Swan Song

A young unicorn mare tried her best to smile but, inside, her stomach was in knots.  It was her first night at the castle, and she was eager to impress her princess.  She had heard of Princess Celestia’s kindness, of her intelligence, and of her grace.  The only thing she was not prepared for was her beauty.  The princess was sublime.  The little unicorn felt lost staring into her mane, which seemed to be made from the stars themselves.

The mark on the unicorn’s flank was a simple, green leaf.  It had shown itself in her early adolescence, as she played alone by herself.  Though the meaning behind a cutie mark is usually self-evident, hers had her confused.  She had no luck in growing flowers, tending plants, or even singing to trees.

For a long time, her cutie mark was a mystery.  But right now, she waited.

Princess Celestia carefully levitated the cup to her mouth and took a sip.  It was the most perfect cup of tea she had ever tasted!

“This is wonderful!”

Her new aide and attendant, Chamomile, beamed with pride and joy.  “Will that be all, m’lady?”

“That will be all, dear, thank you.”  Princess Celestia gently nuzzled the young unicorn mare, who practically hopped up and down with joy through the chamber door.

Her duties as princess were never complete.  But they would wait until morning.  Now was her time to relax.  She spent the last minutes of her day with an ancient book of poetry and sipping from the wonderful cup of tea her new aide had prepared.

From somewhere in the castle, a faint gong sounded.  Midnight.

She heard the squeak of a hinge as Chamomile came through the door.  “May I take that, m’lady?”

“Just, one last sip, please.”  She levitated the cup to her mouth.

Something unexpected happened.  A shudder passed through her.  It felt physical, but there was nothing that could have caused it.

Whatever it was, Chamomile felt it too.  She let out a surprised gasp.  A preternatural silence filled the space between them.

The cup and saucer fell to the floor and shattered.  The magical sconces that lit the room fell dark.  The magical energy that surrounded her horn went dead.  For the first time in her existence, she felt empty and lifeless.

It was as if a giant switch had been flicked off.  With it, all the magic in Equestria disappeared in an instant.  Across the land her subjects, even the non-magic using pegasi and earth ponies, felt the effect.  Animals cried out at such a sudden loss.

Chamomile pressed herself to the royal chambers’ floor as hard as she could and shivered in fear.  She looked to her princess with eyes as wide as dinner plates.  “What’s happening?”  She squeaked.

The Princess stammered for an answer.  Anything to calm the terrified mare.  “I…I…”

I don’t know!

Equestria sat in darkness, in stunned silence.

But soon after the frightening event began, it ended.  The magical energy of Equestria returned.  The sconces relit and she felt could feel it coursing through her again.  For a moment, all Princess Celestia and her aide could do was look at each other.  An ancient memory, of something she read long ago, came to the forefront of her consciousness.

“Fetch Luna and Princess Twilight!  Go!”  The little unicorn did a quick curtsey and fled the chamber.

Her memory wasn’t perfect, but she recalled something from a book she had read ages ago.  Of an event just like the one that had just occurred,  when  the magic of the realm seemed to simply disappear.

But magical energy does not just disappear.

It was taken.  Something had come from outside and sucked the land dry of her life blood.  Whatever it was, it had opened a door that allowed Equestria to be drained of her precious magic.  But Equestria is a stubborn lady, and for what she gives up, she demands something equal in payment.

She went to her shelves and selected one book, then another.  Several had been piled on the floor before she found what she was looking for.  In a tome of ancient Equestrian history, before goodness and light had come to the land, when magic was a forbidden and dangerous thing.  When all the creatures of the land were silent then, as one, cried out in terror.

A demon had arrived in Equestria.