...he raised his sword for the final blow. The beast writhed beneath him, desperately searching for freedom, but he would not yield. As the shadows devoured the last light around them, the hero knew he had little time.
Without waiting, he sunk the blade deep into the beast and then jerked it back, watching the foul creature that had tormented their village for so long finally draw its breath. Once it’s eyes dulled to the familiar distant gaze of death, the shadows that threatened to consume the land faded and the soft white light of the moon finally revealed the restored village he had worked so hard to save.
But as the hours drew on, though the evil had been defeated, the sun still did not rise that day.
___________________________________________________
Twilight yawned as the final scenes of the book played out in her mind. She closed the book and put it back in it’s place on the shelf. Fantasy-adventure was one genre she hardly ever bothered with before, but now the enticing stories and magical worlds were a nice escape.
Twilight floated a couple of papers out onto her desk with a lavender glow. Celestia had left her in charge of dealing with Equestria’s southern district politics, and what that meant was a truck-load of paperwork and problems from all over the area. A request to tear down a building in Appleoosa, a funding request to the Las Pegasus police force to battle growing crime rates, an urgent need for water in Dodge Junction... the stack of paper was as tall as her hoof. She placed a sheet to her left and jumped in surprise when it caught her eye.
The edge of the paper had a faint orange tint. Twilight looked to the window to confirm her suspicions. It was morning. She had gone yet another night without sleep; that had to be the third night this week.
She sighed and brushed open the curtains with a flare of magic. A dry and gray Ponyville greeted her. The bright greens and flowers that once dotted the landscape became sparse and dull as water became a commodity. Drought and the economic decline that followed it were not kind to Equestria, and the sullen-looking Ponyville was no different. There was work to be done, and she couldn’t afford to get behind on it now over something as silly as sleep.
Just as she turned her attention back to the forms and letters, Spike’s frantic footsteps and quick yell pierced her tired ears.
"Twilight! Hey Twilight!" She put on a fake smile and tried to smooth out her ruffled mane before he rounded the corner. She knew she didn’t look very good, but she’d worry about appearances later.
"Twilight! I..." Spike noticed her messy state and seemed a bit disappointed. "Did you stay up all night again?"
“Er... that isn’t important right now.” She was surprised by how obvious it must’ve been. “Was there something you needed?
Spike seemed to want give her another lecture about the value of sleep, but thought better of it."Yeah, the princess just sent this. It says it’s urgent."
What isn’t these days? Twilight thought. Spike pulled out a scroll adorned with the royal crest. That isn’t good; Celestia hardly ever uses the official crest for personal mail. She broke the seal and her eyes started to flick across it.
“Dear Princess Twilight,” Twilight scrunched her face at the formal title, but continued to read aloud anyway. “I fear that the unrest in Canterlot is becoming more than me and my sister can handle. I know your duties to Ponyville and southern Equestria are essential, but I need your help in Canterlot immediately. You are welcome to bring your friends along as well, I believe we may need them. Growing in Canterlot is the...” Twilight drifted off of talking aloud. The concern grew on her face as she continued down the letter. Spike looked up at her with worry as she continued.
Twilight quickly looked over at Spike. "I need to go to Canterlot for a while. Can you look after things for me?" Spike raised an eyebrow at her.
"Uh, sure, but what's going on?"
"Thank you. We..." There was doubt in her voice as she put her fake smile back on. “...just need to take care of some things in Canterlot, that’s all.”
“Okay, well just-” She was gone in a flash of light before he could get another word off. “-be safe.”
Spike stared at the spot she was just in with worry, but eventually went back to his chores anyway.
______________________________________
“Why don’t you talk to me anymore, AJ?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I do talk to you. I’m doing it right now.” Applejack looked out the window away from Rainbow, acting like the passing landscape outside of the train was infinitely more interesting.
“You know what I mean.We’ve barely seen each other since...” Rainbow looked a bit unsure.
“The funeral.” Applejack filled in for her.
“Yeah...”
“I’ve had a lot of work to do,” Applejack let out as monotone as possible.
Rainbow’s ears drooped down and she looked to the floor; she knew that wasn’t the truth.
“Why do you blame me?”
“I don’t.”
“Then why can’t you just talk to me like we used to?”
Applejack sighed. She had barely talked to any of her friends since things started to go downhill, and she really didn’t feel like kindling that relationship now. Applejack turned to face Rainbow for the first time since they got on the train.
“Look, I’ve had to work my hooves to the bone tryin’ to keep the farm from going under, and even then it may still be a lost cause. We haven’t had enough rain to keep the trees going for months, we had to take Apple Bloom out of school, and I haven’t exactly been in the best mood since Granny Smith... passed. So forgive me if I’m not talkin’ your ear off.”
Rainbow’s expression turned defensive. “We’ve all had it hard; I lost my job too.” Applejack snapped back to face her and subconsciously began to march toward her, making her cower backwards.
“Your job? Your job?! Granny Smith is dead because we didn’t have the money to take care of her. We’re about to lose the farm we’ve had for four generations from lack of rain, and you think gettin’ laid off is anywhere close to what I’ve had to deal with?” Applejack was fuming now. The other girls were looking their way as Applejack backed Rainbow into a wall.
“I don’t blame you for not being able to keep the water supply up, but who am I supposed to blame? Huh?!”
Rainbow Dash looked up sadly. “I... I don’t know.”
“Me neither.” Applejack looked down to her friend and realized what she just did. Applejack turned away.
Twilight finally stepped in and nudged Applejack away. “Girls! Please. We’ve all been through alot, but now we need to focus on the task ahead. Hopefully we can get this all resolved before it gets any worse.”
Silence hung in the air for a moment as Applejack and Rainbow crawled back into their seats. Twilight looked to her other friends. PInkie was upset to witness two of her friends fighting, Fluttershy had her head down, and Rarity walked up to Applejack and placed a reassuring hoof across the tired farm-girls own.
Rainbow cleared her throat so her voice wouldn’t shake. “So... why exactly did we have to board the first train to Canterlot?”
“Princess Celestia told me she needed all the help she could get in Canterlot. Who better to help than the former Elements of Harmony?” Twilight offered a smile, but none of her friends seemed any more at ease.
Twilight looked out the window as Canterlot loomed in the distance. She had taken this train a hundred times before, but she never had such a bad feeling about the beautiful city.
“So why exactly did we need to come too? Without the elements we’re just regular ponies,” Applejack said with a hint of irritation, her worries elsewhere.
“The princesses seem to think differently, and so do I. Please, girls; we probably just need to handle some extra paperwork and keep the citizens happy. Piece of cake.” Twilight wasn’t sure she believed that herself.
Applejack rolled her eyes and looked out the window. Twilight barely heard her mutter something about more important things.
Rarity rose up and placed a hoof around Twilight’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I’m here for you every step of the way.”
Pinkie bounced in as well. “Yeah! I’m sure all those high class Canterlot ponies just need a little cheering up,” she said with a huge smile.
Fluttershy flew over and put a reassuring hoof on Twilight’s shoulder as well. “We’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Twilight smiled and felt a surge of confidence with her friends around her. “Thanks girls, I don't know what I’d do without you.” It almost reminded her of when she first came to Ponyville, and the bond they all shared... all except for Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who remained glued to their seats and stared adamantly out the window.
_________________________________________
Twilight opened the door to her quarters in the castle. The gentle purple and blue decor soothed her eyes and made her want to rest already. The lavishly decorated room was more than she wanted. Being a princess meant living in the lap of luxury, but Twilight didn’t really want that. The servants and the finest food whenever she wanted it was nice, but she much preferred the quaint life of Ponyville.
She made her way to the window on the far side of her room. This side of the castle always had the best view of Canterlot and the surrounding valley. Thoughts flooded through her mind as she scanned the city.
Celestia barely had time to fill her in when they met. She was surrounded by nervous-looking assistants and servants trying to carry loads of paperwork. It looked like she didn’t even have the time to think, let alone talk to her. Even through her massive work load, she did tell Twilight about the trouble in Canterlot. Celestia had told her to retire for the night, that they would begin making decisions and recovery plans in the morning, but she didn’t know if she could wait that long.
The box she had given her had her even more worried. She had tucked it deep into her saddlebags, not wanting to acknowledge its presence.
While Equestria’s technological progress was amazing to her, the development of the firearm is one thing she did not approve of.
Yet she could feel the weight of the metal contraption on her right side, in that ornate box.
Celestia presented it to her as a gift before they parted. The automatic pistol had a sleek look, and sported a magnificent looking ivory grip and was custom made by the finest gunsmith in all of Equestria. She had to admit, it looked almost like a piece of art. The hard brass bullets visible in the magazine beside it in the box reminded her what it truly was.
The sun hung low in the sky, painting the horizon a bright orange. Twilight turned away from the window with a sigh.
She crawled onto her bed and her horn came to life. It was almost hard to focus as she sank into the massive bed adorned with the finest silk sheets in all the land. She slipped her saddlebags off her flanks and opened them as she set them down beside the bed. A book floated out and made it’s way up to her as she settled in.
Another adventure novel. She knew she had more important things to focus on, but she was going to take any break she could get.
She opened the cover and read the first line.
“Through Tartarus and Back, by-”
“Twilight? Are you in here?” Rarity’s voice called out from the open door across the room.
Twilight closed the book and floated it over to the nightstand. Maybe some other time.
“Right here, Rarity.”
“Ah, there you are, Darling. This castle is just an absolute chore to find your way through. I had to ask two servants for directions to get to your room.” Rarity waved her hoof around as she spoke, making her way over to Twilight’s side.
“Oh, it isn’t that bad.” Twilight thought of all the time she spent in here as a filly with a smile. “You just need to get lost a couple hundred times to really get the layout.”
They both shared a quick laugh. “Oh, I can’t imagine the stories you must have.” Rarity looked off into the view of the window. A distant, low-pitched rumble caught the attention of the two, but they ignored it.
“So... have you talked to Applejack?” The question hung in the air for a moment before Rarity picked it up.
“I have. She... isn’t doing so well.” Rarity sighed. “She’s stressed beyond belief about everything in her life. I fear she blames the princesses, and to a lesser extent, you.”
Twilight grimaced at the thought. “Do you really think she feels that way?”
“I don’t know. She wants answers that the royalty isn’t giving her.”
“Do you think she’s a dissenter?” Twilight asked nervously.
Rarity took a deep breath. “I’d be lying if I said I knew for sure. There are many who wish to see change in Canterlot.” Rarity said with disappointment in her tone.
Twilight looked up to Rarity, worried. “What about you?”
Rarity adopted a carefree tone and her expression softened.“Oh, I just want to get this all resolved so I can go home and begin working on the spring line and spend some time with my friends. Is that too much to ask?”
Twilight giggled for a moment before staring out of the window as well. “I hope not.”
After another extended silence, Rarity decided to speak up. “So have you talked to Princess Celestia?”
“She hasn’t told me much. I still don’t know what we’re going to do... Or what’s really happening.”
“Well, at any rate, you should get some rest; you look like you need it.” Rarity placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.
Twilight smiled back. “Good night, Twilight.”
“Night, Rarity.”
Twilight could almost feel Rarity’s presence drag some of the joy out of her as she left, but she ignored the feeling and laid her head down on the pillows. Even though her mind swarmed with what she might face tomorrow, she eventually drifted off to sleep.
___________________________________________________
Glass shattered and flew out across the floor of Twilight’s room. Twilight jolted upright and looked on in panic as the sounds from the streets filled her room.
Gunshots and yells echoed through the window making her cower back away. She cast a quick glance towards the jagged window and saw that the moon was high in the sky, and Canterlot was burning.
Twilight sprinted out of her room and down the hallway. Just like her room, windows were being shot out if the glass from them wasn’t already strewn across the floor. Twilight raced towards where she knew Celestia would be.
Twilight turned a corner and burst into the doors of Celestia’s bedroom, almost knocking them off their hinges.
“Princess Celestia! What’s happening?!” Twilight shouted in panic.
When Celestia turned to her, her blood ran cold.
Twilight saw something etched onto her mentor's face that she never would have dreamed to see in a thousand years.
Fear.
“Twilight. Get your friends and get out of here.”
“What about you and Luna? We can still-”
Rarity skidded to a stop behind Twilight just as she began to speak.
“There’s no time, you have to get out of here. Use the east gate. Get to somewhere safe.” Celestia used her magic to push both Twilight and Rarity out of her room.
“But Celestia-”
“Run.” Celestia Teleported in a flash of golden light, leaving Rarity and Twilight bewildered.
“W-What do we do?” Rarity sounded scared. Twilight shared the feeling along with utter shock, but the gunfire and yells told her she needed to act now.
“We need to get out of here like Celestia said. You go get Rainbow Dash and Applejack, I’ll get Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. We need to hurry.” Rarity snapped her hoof up into a salute and quickly ran into the hallway.
Twilight started running as well towards her friends’ rooms. Behind her confident facade, she was the most scared she had ever been in her life.
____________________________________________________
Twilight led the girls to the door that lead to the east courtyard and out of the castle grounds. She stopped for a moment to look back at her friends. They all looked as scared as she felt, but were looking to her for guidance.
Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay, we need to find a way out of the city. The closest way to the city limits is directly east from here.”
“Twilight!” Applejack tried to interrupt at a whisper.
“All we have to do is get out of the city and make our way down the-”
Applejack raised her voice.“Twilight!”
“Yes?”
“What in blue blazes is going on?”
Twilight shut her eyes in frustration. They didn’t have time for this, and she didn't want to think about it either.
“I think...” Twilight looked across the worried faces and considered what she could say. “... I don’t know, but we need to get out of here before we have to find out.”
Twilight tried to open the door, but Fluttershy flew in front of her. “Shouldn’t we at least try to talk to them?”
Twilight remembered the window to her room shattered by a gunshot and the sound of the glass shattering.
“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea. Let’s just focus on getting out of danger. We can deal with this better once everyone calms down.” They all looked unsure. “Okay?”
One by one they each gave a nervous nod and followed Twilight as she pushed passed the door and ran for the east gate.
The sound of screaming and the constant crack of gunshots filled the air. Twilight could even hear the occasional sound of powerful magical spells followed by a distant explosion.
They all sprinted towards the main gate as fast as they could. With a quick burst of magic, Twilight pushed open the large metal door and sprinted out into the streets.
Fires consumed the buildings to the west, and were spreading fast. Some ponies scrambled around the streets, looking for shelter, while some raced towards the action with a rifle or handgun in one hoof.
Twilight looked back to see the panic growing on her friends’ faces as they tried to take in everything happening around them.
Twilight tried to yell over the cacophony of chaos around them. “Listen! Stick with the plan. We all just need to stay together. Now follow me!”
Twilight took off as fast as she could tolerate down the street ahead of them; not knowing what else to do, her friends followed as closely as they could manage.
The sprint down the chaotic street took it’s toll on them quickly: they ignored burning lungs and aching hooves as they choked on the ash that floated down to street level. Twilight pushed the pain out of her mind and ran. Canterlot was a big city, but they could make it if they kept this up.
Twilight turned her head to yell back at her friends. “Just a couple more blocks, then we can-”
A stallion cut her off and raised a rifle at her. “There she is!”
Without a second word he fired a shot at her, hitting the pavement in front of her and sending bits of metal and brick up at her.
“Agh!” Twilight lifted a hoof to block the debris and quickly raced off down the road to their right, kickstarting her friends with her with a quick burst of magic.
Twilight gave up trying to save her energy now, with her adrenaline pumping she took off at a full sprint as bullets continued to bounce off the brick roads beside her and her friends.
The gunshots behind them became more numerous as more ponies joined in on the chase.
One stallion jumped out of an alley in front of them, forcing them to take a sharp right yet again.
Shots whizzed past them and the panic grew. Twilight could feel the bullets pushing the air past her ears as she ran. There had to be a group of ten behind them now.
Twilight was determined not to let it end this way though. With a surge of speed she went all out only to skid to a halt as she realized what was in front of her.
They had been forced in a circle. On the south gate there were hundreds of ponies fighting their way into the castle. She could see the glint of blood-coated guards armor beneath the hooves of the citizens. The gate before them lurched as the mass of ponies rammed into it.
Twilight was frozen. She had no idea what to do now. There was no escape for her. Her mind screamed at her to move but she asked herself, Where?
The sound of a gunshot and a wet thump jolted her upright. She let out a yelp, but she couldn’t feel anything. With a sudden carnal instinct for survival taking over her again. She looked to her left and found their escape.
She looked back to her panic stricken friends and yelled as loud as she could. “T-This way! Hurry!”
With another quick jerk of magic they all bolted down an alleyway and towards an old school house on the other side of the street.
The open doorway and the lack of fire surrounding the building was all the invitation she needed. With a quick glance at the small empty street in front of it, she sprinted inside.
“In here!” She waited for her friends to follow suit. Her magic was gripped around the doorway waiting for all of her friends to make it in.
Once the pink blur of Fluttershy’s tail passed by, Twilight slammed the door shut and piled on anything that caught her eye onto it. Two desks and three lockers all blocked off the door completely.
Twilight’s adrenaline began to fade. The horrible burn of her exhausted muscles had her fall limp onto the floor, panting for breath.
“Is... everyone... okay?” She tried to say between breaths. Her friends were just as worn out as she was.
Rainbow Dash made a quick glance around. “I... think so.”
“T-Twilight?” Fluttershy tried to speak up, but her voice was at a near whisper and went unheard.
Twilight checked herself for any wounds. Apart from sore muscles, she appeared to be fine. The gunshots and destruction were still as loud as ever outside.
“Alright... new plan. We stay here and wait for things to calm down outside, then we move for the edge of the city again.” Twilight glanced around for anything that might help them while she talked.
“For now we need to-”
“Oh no...” Rarity said as she turned Fluttershy gently to look at her.
“What's wrong? Is there-” Twilight flew over and immediately had her question answered.
Flowing down fluttershy’s stomach and legs was a constant stream of fresh blood.
Twilight tried to open her mouth to say something, but her words caught in her throat.
“P-Put pressure on it! Someone try to find something to wrap it up with!” she quickly yelled. Rarity put a hoof on her to find the wound, and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie began tearing apart the room.
“Um, Twilight?” Applejack said from the front of the room, near the window.
“What?!”
“You might want to come see this,” Applejack tried to say through a shaky voice. The gunfire had slowed down a bit as far as she could tell when she stopped yelling. The distant sound of the shouts of the riot had changed as well.
Twilight walked up to her quickly. “What do I need to see that is s-”
Twilight glanced out of the window and fell to her haunches. The ponies in the street were cheering now.
On the balcony of one of the castle towers hung a bloody Celestia, limp and completely lifeless.