The Quest

Chapters

The Forgotten Past
Full of Surprises
The Dark Forest: An Inner Sanctum
Letting Go
Dog Days
All that Glitters
A Mare of Constant Sorrow

The Forgotten Past

There was a time when only the draconequi ruled Gaia, but that all changed when the draconequus known as Harmony gave up her true form and bred two beings, from which all equine-based life originated...

War. We could see it on the horizon, and ironically, it was Harmony who would be the instigator. It was inevitable. Harmony left us, and with her, she took our brothers and sisters whom she deemed useful to her cause. Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, and even the eldest, Magic. They were gone. Harmony had torn them asunder for her own selfish desires, and the imbalance left in their absence was tantamount to nothing even I could conjure.

"She was your twin, younger brother," Wrath pointed out. "You should have foreseen this and put an end to the madness. Harmony has no foresight. She knows not what she does!" He was angry at me. He was always angry at me, and as such, I ignored him.

I preferred instead to stare at the magical spheres my sister had created in the sky. They rotated constantly around our beautiful Gaia, gracing it in two, completely interchangeable and different lights. I smiled up at the bodies as I watched them dance in perfect...harmony, all the while casting chaotic shapes and shadows upon the mountains below. "I...sort of like them..." I turned my head to look at my brother. Smiling, I said, "This will be a fun turn of events, don't you think this will be fun?!"

That was when my face made contact with something very hard twice. Wrath had punched me, and I was fairly certain at that point that I was lying on the cold, barren ground. Still woozy, I rose to a sitting position. "Get your head out of your ass, Discord!" Wrath shouted in my face. "Harmony took all our more benign siblings with her, and then constructed life with their essence. They are gone, but they will live on within this new life, just as we all do."

"Yes, I know that," I replied boredly, "But what does that have to do with us? So what if they have equal domain within the hearts of creatures in death as they did in life?"

"That's the thing," another voice sounded. "While we will remain in the hearts of these 'equines,' they will always prefer our fallen kin, and they will attempt to eradicate us as long as we exist! We're doomed to an eternity running!" Despair cried.

Of all my brothers, he was the only one even I could not tolerate. I used him as support in getting up, subsequently pushing him down into the dirt. "Oh shut up, Despair. You're even worse than Wrath," I rolled my eyes, but they snapped forward as my view was replaced by that of Wrath. "Yes, brother? How may I help you?" I asked amusedly.

Wrath leveled a steady glare at me. "You know he's right, Discord!" My smile faltered. "You just don't want to believe that your precious sister would do such a thing to any of us, much less leave you behind!"

My smile finally fell, as did my gaze. "Yes...you're right," I whispered. "You're right about it all..."

Wrath's grin grew in a devilish manner. "I'm always right, brother. You're the god of change, not of indecision. Things are changing, Discord. Are you going to embrace your destiny?"

It was at that point that I had three ideas that would change the course of history forever. I loved my sister...

"Yes, Wrath." I replied, an equally nefarious grin upon my face. "I know what we must do."

We knew that individually we would never stand a chance against our sister's forces. We would have to construct a unified front, and the only way to do such a thing as that would be to allow ourselves to be absorbed into the body and mind of one. And so, we held council to decide who would be our eternal leader. Who was it we would be relinquishing most of our free will to?

Wrath was the first to step forward, followed soon after by greed of course, however their arguments were weak and quickly pulled apart by our siblings. Greed had no actual reason for being chosen as leader other than the desire to rule Gaia on his own. Wrath wanted only to destroy everything we had all worked so hard to create. None of us were having that.

It was Destitution in the end, always the cold analytic, who pointed out that the actual act of taking in all of us would rip asunder the mind and body of the beholder. The chaos would be too much for one being to withstand; therefore, the only one of us with the slightest chance of surviving the transition would be the god of chaos and change.

"Me?"

"Him?" Came several other replies.

"Yes, him," Destitution answered blankly. There was no emotion behind his words. He was driven only by facts and truth. Had he been capable of basic emotion, he may have mourned the loss of Honesty. "It is the only way." The others had no other choice, and eventually abided by his words. I, however, felt like I would be sick.

"Give me some time?" I asked the others. "I need some time alone...to reflect and think about this." Not wishing to pressure me, the others let me go, and I fled far into the flatlands from the top of our mountain.

In the distance, I could see strange green things growing. I believe my sister called them "plants," and it looked like she was creating vast forests. The shortest of the plants, the grass, had almost approached the area at which I had stopped. Little did I know, my sister had already begun to create the equines from the sun and moon above.

I did some creating of my own, though much less original. Under my sister's new sky, I created a new aspect of the heart, a new draconequus. This was surprise.

"Hello, my sister. I have big plans for you." I told her. As a message to my sister, I created her as a white mare with a large, yellow mane. She would be in the perfect "equine" form my sister had told me so much about as she thought it up.

Surprise looked shocked, which would have been hilarious had I been in the mood to laugh. "You do?" She asked. "What's that?"

"Listen very closely," I explained, "I created you for our sister. This may be the last sane decision I make of my life, and I need you to follow it. She will take your essence, but you will be a constant source of enjoyment for an entire genus of beings."

Slowly and solemnly, Surprise nodded her head. She was good at heart, and I was proud for creating her. I pointed to the forest. "Go to her, and remember. Although you will become one of our sister's elements, you are, and forever will be, chaotic in nature." Surprise ran off in that direction, and I could only hope that my sister accepted the gift...

Back atop the mountain, none of my brethren seemed to know what I had done, and I was proud that I would be able to successfully surprise them, as we had before been absolutely omniscient. I had somehow created a hole in my siblings' knowledge. Now ready to perform the ritual, they circled around me, save for Obscurity, whose ghastly form surrounded and covered us all. She pulled in, sucking all our siblings painfully into my form, aided by their chanting. The pain was unbearable, and I screamed. My body began to morph. My normally serpentine body -I later created the dragons in my image- started to grow the body parts of other animals to symbolize the addition of my brothers and sisters, including changing my head to a form that as more or less equine in nature.

While my body could easily adapt, my mind did not fare nearly as well, and I felt my sanity slipping away as I had feared. I knew then that Wrath would take advantage. He and many others would use my mind's weakness to influence my actions forever more.

Over the years, Greed had me declare myself king of all Gaia. Desolation allowed me to create and destroy anything I wanted without once feeling guilty or angry at the consequences. Lust had me force equines to wish to copulate with many other animals, thus creating the manticores, chimeras, griffons, and many others. Sloth, for the most part, prevented me from doing anything about the others, but what finally pushed my sister to retaliate toward my actions was Wrath's insistence on enslaving the ponies for what they caused us to do. She would not tolerate the torture of the creatures she loved enough to sacrifice herself and several of her siblings for. I had finally declared the war we had all foreseen, and Harmony made the ponies riot. At that time, the sun and moon began to spin slower and methodically. Around and around Gaia, never ending. They had a purpose now.

After ten yeas of war, the ponies' resolve was crushed and Wrath relinquished his hold on me. It was at that point that I locked them away inside my heart, never to be released again. I knew what my sister's counter measure would be, and I would be by her side the whole way. From the celestial bodies, the Avatars of the sun and moon descended upon Gaia. They sought out their mother and from her they received her elements. When they reached me with them, they attempted to reason with me, but I was too far gone. There wasn't enough of my mind left to reason.

They encased me in stone, and it would be over two-thousand years before I was released.

"By the time I was freed from my prison, each of my siblings had found their escape route, and they took them." Discord explained to the teary-eyed ponies around him. "They were just as free as I was; As mad as I had become, their absence did not even phase me, much less did I recognize the threat that each of them posed. It seems they have some nasty plans for our dear Twilight..."

Trixie's had since become the only dry eyes in the room, and she stood up, instead looking with deadly resolve at Discord. "We need to see the princesses."

Author's Note

I apologize for the lack of Twixie so far. I promise it will come in time. You've been so patient so far. I hope you can be a bit more patient for the sake of the story. :twilightsmile: What do you guys think of the pony origin story? Did it make enough sense? Please, please, please leave your comments below. I want a lot of feedback on this one! :pinkiehappy:

This mythos was slightly inspired by the story "Truth in Meanings" by Twidashforever, though I've been working on it since the end of the last story in this trilogy, and I just recently read his story, so once again...slightly.

I hope you all enjoy!

Full of Surprises

The wind carried with it a strange feeling as it whipped through Trixie's mane; a dark, forboding feeling that was in stark contrast to the beautiful and vibrant hues of purple the twilight cast upon the sky. Trixie had no eyes for it, staring intently at the castle up ahead in the distance, unwavering in her conviction. Maybe it was the showmare in her, but she refused to cry any more than she already had. She took on a stoic attitude in her attempt to trick herself out of the wallowing sadness and self pity she'd fallen so deeply into early on. However, in her attempt to do so, she was left with a cold emptiness inside, a feeling once familiar to her. Recently, she'd had Twilight to fill the void; unfortunately, Twilight's presence was a luxury that presently eluded her, and so she stared on, determined not to show just how upset she really was.

Trixie gasped as a small claw met her hoof on the chariot's railing. She turned her head to see Spike smiling back at her; though, the smile did not reach his eyes, and the orbs betrayed his own sadness, turning the simple smile into a look of sympathy and understanding. He gave a quick, reassuring nod in her direction. "It's ok, Trixie," the young dragon promised, "No one will fault you for being upset."

Trixie's facade was so easily broken, and she sniffled as the tears welled up in her eyes. She threw herself at the dragon, locking him in a powerful embrace and burying her muzzle into his shoulder. The tears ran down his scales and dropped to the bottom of the chariot before being whisked away off the back end by the wind. For his part, Spike merely returned the hug and gently ran a claw down his friend's mane to comfort her in her time of need. All that escaped his lips were gentle coos of, "It's okay...It'll be okay."

As he choked back his own tears, he was trying to believe that himself.

.....

He worried about his sister.

It wasn't but a half hour more before they began their descent toward the Canterlot Castle Courtyard and a couple more minutes before they landed softly upon the cobblestone. Trixie, having never truly flown before, immediately jumped off the chariot and did her best to melt into the earth below. "Never...have I been so happy to lie in dirt..." Her melodramatic antics were, of course, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Spike laughed and rolled his eyes. "Get up, you ham. we've got to go see the princesses."

Before Trixie even had a chance to respond, a cyan blur zoomed past them, knocking her mane askew with the gust of wind in its wake. Trixie huffed as she fixed her hair and turned to face the blur.

"Took you long enough!" Rainbow exclaimed, scraping the stone beneath her hoof. "I've been waiting here for like...forever! Sometimes, it's such a drag being the fastest pony in Equestria." Leave it to Rainbow Dash to complain and brag in the same sentence.

"R-Rainbow Dash?" Trixie raised a brow in genuine surprise at the pegasus before her. "What are you doing here? It was to be me and Spike alone on this journey."

Rainbow Dash blew raspberries in response. "Yeah, as if!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "What kind of friend would I be if I let one of my best friends go on a mission to find my other best friend alone?" Rainbow rushed between the two of them and threw a wing over each of their backs defiantly. "You're not getting rid of me, so we might as well get going."

Trixie grumbled inaudibly, but Spike hoof bumped Rainbow, clearly glad to have her there, as well as the moral support she'd bring along. "I'm sure she wouldn't have it any other way..."

As the trio began to move forward, Discord morphed into his original shape, having previously been the stallion driving the chariot, and caught up to them with all the quiet nervousness of a small child in trouble with his parents. In many ways, this was his fault, and in many ways yet, he could not be held accountable. Either way, the prospect of being turned to stone crossed his mind on more than one occasion during the trip, and he doubted his mind could handle even another year of the solitude such a state brought with it.

It was with a heavy heart that he followed the mares and dragon, yet he followed still. This needed to be seen through to the end, as much as every fiber of his being screamed at him to turn tail and disappear. He actually had to shush a few of them to be quiet. His past was riddled with half-measures, and now was his chance to rise out of the ashes those mistakes had buried him in.

As they traversed the flawless, marble halls of the castle, Trixie reflected on the emotions vying for her attention. There were many she could choose; however, she eventually decided on afraid. Trixie was afraid. Her marefriend had been stolen by some sort of deity, she'd learned that the royal sisters were, in fact, the avatars of celestial bodies, and she was now nearing the door separating her from them. Trixie reevaluated herself and settled on terrified. If not for Rainbow Dash moving her forward, she would have turned tail and ran as far away as possible.

She was steadily attempting to work up enough courage to open the door when Discord finally caught up to them. He patted her on the head sadly and approached the large, double-doors to the throne room. With little than a glance, he did something completely uncharacteristic of himself. For perhaps the first time since thier creation, Discord slowly pushed a door open, though one of the hinges did breathe the tiniest of squeaks, "You're no fun!" It was easily dismissed, and though Trixie was thankful that he lifted that weight up off her shoulders, she couldn't help but worry about the abnormally mopey draconequus. It was unlike him to be so selfless and so, for lack of a better term, normal.

She decided that she would have to bring that up later; for now, there was business to discuss, and Twilight's life could be on the line. The sisters both sat upon their thrones, Luna having finally acquired on of her own. It was similar in shape and size as Celestia's, though crafted from pure silver and upholstered in a deep violet velvet. Along its border, sapphires were encrusted into the metal frame, though respectably done so as not to look too gaudy.

Luna looked tired after a long night of dreamwalking. Dark bags hung heavy under her eyes, which held a distant gaze. At first, it was unclear if she was actually cognizant enough of her surroundings to recognize that the group had entered the throne room, but she smiled warmly upon laying eyes upon her pupil. Despite the circumstances of the visit, Trixie smiled back.

Celestia sat upon her throne in deep concentration. Her horn glowed with a golden corona as the sun rose steadily in the distance, its bright light seeping into the room through the many stained-glass windows. It was clear that she was busy for the time being.

Still, it was apparent that they had been expecting her. Spike had sent a letter ahead, of course, so it made sense that they would be awaiting her arrival. Even among the circumstances of the visit, the lack of formality was testament to the familiarity and comfort with these three. With nothing more than a nod from Princess Luna, the guards exited the room. It was clear they'd been briefed on the situation and understood that there was no need for the princesses to be so closely guarded. Instead, they took to patrolling the hall leading to the throne room.

In the end, it was Luna who broke the foreboding silence as she rose from her seat and cantered hurriedly to her student. "Beatrix, it is so good to see you in the waking world!" She greeted. Her smile was, as exhausted as she was, a genuine one, and she held the unicorn in a gentle, caring embrace. It spoke of the sympathy she held for her apprentice.

Trixie gratefully accepted the hug, regardless of the surprise it brought her. "It's good to see you too," she responded, still held by Luna, "though I wish I could have come on better circumstances."

Luna slowly let go of Trixie and took a step back, setting on her haunches. She replied first with a simple nod. "Yes, I would have found that to be preferable as well; however, I am glad that in a situation like this you know that I am willing to be of assistance."

Her words caused yet another brief smile from Trixie, but it was washed away as Celestia approached with a solemn expression the likes of which are typically reserved for funerals. Celestia took a seat next to her sister and offered a nod in greeting to Rainbow Dash and a suspicious glare toward Discord before addressing Trixie. "According to the letter we received from Spike, Twilight was captured by a Draconequus, the sibling of Discord?" she asked, clearly just to affirm information she was already aware of and seemed to have a response for in place.

Trixie gave a small, respectful bow of her head before responding, "Yes, Princess. That's correct."

Celestia's frown persisted. "I'm afraid there's not much we can do to help, in that case," she revealed.

Rainbow wouldn't stand for that. Her wings flared as she stomped a hoof in defiance. "Horseapples! This is Twilight we're talking about! Y'know? Your student?! The one that puts herself in danger for you constantly? And you won't lift a hoof to help her!?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Celestia barked, causing Rainbow to sit back down. "Do not mistake my inability to assist directly for apathy! I am just as worried for Princess Twilight as you are, and I urge you not to forget your place in my throne room!" After a brief nod and gulp from Rainbow Dash, Celestia continued. "We cannot help because only Draconequi can defeat their own kind. The Elements of Harmony contain within them the magic and essence of a Draconequus, and my sister and I no longer contain within us that power."

"Alternatively, neither do I," Trixie grumbled, realizing her own uselessness with this new information. Staring at the ground, it wasn't until she felt Celestia's hoof on her shoulder that she looked up. She found herself face to face with the sun avatar.

Celestia smiled at her. "Oh, but you are so much more useful than you know, my little pony. We can offer you guidance, and we can point you in the right direction. I wish that we could do more, but this is your quest, Miss Lulamoon."

After a quick nod from Trixie, Luna spoke up for a turn. "You and your friends will find that when facing off against full-fledged Draconequi one-on-one that your elements will have special abilities, a sort of safeguard should the situation arise. We're not certain of the nature of these powers, but we hope there will be no reason to use them."

This seemed to excite Rainbow Dash, and she did a flip in the air. "I bet I could do a triple rainboom!"

Celestia raised a brow at Rainbow. "I would think that would be unwise after the calamity that a double rainboom created, hm?"

Rainbow scratched the back of her head and gave a sheepish smile and nervous chuckle in response. "R-right..."

"Anyway," Celestia interjected, attempting to get the conversation back on topic, "We believe the Draconequi are currently hiding in the land opposite Ponyville through the Everfree Forest. We've felt a dark shift in magic from that direction lately. However, we believe that a trip to see the Tree of Harmony is in order before you make your way there."

"The Tree of Harmony," Trixie asked, "Why there?"

"You'll never guess," Discord piped in, having been unnaturally quiet up to this point. "It's a surprise!" Despite his glum mood, it seemed this particular subject excited him greatly.

Celestia eyed the Draconequus suspiciously, wondering what it was he'd been hiding. "Now go. We've helped as much as we could." The group turned to leave, but Celestia spoke once more. "Discord, they have Rainbow Dash to draw the chariot. I need to have a word with you."

Twilight woke with a start. All was black, and she found herself rubbing her eyes in a futile attempt to have her eyesight return to her. She couldn't even see the forehooves she'd used to do so. This would be day two, and she still hadn't even seen the place she'd been taken to. Whatever these things were, they were cautious and well organized. It seemed everything about them was surrounded by an air of obscurity.

That being said, she did know that to be the name of her captor, Obscurity. She never slept, never ate, and seemed to be in no need of the basics of life. Twilight had only heard Obscurity speak through gentle whispers in her head.

"You're awake, little one. Good," she heard. The voice wasn't audible. It was psionic in nature, seeming to be telepathically transmitted. This worried Twilight. She wasn't sure if the connection went the other way.

"H-Hello?" Twilight responded. "Listen, I don't know where you've taken me, but I've never done anything to harm you. Please let me go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Princess, lest Wrath be unleashed upon me."

"Whose wrath? Who are you working for? What do you want from me?" Twilight was panicking at this point, and the initial response was nothing but a cackle from Obscurity.

"Foolish mortal. We care not for whether you have harmed us or not. We need your body, the power held within it." Obscurity spat. She clearly held contempt for Twilight in some way, despite her words.

"The power within me?" Twilight had no idea what she meant. "Does she mean Alicorn magic? She alone seems to be capable of more than I am with just that," she thought.

"The Element of Magic! Regaining control of Magic will give us an upper hand, ensuring our renewed rule over Gaia." Obscurity explained, though she seemed to remain deliberately vague, dodging other questions altogether with perfect precision. True to her namesake, she made everything rather hard for Twilight to understand.

"Regain control? Renewed rule? What are you talking about?" Twilight asked, desperately trying to understand her captor's motives. If she could figure that out, perhaps she could expose a weakness. She might even be able to plan her escape with information like that.

Another malevolent chuckle sounded all around Twilight. "Allow me to show you the 'truth' about the Elements of Harmony, little one." With that, Twilight could feel the darkness pulling into her eyes. She screamed. The pain was excruciating, and she could feel Obscurity tug at her optic nerve, even reaching further back to manipulate her brain. All she could do in the darkness was scream and hold her head to keep it from splitting open, then there was a blinding flash of brilliant white light, and everything became so clear.

Celestia and Luna sat upon their thrones, staring Discord down from a good distance. He stared back at them, an odd mixture of shame and excitement written across his face; although, oddities such as this were preferable over the unnaturally normal behavior he displayed earlier. Discord broke the silence this time, growing impatient with this staring contest. "Well? You requested an audience with me, and here you have it. Do you want a standing ovation as well, or should I just stand here?" An entire crowd of copies appeared behind him, clapping in uproarious applause. They were gone just as quickly as they had appeared.

The pun made Luna snicker a bit, though she hid it behind a forehoof, but Celestia just glared harder, waiting a few more moments before responding with a question of her own. "Why didn't you tell us about your siblings, Discord. We could have prepared for this!" She stomped a hoof down in righteous indignation. She felt hurt, betrayed. She truly believed Discord had changed, only to find he'd been withholding this crucial information all along. This wasn't just a national security matter; this put the fate of the entire world at stake.

"Oh is that all?" Discord laughed the question away. He failed to see the severity of the situation. "That's what you're worried about? That I'm conspiring against your rule again? ...No. I hate my siblings just as much as you hate them. I hate what they did to me. Honestly, I had forgotten they were in my head, much less did I realize they left." Discord shrugged. "There's not much sense dwelling on that now, is there?"

Celestia sighed. "Fine, fine. That much I can believe, but I still feel so ill prepared for this. I'm not sure that five Elements and my sister's pupil can hold their own against six Draconequi. They had a hard enough time with you, and that was with the use of six!"

"Ah, but they'll have six still!" Discord revealed in such a way that made it seem as if he was simply reminding Celestia of the fact. No, even more so, he seemed to be questioning her intellect for not having known or seen this sooner. "I've been preparing for this since you were born, and our dear Beatrix is the key to all our salvation. As you said, she is more important than you know."

Luna stood up at this. "Beatrix!? What are you planning with her, Discord? I demand an answer!" She seemed angry, her eyes glowing, postured in a wide-hoofed stance, as if ready to strike Discord down where he stood. She felt the need to be protective of her pupil, especially with her sister's in peril already.

Discord, seemingly unphased by the violent interrogation giggled in his mad way and put a finger to his lips, curled into a coy and amused smile. "Shhhh," he shushed. "You'll ruin the surprise!"

The chariot landed much less smoothly this time, nearly jarring Trixie and Spike out as it slid across the dirt and rocks that bordered the trecherous Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash, ever the impatient flyer had forgotten to slow down to a steady pace before her descent, and the resulting halt had caused a large gash in the open grass field.

They had landed somewhere between Ponyville and Fluttershy's Cottage, and both could be seen in either direction at a distance. This was where they typically entered to get to the Tree of Harmony. It was a path well known by this point, and relatively safe, but Trixie still gulped as she stared down the foreboding brush.

Even a well known path in the Everfree could hold unknown dangers. There were Ursa Majors in these woods! "Coming, slowpoke?" Trixie was jarred from her thoughts and worries when Rainbow Dash addressed her to find both Rainbow and Spike already walking into the forest.

"C-coming!" She sounded, galloping to catch up to them. She had no intention to traverse the forest alone, nor did she know her way. It was best to stick together. As the party entered the forest, it seemed all the natural light of Celestia's day was seeped from the air. The warmth of the sun was a distant memory in this place, and despite it being Summer, a chill set into Trixie that was bone-deep. This was an evil place.

Trixie couldn't shake the feeling of being watched as they traversed through the Everfree, like there were a thousand creatures following, watching, waiting for the chance to eat them all alive. Trixie credited their survival to Spike being a fire breathing dragon, baby size or no. That being said, Rainbow Dash seemed absolutely unaffected by all this. Perhaps it came with experience, or perhaps she underestimated the courage of Rainbow Dash.

As they neared a rope bridge, Trixie could see a large, black castle in the distance. She determined that it was most likely not always black, but that age, weather, and a good deal of mold and moss may have permanently darkened its stone. Still, it seemed that the castle would not be their destination. Alternatively, Rainbow veered right, leading them down a side path that dipped down below. As the path went on, it was clear that the cave at the end was where they were headed.

Trixie began to hyperventilate, only reassured by a gentle touch of Spike's claw. He was right. This wasn't a bear cave. There was a gentle, teal glow from the cave mouth, nearly swallowed by the fog that hung thick in the air. This was where the Tree of Harmony would be found.

As the party entered the cave, Trixie looked this way and that, taking note that the luminescence wasn't just caused by the tree itself, but that the cave was encrusted with glowing gems that Trixie deduced were most likely created as a side effect of Harmony's power as she transcended into this form and spread her magic across the world. Beyond that, it seemed to be an everyday, average, non-assuming cave.

It wasn't until she looked straight ahead that Trixie saw it. There it was, the Tree of Harmony. A massive, crystal tree, it had six crevices, clearly the place of origin of the Elements. They were like fruit to this tree. After her initial shock at the sheer impressiveness of it all, however, Trixie was at a loss for why they were here.

She sat on her haunches at the tree, Rainbow and Spike to her side. "Why are we here?" she asked, her voice echoing through the cave as she breaks the silence. The tree gave off a low hum of power, the only other sound within the cave.

"I dunno'," Rainbow and Spike responded at once, giving synchronized shrugs in addition to their noncommital answers.

"You two are such helpful brainstormers. I'm so glad I brought you along," Trixie said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes; though, as her eyes rolled, she spotted the tiniest of hints of a trail around the back end of the tree to her left. "Wait, what's that?" she asked, pointing in that direction.

"What's what?" Rainbow asked. Her head moved as she followed Trixie's hoof with her eyes. "Oh that! Well, I dunno'. Every time we come in here, I guess we're so busy, we never noticed that before..."

It was Spike who stood up and began walking in that direction. "Well, let's find out then!"

Trixie followed suit, following and passing Spike as she turned the corner around the backside of the tree, Rainbow Dash behind them. What she saw there was the strangest of sights. There sat a small, white pegasus, staring ahead and bobbing her head to an unheard tune. Her mane and tail were reminiscent of Pinkie's, though a vibrant yellow in color. As Trixie came to stand in front of her, the pegasus' violet eyes locked onto Trixie and widened in surprise. She gasped and threw her forehooves out to the side, giving Trixie a wide, open-mouthed grin. She pounced upon the unicorn, wrapping her ina powerful hug.

In a raspy whisper that made it seem as if she hadn't spoken in millennia, the pegasus spoke into Trixie's ear, "Surprise!" and clipped an amulet around Trixie's neck. As she stepped away, she stuck out her tongue and made a flatulent sound with her mouth as she faded into oblivion.

Trixie was flabbergasted, and so was her company. Though she was setting a traumatized gaze where the pegasus had once stood, Rainbow Dash and Spike were staring at the amulet around Trixie's neck.

"Element..." Spike said, nothing else seeming capable of coming out of his mouth.

"Element... of Harmony!" Rainbow added, her brain seeming just as broken.

Trixie, shaken by their words finally glanced down to the amulet, the amulet that had an amethyst in the shape of her own cutie mark at its center.

Author's Note

I told you guys, you deserve a mega chapter after such a long wait. Also, I've been doing some MMO RP that's helped me to become much more descriptive, so who knows? This might become the standard size for my chapters from now on. Only time will tell.

I really do hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I had sooo much fun writing it, and I'm very proud of it. I hinted so hard at this ending in the last two chapters, I'd be surprised if anyone didn't see this coming. And who can't appreciate a pun like "The Element of Surprise." :rainbowlaugh:

Please, as always, leave your comments. I'd really like to know what you guys think of this chapter, as well as your hopes and expectations for what comes next. :twilightsmile: :heart:

The Dark Forest: An Inner Sanctum

Trixie was the first to exit the forest, galloping as fast as her legs would carry her toward Ponyville. Rainbow had no issues keeping pace with the petite mage as she flew alongside her, but Spike was huffing and wheezing as his smaller legs scrambled to catch up with his equine companions. "This is...why I...never go on...these stupid adventures!" the drake protested between anguished gulps of air. Rainbow snickered at his whining, but Trixie was past the point of laughter. Leaving the chariot behind in lieu of her own four hooves, there was only a single thought on her mind.

"We can do this," she proclaimed. "There are six existing elements at our disposal. We can save Twilight!"

Rainbow was in awe as she watched the unicorn run, an expression of fierce determination painted on her face. Though her every move was calm and calculated, Trixie was terrified to be facing six more creatures just as powerful as Discord. She was a prodigy when it came to illusion, but only because her one true talent was a false bravado; that was the greatest illusion the actress had ever casted.

"I know, right!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, "Isn't it so awesome!? We're gonna' get to kick some monster flank and save the day!"

Ordinarily, Trixie might have agreed, even embellishing their "inevitable" victory alongside the pegasus, but she was far too focused on the task at hand. "We'll do nothing without the others. Luckily, collecting them will be simple. With this element, I can see them..." Both Rainbow and Spike looked at her as if she were insane.

Trixie rolled her eyes and looked forward once more, falling silent. They were quickly approaching her home, just a few meters more. Her Element of Harmony was amazing. Its magic was far more potent than that of the Alicorn Amulet, and as they got closer, Trixie could see the rest of her friends pacing or sitting within the Golden Oaks Library. In fact, she could accurately determine where everyone in Ponyville was and what they were doing. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Trixie determined this was to gauge the potential to surprise anypony at any given time.

With a shove of her magic, the door to the library slammed open, and Trixie came to a skidding halt in the middle of the room. The ponies inside had all stopped what they were doing, staring at Trixie in confused bewilderment. Rainbow came in right after her through an open window, and it was only a few seconds longer before Spike bounded through the door, collapsing from exhaustion. Trixie looked at each of her friends one by one.

By this time, they had begun to shake themselves out of their initial shock. Rarity was the first to show any sign of intelligence, running to embrace Trixie. "Oh, we were so worried, Darling!" she exclaimed. "Pulling away to the full length of her forelegs, Rarity still held on to Trixie by her shoulders. It was then she noticed the amulet around Trixie's neck. "Is that...?"

"An Element of Harmony?" Applejack asked, finishing Rarity's sentence.

Trixie nodded. "Yes, it is. There's no time to explain. We need to save Twilight. Are you all ready to travel?"

Fluttershy shook her head shyly in reply, and each of the others did so in turn. "Y-you know where Twilight's been taken to?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow came to the shy pegasus' side and gave her a reassuring side hug. "Don't worry, kay? We've got this. They're on the other side of the Everfree Forest, probably deep in the old mining tunnels."

Fluttershy nearly jumped out of her skin, and with a screech, she ducked behind the sofa. Rarity shot Rainbow Dash a glare, to which the pegasus just shrugged. "What?" Rainbow protested, "I just told her the truth. I knew she'd freak, but I couldn't just lie." It was then that Spike clambered up from the ground and made his way into the kitchen.

Rarity rolled her eyes and looked as if she would begin arguing back when a blue hoof smothered her lips. "This is no time to be arguing, girls! Twilight is in trouble! We need to save her!"

"And we will," Spike replied, walking from the kitchen with sandwich in hand. "Twilight's tough. She's an alicorn princess, for Celestia's sake. We're all a little worried, but I know she'll be okay. We can save her." He took a bite of his sandwich and addressed the rest of the group with his mouth full. "Les'sh get rrdy 'n meet up 'n thrrty minush."

The girls stared at the dragon with the blankest of expressions, trying to figure out just what he said before Pinkie began hopping out of the library. "Okie dokie, lokie. We'll get ready and meet back up in thirty minutes!" The rest of them chimed their understanding and relief for having the jumbled sentence explained before they too shuffled out of Twilight's home.

Twilight's hooves crunched upon twigs and dead leaves as she pushed forward. As fatigued as she felt, there was an itching feeling in her brain urging her to keep moving. The forest she continued to shuffle through was expansive and dark, far darker than the Everfree. W-where am I? she thought.

Between the darkness and the thick fog that blanketed her surroundings, Twilight could hardly see her hooves as they moved unsteadily below her. Up ahead in the distance, there was a pocket of light, and so she set course for that.

Stumbling and tripping on every root and rock that crossed her path, Twilight walked for what seemed like hours toward the light, yet it continued to evade her grasp, as if it were moving away from her the entire time. Tired and frustrated, she quickened her pace. It started as a steady jog, but before long she was galloping as quickly as she could toward the light, desperate to escape the accursed perdition she found herself in.

Nearer now, the light was just ahead. Twilight nearly held her breath in anticipation, staring straight at her goal as she pressed onward. Her hoof snagged on a particularly tall tree root, and the ground came rushing toward her. As she went tumbling forward, Twilight hardly noticed as she entered an expansive clearing.

Twilight lied there, bruised and broken on the forest floor, and with closed eyes she groaned. Bringing a voice to the agony she felt seemed odd. Within what seemed to be hours of solitude, Twilight had not spoken a word. The forest was deathly quiet and seemingly devoid of life, so the only noises to grace her ears had been the sound of her hooves as she stamped through the brush and her own labored breathing. Her voice seemed somehow foreign to her. She was a child, just learning to ride a bicycle, and yet she saw fit to continue. She opened her eyes then, and what she saw there prompted her to speak. "W-what is this place?"

Shakily, she rose to her hooves. The appendages had seen far too much abuse, but the sight before her distracted Twilight from her suffering. There in the clearing, the fog was lifted, and though it persisted, there wasn't enough left to hinder her field of vision. The clearing wasn't without trees, but they were fewer and farther between. Every tree seemed dead, even those that still stood, allowing for natural light to bleed through the thick clouds that hung overhead.

Moss littered the ground like a moist blanket. It was the first life form Twilight could recall other than trees and fungi. She determined this was the heart of the forest, still beating slowly as the body withered away. Accompanying the felled trees, rotting stumps jutted randomly from the mossy forest floor. No doubt the soil was rich in nitrogen and would make for excellent farmland if there was only more sunlight. Still, something must have happened to kill the trees here, and there were no visible signs of a fire.

Twilight sniffed the air, quickly scrunching up her nose as it was invaded by the pungent aroma of iron with a hint of sulfur. Perhaps it had been the site of a bloody battle, and the iron in the blood had soaked the earth, poisoning the trees. Twilight shuddered from the thought and turned her attention to the center of the clearing.

The piece of art erected there was jaw-dropping. It was an expansive four-story home made from stone the likes of which Twilight had never seen. It was ancient, far older than even that of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Though much of it had been blackened and eroded by the weather, and much of the rest was shrouded by dead vines, it was evident the stonework had been that of a master craftsman.

Each hand-chiseled slab had been meticulously calculated to withstand the test of time. Twilight pushed forward. Entranced by the building, she wished to get a closer look at its craftsmanship. The massive door was made from an ancient oak and blackened iron, remarkably well preserved considering how long it had served as an entrance to the home.

Yet, the home still had its design flaws. The second floor balcony looked rusted and unsteady, and many of the windows had no glass left to speak of. Though the shingles which comprised the roof were cut from the same stone as the walls, it was clear that the master who had designed such walls had no part in the shingles. Twilight could only hypothesize why such a meticulous and careful pony would allow for such substandard work to be displayed alongside his own.

As Twilight neared the large door, a symbol to the left of it caught her attention. She couldn't recall having ever seen it before, and yet it seemed highly familiar. It was a simple isosceles triangle with a cross inside it. Twilight spent some time attempting to decipher it until she grew tired of the puzzle. With a defeated sigh, she turned her attention once more to the door. She raised a hoof to open the door, all the while a chanting sounded in her head. Do it. Do it. Open the door. There was a childlike mischief to the words.

The sounds of animals and monsters sounded all around the girls as they trotted through the treacherous Everfree. It was impossible to discern just how close or far away these creatures were from the group, as their collective sounds rumbled through the forest. Applejack was the only one within the group that had been this deep in the Everfree Forest, much less all the way through it. Most of the group's adventures within the forest barely made a dent on any map of the expansive woodlands. Other than Applejack, Rainbow Dash was the only one who had been to the other side, though she'd flown over the forest canopy. Just that pilgrimage had been dangerous enough, with giant birds and tendrils shooting up from the forest to pull the pegasus to her death below.

As such, the two of them brought up the forefront of the group, heads on swivels for any sort of danger coming their way. No one dared speak, lest their voices attract unwanted attention. Fluttershy and Trixie stayed glued to the flanks of their more courageous companions, shaking in their fur as their overactive imaginations tormented them both relentlessly.

Spike and Rarity walked just behind them, rather leisurely, in fact. Rarity felt comfort in the company of her friends, confident that together they could overcome any obstacle. After all, this wasn't the first time any of them had looked danger in the eye and laughed. Spike, on the other hand, felt a sense of pride swelling within him for finally being included in an adventure. He dared any monster to attack, eagerly awaiting his chance to prove his worth.

Pinkie brought up the rear of the company, happily bouncing along the beaten path as if she were shopping in the familiar streets of Ponyville. One could only guess what was running through her head at that moment, and that individual would most likely be wrong.

They had been walking for hours through the forest, and a volcanic smoke was beginning to permeate the air. Applejack slowed to a stop. The others followed suit, giving her puzzled looks as she pulled her saddled bags off and began rummaging through them.

"Y'all are gonna' need these. Trust me," the farmpony explained as she pulled out several pairs of flame-retardant boots. She passed them around the group, skipping Spike of course. The drake was hardly in need of any protection from the heat. The rest of them, however, were covered in highly flammable fur. Rarity looked at the garments in disgust, but even she pulled them on after a moment.

The group was entering the murky swamp Applejack was all too familiar with. With the chimera previously dealt with, it was little to worry about, but the fire geysers still made the way treacherous.

The girls moved on, trudging through and sinking inches into a sludge that slowed their progress to a snail's pace. All around them, the surface bubbled and flames shot high into the air, scorching plants and cooking any misfortunate birds or bats that dared fly overhead. Each of them were being careful now, all aware of the very real danger they were in. The boots helped to keep them from burning in the boiling sludge; however, not one of them believed they would help much against one of the geysers.

The waves of heat crashed against them like the sea to the shore, trying to beat them back whence they came. The smell of sulfur hung pungent in the air. This swamp was like a hell on earth. Up ahead, a grand shadow stood in their way, and it seemed to be approaching them. The closer the creature got, the more ripples it caused. They all prepared for a fight.

After one more gust of heat wafted over them, the creature got close enough for them to see. There crouched a menacing dragon, just as large as the one they'd once tried to reason with atop a mountain. However, this was a swamp dragon. Apparently, it had taken advantage of the vacancy left by the chimera, and it had made the swamp its home. The dragon snarled, its teeth shining like the sun against its dark black-green scales.

"Ah, I see the gods have felt mercy enough to grace me with a meal," the dragon rasped. Acidic saliva poured from the corners of his mouth as he spoke. His tattered wings flared, and mud shook from them in clumps. "It's not often I find creatures foolish enough to traverse my swamp and cross my path. You have saved me the trouble of hunting you all down." The dragon cackled malevolently and lunged, his jaws snapping as his face smashed down right where they had been standing. The girls had all jumped out of the way, and Spike had backpedaled out of range. When the dragon opened his eyes once more, Spike was all he saw.

"And a whelp as well? What do you think you're doing, boy. Move now or suffer the same fate as your companions!" The dragon decided to show some mercy to his own kind.

Spike grimaced. "Absolutely not. I'd sooner let you eat me before you lay a claw on them!"

The swamp dragon grinned madly. "Hm. So be it, whelp. Before we do battle, what is your name?"

Spike puffed out his chest in an attempt to look bigger, more masculine maybe. "My name is Spike!"

"Spike, run!" Rarity called out from near the dragon's tail.

He looked back at his friend with fiery eyes that told of a dangerous mixture of emotion. "No!" he shouted back at her. "I have to do this, or he'll just come after us all! Go save Twilight, and I'll stay here. Believe in me!"

Rarity looked on with desperate eyes. She wanted nothing more than to drag her friend from harm's way, but Applejack was tugging on her shoulder. "C'mon," Applejack begged. "Le's go. He'll be alright. Y'know him. Little guy's tougher than he looks."

With reluctance, Rarity finally turned away and ran, tears left in her wake. Spike was left alone, caught in the gaze of the swamp dragon as they stared each other down. "I am Vilthinex, little whelp. I commend your courage for facing me alone in proper combat, but you are a fool." Vilthinex gave a toothy grin, venom dripping from his fangs.

Spike spat a ball of fire at the superior-sized dragon, surprised to find his venom to be flammable as Vilthinex's mouth caught on fire. Spike's eyes widened as his foe raised up on his hind legs and roared. Vilthinex's claws were busy trying to put out the fire, but his tail swung around to strike at Spike. In his shock, the drake never saw it coming, and the tail hit him like a truck, slamming him into a tree hard enough to have it come tumbling down on top of him.

More durable than his size would make one suspect, the dragon was just fine, and he breathed fire onto the tree to weaken it before he busted through with his claws in fists and a growl emanating from his lips. By this time, Vilthinex had successfully extinguished the flames engulfing his face. His eyes shown with a dangerous light. His face was charred black, and there were claw marks down one side of his face where he'd scratched his scales away in desperation.

"You will not survive the wrath you just invoked, little one. I will see you roasted slowly over your own flame," the swamp dragon threatened, stomping toward his prey.

Spike looked back at Vilthinex with the same deadly gaze. "I will be alive and well long after you're gone, old man. I have more to lose." He shot a flame at Vilthinex, but it was countered by a ball of acidic venom that dwarfed it in comparison. The ball was engulfed in flame, but it continued on its path.

Much to his annoyance, Vilthinex found Spike had managed to dodge out of the way. He scowled. "Why do you fight for those ponies?"

"That's of no concern to you, Vilthinex," Spike spat, glaring up at his opponent. "Come at me!"

Vilthinex's wild-eyed grin served to further accent his menacing presence. "With pleasure," he growled. He began to stomp toward Spike, but he was soon stopped in his tracks, uppercut by the sheer force of a geyser in his path. Ever the clever opponent, Spike had tricked him. In his murderous fury, Vilthinex had failed to see the swamp's surface bubble before him.

By the time the geyser had desisted, Spike was nowhere to be found. Vilthinex sniffed the air and spat at a random tree. The tree withered and melted at the venom's touch. "Come out, whelp. We have unfinished business. You cannot hide from me."

Spike hid behind a boulder, breathing heavily and gripping his sore body. Vilthinex's tail had done him more damage than he thought, and the pain was beginning to blacken his vision. He tried to stand, but found the effort such actions took too much for him. His eyes began to shut. I'm sorry, Twilight.

Letting Go

Twilight was pulled into the building by an unseen force, and the heavy door slammed shut behind her, causing an echo to reverberate through the grand room, a room that couldn't have possibly been held within the ancient and decrepit building she had found hidden in the dying forest. Somehow, she'd wound up in a different place altogether, and her eyes lit up when she realized just where it was. Twilight was standing in the entrance to the vastest library she'd ever heard of.

The room was well lit, with giant, golden chandeliers hanging from the tall ceiling. The room was at least one-hundred meters in length, half that in width, and it had four levels. Each one was filled with bookshelves, and each of those were filled with volumes upon volumes of books in turn. This was Twilight's dream come true.

Each level above the first had an iron staircase leading up to it and a matching iron fence to keep an individual from falling. In the center of the room, on the first floor, there was a grand oak table, nearly as long as the room itself. There were polished wooden chairs all along each side. As a former librarian, the room was daunting. The upkeep of such an enormous library was unimaginable, yet there was not a speck of dust in sight.

"Hello?" Twilight called out. Several seconds passed with no answer. "Is anypony there?" The only answers she received were from her own echoes. The librarian was nowhere to be seen.

Further surveying the suspect library, Twilight's attention was caught by a book on the other side of the room. It was the only book not placed on a shelf. Instead, it was placed closed on a pedestal. It was a gigantic volume, leather-bound and with a red, silk bookmark. Pressed into the cover was the same marking she'd seen by the door.

That was all the convincing Twilight needed to begin making her way toward the book. Perhaps it held some sort of clue as to her surroundings. Twilight would be happy enough just for some clue connecting this place to the forest whence she came. The settings seemed like day and night to her, but strangely enough, each gave her the same foreboding feeling that made her feel both watched and alone.

The more Twilight thought on that feeling, the more a hot, stabbing pain plagued her, just behind the eyes. She attempted to shake off the pain and cleared her mind, continuing onward toward her goal. She needn't think any more on the subject. Twilight was confident that this book would hold all the answers she sought. Please, oh please do, she thought.

Just as in the forest, Twilight mindlessly paced forward toward a singular goal, a strange mixture of anticipation and desperation grieving her with every step. All was lost to the alicorn as she focused on the tome before her. Finally she approached the object of her desire.

She licked her lips and reached toward the book with a shaky hoof. The craving for this knowledge was almost maddening, but finally she would feel relief. Finally she could rest. Sweet, precious tome, reveal to me your secrets... Off in the distance, Twilight could hear a sinister cackling, but she was far too engrossed in her own thoughts to notice.

With a flick of her hoof, Twilight opened the book to the marked page. Her eyes widened in terror. The hall was filled with a blood-curdling scream as Twilight felt herself pulled forward into the pages of the tome. She'd had a similar experience once before, but never had it been so intense. The process was slow this time.

Twilight felt real pain as her body was compressed, then ripped apart into letters dotting the previously empty page. Every fiber of her being was in burning agony. Why me? she found herself asking as she was pulled into yet another reality. Why can't I just rest? I-I just want to rest... Why do my eyes hurt the most?

Twilight couldn't be sure what happened next. Her hind hooves left the ground at last, and her vision went black. She was still in severe pain until her entire body was pulled through, but even then, she could feel herself being pulled forward. In fact, that was all she could feel. Her body stayed perfectly still, refusing to heed even the simplest of commands.

She felt doomed to float through an infinite darkness with no chance of escape. From one perdition to the next, she traveled alone through this twisted world. How she wished now she'd opened another book. Any other would have been desired. She could have stayed forever in that wonderful place, but her insatiable thirst had found her trapped in a senseless abaddon from which she was sure there was no return, no escape.

That unseen force pulled her ever forward, the same that had pulled her into the library. It seemed strange to her, but she knew she'd felt that force once before, though she couldn't put her hoof on it. That was another train of thought that hurt the longer she pondered on it. Twilight gave into the pain this time. She was broken, and somewhere deep down she felt like she was wrong for having thought about that unnatural force. She was willing to do anything to make this cycle of agony stop.

THUMP!

Twilight groaned, having been unceremoniously dropped onto a hard, wooden floor. It was warm, comfortable even, despite how hard it was. The sweet, familiar smell of oak sap and roasted pine nuts filled her nostrils. Her ears twitched as she heard whispers and stifled giggling from what she supposed to be the other end of the room. Timidly, she opened her eyes, afraid of what she may find. Her grasp on reality was rapidly slipping, and Twilight wasn't sure she could continue on in this manner for long. Nigh inaudible, a nervous laugh escaped her lips at the scene playing out before her. She was sure such a thing was impossible.

Spike's eyes snapped open, and his pupils narrowed further. They were no longer the eyes of the good-natured whelp his friends had come to know. Spike's eyes were those of a dangerous predator, his prey within grasp. Slowly, he rose from his position, slumped against his boulder. A mad grin stretched across his face just before he stepped from behind his hide. As he stared at his opponent, he let out a chuckle.

Vilthinex had still been franticly searching for his evening snack, but his head whipped around when he heard the drake laugh. "Remember me, guy?" Spike asked threateningly, "The thorn in your spine?" The only reply Vilthinex saw fit to grace the question with was a primitive snarl.

There are only two ways for a dragon to grow, and though the process is reversible, that becomes harder to accomplish with each transformation. The dragon must either obtain a mound of treasure, no matter the means of acquisition, or he must go through the potentially harmful process of consuming vast amounts of fire. Only one of those two things was readily available in the swamp; knowing this, Spike made a mad dash for the closest boiling area of the sludge.

Vilthinex caught on to Spike's plan. "No!" he shouted, delaying his venom shot for just the second Spike needed. It was likely that in his reckless abandon, Spike would have taken the shot anyway. Spike slammed his claw down onto the sweet spot, and the pressure was just enough to release a torrent of fire which engulfed him completely and shielded him from the venom.

Spike looked down and opened his mouth within the flames. The agony was instantaneous. His own fire being the exception, he was far from fireproof on the inside, and he had to fight the urge to scream out, instead continuing to swallow the fire. His flesh was charring, but his body began to swell. Spike was giving way to his basic instincts, more animal than even Vilthinex.

He sought to quicken the process, lest the geyser run out before he completed, and so he began swallowing entire gulps of the flame. His claws grew longer, dangerously sharp. Like a shark, his teeth fell out over and over again, growing in size each time. Previously surprisingly soft in his youth, the scales covering every inch of his body grew and hardened into an armor that only a dragon would have a chance at penetrating. Even a sword of diamonds would dull trying to pierce them.

Tears flowed from his eyes, quickly evaporating in the violent flames. It wasn't long before he was the size of his opponent, if not larger, and it was at that point he turned to face Vilthinex. The elder dragon stared back with fear in his eyes. He was afraid because he'd never seen a dragon so feral. Even in his deepest rage, he had more control than Spike did in that moment. Such instinctual personality was a dangerous trait in dragons, and only now did her realize the mistake he made. He never should have threatened the ponies that could tame a dragon such as this. Such a feat would take an impossibly strong bond to accomplish, and just as strong a bond to cause the dragon to go feral once more.

A terrifying roar erupted from Spike's maw, a gust of green flame equally as powerful as a geyser shooting into the sky from the lowest lobes of his lungs. His arms outstretched at his sides, claws at the ready to defend and maul any opponent foolish enough to come into range.

Vilthinex would take no such chances with his opponent now. Instead, he used the battle cry to his advantage. His acid was unhindered in its flight, and Spike took a direct hit. The sheer force of the spitball threw Spike back, crushing a good amount of trees under him.

Spike growled and wiped away the poisonous acid before it could do any more damage. His scales were still intact, but the substance had found its way through the crevices. Spike's body burned, and he found his vision blurring. This would have to end quickly.

Spike slowly pushed himself up to a standing position on all fours, all the while staring down Vilthinex. The swamp dragon was standing on his back claws with a smug smile and arms crossed over his barrel. He knew his opponent had become a victim of poison, and now this was just a waiting game for him. He only had to endure long enough for the venom to take effect.

Spike swayed a bit, snarling wildly at Vilthinex. His vision was darkening ever so slowly, but he'd sooner go blind than give in. He opened his mouth, and a heavy stream of fire shot out at Vilthinex. While such an attack would do little to actually harm another dragon, the force of his flame had grown exponentially along with his body. The torrential blast was like a fire hose to the swamp dragon's face, allowing a distraction and cover for Spike to close in on his prey. Even feral, he never lost the quick wit that had many times proven to be his greatest asset.

As the purple dragon marched forward, a sputtering Vilthinex struggled not to breath in the flames. He never saw the claw come straight toward his chest. The flame stopped momentarily as Spike dug into Vilthinex's chest cavity, a malicious grin painted upon his face. Vilthinex coughed blood and venom, and his jaw fell slack. Spike took this as an opportunity to finish him once and for all. He shot another stream of flames into Vilthinex's mouth, and his claw twisted a quarter turn. He pulled away, taking with him Vilthinex's heart and a bit of each lung. Vilthinex's eyes rolled back as flames shot from his chest cavity.

Spike's flame desisted, and he threw the heart down. Standing up on his back claws, he turned and began to stumble toward the direction his friends had fled. Twilight... he thought, just before he collapsed face down into the bog. His enormous form caused a wave to crash upon every bank the swamp water had.

Behind him, Vilthinex fell as well. His black blood began to spill out into the swamp, mixing in with the sludge. As the dragon bled out, his entire swamp would be covered in his blood.

Slowly, Spike used the last of his willpower to shrink to his original size. It was an even more painful experience than the growth had been. All the venom in his system was exponentially stronger, and his entire body was beaten and bruised. The youngling wasn't without a will to live, and so he rolled onto his back to keep from drowning, but that was all he could do. His breaths were short and agonal, his heart beats erratic. The venom coursing through his veins had passed through his heart many times over, and it was killing him from the inside out. Between the ringing in his ears, he thought he heard muffled shouts in the distance, but he was too far gone to acknowledge them. Before he lost consciousness, his last coherent thought was, Man... I'm gonna' be so awesome when I grow up...

Twilight was home. In fact, as she slowly rose to her hooves, she found she was standing in her den near the door. The glow of the fire and tint of her windows suggested it was evening. None of this was of much importance to Twilight as she watched the other ponies in the room. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of Rainbow Dash and Trixie. She felt her heart catch in her throat and a knot form in her stomach.

The pair were sitting in front of her fireplace, Rainbow's wing wrapped around Trixie. They seemed too busy whispering sweet nothings to each other to realize Twilight's intrusion. From her vantage point, Twilight could see Rainbow's dreamy gaze as she locked eyes with Trixie. She leaned in for a kiss.

Just before the pair made contact, Twilight's silent grief gave way to a fiery rage. Her eyes glowed bright red as she shouted, "What in Celestia's name is going on here?" Her efforts were in vain, and the kiss went on as if Twilight didn't exist.

The furious alicorn stomped toward them with indignation. Her hooves singed the wooden floorboards, leaving black prints in their wake. "Hey!" she shouted once more. "Rainbow, Trixie, what are you doing!?" Her tears were back, but the heat radiating from her body evaporated them before they had a chance to roll down her cheeks. Her fur was slowly lightening to a bright white.

Trixie finally pulled away from the kiss, though neither of them paid any heed to the furious alicorn just inches away. The magician let out a contented sigh. "I never guessed I would be so relieved that Sparkle went missing," she whispered. "If you hadn't comforted me in my time of need, I never would realized how I was wasting my time with her."

Twilight's eyes widened. She took a couple steps back, aghast at what she was hearing. Once the shock passed, her face contorted in rage once more. She crouched down and pounced, lunging like a viscous tiger at her marefriend with all intensions to maim, only to pass right through her and into the fireplace.

Surprisingly, the flames didn't burn. In fact, she tumbled right through into the cool night air as if she were immaterial. Twilight crawled to her feet and began to run. She had to find the rest of her friends. Surely one of them was searching for her.

From Sugarcube Corner, Twilight could see a pillar of smoke rising from the ovens. She set course for the colorful building, knowing she would at least find Pinkie Pie awake. The bakery was fairly close, and it didn't take very long before she was striding up the stone steps toward the door.

As a habit, she first attempted to open the door with her magic, but she found that method to be ineffective. She surmised then that she had no physical presence in the world. Briefly, she wondered just how long she'd been missing. Was she dead? Did they find her body?

Twilight had no time for such questions when there were answers to be discovered on the other side of the door before her, so she shook them away. Experimentally, she pressed her hoof against the door. It gave easily, her hoof passing through in a similar fashion as it did in the magic mirror.

Slowly, she completed the step, and the rest of her body followed through the portal. What she found on the other side was nearly as concerning as what she'd seen within her own home. Pinkie was awake, yes, but there were no maps. There were no notes as she frantically searched for clues as to Twilight's whereabouts.

Pinkie was hosting a small party, and among the guests were the rest of her friends. They chatted amongst themselves and other guests, each of them merry and drunk on cider. Twilight sat on her haunches in disbelief. "None of you even care," she stated in quiet surprise, knowing she couldn't be heard. "I'm missing, and not one of you is searching for me. You're not the least bit worried..."

Just as she felt tears coming to her eyes once more, she heard that mischievous cackle once more. A creature of ethereal fog materialized before her, inky black tendrils stretching out from its ever-changing figure. "Poor, little princess," the creature whispered. Its voice was clearly female. "So unloved, so alone. You deserve so much more."

A ghastly moan came from the creature's side, and yet another materialized in front of Twilight. This one spoke in a male voice, though it seemed to be crying out in incredible anguish with each word. "We never get what we deserve, do we?" he asked. "We die so alone. It's not fair." This creature had the look of a jackalope, though it stood at nearly two meters tall on its hind legs. Its fur was a shade of blue like the sky, and its antlers seemed to be made of pure gold. Its body was massive and muscular, but its shoulders slumped, and it casted its gaze upon the ground with a morose expression upon its face.

Twilight jumped as she heard a terrifying growl sound behind her. "It makes you sick, doesn't it? How could they enjoy themselves so in your despair? Does it not infuriate you that they would abandon you at your lowest, after all you've done for them. Do you not feel betrayed?"

Tears in her eyes, Twilight turned to face the final creature. The setting around her faded once more into the oblivion she'd so recently escaped from. The creature had all the features of a great demon. It stood nearly three meters tall. Its legs were those of a goat, and it had the horns of a ram. He was mostly humanoid in shape, though he had a physique Twilight was sure would be impossible for any mere human to achieve. His clawed hands curled into clenched fists.

His red skin exuded a heat akin to a large furnace, and his black eyes lit a dangerous fire within Twilight's heart. "I do," she replied angrily. "I do feel betrayed."

Wrath grinned wickedly at her response. "As you should. This is not the first time the Elements of Harmony have tasted betrayal, but we intend to make it their last. Allow me to teach you a history forgotten by time itself, Element of Magic."

Wrath raised a claw to Twilight's face and touched it to her forehead. Her eyes glowed a bright white, and the awful headache that had been plaguing her returned once more. This time, she found herself somewhere else entirely. It was Gaia, at least. She was in the same world, but with an educated guess, she surmised this was the chaos that existed before time itself.

Author's Note

Why yes, I have been watching "How to Train your Dragon" and playing Mortal Kombat recently. :twilightsheepish: Why do you ask? :scootangel:

Dog Days

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait, guys. I've been busy dealing with my medical separation from the Navy (still ongoing), so time and motivation to write has been scarce. :twilightsheepish: I didn't have a full chapter ready, but I realized this one wasn't finished, so I added onto it and republished. I hope you guys don't mind...

Dog Days

As the party neared the far edge of the terrifying Everfree forest, not one of them felt the desire to express relief over coming out unscathed. A heavy air of worry hung above their heads and slowed their progress. Guilt weighed heavily upon their withers.

They had each seen the pillars of flame, heard the horrifying roar. Together, they stood a solid chance against the dragon, but in their cowardice, the girls had left behind a dear friend to face the horror alone. It had been Spike’s choice to face off against Vilthinex, but that didn’t make leaving him any easier. Each of them felt responsible for any injuries he might have sustained, but all they could do was pray for his wellbeing.

Their attention turned once more to their surroundings as they at last stepped through the tree line. The badlands were foreign to each of them, but it didn’t take a local to see that something was terribly wrong.

Ordinarily, the region was a blazing desert, so hot the settlements resided deep underground. The first settlers of the land had been ancient Diamond Dogs. They dug massive caverns within the soil in search of riches. It’s said that they did find what they were looking for and built a city of gold deep underground. Though there’s no historical evidence to support such claims, many archeologists went missing, presumed dead in their search. There were many who revered these ponies as brave heroes and many others who dismissed them as fools who died in the frivolous pursuit of fairytales.

Though no city of gold has been discovered, there are many other civilizations that made the mines their homes, building into the walls of the largest caverns. In modern times, travelling to these cities is known to be a dangerous venture, as the narrow halls leading to them are known to be home to lowlives and thieves.

Across the desert, a great mountain range stretched as far as the eye could see. Though that region got plenty of precipitation year round, it was known to be barren and volcanic.Never, however, had a large cloud of ash blotted out the sun and stretched across the entire expanse of the badlands as it did now.

The ash and smoke stretched out in a massive spiral, the focal point of which seemed to be a single mountain just ahead.

“Well girls,” Rarity spoke, “It seems we’ve discovered the location of our enemies.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Trixies replied sarcastically, accompanied with an exaggerated eye roll. Rarity pursed her lips and held her tongue, refusing to grace the comment with a retort of her own.

Coming to Rarity’s aid, Applejack responded in her stead. “Sugarcube, we all know yer goin’ through a tough time, but that’s no reason ta get snippy with us. We’re jus’ tryin’ ta help.”

Trixie sighed. “You’re right. You’re right.” Turning to Rarity, she apologized, though somewhat insincerely. “I’m Sorry Rarity.”

Rarity simply turned her snout up with a huff and began the trek forward, prompting the rest of the party to join her. Rainbow Dash dropped down to walk beside Trixie and bumped her side before leaning in to stage whisper, “If you hadn’t said it, I would have.” The mares giggled, prompting an annoyed glare from their prim and proper friend. With the pair beaming back at her, it wasn’t long before Rarity broke into a smile of her own and returned her gaze to the foreboding mountain in the distance.

Hour after hour passed, and each time any of the mares looked up to gauge their progress, the mountain looked no closer. They had been walking for so long in the stifling heat, that even Pinkie had lost her luster. She trudged alongside the rest of her friends, their hooves dragging upon the blackened soil.

Her curly locks were heavy with sweat, and they hung over her face. Ignoring them, she gazed lazily up at the sky, though any area the ash was thin enough, no sunlight shone through. Instead, it revealed a blood red sky. Bolts of white lightning crawled along the storm clouds above their destination, and the rumble of thunder could be heard even as distant as they were.

Pinkie whimpered; she’d been looking to the sky to remind her that everything would be okay. This was not her kind of party. Her hair flattened just a bit more, weighed down by her anxiety as much as it was by her sweat.

She took the time to survey their surroundings. Before now, it had been some time since she’d looked up from her hooves. What she saw surrounding them all caused her to raise a brow. Curious, she began to trail off, making her way toward one of the many holes scattered across the ground.

The rest of the group paused their advance as their inattentive friend began to wander. “Pinkie, what are you up to?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Pinkie Pie didn’t answer, only picking up speed toward the tunnel. Once there, she sat down upon her flanks and tapped a blackened hoof to her chin. She knew she’d seen holes such as those before, but she couldn’t place exactly when that had been. “Hmmm,” she hummed, expressing her curiosity. It wasn’t often she found herself lost in a thought that wasn’t concerning some sort of pastry.

“Pinkie Pie, you’re getting soot all over your chin!” Rarity scolded.

Pinkie’s pupils shrunk to pin pricks as she remembered where she’d seen the holes before. “Shhh!” was her only response to Rarity’s outburst.

Rarity came to a similar realization, her pupils shrinking as well when her head slowly swiveled to her own hooves. An expression of pure horror spread across her muzzle at the soot dying her alabaster legs a dark black. “Aughh!” she cried, “It’s everywhere!”

“Shhh! Rarity, be quiet!” Pinkie insisted once more, her head whipping toward Rarity, eyes stricken with fear.

The rest of the group began to worry as well, seeing just how spooked Pinkie seemed to be. Fluttershy whimpered. “Rar-” Applejack started, only to be cut off by Rarity’s next outburst.

“B-but it’s a travesty!” Rarity whined. “My beautiful coat! This will take weeks of scrubbi-” She stopped complaining as she felt something grasp at the forelock of a back hoof. Hesitantly, Rarity turned her head toward the appendage. A single paw stuck up from the ground. It held a solid grip on her leg.

Rarity shot her terrified gaze to Pinkie Pie. “Help!” she cried before being pulled under.

“RARITY!” Pinkie screamed before she too was pulled into the hole closest to her by a single paw.

“What in tarnation?!” Applejack went under next.

Having been right next to the farm pony when she disappeared, the cowering mass that was Fluttershy screamed in terror. She too was pulled under.

With no further outbursts, all was silent. Trixie and Rainbow Dash looked this way and that, keeping their heads on swivels. Their hearts beat in their throats. Softly at first, the ground began to shake, quickly becoming a tremor of seismic proportions.

Trixie stomped. “You dare to challenge the Great and Powerful Trix- EEP!”

As Trixie was pulled under, leaving her all alone, Rainbow Dash shot into the air, hovering a meter above it. The ground ceased its rumbling. “Ha!” the pegasus taunted. “Whatcha’ gonna’ do now?”

It happened in a single heartbeat. That’s all the time it took, but Rainbow Dash’s trained eyes allowed her to see it all. Her challenge had been met. The ground burst open below and just ahead of her, and the torso of the largest Diamond Dog she’d ever seen came bursting forth.

He must have had seventeen piercings in his face and ears alone, and his fur was covered in strange tribal markings. His massive arms stretched out to his sides with biceps larger than Rainbow’s head. Just before he wrapped those monstrous arms around her lithe body, the dog bared his sharp teeth in a cocky grin. Unlike most diamond dogs, each of his teeth had been sharpened to a wicked point. With the wriggling pegasus firmly within his grasp, the Diamond Dog shot back into the ground with incredible speed. All was silent aboveground.

Trixie arose from her slumber with a groan. Eyes still closed, she attempted to nurse her throbbing head, but found them bound to a stone wall just behind her. The jingling of chains was alarming enough to make her eyes shoot open. Her head whipped up to survey her surroundings. She was met with the sight of all her friends similarly chained to the walls of a dark, dank room. Each pair of eyes was trained on her with a mixture of concern and, in some cases, impatience.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” Rainbow Dash greeted sarcastically. “Have a nice nap?”

“Ya’ sure were out for a long time. Y’alright, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, clearly more concerned than her brash pegasus friend.

With a groan, Trixie nodded. “Y-yeah. I’ll be fine. What happened?”

“The Diamond Dogs took us!” Pinkie replied, curiously enthusiastic. “Now that you’re awake, we can get out of here!”

“Ugh,” Rarity chimed in. “I just can’t catch a break from these brutes.”

“Wait,” Trixie asked the group, “Why did our escape depend on my consciousness?”

“W-well, we wanted to make sure you were alright before we tried to leave.” Fluttershy answered, stuttering as she often did in situations of a dangerous nature.

Rarity’s horn began to glow a bright blue. “Those dogs didn’t even bother to take away our magic. It’s like they wanted us to escape.” In a matter of seconds, her hooves were free, and the chains that had previously bound them fell to the floor with a clatter. “Ugh, my poor fetlocks are chafed. This is not how I like to be tied up.” Rarity whined, rubbing her sore hooves.

Ignoring Rarity’s complaint and inappropriately sensual comment, Trixie followed suit and freed herself from the wall before setting about unchaining Fluttershy. The unicorns made short work of the locks, and soon the entire group was free.

The room was made of solid limestone, but there was a golden door on the far end. It was the only conceivable exit, and there was no indication of a lock. “Oh this is too easy!” Rainbow Dash cheered as she flew toward the door.

Too late, Trixie realized just how easy this was. No one would go through so much trouble to abduct six ponies and drag them underground and make it so simple for them to escape. “Wait! It’s a trap!” she called out, but it was in vain. The door was already swinging open, only to reveal a massive Diamond Dog leering at them from the doorway.

“That didn’t take half as long as I expected it to. I owe a guy money now,” the dog joked. He grinned as he lifted a leg and kicked Rainbow Dash in the chest. The force was enough to blow the airborne pony across the room. Her surprised scream was cut short as she slammed into the opposite wall and fell unconscious to the floor.

The others watched her flight path, then turned to glare at the offender, several of them in fighting positions, ready to defend their friends. “Wrong move!” Applejack shouted. She turned and reared back to buck the dog in the chest in return, but he took advantage of her two-legged stance and stepped on her. He applied just enough pressure to push her down to the ground and make her cry out in pain.

“Do any of you other tiny ponies have any ideas about resistance?” The Diamond Dog asked, looking like he truly looked forward to beating up another.

Nevertheless, Trixie wouldn’t give up so easily. She had magic to protect her. “Yeah. I do!” she answered in defiance. Her horn glowed in a bright purple, and a magical, translucent suit of armor of the same hue apparated on her body. She charged at the dog as if she meant to skewer him.

The dog was unphased, and with lightning-like reflexes, he caught Trixie by the horn. Her spell was interrupted, and the armor disappeared as quickly as it had come. He lifted Trixie to eye level by her sensitive horn. She winced in pain, but managed to keep glaring at her foe.

“You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you?” He asked rhetorically. Trixie decided to respond by spitting in his face, and he scowled before throwing her to the ground near Rainbow Dash. He looked to Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy. “Anyone else?”

The remaining ponies simply slumped toward the ground. “Good,” the dog continued. “My name is Boros.” After the introduction, Boros lifted his boot from Applejack and kicked her across the room, sending her barreling straight for Pinkie Pie. The pair crashed to the ground together.

Fluttershy ran over to check on her friends, finding Applejack breathing with shallow, pained breaths. It was obvious she’d been badly injured. This left Rarity alone to address their abductor.

“What do you want with us, Boros? We’re on an important rescue mission, and we can’t afford any setbacks of this sort.”

Boros laughed cruelly, his eyes lighting up with a sick sort of joy. “I don’t care what you were doing before I caught you. You can all forget about your previous lives. You belong to me now, and soon you’ll belong to one of my clients. You can’t run, and you can’t hide, so don’t try again. Welcome to the slave trade!”

Boros turned to leave, but Fluttershy stopped him. “Wait!” she shouted, surprisingly forceful. “You’ve badly injured my friends. We need medicine and supplies enough to help them!”

Boros turned back around to look Fluttershy in the eye. She stared forward, not even flinching. “Why should I provide you with such things?” he asked. “What’s in it for me?”

“Money,” Fluttershy responded without missing a beat. When Boros raised a brow, she explained further. “We’ll be worth more to your clients in good, working order, won’t we?”

Boros chuckled. “Fair enough. You’ll have your medicine.” The door slammed shut, and the bolt could be heard from inside as it locked. The only sound left was the agonal breathing of the three heavily injured ponies lying on the floor.

“Three days,” Rarity complained from her spot on the floor. “Three days they’ve kept us in here. I thought we’d be auctioned off by now.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, though in her fatigue, it was fairly difficult to act annoyed. “Are you seriously complaining about not being sold off into slavery, Rares?”

“Of course I’m not,” Rarity defended, “I just don’t like to be kept waiting. It’s not as if I haven’t been in this position before. We’ll be fine.”

“This is a bit different, Rarity,” Applejack chimed in.

“Diamond Dogs are Diamond Dogs, Dear. How could it possibly be any different?” Rarity argued.

“Applejack is right, Rarity,” Trixie answered. “It’s already different. Don’t you understand the situation we’re in? Why I asked you all to move around as little as possible?”

“To be honest, Darling, I haven’t the faintest clue, but you said so with such… determination… who was I to refuse?”

“They’ve been feeding us once a day, and not nearly enough to feed us all,” Trixie explained. “They’re keeping us weak, making sure we can’t run on auction day. These aren’t your average Diamond Dogs. Boros’ crew has an impressive wit about them.”

The girls all voiced their understanding and agreement, save for Pinkie Pie. She laid in the corner of the room, snoring calmly, just as comfortable as if she were at home in her bed. She was aroused from her slumber, however, when the iron door opened up with a heavy groan. Each of the girls turned their attention to Boros as he stepped inside, two of his cronies following closely on his heels. His entire troupe of slavers wore studded leather armor that covered most of their body, and each of them dwarfed the Diamond Dogs near Ponyville in size.

“Rise and shine, ponies. T’day’s the day,” Boros boomed in his deep baritone. His accent was strangely Trottingham in nature, only adding to the thuggish persona he had going on. He licked his yellowed fangs as he salivated, clearly thinking of all the money he was about to make.

The two dogs accompanying Boros pushed past him, honing in on Rarity and Trixie. They’d been allowed their magic thus far, but it seemed Boros would take no risks with his clientele. They were each fitted with an inhibitor ring to dull their magic. They both winced as the energy began to build up behind the ring, causing their heads to pound with each beat of their hearts.

“Alright, get up! We can’t be late! Best not be keeping your new masters waitin’,” Boros commanded, a sinister grin spreading across his face. Most of the girls rose slowly, shaky on their hooves.

Pinkie, on the other hand, stretched and yawned. “Wowie!” she exclaimed. “I take a two day nap, and I get a field trip right after? This is going to be fun~!” There was a devilish glint in her eye, and she bounced up and hopped over to join the others with a surprising amount of energy. Not one of the girls knew what the pink furball had up her sleeves, but one thing was certain: when Pinkie Pie said there was going to be fun, it didn’t bode well for her captors...

All that Glitters

“I’m trottin’ on sunshine! Woohoo~! I’m trottin’ on sunshine! Woohoo~! And I feel -oof!” Pinkie was cut off as a big burly Diamond Dog kicked her unceremoniously in the side. “Hey! Ya’ big meanie! What was that for?”

“Just keep walking,” the dog barked, not even glancing in the pink party pony’s direction.

Pinkie sighed and glared forward with a huff. These Diamond Dogs were no fun, no fun at all. She looked each of her friends over with concern as they shuffled their hooves across the dirt before her. Even Rarity seemed too tired to care. They’d been sleeping in dirt for days now anyway. That was no fun. Pinkie didn’t care, of course, but she cared that her friends cared.

They were being led down a dark tunnel toward who knows where. Pinkie’s head whipped back and forth as she took in her surroundings. Not one to let a dull moment pass, Pinkie began to catalog ‘fun’. Her hooves and those of her friends were all tethered together by thick chains that weighed heavily upon the already exhausted ponies. That wasn’t fun. Their Diamond Dog escorts kept poking them with cattle prods every time they slowed down. That definitely wasn’t fun. Even Diamond Dogs couldn’t see in complete darkness, so they took advantage of local flora. There was a special kind of luminescent mushroom apparently indigenous to these caves, and they utilized them as a light source. Now that was fun. Pinkie wondered if she made them into a soup if it would glow in the dark. Would it make her teeth glow? Maybe her tongue? She giggled as she thought about a floating tongue in the dark. It reminded her of one of Rainbow Dash’s terrible old scary movies.

“Attack of the floating tongue~! WoOoOoOo~!” she exclaimed with a giggle and a snort. Rainbow Dash seemed to catch on pretty quick and snickered in kind. This resulted in each of them being prodded in the behind, eliciting squeals of pain from each of them…

Worth it…

Up ahead in the distance, Pinkie thought she started to see a bright, shimmering light. She squinted, her neck stretching over the others to try to get a better look. It kept getting larger and larger, brighter than before. It wasn’t long before she found she didn’t even have to strain to see it. The mushrooms around them dimmed as the light washed over them. The light became blinding for a moment as they exited the tunnel, and as eyesight returned to the group, they gasped in awe at the sight before them.

Here it was, the jewel of Equestria long lost to any existing manuscripts. This was the place many an adventurer had fought and died to see. This was the City of Gold. “If Twilight was here, she’d go nuts,” Rainbow Dash observed. Even she seemed entranced by the beauty of it all. Unfortunately, that meant they’d all stopped moving. Applejack held up the front. As such, she was the one poked forward. Reluctantly, she trudged along, dragging the rest of the girls with her, a chorus of grumbles echoing along with them.

The city was a massive beehive in shape and just as busy. The place was teeming with Diamond Dogs and ponies alike, though it seemed the latter were of a working class, slaves to Diamond Dog masters. It seemed many of those adventurers had found their city, and now their descendants were paying the price.

Massive rope bridges stretched across the crevice on all levels and in all different directions, and the ponies chipped away at the walls with hammer and chisel, carving intricate designs into the golden surface of the walls. Ordinarily, Pinkie categorized art as fun, but there was nothing fun about this situation. Nothing at all.

The girls seemed to be herded upwards. Pinkie had lost count of how many bridges they’d crossed already, but each of them connected to the next level up. Entrusting her direction to the chains pulling her along, she looked up above toward the top levels of the city. Some sort of glowing red jewel illuminated the massive space, its light reflecting off the meticulously polished gold, and under that jewel was a massive shape suspended in the center. The raucous clamor of dogs upon this platform suggested that their destination was the same. Pinkie grinned from ear to ear. The more, the merrier. She was about to throw the best party ever.

It seemed they’d been walking for an hour before they finally arrived. The crowd was massive, and they all chanted in unison, smacking staffs to the platform. It shook dangerously below them, but none seemed to care in their excitement. If Pinkie wasn’t so loud, she wouldn’t have been able to hear herself think.

In the center of the platform sat a hideous blob of a dog, more fat than bone on him. A large decorative crown sat atop his head, and he held a golden scepter in his right paw. The jewel at its tip nearly had Rarity drooling, though she composed herself nicely, as a lady does.

The fat dog king let out a booming and joyous laugh that somehow cut through the noise of the crowd, though that ceased soon after as he stood up, a truly impressive feat considering his mass.

“Boros! My brother!” he greeted. It was unclear if he was speaking literally or not, but Pinkie giggled under her breath at the thought of the two being brothers. “Bring the fresh meat forward! Let me see what you have to offer us!”

For the first time ever, Boros seemed nervous. He was a terrifying individual. It sent a shiver down Pinkie’s spine to think he could be afraid of anything but his own reflection, but the signs were clear. His eyes were wide, his lips were quivering. Even his ears betrayed him, now plastered to the sides of his head. He eventually caught on to Pinkie’s staring and kicked her backside with a short growl. “Move up, pink one,” he commanded. Pinkie held up the rear, so she nudged Rainbow Dash, who nudged Rarity and so on and so forth until they were marching forward in unison. They were nearing King Blob now, close enough to be crushed if he were to suddenly realize his heart was half cholesterol and fall to his death. The king bent forward, looming over the ponies just to get a good look at them. He was supporting a good portion of his weight on the scepter, it’s soft metal bowing slightly from the pressure.

The king sneered and let out a low throaty chuckle. His putrid breath wafted over the crowd. The dogs seemed unaffected, but several of the ponies gagged as the scent hit their nostrils. Even Applejack’s eyes watered in response to the musty, rotten breath.

“I am King Titanus, little ones,” he announced. His eyes glowed bright red, and the world around him seemed to darken. A powerful, foreboding feeling washed over the ponies. It was clear that strong magic was at play, but only Pinkie noticed an important detail. The magic wasn’t coming from King Titanus himself, rather the staff he held. It glowed along with his eyes, just as bright. Well that… that seemed like a whole lot of fun…

The rest of the ponies were struggling against the pressure of the magic. Applejack and Trixie seemed to be fighting back the hardest, stubborn as they were. Not even Trixie had a plan to get out of this, occupied as she was. It was taking all the willpower she had just to keep standing.

Titanus’ spell intensified, and all the ponies fell to the ground. His laughter boomed throughout the cavernous city. “Ah you ponies are tenacious, but all bow before the might of Titanus in the end!” The crowd roared with approval. “You all belong to me now, as part of my empire!”

“Are there games in your empire?” Pinkie interjected. There was a smile on her face and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. It was clear she was tired, yet she still persevered. This puzzled the mighty king. He leaned forward more, ever so slightly. His face neared Pinkie’s, and his eyes searched hers. No matter how hard he tried, Titanus failed to detect any ill will in the pony, but he couldn’t help feel she had something planned

“There are no games here, little one,” Titanus answered bitterly. His brow furrowed in contemplation. “There is something in your eyes I have not seen in nearly two centuries. Who are you?”

Pinkie fought not to gag in disgust as word after word sent his breath washing over her. It made her hairs stand on end and her nares flare, but she held her gaze firmly on the king. “Oh, I’m just a pony who really likes to have fun!” she answered with a cheeky grin. “Do you like to have fun?”

Titanus opened his mouth as if to give Pinkie an answer, but her narrative barrelled forward without one. “I bet you do! Say, you know what sounds like fun? Rolling! I bet if all of us were to roll right now, we’d have so much fun! What do you think?”

The jewel on Pinkie’s necklace glowed brightly, but not as bright as her smile as she giggled. An energy washed over the ponies, as if Pinkie was beating back the magic of the scepter. With their heads clear, the girls began understanding what Pinkie had planned, yet Titanus remained confused.

His confusion yet remained even as Pinkie began to count down. “To the right on three! One! Two! ...Three!” she shouted. In unison, the ponies each rolled to the right. “Aaaaand left!” Pinkie commanded once more. The ponies followed, barrelling to the left, right into Boros and the king’s scepter.

At this point, a number of events took place. As Applejack rolled into the scepter, it gave way, flying out of Titanus’ grip and causing the obese king to tumble forward. With a gleeful cry, Pinkie rolled into Boros like a bowling ball, sending him sailing over the ponies as his legs were swept from under him only to be slammed to the ground as the full weight of King Titanus crashed over him.

With deft reflexes, Rainbow Dash clutched his key ring in her teeth as he sailed past and began unchaining herself and her friends. The scepter fell from the platform entirely, and when it finally hit the ground, the jewel shattered. This was Pinkie’s favorite part. After all, what was a good party without a light show?

The shattered jewel released shockwave after shockwave of pure magical energy, causing the entire cavern to quake. Unaccustomed to such abuse to its inner chambers, it seemed the entire city was ready to collapse. “Well, it’s been fun, but the party’s over! Let’s get out of here!” Pinkie cried. She could barely be heard over the cries of the diamond dogs and slave ponies.

Rainbow Dash had already taken flight, but she paused and turned to face the calamity they were leaving in their wake. A knot formed in her stomach. “Wait!” she pleaded, “What about all those ponies down there? We can’t just let them all die!”

The girls looked around themselves guiltily. Leaving the ponies, even the Diamond Dogs, to be crushed under the weight of an entire city would be abhorrent. Not a single one of them could live on in peace after such genocide.

“But how?” Rarity inquired hopelessly. “There’s no time! How will we ever get ourselves out of this mess?”

Trixie slumped to the ground, rubbing her hooves into her temples. Rarity made a valid point. Only two of them had wings, and there were no access points to the surface in sight. If someone didn’t do something to fix this quick, none of them would have to worry about living with what they’d done; they’d all be dead.

“Oh Luna,” she whined under her breath. “What do we do?” In response, her element began to shine. She gasped and rose to her hooves as a purple light shot from it in all directions. It bathed her surroundings in a violet sheen and seemed to stop time in its tracks. As the quaking and screaming around her ceased, so too did her own breath, even her heart beat slowed to a stop, yet she moved around freely. Those who had begun to flee were frozen in their tracks, and Rainbow Dash hovered almost lifelessly above.

Curious, Trixie wandered to the edge of the rickety platform and peered below. It seemed the entire city was enveloped in the same magic. Squinting her eyes, she attempted to spot the bottom. Unfortunately, it seemed that while the magic did cast everything into shades of purple, it provided no additional light.

“Beatrix!”

Trixie startled at the sound of her own name, flailing as she almost met an untimely demise at the hooves of gravity. After taking a step back, she swung around to address the voice, coming face to face with her master.

Luna smiled warmly, though it was clear she was merely an illusionary projection. She was completely monochromatic, presenting to her student as a translucent blue specter.

“Princess Luna!” Trixie called out in surprise. “How are you here? How did you find me?” she asked, clearly astounded. Just moments ago, she was readying herself for what were undoubtedly going to be her final moments, yet now she found herself moving freely in a fragment of time accompanied by the very mare she had called out for in desperation.

“Night has fallen, Beatrix. I am capable of appearing before you for this reason alone, but I know not where you are. In a way, it is you who has summoned my projection here, as it is your power which has called out to me. I find this quite impressive, I might add. How have you managed such a feat?”

Trixie furrowed her brow in contemplation. “I-I don’t really know, but that’s not really important right now,” she responded. “My friends and I are trapped in an underground cavern that’s about to collapse!”

The small smile that had been playing upon Luna’s lips vanished. “My range of vision is limited in this state, Beatrix, so I cannot offer much in the way of advice,” she responded apologetically. “That being the case, I do believe I can be of assistance in a less direct capacity. This illusion is imbued with my essence, and with it a fraction of my power. Come closer so that I may bestow this power upon you for a time.”

Understanding fully how desperate the situation had become, Trixie wasted no time in approaching her master’s projection. Right now, worrying about what this power might do to her was not a luxury the illusionist could afford. This had to be done.

Once close enough, Trixie stood expectantly before Luna. The princess lowered her head, touching her horn to Trixie’s. In no more than a fraction of a second, the projection was sucked into Trixie and altogether vanished. All around her, the world came roaring back to life, but Trixie was oblivious.

Looking not unlike the breath had been knocked from her lungs, Trixie convulsed in place. Her entire body shook at an incredible rate as she gasped for air, struggling to pull anything into her lungs. Her friends and the diamond dogs who had not yet fled the area all stopped to watch her, some with concern, others confusion.

Trixie shut her eyes tight for a moment, and when they reopened, they gave forth a brilliant white light. Her body ceased its vibrations as her hooves left the ground. The mare let out a pained cry as the sheer force of alicorn magic rocked through her frail unicorn frame. It felt to her as if her insides were liquefying and her skin was on fire. Prolonged use of Princess Luna’s power would surely kill her, of this she was certain.

That meant there was no time to waste, and Trixie began to rise, taking with her first the platform on which her friends stood, but soon the entire cavern began to follow suit. The quaking of the earth only intensified, yet not a single chamber of the city collapsed. When the topmost levels of the golden city broke through the surface, the light of the moon began to shine through ancient windows long since forgotten. Even underground aqueducts beneath the city rose with it, becoming a lake and rivers stretching beyond its borders, a magical oasis to break the monotony of the arid badlands, an expansive city of gold at its center.

All this time, Titanus struggled to rise to his paws, and when he finally did, he turned toward Trixie with rage in his heart and fire in his eyes. Unable to contain her borrowed power, Trixie still hovered in midair like a lifeless magical husk. The land surrounding the city grew increasingly lush. Trixie’s own life force was being poured into the spell, spreading throughout everything within its reach.

“How dare you, vile witch!” Titanus cried out. Boros lied lifelessly at his feet. It was unclear if he had been crushed to death in an instant or if he had suffocated under the mass of his king. “Return my city to the depths and die within its walls!” He struck out with an engorged paw and connected with Trixie’s side. His claws dug easily into her flesh, and the force behind his strike sent her soaring toward the city walls.

Rainbow Dash blew past the gathered crowd to catch her before she crashed to her death, but no one made any attempts to save Titanus as his momentum threw him over the platform’s edge… and to his death below.

Cradling Trixie, Rainbow lowered herself to the ground. No sooner had she set her heavily injured friend on the ground when she found herself surrounded by Diamond Dogs, each of them pointing their spears in her direction. With tears both hot and wild, she growled up at them. Several backed away. These ponies had shown themselves to be capable of impossible acts, and many of the dogs were wising to this fact.

Fluttershy pushed past them, not even taking the time to apologize as she rushed to Trixie’s aid. After no more than a moment’s glance, she turned back toward their former captors. Her eyes wide, pupils merely pinpricks, she looked upon them in terror, not in fear of the dogs, but for her friend’s life. “She needs medical assistance now!” she implored insistently. “Please help me!”

Unable to argue with such a request, most of the dogs dropped their spears. They were still clattering to the ground when a few had already rushed to assist the ponies. Fluttershy flew alongside them as Trixie was whisked away. The rest of the girls, in addition to several of the slave ponies, followed closely behind, ready to lend help wherever they could.

Down they traveled, rushing to the ground level and out of the central palace. The city may have been raised to the surface, but its structure remained largely the same. There was no need to wind through the city in search of the hospital. Instead, the group was led there in a matter of minutes. Each second that ticked by counted down toward Trixie’s death…

Upon arrival, several surgeons took Trixie from Fluttershy and wheeled her on a stretcher into an operating room. She was in capable hands, but it would still be several hours before anyone left the room.

By that time, many curious ponies and dogs had come and gone, but the girls each remained. Quietly, they supported each other and waited for any news. When someone finally emerged from the operating room, the sun was rising on the horizon. A Diamond Dog with a fairly small physique stumbled into the waiting area and wiped his brow with the back of a paw. His auburn coat was peppered with grey and his tired eyes spoke of his age. They scanned the room until they fell upon the girls, and he released a small sigh of relief.

As he approached them, he smiled kindly and greeted them. This alone seemed to put them more at ease. “Good morning, ponies. My name is Felix. I’m the attending on shift, and I have some great news,” he began. No one interrupted, but they each set their gaze upon him in quiet anticipation. As soon as it was clear he had their undivided attention, he continued. “Your friend suffered from obvious lacerations to her side, but there was an incredible amount of internal damage. There was blood in her brain in several spots, there is evidence that she underwent several seizures one after another, and there are hairline stress fractures present in nearly every bone of her body, but I’m confident that after hours of surgery and a few weeks of rest, she will make a full recovery.”

He smiled once more as relief washed over the faces of his audience and they began to rejoice. “Can we see her yet? Is she awake?” Rarity asked, hope in her eyes.

Felix shook his head with a frown. “Unfortunately not. Miss Lulamoon is still recovering and will need a lot of rest in the near future. In the meantime, I can see about providing lodging for you all. I’d like to keep your friend here for a time to monitor her recovery.”

Rarity nodded her understanding. “That’s reasonable,” she responded. She gasped as a thought crossed her mind. “Someone absolutely must notify the princesses! I’m sure there are situations here they would prefer to handle personally.”

Rainbow Dash let loose a drawn out, clearly fake groan as she began to stretch. “Okay, okay. I guess I can fly back and let ‘em know since Spike isn’t around. That’ll give me a chance to check up on the little guy anyway. Don’t you guys leave without me, ‘kay?” With a wink and a grin, Rainbow Dash was gone. Even she knew it was a bad idea to travel back through the Everfree. If Trixie needed to rest for a matter of weeks, there wasn’t much that could be done about that. That was just as well, Rainbow Dash thought as she soared through the air. The safest path back to Canterlot would take her several days at top speed.

Author's Note

Well guys, I'm really sorry this took so long. The chapter underwent several pretty drastic changes during production, and progress was halted altogether for weeks while I figured out how the hell they were gonna' get out of that! :twilightoops:

I've gone over this several times with a fine-toothed comb, but it hasn't been touched by an editor. I'm sure there are glaring errors I've missed, so please let me know, and I'll do what I can to fix them. :twilightsheepish:

As always, please leave a comment below and let me know how I'm doing. Believe it or not, the more of those I get, the quicker I tend to write. :raritywink: :heart:

A Mare of Constant Sorrow

"Trixie?" The muffled voice barely reached her ears through the door and over her pained sobs. "Trixie, Darling, let us in."

Knock. Knock.

"Go away!" Trixie shouted at the offending noises. They broke her away from the perfect little hole she had dug for herself. There, she would slowly waste away. She could leave the constant misfortune of her life behind. "Trixie wishes to be alone!" She was speaking in third pony again, the tell-tale sign she was trying to shut her friends out, if locking herself in Twilight's room wasn't enough indication.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Apparently, it was not.

Trixie sighed. She could hear the others having a muffled conversation right outside the door. Several minutes after Twilight had been abducted, Trixie ran away. She didn't stop until she made it to the bed she was currently curled up in, and even Rainbow Dash couldn't catch her somehow. They each sounded concerned, some on the verge of frantic. No doubt, they were already planning just how they would save Twilight. After all, they were the many-times-over saviors of Equestria. But Trixie? Trixie was just a simple showmare. Even if she was student to Princess Luna, she was newly indoctrinated.

Slowly, she breathed in the sweet scent of Twilight on the pillow she had shoved her muzzle into, savoring the smell of maple and lavender. Her horn began to glow with a soft, blue light as she raised her head. All around her, images of Twilight began to appear, each just as beautiful as the next. Every situation Trixie had ever seen the alicorn in played out before her in just a few seconds. Every single expression she'd seen her lover make her own became a part of the slide show. The last expression bore into her mind. The image haunted her. That look of shock, horror...pain. "How could I possibly hope to save Twilight Sparkle from anything that managed to overpower her? She's far stronger than me! And she was...terrified."

"Well, you could certainly be doing more than this, don't you think?" The smooth, slightly condescending voice of Discord came from above. Rolling over, Trixie found him sitting on a raincloud he had placed comically above her head. Where the rain was disappearing to before it hit her would forever be a mystery.

"What, so you can read minds now?" Trixie snarled at the draconequus. She had little patience for his mind-numbing antics.

"My dear magician, it doesn't take a mind reader to see how helpless you feel in this situation."

Trixie's patience level for the chaos spirit wasn't improving. "What do you want Discord?" She asked, impatience evident in her tone. In her experiences with him, the draconequus never did anything that didn't in some way benefit himself unless Fluttershy was involved.

Discord feigned being hurt by the accusation. "What do I want?" He gasped theatrically. "I can't help a friend in need without expecting something in return?" Trixie raised a bemused eyebrow at the question until Discord finally gave in. With a sigh, he rolled his eyes and snapped his talons. "Fluttershy asked me to let her in." The door was gone, replaced by a small tree with leg-like roots. It took chase from nothing in particular down the stairs. As it reached freedom, it shouted out into the night air, "Leeeeroooy Jenkiiins!!!"

The floating draconequus easily dodged the lightning bolt shot his way as the other six made their way into the bedroom. Trixie gave the entire group a bemused glare, but they just looked back at her with concerned expressions. An image of Twilight was still floating next to them. Subconciously, she had given her a similar expression. After several seconds, Trixie turned her head away as the tears started to make their way back to the edges of her eyes.

Unsurprisingly, it was Rainbow Dash that came to her side and wrapped a warm, comforting wing around the blue unicorn. Once Rainbow Dash had defended her before the entire town, the two had become close friends, and the cyan pegasus seemed to be comfortable with her at a level she reserved for only three other ponies: Scootaloo, Spitfire and Twilight. "Hey. Cheer up, Trix." Rainbow nudged her friend with a shoulder to no avail. Still trying to reassure the unicorn, she said, "I'm sure Twilight will be fine. She's too smart to get beat by some weird smoke thing. She was just caught off guard!"

Trixie smiled sadly at her pegasus friend, thankful for the moral support, but it was wiped away when a troubling thought came to mind. "That's just it, though," Trixie whispered darkly, just loud enough for the whole group to hear her. "We have no idea what we're up against..."

Discord snorted in amusement. "Obscurity always was good at that," He mused.

"What was that?" Fluttershy eyed the chaos spirit suspiciously.

Discord's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. The draconequus' left ear decided at that moment to grow a small arm and slap his mouth off his face. It flew across the room and made a wet, slapping sound as it hit the wall. "I'm sorry!" it cried. It was unclear if the dislocated orifice spoke to Fluttershy or Discord. He cringed back as Fluttershy got dangerously close to his face, a harsh expression painting her normally serene features. "Discord, if you don't tell us what you know about this right now, then.....I won't make my spaghetti for you ever again!"

That did him in. He would rather give up his place as her lover and friend than give up her spaghetti.It seemed to be a divine gift from the gods, themselves! From the first bite, he'd been addicted. A new mouth grew onto his muzzle like his life depended on it. He wasn't smiling. "A-alright," He conceded, "I'll tell you everything I know..."

Author's Note

I heard this one time Discord accidentally ate Twilight's stomach. He never did tell anyone what happened to that spaghetti... (Surry knows. :rainbowlaugh: )

I'm sorry this took so long to start up again, but your patience has paid off. Here it is! I hope to be updating this more regularly now that I've started it, so look forward to more soon. :pinkismile: :heart:

I feel so fortunate for having such a loyal fanbase and friends like you guys. Please leave your comments below. I love reading them, good and bad. :twilightsmile: