The Evil Withinby The Missing LynxChaptersArrivalThe CrucibleA God AwakensThe OverlordFirst BloodThe Death of a StarPonyville MassacreFriendship's Last StandEpilogueArrivalDarkness invaded his mind. He broke the barrier and now The Other Side was emerging. He wish he hadn't become so desperate. People were ment to die but he couldn't cope with the loss. He rewrote time and saved countless lives that otherwise would've been taken. In doing so however, He destroyed the wall erected to keep the the evil Overlord from taking control of his powers. With that wall broken, the most evil entity buried in his soul was released. Now the Overlord was trying to become the dominate mind, and it was succeeding I've shattered your mind, broken your soul, and now you and all of the universe will submit to me. He was losing. The Overlord had destroyed His mind, He couldn't remember who He was. He had to think of something he can do to give the next world a fighting chance. He felt a small fraction of his power, an army that had unimaginable firepower. He had no control over this army, but He could even the odds. In a desperate, final act to limit The Overlord's power, He revoked the authority over the military powers to prevent The Overlord from using them. BAH! You fool! I don't need an army to invade a planet. You have never needed one either but your too sentimental to use your full abilities. That's why I deserve to be in charge. He started to lose hope, The Overlord had too much control. He felt his grip slipping away. But then The Overlord intentionally gave Him sight through what was now The Overlord's eyes. What He saw filled him with dread. He recognized this world, and knew it wouldn't stand a chance the sheer power of the tyrant in control. Ah yes. Your precious Equestria. A land built upon the magic of friendship, never knowing what true fear is. I just can't wait to fix that and watch it burn And then He saw nothing Twilight Sparkle was sitting in her bed, brushing up on her history. The defeat of Tirek about a year ago was the most exciting thing that had happened recently. The land of Equestria was at peace, and Ponyville had fallen into a simple routine, except for one of Discord's pranks every now and then, and those were simply harmless jokes. In truth Twilight welcomed the peace. With all the bloodthirsty tyrants attempting to rule Equestria, and her new duties as princess, Twilight hadn't been getting a lot of time to herself. Now however, Spike was at Rarity's so it was just Twilight and her books. The lavender alicorn closed the book she was reading and set it in a pile that had accumulated by her bed. She had been reading mostly about how Celestia and Luna came into power. This is a subject Twilight never discussed with her mentor. She had always assumed since they were alicorns and they had royal blood. But the books talked about how a deity known as Guardian finding the royal sisters among a battle between two warring pony clans when they were just fillies. He mentored them and showed them how to rule a country. One day he left to another world, leaving Celestia and Luna the task of successfully creating and leading a kingdom. She was about to pick another book from a second pile when a sudden shock wave of magic sent Twilight flying of her bed and tumbling down the stairs. She got up and shook her head. She looked outside the window to see a ball of fire hurtling towards her. Author's Note My first fanfic in the history of ever. Hope y'all enjoy, it's gonna be one crazy ride. The CrucibleTwilight didn't even have time to think as the object, instead of crashing through the window, passed like a ghost through Twilight, flew across the room, and passed through the opposite wall. Twilight stood in shock still processing what just happened. She woke from her daze and ran out the door and to the wall the flying object came out of. She was stopped by a crowd that had gathered outside, all looking at the top floor of the library. Twilight follows their gaze and saw the object resting on the top of the spire. It was a black metal sphere about as tall as Celestia and the circumference evened out perfectly with the height. Its surface was smooth and without any imperfection whatsoever. Twilight turned to the crowd, now beginning to grow restless and talk amongst themselves. Twilight needed to make sure that nobody disturbed the sphere until an investigation team was put together. Twilight turned away from the crowd and climbed up the steps to the front doors. She reached the top and turned back to the crowd which was now looking expectantly at Twilight. The alicorn took a deep breath. She new it was her duty now to put the ponies mind at ease. "People of Ponyville," Twilght began, "As your new princess it is my duty to ensure all the safety and security of this town. I will do what needs to be done to make sure this object is not a threat. An investigation team will be put together and find out what this thing is and if it is dangerous. Until then, I advise that nobody disturbs the object. Pegusi, please keep your distance from this area while flying until further notice. Thank you." With that, the crowd of ponies began to disperse and return to their normal lives, except for five ponies and a baby dragon. Twilight's face lit up at the sight of her friends approaching her. "Wow. Way to take charge Twilight." Spike praised. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks Spike, I was only doing my job." "Are you kidding? I don't remember rehearsing that speech, you came up with that on the spot!" Twilight was about to respond but was interrupted by a very serious looking Rarity. "Twilight, being an alicorn makes you more subject to magical disturbances, Correct?" "Uh yeah, why? Did you feel the shock wave too?" Rarity flashed a stern look at Rainbow Dash, who merely shrugged. "I told you I wasn't just being paranoid." Then she turned back to Twilight. "Although I'd hardly call it a shock wave. A mere blip would do." Twilight was taken aback by this,"Blip!? I was knocked clean off my bed!" At this her all of friends came forward with a sudden look of worry in their eyes. "Oh my goodness! Are you all right?" Fluttershy asked with concern. "I'm fine," Twilight said dismissively, "But why would me and Rarity be the only ones to feel it, and at different levels?" "Princess Twilight!" They all turned to see a royal pegasus guard landing a few feet away. The guard bowed his head, "Princess, your presence is required at the Canterlot palace immediately. Your friends may accompany you if you wish." Hearing that, Twilight's friends looked expectantly at her, but Twilight shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry girls, but I have a more important task for you. You need to make sure nopony interferes with the sphere. Rainbow Dash, don't let any pegasus fly within 20 feet of the object, but keep your distance as well." Rainbow Dash saluted, "You got it!" "Spike, document any activity from the object. If it moves, I want it on paper." "Yes ma'am!" Twilight spread her wings ready to take off. She took one last look at her friend's." I won't be long. Hopefully when I return I'll have some answers." Then she took flight with the guard following behind. So the king of shadows is dead, the chaos spirit reformed, and the power-hungry tyrant in chains. You've taught them well, this world is more resilient than I thought For once they agreed on something. His students have sustained this country perfectly, He didn't remember them very well however. It's odd, not once did they ever wondered what lies beyond their borders. But that doesn't matter, they should really be more worried about what is already inside. Author's Note Let me know if you see any grammatical errors, weak spots in the writing , etc. This is my first story in my whole life that has been released to the public. Just keep that in mind. A God AwakensTwilight arrived at the palace and found Princess Luna waiting for her in the throne room. "Twilight Sparkle, it is good that you came. Please follow me." Twilight didn't even have time to speak, but followed Luna to a circular room with a large wooden table with four chairs around it. In one chair sat Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence sat in another. Twilight and Luna sat in the other two chairs. Celestia spoke first, "Thank you all for coming. Twilight and Cadence, you experienced a powerful blast of magic this morning, correct?" They both nodded their heads. "It also seems that unicorns felt it, only on a smaller scale." Twilight added. Celestia nodded her head, seemingly aware of the situation in Ponyville. "My guess is as good as yours as to what that means, but all that matters now is that we make sure whatever has appeared does not pose any danger to our people." She then turned to Cadence, "We will have messengers at the ready to deliver, any news of the object to the Empire. Twilight, you and your friends will be the investigation team. I will also send Discord to aid with your efforts." Twilight wasn't too thrilled to hear that Discord would be involved, but his abilities would be necessary. "We must be on high alert," Celestia continued, "I have a slight hunch as to what or who we are dealing with, but cannot be proven just yet. you are all dismissed." A hunch is an understatement you pathetic weakling, you know exactly who I am. At this point He feared the worst. The Overlord was almost ready. Indeed, everything is falling into place. I'll have the Elements all in one place with the Lord of Chaos as a bonus. He could feel what was coming. The fear and suffering that will be afflicted upon this innocent world by His body and His power, the thought wouldn't go away. It gripped at Him like a leech, and He new it was The Overlord's doing. It seems your cleverness hasn't abandoned you just yet. Indeed I wan't you to face the reality that this is all your doing, all this destuction will be by your hands "No" What?! "I...said...NO!" You shouldn't be able to do that The Overlord suppressed His mind with ease, barley giving any effort. And now...I believe it is time to make it known to the world what is about to come. Twilight felt the quakes at the halfway point on her flight from Canterlot back to Ponyville. She increased her speed, her concern for her friends growing stronger with the tremors. Despite not being on the ground, she could hear the rumble of the earth and feel the vibrations in the air. Just before Twilight reached the edge of town Rainbow Dash flew out of nowhere and stopped her mid-flight, "Twilight! Your just in time. That...thing is opening!" Twilight rushed to her house, not knowing why there was such a heavy sense of dread in her gut. She almost fell out of the sky when a beam of light from the sky hit the top of her house and the small castle suddenly exploded. Author's Note Happy New Years! Thought I'd outta get something in before 2015, hope ya like it, because now it begins... The OverlordBoth Twilight and Rainbow Dash were shocked at how swiftly and violently the library was decimated. All that remained of the structure was a large crater with a column of smoke rising from the middle. Tears came to Twilight's eyes, the monument to Tirek's defeat was destroyed in a much similar way to the Golden Oaks Library. Twilight's sadness quickly turned to anger as she came to realize that whatever was hidden in the smoke had bad intentions, and she was going to make it pay. "Twilight..." Rainbow grew worried for her friend. Twilight had this look on her face that Dash had never seen before, a look of pure hatred. Twilight's rage grew at alarming rates. But then she heard a voice in her mind that could only have belonged to the thing in the crater. Yes! Let your anger flow through you, let it consume you, let it...become you. "Twilight!" Twilight snapped back to reality and saw Rainbow Dash standing in front of her. They were somehow on the ground now, standing on the edge of the crater. She looked around an didn't see any of her other friends. The thought of the worst happening to them came to her mind, and it filled her with dread. "The...others..." Twilight spoke in a whisper barely above Fluttershy's level. With the blast and the voice, her mind was running rampant at this point. Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry they're fine. When the earthquake started they, along with the rest of Ponyville, evacuated to a safe shelter. Then I came to find you." Twilight took a deep breath, finally regaining her composure. "Thank you, go back and get the others, but don't give the all-clear just yet." Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a quick nod and then hurried to the other side of town. Twilight looked up and saw Luna and Celestia descending along with a squadron of royal guards. The guards created a circle around the perimeter of the crater. Twilight simply exchanged glances with the sisters as as they positioned themselves with one on either side of Twilight. Nobody uttered a word during this process. It was as if everyone was preparing for what ever resided in the bottom of the crater. The rest of Twilight's friends silently took up formation behind her. They too also sensed the heavy tension in the air. Then the smoke cleared. The figure standing there on two legs, for some unknown reason, struck fear into all of them. The figure resembled that of the human creatures Twilight encountered, except she knew this was not a human standing before them. It wore a pitch black cloak with a hood covering everything of its body and face except two beady red eyes. The strangest thing was its arms. The cloak was sleeveless, revealing arms that were completely made of metal, and had long pointed metal claws rather than hands. The figure looked up at Celestia, "Hello Princess." Celestia had a deep frown, and her eyes held some weird, sad determination. "Hello Guardian." The figure threw back its head, without somehow dropping the hood, and gave a dark cackle that filled everyone with the urge to turn tail and flee, but they stood their ground. Guardian glared back at Celestia," I'm afraid I don't go by that name anymore." "Then who are you?" "You and the rest of Equestria will refer to me as Master. But I am formally known as The Overlord." "What happened to Guardian?" Luna desperately shouted. The Overlord tapped the side of his head, "Somewhere in here, but I can't tell for sure exactly where all the little pieces of his mind went." Now it was Twilight's turn, " What are your intentions, Overlord?" "Why, to have some fun. Equestria is a lovely place full of lovely people, and I thought I said to call me Master." "Are you implying that we will simply bow down to you." Twilight's voice wavered, but held her ground. "If you wish to survive then yes." "Now wait just a minute!" Rainbow Dash flew over their heads and into the crater, stopping inches in front of the Overlord's hidden face. "Your saying that if we don't do what you say, then your going to destroy us?" While they couldn't see it, The Overlord was giving them a wicked evil grin. "Glad we understand each other so well." Rainbow Dash was growing angrier with every word he spoke, "Ya know, it's not the first time that we've dealt with power hungry tyrants like you! We've defeated Sombra and Tirek, who I think your only half as bad as them!" Then without missing a beat, The Overlord raised a fist and all the guards dropped to the ground dead. Rainbow Dash immediately regretted saying those words. The Overlord quickly snatched her out of the air and pure terror crossed Rainbow's face. He held her at eye level. "Listen very, very closely you insolent whelp, I withhold a power far stronger than anything you have here-" "And that is where you're wrong." The Overlord was struck by a bolt of Luna's magic, knocking him to the ground and releasing Rainbow Dash. She flew back over to her friend's who huddled around her. Celestia and Luna were now in his face. "You may have your vile ways," Luna continued, "but there is a magic that resides here that is more powerful than you could possibly hope to overcome." The Overlord recovered quickly and sent Luna flying back with a burst of force. "Why you--" "Stop!" Celestia moved in front of him, a look of desperation in her eyes, "I know that your in there Guardian, please give me a sign of my mentor, my friend." The Overlord sent her flying out of the crater as well and followed with a single leap. Celestia laid on her back, unable to move and completely vulnerable. A sword made of shadows appeared in The Overlord's hand giving off wisps of smoke. He raised his sword ready to strike Celestia down, when he was suddenly tackled by Rainbow Dash. But she simply passed through the dark figure. She looked around in confusion, which quickly contorted into a look of agony and fear when the dark blade was plunged into Rainbow's back. Author's Note I think that I should mention that any feedback, positive or critical, is much appreciated. I'd like to hear from y'all so I can improve my work and get a better idea of which direction to move in. First BloodRainbow Dash collapsed to the ground as the sword along with the pain disappeared. Her friends rushed to her side. There was no apparent injury. Twilight checked with her magic for any internal bleeding, but came up negative. Rainbow opened her eyes and turned to look at her back. "I don't understand..." The Overlord's evil laugh seemed to come from everywhere at once. It turned their blood to ice, and not even Pinkie dared to laugh along. Celestia was in a battle-ready stance, her wings spread wide and her eyes darting around trying to locate the source of the maniacal laughter. She inhaled sharply and shut her eyes tight. She could feel the sword now in her. The pain threatening to overwhelm her. Celestia stiffened and fought against the burning sensation now spreading through her body. She knew The Overlord was trying to expose her as weak, to show that a life of luxury had soften her over the years. But Celestia will deny him that chance. The blade and the pain was fake, just as it was with Rainbow Dash. Correction, the weapon in your back is very real, and I'm not trying to "expose" you I actually intend to kill you. And I believe I've succeeded. Celestia then felt a thick, warm liquid forming at her hooves. She dared to open her eyes, and the last thing she ever saw before falling over dead was the puddle of crimson blood spilling out of her underbelly. Then the Element bearers, along with Spike, changed. They all stiffened up and their pupils dialed to slits. They all blankly stared into nothing, caught in some trance by the Overlord. The true event was occurring in their minds. Each one was mentally living a complete alternate reality. They didn't live their normal happy lives, but an evil twisted nightmare. Twilight, always trying to help some pony in need, but only hurting them in the process. Rainbow Dash, in a failed attempt to rescue Scootaloo from a crusade gone wrong, permanently paralyzed her wings and leaving her grounded for the rest of her fake life. Applejack, who lived with her relatives in Manehatten after a devastating fire destroyed the farm and claimed her family. Rarity, living on the streets with Sweetiebelle, who had a severe lung disease but Rarity couldn't afford treatment since she was run out of business by a competitor. Fluttershy, finally became brave enough and found love, only to have it ripped away in a construction accident. Pinkie Pie was simply held in stasis, as there were no scenarios that The Overlord could think of that would break the cheery party pony's spirit. The only pony left now was Luna. She backed up in fear, her mind was racing and she was hyperventilating. The Overlord manifested in front of her with his sword in hand. He took slow steps towards her, and she was moving away with his every step, frantically looking for something to use against him. The Overlord raised his sword above his head, ready to deal one swift blow, but was suddenly intercepted by another blade, this one belonging to Discord. The Overlord turned to look at the mixed creature. "So, the Spirit of Chaos finally makes an appearance. I believe your just a tad bit late to save Celestia now." Discord didn't pay him any mind, his attention was on Luna, who was feverishly looking from The Overlord to Discord. "Luna!" Discord desperately tried to get the panicked princess to snap out of the fear that had so viciously gripped her. But Luna wasn't responding. Discord moved over to where he was in front of Luna, still locking blades with The Overlord. It was then that Luna finally refocused back into the real world. "Luna! The tree, get the others and yourself to the tree!" Luna ran to the Element bearers and engulfed them in a blue bubble. "If you leave this town, it will be the biggest mistake you'll ever make!" Anger was clear in the Overlord's voice. But Luna didn't have a choice. In a flash of light, she and everyone else was gone Author's Note And so it begins. The next few chapters are not for the faint of heart, as they will contain some very graphic content. But if you think you can take it than be sure to stick around. The Death of a StarLuna wasn't quite used to transporting so many living things at once, so the spell had left her quite drained. She collapsed on the ground, her body aching and her lungs felt like someone shoved a lit torch down her throat. She raised her head long enough to see the others had fallen unconscious. The slow rise and fall of their flanks reassured Luna that breaking them from The Overlord's power had not killed them. She used her last remaining strength to look in the direction of Ponyville. Just above the treeline Luna could see the top of a black force field that had been erected over the small town. The scene of Celestia being so ruthlessly murdered played over and over in Luna's mind. The loss of her fallen sister was almost too much for her to bear. Tears came to her eyes, her grief threatening to burst out of her. The same being that taught them everything they knew and gave hope to those without any, just killed one of his own students without any hesitation or remorse. And They knew this would happen, Celestia knew The Overlord would kill her. In fact Celestia counted on it. She knew The Overlord's goal was world domination, and in order to do that he would have to eliminate the alicorn leaders of this world, starting with her. So Celestia taught Luna the spell that would harvest the Elements of Harmony from the Tree and also how to wield them. Luna looked to the sky, which had taken on a reddish hue. Another alarming thing was the Sun was beginning to implode. It was soon a fiery blotch in the sky, rather than the spherical perfection Luna had always known. A few years back she would've rejoiced at the sight, now it filled her with despair. Luna hoped that the messengers would see their cue and warn the other cities of the evil threat. Luna remembered the last time she spoke directly to her sister. It was just before their departure to Ponyville. "But sister this is good thing! He's come back!" Luna protested. Celestia raised a hoof to calm her little sister, she had to try to make her understand. "Luna, you know it's not actually Him." "But His magic, it's the same-" "Luna!" She fell silent and dropped her gaze after that. Luna knew that when Celestia only raised her voice when the situation was truly dire. "You felt a small blip of his magic among a pool of darkness. Whatever lies in Ponyville is not our former mentor. We must be prepared for the worst." "Sister I don't think I can-" Celestia put a hoof under Luna's chin and raised her head to meet her eyes. "Little sister, I know you can." The memory pained her, she tried to forget everything, to become lost in a sea of agony. But her mind refused to give up. She was still alive and she still had a purpose. She looked again to the fiery explosion in the sky. Celestia's magic was fading from this world fast. It was only a matter of weeks before the heat from the Sun disappears entirely and the world freezes to death. It was all the more reason to get to the Elements and reactivate them as soon as possible. There was still time to use the power of the Elements to reverse the effects of the darkness. Some of her strength had returned, and the others were still out cold, so Luna raised her head and tried shifting to a sitting position to get a good look at their surroundings, but settled for lying on her stomach. Unfortunately in her haste Luna accidentally teleported them to the Castle of the two sisters. The ancient structure had been built by her teacher as a departing gift. Now it sat as an empty husk, a mere shadow of its former glory. The Tree of Harmony was a short walk from the Castle. There was still the threat of the creatures that wandered the Everfree, but the way The Overlord so brutally murdered one of the most powerful beings in Equestria made whatever lurked in the forest seem like simple insects. Twilight began to stir, slowly, as if waking up from a peaceful slumber. Then she immediately stood up and cried out in pain and grief. She looked around frantically, when her gaze landed on Luna, she immediately realized where she was. She tried to take a couple of steps, but soon gave up,and collapsed to the ground. Twilight looked up at the sky, then at the dying Sun. She knew exactly what it ment but still looked at Luna, not wanting to believe that her mentor was gone. When Luna only returned her grief-stricken stare, Twilight felt the truth drop on her like a boulder. Since she was so weak all she could manage was softly weeping, but the loss of the great ruler of Equestria hit her full force. Luna tried to move over to Twilight, but the fatigue left her helpless to comfort the young alicorn. One by one they all woke up, realizing the sad truth without any words being spoken. They cried for their lost Princess, they cried for the hopeless odds against the limitless power of The Overlord. They could just barely move, their strength sapped by The Overlord. They had to get back quickly. Discord could hold out so long against The Overlord. Suddenly, there was a burst of green fire, then Spike fell through, and the gout of fire vanished. Most of his scales were blackened and he was unconscious. He was close enough to Twilight so that she could muster what little strength she had left and crawl over to him. She wrapped her forelegs around his charred body and laid her head on his chest. Luna had a faint spark of hope. She had no answer as to how he got here, but they were all together. And that's all that mattered. Author's Note Man this was a lengthy one. It was revised several times but I finally got it done. I promise the next chapter will be a lot more interesting. In fact, I'm going to break your heart with it. (It's gonna get super gory. If your not into that sort of thing then what can I say. If you can live without knowing how this story ends which I would not recommend doing, then just stop right here. If you can't, well go get your tissue box.) Ponyville MassacreThe next morning was far more pleasant than the day before. They woke up with their strength returned and a new determination. Their breakfast consisted mostly of berries and some herbs, but their hunger was not important to them. When Luna woke up she could no longer spot the force field that had surrounded Ponyville. The battle between The Overlord and Discord must have ended, and since she could no longer feel chaos in the magical flow, Discord must've lost. She decided not to tell the others, as more loss would only result in their spirits being too broken to continue. When everyone had woken up and eaten their meals, Luna cleared her throat to address them, "Now I know we experienced a truly terrible thing yesterday," they all looked down, still mourning for their lost princess. "But we must carry on in the name of my lost sister. There is a spell that can be preformed with the Elements that will not only vanquish The Overlord, but will reverse all of the evil actions he has done." They all gasped at this. A chance to bring Celestia back from the dead sounded almost too good to be true. "But in three weeks time the sun will burn out, and Celestia will be lost forever." "Well then what are we waiting for?" They all looked at Rainbow Dash, " We need to hoof it to the Tree now! At we gonna sit around and wait for that jerk to destroy Equestria? Or are we gonna go kick his butt, and bring or princess back?" "For the Princess!" They shouted in unison. With that they began the short walk to the Tree. Luna thought she would never smile again, but these ponies just seem to find the light in every dark corner. Even with their great ruler dead they still carry on. He had given up. The Overlord was too much. He tried to fight against him, but the things he had just done were unforgivable, and no doubt that when those survivors came upon the town, they would surely lose every last scrap of hope when they've seen what He did. Retrieving the Elements from the Tree wasn't too spectacular. Getting there was easy, and a flash of light and the Elements were in their original jewel form. Rarity made Luna some makeshift saddlebags to store the Elements in. Now they were making their way back to Ponyville. They met little resistance from the animals, and the weather was easy on them. The sky was now blood-red, and the exploding Sun was now twice as large as before. Upon reaching Ponyville, they were blocked by a magical barrier surrounding the perimeter of the town. The barrier was tinted pitch-black, making it impossible to see through. Then they heard the horrible voice that now sparked hatred in all of them. Well...I am a little surprised. I just murdered someone in front of you, give you lives that are made nothing but suffering, and yet you still return. Luna took a deep breath, fighting to control her anger, "I, Princess Luna, ruler of the night and protector of Equestria demand that you lower this wall and I wish an audience with you." The Overlord erupted into a fit of maniacal laughter. First of all you DEMAND I lower the barrier? Why, you simply just had to ask politely. Second, I'm afraid that what lies beyond this wall, won't please you in the least bit. When the barrier was lowered, what they saw went beyond all evil known in Equestria. The sight was horrifying, their grief and anger returned. All determination and hope they previously had dropped out of their stomachs. For what lay before them was utterly devastating. Bodies were strewn everywhere. The residents of Ponyville were now corpses lying in pools of their own blood. They were frozen in place, nobody knew what to say or what to do about the revolting scene in front of them. I told you you would regret leaving this town. There was a flash of movement in the center of this horrific sight. It was enough to snap them out of their initial shock. Twilight looked to Luna's saddlebags, "Remember girls, remember what happens if we succeed." She felt a small tapping on her front leg. She looked down to see Spike turning a shade of green. "Uh Twilight, is it okay if I wait outside?" "It's gonna be okay Spike, just remember, they can come back. Just keep your eyes forward, and don't think about anything else. That goes for all of you." Their hope and determination returned. With a look of someone willing to do what takes to save a planet. A cold hard stare. They looked forward and set a slow steady pace, one thought that echoed through their minds that kept them going. Remember what happens if we succeed. The smell hit their nostrils with the first few steps. It was gut-wrenching and just awful. But they kept their breakfast down and continued forward. Remember what happens if we succeed. There was more movement up ahead. They quickened their pace, getting a glimpse of two fillies, one white, and one a pale yellow. Remember what happens if we succeed. Don't forget what happens if you fail. Now the two fillies were recognized as Sweetiebelle and Applebloom. Everyone except Rarity and Applejack stopped dead their tracks, the feeling of this was just wrong. Applebloom was rubbing her eyes and Sweetiebelle was on her back clutching her stomach. Neither of the elder sisters had said a word when a black crystal burst from Sweetiebelle's abdomen, and Applebloom opened her eyes and blood started gushing from empty sockets. The older sisters shrieked in horror, Fluttershy and Spike dropped to the ground covering their eyes and whimpering. The rest held their defiant stares with the manifested Overlord holding a struggling Scootaloo by the throat. He gave a tight squeeze and with a sickening pop, broke Scootaloo's neck. Remember what happens if we succeed. Remember what happens if we succeed. This is what happens when you fail. Author's Note It was a blast to write this. That's all I have to say right now. Friendship's Last Stand"I warned you that trying to escape would not go unpunished." Applejack and Rarity stared at the bodies of their sisters. The cruelty and violence of The Overlord never seemed to end. "This has gone too far, you've left us no choice but to use these." Luna pulled the Elements out of her bags and use her magic to hover them in formation around her. The Overlord cocked his head in curiosity. "Now what are those little trinkets? I hope you don't plan to defeat me with those." Luna closed her eyes and concentrated her magic into the Elements. "Well this should be fun to watch." The Elements began to spin around Luna and glow brightly. "And now I've lost interest." Luna kept her eyes shut. The Overlord was going to try everything in his power to break her concentration, but she must not allow that to happen. She had to bring Guardian back no matter what was happening around her. Someone, Luna couldn't tell who, went into a coughing fit followed by a wet splat as something hit the ground. There was screaming coming from all of them along with a soft thud as someone else fainted. Luna's focus was beginning to slip, all the horrendous ideas of what just happened began to creep into her mind. Luna grit her teeth and closed her eyes tighter, fighting the urge to turn around. Twilight shrieked as Applejack doubled over and coughed up a thick, bloodied mass. Rarity fainted and the rest just stood there screaming in terror, disgust, and at the loss of their friend. Twilight didn't know what to do. Luna was feeding power into the Elements and The Overlord was just looking around as if the scene in front of him wasn't even happening. For all the lessons and tests Celestia gave her she could never have prepared for an enemy so powerful and savage. Twilight fell on her stomach and broke down in tears. "I'm sorry Celestia! I'm sorry I couldn't save you! That I can't save anyone!" The Sun was growing in size, no doubt The Overlord was accelerating its death, soon it would envelop the planet, burning everyone on it to dust. Twilight didn't care anymore. They had lost. The Elements wouldn't be enough to destroy The Overlord. All she wanted was for it all to be over. Then make it happen. Twilight almost didn't hear the voice, until a warm, comforting presence entered her mind. This wasn't The Overlord, it was brighter, without any hint of malice at all, but it sounded the same. The Ruler of the Night won't last much longer, The Dying Star is almost upon us. You must continue the spell with the Elements. "But the Elements aren't enough to destroy The Overlord. He's too much...." The Elements' purpose isn't to destroy Him. Twilight began to return to reality. They are meant to balance Him Twilight could feel the heat becoming unbearable. She looked to the sky and saw the Sun collapsing on itself. The fiery giant quickly shrunk inwards then burst out with a deafening roar. All of her friends lay dead, their necks and limbs twisted unnaturally. She didn't give a second thought to them. She turned her attention to The Overlord and Luna. The Overlord's eyes held a mild disinterest to the events around them. Then they quickly changed to a look of rage and disbelief. "YOU PATHETIC LITTLE WRETCH!" Luna's eyes snapped open and looked to Twilight. Hardly a second passed from Luna transferring the Elements to Twilight to the bolt of lightning shooting from The Overlord's fingers and hitting the Princess of the Night. Luna was sent flying backwards and hitting the side of a house. She lay on the ground, spasms wracked her body. She gave one last twitch before becoming completely still. Twilight was already channeling the power of the Elements into the Overlord. He was infuriated now, at having been so foolishly deceived into thinking that the nature of the artifacts were to kill him. How DARE that worthless excuse for a goddess use that spell on me! I'll make her pay- "Your not hurting anyone else today." No! Twilight pieced the remains of Guardians mind back together while using the Elements to remove the evil residue left behind by The Overlord, which also reversed all the things the dark lord had done. The Sun was returning to its natural state. Life was restored to all those slaughtered by His hand. She felt her friends beside her. The Elements were restored to their wearable forms. Twilight placed the Elements around the necks of their respectful bearers. They completed the spell and Twilight opened her eyes. The Overlord was clutching at his head, yelling in frustration. He spotted Twilight and tackled her to the ground. His hood fell back and revealed a silver, metal skull. His eye sockets glowed red and his furious stare bore into Twilight. The alicorn could only cower in fear as the metal skeleton held her down. "You think this is over?! I was just the opening act, there is a force coming that will not bother with seeing you suffer. They will sweep across this land and destroy all of you!" Then his form changed. In a flash of light The Overlord's face became that of a lynx. His fur was brown with large pointed ears ending in black tufts of fur. His arms and one eye remaind robotic, and his now pure white cloak parted to reveal metal legs and torso with a large, red, octagonal gem in the center of his chest. He looked at Twilight with a grateful smile, "Thank you." Then everything turned white. Author's Note And thus ends the reign of The Overlord. I've had so much fun writing this. This story has opened me into a world I never thought I'd live in. Thank you all for your support, and for taking the time to read my one-in-million story. There will be an Epilogue following this chapter but this is where the story stops. Epilogue"How many people did I hurt?" Princess Celestia and Luna sat across a table from Guardian in the Canterlot palace. "No one." Replied Celestia with a smile, "Due to the power of the Elements, all the actions committed by The Overlord was reversed. In fact, only myself, you, my sister, my student, and her friends are the only ones who knew the incident ever happened." Guardian gave a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm grateful for the forgiveness you have given me. I don't deserve such kindness. I do however have one question." "Yes?" Guardian shifted in his seat uncomfortably, "Well, The Overlord took control of my mind by breaking it. While I can remember most of my existence..." Celestia and Luna were puzzled at Guardians strange behavior. He had been so formal, so polite. Very unlike the fatherly figure the sisters had been raised by. It was almost as if... "I can't remember who you people are." Celestia's expression hardened. Luna inhaled sharply. The sisters owed their very lives to Guardian. The two shared a bond with him far stronger than whatever they could've had with their real father. Had he not found them that night in the ruins of a village they would've starved to death. Or found by a hostile tribe and enslaved. But they ment nothing to him now. Their adopted father saw them as total strangers. It felt worse than the moment Celestia realized he became lost to the darkness. "Did we know each other?" Luna jumped out of her chair, but before she could tell Guardian who they really were Celestia spoke first. "No." Luna stared at her in shock, "Sister!" Guardian stood up to leave but was forced back down by a distressed Luna. "Please tell me you remember us! You have to! Remember!" Celestia stood up with anger clear on her face. "Luna!" The younger sister ran into one of the hallways crying in despair. Celestia looked to Guardian with a pleading look. "It would be best if you leave." Guardian, completely confused by Luna's outburst, simply nodded his head and walked away. When he glanced behind him, Celestia had his back to him. Small spasms courses through her body as she also wept at the pain of being forgotten. Author's Note Do not fret my friends, this shall not be the last we see of Guardian. If anyone remembers the visions that the Mane 6 were going through after Celestia's death, I'm planning to make those into short stories. Just for those who would like to see exactly what they saw in more detail.
ArrivalDarkness invaded his mind. He broke the barrier and now The Other Side was emerging. He wish he hadn't become so desperate. People were ment to die but he couldn't cope with the loss. He rewrote time and saved countless lives that otherwise would've been taken. In doing so however, He destroyed the wall erected to keep the the evil Overlord from taking control of his powers. With that wall broken, the most evil entity buried in his soul was released. Now the Overlord was trying to become the dominate mind, and it was succeeding I've shattered your mind, broken your soul, and now you and all of the universe will submit to me. He was losing. The Overlord had destroyed His mind, He couldn't remember who He was. He had to think of something he can do to give the next world a fighting chance. He felt a small fraction of his power, an army that had unimaginable firepower. He had no control over this army, but He could even the odds. In a desperate, final act to limit The Overlord's power, He revoked the authority over the military powers to prevent The Overlord from using them. BAH! You fool! I don't need an army to invade a planet. You have never needed one either but your too sentimental to use your full abilities. That's why I deserve to be in charge. He started to lose hope, The Overlord had too much control. He felt his grip slipping away. But then The Overlord intentionally gave Him sight through what was now The Overlord's eyes. What He saw filled him with dread. He recognized this world, and knew it wouldn't stand a chance the sheer power of the tyrant in control. Ah yes. Your precious Equestria. A land built upon the magic of friendship, never knowing what true fear is. I just can't wait to fix that and watch it burn And then He saw nothing Twilight Sparkle was sitting in her bed, brushing up on her history. The defeat of Tirek about a year ago was the most exciting thing that had happened recently. The land of Equestria was at peace, and Ponyville had fallen into a simple routine, except for one of Discord's pranks every now and then, and those were simply harmless jokes. In truth Twilight welcomed the peace. With all the bloodthirsty tyrants attempting to rule Equestria, and her new duties as princess, Twilight hadn't been getting a lot of time to herself. Now however, Spike was at Rarity's so it was just Twilight and her books. The lavender alicorn closed the book she was reading and set it in a pile that had accumulated by her bed. She had been reading mostly about how Celestia and Luna came into power. This is a subject Twilight never discussed with her mentor. She had always assumed since they were alicorns and they had royal blood. But the books talked about how a deity known as Guardian finding the royal sisters among a battle between two warring pony clans when they were just fillies. He mentored them and showed them how to rule a country. One day he left to another world, leaving Celestia and Luna the task of successfully creating and leading a kingdom. She was about to pick another book from a second pile when a sudden shock wave of magic sent Twilight flying of her bed and tumbling down the stairs. She got up and shook her head. She looked outside the window to see a ball of fire hurtling towards her. Author's Note My first fanfic in the history of ever. Hope y'all enjoy, it's gonna be one crazy ride.
The CrucibleTwilight didn't even have time to think as the object, instead of crashing through the window, passed like a ghost through Twilight, flew across the room, and passed through the opposite wall. Twilight stood in shock still processing what just happened. She woke from her daze and ran out the door and to the wall the flying object came out of. She was stopped by a crowd that had gathered outside, all looking at the top floor of the library. Twilight follows their gaze and saw the object resting on the top of the spire. It was a black metal sphere about as tall as Celestia and the circumference evened out perfectly with the height. Its surface was smooth and without any imperfection whatsoever. Twilight turned to the crowd, now beginning to grow restless and talk amongst themselves. Twilight needed to make sure that nobody disturbed the sphere until an investigation team was put together. Twilight turned away from the crowd and climbed up the steps to the front doors. She reached the top and turned back to the crowd which was now looking expectantly at Twilight. The alicorn took a deep breath. She new it was her duty now to put the ponies mind at ease. "People of Ponyville," Twilght began, "As your new princess it is my duty to ensure all the safety and security of this town. I will do what needs to be done to make sure this object is not a threat. An investigation team will be put together and find out what this thing is and if it is dangerous. Until then, I advise that nobody disturbs the object. Pegusi, please keep your distance from this area while flying until further notice. Thank you." With that, the crowd of ponies began to disperse and return to their normal lives, except for five ponies and a baby dragon. Twilight's face lit up at the sight of her friends approaching her. "Wow. Way to take charge Twilight." Spike praised. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks Spike, I was only doing my job." "Are you kidding? I don't remember rehearsing that speech, you came up with that on the spot!" Twilight was about to respond but was interrupted by a very serious looking Rarity. "Twilight, being an alicorn makes you more subject to magical disturbances, Correct?" "Uh yeah, why? Did you feel the shock wave too?" Rarity flashed a stern look at Rainbow Dash, who merely shrugged. "I told you I wasn't just being paranoid." Then she turned back to Twilight. "Although I'd hardly call it a shock wave. A mere blip would do." Twilight was taken aback by this,"Blip!? I was knocked clean off my bed!" At this her all of friends came forward with a sudden look of worry in their eyes. "Oh my goodness! Are you all right?" Fluttershy asked with concern. "I'm fine," Twilight said dismissively, "But why would me and Rarity be the only ones to feel it, and at different levels?" "Princess Twilight!" They all turned to see a royal pegasus guard landing a few feet away. The guard bowed his head, "Princess, your presence is required at the Canterlot palace immediately. Your friends may accompany you if you wish." Hearing that, Twilight's friends looked expectantly at her, but Twilight shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry girls, but I have a more important task for you. You need to make sure nopony interferes with the sphere. Rainbow Dash, don't let any pegasus fly within 20 feet of the object, but keep your distance as well." Rainbow Dash saluted, "You got it!" "Spike, document any activity from the object. If it moves, I want it on paper." "Yes ma'am!" Twilight spread her wings ready to take off. She took one last look at her friend's." I won't be long. Hopefully when I return I'll have some answers." Then she took flight with the guard following behind. So the king of shadows is dead, the chaos spirit reformed, and the power-hungry tyrant in chains. You've taught them well, this world is more resilient than I thought For once they agreed on something. His students have sustained this country perfectly, He didn't remember them very well however. It's odd, not once did they ever wondered what lies beyond their borders. But that doesn't matter, they should really be more worried about what is already inside. Author's Note Let me know if you see any grammatical errors, weak spots in the writing , etc. This is my first story in my whole life that has been released to the public. Just keep that in mind.
A God AwakensTwilight arrived at the palace and found Princess Luna waiting for her in the throne room. "Twilight Sparkle, it is good that you came. Please follow me." Twilight didn't even have time to speak, but followed Luna to a circular room with a large wooden table with four chairs around it. In one chair sat Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence sat in another. Twilight and Luna sat in the other two chairs. Celestia spoke first, "Thank you all for coming. Twilight and Cadence, you experienced a powerful blast of magic this morning, correct?" They both nodded their heads. "It also seems that unicorns felt it, only on a smaller scale." Twilight added. Celestia nodded her head, seemingly aware of the situation in Ponyville. "My guess is as good as yours as to what that means, but all that matters now is that we make sure whatever has appeared does not pose any danger to our people." She then turned to Cadence, "We will have messengers at the ready to deliver, any news of the object to the Empire. Twilight, you and your friends will be the investigation team. I will also send Discord to aid with your efforts." Twilight wasn't too thrilled to hear that Discord would be involved, but his abilities would be necessary. "We must be on high alert," Celestia continued, "I have a slight hunch as to what or who we are dealing with, but cannot be proven just yet. you are all dismissed." A hunch is an understatement you pathetic weakling, you know exactly who I am. At this point He feared the worst. The Overlord was almost ready. Indeed, everything is falling into place. I'll have the Elements all in one place with the Lord of Chaos as a bonus. He could feel what was coming. The fear and suffering that will be afflicted upon this innocent world by His body and His power, the thought wouldn't go away. It gripped at Him like a leech, and He new it was The Overlord's doing. It seems your cleverness hasn't abandoned you just yet. Indeed I wan't you to face the reality that this is all your doing, all this destuction will be by your hands "No" What?! "I...said...NO!" You shouldn't be able to do that The Overlord suppressed His mind with ease, barley giving any effort. And now...I believe it is time to make it known to the world what is about to come. Twilight felt the quakes at the halfway point on her flight from Canterlot back to Ponyville. She increased her speed, her concern for her friends growing stronger with the tremors. Despite not being on the ground, she could hear the rumble of the earth and feel the vibrations in the air. Just before Twilight reached the edge of town Rainbow Dash flew out of nowhere and stopped her mid-flight, "Twilight! Your just in time. That...thing is opening!" Twilight rushed to her house, not knowing why there was such a heavy sense of dread in her gut. She almost fell out of the sky when a beam of light from the sky hit the top of her house and the small castle suddenly exploded. Author's Note Happy New Years! Thought I'd outta get something in before 2015, hope ya like it, because now it begins...
The OverlordBoth Twilight and Rainbow Dash were shocked at how swiftly and violently the library was decimated. All that remained of the structure was a large crater with a column of smoke rising from the middle. Tears came to Twilight's eyes, the monument to Tirek's defeat was destroyed in a much similar way to the Golden Oaks Library. Twilight's sadness quickly turned to anger as she came to realize that whatever was hidden in the smoke had bad intentions, and she was going to make it pay. "Twilight..." Rainbow grew worried for her friend. Twilight had this look on her face that Dash had never seen before, a look of pure hatred. Twilight's rage grew at alarming rates. But then she heard a voice in her mind that could only have belonged to the thing in the crater. Yes! Let your anger flow through you, let it consume you, let it...become you. "Twilight!" Twilight snapped back to reality and saw Rainbow Dash standing in front of her. They were somehow on the ground now, standing on the edge of the crater. She looked around an didn't see any of her other friends. The thought of the worst happening to them came to her mind, and it filled her with dread. "The...others..." Twilight spoke in a whisper barely above Fluttershy's level. With the blast and the voice, her mind was running rampant at this point. Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry they're fine. When the earthquake started they, along with the rest of Ponyville, evacuated to a safe shelter. Then I came to find you." Twilight took a deep breath, finally regaining her composure. "Thank you, go back and get the others, but don't give the all-clear just yet." Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a quick nod and then hurried to the other side of town. Twilight looked up and saw Luna and Celestia descending along with a squadron of royal guards. The guards created a circle around the perimeter of the crater. Twilight simply exchanged glances with the sisters as as they positioned themselves with one on either side of Twilight. Nobody uttered a word during this process. It was as if everyone was preparing for what ever resided in the bottom of the crater. The rest of Twilight's friends silently took up formation behind her. They too also sensed the heavy tension in the air. Then the smoke cleared. The figure standing there on two legs, for some unknown reason, struck fear into all of them. The figure resembled that of the human creatures Twilight encountered, except she knew this was not a human standing before them. It wore a pitch black cloak with a hood covering everything of its body and face except two beady red eyes. The strangest thing was its arms. The cloak was sleeveless, revealing arms that were completely made of metal, and had long pointed metal claws rather than hands. The figure looked up at Celestia, "Hello Princess." Celestia had a deep frown, and her eyes held some weird, sad determination. "Hello Guardian." The figure threw back its head, without somehow dropping the hood, and gave a dark cackle that filled everyone with the urge to turn tail and flee, but they stood their ground. Guardian glared back at Celestia," I'm afraid I don't go by that name anymore." "Then who are you?" "You and the rest of Equestria will refer to me as Master. But I am formally known as The Overlord." "What happened to Guardian?" Luna desperately shouted. The Overlord tapped the side of his head, "Somewhere in here, but I can't tell for sure exactly where all the little pieces of his mind went." Now it was Twilight's turn, " What are your intentions, Overlord?" "Why, to have some fun. Equestria is a lovely place full of lovely people, and I thought I said to call me Master." "Are you implying that we will simply bow down to you." Twilight's voice wavered, but held her ground. "If you wish to survive then yes." "Now wait just a minute!" Rainbow Dash flew over their heads and into the crater, stopping inches in front of the Overlord's hidden face. "Your saying that if we don't do what you say, then your going to destroy us?" While they couldn't see it, The Overlord was giving them a wicked evil grin. "Glad we understand each other so well." Rainbow Dash was growing angrier with every word he spoke, "Ya know, it's not the first time that we've dealt with power hungry tyrants like you! We've defeated Sombra and Tirek, who I think your only half as bad as them!" Then without missing a beat, The Overlord raised a fist and all the guards dropped to the ground dead. Rainbow Dash immediately regretted saying those words. The Overlord quickly snatched her out of the air and pure terror crossed Rainbow's face. He held her at eye level. "Listen very, very closely you insolent whelp, I withhold a power far stronger than anything you have here-" "And that is where you're wrong." The Overlord was struck by a bolt of Luna's magic, knocking him to the ground and releasing Rainbow Dash. She flew back over to her friend's who huddled around her. Celestia and Luna were now in his face. "You may have your vile ways," Luna continued, "but there is a magic that resides here that is more powerful than you could possibly hope to overcome." The Overlord recovered quickly and sent Luna flying back with a burst of force. "Why you--" "Stop!" Celestia moved in front of him, a look of desperation in her eyes, "I know that your in there Guardian, please give me a sign of my mentor, my friend." The Overlord sent her flying out of the crater as well and followed with a single leap. Celestia laid on her back, unable to move and completely vulnerable. A sword made of shadows appeared in The Overlord's hand giving off wisps of smoke. He raised his sword ready to strike Celestia down, when he was suddenly tackled by Rainbow Dash. But she simply passed through the dark figure. She looked around in confusion, which quickly contorted into a look of agony and fear when the dark blade was plunged into Rainbow's back. Author's Note I think that I should mention that any feedback, positive or critical, is much appreciated. I'd like to hear from y'all so I can improve my work and get a better idea of which direction to move in.
First BloodRainbow Dash collapsed to the ground as the sword along with the pain disappeared. Her friends rushed to her side. There was no apparent injury. Twilight checked with her magic for any internal bleeding, but came up negative. Rainbow opened her eyes and turned to look at her back. "I don't understand..." The Overlord's evil laugh seemed to come from everywhere at once. It turned their blood to ice, and not even Pinkie dared to laugh along. Celestia was in a battle-ready stance, her wings spread wide and her eyes darting around trying to locate the source of the maniacal laughter. She inhaled sharply and shut her eyes tight. She could feel the sword now in her. The pain threatening to overwhelm her. Celestia stiffened and fought against the burning sensation now spreading through her body. She knew The Overlord was trying to expose her as weak, to show that a life of luxury had soften her over the years. But Celestia will deny him that chance. The blade and the pain was fake, just as it was with Rainbow Dash. Correction, the weapon in your back is very real, and I'm not trying to "expose" you I actually intend to kill you. And I believe I've succeeded. Celestia then felt a thick, warm liquid forming at her hooves. She dared to open her eyes, and the last thing she ever saw before falling over dead was the puddle of crimson blood spilling out of her underbelly. Then the Element bearers, along with Spike, changed. They all stiffened up and their pupils dialed to slits. They all blankly stared into nothing, caught in some trance by the Overlord. The true event was occurring in their minds. Each one was mentally living a complete alternate reality. They didn't live their normal happy lives, but an evil twisted nightmare. Twilight, always trying to help some pony in need, but only hurting them in the process. Rainbow Dash, in a failed attempt to rescue Scootaloo from a crusade gone wrong, permanently paralyzed her wings and leaving her grounded for the rest of her fake life. Applejack, who lived with her relatives in Manehatten after a devastating fire destroyed the farm and claimed her family. Rarity, living on the streets with Sweetiebelle, who had a severe lung disease but Rarity couldn't afford treatment since she was run out of business by a competitor. Fluttershy, finally became brave enough and found love, only to have it ripped away in a construction accident. Pinkie Pie was simply held in stasis, as there were no scenarios that The Overlord could think of that would break the cheery party pony's spirit. The only pony left now was Luna. She backed up in fear, her mind was racing and she was hyperventilating. The Overlord manifested in front of her with his sword in hand. He took slow steps towards her, and she was moving away with his every step, frantically looking for something to use against him. The Overlord raised his sword above his head, ready to deal one swift blow, but was suddenly intercepted by another blade, this one belonging to Discord. The Overlord turned to look at the mixed creature. "So, the Spirit of Chaos finally makes an appearance. I believe your just a tad bit late to save Celestia now." Discord didn't pay him any mind, his attention was on Luna, who was feverishly looking from The Overlord to Discord. "Luna!" Discord desperately tried to get the panicked princess to snap out of the fear that had so viciously gripped her. But Luna wasn't responding. Discord moved over to where he was in front of Luna, still locking blades with The Overlord. It was then that Luna finally refocused back into the real world. "Luna! The tree, get the others and yourself to the tree!" Luna ran to the Element bearers and engulfed them in a blue bubble. "If you leave this town, it will be the biggest mistake you'll ever make!" Anger was clear in the Overlord's voice. But Luna didn't have a choice. In a flash of light, she and everyone else was gone Author's Note And so it begins. The next few chapters are not for the faint of heart, as they will contain some very graphic content. But if you think you can take it than be sure to stick around.
The Death of a StarLuna wasn't quite used to transporting so many living things at once, so the spell had left her quite drained. She collapsed on the ground, her body aching and her lungs felt like someone shoved a lit torch down her throat. She raised her head long enough to see the others had fallen unconscious. The slow rise and fall of their flanks reassured Luna that breaking them from The Overlord's power had not killed them. She used her last remaining strength to look in the direction of Ponyville. Just above the treeline Luna could see the top of a black force field that had been erected over the small town. The scene of Celestia being so ruthlessly murdered played over and over in Luna's mind. The loss of her fallen sister was almost too much for her to bear. Tears came to her eyes, her grief threatening to burst out of her. The same being that taught them everything they knew and gave hope to those without any, just killed one of his own students without any hesitation or remorse. And They knew this would happen, Celestia knew The Overlord would kill her. In fact Celestia counted on it. She knew The Overlord's goal was world domination, and in order to do that he would have to eliminate the alicorn leaders of this world, starting with her. So Celestia taught Luna the spell that would harvest the Elements of Harmony from the Tree and also how to wield them. Luna looked to the sky, which had taken on a reddish hue. Another alarming thing was the Sun was beginning to implode. It was soon a fiery blotch in the sky, rather than the spherical perfection Luna had always known. A few years back she would've rejoiced at the sight, now it filled her with despair. Luna hoped that the messengers would see their cue and warn the other cities of the evil threat. Luna remembered the last time she spoke directly to her sister. It was just before their departure to Ponyville. "But sister this is good thing! He's come back!" Luna protested. Celestia raised a hoof to calm her little sister, she had to try to make her understand. "Luna, you know it's not actually Him." "But His magic, it's the same-" "Luna!" She fell silent and dropped her gaze after that. Luna knew that when Celestia only raised her voice when the situation was truly dire. "You felt a small blip of his magic among a pool of darkness. Whatever lies in Ponyville is not our former mentor. We must be prepared for the worst." "Sister I don't think I can-" Celestia put a hoof under Luna's chin and raised her head to meet her eyes. "Little sister, I know you can." The memory pained her, she tried to forget everything, to become lost in a sea of agony. But her mind refused to give up. She was still alive and she still had a purpose. She looked again to the fiery explosion in the sky. Celestia's magic was fading from this world fast. It was only a matter of weeks before the heat from the Sun disappears entirely and the world freezes to death. It was all the more reason to get to the Elements and reactivate them as soon as possible. There was still time to use the power of the Elements to reverse the effects of the darkness. Some of her strength had returned, and the others were still out cold, so Luna raised her head and tried shifting to a sitting position to get a good look at their surroundings, but settled for lying on her stomach. Unfortunately in her haste Luna accidentally teleported them to the Castle of the two sisters. The ancient structure had been built by her teacher as a departing gift. Now it sat as an empty husk, a mere shadow of its former glory. The Tree of Harmony was a short walk from the Castle. There was still the threat of the creatures that wandered the Everfree, but the way The Overlord so brutally murdered one of the most powerful beings in Equestria made whatever lurked in the forest seem like simple insects. Twilight began to stir, slowly, as if waking up from a peaceful slumber. Then she immediately stood up and cried out in pain and grief. She looked around frantically, when her gaze landed on Luna, she immediately realized where she was. She tried to take a couple of steps, but soon gave up,and collapsed to the ground. Twilight looked up at the sky, then at the dying Sun. She knew exactly what it ment but still looked at Luna, not wanting to believe that her mentor was gone. When Luna only returned her grief-stricken stare, Twilight felt the truth drop on her like a boulder. Since she was so weak all she could manage was softly weeping, but the loss of the great ruler of Equestria hit her full force. Luna tried to move over to Twilight, but the fatigue left her helpless to comfort the young alicorn. One by one they all woke up, realizing the sad truth without any words being spoken. They cried for their lost Princess, they cried for the hopeless odds against the limitless power of The Overlord. They could just barely move, their strength sapped by The Overlord. They had to get back quickly. Discord could hold out so long against The Overlord. Suddenly, there was a burst of green fire, then Spike fell through, and the gout of fire vanished. Most of his scales were blackened and he was unconscious. He was close enough to Twilight so that she could muster what little strength she had left and crawl over to him. She wrapped her forelegs around his charred body and laid her head on his chest. Luna had a faint spark of hope. She had no answer as to how he got here, but they were all together. And that's all that mattered. Author's Note Man this was a lengthy one. It was revised several times but I finally got it done. I promise the next chapter will be a lot more interesting. In fact, I'm going to break your heart with it. (It's gonna get super gory. If your not into that sort of thing then what can I say. If you can live without knowing how this story ends which I would not recommend doing, then just stop right here. If you can't, well go get your tissue box.)
Ponyville MassacreThe next morning was far more pleasant than the day before. They woke up with their strength returned and a new determination. Their breakfast consisted mostly of berries and some herbs, but their hunger was not important to them. When Luna woke up she could no longer spot the force field that had surrounded Ponyville. The battle between The Overlord and Discord must have ended, and since she could no longer feel chaos in the magical flow, Discord must've lost. She decided not to tell the others, as more loss would only result in their spirits being too broken to continue. When everyone had woken up and eaten their meals, Luna cleared her throat to address them, "Now I know we experienced a truly terrible thing yesterday," they all looked down, still mourning for their lost princess. "But we must carry on in the name of my lost sister. There is a spell that can be preformed with the Elements that will not only vanquish The Overlord, but will reverse all of the evil actions he has done." They all gasped at this. A chance to bring Celestia back from the dead sounded almost too good to be true. "But in three weeks time the sun will burn out, and Celestia will be lost forever." "Well then what are we waiting for?" They all looked at Rainbow Dash, " We need to hoof it to the Tree now! At we gonna sit around and wait for that jerk to destroy Equestria? Or are we gonna go kick his butt, and bring or princess back?" "For the Princess!" They shouted in unison. With that they began the short walk to the Tree. Luna thought she would never smile again, but these ponies just seem to find the light in every dark corner. Even with their great ruler dead they still carry on. He had given up. The Overlord was too much. He tried to fight against him, but the things he had just done were unforgivable, and no doubt that when those survivors came upon the town, they would surely lose every last scrap of hope when they've seen what He did. Retrieving the Elements from the Tree wasn't too spectacular. Getting there was easy, and a flash of light and the Elements were in their original jewel form. Rarity made Luna some makeshift saddlebags to store the Elements in. Now they were making their way back to Ponyville. They met little resistance from the animals, and the weather was easy on them. The sky was now blood-red, and the exploding Sun was now twice as large as before. Upon reaching Ponyville, they were blocked by a magical barrier surrounding the perimeter of the town. The barrier was tinted pitch-black, making it impossible to see through. Then they heard the horrible voice that now sparked hatred in all of them. Well...I am a little surprised. I just murdered someone in front of you, give you lives that are made nothing but suffering, and yet you still return. Luna took a deep breath, fighting to control her anger, "I, Princess Luna, ruler of the night and protector of Equestria demand that you lower this wall and I wish an audience with you." The Overlord erupted into a fit of maniacal laughter. First of all you DEMAND I lower the barrier? Why, you simply just had to ask politely. Second, I'm afraid that what lies beyond this wall, won't please you in the least bit. When the barrier was lowered, what they saw went beyond all evil known in Equestria. The sight was horrifying, their grief and anger returned. All determination and hope they previously had dropped out of their stomachs. For what lay before them was utterly devastating. Bodies were strewn everywhere. The residents of Ponyville were now corpses lying in pools of their own blood. They were frozen in place, nobody knew what to say or what to do about the revolting scene in front of them. I told you you would regret leaving this town. There was a flash of movement in the center of this horrific sight. It was enough to snap them out of their initial shock. Twilight looked to Luna's saddlebags, "Remember girls, remember what happens if we succeed." She felt a small tapping on her front leg. She looked down to see Spike turning a shade of green. "Uh Twilight, is it okay if I wait outside?" "It's gonna be okay Spike, just remember, they can come back. Just keep your eyes forward, and don't think about anything else. That goes for all of you." Their hope and determination returned. With a look of someone willing to do what takes to save a planet. A cold hard stare. They looked forward and set a slow steady pace, one thought that echoed through their minds that kept them going. Remember what happens if we succeed. The smell hit their nostrils with the first few steps. It was gut-wrenching and just awful. But they kept their breakfast down and continued forward. Remember what happens if we succeed. There was more movement up ahead. They quickened their pace, getting a glimpse of two fillies, one white, and one a pale yellow. Remember what happens if we succeed. Don't forget what happens if you fail. Now the two fillies were recognized as Sweetiebelle and Applebloom. Everyone except Rarity and Applejack stopped dead their tracks, the feeling of this was just wrong. Applebloom was rubbing her eyes and Sweetiebelle was on her back clutching her stomach. Neither of the elder sisters had said a word when a black crystal burst from Sweetiebelle's abdomen, and Applebloom opened her eyes and blood started gushing from empty sockets. The older sisters shrieked in horror, Fluttershy and Spike dropped to the ground covering their eyes and whimpering. The rest held their defiant stares with the manifested Overlord holding a struggling Scootaloo by the throat. He gave a tight squeeze and with a sickening pop, broke Scootaloo's neck. Remember what happens if we succeed. Remember what happens if we succeed. This is what happens when you fail. Author's Note It was a blast to write this. That's all I have to say right now.
Friendship's Last Stand"I warned you that trying to escape would not go unpunished." Applejack and Rarity stared at the bodies of their sisters. The cruelty and violence of The Overlord never seemed to end. "This has gone too far, you've left us no choice but to use these." Luna pulled the Elements out of her bags and use her magic to hover them in formation around her. The Overlord cocked his head in curiosity. "Now what are those little trinkets? I hope you don't plan to defeat me with those." Luna closed her eyes and concentrated her magic into the Elements. "Well this should be fun to watch." The Elements began to spin around Luna and glow brightly. "And now I've lost interest." Luna kept her eyes shut. The Overlord was going to try everything in his power to break her concentration, but she must not allow that to happen. She had to bring Guardian back no matter what was happening around her. Someone, Luna couldn't tell who, went into a coughing fit followed by a wet splat as something hit the ground. There was screaming coming from all of them along with a soft thud as someone else fainted. Luna's focus was beginning to slip, all the horrendous ideas of what just happened began to creep into her mind. Luna grit her teeth and closed her eyes tighter, fighting the urge to turn around. Twilight shrieked as Applejack doubled over and coughed up a thick, bloodied mass. Rarity fainted and the rest just stood there screaming in terror, disgust, and at the loss of their friend. Twilight didn't know what to do. Luna was feeding power into the Elements and The Overlord was just looking around as if the scene in front of him wasn't even happening. For all the lessons and tests Celestia gave her she could never have prepared for an enemy so powerful and savage. Twilight fell on her stomach and broke down in tears. "I'm sorry Celestia! I'm sorry I couldn't save you! That I can't save anyone!" The Sun was growing in size, no doubt The Overlord was accelerating its death, soon it would envelop the planet, burning everyone on it to dust. Twilight didn't care anymore. They had lost. The Elements wouldn't be enough to destroy The Overlord. All she wanted was for it all to be over. Then make it happen. Twilight almost didn't hear the voice, until a warm, comforting presence entered her mind. This wasn't The Overlord, it was brighter, without any hint of malice at all, but it sounded the same. The Ruler of the Night won't last much longer, The Dying Star is almost upon us. You must continue the spell with the Elements. "But the Elements aren't enough to destroy The Overlord. He's too much...." The Elements' purpose isn't to destroy Him. Twilight began to return to reality. They are meant to balance Him Twilight could feel the heat becoming unbearable. She looked to the sky and saw the Sun collapsing on itself. The fiery giant quickly shrunk inwards then burst out with a deafening roar. All of her friends lay dead, their necks and limbs twisted unnaturally. She didn't give a second thought to them. She turned her attention to The Overlord and Luna. The Overlord's eyes held a mild disinterest to the events around them. Then they quickly changed to a look of rage and disbelief. "YOU PATHETIC LITTLE WRETCH!" Luna's eyes snapped open and looked to Twilight. Hardly a second passed from Luna transferring the Elements to Twilight to the bolt of lightning shooting from The Overlord's fingers and hitting the Princess of the Night. Luna was sent flying backwards and hitting the side of a house. She lay on the ground, spasms wracked her body. She gave one last twitch before becoming completely still. Twilight was already channeling the power of the Elements into the Overlord. He was infuriated now, at having been so foolishly deceived into thinking that the nature of the artifacts were to kill him. How DARE that worthless excuse for a goddess use that spell on me! I'll make her pay- "Your not hurting anyone else today." No! Twilight pieced the remains of Guardians mind back together while using the Elements to remove the evil residue left behind by The Overlord, which also reversed all the things the dark lord had done. The Sun was returning to its natural state. Life was restored to all those slaughtered by His hand. She felt her friends beside her. The Elements were restored to their wearable forms. Twilight placed the Elements around the necks of their respectful bearers. They completed the spell and Twilight opened her eyes. The Overlord was clutching at his head, yelling in frustration. He spotted Twilight and tackled her to the ground. His hood fell back and revealed a silver, metal skull. His eye sockets glowed red and his furious stare bore into Twilight. The alicorn could only cower in fear as the metal skeleton held her down. "You think this is over?! I was just the opening act, there is a force coming that will not bother with seeing you suffer. They will sweep across this land and destroy all of you!" Then his form changed. In a flash of light The Overlord's face became that of a lynx. His fur was brown with large pointed ears ending in black tufts of fur. His arms and one eye remaind robotic, and his now pure white cloak parted to reveal metal legs and torso with a large, red, octagonal gem in the center of his chest. He looked at Twilight with a grateful smile, "Thank you." Then everything turned white. Author's Note And thus ends the reign of The Overlord. I've had so much fun writing this. This story has opened me into a world I never thought I'd live in. Thank you all for your support, and for taking the time to read my one-in-million story. There will be an Epilogue following this chapter but this is where the story stops.
Epilogue"How many people did I hurt?" Princess Celestia and Luna sat across a table from Guardian in the Canterlot palace. "No one." Replied Celestia with a smile, "Due to the power of the Elements, all the actions committed by The Overlord was reversed. In fact, only myself, you, my sister, my student, and her friends are the only ones who knew the incident ever happened." Guardian gave a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm grateful for the forgiveness you have given me. I don't deserve such kindness. I do however have one question." "Yes?" Guardian shifted in his seat uncomfortably, "Well, The Overlord took control of my mind by breaking it. While I can remember most of my existence..." Celestia and Luna were puzzled at Guardians strange behavior. He had been so formal, so polite. Very unlike the fatherly figure the sisters had been raised by. It was almost as if... "I can't remember who you people are." Celestia's expression hardened. Luna inhaled sharply. The sisters owed their very lives to Guardian. The two shared a bond with him far stronger than whatever they could've had with their real father. Had he not found them that night in the ruins of a village they would've starved to death. Or found by a hostile tribe and enslaved. But they ment nothing to him now. Their adopted father saw them as total strangers. It felt worse than the moment Celestia realized he became lost to the darkness. "Did we know each other?" Luna jumped out of her chair, but before she could tell Guardian who they really were Celestia spoke first. "No." Luna stared at her in shock, "Sister!" Guardian stood up to leave but was forced back down by a distressed Luna. "Please tell me you remember us! You have to! Remember!" Celestia stood up with anger clear on her face. "Luna!" The younger sister ran into one of the hallways crying in despair. Celestia looked to Guardian with a pleading look. "It would be best if you leave." Guardian, completely confused by Luna's outburst, simply nodded his head and walked away. When he glanced behind him, Celestia had his back to him. Small spasms courses through her body as she also wept at the pain of being forgotten. Author's Note Do not fret my friends, this shall not be the last we see of Guardian. If anyone remembers the visions that the Mane 6 were going through after Celestia's death, I'm planning to make those into short stories. Just for those who would like to see exactly what they saw in more detail.
