightmare gasped as she turned her head to see Twilight crash through, shouting "Twilight are you ok?!" "Y...yeah!" Choked out the panting, exhausted unicorn. Her magical wings shimmered away as she tried to get to her hooves but fell short, collapsing again on her side. She peered towards the gash, a red-sticky splotch of raw, smoking skin meeting her gaze. Her fur had been singed away, some of her red muscle bubbling slightly from the impact of a dark, chaotic shot. "I...I don't think I can hold this up much longer Nightmare! How's it coming with that door?!" Nightmare shivered as she looked back to the door for a moment, her teeth chattering in fright. "It's a dark entity unlike anything I've ever felt before Twilight..." she said, the necklace around her pulsating with a red glow "But I think I might know what it is...the dark whispering coming from the door. All it talks about is scales...balance...this necklace." She turned her head towards Twilight, pointing a hoof down towards it "I think it's the necklace, that it's the key! Think about it, the resonating magic within this thing only activated after large displays of harmony! It brought the Ravage virus to the world, it could be what's anchoring Discord to our realm, why it brought him back...to tip the scales between Harmony and Chaos back to a more favorable position!" Twilight coughed, spitting out a glob of blood as she wheezed "B...but what does that mean? What scales...what're you talking about?" Nightmare rubbed at her temples, groaning as the voices from behind the door penetrated her skull "I...I don't know! Think of it like the scales of justice used in Equestrian courts! Everything has a balance, even the world! Maybe you and the Elements of Harmony tipped them too far...and this is nature's way of tipping them back!" "Seems a bit too far of a tip if you ask me!" Twilight groaned, gingerly holding her side as she stared towards the second hole in the far wall. She'd have to get up soon, it'd only be a few more moments before Discord would come rushing in, ready to resume their deadly engagement. She looked towards Nightmare, coughing as she said "So...what is this door then? A gateway to these 'scales'? Another result of them being tipped too far?" "I don't know..." whispered the Captain, looking down at the necklace before taking it off and holding it in her hooves "But if these 'scales' are tipped too far into Chaos's favor...maybe, maybe if we destroy the necklace, we can tip it back into Harmony's favor! This thing has brought nothing but a massive wave of terror and destruction to Equestria, it's nearly wiped us off the face of the earth! This could be the one thing that can finally pull us back into the light!" Twilight coughed, holding a hoof out to Nightmare as she said "Think about what you're saying Nightmare! That necklace has the Ravage, and it could be our only source for a possible cure! Are you certain that by destroying that necklace we can banish Discord from this world?! How do you know all this, how can you be absolutely sure Nightmare!??!" For a few moments, the Captain stared towards the door, her head pained and aching, the voices beyond its dreaded passageway whispering and talking to her. After a tense pause, Nightmare turned her head towards Twilight and whispered "I don't know...but I feel that it's the right thing to do." Just as Twilight opened her mouth to speak, Discord rushed through the hole in the wall, his rage knowing no bounds as he let forth a mighty roar, charging towards the wounded unicorn with his blade clutched in his still existing arm. The mare gasped as Discord's sword came down towards her, being met with a thunderous clash of steel from Nightmare's own sword. The Captain had taken a stunning leap from the door just in time as she shoved her weight against Discord, forcing him backwards. The necklace had dropped from her clutches, clattering to the ground loudly away from Twilight. The unicorn swore quietly as she started to crawl towards the necklace, dragging her lower half along as she pawed at the stone before her with her front hooves, trying her best to ignore the aching pain in her side. Nightmare clashed violently with Discord, the Captain huffing and trying her best to keep the Chaos Lord as tied up as possible with her. "Just have to buy Twilight time!" She whispered to herself, blocking a heavy blow from Discord and pushing back against it "Need to give her enough time to destroy it!" The two of them clashed together heavily, Nightmare slashing and jabbing at Discord who merely swatted her blade away, throwing his own strikes back at her. "Give it up Discord, it's all over!" shouted the Captain, aiming a forward stab towards Discord, pushing her full weight behind it. "It certainly is!!!" roared the enraged Chaos Lord, swatting her blade to the side with a horizontal downward slash and sending his blade forward towards her "FOR YOU!!!!" His blade pushed straight through her breastplate, the point slicing clean through her chest and pushing out through her back. Nightmare gasped as she staggered backwards, slowly looking down towards the blade protruding from her body. She fell to her knees as she let out a hacking cough, blood starting to seep from her mouth as she looked to the area behind Discord, smiling as she heaved for air and gasped "No I mean it Discord...I...It's over..." She fell upon her side as Discord turned his head, gasping loudly as Twilight pointed her horn downwards, a great aura of magic shimmering around her horn. "NOOOO! DON'T YOU DARE! TWILIGHT SPARKLE DON'T YOU-" She released the magic without further delay, the spell flowing over the necklace and blasting it to pieces, the impact of the spell sending Twilight across the rotunda. In an instant, a guttural roar of monstrous volume came blasting through the door, the rotunda shaking violently as an aura intense magical energy wafted its way through the air. "What have you done?!" Discord screamed, conjuring for himself another blade and preparing himself to lunge towards Twilight "I'LL KILL YOU!" he cried, raising his blade "I'LL KILL Y-" He stopped, the rotunda continuing to rumble and shake as if an earthquake had erupted beneath them. He looked down, staring blankly as Captain Nightmare's blade tore through his middle, cutting him clean in half. Nightmare finished her swing with a mighty yell, the grip on her blade loosening as well as her footing crumbling away, the blade and body of the Captain hitting the ground with a clatter and a thud. Discord could only stare in horror as his body quickly crackled and turned rapidly stone, falling into the floor. He shattered upon impact, the several hundred pieces that once made up his body scattering upon the rotunda floor. The door, with its roars intensifying, suddenly burst open, great black flames roaring outwards into the rotunda. The pieces of Discord were quickly sucked into the chaotic abyss, unlike with the shattered remains of his necklace, passing through into the nightmarish void. The door quickly shut after it, bursting into flames itself before shrinking into a tiny, flaming ball. It hovered there for a few moments before it flashed brightly, and exploded into a great, magnificent golden light. The light flared outwards, crashing through the Rotunda and blowing apart the entirety of the ceiling and the walls, cascading outwards in a large pulse of immense magic. It passed through Haven city and quickly beyond, washing over the land and all that stood upon it, the force from the wave blasting every living creature off of its feet and out of the sky. Rainbow Dash gasped as she was blown off of a building, tumbling through the air as the wave passed through her. She hit the ground with a painful thud, sliding for a moment before shaking her head and groaning. "W...what the...hay...?" She moaned, putting a hoof to her head and looking upwards towards the golden wave. There were sudden shouts and a few cheers here and there as Rainbow turned her head to watch a group of four ponies running down the street passed her. They were cheering and hollering as the whites of their eyes gleamed with a golden color, sparkling in the light of the sun. "What's going on!" Rainbow shouted, struggling to get up "What happened? Did we win?!?!" Celestia's horn crackled and finally whined down, completely out of juice as she panted heavily upon her side. Her battle with Luna had dragged on much longer then she could bear, her energy sapped and depleted. She could hear the clopping of her sister's hooves drawing closer and closer as she shivered, hoping that maybe she managed to buy enough time for Twilight and Nightmare to succeed. She felt her breath catch as Luna walked up right next to her and stopped, her breathing loud and raspy. Celestia shut her eyes tight just after watching one of her lunar hooves raise up slightly. A step on the neck...how crude and cruel. Though it was no less then Celestia deserved still, according to the sun princess. Perhaps now she could die with a clear conscious, knowing she at least tried to right the wrongs and absolve the sins she had committed during the Ponyville Incident. The princess blinked in surprise however, her eyes shooting open as she felt Luna's hoof gently press against her neck, rubbing it gently. She looked upwards with a shuddering gasp as a cured Luna looked down to her, the whites of her eyes sparkling with golden light. She smiled as she sank to her belly, tucking her legs under her and whispering "Dearest sister, we are so glad to see you are not too badly injured!" Celestia cried out suddenly, grasping her sister in a tight hug and clutching the lunar mare to her desperately. She wept tears of joy as Luna ran a hoof down her back, chuckling and whispering "There there Celly...thy secret is safe with us, we shall not tell any soul that we finally managed to best you at combat. It would be very embarrassing indeed, we are sure of it." Celestia choked out a laugh, the two of them clutching at each other and chuckling. The city broke out into roaring cheers, the Loyalists quickly dropping their weapons and surrendering to their attackers as the once Ravaged stood tall, eyes golden with purity. It had seemed the Ravage had once again been defeated...but where was the pony responsible...? Where was Discord? Twilight Sparkle dragged her body across the floor, tears streaming down her face as she groaned "Nightmare....Nightmare!!!" The Captain shook slightly as the pool of blood underneath her grew larger and larger with each passing second. The unicorn, finally managing to crawl over towards the wounded bat pony, sat up and dragged Nightmare into her hooves, her cheek resting against the higher portion of Twilight's belly and chest. The Captain wheezed as she croaked "G...got him..." She smiled slightly, her breathing labored as flicked her eyes downward to look at Discord's blade shimmering away from her body, his magic dissipating from the world at last. "Just hold on Nightmare!" Twilight panted, her horn crackling and preparing whatever healing magic she could muster "I can save you, just hold-" She stopped as Nightmare put a gentle hoof on Twilight's, shaking her head and whispering "Twilight...no..." The unicorn opened her mouth to protest but was quickly cut off as she went on "I've lived...long enough dear. A good, full life is what I'm finishing the day with...and that's all I could ever had asked for." The unicorn's tears dripped gently onto Nightmare's face and mane as she cried quietly "B...but the griffons...we still have to fight the griffons Captain...we need you..." At this, the Captain smiled a bit wider and shook her head, muttering "I've grown too weary of war...it's all I've known my entire life. From filly to mare, I've soaked my hooves in the blood of too many living creatures. I think...I think now it's time I finally got some rest." She looked up towards Twilight, her breathing strained as she whispered "I...lived...Twilight Sparkle...and I'll live still in the hearts and memories of the ponies I had the honor of meeting during my time here in Equestria...and that is what you need to do as well..." She reached a shaking hoof upwards, gently placing it against Twilight's cheek. The unicorn folded her two front hooves over the Captain's her tears flowing freely as she went on "Live...Twilight Sparkle, raise your family, enjoy the life you've been given back...clean, and pure." Twilight's eyes sparkled with golden light, her body cleansed and purified from the ravenous infection. "Live..." Nightmare whispered, her eyes drooping and closing as she grew still, letting out one final breath and whispering one final time... "Live............." Twilight Sparkle cried in anguish as Captain Nightmare died in her hold, the mare passing away with a peaceful expression upon her face. She held the mare tightly as the sounds of galloping reached the main door of the Rotunda, the heavy metal flying open as Shadow Squad, accompanied by Applejack and Big Macintosh, rushed through the door, weapons at the ready. "Twilight!" Macintosh shouted, a joyful expression on his face "We're all cured! The Ravage is gone n' left, we did it, we-..." he stopped suddenly as Twilight's sobs reached his ears, his eyes looking down towards the mare she clutched to her. "Oh no..." Nightfire whispered, the rest of Shadow Squad pulling their helmets off and pressing them to their chests. Macintosh walked over towards the two mares, slowly lowering himself to sit on his flank and to put a hoof upon his beloved. For the ponies of Equestria, the day had been won, the war against the Ravage finally coming to a close. From the very first day when Twilight hammered the first board into the windows of her home, hiding away in the darkness, to her nightmarish days as a Carrier, despairing as the Ravage tried to turn her against her friends, and finally to the final battle with Discord, the lavender unicorn took in a deep breath, sighing as a weight lifted off of her heart. She shivered as she stroked Captain Nightmare's cheek, whispering quietly to her "Thank you...." The ponies gathered around Twilight, each pressing a gentle hoof to Nightmare's body and bowing their heads, paying their final respects to her as she whispered one more thank you to her. ~~~ It was several hours later that Princess Celestia found herself atop the wall of Haven City, looking outwards across the fields towards the mountains that once held Canterlot. Beside her, Princess Luna held the same gaze, looking towards the moving bodies she could just faintly see on the horizon. "They are wasting no time it seems," Luna whispered, a heavy sigh passing through her "I do not know if this is a war we can win dearest sister...the odds-" "The odds are always in our favor Luna," Celestia interjected, looking downwards as Shadow-Mane loaded a few bullets into his rifle, joining the reformed lines of what remained of the Equestrian army. "There are ponies out there, hiding and wondering what is happening to their world. They will need to answer the call...or accept the control of the griffon populace." Luna turned her head towards her sister, a concerned look on her face. "What about Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony? Where have they gone?" "Home..." Celestia whispered, a small smile on her face "Twilight has gone to bury Captain Nightmare, and to take whatever refugees she can to a new land...somewhere where they can start again, live the lives they've fought, bled, and suffered for." "Does this mean..." Luna started, looking out across the land around them "Equestria has been...destroyed?" Celestia smiled, chuckling as she shook her head and said "No dear sister...Equestria can never be destroyed, it lives in the hearts and mind of all her citizens and those who fight for her." Shadow-Mane gave a mighty shout as he pointed his hoof into the direction of the advancing Griffon army marching across the fields. "As long as a pony is willing to do what they can to fight, to push back against their oppressors, Equestria can never be taken from us." The army of Equestria began its slow march towards their foes, some battered and many bloodied, but they marched on regardless. "We will fight in the streets...we will fight in the forests, in the rivers and in the skies, we will fight in the mountains and fight them wherever they dare show their beaks!" Shadow-Mane broke into a trot as Celestia whispered "We fought the civil war, we fought the Ravage, we've beaten chaos and tyranny at every battle it's challenged us to, THIS, is no different. Their attack, their so called 'invasion' is nothing more than a desperation play, a scared and overburdened populace with nowhere else to turn to but war....but we are no strangers to it." The army shifted into a light gallop, hoots and hollers coming from various points within the ranks. They couldn't be stopped, no matter what was put in front of them. Dragons, changelings, Ravaged, it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was freedom, and the sheer determination that any who would take it from them would be destroyed, no matter the cost. "OOOOH YEAH!" Moon-Lance shouted in glee as he galloped behind Shadow-Mane "Maybe I'll finally get to beat my high score!" "You're a psychopath, did you know that?!" Sky-Driver shouted from beside him "How many kills is that anyway, a hundred? Two??" At this, Wind-Weaver merely laughed and shook his head, shouting over Moon-Lance "One hundred n' forty two! I know cause I've been constantly trying to beat it!" The three of them shouted back and forth at one another as the army surged forward, rushing ever so closer to their next greatest battle. "CHARGE!!!!" Shadow-Mane roared, the army behind him letting forth a unified battle cry as they surged forward, a look of mad determination in their eyes. "Once more Equestria!" He shouted, watching the griffons coming closer and closer "Once more into the breach! Once more into the storm! For home and Harmony, for land and equality, for peace and prosperity! FORWARD!!!" They rocketed forward as the two armies drew ever closer. "This is our time," Celestia shouted as she fanned out her wings, taking flight over the wall and flying out towards the army, Luna right beside her. With them came what remained of the Pegasai division of the army, their swarm rushing outwards to meet their enemies "Let our blades sink the message into their hearts! Let our screams carry the word through their ears, let our hooves stomp into their minds who we are!" As the armies grew seconds away from clashing, Shadow-Mane jumped up into the air, aiming his blade downwards towards the fist griffon who would be added to his kill count for the day. "This is EQUESTRIA, and she will NEVER be defeated!"
Love - Epilogue Love - Epilogue All was quiet. For once in her life, all was quiet. There was no disease to worry about, no blood, no battles. For once, Twilight Sparkle could breathe peacefully, worried not about when or where the next dreaded engagement would take place...but when it was time to make sure her daughter got her appropriate, nutritious snack...something Big Macintosh was still trying to figure out. "Ah don't understand why she's gotta eat PEARS Twi'!" Grumbled the apple stallion, his teeth crunching down on a delicious apple "Pears are nothin' but gross!" At this, Twilight merely rolled her eyes, gently pushing a tiny piece of a mushed pear into her daughters open, expecting mouth. Moonlight munched on it, a happy look upon her face as the unicorn said back "It's a good source of vitamin C, and it's a good source of fiber. You should learn to eat some yourself some time." The three of them were situated on the top of a high hill just outside of a massive valley to the far, far south of the Equestrian border. The refugees of the country had followed them downwards, away from the vicious fighting between their armies and the griffons. Through the entire valley, a thriving colony was prospering, ponies working around the clock to build shelters, plant crops, raise walls, and solidify their new position in the world, a new place to call home. Twilight nestled Moonlight in her hooves, nuzzling her cheek as she sighed, relaxing under the delicate hooves her lover ran up and down her sides with. It had been nearly a month since the Battle of Haven City, Celestia sending them word every chance she could get about how the war was going. Despite their awful numbers and odds, ponies from across many regions were flocking to Equestria to fight against the griffons, knowing that it was a very real possibility that if the griffons took over Equestria, there was no guarantee that they would stop there. Stalliongrad had been retaken, along with Manehatten and Phillydelphia, with the main object now to push on to Hoofington and secure the eastern shores. The unicorn sighed happily as she was pulled into the hooves of her stallion, Moonlight playfully pawing at her mother's cheeks. It was a long, quiet moment for the three of them, the wind gently pushing across them as Macintosh suddenly asked "Do ya think this is it Twi'...? Ya think it's finally over...that we're gonna be ok?" Twilight turned her head upwards to look at him, to stare into his clean, pure eyes as she thought about all that had happened to them. There was a long pause as Twilight's smile grew, pressing her lips against his for a moment before she drew back and whispered "You know...I think despite all that's happened...what we've all been through....this time...this time I think we're all gonna be ok." She looked up into the sky, the sun setting and splaying its beautiful colors of a sunset orange and purple across the air, ending the final chapter of their bloody struggle for Equestria. "I think we're gonna be just fine." The End Author's Note I would just like to take a moment to apologize for how long it has been since I have updated. My life has been one of a wayward spiral of uncertainty these past few months, where money has been tight and my dreams and goals I once thought I had began to blur and become an uncertainty themselves. To my editor BlackSnowyOwl, who I have not talked to in quite some time, I give my deepest apologies to you. For dropping off the face of the planet as I did to you and to the rest of my fans, it is something I am not sure I could ever forgive myself for, but I can only pray that maybe one day you could find it within your heart to forgive me for my foolishness. I have worked tirelessly for several nights to bring this story to its final close, and I must say I believe I am very pleased with how it has turned out. Though I may not be a master of writing, and that the quality of the work may not be the best in the eyes of many, I am confident that as I continue to work, I will grow in both skill and efficiency. The road to success as a writer has been a long, hard one, and I know I'm no where near close to reaching its end yet. But I want to thank all of my followers, fans, friends, and family for supporting me along the way. Without you all, these worlds I have created with my imagination could never have existed. So again, to all of you I apologize...and thank you for being so supportive and understanding. Thank you to you all. -Wolokai E.A. KuRR.
Blood"She will never accept audience with thee after all the crimes thou hath committed!" Luna growled, walking semi-awkwardly next to the floating Discord, her chains rattling and clinking together against her legs and hooves. The draconequus merely chuckled, spinning slightly in the air as the Solar Guards lining the hallway narrowed their eyes at him. "Oh...I'm sure she'll come to listen in time." Discord hissed, snapping his fingers and causing the doors before him to open. Luna merely rolled her eyes, following the lord of chaos through the doorway and into a large rotunda that was lined with several buff and heavy looking royal guards. They wore full suits of yellowish armor, the Pegasus equipped with mounted blades on the front of their wings and a large metal contraption on their back. The machinery fixated to the back of their arm consisted of a large metal box with a six-cylinder barrel protruding from the left and right sides of it. It was the famed Dreadnought suit that the most elite of the royalty's guards wore, making any kind of attack on the princesses a sure suicide mission. "Everything has gone according to how it should Luna...all this blood and madness could have been avoided you know." Discord went on, the gasps of a certain mare reaching his ears. "Hello!?" Cried an elderly, motherly voice "Who is there...? Luna? Is that you dear sister?" Celestia shifted slightly in her restraining harness, the former princess trying to get comfortable. The white-furred mare was seated on a raised platform, a leather sort of harness securing her to it by a variety of belts. Upon her head she wore an odd sort of helmet that shielded her ears and eyes with a sort of visor, and completely covered her horn with a cylinder-shaped piece of metal. The horn part of the case pulsated steadily with yellow magic, the efforts of healing Celestia's horn clearly displayed to all who looked upon her. She had been savagely de-horned by Twilight Sparkle many months ago, back when the princess had lost all reason and determined that she would use the Ravage Virus to destroy the Griffon threat that even know, despite the prolonged time, remained a very real and very sinister danger to Equestria. "I can't see you Luna...tell me you are well! Tell me that brute Discord has not hurt you!" Luna bit her bottom lip for a moment, looking up towards Discord. He wore a simple amused expression on his face, staring towards the former ruler of the sun and trying his best not to chuckle. "We...we are fine dearest!" Luna called to her sister in a raised voice so that she could hear "We were simply taking a stroll to stretch our wings!" "Oh good..." Celestia breathed, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. "I was beginning to grow worried. Tell me, any news concerning Twilight?" "She still lives..." Luna answered her, clanking her way up to her sister and sitting before her on the platform. "Despite the overwhelming power required by the Great Purge, Twilight Sparkle hath cheated death, and she remains at large." Celestia smiled, dipping her head and sniffing slightly as a pair of tears rolled down her face from her eyes. "Thank the heavens..." she whispered happily "Perhaps we are not all truly lost. Tell me Luna, have you formulated a plan for destroying Discord yet?" Luna grimaced slightly, looking past Celestia and towards Discord, the chaotic beast's smile widening considerably. She didn't say anything at first, but then "We are working on it..." ~~~ "It's s..s..so cold..." whined a particular Pegasus, his wings shivering like mad. He shook like crazy, even though he wore a thick layer of padded wool under his elite Lunar Guard armor. His particular armor was a deep black color, unlike the usual light blue and purple that most of the other common rabble wore. His wings were fronted with a large, sharp blade latched into a harness that covered both wing fronts, his sides clasped with two belts of knives and a simple short sword tied to his back. On the side of his armor, a small name had been etched into the plate, just over an array of tally marks counting seventy in number. The name that was displayed upon the pony's armor was none other than- "Sky-Driver, could you maybe stop your moping for at least a minute. JUST a minute, I'm begging you!" griped another Pegasus beside him. This particular Pegasus was geared in much of the same attire as Sky, but with a medium-sized, collapsible rifle slung across his back. "Wind-Weaver, you complain more than any pony I know!" Sky countered, trying his best to keep his own shivering under control "If anything, I'm surprised YOU aren't constantly moaning about the chills!" The two of them were vastly different in their talents and personality, Sky being the engineer while Wind took his title as 'Ace Aerial-Combat Pilot' seriously. The one thing they DID have in common though was their hate for the cold and the fact that they were both in the same elite, well renown Shadow Squad. The squad had been hoof-picked personally by the 'late', Legendary Captain Night-Mare many moons ago to be Princess Luna's royal and nigh unstoppable special forces group. They were the toughest of the tough, meanest of the mean, and the bravest of the br- "ACHOO!" Wind sneezed, grumbling and hugging himself tighter with his two front legs. "Why Stalliongrad of all ruddy cities...?" He spat, trying to sniff a hanging thread of snot back up his nose "It's not even a strategically sound city! It's in the middle of nowhere, hours and hours away from Haven City and far away from the battle back at home!" He let out a yelp suddenly as the large, covered wagon they were hit a rock with one of its wheels, making the two of them bounce violently for a moment. "You can't even FLY there it's so cold!" He went on, motioning to his heavily blanket-padded wings "The battle's at home, with the re-infection and against Discord!!!" Sky merely face-hoofed, letting out a groan and shouting "Yeah I get it Wind, you've only explained this EIGHT times over already! I'm not even surprised Moon-Lance wanted to ride up in the wagon up front!" The entire squad, minus General Shadow-Mane, had been requisitioned and ordered to the north by Princess Luna shortly before the re-infection hit Equestria, and no new orders to come back and fight had reached them yet. Why they were moving up there in a large, armed convoy of nearly a hundred military wagons with nearly a thousand other soldiers was a mystery to most of the group. Even Second-Lieutenant Nightfire, a freshly promoted officer and new direct field-leader of Shadow Squad (under General Shadow of course) was left in the dark, his only clue to their intentions being Luna's order to "Move north to Stalliongrad. Keep the borders, await further orders." It was rumored that their convoy had enough firepower, munitions, rations, and other supplies to siege four major cities in a row without stopping. Most of the soldiers figured it was just a puff of the chest, a show of force and pride on Luna's behalf to scare away potential invaders. With the Ravage having destroyed most of Equestria and forcing most of the population to rebuild...most were even convinced that Equestria wasn't even worth invading anymore, let alone steal a passing glance at to even the most desperate of weary travelers. So why Stalliongrad? That was the million bit question spread about among the others in 'Able-Wing Batallion', the designation of the thousand soldiers riding to the frozen city. The pool of betting was up to two thousand bits, each making a square bet against the other about the truth of their orders. The wagons themselves weren't built to last, the wooden and metal frames struggling to hold together from the furious wind that whipped about outside, tearing at the thick cloth that was clasped down to it with heavy leather straps. It was a simple transport, holding around ten ponies each, with several Unicorns to each wagon to help pull it magically. It was much too dangerous to pull physically, what with the extreme weather. That didn't stop a few ponies from marching outside, one heavily armored pony in particular. His armor was as black as the darkest midnight, with gold time edging the main body piece. On his back rested the large, double cylinder miniguns with the heavy silver box, his legs clasped with several throwing knives as ornate as the two long swords that were belted to his side. His helmet visor was down, thick clouds of vaporous breath steaming out from the mesh of metal. His mane was ruffled and messy but stiff from the cold, his eyes narrowed and staring towards the distant city that was nearly shrouded completely in the snowstorm. His wings were heavily padded, his feathers radiating with trapped warm with brought some comfort to the weary soldier. He stood upon a high slope, his yellow eyes slowly moving from the distant city to his convoy. A lone Unicorn stood next to him in his regularly clad armor, his horn aglow with a white sort of magic. "No matter where I go..." he whispered, drawing a small heart in the snow with a careful hoof "Death and war...blood that never stops flowing." The Unicorn merely nodded in agreement, keeping his horn lit and continuing to monitor their perimeter. His concentration was slightly broken however, as the sudden shouts of another pony reached their ears. "Lieutenant Nightfire! Sir!" called out one of his Lunar ponies, the poor Pegasus having trouble stomping up the snow towards him. Nightfire raised an eyebrow behind his visor, turning his head towards the soldier to give him his attention. When the guard finally reached him, he gave his officer a mighty salute which Nightfire returned before he spoke. "Our forward scouts have returned sir," He said, lowering his salute "But the city representatives that were supposed to meet us aren't there..." "Not there?" Nightfire asked, his eyes widening in confusion "That's not right, the mayor of Stalliongrad was given VERY specific instructions. What about city hall? Did our scouts complete our secondary objectives?" The soldier merely gulped, drawing nervously in the snow as he muttered "There...wasn't anypony there." He looked up to his Lieutenant with a grim expression and said "There's nopony. The whole city has been abandoned." Nightfire stood rooted to the spot, his irises shrinking slightly. "The whole city...gone," Nightfire stated, his soldier nodding in confirmation. "How can the whole city be gone?!" He shouted, turning back towards the city "Are you sure there's nopony? You searched the buildings, the streets, basements, everything?!" "Yes sir..." replied the Pegasus "With the storm slowing down our march so much, we've had plenty of time to search the city. Everypony's just...vanished." "Was it the infection?" Nightfire asked curiously, trying to piece this sudden mystery together. His soldier merely shook his head, however, pointing towards the sky and saying "Not from what we could tell. There's no signs of fighting, no panic, nothing. No blood or bodies, not even a feather." The Lieutenant bit his chapped bottom lip and looked back towards the city. A population of several hundred thousand...gone? How was it possible? If it was the infection there would surely be signs. Maybe the population finally got tired of the harsh weather and decided to skip town. If that was the case...where did they all go? There would have been some kind of news or reports of such a vast migration...even more troubling was the fact that there were was only one real solid way in and out of the city, what with it being surrounded by vast mountain ranges. If the ponies of Stalliongrad had in fact left...Able-Wing Battalion would have run into them, or vice-versa. For the whole city to just be... "Double the efforts to push us into the city" Nightfire barked, turning his head to the soldier "Since there is no worry of disturbing the populace or the peace, we will take the city and set up immediate headquarters in City Hall." The scout gave a quick salute followed by a "Right away sir!" before trudging away. Nightfire took a moment to steal another glance at the city before directing his next orders to his Unicorn companion. "Initiate occupation order Zeta-Aurora," Nightfire said, pointing his hoof towards the city "We will have our positions set up by the night. Tell them that the faster we get dug in, the faster we can get some heat back in our bones." The Unicorn gave a firm salute before running off to complete Nightfire's orders. The officer was left alone upon the hill to ponder his thoughts as the convoy gave a mighty lurch forward, its speed increasing significantly. With a tight grimace, Nightfire made his way off of the hill and towards one of the many wagons in line. A few quiet moments and a slightly warmer place away from the wind would do his poor bones good. He could only hope the rest of the world was in a much better state than he and his soldiers. Five hours later... "To the Princess goes the gold, to the devils go our souls, one by one and ten by ten, we'll march into the griffon's den! Heads up high, rifles true, bleed those buzzards run em' through! For our sun and for our moon, a griffon's life we plague with doom! For the country they would not dare, to take our lands or our fine mares!" Moon-Lance and Wind-Weaver clung to each other, laughing and singing loudly and badly off key as the seven empty bottles of cheap vodka twinkled in the fire light around them. Sky-Driver merely rolled his eyes, doing his best to work out a kink in one of Nightfire's miniguns, the six-barreled cylinder slightly disassembled at his hooves. Nightfire himself was seated on a small rock, a much larger rock resting in front of him that served as a makeshift desk. It turned out, there was one odd thing about the city at first glance after all. One of the buildings, a bar, had a caved in roof. There was no signs of explosives or foul-play, but it suited Nightfire just find as a private barracks for him and Shadow Squad. He let the rest of his soldiers have run of the apartment complexes, being sure to facilitate the sentries and guards needed to keep the massive perimeter. He was still amazed at his only hoof-work, being able to coordinate the full setting up and structure of a complete defensive occupation of Stalliongrad in just a matter of hours. He rubbed at his temples roughly, drawing a deep sigh out of his snout. He cast his eyes down upon his large rock-table, the slab clustered with paperwork and a few broken pencils. His headache was not doing much to help with his current (in his opinion, 'pointless') assignment. He was starting to wonder if giving Moon and Wind alcohol to leave him alone and to stop them from badgering him with questions was such a good idea. "Will you two act your AGE for once!?" Cried Sky, his hoof slightly slipping on one of the screws on Nightfire's minigun "Honestly you two are the biggest bird brains I've ever had the misfortune of ever meeting!" At this, Moon merely giggled like a school-filly, flopping down on his stomach in front of the annoyed Pegasus and fanning out his wings lazily. "Aww come off it Sky!" He wheezed drunkenly, his tongue lolling out of his mouth "Think of it like a vacasshhion! All the boosh ya want for free!" "Have you forgotten we're on assignment?!" Sky barked angrily, fastening the minigun to the left side of the metal box that made up the Dreadnought weapon. He gave it a quick spin to ensure it spooled up correctly before stopping it with his hoof. He crossed his left front leg over his right front one, assuming a comfortable position before rambling on "Honestly I don't know how you two were even picked for Shadow Squad! It was a miracle Shadow even gave you two a passing glance!" "Oh leave them alone Sky," Nightfire said in a bored tone, shuffling his papers together and looking over towards his two drunken squad mates. They looked like they were playing patty-cake, tapping their hooves together and giggling like idiots. "We never catch a break these days anyway, and the heat from that alcohol will keep them healthy for a little while." Sky grimaced, stealing a glance towards his old friend and superior. They locked eyes for a moment, the Lieutenant giving Sky a semi-pleading look before the corporal merely sighed and muttered "Fine..." "Come now gents," Nightfire said, hopping from his rock and trotting over to his colts "Let's get some sleep, the night time is coming and it's going to get dreadfully cold. We're going on recon tomorrow, so try to get some sleep." Moon and Wind gave sloppy, drunken salutes, falling over on one another and dozing off. Sky merely rolled his eyes at his fellow squad mates, lowering his head down on his legs and closing his eyes. "Night sir..." he mumbled sleepily, drawing a small smile out of the Lieutenant who took his own place next to Sky. He sighed, burying his face in his legs and closing his eyes. "I hope Shadow's having a better time than I am right now..." "Gone away... "So far away... "No frowns my dearest baaaby...." Nightfire stirred slightly, his body feeling absolutely weightless and warm. What frightened him though...was the remembering of a certain time where he felt such a way before. "Am I dead..?" he muttered, the fur on his back tingling from the sensation of being touched. "W...who's there?" he called out, trying to open his eyes but finding himself to be unable. "Ssshhh..." cooed a mare's voice. Her voice was much older than Nightfire's, with a tone of wisdom and friendship laced in her words. "You are safe little one," she whispered, the sensations of being rubbed continuing to spark up Nightfire's back. The soldier gave an involuntary whimper, the tension in his muscles fading away slowly. "Who are you?" He whispered back to her, willing his body to move. Like his eyes however, they remained immobile. "Where am I?" "Who and where aren't important my dearest Nightfire," cooed the voice yet again, the mare's voice echoing right into his ear, as if her lips were mere inches away from him "The question is...why?" Nightfire frowned, his mind muddled with questions. "Ok then...why?" He asked the mare, his wings flapping involuntarily from the hoof being dragged up his spine smoothly. "That's indeed the question isn't it?" The mare said, drawing a slightly frustrated growl out of Nightfire before she went on "Why has this happened, why is this happening to our ponies again. I tried to stop it, to ferry it as far away as I could before its terrible secrets were unlocked." Nightfire turned his head towards the mare, his eyes still refusing to open as he asked "What do you mean, what did you carry? What secrets, I don't understand!" "I was labeled a traitor and a murderer by Princess Celestia, all traces of my existence erased from the Lunar Archives," she went on, scratching a suddenly itchy spot behind Nightfire's ear "They simply labeled me missing in action, covering up all the work and effort I put into keeping Equestria safe." She paused to lower her voice, a tinge of sadness making its way into her tone. "We should have taken heed, we should have paid attention to the signs. But no...now we must pay for our crimes and our sins." She gently laid herself upon the soldier's back, giving him a firm hug as she whispered "My dearest Nightfire...oh how you've grown. Time is running short and it will not be long before Discord comes for what is his." She whispered quickly into his ear as a sudden rush of wind blew over his body "You must be strong Nightfire...if the Scales are to ever be rebalanced, all of the worlds at stake must be ready to fight against the very Chaos of Disharmony itself..." "What do you mean?!" Nightfire cried, the presence of the mare fading away. "I don't understand! Twilight's dead, gone from the purge! What scales, what are you hiding!? What is Discord after?!?! ANSWER ME!!!" He shouted and shouted, but no answer was given to him. Nightfire could only stare off into the darkness of his own eyelids as the screams of a distant pony began to ring out in his ears. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!!!" Screamed a pony from outside, the furious shouts and frantic cries of several other ponies joining in the chorus of Chaos that stirred Nightfire form his sleep. He blinked rapidly, his eyes widening as Sky-Driver burst into the bar, panting heavily. "Sir, we've come under bombardment from the sky!" he shouted, motioning towards the outside "The cloud cover is too thick to see who it is, and every scout we've sent up there has been shot down dead!" Nightfire growled, rushing outside past Sky and into the cold, dreary dawn. "Assume defensive positions and quit panicking!" He roared as an air to ground artillery shell pounded the street to his left. "Take cover in the buildings and keep down!" "SIR! LOOK!" Sky cried, pointing a hoof to the air. As Nightfire looked up, a terrifying fear gripped at his heart. It was a sight that he couldn't believe he was seeing, his hopes crushing down under the weight of what was coming down through the clouds. They had said it was inevitable, but no matter what, Nightfire refused to believe it. They should have stayed away, should have known Equestria was under attack by a ravenous infection. Why didn't they heed the signs, why didn't they stay away!? "Everypony lock and load!" Nightfire screamed, spooling his miniguns up in preparations for a barrage of bullets to the sky "We've got company!" All around, the sounds of weapons clicking and loading were heard, the preparations for immediate battle sounding out. The artillery stopped shortly after, drawing a deep shiver out of the officer. Stopping an artillery bombardment meant only one thing. Paving the way...for the invaders. As the large, hulking, feathery beasts clad in heavy battle armor descended from the sky in swarms of hundreds, the underbelly of at least four different wooden hulls made themselves visible in the grey, cloudy sky. "What is it!? What's up there!??!" Sky cried, taking cover behind an old market stall where Nightfire joined him. "It's what we've come to fear for a long time Sky..." Night grumbled, peeking out from the stall "They have come for us at last..." Sky poked his own head out, peering at the large shapes that were descending quickly from the sky. "Who's up there?" he whispered in fear, his poor wings shaking. "Griffons," Nightfire whispered, double-checking to make sure his miniguns were loaded "It's the Griffons, Equestria is being invaded."
