WoAWar of AlicornsBy Hunter of the NightChapter 1: the wars begin
Today Canterlot sparkled. Bright sunlight glinted off the copper-toned rooftops, and the pristine marble surfaces glowed with supernatural light. In the center of this beautiful city, a tall stallion landed gently, one hoof at a time on the smooth stone path up to Canterlot Castle. As he folded his wings, he began to walk up the stairs of the royal palace.
His horn was enveloped in a powerful blue aura, and the large golden doors that stood at the entrance of Celestia’s throne room swing open.
As soon as he entered, the royal guard were shocked and respectfully bowed at his presence.
Celestia sat in a state of shock, looking like she had seen a ghost. In her own mind she had.
“StarSwirl?” Celestia asked in a confused voice, only to be answered by deep but gentle “Yes. Thou has returned, sister.”
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Meanwhile, Twilight and her friends were just finishing decorating the ballroom of Twilight new castle, as thay had planned to put on a gala of sorts to celebrate the grand opening of Twilight’s castle.
As Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash placed the last banner into position, Spike coughed up a scroll bound by a red ribbon.
As the rest of the mares gathered around Twilight, she elevated the scroll with her magic and began to read.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
My dear student, I apologize for the haste you shall receive this letter in, but it is a matter of utmost importance. You and your friends are to report to Cantarlot immediately. Again, it is a matter of utmost importance. I expect your presence soon.
Signed,
Princess Celestia.
“Ugh, do we have to go right now?” Rainbow Dash complained.
“Yes we do, Rainbow. It does seem quite urgent,” Twilight answered “And even if it wasn’t, we can’t deny a summons from Princess Celestia!”
“But our gala is tonight!” Pinky Pie protested.
“And we’ve just finished the décor!” Rarity added.
“Yes, but if we use the crystal gate the Princesses gave us, we should be able to get there and back before the gala!” Twilight explained.
“Fine, but this better be important!” Rainbow Dash said with a annoyed tone.
The crystal gate was a large, sparkling structure placed in one of the higher balconies of Twilight’s castle. It consisted of a large crystal sphere that floated between three curled pillars.
As the six mares stood at the base of the gate, they each felt a slight and ancient magical tingle. They all had only felt it once before, when they had opened the mystery box.
When they had all successfully entered rainbow power mode they combined their magic into the sphere and shot towards Cantarlot in the form of a rainbow.
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The six mares were quite disorientated when they arrived in the center of Canterlot as they had only used their rainbow power mode a few times, and the crystal gate even less.
“Everypony alright?” Twilight asked as she got to her hooves.
“All 'right, Twi,” Applejack answered as she helped Fluttershy up. “Jus' a bit dizzy.”
“Then lets do this already.” Rainbow Dash said before the door swang open. The six mares were quite surprised at finding not only Celestia, but Luna, Cadence, and Discord as well waiting in the Grand Hall.
“Twilight, there is something you need to see and once. I'm afraid you do you and your friends will have to fight what might be the greatest threat to Equestria in your entire lifetime.” Celestia said as she levitated the six mares into the castle and placed them on their hooves.
She quickly turned around and began to walk towards the throne room.
When they got to the thoneroom, Twilight was shocked at what she saw in the middle of the room - a tall alicorn stallion.
“Thou is called "Twilight", yes?” StarSwirl asked in a gentle yet disapointed voice.
“S - st - StarSwirl?” Twilight asked completely forgetting about his question.
“Yes, but…” Twilight stumbled on her hooves, only to be jolted back to reality by a bright flash of light moments later.
“Twilight, there is no time for you to be in shock! StarSwirl has an important message to deliver about the future of Equestria!” Celestia said, almost losing her royal composure.
“Thou is right, for if thy have returned then great evil will follow.” Though his voice sounded kind and almost fatherly, StarSwirl's eyes said otherwise. They didn’t seem to be looking at her, but through her, as if he thought she was this evil.
“What sort of evil?” Discord asked, before aggressively being told: “You shall address thou by title, beast!”
Even Celestia was shocked by this sudden outburst, yet as StarSwirl calmed, he spoke again: “Thou does not know but Thou does know where to find this evil.”
“Tell us where so that we can defeat it, save Equestria and all that, and be back in time for our galla.” Rainbow Dash said, not even trying to hide the fact she wanted to get back Ponyvile.
“Not a where, but a when…” StarSwirl indicated to the guard to write down what he said. “Thou will receive a message saying where and when to meet them. If thou does not receive a message within seven days, then go to thou kin's old home in the Eternal Forest.”
“And how do y’all know this?” Applejack asked with a confused expression on her face.
“Thou has seen the darkness, thou has seen Equestria in ruins.” The response made her regret her question.
“So what do we have to do in time?" Fluttershy asked from behind Pinky.
Discord responded with: “Well, that galla of yours seems appropriate.”
“Yes, and speaking of our gala, we should really be getting back to Ponyvile to greet the first guest!” Rianbow Dash said as she gathered the five other mares to the door with Discrod close behind.
As they left the thoneroom, StarSwirl called out: “Remember the message may come to thou at any time in any way!”
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The gala was a success! Almost as soon as the mane six got back, Granny Smith and Big Mackintosh were at the door with a wagon full of apple pies, apple cakes and more desserts the likes of such. Spike showed them in while the girls put on the dresses Rarity had made for them.
Rarity had out done herself on the dresses. Making them not only to the mares, but to the décor itself, from the rainbow crystals she had used on Twilight’s wings to the fake Elements of Harmony displayed on the chest of each dress.
As they went down to meet their guests, Spike heard a knock at the the door. He was greeted by a mullbury earth pony, and three fillies who quickly ran to their sisters.
Rainbow Dash had put on an air show using her rainbow power to add extra flair and musicians such as the Ponytones and DJpon3 had supplied the night with more than enough music. At the height of the evening, Twilight stood up on stage to give a speech thanking everypony for attending.
But as she began to speak, she felt an immense amount of pain in her gut, her legs stiffened, her wings erected and her eyes glowed. She went to speak, but the only sound she could make was a blood chilling scream, and as her friends rushed over to her she fell in to a trance.
She awoke surrounded by darkness and saw a shadowy figure coming nearer and nearer. As it approached, she tried to back away, but it appeared to teleport behind her in a cloud of black smoke. It grabbed her form behind and spoke in a low, raspy voice.
"Meet at the Everfree… Midnight…" The figure began to retreat.
As the shadowy pony backed away and started to disappear, Twilight attempted to get to her feet. That was when she began to feel a burning pain in her front leg.
Chapter 2: The Hunter
The figure disbursed and Twilight felt like she was falling. She could hear her friends, but not what they were saying.
She spread her wings and flew toward the voices, but as she did she could feel her body fading . She saw a light and she flew into it, if only to escape the darkness that surrounded her.
She awoke in a hospital bed she was attached to several devices that where measuring her vitals devices. They all said she was dead.
As she looked around the room her heart monitor reactivated, and when she saw her friends the monitor returned to normal.
Her friends stood around her, most with tears in their eyes. For a time they where in shock until twilight asked with a grone “how long was I out.”
“Well, darling, you collapsed last night and were in critical condition until you, ehm, died.” Rarity could barely say the last word.
“I-I was dead?” Twilight asked, as shocked as the rest of the mares.
“Yup, but now your back and everything better” Pinkie Pie said, relieved and joyful.
“Thanks Pinkie.” The adorable pink mare always calmed Twilight down. “But girls – I think I know where to find this evil Starswirl was talking about.” Twilight said as she lifted herself up in the bed. “In the Everfree at midnight.”
“But Twi, where exactly in the Everfree are we meant to go?” Applejack asked as nurse Redheart entered the room.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle it would seem that you are in perfect condition except for the burns on your front right leg” she said as the six mares stared at the burns.
They were numbers, coordinates.
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The forest felt darker than usual. Even with the full moon that Luna had provided, it still seemed like the forest itself was trying to kill them.
The coordinates had led to a small clearing deep with in the forest. The moment they stepped into the clearing their skin felt cold, and even though they could all see each other, it felt lifeless.
“Well, this is the place and it might as well be midnight.” Twilight said, if only to break the haunting silence.
“And noponys here… are you sure this is the ri-“ Rainbow was cut off by a dark whisper.
“Drop your bags, if you retaliate you will not leave this forest.” The voice said as Rainbow readied her wings and took to the sky.
But as she did chains seemed to strike through the clearing and several were shot at rainbow ingulfing her in a web of chains.
A dark figure suddenly leapt up to be next to her before striking her into the medal of the net of chains, causing it to collapse and pulling trees and all but Twilight, who teleported out of the way.
The dark figure stepped into the clearing. Little could be seen of his appearance, but from what could be seen he was a stallion no older then them, and he wore a mask made from what seamed to be a piece of black glass.
“What do you want?” Twilight asked as she backed away.
“I could ask the same of you.” The stallion said in an aggressive voice as he charged at her and swung the chain at her leg. She blocked it with her magic only to be struck in the flank by the other end of the chain.
She retaliated by shooting his mask with her magic, knocking him back as his mask cracked and fell to the ground, revealing a pair of red eyes with dagger shaped pupils. Strangely, they where not filled with anger, but regret.
As he shied into the darkness he shot a bolt of lightning from his horn, setting the trees around her friends alight.
As Twilight tried to put out the fire, the stallion bolted towards her, sticking her in the back of the head. As he flapped his wings, the gust of wind crumbled the trees that imprisoned the five other mares.
As the embers danced around the stallion, they provided just enough light to see his dark purple coat, only distinguishable from black by the charring on the tips of his wings and hooves. His mane seemed to be darker then the shadow that surrounded them.
“Who are you?” Applejack asked with a cough as she tried to get to her hooves, only to be pushed into the ground.
“I am the Hunter.” he said, before he spread his wings and flew away.
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The clearing was once again silent. The hunter had covered his tracks well as with just a beat of his wings he had covered the clearing with a cloud of dust to stop the six mares from following him, not that they could.
The six mares had ben beaten, and scared the worst of all had been Rainbow Dash. Her wings had been bent into a horrible shape, and two of her four legs had ben broken. Even Twilight was unconscious and barely breathing.
Even though the other four mares could walk, they were in no condition to make the trek back to Ponyvile, let alone carry the two mares unable to stand themselves.
When all hope to escape the forest seemed lost there, prayers were answered by the last thing they would think to see this deep in the Everfree.
“Now I would think that the six mares that save Equestria all the time would put up more of a fight! Shame I had just got here when he flew away.” Discord said as he stepped into the clearing, mockingly clapping his claw to his paw.
“Discord! I’d never though we’d be glad to see you.” Applejack said as she walked over to the Hunter’s fractured mask. “Do you have any idea what that thing was?”
“Well didn’t he say he was the Hunter?” Discord said, if only for Rarity to attempt to respond with “Well yes, but-“
“Well then that’s who he is, now don’t you have more important things to do then wonder whether crazy shadow ponies are who the say they are?” Discord said as he clicked his claw and spawned an assortment of signs above the two pacified mares.
“Oh fine. Discord, could y’all help us get back to Ponyville by any chance?” Applejack asked, as if it wasn’t a question but an order.
“Oh do you really need me help, I maen it’s just right over there…” Discord said, grinning, as he moved some of the trees, revealing the top of Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Never mind, how’d ya know we were out there anyway?” Applejack said as she lifted Rainbow Dash on to her back.
“Well that true evil thing sounded a lot more interesting then any of the things Celestia wanted me to do and I wasn’t about to let you have the fight of your life with out somebody watching.” Discord said as he spawned some pictures. “And just look at your faces!”
But as the mares looked over the pictures Discord had made, they noticed something strange - they were all from the point of view of… the Hunter!