The Last Stand of the Alicorns

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue

Chapter 1

Dear Princess Celestia,

Earlier I was reorganizing the library when I came across a book detailing all known species of Equestria. I began to read it and noticed something peculiar. There is no mention of alicorns anywhere in the book. It is as if they do not exist. I thought to myself "That's odd. The princesses are alicorns, so why are they not in this book?" So that is why I am writing. Why are the alicorns not mentioned in this book and what happened to them? Are you and Princess Luna the only two? Were there more? Are there more? I have so many questions. I would come to Canterlot but now I have to re-reorganize the library…I made a mess trying to find any mention of alicorns.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

The majestic ruler of Equestria read the letter with a slight sadness about her. "Guards, please leave me." The guards nodded to the princess and left the room, closing the door behind them. "Oh, my faithful student, if only you knew…"

The princess reminisced, thinking of her family, of playing in the castle with her sister when they were fillies, and of the battle that destroyed all but a few alicorns.

"Careful, careful…and there! Perfect…I suppose," the midnight stallion commented. "Thank you." He said to his fellow alicorns, who had helped him move the statue.

"Any time, your majesty." The two alicorns took to the sky and disappeared from view.

The king of Equestria gazed upon the magnificent marble statue in the garden of Canterlot Castle. Sure, the statue was bizarre, but so was Archaeus. Archaeus was King Galaxius' best friend and an archeologist. "Well, Archaeus, you always do give the strangest gifts," Galaxius muttered to no one in particular. "A draconequus. So many died by my hoof, and now I have a statue of one in my garden. Ironic I suppose." The king wandered off to see his family for lunch. His back turned to the statue; King Galaxius never noticed that the eyes of the statue almost seemed to glow.

The royal family had gathered in a small room near the kitchen, used for meals when it was only the four of them. Otherwise the Grand Hall would be used. But this was a private lunch, just the king, queen and their daughters. There were guards at the doors, of course, but they were always there. Always standing there with a blank expression. It was already hard enough to figure out an alicorn, and that was especially true for the royal guards. The meal, consisting of a small salad and some vegetable soup, was strangely quiet. One of the king's daughters was the first to speak, almost halfway through the meal.

"Hey dad, what was that thing those stallions brought over earlier?" asked the young white filly.

"It was a gift from Archaeus. Why exactly he sent it to me, I shall forever wonder. One can never guess what that eccentric colt may do next," replied the king.

"Daaaaaad, that was obvious. What is it a statue of?" asked the king's other daughter, the same dark color as her father.

"Oh, that is a draconequus. The draconequus is a strange creature, possessing a body of mixed animals. They once ruled over Equestria, but that was many years ago. We alicorns led a revolution against their emperor to free the ponies from the terrible rule of the draconequui. Then one day, all of them disappeared. We have ruled and protected Equestria ever since." The wise and just king had a hint of melancholy in his voice, remembering his lost brothers and friends.

"Oh…well it looks pretty weird," said the oldest sister.

"They were quite strange looking, I suppose," started Queen Solara, her fiery mane draped across her slender, pale body. "They were also very dangerous. Even all the combined power of the alicorns was barely enough to stop the draconequus army. They possess strange powers. They can turn normality into complete chaos."

"Could. They could. The draconequui are gone, and haven't been seen for over two hundred years. They are never coming back." If there was any doubt in Galaxius' voice, no one would have noticed.

"Still, no one knows what happened to them."

The king sighed deeply. "My queen, should the draconequui return, there is no reason to fret. That is the exact reason I order the Elements of Harmony be forged. The power of harmony will cancel out the power of chaos. It would render the powers of a draconequus near useless, and weak ones will be killed outright."

Trying to change the subject from something so morbid, the youngest sister spoke. "Hey dad, today I was able to fly a whole forty-two feet!" The young filly beamed in her excitement.

"Luna, that's fantastic! Soon you'll be able to fly all around Equestria!" Galaxius seemed to have forgotten the previous subject matter, if for just a moment.

"Forty-two feet? That's pathetic. When I was your age, I could fly across the castle grounds with little effort," Luna's older sister remarked smugly. It was uncommon for her to belittle her sister like that, so harsh and cold.

"Celestia! You must not say such things. You will never become queen if you can't first learn to act at least like a princess," scolded Solara. The queen could see the pain in Luna's eyes. "Luna, don't listen to your sister. She is exaggerating. Greatly. And Celestia," the queen started, as her voice and demeanor suddenly became very stern. "Apologize to your sister. That was uncalled for and very mean."

Celestia was confused with herself. She had no idea what had come over her. "Luna…I…I'm so sorry. I don't know why I said that. It was uncalled for, and perhaps slightly exaggerated. I truly am sorry." She could see her sister's expression lighten slightly.

"C'mon, let's go play outside. Whatever you want."

That erased all intimations of sadness from Luna's expression and she was suddenly overcome with joy. "REALLY?! YOU MEAN IT?!" Celestia hadn't been interested in playing with Luna since their father started teaching her magic.

"Of course I mean it. I didn't mean to say what I did, and I want to make it up to you.

Relatively pleased with the course of events, Solara spoke: "Very well then, you both may be dismissed," At that, both of the fillies got up and dashed off toward the garden.

"Those two are a handful sometimes, aren't they?"

Galaxius mustered a smile. "Of course they are. They wouldn't be ours otherwise."

Soon, the two sisters were out playing in the garden. The both of them couldn't help but occasionally stare at the statue. For some reason, neither Celestia nor Luna trusted the statue. They were right not to, they just didn't know it. They would then just resume chasing each other around the garden, or wrestling (usually with Celestia winning). But there was something about the statue that unsettled them.

Hahahahahaha……

A deep, rumbling voice laughed ominously, mysteriously, and seemingly everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was almost like it was a voice in the back of one's mind, quiet enough to go unnoticed if you were preoccupied.

Celestia stopped in her tracks. "Luna, did you hear that?" Celestia was worried. Galaxius had taught her much of magic in the last year, but this was something she knew nothing of.

"What are you talking about? Let's just get back to doing…whatever. C'mon, we haven't gotten to play together in ages!" Luna was insistent that they continue to play, but she could see the worry in her sister's face.

"Okay, okay. It must have just been my imagination. Hey, want me to do some magic for you?" Celestia was still worried, but she did promise her sister.

"YAAAAY! "shouted Luna at the top of her lungs. She didn't mean to use the Royal Canterlot Voice, as she didn't know what it was. Unnoticed by both princesses, the volume of Luna's shout put a small crack down the back of the statue.

Chapter 2

It was several hours later when the two fillies had decided to finally go to sleep. They were too tired to even consider eating dinner.

“Solara, I’m going out for a bit. I feel…anxious,” Galaxius said to his wife. It was late at night, and he had already raised the moon. Solara would be the one to put it down when she raised the sun in the morning, so he didn’t have to worry about that. There was something that unsettled him; he just didn’t know what it was.

“What about, my love?”

The king sighed. “I know not. Just a bad feeling. I just want to go out and clear my mind. I will see you sometime tomorrow."

“Just try not to wake the children.” Solara knew something was wrong. Galaxius had always had some way of knowing when something bad was about to happen. What was it that was going to go wrong? None knew, not even the king himself.

As Galaxius wandered the castle grounds, a deep voice spoke softly…as if it was talking into his mind, not his ears.

Galaxius…Galaxius…your end…is….near…..

Galaxius was suddenly alarmed. It was a voice he recognized, a voice he had not heard for over two hundred years. “It…It can’t be…” The king was dumbfounded. Nothing made sense at the moment. That voice vanished in the last war. It was the voice of Pandemonium, emperor of the draconequui.

“SOLARA! SOLARA!” The normally nonchalant alicorn was in full gallop, panic dancing among his words.

“Galaxius, please, calm down. The children are asleep. What is wrong?” Solara wouldn’t let the worry in her voice show, so as not to panic Galaxius even more. Solara knew what was wrong; only one thing would cause her husband to act like this…

“I heard him. It was definitely him. I don’t know what is going on, but Solara…I fear the worst.” Galaxius was finally calming down slightly. The adrenaline was leaving his system, and fatigue quickly came.

“Calm down…just…Are you sure? Is it not simply your imagination? Many alicorns thought and still think they hear voices of draconequui.” Solara absolutely believed what her husband said was true, and that it is possible that the draconequui are about to return. However, she did not want to worry him further.

“No, I’m sure…I…Perhaps you’re right. I may have just been hearing things. I don’t know anymore.” Galaxius looked out the window and noticed that the moon was sinking behind the horizon and the ever changing colors of dawn. Neither the king nor queen spoke for several minutes.

Suddenly, three guards burst through the door. “You have a guest your majesty.”

“Galaxius looked at the guards in utter confusion. “A guest? The sun isn’t even up yet.”

“I…am aware…of the time…you…fool,” spoke a familiar voice, agony weaved throughout his speech. From behind the guards emerged Archaeus, but he was almost unrecognizable behind his injuries.

Archaeus, the king’s best friend, was only slightly smaller than him. His deep brown coat was reminiscent of freshly uncovered earth, and his mane was a pale alabaster. He had a grand, grand wingspan, large for even the largest of alicorns. His horn was ideally shaped. Overall, he was a very handsome alicorn, if a bit eccentric.

However, the alicorn who entered Galaxius’ court was not the same he once knew. Archaeus had deep, bloody gashes all over his body. His horn was fractured and missing the top third. One of his forelegs was broken. A gash across his face forced blindness in one eye. But that wasn’t the worst part. One of Archaeus’ wings had been torn off. The stallion could barely stand, and was losing blood.

“Archaeus? What happened?!” demanded King Galaxius. The majority of Equestria hadn’t seen something this brutal since the war, the king included. He was outraged.

“Archaeus, come with me. Let’s see if we can do something about those wounds,” Solara started. Solara led Archaeus off to a separate room to begin treating him. “Galaxius,” said Solara, “I need you to finish raising the sun today.”

“Yes, of course.” Galaxius stumbled over the words. Within an hour, the king had heard the voice of his greatest enemy and seen his best friend, barely able to move and on the verge of death, in the castle court. “Guards, you are dismissed.” The guards nodded and left. Galaxius raised the sun and lowered the moon at his wife’s request. Once he was finished, Galaxius dashed off to see his friend.

“Solara, how is he?” asked the king.

“He’ll live, but he’s not likely to wake for several days,” started Solara. “There was one thing he told me to tell you if he passed out before he could tell you in person.”

The king knew in the back of his mind the news she was about to share. He knew, but did not want to believe. Archaeus began to stir.

“They…are…back…” muttered Archaeus, fighting to stay awake. “The draconequui…are back…sent the…statue…attacked…” Archaeus drifted back into sleep, partially due to the influence of a sleeping spell on behalf of the queen.

“The…statue. Does he mean…No?” Galaxius dashed off toward the garden. Thoughts were racing through his head. They never knew what happened to Pandemonium, nor the rest of the draconequui. It’s possible that they somehow survived by…what? Turning to stone? No, that made no sense. That could be a coincidence. Finally Galaxius arrived in the castle’s majestic garden.

The pedestal was still in place, but the draconequus that stood atop was nowhere to be found.

I told you Galaxius, your end is near…

Some great force overwhelmed him, and all went black for the great King Galaxius.

Chapter 3

“Celestiaaaaa! Celestiaaaaaaaaa! Wake up!!” The princess groggily awoke to her younger sister jumping up and down on top of her. “C’mon! Wake uuuuuup!!”

“Okay, okay, I’m awake. What do you want?”

“Well, I was up already and I got bored cause you were still asleep so I was walking around the castle and there was this big blue box in the kitchen and I thought ‘Oh that’s strange, why is there this big blue box in the kitchen, it’s a box it doesn’t go in a kitchen’ so then I went to ask the chef about it and he said he had no idea what it was and then when I went to show him it was GOOOOONE! So then I walked around some more and then there it was again but this time there was this brown earth pony with an hour glass cutie mark and a grey pegasus coming out of it so I ran away.” Luna was talking so fast that Celestia could barely understand her.

“And you’re telling me this why?” Certainly Luna was just being silly again. Vanishing blue boxes? That’s just plain silly.

“Because they’re right outside your room…”

“Yes, yes we are. And we desperately need to speak to the both of you.” In walked the brown earth pony with an hourglass cutie mark and the grey pegasus.

“HEEEEELP!” Celestia and Luna were panicking. Two complete strangers managed to get past the royal guards. Things like this just don’t happen.

“No, no, there is no need for that. I need the both of you to calm down. I am just here to talk to you.”

Celestia spoke first. “Well who are you then? How did you get here?”

“I am the Doctor. Please, just listen to what I have to say.”

“He sounds like he’s from the north…” Luna remarked.

“Lots of places have norths. Now please listen to me. You two need to hide. Quickly. If you don’t, then you probably will die.” The Doctor had a very serious look on his face. Something bad was about to happen, and The Doctor knew what it was.

“How do you know this? You can’t just predict the future.” Celestia said. The young alicorn knew that much.

“Err…we’re from the future,” said the grey pegasus. She tried desperately to look Celestia in the eyes, but she just couldn’t. The pegasus’ eyes were looking different directions from each other no matter what she did. It just wasn’t possible.

“Oh that’s just great Ditzy. Just tell everyone our secrets.” The doctor looked a little flustered.

“Sorry….” Ditzy Doo was probably trying to stare at the floor in shame.

“Wait, so you guys are from the future? THAT’S SO COOOL!” Luna was ecstatic.

“So why are you here? What purpose brought you here?” Celestia almost seemed…commanding.

“Ah yes, well you see, in the future, you and your sister just…disappeared. I ran some tests and discovered that someone else went back to today and killed the both of you, completely screwing up the timeline. So now I’m here, trying to set things right. But you need to hide. We will try to find your killer and prevent him from doing his job. As far as I can tell, that is the only thing that got changed today.” The Doctor finished his little explanation and prepared for the question he knew was imminent.

“Wait…how does this all work? The future messed up the present in the past so the present came to the past to fix the present which is really the future but the present as well...I’m confused.” Luna almost hurt her brain trying to figure this all out. She looked at her sister to see if perhaps she could figure this out.

“Uh…me too,” agreed Celestia.

“It’s a bunch of wibbly wobbly timey wimey….stuff. Look the point is, you have to hide. C’mon Ditzy, let’s see what we can do.” At that, The Doctor and Ditzy Doo dashed back out the door they came in.

“That was…weird,” stated Celestia.

“Maybe we should go and hide now,” said Luna.

“It wouldn’t hurt,” replied Celestia. The two of them ran off to go find a good hiding spot.

“King! King Galaxius!” The guards were sprinting towards the barely conscious body of their beloved king. The king had been lying there for an unknown amount of time. There were no physical injuries, but there was no reason to believe that he had simply fallen asleep.

“Wha…What’s going on?” The king struggled to open his eyes. He felt weak and just the effort to acknowledge the concerned guards taxed his body.

“Sire, you’ve been missing for almost an entire day. We have been worried about you!”

“Well, clearly I am fine. Just a touch tired.” The king’s memory was hazy. He had been…in the garden? Yes. The garden. Why was he in the garden? This he pondered for a moment before the answer came to him. “The statue!” exclaimed the king.

“The statue, sire?” Both of the guards seemed confused at this statement. The only statue they could remember seeing was the new one in the garden, of the draconequus, but there was nothing odd about it. Except for the subject matter, perhaps.

“Yes, the blasted statue! Where is it?!”

“Same place it was this morning sire. In the garden. Why do you ask?” This question puzzled the guards further. The king has been missing for days and he is concerned about his statue? Surely he is delusional.

The guard’s response caused as much confusion to Galaxius as he had caused to the guards. “That…That cannot be. I remember the draconequus was missing! It simply cannot be there now!”

“Sire, perhaps we should get you back to the castle. You are about a mile outside of Canterlot. Are you well enough to fly?”

The king stretched out his wings. A bit stiff, perhaps, but not injured in any way. “Yes. Let us return to the castle.” At that the king and his guards took to the skies and flew toward the castle.

Chapter 4

“Doctor, what exactly are we looking for?” asked Ditzy Doo.

“Not a ‘what’, but a ‘who’. Just keep an eye out for anyone suspicious and perhaps even familiar. Someone not from this time is wandering the streets of Canterlot,” replied The Doctor. They had been scouring the streets for anyone suspicious for over an hour, with little success. Between the two of them, they could see in three different directions and no one in particular stood out.

“Canterlot doesn’t seem that much different, except for the alicorns.”

“I suppose. Focus Ditzy, just-“ The Doctor stopped when he saw Ditzy’s facial expression. “Oh no…”

The smell was too much for Ditzy Doo. “MUUUUUFFIIIIIIIINS!!!!!!!!!!!!” The grey pegasus sped off toward the smell. Somewhere in the market of an ancient Canterlot somepony was selling muffins.

“Blast. This happens too much.” The Doctor desperately tried to keep up with his assistant, but she was a pegasus after all. They are usually pretty fast. “Ditzy, come baaaack!” Even at full gallop, he just had to hope she didn’t fly off too far.

Within a minute, Ditzy had already located the muffin stand and purchased a dozen. “Sorry Doctor,” Ditzy said between bites, “I just can’t help myself when it comes to muffins.” Ditzy took another bite of muffin.

The doctor sighed lightly. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Let’s just get back to the mission.”

All around the market were various ponies of all kinds. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and even alicorns. Of course there were alicorns. They only lived in Canterlot. Some of their manes hadn’t turned to magic yet.

“Doc, why is it that some alicorns have manes like us and others have manes made of magic?” inquired Ditzy. It was a good question, not many people knew the answer but many want to know.

“Well Ditzy, no one really knows why, just that it happens. Most alicorns manes change into an ethereal form and take on that flowing magic shape we know. Usually the onset is when the alicorn’s magical capabilities reach a certain level. Alicorns have the greatest magical strength of all living species, and eventually it bleeds into their physical form. There isn’t really a true explanation at this point as to why, but that is what happens,” explained The Doctor.

“Oh…cool.” Ditzy looked to the left and right (at the same time). Somepony caught her attention, somepony that looked familiar. “Hey Doctor, is that…”

“Yeah, I see her too. Let’s go.” The two of them meandered toward the pony, carefully so as not to be noticed.

In the darkness of the cellar, the two fillies made sure that they would not be able to be seen. They had, of course, informed the queen of their location…more or less.

“Hey Luna, do you think we are in any danger?”

“I don’t know…maybe. That doctor person seemed pretty serious.”

“True…It’d probably be best if we just waited here for a while to see what happens.” At that, someone entered the cellar.

From where the princesses were, they could not see who it was, so they could only hide in fear, hoping that whoever it was had not come to end their lives.

Slowly the footsteps approached the princesses hiding spot. Barely a foot away, the pony stopped, gathered a few bottles and bags, and left. Without noticing the girls at all. Once the cellar doors closed, both let out a sigh of relief.

“That was scary ‘Tia. What if he was coming to get us??”

“Then we would run Luna. Just relax.” Relaxing was the last thing on Celestia’s mind.

Queen Solara’s court was empty. The last rays of sunlight cast through the windows. The queen had specifically ordered the guards to turn away any who might come. ‘An emergency that requires my full attention,’ was the reason she had told the guards to relay back to the people. Sure, the people might get a little upset, but they would get over it. Archaeus’ injuries required treating. Galaxius was missing. The draconequui might actually be returning. She could almost fell a war looming on the horizon.

“Solara!” Galaxius burst through the door to the court. The king looked worn and tired, his ethereal mane of the night sky barely flowing in the morning light. The dark alicorn’s expression showed a mix of confusion, hatred, and terror. “Where is Archaeus? The statue?”

“Where have you been, Galaxius? You have been missing for a day!” Solara was almost in tears.

“I…I don’t know. I was in the garden, two nights ago I suppose, and then next thing I know I’m being awoken in a field by some guards. But the statue, it was gone! I swear it!”

“Galaxius, the statue is in the same place it has been since you ran off; in the garden.”

That was twice in the same day that the king had been told that there was nothing wrong with the mysterious statue Archaeus spoke of only moments before passing out. “That…That simply cannot be.” Without another word the king headed off in the direction of the garden to see for himself.

Only moments later he learned the truth. The statue was exactly how it was when he got it.

Chapter 5

“Doctor, I’ve lost her. I’m sorry.” Ditzy continued to search across the market, constantly looking everywhere at once.

“Me too. What the hay was she doing here? Certainly she isn’t the killer we are looking for…unless…” The Doctor had a thought.

Ditzy was confused, yet it was hard to tell looking at her. “What? What are you thinking?”

“What if we aren’t looking for a killer…but an accident? It would certainly fit the day...A mere accident caused by someone who couldn’t have caused it originally…”

“Uh-huh. Gotcha.” Ditzy really didn’t have a clue what was going on.

“Today’s events are a fixed point in time, so things HAVE to happen the way they were intended. Someone is trying to change it, and we can’t allow that. If things change...” The Doctor shuddered at the thought, but started to get an idea of who was behind it. Just as he was about to begin explaining to his walleyed assistant, there was a sudden commotion not too far away.

The Doctor looked toward the sound. Ditzy tried too. In the center of the commotion was that very familiar pony that started a sequence of events that can only be described with one word: chaotic.

The whole thing started with that drunken pony tripping and falling into a fruit stand. That fall knocked several large melons into the street causing an oncoming cart to break a wheel and lose control. The cart crashed into the side of a building.

The crash of the cart into the side of the building knocked loose several roof tiles and sent them falling.

“All right, all right. Keep moving. Just go around the crash,” said one of the guards that had come over to help keep things running in an orderly fashion. However, the falling tiles had other plans. They fell from above and slammed into the guard’s helmet. The guard collapsed, but not before unintentionally firing off a bolt of energy.

The energy bolt flew and managed to go straight into the weapons warehouse between the town and the castle. The resulting explosion sent a boulder (intended as ammunition for the catapults) hurtling towards the castle. Specifically, the tower that housed the princesses’ bedrooms.

“Doctor, what just happened?” asked Ditzy nervously.

“I…I really don’t know. It’s not over yet though,” replied The Doctor, watching the boulder fly to the castle, on its way to meet Celestia and Luna.

“Luna, come on already. That doctor said we have to hide, so hide we will. He seems trustworthy enough.” Celestia and her sister had been wandering around the castle, trying to find a good place to hide. One of the chefs had found them in the cellar, and kindly asked that they leave. Not to seem suspicious, they did as he had asked.

Looking out the window, Luna was severely distracted with what was taking place just outside the castle. “But ‘Tia, look! There’s a giant rock flying toward your bedroom!” Luna sounded unnecessarily excited.

“What?!” Celestia dashed toward the window to see, but the deafening sound and the castle shaking proved Luna was telling the truth. To think that if Luna hadn’t gotten her up this morning, Celestia would probably be dead now. The two princesses could only watch as the tower collapsed, hoping that all would be okay.

Archaeus was awoken by a great noise. He slowly lifted his head to look out the window. The tower across from his room was falling. Archaeus began to get out of the bed. How long he had been unconscious, he knew not. If memory served correct, which his always did, the tower that was collapsing was also where the princesses spent the majority of their day. That was bad enough. However, the news he had to tell Galaxius was potentially worse. Archaeus stumbled out of bed.

The alicorn could feel the changes. One of his wings had been ripped off. The thought of never flying again made his stomach churn. His leg was splinted, but at least he would be able to walk on it eventually. The break was severe, but Solara knew healing magic like Archaeus knew…a lot of things. Stumbling across the room, Archaeus’ body screamed in agony. He could feel the magic around him, but was finding it difficult to channel. His horn was broken. Eventually Archaeus would be able to channel magic again, but without his horn it would be much more tedious and taxing.

Managing to get the door open, he proceeded down to where he knew that Galaxius would likely be at this time in the morning.

“Sir, the Queen said should you go wandering that I am to escort you back to your room.” The voice sounded like a guard, but Archaeus was unable to locate the source for just a moment. It was then that he realized he had lost an eye.

Unable to take much more, Archaeus collapsed on the floor.

Archaeus…Your end is near. Sleep now, so that you can awake to your demise. I want you awake so that you can endure an even greater fear in the coming days...

Archaeus’ eye widened with fear at the recognition of that dark, malevolent voice. Darkness once again enveloped the tormented alicorn.

Chapter 6

“Doctor, what are we going to do?” asked The Doctor’s faithful assistant. “I mean, we can’t just leave her here…right?”

“Of course not. That’d be just plain silly. Besides, then who knows what would happen to the time stream.”

Shortly after the ordeal in the market, Berry Punch passed out. It is not an uncommon event for her to drink herself into unconsciousness, but it is uncommon for her to do it well over a thousand years before she is born.

“She didn’t mean to do any of this, right?”

“I highly doubt it. She was probably already drunk when she got here. Anyway, we can figure this all out later.”

“So Doctor, what do you need me to do?”

“Take her back to the TARDIS. Put her somewhere where she won’t be able to destroy anything. We don’t know when she might wake up. Then meet me back here,” said The Doctor. Ditzy carried Berry Punch out of the inn. As best as The Doctor could tell, the whole thing was more or less a coincidence. Well, except there are no coincidence’s in The Doctor’s line of work. Well, probably. Well, at least not any randomly appearing temporal portals to this exact place in time that would likely cause the deaths of the two princesses before they come into power. So what does that leave? No one really knows what happened to the alicorns, just that almost all of them disappeared. This could be The Doctor’s chance to learn the truth. It just might lead to the truth behind Berry Punch’s mysterious visit to this particular time.

Not too much longer did Ditzy return. “Okay, she is safe and sound in the TARDIS. What next?”

“Well, it’s time to find out what is really happening around here.” Ditzy Doo and The Doctor left the inn at once, headed towards Canterlot’s famous castle.

“CELESTIA! LUNA! WHERE ARE YOU?!” The halls of the castle rang out with panic and fear. No one knew exactly where the princesses were. After the tower collapsed, everyone’s priority had been to find Celestia and Luna. Galaxius and Solara were worried beyond belief. Celestia usually slept in late, and Luna…well, no one really knew what Luna would do. Still though, the possibility that they had been in the tower when it fell was terrifying.

“Guards,” commanded King Galaxius. “Find out exactly what caused that tower to fall.” The king struggled to stay calm. He was confused. Furious. Scared. Things were not as they should be.

“Your Majesties, Archaeus has awoken. Well, he had. He collapsed and we brought him back to his room.” The guards seemed nervous, as if the news they had presented was unimportant.

“Yes, thank you. You are dismissed,” The king looked at the floor as the guards left. Solara approached her husband.

“Worry not, my dear, I’m sure they are fine.”

As if on cue, the two princesses trotted into the court.

“Mom, Dad, what’s going on? Why did that rock fly into the tower?”

“GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT WE WERE STANDING AROUND NOT DOING ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS CAUSE THERE WASN’T A BIG BLUE BOX WITH PONIES INSIDE OR ANYTHING AND I WAS LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AND THERE WAS A GIANT ROCK AND IT FLEW INTO THE TOWER AND BOOOOM! THE TOWER FELL!!!”

The king and queen were overjoyed that their children were safe, but were utterly confused with what they were saying.

“A giant rock? What do you mean?” asked Solara.

“WELL YOU SEE-“

“Luna, please calm down.”

“Sorry…”

Celestia started talking. “Exactly that. There was a boulder that flew over the walls and crashed into the tower. We saw it happen.”

The king started thinking. “What could have caused something like that?”

Galaxius, you already know yet are too afraid to face the truth.

The skies were black and empty. The fields were barren and desolate. Nothing existed in this dimension. Nothing but the draconequui, that is. For over two hundred years, they have made this place their “home”. Biding their time, gathering power. Soon Pandemonium would have the strength to tear a whole through the dimensions and have his revenge.

“Discord,” started the menacingly calm voice, “send word to meet at the palace. The time has come to regain our rightful place in the world.” At that, the young draconequus left the emperor’s side to do his bidding. Pandemonium arose from his throne and looked out at the world. It was a decision he had to make; risk defeat and extinct the entirety of the draconequus race or go into hiding, waiting for the opportune moment to strike back.

Thousands of draconequui gathered at the base of the mountain that Pandemonium overlooked the world atop. Present as well was Discord, prince of chaos and the youngest child of the draconequus emperor.

“My brethren, the time is at hand,” bellowed Pandemonium. “We shall take back the world we once ruled! Those…ponies…” Pandemonium growled over the word, the race of his enemies. “They think we have been dead this whole time! In the shadows we have grown more powerful than ever before! This is OUR time! We shall take back what is rightfully ours! To battle!”

The crowd roared. Literally. The emperor had just called all of his subjects to arms. Soon, Equestria would have to fight back an army greater in power than ever before. But none knew that such a fate was looming on the horizon.

After his short speech, the emperor retired to his throne to prepare mentally for the coming storm.

“Dad, what about me? Can I fight too?”

“Discord, my son, I fear the worst. Some part of me still thinks that we cannot win.” The mighty emperor placed his claw over the scar in his chest. “The day Galaxius gave me this wound was the day I realized we weren’t as powerful as we had thought. I almost died that day. It was luck that his horn missed my heart.”

“But...we will win, right?”

“I certainly hope so. After all, we have the element of surprise on our hand. But no, you shall not be joining us on the battlefield.”

“Dad, I-“

“No Discord. If something were to happen to you…I am already putting your brother Entropy at risk. I will not risk you as well.”

Discord looked at the ground in disappointment.

“My son, I love you. I have a more important task for you.” Discord’s ears perked and instantly his attention was on his father, eager anticipation gleaming in his eyes. “There is always a chance, however small, that we will lose this battle. I need you to help me bring something to this time, unrelated to the coming fight, which will spread chaos. Likely everyone’s attention will be on the chaotic happenings elsewhere, allowing the army to sneak in and wreak as much havoc as possible.”

“Yes, father. I understand.” Discord did his best to remain official in front of his father, but his enthusiasm was clear. He was being sent on a special mission to help the draconequus cause.

“Then go now. You must start preparing.” Discord left, excitement dancing about his countenance. “That boy…I hope he makes it through this ordeal.” Legitimate worry and sorrow showed upon Pandemonium’s expression, but none were there to witness.

Chapter 7

“You as well, eh Galaxius? At least it means that I’m probably not going crazy,” remarked Archaeus. He was weak, but at least this time he was staying in his bed.

“I suppose so, but do you really think they are returning? Just hearing voices doesn’t prove anything.”

“Oh definitely. It was a draconequus who attacked me. Anarchy was his name. He’s dead now, but he was the one who sent the statue under my name.”

Galaxius pondered this for a moment. “Why would they do that? It makes no sense.”

“Hmm…I suppose you’re right. Anyway, you best get back to your family. I fear dark days are in store for us soon.”

“Yes, of course. Rest and get well, my friend.” Galaxius made his exit and went to find his family. It wasn’t long until he had found and joined his family in the garden.

Celestia and Luna were being…Celestia and Luna, somewhere in between playing and almost killing each other. Despite recent events, the two were able to maintain some level of happiness. Solara was silently watching nearby.

Galaxius approached the draconequus statue. It seemed harmless enough. However, there was something…odd about it. Something that Galaxius just couldn’t figure out. As his children laughed and played nearby, King Galaxius pondered the possibilities of the statue.

It was only a moment later that he realized that he could no longer hear Celestia and Luna. Galaxius looked around him, and it was as if time had frozen. Celestia was in mid-flight. Guards nearby were standing perfectly still.

“The mighty Galaxius, how long it has been,” spoke a voice not a foot behind the king. Galaxius turned to face the speaker, only to find the space behind him unoccupied. Suddenly time resumed.

“SHOW YOURSELF!” bellowed the king.

“Galaxius, what is wrong?” asked Solara.

“Celestia, Luna, GET OUT OF HERE!” The king was panicking slightly. His fear was not of his own death, but that of his children.

“Dad, what’s wr-“

“Leave. Now. Get out of town and hide. Please,” begged Solara. She could sense the panic in Galaxius’ voice and knew almost instantly what was about to happen.

There was a flash of alabaster light, and Archaeus appeared next to the princesses. “I shall take them. I can do no good here, but I can at least make sure that the two of them stay safe.”

“Thank you, Archaeus. If something happens to us…”

“Yes, of course.”

“Celestia and Luna, the two of you are to go with Archaeus. Do what he says. We will see you soon.” The next part was the hardest for the king to say. “Remember,” he started, tears forming in his eyes, “that we will always love you.”

There was another flash of alabaster light, and before any more could be said, Celestia, Luna, and Archaeus were gone. Galaxius looked out at the sky, away from the queen.

“Don’t worry, my love, we will see them aga-“ Solara was unable to finish what she was going to say.

Galaxius turned to face his wife. Pandemonium was there, but that was not what infuriated him the most. Next to Pandemonium was another draconequus, his talons dug into the neck of the queen.

The king stood there, dumbstruck. His wife had just been murdered. Anger flared in his eyes.

“Well then Galaxius. It seems you’ve gotten weak.” Pandemonium stood there, Entropy standing next to him, still holding the lifeless body of Solara.

“You…How dare you!” Galaxius seemed to dissolve into the air. Not a moment later did he reappear with his horn in the heart of Entropy.

“Da…Dad?” Entropy collapsed, finally releasing his grip on Solara.

Pandemonium sprung his plan to action. He cast a bolt of energy up into the sky. It exploded in midair, which tore a hole in the fabric of reality. From the other side of the rift emerged thousands of draconequui.

The king looked in disbelief as the draconequui emerged through the dimensional tear and began to wreak havoc. “That… That is impossible! Your army was defeated years ago!”

Screams of the unprepared guards could be heard throughout the castle grounds. “Oh Galaxius, what do you think we have been doing for two hundred years? We have grown in strength and numbers, old friend. Your pathetic race is powerless before us! Goodbye for now, foolish king!” Pandemonium faded into nothingness as the king watched his loyal soldiers die before his eyes.

“Captain, what’s going on?” The soldiers were terrified. Suddenly the greatest enemy of Equestria had returned in unreal numbers. Ponies were dying left and right.

Captain Centurion was not about to go down without a fight. He and the remaining guards had gathered at the front gate. They were the last thing standing between the draconequui and Canterlot. “You, go into town, rally all troops and order an immediate evacuation. However, if any are willing to stay and fight, they are more than welcome, but they take orders directly from me. Understand?” The alicorn nodded in understanding. “If something happens here or I am unable to give orders through you, you are in charge. Now go!” The alicorn took off towards the town. Centurion knew that they would all likely die. Without warning, the draconequui were upon them.

Some laughed. Some yelled. All died. The horns of the alicorn guardsmen were bloodied from impaling the draconequui. Guards died too. The claws of the draconequui tore through the armor of the guards. The bloodbath seemed like it could never end.

Blood spilled and scattered across the inside of the gate of the castle. Who’s exactly, was unknown. A few hundred alicorns defending against thousands of draconequui. The odds were against the guards, but they held their ground. Both sides were suffering great losses. A blast of energy would take out a group of draconequui. The throats of guards torn out before they could react. Perhaps a guard would stab a draconequus in the heart. The fight was brutal.

It wasn’t long until the fighting at the gate was over. The guards were dead. The gates were crimson, the grass stained with blood. The guards did not die for nothing, though. In their final moments, the guards destroyed half of the draconequus army.

The bodies lay everywhere. Captain Centurion’s body bore wounds inflicted by over a dozen draconequui trying to kill him. Eventually one landed a killing blow. Centurion was the last of the guards to die.

No one noticed that nearby there was a large blue box.

In Canterlot, things became a bit hectic and crazy. The most alicorns stayed to fight, sending the young and their mothers away. Many unicorns and pegasi stayed to fight, but most were tasked with aiding the evacuation. They could not match the power of the alicorns, but insisted in helping where they could.

“I SEE THEM!”

“THEY’RE COMING!”

“WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!”

The draconequus army could be seen heading toward the town. Many panicked. Most of the town was not trained in combat. A good number of alicorns had fought in the last war against the draconequui, but it had been years since then. Ponies ran amok through the streets of Canterlot.

“Everypony! Listen to me!” The alicorn flew high over the town. He drew the attention of all. It was the guard sent from castle. “This is it! This is where we prove who we are! Sure, a good number of us may lose our lives here, but we have to stop this war before it begins!” Many below began cheering for him. “The army is on its way here. If you plan to leave, do so now. You may not make it.” The army loomed ever closer. “My fellow ponies! This is our final stand! To battle!” The masses below prepared for the coming fight. They had a leader now. Maybe they could win this after all.

“You foolish child.” Pandemonium faded into reality and sunk his claw into the chest of the guard. The blood that rained down to the crowd below only preceded the guard’s body. No one ever knew his name.

Galaxius kneeled by the body of his wife. “Goodbye for now, my love. I’ll see you on the other side.” With that final remark, the king took to the sky, flying faster than ever before. No one noticed, but an explosion of color radiated from the castle.

Closer and closer was Galaxius to his enemy. He knew that he was flying to his death, but he hoped that Pandemonium would go with him. Soon Galaxius could truly see the fighting. Bodies of both ponies and draconequui lined the streets and covered the roofs of buildings. The fabric of reality was folding around the draconequui magic, changing things not meant to be changed. Buildings might grow legs and walk away. Perhaps magic wouldn’t work properly. Not even the draconequui knew exactly what would happen.

A thought occurred to Galaxius. Even if the war is stopped here and everyone dies, it would be only the alicorns who would truly perish. A very small number of alicorns lived outside of the capital. There was no need for them to travel elsewhere. This truly was the last stand of not only King Galaxius, but of the alicorns.

A draconequus appeared in the path of Galaxius. The king only lowered his horn. The draconequus could do nothing as

the king’s horn pierced his abdomen. The king never stopped, blood trailing from his horn.

The draconequus emperor noticed his new guest. “Ah, Galaxius. So glad you could join us.”

“Keep talking while you can, Pandemonium. I’ll be sure to silence you forever.” A group of draconequui emerged around Galaxius but a sudden flash of magic sent them hurtling toward the ground dead before they knew what happened.

“Ooh, the benevolent king shows himself eh?” The emperor cleared his throat, then bellowed out so all could hear. “ANY WHO TRY TO INTERUPT GALAXIUS AND ME SHALL DIE.” He looked at the king. “Good enough?”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Chapter 8

All around Canterlot, ponies and draconequui alike perished. The non-alicorns stood the least chance against the draconequui, but the alicorns weren’t faring much better. Slowly but surely the battle was coming to an end. Those who had yet to perish would soon find Death eagerly awaiting them. The residents of Canterlot fought long and hard against the draconequui. The only survivors were those who were able to leave the town before the battle began.

“Look Galaxius, your people are dead. The precious alicorns and all their power could do nothing,” sneered Pandemonium.

“Perhaps, but look again. You’re all that’s left of your kind.”

Pandemonium looked around. It was true; they had lost. What Galaxius didn’t know was that Discord was still safe in that other dimension. Surely he would avenge the draconequus race, if not for some time. “Don’t DARE think you have won.”

Galaxius’ body was covered in fresh claw marks. Blood dripped down to the ground below. Pandemonium had managed to miss the vital organs, but Galaxius had lost a lot of blood. It wouldn’t be long until he passed out.

Pandemonium fared no better. His horns were shattered. A fresh puncture sat in his lion-shoulder. His bat-wing was torn and barely able to maintain flight. “Today is the day. Today you die, Galaxius.”

“The same is true for you, Pandemonium.”

The two great beings, mustering all the physical and magical strength they could, charged at each other for one final assault.

Pandemonium lay on the ground, unsure of the fate of his opponent. The shock of the colliding force sent him hurtling toward the ground. The world was spinning. He gathered the strength to look at himself. Galaxius had punched a foot-wide hole through Pandemonium’s abdomen. There would be no recovering from this wound. Dazed, his mind began to wander. He thought of Discord, whom he would never see again.

Discord…My son…my…so…

Then Pandemonium was no more.

“AGH!” Galaxius looked around. His vision was blurry. He could feel the talon marks deep in his chest. Pain. No, more than pain. Something the king had never felt. How long? How long would he last?

Whiiiiiiiiiiiiir

Galaxius was aware of a brown earth pony above him, with a strange device making noises. “What…are…you doing…?”

“Relax, I’m a doctor.”

“I’m dying.” The king struggled to get the words out.

“Yes. That is my diagnosis. You’re dying. Anything you want to tell the princesses? Last chance.”

“Tell them…to…rule toge…ther…..Archaeus….is to….rai..se them…in my place….that I love….” And the great King Galaxius breathed his final breath.

It was in a far corner of Equestria that The Doctor found the princesses and their new guardian. As he told them of recent events, Luna was unable to control herself. She cried and cried. She was right to. Celestia held it in, to be strong for Luna. When Luna would sleep, or leave her side would Celestia mourn her parents’ deaths.

Archaeus had strongly suspected that such an ordeal would take place. He thanked The Doctor (and Ditzy doo) for taking the time to make sure they knew the truth.

“One last thing, Archaeus. There are others that survived. Other alicorns. Where they fled, I know not. However, I would suggest searching them out. Maybe someone to keep you company when Celestia and Luna are ruling.”

“It’s not a bad idea, I suppose,” Archaeus replied. “So, Doctor, where are you going to?”

The Doctor showed Archaeus a piece of paper. “This could be really bad. Really. Bad.”

Archaeus puzzled at the meaning of the paper. What was it about the message that could be so bad? Perhaps the answers would come soon enough. Perhaps never at all.

“I know not this town, and I know all towns. The girls say you are from the future….and this makes it seem all the more likely. Tell me, do they turn out all right?”

The Doctor and his assistant enter the TARDIS, but before the door closed, The Doctor simply looked out the door at Archaeus. “Spoilers,” he said. The box and its passengers vanished.

Epilogue

An unusual noise brought Princess Celestia back to the present. It sounded like some kind of siren, and after several seconds, a large blue box appeared before her in the castle. Out stepped The Doctor and Ditzy Doo.

“Your Majesty,” said The Doctor, and both he and his assistant bowed before the princess, now ruler of Equestria.

“Doctor. How long it has been since I saw you last.” The princess left her throne and descended the steps to greet The Doctor properly.

“Meh. Wibbly wobbly timey wimey. I last saw you only a few minutes ago. Admittedly, you and Princess Luna were fillies.”

“So Doctor, I never did find out who our mysterious ‘killer’ was.”

“Ah yes. Well, there wasn’t really a killer. You remember the tower collapse, yes?” The princess nodded. “That was it. ‘Originally’ you and Luna were supposed to be in the tower when it collapsed. Well, it was never supposed to collapse. A draconequus brought back a particularly drunk pony with the intent to cause trouble. It ended up with a weapons warehouse exploding, sending catapult ammo hurtling toward your bedroom. The plan kind of backfired though, it lead to a few alicorns fleeing to other parts of the world.”

“So, there are others? I had no idea…”

“I don’t know where they are, or if they will ever reveal themselves. Anyway, we just wanted to make sure everything turned out the way it was supposed to.”

“Well, it seems that you have done well.” It was then that Luna entered the court.

“Celestia, who are you tal-“ She stopped and noticed first the large blue box in the middle of the room. Then her attention went to The Doctor.

“Hello there. Glad to see you’re still here as well.”

Luna looked at The Doctor in confusion. “So…you really were from the future.”

“Uh-huh,” started Ditzy, “and guess what they had in the past: MUFFINS!”

The Doctor looked at his assistant, and she started towards the TARDIS as if The Doctor had crushed all her hopes and dreams. “Well, this is where we part. We have other things that we need to attend to.” The Doctor procured a piece of paper, of which had WEEPING PEGASUS, 20 MI W BALTIMARE - COLGATE written across it. “If this is what she thinks it is, then time is of the essence. Goodbye princesses.” The Doctor and his assistant entered the TARDIS and departed.

“Well, that was nice,” remarked Luna as she left the court, probably to go to get ready to raise the moon.

Princess Celestia gathered a pen and paper and began to write.

My dearest student,

Your questions are good and justified. I can tell you that Luna and I are not the only alicorns in Equestria, but most are in hiding. There is more that I could tell you, but I would much prefer to tell you in person. I understand your current predicament, but if ever you find yourself in Canterlot, feel free to drop by and I will tell you everything.

Your ever-loving teacher,

Princess Celestia