Chapter 1: Fighting Tears
Princess Twilight Sparkle remembered the sweetness of her youth like it was yesterday. She made her way through the wild world with guidance from her beloved older brother Shining Armor. It was the sweetest thing any pony observing from the outside could see.
“I promise I’ll be your BBBFF forever.” Shining told his little sister Twilight.
“I promise too!” young Twilight chirped sweetly.
At the present moment Twilight’s nice memories were merely that. She found herself enduring hardship as princess like she’d never known. Oh how Twilight longed for the wonder of what childhood with her family was. What really is an adult pony anyway? It’s a miserable little pile of wishes for better things.
Such a long time had elapsed since the loving times with Shining. It was unquestionably time to make due on that earlier promise.
Twilight and her five closest friends were suited in battle attire marching towards Canterlot. Equestria was rapidly falling to the forces of darkness.
“Like I promised, you’ll always be my BBBFF and I’m here for you Shining!” Twilight said quietly.
Twilight held back any remote thought of tears as she galloped forward in her quest. This quest would require nothing short of the destruction of hated enemies. Her mind was in a rage unlike the princess her friends knew; a princess which no Equestrian had seen before.
It would be only a couple of hours until the Dark Union’s executioners would have Shining, Cadence, Luna, and Celestia put to death. That is a couple of hours assuming the monsters were telling the truth and not just putting Twilight and her friends on edge.
Having the life of her brother, sister in law, and the other princesses on direct deadlines brought out the worst in Twilight Sparkle. She would show the utmost ruthlessness in dealing with the villains who had taken over Equestria and threatened the murder of those she holds most dear. There was no lesson of friendship that could stop these fiends. Sometimes a righteous pony just had to use a touch of malevolence. There was a point where diplomacy had simply failed.
The group was a mile outside of the demonically twisted post-invasion Canterlot. The two horrific leaders of the Dark Union had set themselves up as totalitarian rulers and would not stop at anything short of total domination.
They would not have their domination. Twilight would make sure of it. Shining Armor and the others would be free. In the solidarity of friendship, Twilight’s friends shared her fierce sentiment.
“None of the changeling freaks will survive. Every last one is going down, and then I’ll strangle Chrysalis with Sombra’s mane.” Twilight roared aloud.
Her friends were shocked to hear that from her, but sympathetic to the cause nevertheless.
“We’re here for ya Twi.” Applejack said in sort of a mumble with a sword in her mouth.
“Glad.” Twilight replied unusually simply and bluntly with her axe still holstered, but the intent to dissect some oversized bugs still in order.
Pinkie ran unusually fast with her party cannon in tow loaded with ball bearings meant to destroy changeling monsters.
“Does anypony here think grounded changeling hooves may make a nice cupcake ingredient? It crossed my mind.” The thrilled Pinkie shouted.
“Pinkie, as dreadful as that sounds those ghastly bugs deserve nothing better.” Rarity replied with displeasure about the situation. She had holstered on her sided a morning star whip for smashing changeling skulls.
“I uh, agree with you all.” Fluttershy added with a crossbow holstered on her side.
“I wanna be the one to finish off Sombra. I can’t stand for what he did to the crystal ponies let alone this. Equestria has no Dark Child of Oblivion to fear!” Rainbow Dash added with her crossbow ready to snipe down the disgusting insects.
Twilight knew in her mind that she would be the one to finish off the King and Queen herself. Twilight’s magic was very beneficial to this quest. She had gained amazing powers including the ability to shape shift ponies into breezies. She could now unmask disguised changelings with relative ease. Their infiltration tactics wouldn’t work on the mane six now that the invasion was known. They had to be ready to fight to the death.
While the group was still over a mile from Canterlot castle, a battalion of changelings came into sight and pressed forward.
“Hold it changelings. I’m the interim leader of Equestria now and I invoke diplomatic privilege in meeting with the King and Queen of the Dark Union. Grant me and my court mares passage and reception. I warn of consequences for non-compliance.”
“Ponies enemies of the Union. Must be executed.” The changeling commander said in a strange accent with obviously poor grammar.
“It doesn’t look like they’ll settle for a diplomatic solution.” Twilight said to her friends.
“Seize ponies.” The changeling officer slurred to its subordinates.
Twilight crossed her eyes and plunged into the heat of battle. Her friends followed suit.
Twilight magically levitated her axe and decapitated the spear wielding hoplite of the frontline. His purplish blood splashed on the surrounding troops and his head bumped into the commanding officer’s shoulder.
Pinkie then fired her party cannon into the crowd mortally wounding at least three and causing another three to fall to the ground with serious injuries. Another changeling tripped on a severed leg of one of the more mutilated casualties of that attack.
“WOO HOO! I think I bowled a strike!” Pinkie shouted and gathered up a broken changeling hoof.
“Sugarcube, this ain’t bowling. Don’t insult good pins like that.” Applejack said with a maniacal smile.
Applejack then wielded her sword with two hooves and stabbed a changeling soldier so deeply it went an inch into its heart. She then propelled herself on the sword in the monster and did a flying kick to another, sending him flying into the spear blade of another changeling’s. The spear wielder shrieked as the blood of his best comrade splashed in its face and made him flinch one eye.
Rarity then used her magic to levitate her morning star whip. She swung it mightily and it crashed into one changeling’s head killing him and hit another knocking him unconscious all in a single swing.
“You people are so uncouth!” Rarity sneered with a beautiful smile on her elegant face.
The most impressive combatant was Fluttershy. She grasped the crossbow in her hooves and shot five arrows in less than ten seconds. Each was a direct fatal hit in a changeling’s eye.
“Oh, did I do that?” Fluttershy remarked.
Rainbow Dash swung low with her spear and impaled two changelings at once. She lifted them up into the air and dropped them on another rendering it unconscious.
“You freaks don’t stand a chance!” Rainbow proudly proclaimed.
Finally, Twilight hurled her axe at the changeling commanding officer and lethally split its cranium at the forehead. More purplish blood sprayed around. Twilight retrieved the axe with levitation and wiped it off with a small cloth.
The mane six were winning the battle against the numerically superior changelings. The shape shifting beasts were filled with fear and beginning to retreat back to the tainted headquarters. It was hard to believe that all of this violence was spearheaded by Twilight, but it was occurring in the name of anguished love. That was the simple reality.
“They’re running! Let’s follow them!” Twilight said in a context and manner genuinely much like she was the greatest general in Equestrian history.
The normally brave Applejack ironically posed the first question of mild dissent to the situation.
“Twi, could they be leading us into a trap? We beat the living tartarus out of their ugly flanks so far, but are we that good or are they sacrificial enough to lay out some fancy snare?”
It was a reasonable quandary. Twilight thought for a moment.
“Good thinking Applejack. Let’s just trail them from some distance and not pursue the fight for a moment. We’ll still be at the castle quickly.”
Twilight glanced at the desolate wreck that was once the beautiful Canterlot.
“Shining my BBBFF please be alive.” Twilight thought as a tear finally escaped the edge of her right eye.
The mane six reached the castle and a surprisingly small regiment of changelings formed a cordon at the gate.
“You know what to do Pinkie!” Twilight declared.
“Party time!” Pinkie answered as she fired the party cannon into the enemy line and cleared the way.
As the mane six charged forward to the castle gate, they crashed into an invisible force field. It took half a minute for the group to regain their sense of coordination.
“I should have known! I should have known!” Twilight screamed while tearfully enraged.
“Of course they’d have some other plan like this. They can’t put up a good fight so of course they would.” Applejack lamented.
“Never mind the fight! This is about my brother and sister in law’s lives!” Twilight roared before regaining superficial self composure.
“Sorry Applejack and everypony. You really are the best friends anypony could have. Nopony has a future if we don’t stop the Dark Union. Even if we can’t save Shining and the others we still have to press forward somehow for this nation to survive.”
“How do we get in? I don’t think even Pinkie’s cannon can just blast through magic.” Rarity pondered.
Fluttershy carefully observed the surroundings of the castle. A few vines and trees were straddling both sides of the force field.
“Well, the plants don’t seem to be stopped by this force field. Look.” She said.
“Of course!” Twilight shouted. “As unnatural as these creatures are it makes sense that nature can bypass their magic tricks.”
She then enacted a spell that caused the vines to grow wildly and pull apart a hole in the now visible force field before their eyes.
“Twilight. Fluttershy. You ponies are brilliant.” Rarity said.
“Now we can go kick some more freaky changeling flank!” Rainbow Dash announced.
“Just remember why we’re here. If anything we want to be as calculated as possible so as not to jeopardize the lives of our friends and Shining. If they’re still alive.” Twilight countered.
Chapter 2: Into the Cauldron of Obscurica
“They’re still alive sugarcube. I feel it.” Applejack said in a comforting tone.
“I hope so. Thanks AJ. Let’s go inside, but keep your eyes open everypony.” Twilight commanded.
The interior of Canterlot castle looked alien, to put it lightly. The old architecture was hybridized with dark “growth” that could best be described as insect-like in nature. An eerie dim greenish glow permeated the atmosphere. Statues were smashed and strewn about. A damaged but still recognizable portrait of Celestia could be seen on the floor as the ponies slowly walked by.
Twilight briefly thought at the sight of it of how she could use some advice from Celestia now.
“This is awful.” Fluttershy said solemnly.
“I know. May I add that their sense of décor is a capital offense?” Rarity quietly quipped.
“Do you think they know we’re in?” Pinkie whispered.
“After the big flank kicking fight we gave them on the way here I’m sure they do. It seems unusually quiet in here considering.” Rainbow Dash added.
Twilight continued down the hall with a stance of bitterness and vengeance strangely balanced in her soul. Her axe was at the ready for any Dark Union soldier who may ask to die with its mere presence. The other ponies were in much the same readied position both physically and mentally.
They reached the stairs leading to Celestia’s former throne. Traces of blood were around, but for some reason none of the mane six could quite figure why there seemed to be a lack of bodies of the former royal guards. In fact, nopony living or dead could be seen in the vicinity. It was rather mysterious given the earlier encounter outside.
“Where is my brother? Where are my friends?” Twilight demanded suddenly (and seemingly in vain) directing her voice to an unseen Chrysalis and Sombra.
The other ponies were a bit surprised. For some reason they were also surprised when there was an answer by a sinister female voice.
“You sound worried. There is a perfectly good chance they are having a good time though.” The voice answered cynically. It was without doubt Chrysalis.
“And another question, where are YOU?” Twilight yelled with her horn magic subtly surrounding her readied axe.
“Ha ha, I’m everywhere foolish princess.” The voice said with the word princess in a detectably mocking tone.
“Your love of your brother and friends is energizing me in a way. That’s the only reason they’re still alive.” The voice continued. “I can’t say they’ll be alive for long within the changeling realm in the Cauldron of Obscurica though.”
“What? Cauldron of Obscurica?” Twilight queried with displeasure.
“The place of origin of changelings can be found through it ignorant one. The primitive changelings in there feast so ravenously on love that they drain the very life force of their… food. Sombra has enchanted it to make changelings entering Equestria even stronger. You’ve lost.” The voice of Chrysalis explained.
Chrysalis was playing a dreadful mind game to reveal this to Twilight, knowing she couldn’t doom her brother and friends by trying to destroy the Cauldron. Furthermore going through it would spell certain death. Still, Twilight thought that if she could find it Shining Armor and the others would be on the other side. Perhaps they could be seen alive one last time…
“Look, there! That’s gotta be it!” Applejack shouted and pointed behind the throne.
There stood a black cauldron. It had a more pronounced glowing green mist emanating from it than the surrounding air. It was surprisingly not very tall but wide enough for two ponies to easily fit inside.
“We have to go into the changelings’ world if we’ll ever see our friends again!” Twilight said.
“Somehow I don’t think it’ll be a party in there.” Pinkie said randomly.
“What if this is a trap?” Rarity dissented.
Twilight was normally rational enough to consider that herself, but in the heat of emotion for her loved ones somehow she needed Rarity to give her the second opinion.
“Now I don’t know. Maybe if some of us are going to make it we can split up into two teams.” Twilight answered.
“I need two of you to go with me. I don’t know if we’ll survive but...” Twilight began before Applejack and Rainbow Dash stepped forward and almost simultaneously said “I’ll go.”
Another tear of love escaped Twilight’s left eye.
“Then the rest of you search the castle for survivors. Be on guard for the enemy. Both friends and enemies have to be somewhere.” Twilight instructed.
“Do be careful in that dreadful world.” Rarity said with a glint of sadness.
“Don’t forget to giggle at the ghosties. Never let them get to you!” Pinkie added.
“I wish you the best girls. Please find them and come back OK.” Fluttershy said tearfully.
After a broad exchange of hugs, Twilight dutifully plunged into the Cauldron followed by Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
“Good luck girls.” Rarity said softly.
The descent into the parallel realm was like a quick strange hallucination. Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash found themselves lying on the ground when they woke up. What a strange ground it was.
The landscape was like something out of an electron microscopy image. The landscape was like the contaminated ruins of Canterlot castle amplified. Black and mildly luminescent green were the dominant colors. The landscape was rocky and slightly resembling of the desert of Appleoosa in a way save for the uncanny color. A flock of strange winged creatures flew overhead. It was a world fitting of the bizarre dark hearts of Chrysalis and Sombra.
“What the hay? Is this Tartarus?” Applejack broke the silence and asked.
“Could be. I rightly guessed that the changelings didn’t come from paradise. I’m ready to trash some more of them by the way.” Rainbow Dash replied.
“Where could Shining Armor and the others be though?” Twilight thought aloud.
In this weird world there did appear to be sort of civilized settlement a bit over half a mile ahead. Without words, the three pony friends simultaneously looked towards it and thought the same thing.
“May as well start this way.” Twilight pointed and led the way.
