The Fortunates Ones

Chapters

Prologue : A Destiny in Orange and Pink
Chapter 1 : Conflictum
Chapter 2 : Redeemus
Chapter 3 : Freemain
Chapter 4 : Hopeum

Prologue : A Destiny in Orange and Pink

Prologue

With a burst of light that blinded every angel, as if the sky had blown the heavens into stars

Homes plundered, trees burnt, farms ravaged, mountains obliterated. Such was the power of the spell which rained down throughout Equestria, its magic strong enough to render the protective barrier surrounding the kingdom null and ineffective. The brilliant flash of iridescent light in the blue sky was the last sight seen by the ponies before it enveloped them all, laying wastes to cities and crippling the denizens of the land and leaving many dead in its wake. Blood, bones and rubble filled the entire place. The gruesome scenario was the very definition of Tartarus on Equestria. In fact, it was Tartarus on Equestria.

Only a mere month had passed since the Tirek episode. Normalcy had returned to the lives of everypony and there hadn’t been a single threat to it during the period of peace. The peace seemed to last forever, so much so that nopony, not even the Princesses had expected another attack. It was this false confidence that eventually led to their downfall.

Hordes of monstrous creatures of all shapes and sizes, some from the cells of Tartarus and others which many did not even know existed assaulted the castle in Canterlot. Though a protective barrier conjured by the best unicorns in the land temporarily stopped the beasts from the Dark North, it was eventually destroyed by a sinister illumination in the sky which exploded into fragments of magic before raining down like an unwelcomed shower onto the ponies, greatly rendering them unable to resist the onslaught of attackers. Resisting the attack was a Herculean task for anypony.

The unforeseen assault lasted for two whole hours during which the equines were rounded up, the princesses weren’t spared either and the surviving populace was locked up in the dungeons below the castle, a place where petty criminals were usually temporarily held. Nopony knew how the inmates escaped their cells or how their magic was restricted by the mysterious spell from before. The unicorns had arcane bands around their horns while the pegasi had lost their ability to fly. Magic suppression was an obligatory duty for the beasts that were in charge of keeping a close eye on the ponies. The lack of pegasi to control the weather meant that the magic-draining mist was free to cover the sky, partially shrouding the sun and the moon from sight.

The greatest toll however was upon the princesses. No longer the grand rulers they used to be, they were reduced to mere commoners sporting useless horns and wings. Whatever their attackers did, it was something way beyond their own near-omnipotent powers. The four alicorns were forced into the depths of the dungeons, bound by chains at their hooves and kept in the dark, never to see the light of the sun or the moon ever again.

After a day, there was nopony on the streets as hydras, chimaeras and rogue dragons roamed the decimated cities, looking for ponies who might have still been hiding inside basements, waiting for a savior or at least an explanation. But hope was a bane rather than a boon as the dungeons kept filling up with prisoners every single day. Never before had there been a period that represented the pinnacle of Tartarus’ successful invasion.

On the throne of the castle sat Equestria’s new ruler, a monstrosity which older ponies only knew as the Nuckelavee. A skinless stallion with an extra head and arms who once terrorized different dimensions before he was finally brought to justice by the Empress millennia ago. Its mere breath could plague an entire city with sickening results and crush unfortunate victims with a swift swipe of a claw or with an earth-shaking stomp.

Old Nick (as he was called by his fellow inmates) escaped from Tartarus along with the other prisoners when the magic sustaining the dreaded place was temporarily disabled by Tirek while he was rampaging in Ponyville. Even though some of them fell at the paws of Cerberus, most were able to flee to the Hallow Woods, banding together before waiting for the perfect time to attack those who imprisoned them.

However, even in the darkest of nights, there can still exist one star, a tiny speck of white twinkling weakly to the eyes. A pegasus filly who managed to avoid the spell which washed the bright colors of the world away.

Unknown to almost everypony, there was an old bunker built during the 3rd Changeling War by a paranoid unicorn who took the fear of a changeling takeover very seriously. It was located hidden below a tree for decades, undisturbed all the while. Lined with metal and stocked with large amounts of food and water, it was the perfect shelter for anypony who might have stumbled upon it.

Almost the size of a small house, it was built deep beneath the ground, having enough space to hold two dozen ponies. A large analog clock was present on the ceiling of the metal room which was lined with the strongest type of glass as well as being powered by solar panels fitted above the ground. Lines of bulbs illuminated the steel rooms bright enough for comfort. Two other rooms were also present: a store room where sufficient amount of food and water was present and a large bathroom lined with showerheads and toilets, almost resembling a public restroom. There was only one entrance to the underground fort which was cleverly hidden beneath a tuft of grass which led to a ladder in the middle of the bunker which in turn led to an exit covered by a manhole right above it.

As the years went by, a farm was built over it which belonged to the Apple Family after Ponyville was founded. Some decades later, three friends transformed the tree growing above the bunker into a clubhouse of sorts but left the entrance to it hidden, undiscovered by anypony until an hour before the “Oblivion” spell hit the skies.

The filly found herself accidently tumbling into the bunker after inadvertently stepping on a trap door. She was a bit puzzled by the sudden fall but she was otherwise unharmed. A revolting odor had filled the place, due to the rotting food from the store room while the walls and the ceilings showed signs of rust. There was nopony else except for the poor pegasus. She tried to fly her way out of the bunker but her wings could not work. Hopeless, she curled herself into a ball, sobbing silently as she waited for somepony to get her.

A loud explosion succeeding a flash of light from above the manhole snapped her out of her brief trance of desperation. Quickly, she climbed the ladder and took a peek through a small hole although she knew she didn’t possess the strength to move the manhole. Her eyes widened when she saw a large wave of air flying towards her, a magical shockwave.

She had no time to react as the blast knocked her to the floor of the bunker with so much force that the manhole as well as some parts of the metal ceiling cracked and bended.

Scootaloo could only attempt to weakly open her eyes after being thrown violently. Her vision slowly faded to black as she kept her sight on the light peeking through a large crack in the manhole before she fell unconscious.

Chapter 1 : Conflictum

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 crushed.However, the only star, no matter how faint it is, is still the brightest even in the darkest of nights.

[br]

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 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 dawn. 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 a month and a half 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 a breath out 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 and 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 scratch 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 concern 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 tread 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 be 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.

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, 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. 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 a mere 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. They're ancient weapons, a bit outdated I may add. Anyway, 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.

[br]

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.

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 overtaken 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.

Chapter 2 : Redeemus

Chapter 2

When life leaves us blind

“I DEMAND TO BE SET FREE!” a stallion commanded, flailing wildly.

“Just shut your trap, mammal”, a brown dragon lazily said before hitting Fancy Pants right in the kisser.

“Hehe! Dumb pony” a green hydra chuckled as him and the other reptiles watched the stallion fall unconscious under the impact of the blow.

“Come on! Take him to the big one along with the others” a booming voice ordered from behind the mist, “Charlie wants it filled before tomorrow”.

Scootaloo intently watched as Fancy Pant’s bruised body was carried carelessly by the smallest dragon of the lot. Like most of the other stallions she had seen before she reached the Town Hall, he had definitely been roughed up by the cruel creatures. She was filled with mixed emotions over the entire scene. A part of her wanted to kick the gang’s butt for being so heartless while another part of her almost made her scream in fear.

Sneaking into town was easier than the orange filly had originally thought. Save for the small scout sprite that almost spotted her, getting to her destination was a breeze. However, the same couldn’t be said for the other ponies whom she saw hiding as well. They were caught within a few minutes by the monsters and taken to Celestia-knows-where.

It was like she was invisible to them.

As far as she noticed, there were about ten or so creatures patrolling the misty region of Ponyville. On top of that, there were those spawned panthers which Scootaloo definitely needed to avoid. She wasn’t sure whether or not Mr. M would save her again the next time one of those beasts got her in its clutches. Staying hidden and silent was the obvious choice.

“STOP IT!! MY BABY!!” Scootaloo was snapped out of her train of thought by a stallion yelling behind her.

Scootaloo recognized the bruised stallion as Mr. Filthy Rich, Diamond Tiara’s father. Propped in her hiding place, she kept a close watch on the wealthy stallion.

“What’s with these stallion fathers or something?” the small dragon from before muttered as he held the pony, preventing him from running off.

“Gripclaw, just hold him and shut up” a grey hydra sighed. The next moment, a clutched claw found its mark right at the stallion’s face, knocking him out.

“Easy work, all day long” the green hydra snickered.

“Yeah...it would be for you since supervising our hard work is all you do” the brown dragon grumbled, placing a filled sack on the ground.

“Stop fidgeting” a red crocodile groaned as he partially opened the sack.

Suddenly, a filly popped her head from the sack as she took a deep breath of air. Scootaloo stood motionless as her eyes widened in shock. She was absolutely surprised at seeing her classmate being surrounded by the beasts.

“Dad...” the pink filly whimpered as she saw her fallen father, her mane ruffled from being carried around like a sack of potatoes. In an unexpected turn of events, a cold glare came across her face as she stared at her captors. Without warning, she unleashed her anger at them.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FATHER, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING LIZARDS?!” Diamond Tiara screamed with tears in her eyes.

The school bully repeatedly bashed her hooves at her oppressors. She closed her eyes and let loose without even thinking of her target. All she could think about was everything they had done to her, her family and friends, Silver Spoon and the others, even the “blank flanks”. The merciless monsters appeared so suddenly and that too following the burst of light in the sky and the destruction of her home, another event she dearly wanted to erase from her memory.

“Get it off me, Ragged Hide!!!” the brown dragon yelled as Diamond Tiara pummeled him.

“I HATE YOU ALL!!!” Diamond Tiara cried out at the top of her lungs.

The next moment, Scootaloo observed in shock as the red crocodile thrust one of its digits right next to her neck. She could barely stop herself from screaming as she watched Diamond Tiara’s eyes roll to the back of her head and all motion ceased.

“No....” she mumbled helplessly, falling to the misty ground.

Even if Diamond Tiara was one of the worst ponies she had ever known, Scootaloo would have never wished upon her the misery and anger she had gone through. She didn’t see the school bully but instead she saw a powerless filly being tortured by reptilian monsters.

A drop of tear fell from her face. Compassion and pity for the pink filly filled her to the brim. She never thought she’d see such ruthless and merciless actions from anypony. The sickening sights seemed to get worse every minute.

“Don’t ever let them get to me again” the brown dragon hissed at Ragged Hide who merely shrugged.

“Too bad Charlie doesn’t want us to kill these kiddies” Ragged Hide chuckled, carelessly chucking a motionless Diamond Tiara back into the body bag.

“What about this big guy?” the small dragon inquired, licking his chops, “Charlie wouldn’t mind us eating just one, would he?”

“I know orders are orders but I guess we deserve a reward for our hard work. Wouldn’t you agree, Gripclaw?” the grey hydra asked his green compatriot who nodded an answer.

“Me first!” Ragged Hide yelled, his mouth watering.

Scootaloo closed her eyes and whelped. She couldn’t bear seeing the monsters devour Diamond Tiara’s father or even anypony at all right in front of her eyes.

She imagined the beasts devouring him slowly, the sounds of their lust for meat and blood echoing all around following each satisfied bite into the flesh of the poor stallion.

But no.

A blood curdling scream came from right in front of her but it wasn’t from Filthy Rich. It was from one of the monsters.

“AAAAHHHHH!!!!!” the small dragon screamed before he was silenced.

Still shaking, Scootaloo sneaked a peek. Her mouth hung open as she saw the reptiles standing awe-struck at a smoking pile of bones; the shocked expression on their faces puzzled Scootaloo a little.

“What the.....Ripper?” the brown dragon stood with a terrified look. One of their companions was disintegrated right before their very eyes.

“W-What happened?” Ragged Hide asked as the reptiles tried to regain their composure.

“W-Who the hell d-did that!?” Gripclaw frightfully asked, staring into the misty nether. Neither he nor the others heard any answer. Slowly, Gripclaw grabbed the motionless bodies of Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich before he ran away from the place.

Scootaloo could see that the tables had turned. The ruthless reptiles were now the ones being cornered and frightened after they witnessed their comrade being killed right in front of them.

From her hiding place she continued observing as the reptiles huddled together, each one shuddering in fright over what had happened. She assumed they were wary of the beam or ray or whatever that had reduced their friend into nothing but a sizzling pile of bones.

“It’s not C-Charlie, is it?” the grey hydra gulped.

“I sure hope not” the brown dragon replied.

No sooner than the monster had said those words, a bright pink-ish beam of energy consumed him from above. He yelled in pain as it enveloped him in a second, his friends and Scootaloo watching helplessly with horror.

Like Ripper before him, the brown dragon was obliterated in a matter of seconds as the beam of destruction subsided.

Scootaloo clasped her hooves to her mouth as the beasts stood back to back. She scanned her surroundings for any signs of the unseen aggressor. For all she knew, it might choose her as its next target and she definitely wouldn’t want that.

Ragged Hide and the remaining scoundrels tried their best to keep their senses in order. They shifted their gaze to every sound they thought they heard, wanting to find out who the murderer was. To say that they were scared was an understatement.

After a few tense moments, Ragged Hide picked up some hoofsteps coming from a sweet shop due east. Nudging his pals, he turned his attention towards the approaching figure. They waited in anticipation, filled with both fear and anger.

However, the anxiety faded away as they saw a pale blue unicorn stallion walk through the mist. The reptiles as well as Scootaloo stared at the new arrival intently wondering if this pony was the one responsible for the death of the two dragons.

“What is he doing?” Scootaloo thought as she watched the stallion approach the group of monsters. Despite what she saw just a few moments ago, she was sure that this unicorn was gonna feel the wrath of the beasts.

“You!” the grey hydra pointed at the stallion with anger in his eyes, “Are you responsible for this?” he asked accusingly, motioning to their comrades’ charred bones.

The cyan-maned stallion did not reply. He stood eerily at one place, tilting his head to the side as if he hadn’t understood what the hydra had said.

Scootaloo was quick to notice something strange about this pony. She could see that his eyes were sunken and derived of sleep and some kind of magical spark was surrounding him. Also, he seemed to twitch every few seconds and he was muttering some words inaudibly while he stared at the reptiles.

“Hey! Listen to me!” all three heads of the grey hydra shouted in annoyance, walking towards the stallion, “Who are you, pony? What have you done to our fr-“

Just as the hydra was about to grab him, the stallion took a step back before unleashing a pink beam from his eyes at point blank range. Scootaloo knew what was coming. Her hunch was right; this was the one who killed those dragons. The others were frozen in awe as it blasted the unfortunate hydra into nothingness leaving one three skulls in its wake.

Ignoring everyone else near him, the stallion dropped to the misty ground and watched the smoking skulls roll away. A smile came across his face before he twitched again. The next moment, the remaining aggressors ran away, not wanting to do anything with the mysterious unicorn.

Slowly, the stallion got up before firing another magnificently destructive beam into the direction where the other reptilians ran off to.

A few seconds later, ear-piercing screams of agony echoed all around. Scootaloo could barely keep herself conscious after witnessing so many deaths and pain in such a short amount of time. Even the death of the Spawned Panther seemed so meek in comparison to the scenes she saw.

The pegasus filly carefully trotted out from her hiding place, causing a barrel to roll over. The sound caught the attention of the strange pony but Scootaloo kept on going. Something.....familiar told her not to worry but she couldn’t figure out what it was. Trusting her instincts, she decided to ask the stallion a few questions.

“Uh...sir?” Scootaloo asked timidly, careful not to get on the stallion’s bad side.

“...You are alright....I hear them.....trapped...Thank heavens...” the stallion responded with half-closed eyes while staring off into the distance.

“Them? Trapped?” Scootaloo gave a puzzled look, “Hey! Are you talking about Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom? Are they alright?”

“...Understand..Red....conquers all.....their memories....it’s puzzling, the winds of change...what I say...” he chuckled before patting Scootaloo on her head.

“Enough with that” Scootaloo pushed the hoof away. She was definitely sure that this pony was crazy with power, literally.

“...I can’t stop....White....blue....love and magic.....flowing like a river. I’m not crazy....I’m not crazy....” the unicorn twitched as magic started to build up on his horn with a pink glow.

“Um..okay, Not Crazy. Who are you? How come you’re so powerful?” Scootaloo asked.

“...Glint...that’s me.....I have to find.....Sometimes not so good, sometimes not so bad....The power of the four.....” the stallion muttered rapidly as the magic continued to build up.

“Glint? Is that your name?”

“...Believe.....I walked alone.....Scrutiny....Horse of Flesh....help for me....” Glint continued.

“Anyway, I saw what you did....” Scootaloo said before her gaze fell to the pile of bones on the ground making her shudder at the mere thought of the destructive ability of Glint, “Could you help me free my friends? Another guy told me that they’re trapped inside a cage in the Town Square”

Glint shook his head vigorously, snickering all the while. Scootaloo let out a sigh of boredom, it seemed like there was no way she was gonna get this lunatic to help her out. From first glance, he appeared to be a normal pony but his behaviors said otherwise.

“Hear....the guards are coming...me.....” Scootaloo caught Glint’s expression quickly shifting between normal and crazed, “...the power.....stop doing that....of the princesses is inside of me.....no chains....I hear them all....how long...I have to find...”

“You have the princesses’ powers?” Scootaloo asked, taken by surprise, “That would explain the pink beams”

“Walking...we have to escape...hit by orb....hold my hoof.....I can hear....it’s only a matter of time before they take over.....” Glint replied before he disappeared from sight.

“Wait!” Scootaloo yelled but to no avail. Glint was gone. Once again, she was all alone. That was second time somepony had left her in the space of a few hours.

Just as she was about to slip away, she heard some cries in the distance.

“I heard some dumb pony speaking over there! Let’s go!” A familiar reptilian voice shouted followed by audible replies.

Scootaloo didn’t even stop to think. She dashed away from the scene in an instant. She was starting to think it was all a dream again. She woke up to a ghastly environment, almost got killed by a large cat, met a strange stallion, met an even stranger stallion and dodging the sights of monstrous creatures who roamed her home town.

Remembering what Mr. M told her earlier, she kept of galloping towards the Town Square. She traced the direction where the lizard who ran off with Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich headed. As the light in the sky dimmed, her determination to get back to her friends grew.

Another powerful blast of dark magic shook Twilight’s castle yet again. The vile monsters outside had resorted to heavy weaponry to try and demolish the large castle instead of the barrage of attacks from before. Sadistic grins accompanied the faces of the group which grew and grew over time.

Sunset Shimmer let out a low whelp as she fell off the ladder she was standing on while Spike tried his best to regain his footing. Tensions were running high as they pair desperately continued browsing through the books which were littered here and there.

“Are you okay, Sunset Shimmer?” Spike asked, a bit concerned for the pony’s well being.

“I’m alright” Sunset Shimmer replied as she gingerly stood up, “I can’t seem to find anything remotely related to that....weird fog out there” she added, throwing away a book titled “Slim Myths.

“I wonder how long the castle’s gonna hold off the attacks from those guys” Spike shuddered, “Brrrr.....I can’t imagine what they’ll do if they get through”.

“I think it has something to do with the fact that this castle was formed out of the magic from the Tree of Harmony Chest” Sunset Shimmer said while reading a book, “Princess Celestia once told me that it was one of the few sources of pure magic in the whole world”.

“So, you’re saying they’re not after us but they’re after the magic of this place?” Spike raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“I believe so. Obviously, they see us as threats to their goal” Sunset Shimmer commented, “We can’t just sit and wait though. We must find a way to get out” she added before she looked around the library for something that might aid in their escape.

“G-Get out? Can’t we just...I don’t know....contact Twilight and the others with your magic and tell them and anypony else to go through the portal to Canterlot High and away from those big monsters?” Spike nervously asked.

“I’ve been trying to contact Twilight and Princess Celestia but I keep getting these weird voices inside my head” Sunset Shimmer answered, “Plus we can’t risk getting those monsters into the other world. Nopony knows what kind of havoc they’ll cause”.

“Darn it...so, have you figured a way to get out? I’m all out of ideas”

“I don’t think I have....” she replied before her gaze fell on the machinery fitted to the Crystal Mirror, “Maybe I do have” she added with a smile.

“The Crystal Mirror?” Spike scratched his head, “But I thought you said we can’t risk them getting into Canterlot High”.

“Not the portal, Spike”

“Not the portal?”

“Do you think Twilight would mind if we use the machine fitted to the Crystal Mirror to blast our way through those monsters?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Uhh....I don’t think she’d want it dismantled” Spike replied.

“Hey, Little Dragon! What’s purple and about to be dead meat in a few minutes?” a hydra yelled. The next moment, a blast hit the castle again, shaking it.

“I don’t think she’d mind. I don’t think she’d mind” Spike smiled sheepishly. He was yearning to get out of their sanctuary more than ever.

“Alright, just fetch me a book on “Storm Haul’s Vault of Weapons and give me a few minutes” Sunset Shimmer said enthusiastically.

A few minutes later

“There, all done!” Sunset Shimmer wiped a drop of sweat off her brow as she finished building a small cannon from the mechanical parts.

“Whoa! When did you learn how to build stuff like that?” Spike asked, staring at the cannon in awe.

“I have no idea” Sunset Shimmer chuckled, levitating the cannon, “We have only one shot. A powerful one but only one so we’ll have to make it count”.

“So, after we blast those bad guys at the entrance, we’ll make a break for it, towards the Town Square, right?” Spike asked about their plan as they headed for the main entrance to the castle.

“That’s the general plan” Sunset Shimmer smiled, although lacking confidence.

“Wait! How will we know if this works or not?”

“Well, I designed this to use almost all of my magic in order to create the biggest blast so I might not have enough left in me to teleport us to safety”

“Meaning...?”

“We’ll either know or we won’t”

“Wha...Maybe we shouldn’t do this...” Spike tried to back away. He could hear the growls and the terrifying noises the monsters were making on the outside.

“We have to” Sunset Shimmer replied, “If this concerns Equestria and my friends, I have to do this even though it’s got nothing to do with my life right now”

“Alright...” Spike let out a breath, “If we don’t make it....I...I just want to say that I’m glad I was raised by kind ponies like yourself. Thanks for helping me right now. I don’t know what I’d become if didn’t meet anypony” he added before a loud roar from outside followed, “Maybe I would’ve been part of them heheh”

“Same here. If you and Twilight and the others hadn’t helped me embrace the magic of friendship, I would’ve never gotten rid of the old me” Sunset Shimmer said with a warm smile.

“Alright, are you ready to do this?” Spike cracked his knuckles, “For everypony and for Equestria?” he held his fist out.

“For Equestria” Sunset Shimmer replied with determination in her heart. She knew it was time she gave something back to her home.

Chapter 3 : Freemain

Chapter 3

What we think we should be

Tempest was getting restless by the minute. Time and time he wondered how even the heaviest of artilleries couldn't even penetrate the glowing castle in front of them. Each attack was only powerful enough to shake the crystal structure. Him and his allies couldn't even break through the magical barrier covering the castle let alone destroy it.

The white sea serpent closed his red eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He hated having to sit through impossible tasks doing almost absolutely nothing while he waited for Charlie to finish the job. He lazily watched his minions keep on firing blasts after blasts from the trebuchets that arrived a few minutes before.

"Sir, we are almost out of Obsidian Pellets. At this rate we won't have enough to save for the other castles" a green crocodile reported.

"What do you suggest?" Tempest asked, silently cursing the intact castle for its defiant behavior.

"Uh...call Charlie?" he replied.

"That's your suggestion?!" Tempest suddenly got up in anger, "I'M NOT CALLING FOR THAT WRETCHED PONY UNTIL I AM DONE FINISHING WHAT I STARTED!" he pointed to the castle, "AND DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT NAME IN MY PRESENCE HENCEFORTH!"

The green crocodile gulped before he scampered away, wanting nothing else to do with their leader.

The leader of the assault let out a heavy breath before regaining his composure. Another thing he hated was being asked to request others to do his job for him especially if they weren't respected veterans like he was. Advising Old Nick to control the mind of a pony was really starting to be a bad idea in hindsight.

However, he was proud of himself for being the one to instigate the escape along with Lord Tirek. Making Equestria's Ancient Foe believe that he would get revenge upon the Grand Empress was also impressive on his part. They didn't call him The Deceiver for nothing.

"Sir! Sir!" he heard someone shout.

"What is it now?" Tempest groaned, "Another petty problem?"

"We have managed to capture Grand Slam, sir!" a purple drake happily announced.

"What?" Tempest arched his eyebrow in disbelief before he saw him.

There he was. The stallion who had caused him and his minions so much pain for two straight days. His underlings were often on the receiving end of assaults from the former Canterlot Royal Guard.

Grand Slam was one of the escapees from the Subterranean Prison in Canterlot when the city was attacked. He had been demoted to a jailor after he was deemed too unjust and merciless by Princess Celestia a few years before. From what Tempest heard, he was one of those ponies who weren't tagged by the Oblivion spell three days before.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" Tempest smiled sadistically as the battered grey earth pony was held in place by two armored dragoons, "The tormentor of me and my kind".

"I'll kick your freaking teeth in, buddy" Grand Slam growled, wiping a trail of blood from the side of his mouth.

"Are you threatening me? Are you?" Tempest merely chuckled.

"That wasn't a threat. That was a promise!" Grand Slam suddenly lunged forward, only to be forcefully jerked back by the two dragoons near him.

"To be honest, I am a bit how do you say...intrigued. Why would you continue to fight the might of Master Nuckelavee even though you're doomed to fall?"

"You don't know anything about my intentions" Grand Slam held his throat with a hoof, still fixing his eyes on the white serpent.

"But I do know who you are" Tempest smirked, patting the pony, "I know you were once part of the Royal Canterlot Army but Princess Celestia dismissed you for your violent tendencies"

"That's none of your business" Grand Slam gritted his teeth in anger. The white sea serpent was starting to get on his nerves.

"I also know that she made you the permanent jailor in Canterlot, giving you the worst possible job in the whole army" Tempest added, "Now tell me, why did you continue to work under her even after she disgraced you?"

"I...changed. It wasn't too hard to find something to keep me sane and satisfied" Grand Slam replied.

"Something? Or was it somepony?" Tempest's grin widened, "Is that why you fight against us?"

"I don't fight for or against anyone unless my wife and kids are in danger" Grand Slam answered.

"Oh, is that so? Then what if you continue to stand against us and they paid the price for your mistake? Would that keep you sane and satisfied?" Tempest asked with a smirk. He knew that Grand Slam was somepony who would put love before ideals or beliefs. That was what made him an interesting foe.

"No, but it would be extremely painful for you" Grand Slam replied indifferently.

"I suppose it would be" Tempest let out a chuckle.

The next moment, a loud shout was heard from the entrance to the castle. Every reptile in the area turned their attention to sounds coming from within. Some readied their weapons while others shielded themselves.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" someone shouted.

Suddenly, a gigantic ball of magic tore through the castle's gate before phasing through the magical barrier.

"RUN!" another voice yelled in horror before the reptiles scurried in different directions.

Screams of agony and terror filled the area as the ball obliterated everything in its path. Unlucky reptilians were instantly vaporized while some had their limbs disintegrated by the powerful attack. Tempest and Grand Slam watched in shock as the ball flew into the distant mist, a few yards from their position before it exploded.

The explosion completely wiped out any trace of life in its radius, taking almost a quarter of the remaining reptiles along with it.

As the smoke cleared, corpses of over forty reptiles which littered the place could be clearly seen. It was hard to imagine how many more had been killed by that mysterious ball of magic.

"What...the hell was that?" Grand Slam asked in disbelief. Even a self-proclaimed fighter like himself was surprised by the gruesome scene in front of him.

"Great!" Tempest grumbled sarcastically, "Now the castle's defending itself"

"Not quite, sir" one of the armored dragoons corrected him, "Some of our comrades have surrounded a pony and a purple hatchling near the entrance to the gate. It seems like they were the cause for that blast of magic"

"I thought you said except for the Cyan Shadow, nopony was able to use magic" Tempest raised an eyebrow.

"You're not gonna even give a buck about your soldiers? You're an even bigger piece of shit than I thought you were" Grand Slam commented as he watched blood slowly flow out from the dismembered bodies.

"Good minions are not hard to find" Tempest chuckled before he headed towards the entrance to the castle.

"Watch your mouth, pony" one of the dragoons warned Grand Slam, "Or Tempest will rip your throat out"

"Sorry, I stopped giving shit about authority ever since Celestia dropped me from the Canterlot Army" Grand Slam retorted.

A few distance from the grey pony, Sunset Shimmer and Spike stood in one place, partly out of fear and partly out of horror at what they had done.

As Sunset Shimmer had anticipated, her cannon had torn apart the second after it blasted a hole through the castle's barriers. What she didn't expect was the destruction it would cause. Deep inside, she was horrified at the carnage she had instigated. She only expected the blast to knock out the reptilian monsters assaulting the castle without annihilating them or shooting their body parts in different directions.

Spike wasn't feeling any better either. He could see the anger and rage in the eyes of the monsters in front of them. They gripped their claws, ready to shred him and Sunset Shimmer into pieces at any moment.

"I...I can't believe I did that...I...murdered them..." Sunset Shimmer stammered as she was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown.

The cries of pain echoed inside her mind. She was afraid that she was turning back into the ruthless monster she used to be.

"...they look pretty mad..." Spike whispered before he realized he was standing on some scaly surface, "What's this?" he looked down.

In an instant, his eyes widened in shock before he immediately hopped off the severed limb he was standing on.

"That is so...gross..." he winced as he tried his best not to throw up. It was the first time he had seen a dead body...or a part of a dead body and it definitely wasn't pleasant.

"I caused...all this..." Sunset Shimmer said lowly before she dropped to misty ground. Those long forgotten feelings of guilt were overcoming her again.

"Hey, Sunset" Spike comforted the amber unicorn, "You didn't know what you did" he added, glancing at the other severed body parts in the vicinity, "Even if it was...yuck...I think I'm gonna be sick..." he said before he fainted.

"Spike?" Sunset Shimmer lifted her head up, "Are you alright?" she shook the dragon, trying desperately to wake him up.

She could feel her magic slowly waning away, as if someone was draining the remaining magic out of her. Shifting her focus to the figure walking towards her, she saw a grin etched on the face of it.

"Well, isn't this a surprising turn of events" Tempest smirked as he noticed Sunset Shimmer's cutie mark, "Another student of Princess Celestia!"

"Another student?" the other reptiles chattered, "That explains that killer blast"

"Who are you?" Sunset Shimmer asked, glaring at the white serpent while holding Spike with her hooves, "Wait...you didn't capture..."

"Of course I did!" Tempest replied with a smile, "As much as I find imprisoning lowly ponies such as you, I was quite happy when the Bearer of the Elements of Harmony fell onto my laps"

"What!? You imprisoned Twilight and her friends?"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle and her five friends weren't too compliant upon capture so I had to drain the pure magic inside them, much like I'm doing to you right now" Tempest answered."He's right...I can feel him taking it all..." Sunset Shimmer thought. She wanted to retaliate but she was afraid of causing further harm to Spike and herself. She remembered what the purple dragon told her. These monsters were more powerful than anything anypony had faced recently and the eclipse in the sky was proof of that.

"I thought this day was going to be dull but your capture and the death of him will be enough to keep me smiling for the rest of the day" Tempest signaled for the dragoons to drag Grand Slam near him.

In a few seconds, the two armored reptiles dragged the grey stallion near their leader. Grand Slam was still a bit freaked out by the mass killing but he kept his composure nonetheless.

"Oh buck..." Grand Slam let out a sigh as he saw Sunset Shimmer, "Not you..."

"Grand Slam?" Sunset Shimmer asked in shock.

"You know her, knave?" Tempest asked the stallion.

"Like hell I do" Grand Slam replied angrily, "She's the little brat who caused me to be dropped from the Royal Army!"

"Wait! I...I did that?"

"Don't you dare play dumb" Grand Slam growled, "I specifically asked two of my cadets to stand guard near the Crystal Mirror the night you disappeared. And when they failed to stop you, I rightly punished them and you know what happened next? Boom! I'm dismissed by Celestia for my unprofessional behavior. Thanks a lot, bitch"

"Oooo...this is fun" Tempest chuckled mischievously.

"I'm sorry for that, Grand Slam" Sunset Shimmer immediately apologized after hearing what happened. She had never thought that her one mistake could lead to somepony else losing their job.

"Too late for that" Grand Slam growled, "And if I lose my wife and kids due to all of this, I'm ripping you apart with my bare hooves before they can"

Sunset Shimmer gulped at the threat. This wasn't just somepony who was bitter at her for abandoning Princess Celestia and everypony she knew. Grand Slam had always been sensitive about keeping his loved ones safe even before he was married so putting them in danger was the worst thing anypony could do.

As she saw the reptiles loom nearer, she shielded Spike with her body. To get to the unconscious dragon, they had to go through her.

Scootaloo had no idea what she should do. Staying hidden behind a stack of hay while the monsters were about to kill Spike and the other two ponies was something she couldn't allow to happen. She needed to figure out how to help the trio.

After she saw a bright explosion nearby, she dashed towards the place. At first, she was appalled by all the body parts scattered around her but she kept on going, determined to find out if it was Glint who was behind the explosion. However, all she found was about twenty or so reptiles surrounding Spike and two unfamiliar ponies.

"You're still alive?" she heard a familiar voice say.

She quickly turned around and saw Mr. M in his usual expressionless self. Apart from him holding some odd stick-like object with a trigger, he was exactly as she had last seen him.

"Mr. M?"

"We've been watching you closely" M told her.

"Who? Me?" Scootaloo asked before she remembered the situation Spike was in, "Whatever but we have to help Spike and those two ponies before those monsters harm them"

"Not me, kid" M replied, giving the weapon to Scootaloo, "You're going to do that by yourself"

"Me? With this? Against all of them?" she asked, surprised that M had declined to possibly save his own kind.

"Just point it at their heads, pull the trigger and wipe 'em out" M added without any hint of emotion.

"I'm gonna what!?" Scootaloo asked in disbelief, "I can't...I mean I can't". She tried to back away from what M was suggesting. Even if the reptiles were as mean and bad as she thought they were, she didn't know if they deserved the penalty of death, especially at her hooves.

"Just ask yourself: What would your idol Rainbow Dash do? What would she do if she saw her best friends at the mercy of merciless beasts like them? Would she just let them perish or would she do anything to save them?" M asked back.

"I...I...I only know Spike. I don't even know those two"

"That's not a good enough excuse, kid. What if I had hesitated and let that Spawned Panther kill you? Would that have been the right choice?"

"I guess you're right" she sighed. M wasn't giving her any choice. It was either her conscience or her friends.

"And in case you had been wondering why nobody's been able to sense your presence unless they saw you, it's because you hadn't been tagged" M added, "You're one of the fortunate ones who weren't hit by the Aftershock. We've only traced about ten of you and that stallion over there's untagged as well. So for now, stealth is your ally"

"Stealth? They can't see me?"

"Just point and shoot" M advised her once last time before he disappeared off into the fog behind her.

"Point and shoot" Scootaloo let out a heavy breath, "Remember, Scoots. You're doing this to save lives"

"Any final request or words, knave?" Tempest asked Grand Slam.

For once, Grand Slam didn't reply. He could only lower his head in shame. After all his hard work, after everything he had done, he was unable to protect his beloved wife and kids in the end. Nothing else mattered in life to him.

Just as he was about to accept his faith, he noticed some movement in the distance from the corner of his eye. An orange filly was moving silently amongst the debris. He stared at the kid intently while Tempest prepared his blade for execution.

"Just one" Grand Slam replied with a smirk.

"Oh? And what's that?" Tempest asked.

"Head's up" he replied as he saw the filly point a wand or something in his direction.

The next moment, one of the crocodiles near him fell to the ground. The others including Tempest immediately turned their attention to their downed comrade and saw blood flowing from a clean hole at the side of his head.

"What trickery is this? Find out who did this, you good-for-nothing idiots!" Tempest yelled at his...er...men. Whatever killed his minion was certainly not anything magical, rendering him unable to protect himself from the non-arcane source.

Sunset Shimmer heaved a sigh of relief as she saw the reptiles turn their attention away from her and Grand Slam. Although she was afraid that she might be killed as well, she was definitely relieved to see the monsters scared and confused for a change.

BANG!

"Stomper!" a green dragon cried out as he saw his friend fall the ground dead.

"Dammit! Who the hell is out there? Show yourself!" Tempest shouted furiously.

BANG!

The green dragon was the next one to go down. The remaining reptiles looked on in horror as they prayed not to be the next one to fall.

Tempest had enough of the whole situation. First, almost all of his squad were killed by a magical ball of destruction and second, he was filled with fear for his safety. Quickly, he ran over to one of the armored dragoons who were holding onto Grand Slam.

"Give me your armor! Now!" he commanded, rapidly stripping the dragoon of his helmet and plated armor.

"Sir, what's the plan" the dragoon asked, shuddering in fright as he witnessed another ally die.

"Just don't die" Tempest coldly replied before scanning the area for any signs of their attacker.

Scootaloo quickly darted behind a tree to avoid being seen by the monsters. Mentally she was struggling to keep herself calm and composed after she killed each one of them. It was the most difficult thing she had ever done in her life. She knew she now had murderous blood on her hooves but the thought of saving her friends kept her going.

After stopping for a second to catch a breath, she brandished the gun M gave her and targeted the heads of a red hydra a few yards out. Trying her best to focus on her target, she pulled the trigger and another bang was heard.

The shot went in through one head and then passed to the other. The third head of the hydra yelled in agony before it quieted down and fell unconscious.

She could see the tension and frustration on the face of the white serpent who appeared to be the leader of the reptiles. Ignoring the serpent's calls, she pointed at a nearby crocodilian before killing him with another shot from the gun.

"Only four more to go" she said to herself while hiding, "It's almost over...it's almost over" she persuaded herself to continue.

Just as she was about shoot at a dragoon who was holding the stallion, said stallion broke away from the grips of the reptiles who held him. In one swift motion, he kicked the armored one to the ground before headbutting the other. She also noticed the unicorn mare grabbing a chunk of wood before throwing it at a blue dragon.

The stallion continued to pummel the unarmored dragoon while the other was struggling to get to his feet. Scootaloo winced at each hit the dragoon took before he lost consciousness, beaten to a bloody pulp.

"Buck you" Grand Slam cursed at the unconscious reptile.

"What is going on here!?" Tempest held his head between his claws, trying to piece together how in the world a bunch of ponies managed to kill all of his underlings.

"You can come out now, kid" Grand Slam said with a smile as he stomped at the head of the armored dragon. Blood splattered from the holes in the helmet as the body of the reptile twitched involuntarily.

"Uh...D-Don't move" Scootaloo gulped, pointing her gun at Tempest.

"What!? A little pony was behind all this?" Tempest eyes widened in disbelief, "And to think I was dealing with some murderous bloodthirsty pony"

"Gimme that, kid" Grand Slam signaled Scootaloo to hand him her gun.

Scootaloo immediately obeyed and gave Grand Slam the gun. She had enough of the loud bangs and the necessary killings already. All she wanted to do now was talk to somepony she knew like Spike.

"Now you can be sure that you're dealing with a murderous, bloodthirsty pony" Grand Slam scowled, placing the nozzle of the gun right between Tempest's eyes.

While the stallion and the serpent were busy, Scootaloo raced over to the unconscious Spike with concern for the dragon's well being. Although it pained her to see him in such conditions, she was glad to finally see someone close to her and the other crusaders.

"Is...he alright?" she asked anxiously.

"He's alright...he just fainted from seeing all those...um...bodies" Sunset Shimmer replied while holding Spike in her hooves, checking if he was still breathing.

"That's a relief" Scootaloo smiled.

"Hey...are you by any chance...Scootaloo?" Sunset Shimmer asked as she saw the orange filly clearly. She could've sworn she looked just like one of the Crusaders back in Canterlot High.

"Uhh...I guess I am. How'd you know?"

"Just...a lucky guess" Sunset Shimmer smiled sheepishly.

"Can I ask one question?"

"I guess you can"

"What in Equestria is happening to everything?" Scootaloo asked. It was the one thing she wanted answered the most ever since she woke up to the strange environment.

"I wasn't present when it happened but Spike told me that there was a big explosion in the sky which sort of almost destroyed everything. It prevented everypony from using magic and after that, these monsters appeared and they captured anypony they saw" Sunset Shimmer repeated what Spike told her earlier.

"Huh...I thought it was all just dream" Scootaloo said with resignation.

"I wish it was too" Sunset Shimmer added before she realized she hadn't introduced herself, "By the way, I'm Sunset Shimmer" she extended her hoof with a warm smile.

"I'm Scootaloo" Scootaloo returned the hoofshake, "But you already know that heheh"

"You don't happen to know Twilight Sparkle, do you?" Sunset Shimmer asked.

"I do. She's friends with Rainbow Dash"

"Have you seen her or any of her friends anywhere?"

"I haven't seen them anywhere. I don't know how to fly yet so it's hard for me to search for them. Besides, I can't even find my best friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle" Scootaloo said before she started to tear up. The thought of losing her friends to these monsters filled her with sadness and frustration.

"I'm sorry for that" Sunset Shimmer placed a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder, "I promise I'll help you find them".

"But...but...aren't you scared of what might happen to you?" Scootaloo looked up.

"I'll be honest with you. I'm terrified of going forward but if we stick together, we can get through this, okay?" Sunset Shimmer wiped the filly's tears away, "Besides, we've got Grand Slam. He has a bit of a problem with me but he'll gladly get rid of any monster who might try to stand in our way as long as we help him ensure his family's safety"

"He's...scary..." Scootaloo shuddered at the thought of an enraged Grand Slam.

"What's that weapon you used to...er...kill those bad guys?"

"Looks like a gun or something. Some strange business pony named Mr. M gave it to me. He said me and Grand Slam weren't tagged by the big explosion so the monsters won't notice unless they see us"

"Any last words, asshole?" Grand Slam growled, preparing to pull the trigger as he had seen Scootaloo do so before.

"Waitwaitwait! I can make sure that you and your family are unharmed" Tempest said frantically.

"Now why should I believe you?" Grand Slam asked back, still pointing the gun at the serpent.

"Come on! You trotted all the way from Canterlot to here, didn't you? You must've seen the vast number of reptiles that are left. Those who died here were only a handful compared to the entire army" Tempest explained.

"Then I'll just kill them all as well. I know you're just trying to wriggle your way out of this one" Grand Slam smirked.

"You may but they can sense where you kept your wife and kids. Unless you can convince Charlie that Ponyville is fully purged, they won't stop searching until they capture them"

Grand Slam pulled the gun back after hearing what Tempest said. He wanted to kill the serpent who had tried to do the same to him just a few minutes before but he wasn't too sure on his ability to keep his family safe and sound forever.

He recalled the waves of reptiles he had to dodge before reaching Ponyville. They were definitely more powerful than the ones he had to deal with and they would definitely find his family before he could kill them all.

"What do you want?" he mumbled, motioning the serpent to get up.

"I want you to lead those three to the holding cages in the Town Square to be transported to Canterlot" Tempest smiled, "I don't know why but like you, I can't seem to detect their presence at all. That is why I need to have them captured before they cause me more problems"

"And?"

"And after we reach the Town Square, I'll tell Charlie that everypony in Ponyville has been captured and that there is no need to search further"

"Very well. But if I have to put this to your head again..." Grand Slam tapped Tempest' head with the gun, "It'll be the last thing you'll ever see, understand?"

"Understood" Tempest grinned.

"Hey! Sunset Shimmer!" Grand Slam shouted, "Looks like we've got ourselves a new guide"

"Huh? I thought you were going to shoot him" Sunset Shimmer asked, surprised at seeing the sea serpent still alive.

"Change of plans. He's going to help us free all those ponies trapped in the Town Square and after that, we'll head for Canterlot" Grand Slam replied.

"Head for Canterlot? Can't we wait inside the castle before we go? I think it is better that we stay low for sometime otherwise his lackeys might be waiting for us somewhere" Sunset Shimmer suggested.

"I don't know how you got out..." Scootaloo chimed in as she tapped the barrier around the castle, "...but we're definitely not getting inside the castle. It's not letting us"

"Huh? Let me see" Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow before she approached the castle. She noticed that the hole they made in the barrier had been filled and there was no way they would be able to open it again.

"My way it is then" Grand Slam chuckled as he pushed Tempest, "Go on! Lead!"

"Whatever..." Tempest grumbled, walking slowly.

"Looks like we're gonna be able to save your friends after all" Sunset Shimmer told Scootaloo as she placed Spike on her back.

"I can't wait to reach the Town Square and see them!" Scootaloo responded with glee.

"Ditto" Tempest chuckled mischievously. Everything was getting more and more interesting by the minute.

Chapter 4 : Hopeum

Chapter 4

“Save me now”

“Do you think we should trust him?” Scootaloo asked Sunset Shimmer.

“Who? Him or that serpent?” Sunset Shimmer asked back.

“The serpent. I’ve got a bad feeling about him” Scootaloo told her.

“Me too but I think he won’t double cross us as long as Grand Slam’s around”

“Hey! Get moving you two!” Grand Slam urged the two ponies to continue walking, “If you keep stalling like that, how in Equestria are we going to be able to reach the Town Square? What the hell are you talking about, huh? Are you still getting uneasy tummies from what you two did back there?”

“That....ugh....I still can’t believe I....can’t believe I....brrr....” Scootaloo shuddered in horror after she recalled shooting those nasty reptiles. She did not want to carry the gun anymore but she knew things were going to get a whole lot messier.

“Try to forget it” Sunset Shimmer tried to comfort the filly, “I know it was hard. Sometimes we have to do things we’re not proud of if it’s the right thing”

“It’ll be difficult but I’ll try” Scootaloo forced a smile. The next second, a small rumble was heard from her abdomen, prompting her to smile sheepishly. Due to all the commotion, she had forgotten that she hadn’t eaten anything ever since she woke up.

“Hungry?” Sunset Shimmer asked with a smile.

“Heheh...yeah...” Scootaloo chuckled.

“I’ve not eaten anything either” Grand Slam stopped before turning to Tempest, “What about you, serpent?”

“Welllll.......” Tempest placed a claw on his chin in deep thought, “We did devour that rotting corpse of an Ursa Major yesterday....” he said, grinning a little when he noticed the disgusted looks on the faces of Scootaloo and Sunset Shimmer, “...but unless you’re really interested in eating contaminated meat, there is one slightly burnt restaurant south of the train station. I remember one of my scout sprites telling me that there were some leftovers which were untouched by anyone”

“Is that true?” Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow.

“Yup!”

“Really? Because it sounds to me like you’re trying to lead us right into a trap” Sunset Shimmer added accusingly, “And now that I think about it, why did you agree to guide us? What’s in it for you?”

“I...I won’t dignify that question with a response” Tempest said nervously.

“Answer, serpent” Grand Slam nudged him.

“Alright!” Tempest sighed before he looked around, searching for any reptiles that might hear him, “The reason I agreed to help you free the other ponies is that I’m tired of my superiors bossing me around”

“What? You expect us to believe that you want to overthrow the bastards behind all of this?” Grand Slam inquired.

“Not just overthrow them. I want to eliminate every single one of them. Every damned reptile that’s allied with them” Tempest replied.

“You want to kill your own kind? You’re even worse than I thought” Sunset Shimmer said in disgust.

“I was the one who freed Nuckelavee but did I get any thanks or even a badge of honor for that? Nooooo!” Tempest ignored Sunset Shimmer’s remark, “I was like “I have freed you, Great One! Make me your right hand of power!” but he was all like, “Good job, now go and round up all the ponies you find while these undeserving jerks get to rule Equestria with me” and then, I was like, “What!? I want to rule too. Tirek and I are the ones who should be ruling besides you ” but he was like, “Ugh! Fine! I’ll control a pony and let the mammal be your supervisor . That’s the problem with freeing ancient “evils” like him; they all have that ancient mindset. “Plunder! Plunder! Don’t reward the little snake who freed you!” Bah! This world’s better off without the lot of them”.

“Someone’s got issues” Scootaloo whispered to Sunset Shimmer.

“At least he sounds serious about his boss being unfair to him” Sunset Shimmer replied.

“Authority issues?” Grand Slam asked.

“You have no idea” Tempest mumbled, “Should’ve never freed that prick”

“Anyway...” Grand Slam motioned to his pony companions to follow him, “Let’s get to that restaurant first. If it’s near the train station then the Town Square won’t be too far”

The four of them continued their path towards the freedom of their pals with different goals in mind. Scootaloo and Sunset Shimmer wanted the freedom of the ponies captured by the monsters, Grand Slam was ready to sacrifice his “friendship” with the mare and the filly to ensure the safety of his family while Tempest was planning for the near future. No one was certain of what might happen when they reached the Town Square.

Fifteen minutes later

Scootaloo, Sunset Shimmer, Grand Slam and Tempest reached the restaurant safely in a matter of minutes. Tempest had told the ponies that they had almost killed all of the reptilians left in Ponyville in that fight near Twilight’s Castle and the remainder were likely to still be stationed at the Town Square so they needn’t worry about encountering any one of the monsters.

Through the green fog in front of them, the ponies noticed the restaurant Tempest had told them of. Upon seeing some intact hayburgers on some of the tables, Scootaloo dashed forward and happily ate them.

“Wow! She must’ve really been hungry” Sunset Shimmer smiled at seeing the joy on Scootaloo’s face.

“You oughta eat too” Grand Slam told her. Even though he still hated her for costing him his position as a royal guard, he wanted Scootaloo and her to be well fed before he would eventually hand them over to Tempest. From his experience, being hungry and trapped was one of the worst things in the world.

“Wellllllll......I guess we don’t really know when we’ll find this much food again” she replied before trotting next to Scootaloo and taking a bite out a hayburger. How long had it been since she last ate the delicacy!

Grand Slam and Tempest watched the two girls devour burger after burger from outside the restaurant. A smile came across the face of the grey stallion. It had been three days since he last saw his beloved wife and kids being content and happy with their lives. He couldn’t wait to see their joyful smiles again.

“Eh? Is that a smile I spy?” Tempest asked curiously, “Oh it is! What a shock! And I thought you were a murderous and ruthless pony”

“Carmine....Onyx.....Evergreen....” Grand Slam’s smile faded, “I promise you’ll be safe”

“Don’t you worry about them” Tempest smirked, remembering the deal he made with the stallion, “After you deliver those two, you won’t ever have to worry about keeping them safe”

“What about that rant about your bosses?” Grand Slam asked.

“Oh! That?” Tempest chuckled nervously, “That was just wishful thinking”

“Mister Grand Slam!” Scootaloo called out from inside, “You should try these burgers! They’re awesome!”

“I’ll pass, kid” Grand Slam replied.

Seeing that Grand Slam was in no mood to eat anything, Scootaloo decided not to press him further. The grey stallion resumed talking to Tempest leaving her to imagine what they might be discussing. She decided to continue to focus on filling her empty stomach.

“I wonder when he’ll wake up” Sunset Shimmer told Scootaloo as she stared at the unconscious Spike.

“Can’t we just shake him till he wakes up?” Scootaloo suggested.

“He slept through the whole...mess. I doubt shaking him will awaken him” Sunset Shimmer replied.

“I’ll go and search for some water in the back” Scootaloo said, getting up from her seat, “If there’s a freezer, there’re probably some bottles of water too”

With that, the orange pegasus trotted towards a door which led to the back of the restaurant. She tugged at the door which had a label “Freezing Room” on top of it.

Scootaloo searched high and low but all she could find was wrapped bread inside the cold room. She proceeded to open every drawer she could get her hooves on. The room looked as if it hadn’t been touched for several days with cobwebs here and there.

The little filly smiled as she saw a bottle of water right next to a broken refrigerator. She grabbed the bottle and kept it close to her before she continued searching for more. However, she could only find more empty bottles and nothing else to revive Spike. Slowly, she trotted towards the door, not wanting to spend another second in the slightly chilly room.

“AHA! Got you, slimeball!!”

Before she could react, a frying pan landed right at the side of Scootaloo’s face just as she was about to leave the room. The utensil left a clean circular mark on the pegasus before it fell to the floor.

The sudden impact caused Scootaloo to fall to the floor in pain. Her hoof lost its grip on the water bottle as she held both to the reddening part of her face.

“OWWWWW!!!!” Scootaloo yelled in agony, “WHO DID THAT!?” she shouted, whimpering due to the blow.

“It’s me!” the voice shouted back, a female one, “I saw what you blokes did and you’re not putting me down before I knock your bloody block off!”

“WHAT IN EQUESTRIA ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?” Scootaloo screamed in anger as she shed tears of pain. She was really infuriated that someone had smacked her right in the face without any reason at all.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” the voice replied from the darker side of the room, behind the cardboard boxes.

The next second, Sunset Shimmer burst through the door, visibly confused by all the shouting she heard from where she sat.

“What’s going on?” Sunset Shimmer asked before she noticed Scootaloo holding her face in agony, “Scootaloo! What’s wrong?” she inquired, bending down to help the pegasus.

“Another one of you bastards?” the voice said.

“Hey! Who are you and what did you do to my friend?” Sunset Shimmer stood up and faced the other side of the room. She was angered by what the mysterious being had done to Scootaloo.

“Pardon?” the voice asked back.

“Huh?” Sunset Shimmer merely responded with a puzzled look on her face.

“The frying pan? That’s what you deserve for all you’ve done!” the voice yelled back.

“Frying pan?” Sunset Shimmer’s eyes caught sight of the pan lying right next to Scootaloo, “Calm down, miss. We’re not here to hurt you”

Cautiously, Sunset Shimmer inched forward while Scootaloo simply stared at her wondering why she would try to talk to the moron who smacked her right in the kisser with a bucking frying pan. She figured that the assailant was probably as much as scared and confused as she was. A diplomatic approach felt like the best solution.

“Come to think of it...” the creature hiding behind the boxes said, “You don’t sound like one of those guys who captured everyone in the restaurant”

“Did the monsters come in here too?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Of course they did! Why else would I’ve been hiding inside this bloody freezer for two bucking days.....those bastards....”

Sunset Shimmer reached forward and turned on a light bulb that illuminated the rest of the freezer. Just as she thought, there was a mare hiding behind the cardboard boxes.

The mare was a lime green pegasus with a dark brown mane with a paintbrush as her cutie mark. Right next to her, she could see empty water bottles as well as some bread crumbs. Sunset Shimmer looked right at her red eyes and noticed that her eyes were sunken and sleep-deprived. She could only imagine that the mare must have been staying awake out of fear of the dreaded reptiles.

“Oh...you’re a pony....” the mare raised an eyebrow as she saw Sunset Shimmer before she smiled sheepishly, “This is...kind of embarrassing heheh.....I didn’t hit you with anything did I?”

“Fortunately you didn’t” Sunset Shimmer smiled back as she helped the mare up, “But you might have to apologize to my little friend”

“It hurts a bit....” Scootaloo mumbled, standing up as well, “....but you didn’t have to call me “little”

“Sorry, lass” the mare apologized, “Thought you were one of the monsters. I’ve been hiding from them ever since I got here from Manechester”

“You’re from Manechester?” Sunset Shimmer asked, “You’re a long way from home”

“I know that. Hopped onto a goods train three days ago and saw a gigantic explosion above Equestria during the ride” the mare explained as she grabbed a slice of bread before eating it, “You see...the only ones in the train were me, some passengers and the workers. The others went back to Manechester on another train due to fear of being caught by the explosion but I continued, thinking it wasn’t something serious. Bad mistake”

“What happened to the workers then?”

“They jumped off the train some miles from here while it was still running. It really was a miracle that I was able to make it safe and sound on an out-of-control train although the train did run over some crocs” the mare continued.

“And when you saw the monsters, you hid inside this place?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“I had to” the mare replied, “Those blokes were swarming the place after the train stopped. And seeing that there was no way anypony would be able to drive a train with all of them wandering about, I figured it was the best thing to hide for a while and hope that the princesses would find a way to remove the reptiles from the place so I could return home safely”

“So, no one found out you were hiding here?” Scootaloo inquired, holding a cube of ice to her face, “That means you’re one of us!”

“One of who?”

“One of the few ponies who the reptiles can’t detect. They can’t sense our presence unless they saw us” Scootaloo replied.

“Oh! That must explain why they captured everypony else hiding inside this place except for me”

“We’re trying to find a way to free the others who are being kept inside a cage at the Town Square. Would you mind joining us?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Well....I guess I can’t stay here forever....” the mare thought out loud, “And I would really fancy a safe ride home after all this”

“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself” Sunset Shimmer said hastily, “I’m Sunset Shimmer and this is Scootaloo. What’s your name?”

“I’m Emma” the mare replied with a smile.

“Am a what?” Scootaloo asked.

“Emma. Short for Dilemma”

“Dilemma? That’s a weird name” Scootaloo chuckled.

“So is Scootaloo” Emma smirked before patting the filly, “Sorry again for the flying pan attack”

“That’s okay. I get hit by falling pans a lot back at home” Scootaloo said, “Mostly when I try to cook something especially Mintballs heheh” she added, “Never ever try to make mintballs”

“Should we head out?” Sunset Shimmer asked the two, “Grand Slam and Tempest are waiting for us”

“And Spike too” Scootaloo grabbed the water bottle, “We need to wake him up quick and get him something to eat”

“Who?” Emma asked.

“They’re our friends” Sunset Shimmer replied, “They’re gonna help us free everypony”

“WAAAHH!!” the purple dragon yelled as he woke up with a start. He could feel the cool water splashing on his face and he noticed the figures surrounding him.

“Great! Now that he’s up, we oughta move out now” Grand Slam suggested. Although they had been inside the restaurant for a mere ten minutes, he wanted to go on as soon as possible and finish what he and Tempest had planned.

“Are you alright, Spike?” Sunset Shimmer asked her friend, ignoring Grand Slam.

“I’m alright...” Spike muttered as he sat up, wiping his face with his arms.

“Aww....he’s more cuter when he’s up” Emma said before nudging Tempest, “Uh...you didn’t look like him when you were younger, did you?”

“Of course not! We’re two different species for crying out loud” Tempest replied indifferently. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Spike staring intently at him.

“WAA!!! What are you guys doing with him? He’s one of them!!!” he shouted. From what he saw, Spike instantly knew that Sunset Shimmer and the other ponies were working together with the serpent he saw before.

“Calm down, Spike. He’s with us” Sunset Shimmer assured the scared dragon.

“Yeah! He’s gonna lead us to where the others are being kept” Scootaloo added, “If he knows what’s good for him”.

“Whew!” Spike heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing another familiar face, “Thank Celestia you’re alright”.

“I could say the same” Scootaloo chuckled. It felt heartwarming to know that in spite of everything that had transpired, she still had friends who cared for her.

“Could someone tell me how I got here?” Spike asked, sitting up.

“Some....bad stuff happened near the castle so I carried you all the way here” Sunset Shimmer answered before Grand Slam could. She knew that it wasn’t wise to let the little dragon know about the complete annihilation of Tempest’s minions.

“Really? Thanks...I guess” Spike smiled.

“Now that we’ve got him up, can we move on now? We’re wasting too much time” Grand Slam said impatiently.

“Who are these two?” Spike asked Sunset Shimmer after realizing that he didn’t recognize the other mare and stallion.

“These are Grand Slam and Dilemma. They’ve agreed to help us free the others” the unicorn replied.

“Wow! I can’t believe you guys managed to escape from those goons” Spike said in surprise. He genuinely believed that nopony else could get away without getting captured.

“I could say the same to you too” Dilemma replied.

“No one’s stopping me from keeping my family safe” Grand Slam added before he signaled the others to prepare to move forward, “Anyway, it’s time to go. The sky will be pitch black in just a few hours and if we’re to avoid detection, we’ll have to move fast”.

“He’s correct. Old Nick will likely turn off the celestial objects in order to prevent any outside interference” Tempest agreed.

“Who’s Old Nick? That Nucky-Lucky boss you told us about?” Scootaloo inquired.

“Nuckelavee. He’s one of your kingdom’s original enemies. He has more power than the four princesses combined amplified seventy-fold. You’d be wise not to cross him” Tempest replied.

“Some old timer’s the reason for all this? That’s just so bloody awful” Emma chimed in.

“Wait! I thought you said you wanted to destroy him. How would you do that if he’s that powerful?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“I have a plan but I’m not going to tell you” Tempest crossed his arms. The next second, a pair of grey hooves grabbed him on the neck.

“Spill the beans” Grand Slam growled.

“Alright! Alright!” Tempest threw his claws up in annoyance, “I intend to take the powers of the Sea Ponies to lure him away into the Southern Ocean where he’ll be dissolved in a whim. Nuckelavee hates water. He avoids touching even a single drop of it whenever he can so it’s obvious that’s he’s weak to water”

“You’re going to rely on just a theory?” Emma raised an eyebrow.

“I think giving him a bath won’t do any good” Spike added.

“Shut it! I didn’t ask for your opinion, hatchling” Tempest hissed, getting right at the purple dragon’s face. Spike gulped as he saw the anger inside Tempest’s eyes.

“Whatever! Killing your boss is nothing of our concern for now” Grand Slam pushed the white serpent, “Lead the way and help us free those ponies. We’ll decide your fate afterwards”

Tempest let out a low growl as he walked in front of his enemies. He could hear the faint whispers coming from the two mares who were wondering what his true intentions were. A smile came across his face as he recalled all his past misdeeds, all of the beings he had cheated and taken advantage of.

Along with Tirek, he was responsible was the creation of one of the vilest foes Equestria had ever faced. Whether it was by bribe or by use of inter-dimensional portals, whether it was under the guise of demonic figures or simply his true form, the two of them had instigated many a battles between various races.

Deception was what he did best.

Meanwhile

“Please spare me! I’ll tell you all about Charlie’s plans if you just......”

A pink beam of energy cut off the pleading reptile as he was reduced to bones in a flash. A lone pony stood in the middle of scorching skulls and bones. The energy inside of him manifested as sparks which covered his entire body.

His face had a constant manic expression which made it impossible for anyone to read his or the other thoughts that were making his mind explode every single second. Some of the deceased monsters thought he was a psychotic killer while others believed he was an unholy entity sent to rid the world of their wretched existence.

He was neither.

Glint slowly walked across the clearing he made without paying any heed to the sounds of cracking bones beneath his hooves. Silently, he lowered his head as he tried to do the same thing he had been trying for the last two days: controlling himself.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT!!!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, “....I am tired of all this....”

Still, he heard no reply. Only the familiar voices who conversed with one another without heeding him.

“Stay strong.....we’re here with you.....”

“I don’t know how much more I can take......if they send me back.....I fear I might breathe.....my last breath....”

“Don’t say that! We’ll get through this....I’m sure of it....”

“.....I admire your hope for a better tomorrow but.....I’m convinced it’ll be over soon...”

“That’s the spirit!”

“...for us”

“No....”

“.....and for Equestria....”

As it had happened many times before, Glint found himself saying exactly the same words the voices said. He couldn’t control his mind, his body or even his soul. The sudden surge of power that filled him may have been hurting the voices in his head but it was killing him and almost everyone that had been near him.

He involuntarily charged up again before he teleported away from the scene. Canterlot was the destination in his head. Again.

A few seconds later, a suit-wearing stallion walked out from a house and observed the waning energy left behind by Glint. Mr. M turned to the sky and stared at the eclipse over him before he took out his communicator.

“The Cyan Shadow was here....” Mr. M said, “...yes...he does have their powers....alright....”

In the deepest dungeons of Canterlot

“Hey! Keep it down!” an elite dragon yelled in annoyance at the four princesses who were huddled together and comforting each other as always. His partner, a black drake merely continued sharpening his blade.

“The purple one’s next right?” an armored crocodile inquired.

“Yup! Be back in about three hours. I’m tired of having to lock and unlock their chains every time Old Nick wants to beat some information out of them” the dragon said.

“Alright. Three hours then” the crocodile nodded before he left.

The cell was lit by nothing but torches which were kept beyond the door the princesses were in. They were barely conscious after the being infected with Nuckelavee’s plague. Every visit to the skinless stallion sapped their remaining energy away little by little.

“Sister....please....stay strong....” Celestia urged her younger sibling, holding her head up with her hoof while Twilight Sparkle and Cadance hugged her.

“....I’ll try.......if only we had a chance.....” a drop of tear found its way to the floor of the cell from the corner of Luna’s eye.

“We must not lose hope....if we do...it’ll be the end” Cadance said.

“....I wish I saw this coming....” Twilight sobbed. She broke down at the thought of her friends and family being gone because she wasn’t prepared for the invasion.

“Quit your crying!!” the dragon shouted again from the outside before he turned to his partner, “By the way, do you know why Old Nick keeps interrogating them?”

“I heard he wants his daughter back” the drake replied.

“Huh? I thought Lord Tirek told us his daughter was dead ages ago” the dragon asked, puzzled.

“Apparently she’s not. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left Tartarus at all” the drake said.

“Then what’s so special about that castle in Ponyville?”

“I dunno but after Tirek and Tempest absorb its magic, Old Nick plans on using something inside it to find her daughter” the drake answered.

“Too bad these little shits won’t be around to see Old Nick destroy this pathetic kingdom heheh” the dragon chuckled as he smirked at the princesses through the steel door.

Celestia lowered her head in shame after what she heard. It was too late for her to change the decision she made a lifetime ago. Not even her sister knew about what she did. Luna, Twilight, Cadance and everypony else were taking the fall for something she made an old friend do.

In a dimension, far away

“Quit arguing, you two!”

“She started it”

“Arghhh......whatever! Let’s go before anybody sees us”

“ *squee* This is so exciting!!!”