Legacy Of The Friendship

"Has anyone seen Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked after taking a few looks around her and not spotting her friend anywhere nearby. The four other ponies also started looking around.

"Where could she have gone?" Rarity asked. For Fluttershy to simply wander off at a time like this...It simply didn't make any sense.

"Maybe Kerrigan scared her off?" Applejack suggested.

"I won't deny, even if she's on our side, she still gives me the creeps..." Rainbow Dash admitted.

"Lets just hope she didn't run off too far," Twilight added. "We should find her before Kerrigan gets back." Twilight's friends nodded and began looking around.

"You girls keep looking around here, I'll go see if she hasn't gone back to her cottage," Applejack said and ran off after not hearing anyone protest.

They had no luck finding her in the middle of the town, so Rainbow Dash decided to go check near the Everfree forest while her friends kept on searching around town. Before long, she spotted her pink-maned friend walking out the Everfree forest.

"There you are!" Rainbow Dash shouted out to her and flew closer. "Got lost on the way, did you?"

"Uhm...Yes! Yeah, that's what happened...hggh!" Fluttershy suddenly looked like she got pinched in the backside. "I got lost!" She awkwardly smiled at her friend and acted as if nothing was wrong.

"Fluttershy...are you...alright?" Rainbow Dash asked, slightly concerned about her friend.

"Never better!" Fluttershy replied in a voice with a much lower pitch than her usual one. "Why do you ask?" She kept smiling awkwardly.

Something definitely wasn't right about Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash couldn't let it rest. "You didn't happen to go through a field of poison joke on your way back here, did you?"

"Who, me? Hggh! Are my jokes really that baaaaaad!?" she said her last word in a voice that no normal pony could repeat...As if that wasn't enough, her eyes flashed red for a split second.

Rainbow Dash started worrying about her friend. Something was seriously not right with her. She grabbed her foreleg and started dragging her back to town. "We need to get you to Ponyville hospital right away! I don't know what's wrong with you, but..."

Before Rainbow Dash could finish her sentence, Fluttershy grabbed her head and stared deeply into her eyes with an angry look.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash tried to break free from her grip. "Fluttershy, what are you..."

Fluttershy's eyes turned blood red as she stared into Rainbow's eyes. Rainbow Dash froze up and her body became numb. "You are under my control now, tiny pony. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Fluttershy spoke in a demonic voice. As soon as she released Rainbow's head, both of their eyes were in the same red color.

***

"Any luck, Twilight?" Applejack shouted out to her nervous looking friend.

"No...I'm guessing she wasn't at her cottage either."

"You'd be guessing right," Applejack replied and walked closer. "And is it just me or is the town looking a bit...empty?"

"Why...I do believe you're right!" Rarity replied after taking a quick look around. "The streets aren't anywhere near to as full as they should be."

"This can't be good..." Twilight got even more nervous. She took a look around and noticed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash by the edge of the town. "Hey! It's Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash found her!" Twilight shouted and started running towards the two ponies. The other three of her friends followed her right away.

"Fluttershy, where have you..." Twilight suddenly stopped and gasped loudly. The sight she just witnessed made her blood run cold. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had each grabbed a nearby pony and stared into their faces with their eyes flashing red.

After they let go of them, the eyes of the two other ponies also turned red, and now there was a total of four ponies with blood-red eyes walking towards Twilight and her three other friends, and none of them looked friendly.

Twilight could barely even breathe from the shock, let alone think of what to do or say. The four red-eyed ponies were getting close and were just about to grab Twilight and the three ponies beside her, but then, all of a sudden the red-eyed ponies stopped dead in their tracks as they became surrounded by a cloud of light-blue and white colors.

"what's going on here?" Kerrigan shouted as soon as she landed.

"I...I don't know...They're not themselves..." the nervous, stuttering alicorn tried to reply as best she could.

Kerrigan took another look at the four ponies she had just trapped in stasis. She instantly recognized those red eyes. "This can only mean one thing..."

Before any of them could say another word, the four conjoined demonic voices spoke up, "We are hybrid...We are Amon!" Right after which a flash of red light forced Kerrigan and the four ponies beside her to close their eyes. By the time they opened them, the stasis prison was empty.

"Amon!" Kerrigan furiously shouted.

"They're gone..." Twilight whispered.

"We'll get them back! Don't worry!" Kerrigan tried to calm her.

"But how?" Twilight asked in disbelief.

"Listen! Do you know of a creature called a parasprite?"

Twilight widened her eyes. "I do, but how do you..."

"No time to explain!" Kerrigan interrupted. "Can you help me find one?"

"I could...but I really don't see how..."

"Twilight!" Their conversation got interrupted by a shout from a good distance away. "Twilight..." A baby dragon with a letter in his hand was making it's way towards them, panting loudly while running "Twilight...I...Woaahaaaaagh!" the dragon shouted at the top of his lungs as soon as he noticed the terrifying creature looking right at him.

He tucked his tail and ran, dropping the letter he was holding right before Kerrigan's feet.

"Friend of yours?" Kerrigan asked.

"Umm...Yeah..." Twilight replied and picked up the letter using her magic.

"Sorry...didn't mean to scare him," Kerrigan apologized.

"It wasn't really your fault..." Twilight opened the letter and began reading it.

"To make one run like that, I'm guessing there's something really important in that letter."

"There sure is..." Twilight replied and rolled up the letter. "It's from princess Celestia herself!"

Princess Celestia? Kerrigan suddenly recalled the very first words she heard from Twilight when she arrived. Must be the ruler of these lands...Wait, shouldn't that make her a queen? How can there be two princesses?

"I am to arrive at her castle immediately!"

"Is this about the threat we are currently facing?"

"The letter said nothing about a reason, but Celestia sees all that goes on in her lands, this no doubt has something to do with it!"

"Then I'd suggest we'd be on our way," Kerrigan suggested.

"We?" Twilight seemed surprised.

"If this has something to do with Amon, I think I should be present for this." Kerrigan noticed Twilight seeming unsure about this. "Don't expect me to just sit here and wait for you to get back!"

"Right..." Twilight nodded. "Lets go!" Twilight led the way, but suddenly stopped after realizing her friends were right on her tail. "Sorry girls," Twilight turned towards Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie and apologized.

"Huh?" The three ponies were confused about Twilight's decision to leave them behind.

"Somepony needs to stay and warn everyone to get back into their houses! It's not safe after all!" Twilight sincerely explained, but her friends only frowned. "Please, girls, this is important! Amon gets stronger with every pony under his control! We can't lose anyone else to him!"

Realizing that it's probably for the best, Applejack was the first one to raise her head and put on a confident smile. "You got it, Twilight."

Pinkie Pie and Rarity also raised their heads and nodded in approval.

"Thanks guys." Twilight hugged her friends before heading off.

Touching... Kerrigan thought to herself as she watched the four ponies join together for group hug.

"Stay safe," Twilight said to her friends and ran off along with the queen of blades. Her friends kept on waving until the moment Twilight made a swift turn and disappeared behind a corner.

***

The town of Ponyville was behind them after a good while of running, but Canterlot was still nowhere to be seen.

"Say..." Kerrigan started a conversation after a long while of silence. "How far exactly is this Canterlot?"

"Umm..." Twilight hesitated to answer.

"I bet it would be much faster if you flew, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, of course!" Twilight replied right away, but she couldn't help but wonder. "But where would that leave you?"

"Don't worry about me," Kerrigan said after she stopped running. "Fly on, I won't be far behind." Right after giving a clear order to Twilight, Kerrigan turned around and started running back the way they came from.

Twilight stared at her for some time. Still a bit confused, she shrugged and did just as Sarah suggested and took to the skies.

"Izsha!" Kerrigan lifted her hand up to her temple and shouted.

"What is it, my queen?" A voice in Kerrigan's head answered.

"Can you order the Leviathan to follow that flying, purple equine?"

"At once, my queen," Izsha calmly answered and obeyed the order right away.

Before long, the shadow of the giant creature was gone and Ponyville saw the sun once again.

***

"Princess Celestia!" a shout was heard in Canterlot castle right as the massive doors opened with young Twilight Sparkle standing between them. The three other princesses were already waiting for her. "I came as fast as I could!" Twilight ran closer to one she still loved to call her mentor, despite no longer being her student.

"It is good that you have come, princess Twilight," Celestia spoke in a tone without a sign of cheer in it.

"Princess Cadence!" Twilight happily shouted and ran over to hug the pony she loved to call her sister.

"It is good to see you again, Twilight," Cadence replied and happily hugged her back. "I only wish we wouldn't have to keep meeting in such dark times," she said in a sad tone after disengaging from the hug.

Twilight turned towards princess Celestia "So you already know?"

"Not everything," Celestia replied. "We know that Ponyville is in peril because of a great evil that has come to our lands, but we do not know just how serious is the situation."

"So..." Twilight suddenly felt uneasy. "You don't know about the tree of harmony, then?"

"Has something happened to the tree?" princess Luna asked in a worried voice.

Twilight stared back at princess Luna with a sad look on her face and slowly nodded.

"Please...tell us everything!"

Just as princess Celestia requested, Twilight told the three princesses everything that happened on that day.

5 minutes later...

"It is even worse than I feared..." Celestia spoke in a dramatically desperate tone and closed her eyes for a moment. For a short moment, Twilight thought that Celestia had lost all hope, but all of a sudden, her face lit up again. "We must act quickly!" she shouted in a battle ready tone.

"What needs to be done?" Twilight asked, ready to play her part, as always.

"Princess Twilight..." Celestia quietly addressed her former student and walked closer to her. She stared deeply into her eyes before continuing. "If what you said is true, then this foe will no doubt soon come after our magic."

"That's what I fear."

"Then I think you know what must be done," Celestia's face was devoid of cheer. She was serious and determined, but also sorry.

"You want to use the same method we used to defeat Tirek?" Twilight asked and continued without waiting for a reply, "You want me to take on your magic again."

"I am sorry it has come down to this, Twilight, but you and your friends have never let us down before! Not even in the darkest of times...I don't know anyone who would be more suited for this task than you."

The situation was indeed looking grim. Twilight was nervous, but she also felt happy to know that her beloved mentor puts so much faith in her abilities. She was just about to give her word approval, but all of a sudden, she changed her mind and began wondering about something while rubbing her chin.

"Is something the matter, Twilight?" Celestia asked after noticing Twilight's sudden change of attitude.

"Princess Celestia, I think I know someone who would be more suited for this task than me!" Twilight replied, assured that she was on the right track. Princess Celestia only widened her eyes after hearing her response and wondered who could she possibly have in mind. "Someone who knows this enemy better than any of us," Twilight clarified.

"You don't mean..." Before Celestia could say another word, the doors to Canterlot Castle opened once more, and through them came a creature the likes of which Equestria had never seen before...A creature about whom most ponies could only say one thing after looking at it:

I'm glad she's on our side...

"Are you sure she can be trusted?" princess Celestia quietly asked while Kerrigan was still moving towards them.

"Absolutely!" Twilight confidently replied without hesitating.

Kerrigan slowly walked up to the princesses. The guards stood still, just as ordered. They were ready to seize the terrifying creature if ordered to do so, but they sincerely hoped that such an order would not be given.

Kerrigan stopped and waited for one of the princesses to say something as soon as she got close. Princess Cadence and princess Luna didn't look too keen on saying anything, they just stared at Sarah and didn't let their eyes off her. Even if they knew she was on their side, they still felt a touch of fear under their skin when they gazed at her.

"Princess Twilight seems to trust you a lot," Celestia mustered her courage and spoke up.

This must be her... Kerrigan came to the conclusion after noticing the crown on Celestia's head. Funny...All four rulers of Equestria gathered in one room, and yet I'm still the only queen in here.

"And she is right to do so," Kerrigan replied. "My quarrel is not with you. If you could help me defeat Amon, then I would be forever grateful." Kerrigan acted polite. She even bowed before the four princesses.

Celestia maintained her serious attitude. She wasn't persuaded by Kerrigan's little act. "For the sake of Equestria, we are more than willing to aid you in this ordeal, but forgive me for not agreeing right away...This is no small thing that is being asked of us."

Kerrigan paused for a moment. She wasn't sure about what kind of thing the princess was talking about. "Pardon me, but just what kind of thing are we talking about here?"

"In order to have even a slight chance of standing against this foe, we believe that one would require the combined magical powers of the four alicorn princesses of Equestria!" Celestia switched to a more regal tone for a short moment, turning serious again right afterwards. "And princess Twilight believes that you should be the one to wield it," Celestia explained and pointed her hoof at Kerrigan.

"Your magic?" Kerrigan asked in a state of utter surprise. "You mean to tell me that you can simply pass your magic onto someone else so easily?"

"It is no simple procedure, even transferring it to another alicorn can be difficult, and you're not even a pony..." Celestia replied right away. "But yes...it is possible."

"And do you also believe that this magic would be powerful enough to be a match for the powers of Amon combined with the magic of these so called elements of harmony?" Kerrigan's question left the ponies wondering. As they looked at one another for an answer, it became clear that none of them really knew.

"We do not know just how strong is the raw energy of the elements of harmony, nor do we know how strong this foe is even without it," Celestia sadly admitted. "However, we do know that alicorn magic is one of the strongest forms of magic known to Equestria!"

I wonder if this is that more powerful form of magic that Twilight told me about earlier... Kerrigan wondered.

"Additionally, your experience in the matter makes you the perfect candidate for taking on this task. Our magic combined with the magic you already wield...You will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with."

"There's no denying it," Kerrigan took over the sentence. "I doubt any of you know Amon better than I do." By the way she formed her sentence, it almost seemed like Kerrigan was trying to brag. Even though that was never her intention.

"But don't expect me to predict every move that Amon will make! I may have heard a lot about him, and I may have battled and won against his kin, but Amon is something entirely unique...Older than the universe, more powerful than I can understand...and now, he is awake," Kerrigan quoted a sentence she had heard before.

The truth was painful to hear. It wasn't hard to notice the change in their faces as Kerrigan told them the history of the foe they're facing.

"But don't give into despair! It's only hopeless if we don't try!" Kerrigan tried to make up for her previous statements.

"Does this mean you'll accept this task?" Twilight asked as she regained her lost hope.

"I would not have come here if I wasn't ready to do battle with Amon...Yes, if you would trust me with this powerful magic, then I would gladly bring it into battle!"

"That, however, raises a question," Celestia said while walking closer to Sarah. "How do we know we can trust you?" Celestia asked and stared into her eyes with an expression full of distrust. "How can we know you won't betray us and use this magic for your own selfish exploits?"

"Do not compare me to that hybrid! I am nothing like Amon!" angered by the rude display of disrespect, Kerrigan retorted loudly as her eyes surged with blue energy. Her eyes returned to their normal colors right after that, but her tone maintained it's ferocity. Her sudden outburst even forced Celestia to take a few steps back.

"This may not be my home, but if Amon succeeds in his plans, then it will mean the end for more than just this colorful world you call Equestria!"

"Forgive my lack of respect, Miss Kerrigan," Celestia apologized right away. Her tone suggested that she really meant it. "But without our magic, Equestria would surely fall before any lesser foe...I'm hoping you'll understand why we aren't so eager to give it away to someone we've only known for a small part of the afternoon."

"Indeed..." after a few moments of thinking, Kerrigan replied in a much calmer tone. "Pardon my harsh response earlier."

"There's no need for apologies...your anger was quite justified."

It seemed like Kerrigan and the princess were finally starting to see eye to eye. Kerrigan decided to use the moment.

"I do not know of a way how I could earn your trust, so if you won't agree to transfer your magic to me, I shall not ask for it again...But there is one more thing I would like to say before you make your final decision."

"Please, do continue," Celestia encouraged her.

"Two strangers came to your world this day, leaving you with two sides to choose from." As Kerrigan spoke on, all listened patiently and none dared to interrupt her. "Side with me and I shall offer you both a choice and a chance. Side with Amon..." She paused for a moment to add a slightly more dramatic taste to the last part of her monologue. "And you will have neither."

It seemed like Sarah's words were finally getting to Celestia. They say that desperate times call for desperate measures...But this was a decision too serious for even the ruler of Equestria to make on her own. Celestia slowly turned her head from one of the princesses to another. One after another, she got three nods of approval.

"Then it is decided," Celestia said as she turned her head back towards Kerrigan. "There's no time to lose!" Every princess already knew her role and position and did not hesitate to form a rectangle around Kerrigan. "Are you ready?" Celestia asked.

As soon as the four alicorns saw Kerrigan nod, the ritual began. Just as the last time they did this, their horns started shining brightly and their eyes turned white. The magical light from their horns joined together, forming a huge ball of light right above Sarah's head. She closed her eyes as it reached her.

The magic was overwhelming. It left Kerrigan on her knees and barely breathing. A bright light surged around her for some time. After it finally faded, the queen of blades still wasn't looking too alive. Barely able to stand themselves, the four alicorns moved a bit closer to the target of their magic and waited for any kind of response.

Now I know why Amon came here... Kerrigan thought to herself as she finally started feeling the blood flowing through her veins again. This power...

All of a sudden, Kerrigan jumped to her feet and started radiating with energy of many colors. The magic flow was going through every part of her body, arms, legs, eyes and wings alike.

"It's overwhelming!" Kerrigan screamed as she started taking control of her new found powers. She had never felt so alive before. She could now easily stand against the weight of the world, even while her Leviathan was nowhere nearby. Her feet left the ground and she started levitating, still surrounded by a cloud of pure energy.

Amon doesn't stand a chance! she convinced herself. "He's still in that forest...but where?..." Kerrigan didn't even sound like herself now.

"A castle..." Celestia slowly spoke up. "There's a ruined old castle deep inside the forest...If he's still in that forest..."

"He is mine!" Kerrigan interrupted. Unable to hold in the will to try out this magic, she bolted off without another word.