Prologue: The Element of Malice
“Not further now.”
“That is what you said an hour ago.”
Daring Do rolls her eyes, ignoring the remark of her companion. With a machete in hoof, she hacks away at the thick vines block her path. In every other direction the jungle seems to close in around the adventurous Pegasus and her group. Following her are three stallions, two of which are dressed in the golden armor of the Canterlot Guard. Meanwhile the third, a fellow Pegasus, wears only a modest scarf that bears the mark of the Crystal Empire. This pony stops his trot to pull a map from the pack at his side. He reads it over, and looks up again.
“Are you sure you are going the right way?” he asks, glancing back to the map.
“Do you want to lead then, Flash?” Daring Do asks, glaring at her compatriot. When Flash Sentry shies away, she smiles, “Good, then like I said, we’re almost there.”
Hacking away at another batch of twisted vines and roots, their path opens up to a clearing. The land ahead is void of vegetation. A rocky cliff is the end of their path, dropping off a hundred feet to a raging river at the bottom. Rising on the other side of the water is a castle carved into the side of the cliff. The palace is made out of cragged rock. Years have weathered the stone structure, making the stone smooth and black in color. Sprouting from the walls is a single tower, but the top has crumbled away.
“This has to be the place,” Flash says, putting the map back in his pack.
Daring Do grins, “Great, now let’s get going.”
“How exactly are we supposed to get down there?” Flash Sentry walks to the ledge and peers down. The height alone makes his head spin, forcing him to back away from the cliff side. “There is no way to cross.”
The adventurous Pegasus gives him a look of disbelief. She fans her wings and points to his, “I was thinking we could use these…”
“Oh, right…” he smiles weakly. Avoiding his lapse of thought, he turns to the two soldiers that have been silent this entire time, “Daring and I shall fly over to the castle. I would like you two to stand guard here and wait for our return.”
Both stallions salute, “Understood, sir. Good luck.”
Flash nods. Both he and Daring Do run to the cliff, leaping over the edge. While falling, they fan their wings and glide safely to the other side, landing at the gates of the castle. At the entrance stand two stone stallions garbed in twisted armor. Strange emblems are blazoned across the breastplate. Even after all these years they have stood guard, unaware that the castle had been abandoned.
Flash Sentry takes the lead, “Come on. Let’s get moving.”
Passing the sentries, they entire the castle. They find that the inside is only a single large room, one no bigger than the Canterlot throne room. The walls have torches hanging from the walls, though all have been snuffed out. Hanging from the ceiling is a chandelier made from strange black crystals.
On the other side of the chamber is a figure sitting forever frozen in its throne. It is a statue of the lord of disharmony, Discord. The chimera looks upon his guests with a pair of rocky eyes. A familiar, mischievous grin is carved on his lips. The lion paw lies lazily on the arm of the throne, holding a strange orb. The jewel gives off a faint, reddish glow.
“That’s it,” Daring says, her jaw left agape, “One of the Elements of Discord; the Element of Malice.”
Flash Sentry looks nervously over his shoulder, “Great, let’s grab it and get out of here.”
He starts to walk over to the throne, causing Daring Do to shout, “Wait, there could be traps!”
Yet Flash Sentry is already across the chamber before her warning can be heard. He takes a look around the room for a few seconds, before calling back, “It seems fine.”
Reaching one hoof out, he takes ahold of the mysterious element. It pulses as he holds it. His gaze is transfixed on the red light. He is lost in its crimson beauty.
“Come on,” Daring Do calls out to him. “The princess wants us to bring it back to her as soon as possible.”
She gets no retort from Flash Sentry. When she shouts again and gets no answer, she walks over to her companion. Putting a hoof on his shoulder, she immediately yelps. She yanks it away, finding the tip of her hoof burnt as if it had been placed in a fire. Looking back to Flash, she sees steam rising from his body.
“F-Flash,” her voice quakes.
The stallion whips his head around. His eyes are swallowed in deep crimson pools, glowing like the orb he still holds. Seeing him like this, Daring takes a step back. The red light starts to cover him like a veil. It is blinding, forcing the Pegasus to retreat to the entrance. Somewhere in the red light, she hears a scream that warps into a monstrous roar. Suddenly, an explosion thrusts her outside the palace. She falls flat on her back.
While covered in dust, she manages to emerge from the scuffle unscathed. Getting back to her hooves, she uses her wings to dust herself off. That is when she realizes someone has emerged from the castle.
It is a stallion covered from head to tail in armor. The plate is dark silver with red weaving between the grooves of the metal. A crimson mane sprouts from the back of his helmet, flapping in an unfeeling breeze like war banners over the battlefield. Daring Do watches the mysterious mare lift his veil, revealing the face of Flash Sentry.
“Oh no,” is all she can muster before taking wing. Peering over her shoulder, she sees his body being bathed in the red light again. A wicked smile on his face makes her think ill. She races to the soldiers, and screams, “Run. Run!”
Before the knights can make sense of her warning, Flash Sentry loosens a might roar. The shockwave pulverizes the castle behind him. Seeing such destruction, the soldiers run after the fleeing Daring Do, knowing full well they must warn Princess Celestia.
Chapter 1: Malifact's March
A ray of sunlight streams through the stained glass, basking the room in a rainbow of colors. Twilight Sparkle moves her book, adjusting it in the newfound array of light, finding the yellow easier to read in than blue. At her side is her faithful dragon, curled up in his bed sleeping the day away. Ignoring his rather loud snoring, she is lost in the written pages of an ancient history. It tells of a young Princess Celestia and Princess Luna battling the tyrannical Discord a thousand years ago. Turning the page she sees an image of the heroic standoff against the Lord of Disharmony. The draconequus stands postulate in his ignorance, unaware of his utter defeat coming right for him.
The two princess sisters stand with their heads held high as they wield the most powerful weapon in Equestria, the Elements of Harmony. Six colored stones glow brightly as a rainbow descends on an unsuspecting Discord. As Twilight studies the picture, she notices a figure lurking in the background of the portrait. In fact there are several. All appear to be ponies, but it is hard to tell due to the hooded cloaks that shroud them. From where they stand, the group of hooded ponies stands just behind Discord and his throne.
Before she can read on, Spike suddenly awakens. The baby dragon has his cheeks puff up while his violet scales turn a sickly shade of green. He cups his hands over his mouth.
“Spike, are you okay?”
The dragon belches a stream of emerald fire. It dances through the air as a roll of paper tied with a red bow magically appears. Spike hangs just off his bed, groaning while his tongue hangs out of his tiny mouth. While he rubs his soar belly, Twilight floats the paper over to her. Her horn glows in a pinkish hue as she magically undoes the ribbon and opens the paper.
“A letter from Princess Celestia? It has been quite a long time since we got one of these.”
She reads the letter aloud:
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I wish I were writing you with better news. I fear a terrible evil has awoken that I will not be able to stop alone. I am travelling to Poneyville as we speak to discuss what is happening. Please, gather your friends at the castle too. They are as every part of this as you are.
-Princess Celestia.
A total of three seconds pass in silence before Twilight Sparkle’s eyes bulge out of her head, “The princess is coming! Here? Now? I can’t let her see the castle in this condition.”
Spike looks around the room only to find a few books scattered on the floor. Meanwhile, the rest of the castle had just been cleaned by the purple dragon himself the day before. He could still see the sparkles of cleanliness emanating from most of this room alone.
Scowling at his friend, he says, “Twilight, relax, the castle is fine.”
“Are you kidding me?” she shouts, flying within an inch of his face. “This is not good enough for the princess! And she’s gonna be here any minute.”
“Don’t you think you’re over reacting?” he asks.
Twilight scowls at him, “Go get the girls. I got some work to do.”
A sudden pinkish light flashes in his eyes, blinding the poor dragon. He hears a popping sound, meaning that Twilight teleported away. Sure enough, when the light fades and he opens his eyes, she is gone. Spike rolls his eyes, but does what he is told. Climbing out of bed, he walks out of the castle to find the other members of the mane six.
While Twilight does some unnecessary cleaning, Spike rounds up the other ponies. Sometime later he returns with the other five following him. Applejack runs in front of him to push the heavy castle doors open to let the others inside. Her friends follow inside with Pinkie Pi bouncing in last like an ecstatic rabbit. The inner chamber has the six thrones that make up the council to the Princess of Friendship. There, a complete map of Equestria is etched from the same crystal that makes up the castle. Each pony takes their respective seat, all except for Twilight.
The princess is flying over their heads, darting around at a maddening speed. A feather duster floats beside her, carried by her magic. With it, she cleans the chandelier that hangs over them.
“Twilight darling,” Rarity watches her friend soaring around. “What in Equestria are you doing?”
“I need to make sure the castle is presentable for Princess Celestia,” Twilight answers with panic in her voice. “She could be here any minute.”
Fluttershy looks to the door, and says, “Um, Twilight…”
“If she sees the castle a mess, she’ll think I’m slacking on my duties as a princess.”
“But Twilight…”
“I have to hurry. I have to hurry!”
Flutteryshy shouts, though it is just above a whisper, “Twilight!”
“Fluttershy, will you please,” Twilight looks to the ground, “Princess Celestia, you’re here!”
Standing at the door is the ruler of Equestria who brings the sun for all the ponies to bask in the warm light. As she strolls toward them, her striped mane flowing as if it was dancing along an unfeeling breeze. Twilight Sparkle flies down to greet her mentor and fellow princess. A nervous smile is placed on her face, her eyes darting around at her own castle.
“Greetings everyone,” Princess Celestia says with a smile, though it soon fades. “I wish I were here with happier news. Things are looking dark in in Equestria.”
Twilight nods, “It must be troubling if you are coming all the way out to Ponyville.”
“Indeed it is,” the princess answers. “It seems that a powerful foe has returned to Equestria, though the matter of his return is troubling in itself. His name is Sir Malifact.”
“Sir Malifact! Not Sir Malifact!” Pinkie shouts, but then she is left in confusion, “Whose Sir Malifact?”
“Sir Malifact was once an elite knight in the royal guard,” Celestia explains. “He had helped Luna and I fight against Discord in order to save Equestria. It was only later that we learned of his true nature. He was a pony that enjoyed fighting, attacking any pony with little provocation. Before he destroyed all of Equestria, Luna and I banded together to subdue him. We locked him away in the dungeon where he remained until the end of his days.”
“Wait a minute,” Rainbow Dash speaks up, “If this Sir Maaalifact is gone, then how can you be so sure that this is the same pony from that long ago?”
“The fact of the matter is we know it is not him,” Celestia answers, her expression grave. “The pony causing this rampage is a knight from the Crystal Empire that has been possessed by the wrathful nature that Malifact possessed.”
“What?” Twilight is perplexed, “How is that possible?”
“The pony that now marches under the influence of Malifact came into contact with a dangerous magical object called the Element of Malice.”
The six ponies gasp, but it is Applejack who asks, “What in the hay is that, your highness?”
“The Element of Malice is one of six elements that were created to act as anti-magic to oppose the Elements of Harmony. They are the manifestation of disharmony. In other words, they are the Elements of Discord.”
“Discord,” Twilight scowls, “Is he the one behind this?”
“No, that would be impossible. The Elements of Discord were created during his imprisonment, and not even he possesses the magical expertise to craft such objects. No, these elements were created by an occult that followed the chaos that he inflicted upon Equestria. In hopes of his return, they created the elements to strengthen him against the Elements of Harmony.
“You mean that some-ponies actually liked the chaos he created?” Rarity gasps at the notion. “Well…besides Pinkie Pie that is.”
“Hey, I just liked the chocolate milk rain,” Pinkie says.
Twilight thinks for a moment, “Still, if these elements have been around for such a long time, then why haven’t we heard about them before?”
“That is due to the fact that we had no idea they existed until now,” Celestia answers. “A few days ago, a letter came to me from an explorer I have known for quite some time. She had found a map that belonged to the occult that gave the location to one of these elements as well as notes about the artifact. I feared that it might fall into the wrong hands, so I sent a small party to go and collect it. Though they found it, we found out that the element was enchanted to infect anyone who touched it. The Pegasus who grabbed the orb paid the price, becoming the embodiment of Malifact’s wrath.”
“Then how do we stop them?” Twilight asks.
Celestia answers, “I believe that Discord has the power to touch the elements without anything happening to him. However, since the incident began he has vanished.”
“You don’t think he became evil again, do you?” Fluttershy whimpers.
“I do not think that is the case, but I fear that his disappearance is connected to these elements,” she looks to Twilight. “I need you and your friends to find Discord at all costs. Begin your search in Chaosville, his home. There might be clues to where he went.”
“How are we supposed to get there?” Twilight Sparkle says, “Only Discord knew how to travel between dimensions like that.”
“I know of a pony that lives north of Ponyville with the ability to take you there,” Celestia says. “Once you find Discord, I want you to track down the other elements. They cannot fall into the wrong hands.”
Rainbow Dash jumps in, “But what about Sir Malifact? Who is going to stop him?”
“I have asked Cadence and Shiningg Armor to meet Malifact in the field. Hopefully they will be able to subdue the Pegasus that has been ensnared by his malicious magic. You should not worry yourselves about that matter. I look to you, my little ponies, find Discord and stop this. Or else I fear that this is only the beginning.”
*****
“Come on, don’t give him an inch!”
Shining Armor takes charge of the front lines, forming a large barrier to protect his troops. A magical dome envelops his side of the battlefield, leaving the rest of the grassy planes bare. A battalion of horses stand side by side as they see the foe standing there all alone. Flash Sentry has further been corrupted by the power Malifact possesses. His wings have been bound in iron, grounding him, while a horn has sprouted from his helmet. The only part of his body that is not covered in armor is his muzzle, which is left in a fanged smile.
“Lance unit advance,” Shining Armor commands.
A unit of earth ponies charges ahead, forcing Shining to lower the barrier for a moment. Armed with spears, they gallop straight for the enemy. As they draw closer, the ground begins to quake beneath them, causing them to stumble. The earth splits open as a large metal hand pulls itself up from the depths. Floating in the air is an enormous gauntlet, larger than any pony in the battle. With one powerful swing, it swats away the soldiers as if they were annoying gnats. Three of the six ponies do not get back up after the attack. The others get back to their hooves, charging straight for Sir Malifact. Running at full speed, they thrust their spears, only to break against the metal palm. Without weapons, they are forced to retreat back behind the barrier.
Malifact goes on the offensive. The horn on his helm begins to glow red, and the gauntlet is enveloped in a similar aura. In a sudden flash of light, one hand becomes two. Both hands ball into fits and punch the barrier. Shining Armor sways from the blow, feeling the control over his protection spell wavering from the attack.
“He’s strong,” Shining says as a beat of sweat rolls down the side of his face. “We need to be quick and precise. Magic unit, flank left and strike the left hand, pin it down. Aerial unit, attack from above and deal with the right hand. Spear unit, charge straight and hit him hard.”
“Sir yes sir,” the troops bellow.
He lowers the barrier to allow the army to charge in full force. The Pegasi take to the skies, soaring overhead before dive bombing the gauntlet. The metal hand swings, trying to hit them out of the air, but struggles. Meanwhile, the unicorns rush left, firing rays of magical energy from their horns at the other hand. It is hit, but manages to stand strong. With both hands preoccupied, the spear unit rushes Malifact. Before they are about to land the decisive blow, Sir Malifact roars. His body is enveloped in a hot steam, which covers the battlefield.
Shining Armor tries to see what has happened to his colts through the veil of mist. When it clears, he finds his army decimated. The ponies lie all around the battlefield, unconscious or otherwise. Standing among them is a creature of titanic proportions. It is a fifty foot tall humanoid knight with a helmet similar to Sir Malifact. Hot mist spews from the gaps in its armor. The metal giant lifts its foot to stomp out Shining Armor. The unicorn strikes the sole with a beam of energy, but it does little to stop the monster.
Just before he is crushed underfoot, a second beam of magic strikes the colossal creature in the chest, knocking it over. Shining armor looks to the skies, and shouts, “What are you doing here?”
“I can’t just leave you to fight this thing on your own,” Princess Cadence lands next to him.
“This is too dangerous for you,” he insists, “You need to go back to Canterlot and warn the others.”
“No,” she pulls his face so that they are looking into each other’s eyes, “You are my husband, and I am not going to abandon you. You and I have faced everything together, that is not going to change now.”
Shining Armor smiles, “You’re right, dear.”
Husband and wife embrace, but are interrupted by a beastly roar. The titan Malifact has gotten back to his feet, the armor glowing red hot. It charges, letting loose a battle cry. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor stand their ground as they meet the foe.
*****
Devastation is left where the battle took place. The land is scorched by fire. Among the fallen, only Malifact remains standing. The titan form reaches down to pick up an unconscious Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. He holds each pony, and marches north.
