Crimson

Luna marched through the halls beside her sister, who was already beginning to burn nearly everything that she came into contact with. Guards and maids bound out of their way, some receiving minor burns or scrapes from close calls, but nothing serious had happened, yet.

At least, in the Castle.

"That BEAST!" Celestia growled as she burst open another set of doors.

"Sister, we don't know the full story, yet. Perhaps we should-"

"Should WHAT, Luna!?" Celestia shouted back, splitting the marble floor beneath them as the solar Princess continued to fume.

"Wait until our scouts-"

"We have no time! If we want her back alive, then we need to find her now."

With that, Celestia sent out a large burst of magic and sent twin obsidian doors flying off their hinges. When they collided with the floor, the Princesses stepped through the doorway and began to look around the dark room.

"Discord!? Where in my mother's name are you!?" Celestia demanded.

A groan came from the actual bed, and atop it lay the Spirit of Chaos himself.

"Get up, Discord, I demand action," Celestia spoke coldly.

"Really, Tia, I'd love to help you, but I'm-"

"NOW!" Celestia roared.

Another flash of golden energy caused the bed to collapse to ash as Discord remained unmoving, hovering in the air as he deadpanned at Celestia.

"Really? That was imported, you know," he spoke casually as he stood up and cracked his back.

"The red beast took Twilight, and the-"

"Oh, that Five fellow? I remember him," Discord interrupted.

A snap of his claws later and a picture of Five standing next to Discord appeared on the wall. Discord was holding an elongated eclair while Five wielded a large sword, seemingly made of gold. At their legs were three mares, all dressed in slave-like clothes while they clung to the two bipeds. Beneath the mares, however, was a large set of feathery, brown wings, which connected to what looked like a large bird with a white head as a rainbow exploded in the clouds beneath them.

"Ah, good times. I remember it as though it were yesterday."

"It was," Luna noted, still being disregarded.

"Discord, pay attention!" Celestia barked at the Draconequus. "I was trying to say that it foalnapped Twilight, and is trading her over to Changelings! I need you to find out where Twilight is, and bring me there so we can deal with several problems at once."

"Pfft, Princess, you aren't acting like yourself, now, are you?" Discord questioned.

"I am acting perfectly reasonable, given the circumstances! Now bring me to Twilight, now!"

Discord sighed as he shook his head, his smirk now gone.

"Princess, you once had faith in Twilight. You had enough faith in her to let her become an alicorn, for Faust's sake. She had saved your sister, defeated me, and has already handled the Changelings once before. You know as well as I do that she can handle this, and much more. Besides, it's not my place to interrupt what's going on out there, anyhow."

Before Celestia could retort, she felt a sharp pain in her head as she rose a hoof to it. Luna tried to get closer to her sister, but was kept back with a wing. Discord and Luna watched as Celestia turned and walked out of the room, mumbling to herself about back-up plans and teleportation matrices.

"So, Luna," Discord started, "interesting times, hmm?"

"Indeed, Discord, indeed," she responded.

Neither noticed the flicker of Celestia's shadow as she wiped at her eyes.

\\\//////

"They're ahead, amongst the mountains," the godly voice spoke into the drake's side.

The Black Wings, the greatest warriors of the Dragon Rogues, were on their way to find a supposed way to defeat the Equestrians once and for all. They had been following the wisdom of the Elder God's statue head since it began to speak to them, months ago. It had chosen them to go forth and bring about the end of their age-old enemy. This was their blessing. The will of a God. A mission by a higher power, and being given the chance to wipe out the planet's greatest plague.

After what seemed like an eternity of flying, however, they finally laid eyes upon the instrument of their victory.

"Behold, my worshipers from afar," the Elder God spoke unto them.

Before the drakes laid a massive structure, spurting out plumes of blue flames into the sky above it. Its entire hide was covered in a smooth surface of purple armor, and was shaped like a bug of some kind. Near the back of it, a large circular area opened up to look like something that would double as a handle for a Goliath. Above it circled several small purple creatures that trailed blue lights. At once, all of the flying creatures began to move towards the Black Wings, intentions clear.

\\\//////

Oal Ni'Trodan watched as the Forerunner device lit up once again, and bowed before it. Behind him, all his fellow warriors did the same as the bridge crew ceased all activity. The device of the Gods began to emit a powerful purple haze once more, and His voice came forth.

"Recall your air forces. Those ones are worshipers as well," the disembodied voice of a Forerunner spoke to the Shipmaster.

"By your will, blessed King."

Oal turned to bark at the communications officer, a lowly Jackal that began to type furiously away at the console, giving out the orders to allow the winged creatures passage to the ship.

"It is done, your highness," Oal spoke as he bowed.

"Excellent. You serve me well. You'll fare even better when you start working with these locals."

"Only by your word, sire."

The Forerunner device gently floated back down to the surface of the holotable, and once it shut off, the General stood up and marched for the outer platform of the Corvette.

\\\//////

The Dark Wing leader, Black Scale, watched as several small creatures began to pile out before him and his comrades. There were a number of types, like ones that looked like birds, and the midgets that would be trampled by the filthy ponies, but then there were the tall ones. The ones with air of his own kind. They had four separate jaws, and wore armor that, even at its simplest form, demanded respect. Though they barely came up to the Dragons' collective neckline, none of the tall ones looked afraid. Beneath them, however, cowered the other two types that were fidgeting with small devices.

In an instant, all of the creatures, both tall and short, bowed as one with golden armor began to march up to him. In a dialect almost identical to Ancient Draconic, it spoke to him.

"Are you the ones who our God spoke of?"

Though he was surprised by their dialect, Scale swiftly responded.

"Yes. His majesty had commanded that we come to greet you, and to help this... creation of yours, be freed from the ground. He said that with this, we will burn our enemies to glass, and we will rightfully take our place by his side when we do."

The creature extended its four-digit hand out as an offer for Scale, who felt it absolutely necessary to return the gesture. The two warriors felt decades of conflict and blood seemingly etched into the rough surfaces of each other's appendages, and looked to one another with respect.

"Excellent. Then by His holy will, and as the highest ranking member present, I welcome your kind to our Holy Covenant."