A War for Friendship

Chapter 5 - The Reunion

The screams of fear are filling the air over Ponyville, coming from the scared citizens that stand witness to the darkness that breaks the sight on the sky. The light of the sun and the moon are no meant to be a memory, forever to be blocked from the eyes of the ponies that live down on the ground. The magic essences of the dark cloud claims any source of light, bringing a darkness that shrouds all of Equestria. The power of Ignis proves to be absolute. Once his magical wind has ceased to flow from the ground to the sky, so do the screams. The six mares stand helpless and hurt on the mountains, watching with pounding hearts in their chests.

'Hurry! We might still be able to stop him!' Twilight urges as she starts to rush down the mountain path, being followed by her friends. Though not thinking about what they could possibly do when they catch up with the almighty alicorn, they don't think about sitting idly and watch their world be devoured in shadows.

Since they’ve been held up on the mountain, having been kept busy by the stallion, Ignis had an opening to invade Ponyville. The mares feel like real fools, having fallen victim to Ignis' trick. Though Spike was meant to stay down in the village and help the citizens to protect themselves against the dangerous beast, they have little hope of succes. But what they truly feel worried about are their homes, families, friends, and basically all of Ponyville.

'Where is everypony?' Rarity whispers, having arrived with the others at the first streets of Ponyville. It feels like a bad omen to see that the once-busy streets is now more quiet than a general library.

'Heeello-!' Pinkie Pie yells with her hooves at her mouth, mimicking a loudspeaker.

Twilight quickly presses a hoof against Pinkie’s mouth. '-Ssshh!- Don’t forget that Ignis is still around here!' she whispers to her. If he finds them again, chances are that they won't get away with only a few bruises and headaches. The mare pulls her hoof back again when she knows that Pinkie understands the reason of silence, nodding in response.

But as they move through the silent street, close to the place where the dark winds were flared into the sky, they understand that Ignis is probably far gone, terrorizing other villages and cities.

'He must’ve fled when he still had the chance…' Rainbow Dash grunts, with her pride still shattered like glass. Her friends don't pay her attention, being more focused on the creepy quiet enviroment.

'We should check on everypony quickly,' Applejack eventually proposes, feeling more worried about her family than Ignis. 'We better split up,'

They all nod, understanding that it's quicker that way. 'Alright. Let’s meet back here when we learn something. And if Ignis turns out to be still in Ponyville... don’t show yourself,' Twilight points out, still feeling like she can't be too cautious.

Quickly they separate from each other, off into different directions of Ponyville's many alleys and streets. They all have places to see in their own hometown.

***

'Brrr, even the air feels uncomfortable,' Rarity shudders in anxiety.

She walks on her own through the empty streets in Ponyville, on her way to the Carousel Boutique, worried about her younger sister, Sweetie Bell. The pretty mare is becoming a little scared, feeling all alone. Maybe splitting up wasn't the best plan to follow for her, she now believes. Suddenly she is surprised by a clattering noise near her, coming from someplace in the street.

'Eeks!' she yelps, looking into every direction to see a glimpse of possible danger. There are no tiny alleys that could possible shelter a tall alicorn, meaning that Ignis can only be around if he could be invisible. But because he never shown to have that ability, Rarity believes that the noise was nothing dangerous.

'Pfff…,' she sighs relieved, rubbing a hoof over her forehead. 'Keep yourself together, Rarity. There’s nothing here…' she tells herself, only reminding her that she’s currently all alone.

A different noise starts to reach Rarity's sensitive ears, recognizing it as talking. She keeps on walking down the empty street, moving closer and closer to the loud conversation. It sounds like it's a heated argument about something, coming from the closest alley connected to the street.

'It is!' a young voice yells.

'It’s not!' a different young voice dissagrees.

'Liar!' a third, very recognizable, young voice shouts.

'Girl’s, stop!' the fourth voice sounds, definitly belonging to Applejack

Rarity hurries through the street and takes a peek around the corner, recognizing the four familiar faces.

'Oh my gosh, Applejack!' Rarity gasps, astonished at the sight of how Applejack is trying to keep an angry Sweetie Bell, Applebloom, and Scootaloo separated from each other. With her front-right hoof: holding Scootaloo. With her hind-left hoof: holding Sweetie Bell. And with her head: pushing Applebloom.

'Rarity! Ah could sure use a hoof here!' the earth pony grunts exhausted. Even her great earth pony stamina is not able to stand up against the energic fillies, quickly growing tired of continuing to stand on one hoof. Rarity quickly grabs Sweetie Bell and has to hold her to prevent her from rushing back.

She looks down at her little sister, never having witnessed her sibling going berserk like this against her friends. 'Sweetie Bell, what are you thinking?! You and your friends never fight… much,' she talks down to her, trying to make the filly focus on her.

Sweetie Bell looks up to her sister, glaring with a hatred she never shown before. It scares the mare a little. 'They said that their Cutie Mark will look better than mine! We all know that mine will be the best!'

Scootaloo frees herself from Applejack's pushing strength and jumps on top of Applejack’s head. 'Is not! Mine will be the best!' she yells to the filles.

'No! Mine!' Applebloom shouts just as loud and angry, also jumping on top of Applejack, causing the mare to collapse under their weight. Sweetie Bell pulls herself loose from her sister's hold on her and jumps back to the other two fillies, bickering with each other in no a noisy rabble that no sensible pony could understand. Applejack grows more and more tired of their argue on her back. Using her energy to jump up, the three little ponies fall surprised in different directions from Applejack.

'Alright…, that’s enough!' Applejack gasps angry and tired, having reached her limit of patience.

Applebloom jumps from the ground, pressing her face a few inches away from her sister's. 'Out of my way, sis! Before Ah MAKE you! This is none of your business!'

the blond mare is shocked, almost unable to believe the words she clearly heard from the little filly. Applebloom has never been so aggressive, especially not to her like this.

'Applebloom, what in tarnation has gotten in to you?!' she asks, almost afraid of this mad transformation.

The filly with the bow in her mane doesn’t seem to regret her outburst towards her sister even a little, keeping the glare of anger on her face, aimed at Applejack's. When Applejack has no other words to tell her, Applebloom moves around the mare, just to continue bickering with her two so-called friends. Rarity and Applejack can only look in horror at how their two sisters and Scootaloo bicker over nothing, acting like three completely different ponies.

'They don’t simply argue… It’s like they truly hate each other,' Rarity whispers to Applejack, both completely confused. They are powerless to seperate them, knowing that the fillies will most certainly not calm down even if they would try. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are caught in an unending cycle of hatred.

***

Meanwhile, Fluttershy has her own friends to look after: the critters that live around Ponyville. Desperate to know if they're all alright, the mare searches through the woods outside the village, hoping to catch a glimpse of any animal that she would recognizes. She looks around everywhere: Inside hollow trees, in the waters, high in the treetops and even under several rocks. But to her dissapointment: she's unable to find any of the creatures, making the sweet pegasus worry for their safety.

'Hello? Little friends? Come out, come out,' she asks friendly around her, hoping to get a reaction.

Most of her hope is set on one particular spot: A clearing in the woods where alot of different animals usually go to drink. As luck may have it: The clearing has more critters than usual. Every possible critter has gathered together here, possibly due to the omen that darkens the sky.

'Oh, I’m so glad that you’re all alright,' she sighs with relief and joy, happy to see that they're unharmed. Relieved to see how the creatures have grouped together to seek comfort, the mare moves closer to them. But then she notices that, instead of standing together for comfort, they all struggle with each other. Bunnies, birds, bugs, and all kinds of critters from A to Z fight with each other, making taunting movements to each other while making their own kind of threatening sounds.

Fluttershy is astonished, but quickly acts before it gets a chance to grow out of hand, wishing to prevent them all from getting hurt. 'Oh, no, please don’t fight!' Fluttershy yelps, rushing to the center of the clearing, attempting to stop this foolishness quickly with her talents of tranquility.

But the critters don’t even pay attention to her. All the do is making loud noises and taunting gestures to each other, aching for a fight.

'Please…friends…just…,' she stutters, unable to get in between the battlecries that fill the air. The hate for each other starts to take the toll on the mare's patience, slowly growing angry herself. She wants to stop them, but can't even speak to them. It's taking a toll of Fluttershy, causing her to show her worst side.

'JUST-BE-QUIEEEEEEEEET!' she suddenly yells out loud, which echoes through the entire clearing. As she demands it, so it happens. Silence fills the air. All the critters have ended their quarrel and look surprised at the panting pegasus, all a tad surprised by her call. When Fluttershy has caught her breath again, she looks around to see the result, noticing that every single critter is now gazing in confusion at her. It causes her to blush of shame, feeling silly for her unusual outburst.

'I-I’m sorry…,' she whispers. 'But now we can make peace, right?'

Her words of peace give a different reaction than it was intended. the critters were supposed to calm down and listen to her words of wisdom. But instead: her plan backfires. The creatures have stopped targetting each other. But now they glare and growl together at the mare, who has taken all the attention around her. Before Fluttershy knows it; all the creatures have turned together against her, moving in on her.

'P-Please! Wh-What are you doing?' she gasps, breaking a sweat as the animals start to stand like a wall in front of her, growling like mad beasts. But her true surprise comes from the little white critter that jumps out of the bushes, in front of the animals, almost like he's in charge.

'Not you too, Angel...,' the mare sighs, shacking from fear for her confused friends.

The little rabbit simply raises a paw, causing the other animals to halt their movement. For a moment, Fluttershy believes that her little pet is still on her side. But when Angel drops his paw down, the animals around them start to growl, roar, squawk, and screech in fury, ready to charge without mercy.

'Eek!' Fluttershy yelps, as she hurries away from her once-called friends, who now chase her like angry wild animals out of the forest. The harmless pegasus can’t help but cry tears like rivers over her cheeks, scared and confused by the terrible way things have turned into.

'Why would you suddenly hate each other…,' she cries. 'This isn't you...'

***

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie walk in Ponyville, hoping to find out if something changed to the citizens, entering the town square where many ponies have gathered. Pinkie Pie is glad to see everypony and greets them on several moments as she walks by, asking how they all are. Rainbow Dash simply lets her, being more focused in front of her to where she is flying to.

'Hi!” the pink earth pony giggles, expecting a cheerful "hello" back. But to her disappointment, nopony does the same like her. The ponies do notice her, but pay her no further attention.

'How are you doing?' she wonders to some other ponies, who react in no other way but glaring at her. Pinkie Pie is a little confused about the responses she gets, unsure about what she may be doing wrong. The mare simply guesses that mere greetings don’t seem to get any good reactions from the ponies, considering some ponies prefer action over words. So instead of words: she’ll use action.

Pinkie Pie stops following Rainbow Dash, who is completely oblivious of Pinkie Pie's intentions. The happy mare pulls up to two ponies who are speaking to each other. 'How are you doing?' she asks friendly, trying to become part of their conversation. 'Nice... weather, don't you think?'

The ponies only glare at her before they walk away, leaving Pinkie Pie on her own again. But the party pony is far from done, rushing towards a stallion that stands a few meters away from her. As she is about to reach him, Pinkie Pie takes a daring leap, jumping on top of the surprised stallion.

'C’mon Everypony! Smile!' Pinkie Pie giggles as she pulls a smile on the earth pony's face with her hoofs.

He didn’t seem to appreciate it, throwing the pink mare off of him. Pinkie Pie looks surprised up, having managed to get the attention of the stallion.

'What do you think you’re doing, “giggles”?!' the pony insults her.

Pinkie looks at his angry face, surprised that he overreacts like this. She needs a moment to think of a way to apologize to him. 'I -eh- just wanted to make you smile again,' she explains her good intentions, hoping that he'll understand it.

The pony does not respond in any way positive; baring his teeth and frown to the max. 'Mind your own business, got it?! Geez! You ponies are the worst; all cheerful and so extremely annoying!' he yells down to the mare, who continues to sit and look confused on the ground.

Rainbow Dash hears the noise behind her, realizing that Pinkie Pie has gotten herself into trouble. Easily noticing that the pink earth pony is trying to apologize, Rainbow Dash becomes a little anger by the attitude of the stallion. Taking no second longer, the blue pegasus hurries to land at Pinkie's side.

'Hey, chump! Nobody insults my friends and gets away with it,' she tells him, standing up for her friend.

The pony doesn’t seem impressed by Rainbow's threats. All he does is glare at her too. 'And what if I do? YOU’re going to stop me?' he grunts, insulting the pegasus mare as well.

Pinkie looks at how Rainbow is taking the fall for her, while she simply watches at how their bickering starts to take notice by the others around them. 'Eh, Rainbow?' Pinkie Pie whispers to her friend, trying to get her attention off of the stallion. But Rainbow Dash keeps on arguing with the grumpy pony, having no realization of the gathering ponies. 'You wanna test me, buddy?'

'Rainbow…,' Pinkie pokes her a bit with her hoof, while she looks over her shoulder at how other angry ponies start to gather around them in a circle. A lot of familiar faces surround them, though all of them look very angry out of their eyes.

Rainbow Dash only still continues to look at the earth pony stallion that provoked her. “

'Nothing but a troublemaker, are you? A lot of words, but no action,' she says confident and spits on the ground. 'If you're going to take me on, you'll need more than an army!'

“Rainbow!” Pinkie yells, finaly catching the mare's attention.

'Wha?' Rainbow Dash looks behind her and notices how everypony looks at the two mares who were making a scene.

'Are you looking for trouble?' one of them asks her.

Rainbow Dash looks a little confused at them, having no idea why they all suddenly turn against her. 'Eh..., no? I was just telling him not to get so angry to my friend…'

'Fly off, birdbrain!' another pony snaps at Rainbow.

'You pegasi are only good at causing trouble!' a unicorn mare tells her.

'Hey! You Unicorns are all talk! Why don’t you stick your horns in your own business?!' a pegasus in the crowd tells the mare, causing the confrontation to spread over the public.

Before Pinkie and Rainbow can comprehend what is going on, all the ponies in the square are bickering and fighting with each other. Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, stallions, mares, fillies, colts, all are throwing threats and insults, regardless whoever they get in their sights. Chaos has filled the entire town square, with "hatred" written all over it. The only two sane mares don’t think that it’s a good time to start bickering along.

'Eh, Pinkie? I think it’s better if we get out of here right now...,' Rainbow Dash suggests, astonished by the dramatic turn of events.

'Got’ya...,' Pinkie replies, with a same nervous tone.

Taking no moment longer, they both hurry out of the town square, lucky that they’re not being followed by the angry crowd, who only has their attention on each other.

'So much for a friendly meeting! They didn’t even seem to bother the shadowy sky!' Pinkie Pie says, running after a flying Rainbow Dash.

'Yea... Yea, you're right, Pinkie,' the blue pegasus agrees, starting to find the ponies' behaviour weirder and weirder by the second. 'Something funny is going on in Ponyville, that’s for sure…

By the time they've escaped into a nearby alley, they can still hear the noise of shouts coming from the town square.

***

'Spike? Spike!' Twilight yells through the library, hoping for an answer of her draconic assistant.

She searches every room, corner, and space that the library could possible have, without any luck of finding him.

'Where could he have gone to…,' the purple mare mumbles to herself in the bedroom.

She’s suddenly called for from outside the library. Two friendly voices shouting for her attention from in front of the building, coming from the white and orange mares. 'Twilight! Are ya there?!' Applejack shouts.

Rushing downstairs and outside the library, Twilight has noticed the urgency that lies in Applejack's worried voice. She leaves Spike's dissapearance as a matter for later.

'Hey, what’s going on?' she asks the mares surprised, not expecting them to come back so soon. 'Back already?'

Rarity and Applejack sigh together, completely lost in confusion. They tell the purple unicorn about how the Cutie Mark Crusaders were in a rather "unique" fight with each other, about the way they weren't themselves at all. Twilight is astonished by their story, surprised to hear how the three little filles could suddenly grow such a strong sense of hatred and revenge.

'Oh, my… That doesn’t sound good,' Twilight replies calmly, just before she's interupted by two other mares that come running in her direction.

'Hey!' Rainbow Dash yells to catch the three mares' attention and lands next to them, with Pinkie Pie following behind her. 'Did you see what’s going on at the square?'

They look at them, making the same wild guess. 'A spiteful fight?'

Rainbow wishes to correct them from their obvious wrong guess, only to realize that they are completely right. 'Eh… yea! Everypony has gone mad!' she tells, followed by giving an explaination about how all the ponies first turned against Pinkie Pie and her, followed by turning against each other.

'This can only be Ignis’ doing…,' Twilight mumbles in herself, blaming the magic mists that cover the entire sky.

The other's still heard Twilight's mumbling thoughts. 'I should’a known... If it’s his fault that my lil’ sister is more angry than a tied-up bull, he’ll pay for this more than anypony could for a year worth of apple harvest!' she promises them, and bucks in air with anger.

Rarity simply nods at the earth pony's opinion, though she's still very confused about Sweetie Bell's change for the worst.

Twilight looks back up at her friends. 'Girls, we need to go to Canterlot right away! Maybe Princess Celestia knows what we can do!'

'Can't we just write her? That should be alot faster!' Rainbow Dash proposes, unaware of Spike's dissapearance.

The purple unicorn shakes her head slowly, a little concerned about what could've happened to Spike, regarding the strange tranformations that everypony has been going through. 'I know that would be faster... But Spike isn't anywhere! If we want to solve this fast and turn everypony back to normal, we got to find Princess Celestia A.S.A.P!'

'Wait! What about Fluttershy?' Pinkie shouts alarmed, unable to leave without the complete friends group intact.

Before any of them can make an assumption, or suggest to go look for her, they’re suddenly greeted by a sad voice.

'I-I’m here…,' Fluttershy whimpers.

When they look at her, they can’t believe their eyes. Fluttershy’s hair is completely messed up, roughed up like she's been standing in a tornado for 10 minutes. Her skin is covered in dirt, and her eyes are wet of tears, which continue to drip over her face.

'Oh, my gosh! Fluttershy!' Rarity gasps, running to her side to comfort her from whatever terrible has happened to her. 'What happened to you, darling?'

Fluttershy still whimpers sadly, attempting to gather enough breath to tell her friends. 'M-My friends… they all chased me down. They were so angry…Even little Angel... And-And I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY!' she burst out in tears and presses her hooves her under eyes.

Her friends have no words to be said. They can only look at how the most innocent mare, who has always put everypony else before her, cries out for the critters that chased her down.

'Ok, that’s it!' Rainbow Dash shouts in anger. 'We gotta teach that freak a lesson!'

As admirable as Rainbow Dash means it, Twilight declines by shaking her head. 'Calm down, Rainbow. If there is something that isn’t going to work, it’s getting angry,' she tells her, attempting to talk the brave mare out of her crazy plan. 'It’s obvious that Ignis would attempt to get us angry as well! He’s been provoking everypony this whole time,' she shares her thoughts, believing this Ponyville drama to be nothing but the beginning.

'We all know what happens if we try to fight him through force and hate…,' Twilight recalls from Rainbow’s hasty action to fight Ignis, proving her in her right. Rainbow Dash understands it, knowing now that her hasty action from before has only made things more difficult. She drops her flank on the ground and listens quietly to hear other suggestions.

'So what IS the plan, suger cube?' Applejack asks. 'All fine and all that we're gonna speak to the princess. But what would SHE know about this creep?'

Twilight looks at their friends and starts to explain. 'Well, like I meant to say, Princess Celestia has been princess for many years now. There's a possiblitiy that she knows what to do about Ignis, or maybe not. Either way: It doesn't hurt to try, right? Maybe if we find a way to stop him, this sudden hatred will disappear too.'

The other mares look at each other, think a few moments about Twilight's suggestion, and admit that it’s a reasonable idea by giving a nod.

'Well, let’s hurry! We don’t want everypony to stay this aggressive a second longer than needed!' Rarity backs her fellow unicorn up.

'Alright, let’s go to Canterlot! It will take a little time to get there first!' Twilight tells her friends, all ready to follow the road that connects Ponyville and Canterlot.

'Which hopefully won't be too late...,' she whispers to herself at a tone that her friends can't hear.

***

The road was to Canterlot was tougher to follow that normally, considering their way had no sun to enlighten it. The darkness kept the path unclear, with angered life scattered along the way of the mares. Twilight didn't feel any better, even though they were definitly getting closer to the large mountain-city, where the Princesses; Luna and Celestia, can be found. Rarity and Applejack couldn't help but worry about their little sisters, urging them to look behind them from time to time, wishing that they could do something there. The feeling of being useless is eating them away. Pinkie Pie isn't acting much different, considering her strong cheerful personality. Still alright, she continues the stay next to Fluttershy, in order to comfort the sad mare, who continues to unleash tears when she thinks back about what happened. Their worries couldn't be getting worse, knowing that Lord Ignis is lurking in the shadows, somewhere in Equestria. As long as the crimson stallion continues to hold an iron grip over the land, nopony is safe.

After a long gallop, the mares finaly arrive at the large castle that houses the royal princesses, standing tall and glorious as ever. But even when behind the vast walls of the city, the friends are disappointed to notice that the dark clouds also managed to block the sky here. As far as they can guess, it should be nighttime right now.

When they are granted access to enter the palace, being recognized by the armorerd guards, they realize that it’s full of panic here too. Guards are running around, unicorns are making overtime, and other ponies simply try to stay out of the way, all to work on protecting Canterlot against this new disaster.

'-Ouch!- Oh, I’m sorry!' a unicorn stallion apologizes after he bumps into Fluttershy, who was too upset to look in front of her. The unicorn quickly moves on, though the other five friends notice that he didn’t throw an insult at Fluttershy, or even became slightly angry, like the ponies in Ponyville would normally do. This leads to speculation that Princess Celestia has managed to find a way to prevent Lord Ignis’ hate from spreading into Canterlot, before she even got into contact with the monster! Holding their hopes up, it could means that the princess of the sun may have an idea to help Ponyville too.

As they walk through a hallway to where the princess should be, they can’t help but notice how a row of ten guards are standing still, guarding the only passage into the next room. Five unicorns are on the left, while five pegasi are on the right, all wearing the same golden armor that marks them as the royal guards.

'Looks like Princess Celestia wanted some safety percussions…,' Rainbow Dash whispers in Twilight’s ear, who only shrugs and understands due to the events of late.

After passing and being recognized by several guards, they are allowed to enter the room that is sealed by two large doors, which require all the strength that two guards have in the hooves. Yet again, they need to go through an entire hallway, which leads to a smaller, lighter door than the last two. When the mares quietly proceed, they start to hear a conversation, originating from behind the doors. As they move closer, they can hear it more clear.

'How long, did you say, Sir Armor?' a female voice asks.

'I won't be able to speak in details, your highness. But if it's up to me: The shield will remain up until I draw my last breath,' a stallion's voice speaks, giving the impression that the conversation is bitter serious.

Twilight's heartrate raises, recognizing the two voices that are in discussion. The mare goes first of the group, opening the small doors, and enters a large chamber, known as the throne room. the chamber is completele white, with tall pillars standing in the corners. Two different types of banners hang from the ceiling: One with a sun and the other with a lunar crescent. And the way to the throne is covered by a long red rug. But the attention of the friends is focused on two tall ponies, standing at the far end of the chamber, in serious conversation with each other.

'That won't be neccesary,' the dark-purple alicorn assures the stallion and shakes her head. 'All we need is time. time to find the source as soon as possible!'

The mares do no rush. They may be in a hurry about Lord Ignis' arrival in Equestria, and Twilight may have recognized the two ponies as they move closer, but that doesn't mean they will just crash an important discussion regarding the safety of Canterlot. Once they're halfway, the stallion and mare take notice of their presence.

'Twilight Sparkle! It is fortunate to bear witness on you and your friends once again,' Princess Luna remarks with joy.

'Twilight!' the armored unicorn greets with a smile. 'I KNEW that you and your friends would be alright!'

'Brother!' Twilight cheers, recognizing the stallion as her brother, Shining Armor, captain of the royal guards. As happy to see as she is, she would wish give him a heartwarming hug. But because the times are urgent, and they're in the presence of Princess Luna, Twilight keeps a hold on herself and simply moves with her friends to stand next to them. Twilight smiles as she notices that Luna is still the same, even in this time of crisis. 'Princess Luna, it is good to see that you are well,' Twilight humbly greets.

Luna nods. 'Likewise, Twilight Sparkle. I was expecting you and your friends, ofcourse.'

The mares are a little surprised. 'You... You were expecting us?'

'Why... yes, ofcourse!' Luna remarks, as if it's completely obvious. She looks at the six mares, followed by tilting her head to look behind them. 'Say, are you not accompanied by my sister?'

They're not certain about what the princess is talking about. Princess Celestia is supposed to be with them?

'W-what do you mean? We came here to see her about this crisis,' Rarity speaks of surprise.

Luna can't believe her royal ears. 'What? But then... where could she have gone to?' she ponders out loud.

This news does not bode well, having nopony knowing about the princess' whereabouts. They feel like they’re far from out of the frying pan, though expecting that she's probably alright. The mares hope to get some answers from Luna instead, expecting her to be as informed as her sister.

'This rush in Canterlot, is it all for the dark clouds?' Twilight asks her.

Luna stops wondering about her sibling and nods positively. 'By Princess Celestia’s suspicions, we do what we can to prevent access for the emotion magic that is shrouded in the winds. Now that I have seen what it does to ponies outside Canterlot… I can see why,' she explains with content in her voice. 'We have yet to find out what is causing it. That’s why my sister told me that she was to leave for a small period of time. I was suspecting that she would head to her pupil, asking to help in shedding light on the matter… But it seems she did not.'

The friends are relieved to hear that Canterlot is truly safe, but wonder where Princess Celestia could be if not intending to go to Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight then realizes something from Luna’s words. 'Wait, what do you mean by “emotion magic in the winds”?'

'I meant that there is a magical property hidden inside the clouds, one that affects the victim's feelings. It seems to cause aggravation to emotions,' Luna explains.

Applejack raises an eyebrow. 'Eh... and in normal language?' she asks bluntly.

'The clouds are the reason that makes everypony get angry!' Twilight translates. 'Those clouds were not just to block out the sun and moon, but also to make everypony feel an unnatural hatred to everything!'

Their worst suspicions are proven; Ignis is once again the cause of trouble. His punishment to the ponies, for not delivering Celestia to him, was turning them against each other!

'Princess Luna, would you may have any idea where Princess Celestia MIGHT be?' Twilight asks.

Luna shakes her head, having no idea where her sister might be in this time of crisis. 'If you wish to speak my sister, I assume that you have information regarding this crisis?' Luna guesses, having no clue of the crimson alicorn's presence in Equestria.

'Uh-huh,' Twilight replies. 'It’s done by an individual. We tried to stop him ourselves…, But he proved to be more than a match against us,' she sighs, along with her friends, who are also disappointed in themselves for letting the beast get away and cause this disaster.

'Wait... You took on a being with these capabilities by yourselves?' Shining Armor interrupts them. 'Are you alright?'

'Yes, Shining,' Twilight nods and smiles, happy to hear her brother's concern.

He looks at Twilight, hoping for more clarifications on what they're dealing with. 'What is he? Some sort of dragon?'

Twilight scratches her hoof over the floor, having no right way to put the words in a good sentence. 'Not really… It’s an alicorn.'

The astonishment on Luna's face doesn't come as a surprise to them, hardly able to believe it themselves if they didn't see him personally. 'I see… Actually, I’m not as surprised as I should be...,' the princess tells them. 'I should’ve known that it must be an alicorn…'

Twilight doesn’t understand why she might say that, not having recognized Ignis' shout as the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Shining Armor turns his attention to the ground before him. 'It is safe here in Canterlot, but we can’t let him do this to Equestria any longer than possible,' he admits. 'Where is he now? Where is this Alicorn?'

Before they could answer, they hear a lot of noise coming from outside the room. Shouts and clashing metal from the guards are heard behind the doors of the halls. With confused faces; Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Princess Luna, Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle look quietly at the doors at the other end of the chamber, listening as the sounds grow louder and louder over time. A heavy slam is heard, shaking the ground like a little earthquake for a second. The two heavy doors of the first hallway have been opened with alot of strength.

The shouts have stopped, giving the hallways a deathly silence. The ponies in the throne room shudder a little as they listen to how heavy hoofs stomp through the second hallway, approaching the final doors of the chamber they're in right now. Just as the hoofsteps end, a royal guard crashes through the door, into the throne room. He lands in a corner, grunting in pain just before he passes out.

They are greeted by a large red stallion, who slowly walks in with an intimidating flaming mane and a large grin on his face. 'Hello, girls. Did you think I forgot about you?'

'Ignis!' they all gasp in fear.

The crimson-red alicorn has infiltrated Canterlot, obviously having followed the mares. The stallion has left a trail of destruction behind him: A hallway with nine unconcious guards laying on the floor. He continues to walk further into the room while speaking to them. 'It was a good idea to let you six off the hook… You led me straight to the Princesses’ doorstep,' he praises them and chuckles.

Ignis stomps with heavy hoofsteps towards the end of the throne room, making his bone-chilling metal sound everytime he press a hoof on the white floor, regardless of the soft rug that is supposed to mute the sound.

'So THIS is Canterlot: the safe haven under the watchful eye of the princesses?' he rhethorically asks the ponies, while looking around through the chamber. 'Looks like Celestia managed to have a nice stay while I was… "absent" from my duties.'

The stallion moves through the group of mares, splitting them in groups of three, standing on both of his sides. when Ignis stands before Princess Luna, he brings a halt to his movement. The mares that stand close to him, are feeling a cold chill pass through their bones from fear. But Princess Luna and Shining Armor look him in the eye, fearlessly.

'Isn’t that right, Princess Luna?' he asks her as he lowers his head to a few inches from Luna’s face.

Shining Armor quickly moves between the two alicorns, ready to protect the princess against any threat.

'I demand that you explain yourself for this intrusion!' Luna commands him, without any signs of fear.

Ignis rises his head back up, away from Shining Armor's, while switching his gaze between the mare and stallion before him. 'You don’t remember me? Well.., you were only a little foal when you saw me last time, I suppose. And, of course, your sister would never dare to drop my name,' he admits, followed by a soft chuckle. 'Talking about your sister… where is she? I have unfinished business left to be discussed with her...'

Luna looks confused by his words. 'What is this nonsense you speak?' the princess asks.

'I want to have a little talk about your… early retirement, he jokes.

Luna snaps back, knowing now that there will most definitly be no way to discuss with this alicorn. 'I have the right to refrain from answering to you in any way! You have nothing but illusions, believing in things that don't excist! Now, you tell ME What you meant by that you knew me when I was little!'

Ignis chuckles while stares deep into her eyes.

'You should know, Luna. After all: I was a part of you, more or less... But if you don't believe me by sight...,' he speaks. 'Listen-VERY-closely to my voice… Are you certain you cannot recall hearing it?' he whispers in her ear, followed by another sadistic chuckle.'

Luna ponders for a moment, listening to the voice that echoes through her mind. After the thought becomes processed through her memories, her eyes widen in surprise when she realizes the origin. 'Wha… How… Who are you?!' she asks him, suddenly sounding nervous and scared, while backing away further into the chamber.

'-Haha!- Yes! I remember that tone! Full of irritation and hatred, right?' he laughs. 'You remember, don't you? Your glorious days when you were known as Night Mare Moon?'

Luna looks uncertain and ill, feeling like everything she thought truth is a lie now. All the purple alicorn can do is looking at the ground, dieing to know what it means. Seeing how what torture the princess is being put through, Twilight Sparkle jumps between Luna and Ignis, right next to her brother, who grows tired of the alicorn's presence as well.

'That’s enough of your lies, Ignis!' Twilight shouts.

But Ignis is simply amused by the mare's attempt to help the princess. 'I don’t think it’s up to you to decide whether I’m lying or not, Twilight Sparkle…' he grunts. 'Much to my disappointment: Night Mare Moon was a failure... But as Celestia’s little sister, she might come in handy for… "future negotiations",' he hints how he still plans to use hostages that are important to Princess Celestia. He smiles about the way the ponies look at him with disgust for his demonic schemes, feeling proud at how he manages to provoke everypony the way he does. 'And who could forget about little Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s precious student?' he notes as he turns all his attention to her.

But before he could even make a step forth, the other mares jump in front of her.

'If you want Twilight, you’ll have to go through us first!' Rainbow Dash taunts, having forgotten about the way Ignis defeated her before.

'Yes! You stay away from her, you… meanie!' Fluttershy stutters to him, just as dedicated as the others.

'I got a better idea,' Ignis tells her with a very calm tone. 'How about I just capture all of you? Celestia will have no choice but to surrender when I have the "full Mane Six set" and her sister in custody!'

The ponies all look terrified as how Ignis starts to close in on them, shaking when they hear the clattering sound of his armor, everytime he takes a step towards them.

'I have heard enough!' Shining Armor suddenly shouts at the stallion, having run out of patience.

The royal guards are stomped unconcious and the seven mares are in danger of becoming hostages. It is the captain's duty to prevent this stallion from going any further. The brave unicorn takes no second longer, having enough of the alicorn's threats and actions. With his horn glowing as bright as a star, Shining Armor charges Ignis fearlessly.

'Shining! Don't!' Twilight gasps, watching with fear as her brother closes the gap between him and the crimson beast.

'FOOL!' Ignis bellows.

The sound of his shout echoes through the entire chamber. Lord Ignis is ready to take on the mighty captain, Shining Armor, by simply waiting for the stallion to reach him. Before the unicorn could reach his target for a critical attack, Ignis uses his armor to bash him out of the way with his full strength, slamming the stallion against a white wall.

'-URK!-' Shining gasps, completely surprised by the vast strength of his opponent. 'You're going to have to do better than that!'

Standing up, even though having a slight concussion from the blow, Shining Armor prepares to charge again.

'Just roll over and pass out, ignorant little boy..,' Ignis grunts, unamused by the stallion perseverance.

'Never!' Shining Armor shouts, beginning to charge the crimson stallion again.

Just before she reaches the alicorn again, he vanishes in a flash, having used a teleport spell. Shining Armor believes to have caught the advantage of the element of surprise, charging the alicorn from the other side now. Unable to miss the beast now, Shining Armor leaps for the stallion's side. But as he closes in, having only a few inches to go to make a tremendous impact on the alicorn's crimson armor, he misses.

'Little brats who don't listen to their elders, need to FEEL the consequences!' Ignis shouts, having surprised the captain with it's abnormal speed in his heavy armor. Before Shining even gets the chance to land on the ground, Ignis headbutts the mighty unicorn into the ground before him.

'SHINING!' Twilight cries, heartbroken by her brother's almost certain defeat.

The unicorn lies still on the floor, having reached his limit already. The part of floor where he crashed has been cracked by the impact of the stallion's golden armor. The royal captain of guard has been knocked out cold by one alicorn, in two hits, making Ignis look more invincible than first.

'W-what will you do with us?' Rarity yelps.

Ignis turns his attention off the beaten unicorn, without giving a sigh of effort, 'I’m just going to keep you hostage as leverage to strike a deal with Celestia... Since those foolish ponies down in Equestria don’t seem to deliver her to me willingly, I‘ll just make her surrender by myself.'

Applejack pokes her head from behind her friends as she tries to move in front of them. 'Surrender? Forget it! Ya' can’t call yourself a leader by force! Ya' turned all ponies against each other, something a real leader would never do!'

At first Ignis is quiet by her snappy comment. The stallion continues to look at Applejack, even though she has already stopped talking. The mares grow a little anxious, afraid that Applejack may have provoked Lord Ignis. But he suddenly starts to chuckle, which quickly turns into a loud and intimidating laughter that sounds through the entire throne room.

'D-Do you ACTUALLY think that I care to become in charge of Equestria again? -Hahaha!-'

The mares look astonished at the laughing stallion, as if Applejack just told him the most funniest joke of Equestria. Things can’t get any weirder with an answer like this. Preforming all these evil acts for domination sounds logical for a cunning monster like Lord Ignis, yet he doesn't?

'Then... what are you truly after then?' Twilight asks him confused, though she's unable to keep her eyes of her beloved brother.

The alicorn heard her, requiring a moment to calm down from his extensive laugh. When he is finished snickering, he takes a deep breath. I don’t care about leadership anymore. All I want now is revenge,' he growls. 'Let me ask you something, little ponies....: What have I been doing lately?' he asks to them all.

Pinkie Pie believes to know the correct answer. 'Well, you ruined a door, hit some guards, hit US, laughed alot-'

'That’s NOT what I meant!' Ignis interrupts her as he stomps with his right hoof on the floor, missing the unconcious stallion by mere inches. 'What do you expect the ponies of Equestria will think about with the darkness filling the sky?!'

Before Twilight could think of a right answer, Ignis is 1 step ahead of her. 'They will look for a target to BLAME!' he assures with a loud voice. 'Has any of you known about me before my arrival? No, you haven’t. This means a couple of ideas will haunt through the heads of other ponies… resulting into the chaos I’m after,' he tells them with pride for his diabolical plan.

He starts to explain in details that the mares can understand. 'Eternal darkness filling the skies? Sounds awfully familiar. Doesn’t it?' he asks Princess Luna.

The female alicorn looks confused and feels fear for him Ignis, unable to grasp why the stallion knows this much information. The princess has no clue of what in Equestria’s name is going on.

'Or is this something that that freak-show, Discord, could do?' he asks to the Mane Six. 'Some ponies would blame this on me, Princess Luna, or Discord. Or… YOU, for failing to keep the harmony intact!' he shouts with a blaming tone, as if he's trying to bring a sense of guilt in the young mares' minds.

'In turn, some will blame Celestia, while others remain loyal to her,' the stallion concludes. 'Do you see where I’m getting at, Twilight Sparkle? Do you see what all this confusion and hatred will most certainly lead to?' he laughs mockingly at her.

Twilight has a sneaking suspicion, speaking her theory out loud to make sure. 'They would have several opinions… with a chance of colliding against each other,' the mare tells him and waits to see if she's right.

The red alicorn laughs, making clear that Twilight is absolutely right. 'And with the clouds that hang over Equestria, which can fire up the rage inside them, they WILL collide.' he confirms on her suspicions.

'So it really was your doing that put everypony against each other!” Applejack assumes.

Ignis nods, smiling like he’s proud of it. 'If you hadn't figured that out yet, you must be really dense, you flightless pea-brain...,' he insults her, knowing that Applejack won't make the mistake of attacking him again.

He starts to speak at a lower, sinister tone, like he's saying the words as they pop in his head. 'Opinions will collide..., anger will be forged..., friends turn into enemies... It will all result into the true aim I have in mind: total chaos, covered in eternal darkness! It's a world that Celestia can’t bear to see!'

Every pony looks in horror at Ignis’ intentions. Different terrors have tried to severe the peace in Equestria, but Ignis takes the cake. He doesn't attempt to take over Equestria to rule over it, doesn't mess up the laws of nature for plain fun, or does it for the sake of another kind! He brings violence and madness to Equestria for the sake of revenge on ONE mare.

'You’re even worse than Discord…,' Rarity whispers softly. Yet not soft enough to escape from Ignis’ ears.

'DON’T YOU DARE…,' Ignis suddenly shouts, stopping halfway his sentence when he realizes he lost his temper for a moment. 'Please..., don’t compare me to that flying manipulative rat,' Ignis demands from the shivering pretty mare, who has become frozen by fear after Ignis’ sudden outburst to her.

'To be honest, I was hoping that you six would turn against each other as well... It would’ve been entertaining,' he sighs dissapointed. “No matter... I will be rid of you six soon anyway.'

Luna has taken a deep breath and moves forward, shortening her distance with the stallion to merely a rough three meters. 'What could drive you to this? What do you gain from it?' she asks him.

'Like I said: It's pure vengeance that drives me... As Celestia was the one to build this kingdom, so shall I be the one to lead it to its destruction...,' he grunts. 'She thought sealing me away would save her, keeping you and this world safe... But she will find out soon enough that she can’t erase her past, which will always catch up with the present... She has to deal with it sooner or later,'

'What he says is: He still hasn’t learned anything in all these years,' a voice echoes through the room, originating from the door opening.

The seven mares look past the red stallion, who looks over his shoulder to look as well. A white alicorn walks inside, with a colorful waving mane coming from her crowned head. The Cutie Mark on her flank gives away her identity, being the only pony with that unique symbol of the sun.

'Haven’t you, Ignis?' she asks calmly.

'Princess Celestia!' the friends cheer, glad to see their beloved princess back in Canterlot.

'Sister!' Luna cheers just as happy, relieved to see her older sibling back in their presence.

Ignis looks surprised over his shoulder, with wide eyes of astonishment. He cannot believe that the princess has come forth to confront him, while he was looking all over for her. He looks for a moment into her warm eyes, which stare directly into his own. He recognizes her and suddenly grins his teeth bare, feeling an indescribably feeling of joy by seeing the other alicorn. 'Princess Celestia… at last,' he whispers while he breathes deeply from excitement as he turns towards her. 'How fares… the royal sun-tan?' Ignis sarcastically jokes, while throwing a glimpse at the dark clouds outside.

Princess Celestia remains quiet, having no intention of ending her stare into the red alicorn's yellow eyes.

'It’s been too long, my friend... The last time I saw you, you were as big as these little girls,' Ignis tells her, bringing up something that sounds like old memories. 'I haven’t gotten the chance to thank you yet for sealing me inside that rock!' he growls as his mood turns aggressive.

Celestia remains quiet, barely blinking as she calmly continues to look the stallion in the eyes. 'You were stopped because you harmed innocent lives in Equestria. Seeing as how you haven’t changed, you are not supposed to be here,' she suddenly tells him, showing no sign of intimidation by the powerful alicorn.

Ignis easily becomes provoked by her words. 'Silence!' he shouts. 'The only thing I was amazed about was how in Equestria’s name I was stupid enough to let you in the same order as an alicorn of my rank! I should've never saved you and your sister from the gutter!'

Clearly not impressed by him, Celestia continues to speak with her soothing calm voice. 'The only “order” it had, was DISorder, Ignis.'

Ignis realizes how much Celestia has managed to provoke him and quickly calms back down to a sadistic tone. 'You were a tricky girl, I give you that... Without Discord’s betrayal, you could’ve never pulled it off.'

Luna, Twilight, and the rest of the ponies remain silently astonished, listening to this never-been-told conversation between the alicorn of light and shadow. It makes absolutely no sense to them. How does the princess know Ignis, while Luna clearly does not. What did Ignis mean with his "order." And what does Discord have to do with any of it? Celestia notices how others can overhear the conversation, having no intention of revealing it to them like this. Without giving Ignis the idea to do so, the tall white mare tries to end their conversation smoothly by changing the subject.

'I knew you were behind all of this…,' she brings up.

Ignis gives her a grin, glad to hear that Celestia did not forget about him. “I bet you knew of my coming the day that Night Mare Moon returned, didn’t you?' he laughs as he chuckles.

Princess Luna looks at the ground, feeling a sense of guilt resurface, hearing of her dark history as the bringer of eternal night. Lucky for her: The others don't look at her now. They're all completely absorbed into this conversation.

'I knew for certain that you returned when the Crimson Asteroid passed and was followed by your fog,' she corrects him.

As much as Ignis enjoys their little talk, he wants to end the delay of what he deems "the inevitable," and get to the point. Without further sweet talk, the stallion takes a deep breath and stop smiling.

'…Surrender your crown, Celestia… You know I’m the strongest Alicorn,' he commands her with bitter seriousness.

The princess simply shakes her head, refusing to give in to Ignis' demands. 'You have been gone for a long time now. I will do anything to protect Equestria and its citizens,' she assures him.

Ignis squeezes his eyes to a glare. 'Then I will take it by force, my friend...,' he grunts, having reached a limit of his patience. He bends through his legs, giving the idea that he's about to charge the crowned mare.

'I never considered you a friend, Ignis… Neither did I truly recognize you as my superior,' Celestia whispers and bend through her legs as well, pointing her horn into the stallion's direction.

The two alicorns both look ready to charge, waiting for the other to make the first move. The other ponies in the chamber remain silent, showing no courage to even make a sound during this intensive moment. Everypony stands still like statues, marking the calm before the storm. The only thing that moves are their magical manes, waving like a flame and the wind.

'what do you say, Celestia? Should I fight the other pests first? Isn't that how your system works: Others take the fall before her majesty does?' he asks the princess, while his glare moves in the direction of the seven shivering mares. 'So... who will I fight first? Your pathetic captain of the guards, the six mares, or perhaps little Luna?' he asks her, without showing a smile this time. He is seriously asking the question this time.

'…You will fight me,' Celestia commands him, to everypony's surprise.

'W-what?!' Twilight gasps. She knows that her mentor is extremely talented and powerful. But she to admit to herself that she's not sure if it's enough to defeat Lord Ignis.

Ignis is just as surprised as the mares by the princess' brave words, yet he follows his surprise with another smile. 'Really now… I didn’t expect that of you, Celestia. I would’ve thought that you would first send all possible ponies at me, before surrendering yourself,' he chuckles, amused about this turnout.

Celestia frowns at him. 'I do not condone violence in any way,' she claims. 'But considering that I am facing you, I’m afraid I have no choice…'

'Why the confidence? Afraid I might harm your little sister again?' he asks with a provoking tone.

Celestia sneers at him, having been touched on a very sensitive nerve on her mind. 'You have no right to talk about my sister…,' she hisses at the stallion, almost sounding like she's threatening him.

'Hmpf,' the crimson alicorn grunts, showing no intention to provoke her further on this particular subject. 'Alright then. I was hoping to settle this against you, and you alone, anyway!' he growls as he bends further through his knees ready to begin the charge that will innitiate their combat.

'Wait,' Celestia interrupts him as she raises her hoof. 'We shall not fight here.'

Ignis hears her demand and ponders for a moment. It isn't certain whether he will accept Celestia's command, or charge her after all. He first looks around him and notices that the seven mares are still on the same spot, not having shown the courage to interrupt his conversation with Celestia. It is when he looks back into Celestia eyes that he stands tall again, accepting her offer.

'Very well then... I wouldn’t want my future home to get any damage,' he grunts, having admitted that he intents on claiming Canterlot for himself. 'On one condition: These six ponies must come along! I don’t want them to try anything funny while we’re away… and I would like to gloat over the looks on their faces when I defeat you...'

Celestia looks next to her at the mares that seem to have reached their limits. The mares are clearly tired, confused, and at the brink of mental collapse. When the mare makes contact with the eyes of her beloved pupil, who remains sad over the beating that her brother took, Celestia looks back at the Harbringer of Hatred. '…Accepted,' she answers.

Before any pony has a clue what is happening, both Ignis and Celestia move closer to each other, making contact with their horns. The red and yellow magical glows of the alicorns' horns cause a reaction, resulting in a flash that fills the entire chamber. It's a spell of mass teleportation. When the light fades again, Luna, the guards and Shining Armor are all that are left. The sudden silence is horrifying. The young princess looks confused over the damage and harmed soldiers, while she's unable to think clearly. Ignis has messed her head up pretty good.

Reinforcements finaly arrive, surprised to see the chaos as well. Without hesitation or Princess Luna's orders, they hurry to the wounded soldiers and carry them off to the sick bay. Luna falls deep in thought to the point that she doesn't even hear Princess Cadance enter, who rushes over to her injured husband. Even when the sounds of Cadance's sorrow echo through the throne room, Princess Luna can only think of one thing.

'Sister… What is it that you don’t tell me?' she ponders with a rapidly pounding heart in her chest. 'Please..., return home, safely.'

***

The enviroment is harsh, a deadcolt's land. The only plants that dare to grow here are weeds, which cover the entire plains as far as the eye can see. The wind blows unstoppable, waving the grass up and down every day and night. In the middle of this abandoned place, a little spark appears out of thing air. The glowing red and yellow light continues to grow, until it explodes in a flash of light. When the light fades, Princess Celestia, Lord Ignis, and the six friends reappear, miles away from any form of life.

'This is a good place. No harm can be done to others here,' Celestia confirms as she looks in every direction around her.

Ignis walks back from her, while still glaring at her. 'Except for you, Celestia,' he whispers. 'Before we begin our inevitable fight, I'd like to know whatever happened to that worthless little lackey...,” Ignis brings up suddenly.

Celestia looks at his face, a little surprised to hear Ignis' curiosity. It feels uncomfortable that he brings up the past again, in front of the other ponies. 'Discord is turned into stone after bringing chaos to Equestria,' she sums up in a short answer.

'Hm… Sounds like I wasn’t the only one that underestimated him,' the stallion grunts. 'Sadly for you: I won’t be defeated by sheer force, princess,' he assures as he bends through his legs again, assuming a battle stance. 'You will find out that you must not underestimate me, just because I was locked in that cursed rock for so long!'

Before Celestia assumes her own battle stance, she looks in the air. the sky is filled with darkness, even here. But interest lies in the two ponies that fly circles, high above the two alicorns. Ignis notices that Celestia isn't looking at him, and looks up as well. It's two royal guards of Celestia, having found her this quickly. Clearly, they're awaiting orders. Celestia simply looks up to them and gives them a small nod that tell them to move away, considering that being this close isn't safe for them. They see it, and follow her order without question.

'They're really persistant, Celestia,' the red armored alicorn grunts. 'Why couldn't you have been as loyal as they are to you?'

'Because I EARNED their respect, Ignis...,' Celestia sighs and turns around to the clueless mares.

She takes a deep breath before she speaks to them. Twilight quickly moves passes her friends, in order to move close to her mentor. they're all worried for the princess' safety.

'Do not despair, little ones,' she tells with a smile. 'Ignis may be an incarnation of hatred. But that is not enough to overcome friendship. No matter how hard he will try to cloud your hearts with hate, remember that there is always hope for those who ask for help from each other.'

'Are you finaly done with your speech?' Ignis sighs bored, growing impatient of Celestia's delays. Celestia looks over her shoulder back to Ignis. 'Friendship this, friendship that. I would expect those little ponies would get tired of hearing such nonsense all the time,' he complains with rolling his eyes.

Celestia doesn’t give him the satisfaction of provocation and turns back around to him. 'They know better than you, Ignis. They know that even the most impossible obstacles can be moved together.'

Ignis sneers at her for her hurtful comment, simply waiting for the moment that Celestia goes too far.

'You know just as well as I do; hatred can’t win-' she tries to tell him.

'-Because friendship defeated hatred before?' he interrupts her, having said the exact thing that Celestia tried to tell. He grins at her when he sees how that Celestia's eyes widen by the surprise. 'You’re putting your hopes on your precious Elements of Harmony, aren’t you?'

Celestia is suddenly silent, having no words to say in return. How could Ignis come up with the Elements of Harmony?

The evil alicorn begins to laugh. 'It was the only thing that managed to stop me! Of course you would devise a plan to halt me with it. How dense do you think I am?!' he asks the disturbed mare. Celestia's mouth has lost any sensible words to say. The princess is completely baffled by the stallion's wisdom. Now that he knows of her plan, can he still be stopped now?

Ignis suddenly takes off without warning, rushing in the direction of the Mane Six. The mares gasp as the large shadow speeds off towards them. Rarity can't help but scream in fear and covers her eyes, waiting for the stallion to strike them down with his strength. But instead of rushing into the group of ponies, he ignores them and flies towards a boulder that lies a yard away from them. He knows: It's where the two royal guards are hiding behind.

'-Graaaagh!-' Ignis roars as he uses his brute forces to smashes through the rock, stunning the guards by the impact. Stone and rocks fly through the air, along with the two armored pegasi. Ignis has seen it: They carried a lockbox with them, which jumps open by the hit it receives from the fall on the ground. Five necklaces and one crown drop out of it, looking awfully familiar to Twilight and the rest.

'The Elements of Harmony!' they all gasp together.

The mares don't take a second longer and try to gallop to them, but stop as soon as Ignis quickly lands in front of the sacred jewelry.

'These cursed things… The reason of my fate as prisoner in a crystal!' he whispers with contempt. 'NO MORE! FRIENDSHIP IS HISTORY!' he screams, lifts his front hooves, and stomps the elements under his hooves.

That one second where the hooves strike the Elements into splinters: It felt like an eternity. Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy look in horror at how their elements are shattered into mere shards, completely useless. The only one that doesn’t succumb to the fear of certain defeat is Ignis, who starts to cackle madly over his definite victory.

'Your only hope… Crushed under the pressure of my very powers! No mere friendship will save you now, little ponies!' he manages to shout, before falling in uncontrollable laughter again.

Even Princess Celestia looks horrified. It feels like all hope has vanished by one destructive move of Ignis. The laughter loses its volume soon after, ending in a soft chuckle. Ignis looks away from the powerless pieces and looks back into Celestia’s eyes, which are now expressing the horror of the princess' worries.

'Now that your trinkets and hopes are crushed to smithereens…, shall we begin, my “friend”?'