Chapter 1: From Down Under
Chapter 1
Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me
Nearly seventy-five hours had passed since the Oblivion spell hit every nook and cranny. No longer the scenic and serene place it was before, Equestria was reduced to a wasteland corrupted and eaten alive by dark forces, closely resembling the aftermath of a great war. The busy streets which were once crowded with ponies were under the watchful eyes of vile creatures, bent on capturing and torturing any pony who hadn't been restrained by the spell.
Foals cried as they were forcefully separated from their parents, many ponies wept as they witnessed their homes annihilated in mere seconds. Only a few homes were left unscathed, some sheltering ponies from the devastation outside of their doors. Sobbing was all some could do after the loss of their loved ones. However, the greatest damage to Equestria was when Cloudsdale fell from the sky just a day after the inmates from Tartarus ran riot in Canterlot.
The magic which held the great city waned and subsequently disappeared before it crashed into a part of the Everfree Forest, setting fire to the already burnt trees in the woods. Critters were instantly killed in the impact which had left a giant crater in the middle of the forest. The citizens of Cloudsdale however had all been captured by Old Nick when their magic left them, thus inadvertently saving them from certain death. Nonetheless, that didn't stop the wretched former prisoner of Tartarus from throwing them in the dungeons with the rest of the ponies.
A large shadow had loomed over Celestia's and Luna's kingdom, one that had stripped them of everything. Unknown and sudden, destructive and merciless. Nopony expected the day to come. The day when the magic of friendship disappeared and hope was , the faintest star can still be the brightest even in the darkest of nights.
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Scootaloo weakly opened her eyes, struggling to remember what had happened to her. She felt the strength in her limbs slowly returning, as if she had been asleep for a long, long time. A beam of what appeared to be sunlight shone right through a hole above her like a spotlight in a theatre.
She winced as it penetrated her eyes before shielding them with her hooves. Using all the energy left inside of her, she rolled to her side and sensed the cool sensation of the metal floor beneath her. A vaguely familiar smell surrounded her and as she moved, she could notice some cobwebs on her little wings.
There were specks of dirt on her orange coat as well as a small bruise on her left forehoof but she was otherwise unharmed. She turned her attention to her surroundings and saw nothing but gray, metallic walls which were cracked in various areas, revealing the earth behind them.
"Where...where the hay am I?" the pegasus filly asked herself, examining the dimly-lit surroundings.
She tried to make out where exactly in Equestria she was but it appeared as though she was in some place she had probably never ever seen before. Conjecturing was all she was able to do for a few moments but before long, she remembered.
"Was I out?" she groaned, holding a hoof to her head to feel a small lump beneath the tuft of pink hair.
She could only recall helplessly watching the gigantic and powerful wave flying at her before she flew back, losing consciousness. She had never felt such raw and unadulterated power before in her life and the sudden resulting propulsion drained the energy right out of her and took her out as well. It was the last thing she remembered.
Stretching her limbs, she staggered and stood up on all fours before inspecting the place for any exits. The cracks in the walls were too small for her to crawl through and the earth beneath was too thick for her to dig plus she didn't have the strength to attempt any exhausting work.
As she wondered how she would escape, her gaze fell to the large crack in the manhole on the ceiling. Chuckling at her absent-mindedness, she climbed the slightly bent ladder again before she went towards the light peeping through the hole in the...manhole.
The atmosphere above her had changed drastically much to her surprise. The sinister aura as well as the green fog surrounding the farm above her was palpable, an obvious indication that something out of the ordinary had transpired.
She contemplated whether or not she should take the risk and see what was wrong. She initially wanted to stay in the bunker until the faint mist dissipated lest she might contract some mysterious illness but she quickly shot down the thought after she remembered seeing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hanging around with Big Mac not too far away from the clubhouse.
"Here goes nothing" she whispered nervously.
Taking in a deep breath, she steadily climbed through the hole and into the mist, trying her very best not to inhale the "poisonous" air around her. To her surprise, the ground was filled with numerous cracks here and there and most of the vegetation around her had all but dried up. The mist spread into the distance, a green tint dissipating in the distance as it shrouded the horizon. Everything gave the impression of some tragic post-war aura kinda like the ones some unfortunate soldiers would've woken up to after hours of fighting.
However, she sensed a wave of relief after noticing that their clubhouse was more or less okay, at least from the outside that is although the same couldn't be said for the tree they built the clubhouse on. Its leaves were withering and it didn't take a botanist to realize that the tree was suffering from some sort of disease judging from the loss of color in its trunk.
She felt absolute pity for the poor tree. What must have caused it to suffer so much? What ever did it do to anypony?
"That was weird" Scootaloo muttered after suddenly realizing that she was treating the tree as if it was a pony.
The strength in her hooves slowly returned while she continued to observe the sick tree. It appeared as though it hadn't been watered or hadn't seen sunlight for a long time.
"Sunlight?" Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.
The next second, she turned to the skies. The sun wasn't shining as much as she thought it would have, looking like it was dimmed a bit like in early mornings. However, she was certain that it was the middle of the day and that the sun should have probably shone in all its glory at this time.
Her jaw dropped when she noticed something very wrong with the celestial object.
The sun was eclipsed by the moon, only causing the beams of sunlight to peek from the edge of the black sphere in front of it. She had never actually seen an eclipse this clearly before and it certainly did a fair job of giving her the surprise of a lifetime.
What she couldn't figure out though was why in the world was the moon up in the middle of the day? It didn't take more than a few seconds to process the whole situation for the filly. A reasonable assumption that the princesses must've gotten into a fight again or something was in order.
Then again, it all seemed a bit too out of context for a royal tussle in a time of harmony. Maybe it was some botched spell or some prank but unfortunately, April Foal's Day had passed more than one and half month before.
Unconsciously, she waded through the mist, keeping her sights set towards the faint silhouette of a structure in the distance, probably the Apple family's barn while taking care not to look at the mysterious eclipse in the sky. For all she knew, her brains might get fried if she looked at it for too long.
A smile imprinted itself on her face as she felt no side effects after slightly inhaling the green tint around her. Although she was still wary about the slightly creepy atmosphere, she knew she had to let out a breath in order to calm her nerves.
As she moved closer, the unmistakable red barn appeared in full view. It wasn't even close to the state as Scootaloo had last seen it. The place was split in half and the roof had fallen off to the side while cracks were visible on the walls while chunks of wood were missing. Pieces of broken glass littered the entrance of the barn. A large hole in one of the walls had her mind boggled. It closely resembled a large animal of sorts, like a minotaur or bear.
She yelped instinctively as she noticed large scratched marks on the wooden walls, some digging deep enough to create a hole. Could it had been made by some nasty creature from the woods? Had it been the one that destroyed the barn? The markings on the walls and the half-plundered barn incepted the idea of a rampaging animal in her mind.
"Sweetie Belle! Apple Bloom!" she yelled frantically before she rushed inside the barn, careful not to step on the nails or broken glass. She needed to make sure that her two best friends were safe and sound.
She darted around the barn, looking behind stacks of burnt hay as well as carts but still, she found no signs of her friends. Only more marks left by the assumed aggressor littered the place. Her fear for her friends' safety grew more and more as she discovered black fur on the ground. It was clear that it didn't belong to anypony she knew.
Scootaloo's despair increased with each passing second. Where were her friends? Or even Big Mac or Granny Smith? Questions built up inside her head as she double-checked the entire place all the while calling out to her friends. As far as she noticed, there were no signs to show that there was a struggle. She could only conclude that her friends must've probably left before the monster, which had probably wrecked the place, arrived.
Still a bit uneasy, she treaded out of the barn and slowly trotted in the direction of Ponyville's Town Square. Only there did she believe that would get her answers as to what in the world had happened to the sky, the sun and the land.
The pegasus had hardly sauntered a few yards before her ears picked up the sound of soft whisper. She turned her head to the faint words which seemed to come from every direction, only to recede into the distance. The misty path didn't help her either as it prevented her from seeing anything far away.
"W-Who's there?" she asked, mustering all her courage. Inside, she secretly wished that it wasn't the same thing which had devastated Apple Bloom's barn.
No reply came from anywhere. She trembled in place; the whole situation was becoming risibly creepy and disturbing. She compared her current state as to being in one of those quarantine cabins in hospitals, kept away from the others forcefully while knowing that there was someone or something watching her every movement.
Silence reigned for a full minute although it seemed like eternity for the poor pegasus who was barely keeping her composure. Her ears and eyes twitched towards even the slightest sound. Her imaginations ran wild as she saw shadows moving around her, disappearing and reappearing a few distance in front of her. To say that it was nerve-racking was an understatement.
The filly was the on the verge of fainting again when she heard a slight rustling of dried grass behind her. The sound increased in frequency while getting louder and louder almost giving the impression that it was approaching her. Scootaloo gulped before she slowly turned her head towards the sound.
Her eyes widened in shock as a pitch black creature jumped at her.
Everything slowed down for a few moments as Scootaloo could only notice fangs attached to a blurred object in front of her. Her fear intensified as the large feline let out a low growl, a warning to her that she was going down no matter what.
Said creature wasn't a measly kitten, it was a gigantic raging beast and it looked like it was gonna shred her to pieces in mere seconds. Instinctively she closed her eyes, waiting for the warm saliva of the feline to hit her on the face before the sharp, long canines clutched her.
"This is it..." she gulped as she felt her own coat meeting the giant cat's.
In a second, she was pinned down by two powerful claws to the ground, both of whom miraculously hadn't ripped through her tender flesh. Scoots didn't see anything except for the creature's mouth which was right in front of her face. The end seemed inevitable for the pegasus.
The feline licked its chops before it drooled all over the orange filly's face. It snarled furiously as it shot a malicious gaze at the pinned pony. Scootaloo could only whimper and shiver in place while the beast looked to deal the fatal blow. She had never imagined she would be face to face with a predator this ferocious let alone being killed by one.
"Oh no..." she muttered quietly as the feline jerked its head backwards, preparing to lodge its teeth into her neck.
And then, something unexpected happened.
A boom, like that of thunder in the distance cackled through the silence of the mist, only this one sounded quite near. To her surprise, the creature stopped in its tracks with its sight still fixed on her although its eyes were wide open, possibly in surprise or shock.
A drop of fluid hit the side of her face again. However, it wasn't any precipitate nor was it the monster's drool. Scootaloo felt the warm drop slowly flow to the edge of her face before it disappeared into the mist below her.
Without warning, the beast fell right on top of her, narrowly missing her head. Its warmth steadily resigned as its heartbeat slowed down before it stopped. The poor filly could only manage to watch in horror as blood flowed freely from behind its head, a clean hole the cause of it.
In an instant, she squirmed and wriggled furiously before she kicked the heavy paw which had pinned her away, freeing herself from its hold. She expected the beast to retaliate but no, it merely laid flat on the ground, motionless with its eyes fixed on the misty terrain. It was undoubtedly dead.
"W-What the hay!?" Scootaloo finally found her voice.
She scampered away from the dead body, staring in horror at her would-be killer. Blood kept on flowing from the hole in its head, the only thing still moving from the giant feline.
She resisted the urge to throw up at the sight of the gruesome wound induced on the large cat. Even if it was her attacker, she couldn't possibly imagine dealing out that kind of level of harm to any living being let alone kill it.
Her breathing slowed down as her initial fear and shock was replaced by sheer-stark terror. Had she just killed the creature? What in the world had she done? By now, she wanted answers more than anything.
But then, she remembered the reverberation of an ear-piercing bang right before the creature collapsed. She ran her eyes along the misty environment surrounding her, searching for any signs of other fiends She was definitely sure now that someone had killed the big feline but who was it?
"H-Hello?" she shivered as she asked blankly, "I-Is anypony there?"
Almost as soon as she asked the question, she heard the sounds of what seemed to be a bag of steel pellets shaking right behind the large beast, just out of her sight. Unless somepony had left a parcel of coins, there was no doubt that something had taken care of the predator.
As it neared, Scootaloo could make out a faint figure, a bit smaller than Big Mac casually walking towards her. At first, she was convinced that it was another dangerous creature but as it drew closer, she could see that it was unquestionably a stallion.
She let out a heavy sigh of relief as she finally saw one of her kind. The stallion appeared to be holding some sort of small stick on one of its hooves. A satchel was also attached to his abdomen. Whether he was a killer or not, she was glad to see a pony after all the weird things she had seen and experienced.
The stallion suddenly stopped just as Scootaloo was about to call out to him. As she watched in surprise, the stallion took out a small box from the satchel before he held it to his ear. It didn't take long for Scoots to realize that it was probably a device used for communication.
"...yes...it was a pegasus..." the stallion muttered. His voice was dry and lacked any genuine emotions, each word he said sounding like he was hiding something.
"U-Um...sir?" Scootaloo asked nervously. She had half-expected the stallion to acknowledge her after her near-death experience but his shift in attention made him seem more unpleasant than she initially thought.
The stallion turned his head towards Scootaloo before he talked into the device again, presumably after noticing the orange filly.
"Scratch that, slick. She's alive but she's not the one..." the stranger said. With that, he placed the device back into the satchel before he took a few steps forward, revealing himself.
He had a light brownish-yellow coat as well as a golden mane. The one thing which confused Scootaloo was that he was wearing a suit, much like the one Fancy Pants used to wear all the time. At one hoof, he had some sort of glove on one of his hooves while on his face, he had a pair of shades which hid his eyes from view.
The stallion arched his eyebrow as he saw the perplexed look on the little pegasus. He nonchalantly walked over the body of the large feline, briefly examining the wound on its head before he stopped in front of Scootaloo. From what she could gather, Scoots was positive that he was one of those no-nonsense types of adults, like those boring business people or something.
"Wipe that trail of blood off your face, kiddo" the stallion said bluntly, his face devoid of any expressions.
"Oh..." Scootaloo remembered. A quick rub was all it took to get the feline's blood off her face. It felt gross touching someone else's blood but leaving it on seemed even grosser.
"Now how did you escape the holding cell in the Town Square?" the stallion asked suddenly.
"Holding what?" Scootaloo asked back, puzzled by the question and even more puzzled by the stallion's erratic behavior, "And how did you...you..." she stammered, trying to ask him about the downed creature.
"Just used a weapon I confiscated from a Type-S. Really rare around here", the stallion replied.
"Say what?"
"You know too much already, kiddo"
"Know what much?"
Instead of giving an answer, the stallion let out a chuckle before he reached inside his satchel. He took out a roll of bandage before throwing it at Scootaloo who grabbed it. As the orange filly looked at him in puzzlement, he adjusted his shades and gave her a slight nod as well as a brief, one-second smile.
Without saying another word, he turned around and slowly plodded in the same direction from where he appeared.
"Hey!" Scootaloo yelled, holding the bandage roll up, "Who are you? And why'd you give me this for?"
"Just call me Mr. M", the secretive stallion replied without looking back, "And that is for the gash on your left hoof", he added.
"Left hoof?" Scootaloo raised her eyebrow before she glanced at her left hoof which was bleeding from a cut, "WHAAA!" she shouted in shock.
The next second, she hurriedly unrolled the bandages before she wrapped her injured hoof with it. Fortunately for her, the cut was merely a centimeter long and wasn't anything remotely serious. Mentally, she made a note not to squirm too much if she was pinned by a beast again lest she might get scratched again.
"What is that thing?" she asked one more time.
This time, Mr. M stopped and faced her. He still had the serious glare on his face but it wasn't anything of malicious intent. On the contrary, Scootaloo believed that even though he seemed like a rude and perplexing stallion, Mr. M was helping her in some weird way. Like taking out the creature she was pointing at.
"That's a Spawned Panther" Mr. M replied, "They're nothing but corporeal summons used for search and kill missions. I should warn you that they are ferocious beasts and there's more where you're going".
"T-There's more!?" Scootaloo voiced her displeasure, although there was nothing she could do about it.
"Yep! Don't hesitate to take 'em out. And if you're looking for the fillies who were playing in the barn a few days ago, you better head to the cells in Ponyville's Town Square but don't get caught, kiddo" Mr. M advised the orange pegasus before disappearing behind the wall of fog.
"Wait! What!? Where're Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle?" she asked, rushing towards Mr. M but he had already vanished from sight, "Where are they?" she asked lowly.
What had happened? Her friends were in jail? She was shocked but somewhat skeptical. What if Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had met the same creature that attacked her? But then again, Mr. M did direct her to look for the duo in the Town Square.
Fearing for her friends' safety, she galloped towards the Town Square, determined to find the answers to all her questions. All she wanted now was to be reunited with her best friends after all that had happened. All she needed was somepony to be with her in this time of confusion.
Taking one last look at the corpse behind her, she moved on. Whatever was waiting for her, it was going to be something she had never experienced before. And if Mr. M's warnings were true, she might not even live to see the next day. However, the only thing she had to do right now was see her friends again even if she died trying.
Meanwhile
"Yikes!" Spike yelled before he ducked beneath a desk. The weird creatures outside of Twilight's castle had begun their hour long assail yet again. He groaned as the castle shook under the barrage of spells from the outside, each one making him more anxious by the minute.
Twilight and the others had left the castle a couple of days before to investigate the bright light that had surrounded Equestria and hadn't returned since. Spike had a hunch that the huge explosion in the sky had something to do with it but he was too afraid to exit the castle after seeing the monsters roaming the streets to look into the matter.
The screams of pain and despair from the outside really unnerved him, rendering him unable to cease imagining what kind of horrors were taking place. Whatever it was, it completely shut him from the rest of the residents of Ponyville. Unlike the others, he was safe inside the castle, which seemed like the best place for him to stay. Often he would wonder what had happened to his friends but due to fear of being caught by the monsters outside, he couldn't even dare to exit.
It was only a day later that he was able to make out what in Equestria had happened. The strange mist which surrounded the whole of Equestria had crippled the powers of everypony, including the other species while the creatures roaming the area were unaffected by it. He had seen some of them grabbing heavily wounded ponies from ruined homes before imprisoning them inside a large metallic cage located a few blocks from Twilight's castle.
The onslaught of attacks on the castle seemed relentless, leaving Spike unable to help the captured ponies. He resigned to the library where he decided to wait out the assault on the castle. Never before in his life had he considered himself so powerless and useless.
"Come out!" Spike could hear a growl of frustration from one of the hydras.
They had spotted him earlier in the morning and had stayed at the entrance of the castle, waiting for the little dragon to exit and give himself in. However, when that failed, they resorted to assaulting the castle without any mercy, just to drive the poor dragon out. They were unable to get past the protective barrier so long-ranged attacks seemed like the only other option.
Stop already..." Spike mumbled helplessly, staying right where he was.
Just then, something unexpected happened. The Crystal Mirror which had been sitting idly for a whole month suddenly powered up. Spike stared in awe as the surface of the glass sparkled and lit up, illuminating the entire room. The machinery fitted to the portal sprung to life as the gears turned and the magic from the book placed above it glowed with a pinkish aura.
Protecting his eyes from the blinding light, Spike tried to see what was happening. Suddenly, an amber appendage appeared on the surface, piercing through the magical portal before it hit the carpeted floor.
"What's this..?" Spike asked himself, unable to comprehend the situation.
Another appendage exited the portal and uneasily placed itself on the floor. Spike could finally notice what was going on. Someone from the other world had entered Equestria but who was it? A crimson mane with yellow streaks followed the hooves, leaving no question as to who the visitor was.
She had the same friendly look she had during her time in the other world. Even though she had her past demons, she was one of Twilight's most trusted allies especially during their troubles with the three sirens. The smile etched on her face indicated that she had permanently liberated herself of her old vindictive self, still being the same good friend Spike had remembered when he and Twilight last saw her.
"Whoa...easy..." the amber pony said to herself, her hooves wobbling as she attempted to stand up on all fours, "That...went better than expected", she chuckled as every part of her body exited the portal which lost its luster almost immediately.
"Huh? Sunset Shimmer?" Spike asked as he gazed wide-eyed at the unicorn. He couldn't believe his eyes! It really was her.
"Hey! Spike!" Sunset Shimmer gave him a warm smile before giving the dragon a hug. She had been a bit surprised by the unfamiliar interiors of the room but seeing Twilight's trusted assistant really made her feel at home.
"It's so good to see you!" Spike exclaimed excitedly, breaking the embrace, "You're doing good, right?"
"I am" Sunset Shimmer replied, "So, listen", she added in a more serious tone, "I felt something from the other side, like the magic in Equestria was almost gone. I don't know if it was a false alarm but I felt like I just had to check it out after noticing neither Twilight nor you had told me anything about it".
"Yeah..." Spike scratched the back, "We may have a bit of a problem".
"What kind of problem?" Sunset Shimmer inquired.
The next second, the castle shook again. This time, it was powerful enough to knock over a book shelf inside the library. The all too familiar threats from the outside could be heard again as Sunset Shimmer and Spike tried to regain their composure after almost toppling over.
"What in Equestria is happening out there?" Sunset Shimmer asked.
"Well, I don't know much either but from what I've seen...ahem..." Spike cleared his throat as he prepared to explain the situation to the perplexed mare, "An explosion appeared in the middle of the sky, releasing some kind of green aura throughout Ponyville or maybe even wider but who knows. Anyway, the mist drained the powers of anypony or any creature who touched it".
"Power draining mist? Never heard that one before" Sunset Shimmer commented as she found it a bit hard to believe.
Spike continued his explanation, about how countless homes were destroyed and damaged by the explosion as well as the arrival of the monsters who captured all the ponies of Ponyville and kept them in a large cage in the middle of the Town Square. He also added that he could have sworn he saw something huge fall into the Everfree Forest the day before.
"This...this is really troubling. Are you sure you saw all this?" Sunset Shimmer asked Spike again, still a bit skeptical.
"Yep, and Twilight and the others haven't returned yet either", Spike told her, "They went out just after the explosion occurred and I haven't heard anything from them..." Spike paused to wonder what could have happened to his friends, "What if they were captured...or worse..." he mumbled to himself.
Sunset Shimmer noticed the shift in Spike emotions as he pondered about the fate of his friends. He was filled with a sudden wave of desperation and fear for their safety, enough to make him dart towards the library door.
"EVERYPONY! I'M COMING FOR YOU!" Spike abruptly screamed as he frantically tried to open the door. He had to find out whether or not they were alive and okay. If not, he couldn't possibly imagine what he'd do. He was starting to feel guilty for not stopping them when they left.
"Whoa! Calm down, Spike!" Sunset Shimmer advised the little dragon, gently levitating him back towards her. Yep! She still hadn't lost her touch.
The purple reptile was having a mental breakdown. His mind was filled with paranoia, his imagination running wild as well. Sunset Shimmer resorted to soothing the poor dragon's nerves before asking him anymore questions regarding Twilight and the others.
"I just...I-I just want to know if they're alright..." Spike choked up as he buried his face in the unicorn's coat.
"Just relax. Take a deep breath" Sunset Shimmer said softly, "Well, this is an unexpected turn of events" she thought to herself.
Indeed it was. Sunset Shimmer had only expected something wrong within the castle, some minor spell botch but nope! A supposed wide-scale invasion had occurred and her friend and companions had all disappeared. She didn't bother to wonder whose castle she was in. All she wanted was to calm Spike down and ask him to clarify the situation for her.
"Feel better?" Sunset Shimmer asked as Spike wiped his tears away.
"Yeah..." Spike muttered, barely controlling himself.
"Good! Now, if Ponyville's being overtake by monsters as you say, what are Princess Celestia and the others doing?" Sunset Shimmer questioned.
"I don't know but there's something I have to show you..." Spike replied, leading her to a room with a skylight on top.
The Moon and the Sun, imprisoned and being forced to sit in the sky with no control over themselves. The Celestial objects shone dimmer and dimmer by the minute, making it more difficult to tell which time of the day it was.
The eclipse indicated the reign of darkness, one which wouldn't fade away easily, and one that might be here to stay till the end of time. Old Nick's reign was as poisonous as his mentality was. With his circle of ghouls, he was determined to make the shadow above Equestria last forever during which every living being would bow to his rule. Without Empress Faust, there were no means of stopping him from achieving his wicked goals.
Scootaloo kept on dashing towards Ponyville, taking in mind to avoid any unfamiliar beings on the way. As she approached the exit of the Sweet Apple Acres, she stopped. With a worried look on her face, she stared at the sinister eclipse above her.
"How long will this last?" she asked herself before she continued on her way.
