Chapters Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
In time all foul things come forth.
There it was. The one thing that she and Starswirl had labored so hard over for these past few decades. It had been less then 100 years since the Unicorn wizard had passed into myth and legend. And yet towering in front the princess of the sun was the one device that had been the fruits of his labor and her penitence. She had used this device against the council of her friend and entered the world that had been nearly identical to her own. Save for the fact that King Sombra was good in this universe, and evil in hers. The more Celestia thought about it, the more she realized she was woefully ignorant of what exactly had caused the Sombra of her reality to wander down such a dark path.
It was something she decided to dwell on later. She stepped through the mirror, and into her lover's embrace. She and the Sombra of this world were in love, and this would have to be her last visit anyway. Starswirl had feared that any more crossings into that reality might bind the two universes together and create a dangerous situation.
Among all the other realities that Celestia had visited, this one was both the closest to her own, and yet it felt so barren at the same time. She briefly came into contact with a grey unicorn in what looked like Stable Barding. The mare froze when Celestia stood before her.
"By the Goddesses, are you really?" her voice trailed off as the Princess approached her. She reassured the small unicorn that she wasn't in any danger around her.
"I'm Celestia my LIttle pony," the princess was calm despite what she was witnessing,"what happened here?"Her voice was enough to calm this mare and let her know that she was safe in her presence.
"The world ended," the young mare said dryly," over 200 years ago to be precise. From what I've learned so far, a mare named Twilight enacted an Endgame scenario and the world was burned away in the process." She could only stare at the ground as she said this.
All Celestia could focus on was the name she mentioned. Twilight. It bothered Celestia that her own former student and a fast friend could become so cold that she'd seek a path of mutual destruction in a war that hasn't happened yet in her world. She took this as a premonition of what could happen in her own reality if Twilight isn't kept in line.
"Come here," Celestia said, she knelt down and placed a replica of her crown into the mare's saddlebag and programmed a location into the mare's wrist device. "In that location, you'll find several months' worth of supplies and provisions if not longer." Celestia paused for a moment before putting her hoof to the mare's chin and lifting it up.
"Do not lose hope, little one. I can see a lot of myself in you, take heart that harmony has not left Equestria. The magic of Friendship resides in us all." As she said this the mirror portal appeared, like a welcoming sign that she was ready to return home to her world.
As the portal closed the unicorn mare realized that she had just met one of her idols and the most important figure in her world's history. She now had restored resolve to bring Harmony back to Equestria and her new mission to make some more friends.
Once more Celestia stood before the mirror and reflected on everything that had been invested into a device like this. This mirror was no ordinary mirror though, it was a magic mirror that connected to a half dozen alternate worlds, some of which she and her magic council Starswirl had visited centuries ago when he was still alive and had still been her friend. It was painful for her to think about 3 worlds in particular several decades later. One world had another incarnation of King Sombra, one that was a benevolent ruler to his ponies, and one that she was in love with. Another world that was connected to the mirror was a world still populated and run by humans, a species of which only few in Equestria had knowledge of because they had existed here, but were exterminated when Discord realized that they were so chaotic it benefited him. They were so technologically advanced that the entire civilization of mankind wiped itself out in a worldwide historically recorded Nuclear War. It took decades for the earth to return to a state where it could sustain any kind of intelligent species.
Celestia, her sister, Starswirl, and two or three others, including Discord were aware of the advancements left behind by humans that the most benevolent sources of culture were retained by Ponydom and put to good use. Things such as agriculture, industry, and commerce were put to use. most of the highly advanced technology like fighting vehicles, aircraft, and anything that could be used to make war, or even space exploration, was stored away deep below the Mountains of Canterlot as not to spark interest or specualtion of humanity's prior existence in their world.
The mirror was made of a substance called Naqada. It was one of the few minerals in the universe that could be used to construct certain types of gateways. Some lead to other realities, and a few lead to other planets entirely. She had used one such "Stargate" as it had been dubbed to settle some farmers on another world entirely. Pretty soon communication with the settlement became fragmented in the years to come, with the last recorded message stating that they had found better farmland further inland but that they were decided it best to bury the gate least a sinister threat find its way back to Equestria. Celestia sent provisions they needed before closing the gateway for good.
Even Twilight Sparkle was unaware of this. Out there among the stars, if they were still alive, was one of Equestria's first and few offworld settlements.
The other world that she had been to alone was a world born of a nightmare. Celestia had visited that planet over a hundred years ago and had encountered a small group of humans there. She had never told anypony of her stay there. She had learned from one of them that this group had been pulled there by some type of distress call, One of them later told her that it had been proven to be some kind of warning, but their onboard AI had been programmed to seek this signal out and determine the origin of it, and that all other priorities had been rescinded. There was one person though that Celestia found she could confide in.
The human that she had the most contact with was named Ellen Ripley. Celestia told her new friend that where she was from they had a non-interference policy in place that forbade her from any direct help, she was told to be an observer, but after the death of one of the crew, and the presence of an unknown alien life form, she broke that rule. Both her and Ellen realized that this creature, this Xenomorph was a direct threat to both their worlds. Ripley told Celestia that she needed to go back to her world and sever the connection with this reality, lest one of these monsters escape into Equestria.They could both feel a bond stronger than friendship between one another. Something that words alone couldn't convey. The Princess put a hoof on Ellen's shoulder and wished her the best, and that she would keep her in her thoughts. As soon as Celestia opened a portal back to Equestria and stepped through, Ripley rigged the self-destruct for the Nostromo and escaped in a shuttlecraft. Celestia made it back to her world safely and sealed the portal to that world. She thought she had sealed it permanently, but she'd realize at a later time that she was wrong.
The Xenomorph had snuck onto the Shuttle before the ship blew up and Ripley trapped it in the airlock before jettisoning it into space.
Celestia would come to regret the creation of this 'thing' for most of her life. Even her council Starswirl had warned her about too many uses of it. She couldn't even see the inherent danger of it. She found herself still blinded by her love for the alternate King Sombra all of these years later. Even the portal to that world was gone. She still thought about him, even after falling for a lowly guard in her own Royal Palace. She still missed their long walks they took in the Canterlot Gardens of his world.
Several years ago
The Magic Mirror was a phenomenal feat for Starswirl the Bearded, a white unicorn with a wizard hat. He was the top of his game in that century, he was even the pony that Twilight Sparkle most admired next to Celestia. This Mirror though had the potential for both great adventures and dire circumstances. It was the same Mirror that Sunset Shimmer used to escape to the Human World when she was banished from Equestria by the Princess. It laid unused for almost a half century before Sunset used it. And now something was using it to abduct ponies and whisk them to the world that only one princess had visited on a journey nearly a decade ago.
Somewhere scrawled in a letter, long forgotten by time and by the Princess of the sun, laid a very verbose warning.
Why didn't you listen to me Celestia, I warned you of the dangers of this thing, and yet you still used it to see him. And put your entire kingdom in jeopardy because of it.
Your friend and Council, Starswirl the Bearded
Present day Equestria
Of all the things she survived, a high school had been the hardest. Twilight Sparkle got to experience what being in school was like outside of Equestria. She spent most of the time in the library of course. When she wasn't taking part in class projects of course. But this time was going to be a lot different than when she faced down the Sirens. This time they were going to completely alien world as described to them by the Princess and the Canterlot Investigative team. This time though would completely change if not shatter her perspective on the world she lived in.
Twilight Sparkle wasn't sure what to expect this time with the Magic Mirror, as this time she and her friends were going to step through it instead of just her and Spike. There had been reports of ponies going missing through out Ponyville, and it was determined where they had been taken by a certain Canterlot investigative team. A team that apparently had cleared up their name of having a bad habit of going after innocent ponies for crimes they didn't commit. They tried to bring Derpy up on charges of Grand Theft Muffin of all things!?! The team had reported that some shadowy figures had been seen abducting ponies and taking them to the castle's basement. As Twilight and her friends prepared to enter the Magic Mirror she couldnt help but feel a cold chill run down her spine. She would of brought Starlight with her, but she needed somepony to keep an eye on the Castle while she was away this time. Celestia discovered that the Mirror not only connected to the Human World but to many others if calibrated correctly to detect them. The Princess herself traveled to such a world once and never spoke of it again. Twilight hoped that this wasnt the same world the ponies had been abducted to. As they stepped through there was a slight buzzing sound and then bam, there they were already on the other side.
It took them a bit to get their bearings and feeling around their new surroundings. It was dark where they had exited, like the cavern of a cave. As they exited the cave, Twilight and Applejack looked at one another and realized they had been taken to a completely different world than that of Earth or Equestria. It was rocky and Barren, with a few metal Structures littered here and there. It was like some powerful force had obliterated half the settlement that once belonged there. As they walked towards one of the buildings, Twilight spotted a sign half buried in the dirt. It read Hadley's Hope, but there was more, there was a warning sprayed across the bottom, GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN.
What happened here, Twilight thought to herself.
The warning was in all capitol letters as if to convey a strong sense of fear and urgency. There was no getting around this the purple alicorn thought, They'd have to leave as soon trouble reared its ugly head. She couldn't have foreseen the horror that would befall her or her friends if they made one small misstep here. She could feel the anxiety and fear set in.
" I don't know if we should go any further.", She lamented to AJ.
"Why?", Applejack asked her.
" I'm getting a bad feeling about this. Like I did when Celestia asked us to reform Discord, only ten times worse than that.", Twilight said, nearly cringing about what might be hiding in darkened Building looming in front of them now. There had been times where she'd been strong for her friends. Where they could depend on her. There were also times where she had gone nearly insane and brought more harm than good. She had become so worried once about missing the deadline for sending Celestia a friendship report that she went nuts and nearly brainwashed the whole town by enchanting her Smarty Pants doll with the Want it Needs It spell.
I can't lose control again, she thought.
" Don't let yer nerves get ya in a tangle Twi, I'm sure everything will be fine.", Applejack said trying to calm her best pony friends nerves. Then they heard a shout. They ran to find Fluttershy staring at a body. It was human, with a giant hole where the chest had been, almost like something had burst out of it. That was odd Twilight thought since her and her friends were in their pony bodies and not transformed into humans after crossing through the mirror. Maybe Ponies and humans existed in their seperate forms together in this world. They all gathered together and started exploring the dark structure, her and Rarity using their horns as flashlights for the others to follow. Then they saw it. There in one of the larger rooms, were a pile of both human and pony bodies. They bore the same horrific mark as the other one, a giant hole in the chest area.
Twilight realized they might of uncovered more than they bargained for. Wait she thought, what's that scratching noise. Something moved in the shadows, something not human nor pony. Something that apparently was causing Fluttershy to quiver with fear as well. They had to get back to the mirror soon, Celestia needed to hear about what they found. Then she saw a metallic small box on the ground and thought whats this? She used her magic to levitate it and bring it closer. It had a small display with numbers on it and a screen with a grid display. What Twilight found was a motion tracker. she used her magic to turn it on and see what its purpose was. That's when she realized she could use it to track the movement of anything, or anyone, anywhere she pointed it. She started to get signals, from all Around THEM.
Something else Twilight found that she neglected to tell her mentor or friends was some kind of weapon that had been left on the floor. It still had she came to read as a magazine clip slapped into it. It still had 60 rounds left in it. She used a concealing spell to hide it from her friends. A weapon like this fascinated the scientist in her. For humans to create a projectile based weapon intrigued her to no end. She also had found a weapons case not to far from it that read " USMC MK41 Pulse Rifle". Soon after her 'find', the motion tracker began going off. Signals were starting to come from all around her.
" We need to go back to the Mirror," She said in a panic.
" What is it now," Rarity spoke up.
" There's something coming this way, I'm detecting a dozen or so signals with this tracking device I found, we..." Twilight's panic over took her when she saw one of the things coming towards them.
" WE NEED TO RUN NOW." She shouted in a Panic stricken tone.
They all started running back to the Magic Mirror's portal location. As soon as they got there, they all jumped through. Twilight looked back before entering to see a Swarm of Serpentine like creatures chasing them. It was a Xenomorph Hive. The Planet they had gone to was none other than LV-426. Apparently, something had lured curious ponies into that universe. As soon as they were back in their own reality Twilight found a spell that would permanently cut their 2 worlds off for good. Twilight then noticed a pony she'd never seen before coming towards them. It was a gray pony with an odd cutie mark. The cutie mark was a WY. When she approached this mystery pony he asked her one thing.
"Why is the portal closed?" he asked her.
" Why do you ask?" Twilight shot back.
" I was sent here to ..." Oh crap, the pony thought to himself. He said more than he should of. It was dawning on him that they might have realized what was going on and that they had been to LV-426, hence why the portal was closed now.
" I'll ask you one more time, what is your business here, and why do you want to know about the portal." Twilight was getting a little past off at this pony's unwillingness to talk.
" I was sent here to collect hosts for some specimens we found on another planet. That's all I'm going to say," he said. With a bit of arrogance in his voice.
" What happens now?" He asked Twilight.
" You get to spend the rest of your life here is what." She snarled back at him.
With that, she and Celestia sent for the Royal Guard and had him taken to a cell.
" By the way Ms. Sparkle, my name is Peter. Peter Wayland." his voice trailing off as they took him to a prison cell in the catacombs of Canterlot. Twilight told Celestia what they had found while on that planet. IT was truly sad that all those ponies died in such a horrible fashion.
As Twilight returned to her castle in Ponyville she went to her lab and put the Motion Tracker on a shelf. She finally had the time to smile. despite everything that she and her friends had seen there, she realized that someone in that other reality had the brains and intelligence to come up with a device like this. And with that note, she told herself, she could now go to sleep. What she didn't know was that something had come through the Mirror before her and her friends....
" Twilight." Someone was in her room with her. She turned her bed lamp on to see Applejack sitting in the corner.
"How did you get in here, I thought I locked my bedroom door." Twilight looked at her friend curiously.
"How I got in makes no difference. It's Pinkie Pie. She's missing.." AJ sounded sad when she said it.
Something else about it didn't feel right to Twilight. She got out of her bed and went with AJ to check on Pinkie Pie. When they got to her castle bedroom what they found was shocking. Pinkie wasn't missing, Pinkie was found to be hiding in her closet. FROM A XENOMORPH. The Creature turned around, hissed at Twilight and AJ and ducked out of the castle window. When Twilight ran to the window she watched the damn thing CLIMB down the Castle wall and into the Everfree forest.
She couldn't help but feel paralyzed. Not only did something from another reality follow them back. It was something out of your worst nightmares. Now when she got ready for bed, she had to check the halls of her castle to make sure something wasn't lurking in the shadows waiting to kill one of them, or worse Eat one of them as a midnight snack.
That thought made her cringe even more than it did when she thought of it initially. As she prepared to check one more time, she got that feeling of dread shoot down her spine again. She turned around in time to come face to face with the Alien. The Creature hissed at her and then for reasons unknown, slinked back into the shadows and out a nearby window.
Twilight realized what true fear was, and it was never leaving her until she found a way to rid herself and her friends of this Night Terror now stalking her castle. As Daybreak hit, it dawned on her that this thing mostly comes out at night. Apparently Xenomorphs cant stands prolonged exposure to daylight. She still felt that fear even now during the daylight hours. She became used to it, like old Leather wrapped around her heart.
" What's wrong Twilight?" Starlight Glimmer asked.
" Oh, nothing," Twilight said with a nervous laugh.
"Ok, well just so you know, I went out shopping yesterday after you all got back from Canterlot, I bought Rarity some Vanilla Oats ice cream." Glimmer said with a smile.
" She'll love you for that," Twilight said with a small squee.
Author's Note
Updating this one chapter at a time. If something comes to my mind ill put it in. Little things here and there.
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
All she could do was hide under her bed sheet. Something wasn't right, Twilight thought. There was a eerie stillness in the air right now. Home was starting to become more like a deathtrap every night. She started shaking again, she hadn't done that in years. Her nerves were getting the better of her right now.
There were times she had to hold her breath, even in her own bedroom. It was enough to make any other pony crack under the pressure immediately. She let out a quiet sigh.
"This creature is really starting to get to me,", Twilight thought to herself.
That thing is out there.. waiting for me. Hiding in the darkness, waiting to make its move. I can feel it. The fear is like a blanket covering me in the dead of night. What am I going to do? Twilight thought to herself.
What was it going to take for her and her friends to survive the night?
Oh Celestia, I wish there was a way I could just banish it to somewhere far far away, even maybe another galaxy. Then again it would become someone else's nightmare. Oh why did this have to happen at all, She thought to herself.
She couldn't sleep, she could feel a tenseness in the air. Twilight couldn't stop dreaming about those bodies back on that planet. She didn't tell her friends that while they were checking things out, she used a spell to go back in time and see for herself what had happened. It was a magic spell that let her go back mentally while keeping her body in their reality. She had learned of it from the most unlikely source, Discord. She watched in horror as she witnessed the events of LV-426 unfold. She saw the colonists get infested by the Facehuggers, she watched as the Colonial Marines that were sent in weeks later, fight for survival against overwhelming odds, and she witnessed something she never thought she'd see. She watched in the past as Celestia and STARSWIRL visited this planet during one of their tests of the Magic Mirror. She always wondered why Celestia was so cautious at times. Her thoughts though came straight back to the Xenomorph now.
It was consuming her every thought. This thing was never going to leave and her friends alone. Twilight started to feel afraid, afraid of going to sleep and finding that monster hovering over her. She couldn't shake it off. In her dreams, her nightmares, it would run her down every time. She felt like she was losing her mind. And it was all because of the darkness that surrounded her bedroom, and the fear that had crept into her heart and her mind. It was going to be the same every night now. She was heading for another psychotic episode like the time she went crazy over the want it needs it spell she cast on her Smarty Pants doll. Only this ten times worse. Twilight tried to close her eyes and get some sleep. But she swore she could hear it in the darkness. A low hissing noise. The hiss of a living nightmare. When she woke up the next morning her bed was wet from the cold sweat she endured during the night.
" Are you ok, Twi?", Applejack asked her as they met in the hallway.
Thats an understatement Applejack, Twilight thought to herself before she spoke what was on her mind to the earth pony.
"NO.", Twilight said bluntly.
" I couldn't sleep last night. Not with knowing that thing is out there lurking in the darkness." She said with a sigh.
" It'll be ok, We'll find that thing and rid ourselves of it for good." AJ tried to lift Twilight's spirits, and it seemed to work for a bit.
When they entered the kitchen they were shocked to see Starlight collapsed on the ground with something attaching itself to her face. Whatever it was, it had finger-like appendages wrapped around her face and a tail coiled around her neck. Moments later the thing fell off, and she seemed fine. That's when Twilight realized that the nightmare was not just what was lurking in the darkness of her castle. It was developing inside her friend. The question was now a matter of more than just surviving the night. It was making sure that the rest of her friends survived as well. She also realized that the Xenomorph that followed them back and was stalking them, was a Female.
Everyone was getting ready to eat breakfast when Starlight started complaining about her chest. She began having violent convulsions, knocking over her plate in the process.
"What's wrong Starlight!?", Twilight asked in a panicked tone.
"UGHHH, My chest.." Starlight let out.
As soon as she heard that Twilight immediately flashed back to what she saw in her dream. Oh god, she thought. Not this. She got the sinking feeling that there was nothing she could do to save her friend from such a grisly fate. Twilight couldn't do anything but stand there with the others and watch in horror.
Thats when it burst out of her chest. A Chestburster Alien. Before the creature could find a place to hide, Twilight killed it with a bolt of magic. That thing that was on Glimmer's face earlier was a face hugger. And there was only one pony that could answer her questions and relieve her fear. And he was sitting in a Canterlot prison cell right now.
" Watch for any more of those things Applejack, I need to go to Canterlot to see an expert." Twilight teleported herself to Canterlot to meet with Princess Celestia to tell her of the dire news. And with that, she was gone in a blink of an eye.
" Good morning Twilight, so nice to see you.", She said. The look on Twilight's face worried her, though.
" I need to speak to that Wayland pony.", Twilight said.
" Why?", Celestia was curious as to why Twilight wanted to talk to him.
" Something from that planet came back before us and is stalking my friends. and I believe he knows what it is and how to deal with it.", She said with an underlying tone of rage.
And with that Celestia took Twilight down to the Catacombs. As soon as they neared his cell, Mr. Wayland looked up to see Twilight staring him in the face.
" Ah, Ms. Sparkle, it's nice to see you again.", he said rather sarcastically.
" Something came back through before we did.", She told him
" You must mean her.", Peter said with a smirk. He said it with such reverence. Why would he admire something so horrible? Then it dawned on her. A man in his position saw it as something that could be utilized, possibly as a weapon. But he had to also know that there was a remote possibility that it couldn't be controlled. But for right now all she wanted to know was what she was dealing with and ultimately how to kill it.
" What the hell is it.", Twilight looked at him and felt like crushing his skull with a single magical thought. But she needed answers, and she'd get it out of him somehow.
" She's a Xenomorph Queen.", he answered.
"And a perfect specimen.", she could tell he seemed to admire the damn thing by the way he was talking about it.
" How do we kill it. ", she needed to know this if she was to save her other friends.
" You think I'm going to just cough it up like that?", he sneered.
She could feel the contempt growing inside herself, She levitated him off the ground for a moment and began using her magic to crush the life from him. as soon as he turned light purple she stopped. Twilight turned around and left the cell, she decided to let him think about how close he was to death before she made herself stop from killing him. She didn't want to become like Sombra and gain some sadistic pleasure from torturing him. But there was a part of her that wanted her to do it, to break his spine and leave him in constant pain, and to relish in that pain. But her patient side won out. She released him from the grip her magic had on him.
And yet there was a voice in the back of her mind that started to speak. "You wanted to do it Twilight, you were so close to snuffing out his life for being so arrogant."The voice was a bit distorted. It sounded like a combination of her own voice, but the resonance sounded like Sombra's as well.
"Your not real," she muttered under her breath.
"Oh, I'm real my dear, and we'll come to embrace each other by the time this is all said and done." It spoke with such confidence. The voice had been with her ever since she had first experimented with dark magic all the way back when Sombra had first returned. She had never understood why she was so adept with Dark magic and she had never even read any of those kinds of spell tomes. She had just picked it up like it was nothing.
What Twilight didn't know at that time was that her parents weren't really her biological family. They had found her as a foal and just decided to raise her as their own flesh and blood. Twilight would find out that her real father was locked away in Tartarus and that he'd been trying to escape for years just to reconnect with her.
He had been banished back during Equestria's middle dawn era, shortly before the reign of the Two sisters and just after the end of the last Three Tribes war. No pony had ever told her that she wasn't normal for a unicorn, only that she was " adept" at magic and that it was her special talent. There was a reason for that. Trixie had worn Twilight's father's amulet during their fight and the Princess of Friendship had never realized that the amulet was her rightful heirloom and property.
Her father was known by a simple name back in those days. His name was Thanatos. And she'd meet him sooner than she would realize. After all of this trouble with the Xenomorph was taken care of. She would come to know her true legacy. IT was enough to shatter the world.
And with that, he sat back down on his prison cot. Twilight knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of him. She informed Princess Celestia about what happened to Starlight when they were getting ready for breakfast this morning. She returned to Ponyville to check on her friends. What she came back to was an utter shock to her system. All of her friends were suspended from the walls by some kind of Resin. There was Large leathery Egg like objects sitting in front of them. She snuck over to where AJ was and freed her from the substance restraining her to the wall. They made their way to the rest of her friends and freed them. Twilight stopped and watched as one of the objects started to open. She could see something alive in there wriggling around. She shot blasts of magic at as many of the 'Eggs' as she could, destroying them in the process. When they all turned around the came face to face with The Xenomorph Queen.
She told her friends to start running for the door. Maybe the daylight would blind these things. She could only hope for something like that to even happen right now. She knew she had to keep her composure, she was the Princess of Friendship after all, but then that she was one of the most powerful Alicorns in existence compared to Luna or even Celestia, she also knew that Equestria was going to be encountering dark times ahead. She could feel it deep down in her essence. What she didn't expect was how much this ordeal was going to test, and unfortunately, break her sanity. This one event would test more then her sanity, it tests her resolve as well.
There was a dark storm forming on the horizon. Somewhere in the vast reaches of the galaxy was a world called Sanctuary. For millennia the Forces of Light and Dark battled for the control of that mortal plane. One could count Equestria as an unknown extension of that world, among numerous others. It was said that the many worlds among the stars were made during Anu's battle with the Seven-headed Dragon Tiamat. And that seven key events would bring about the return of the seven Evils that once made up the seven heads of the Dragon.
There are Seven Lords of the Burning hells.
It was said that a specific event would cause them to be reborn into the world, yet it was never specified which world they would be born anew into.
That world would be Equestria. And Twilight and her friends would be the only ones to prevent their madness from consuming their world. At least that would be how it was supposed to play out it. She didn't find herself or the others consumed by the most absurd thoughts or actions.
In the coming week, She found herself being distracted by a certain Cellist that was performing in Canterlot. Or the fact she would almost certainly be nearly consumed by Dark magic. Magic that she excelled at almost way too easily. Almost as if she had been born with the power to control darker forces than she'd ever dreamed of. Twilight Sparkle would gain another title afterward.
Twilight Slade.
Author's Note
Just working out a few of "errors" that some people might freak out over. To me the whole point of a story is to convey a thought or emotion, but some people tend to forget that. I just want "someone" to enjoy what they read, thats it to me anyway. .
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
Twilight felt like she couldnt wake herself. The Nightmare she was having was like a broken record, it kept repeating over and over and over. She would find herself running through the halls of her Castle, her friends screaming in agony around her. She was paralyzed by the fear of not being able to help them. As she lay in her bed struggling to wake herself, Applejack came in to check on her. Aj was worried that this whole ordeal was going to shatter Twilights mind. Twilight could almost feel her sanity slipping. The only way to cope was to kill the creature now while she a chance. She woke up, much to AJ's surprise, and left the castle. She walked into the Everfree Forest and waited for night to fall. She found her prey just like she knew she would. The Xenomorph Queen towered over the Alicorn like a dragon. But Twilight knew she had to do this. She focused all her thoughts and channeled her strongest spell through her horn and fired it at the Beast. The Alien Queen was incinerated by the blast. Twilight made sure to locate any Eggs and destroy them so none of these things would threaten Equestria ever again. But Twilight would never be the same pony again. It would be a long recovery but at least she still had her friends to help her through this. She visited Starlight's grave to keep the spirit of her friend alive and up to date on everything going on in their friends lives.
IT got to the point where she could no longer tell what was real anymore. Celestia reluctantly relieved her of Princess duties for the duration of her stay in the psyche ward of the Ponyville Hospital. She began suffering from hallucinations so powerful that she actually thought Starlight was standing next to her talking to her about how she died and came back from the dead to stay with Twi. It even got to a point that she thought she was surrounded by Changelings, and they were all mocking her for failing to get to the Elements of Harmony when Chrysalis tried to take over Canterlot. She paced back and forth in the padded room the doctors had put her in. All the while she kept hearing a voice tempting her to open her mind to Dark Magic.
" IT's all in your head Twilight, Your friends arent far away, they'll help you through this." She told herself. She realized that she was starting to talk in the third person.Open your mind Twilight...
She started to realize the voice speaking sounded like Sombra's.
But Sombra was dead. Defeated by her, Spike, Cadence, and the Crystal Heart. But it was his voice none the less. A single thought came to mind. What if he survived. And what if he was the only pony that could help her in the condition that she was in right now. She knew that if it was him, Celestia would have none of it. She didnt want her former student to become corrupted like Sombra was. But after what Twilight had been through with that Alien and given her condition now, she knew there really was no going back to a normal life. The room they put her in wasnt magically protected enough to prevent her from teleporting outside of the building. Twilight listened to the voice in her head and ran into the Everfree forest. As if waiting for her, there stood King Sombra. He assured her that she wasnt seeing things. He put his hoof to her cheek to prove it. They moved deeper into the forest as the lights from the Hospital turned on , and voices started calling out for Twilight. She told Sombra to wait a moment while see took care of something. Twilight ran to the edge of the forest in time to see Rainbow Dash walking towards the treeline, calling out her name. She called out Dashie's name to let her know where she was. RD ran over to Twilight and hugged her, before telling her that she needs to come back inside. Twilight had a different proposal.
" Why dont you come with me Rainbow." she said in a tone laced with soft traces of love. the others didnt know that RD and Twilight were romantically involved to a degree. They'd share a kiss every so often on Hearts and Hooves day when the others weren't around. Rainbow Dash followed Twilight into the woods, where they met up with Sombra, who showed them a pathway that looked as if it hadnt been traveled in centuries. It lead them to a small clearing where they came across some abandoned stone buildings. There were books strewn all over the ground. Very old books from the looks of it.
But What neither of them came to realize was that all this was in Twilight's Head. Yes, she did escape and convince RD to be with her. But from there on Rainbow Dash was inadvertently sharing in Twilight's delusion. And it was all because of Twilight's magic.
" I cant believe he survived being blasted by the Crystal Heart." Rainbow Dash commented under her breath.
" He stored his essence in his horn. It left him weakened magically the second time around." Twililght told her.
One of the rooms in the stone building was still intact and had a haybed in it. Twilight and Rainbow Dash shared it while Sombra was busy looking for firewood.
As they were sleeping, Sombra thought to himself, I'll finally be able to get rid of Celestia, won't she be surprised when she finds out that the Elements have been broken. Once i bend these two to the dark side, nothing will stop us. With them as my allies, and Twilight as my Queen, we'll rule all of Equestria under an iron fist.
For once your my Queen, I'll finally know what it's like to love someone. I know it sounds crazy, but i can feel something for her, even if she feels something for her friend and not me. I can't wrap my head around it, but when i look at her, she completes me in so many ways.
"Twilight." Sombra said in a hushed tone.
" Yes?" She answered back.
" I... think i'm falling for you." He said.
" Falling? LIke in love with me???" was he being serious she thought, or screwing with her mentally.
" Yes." Sombra said bluntly.
Wow she thought to herself. The King of Shadows was proposing to her? Even though she had feelings for Rianbow Dash, she was kind of flattered. Her and RD could never return to their previous lives. Not now, not ever. She realized that the 3 of them could change the political landscape of Equestria, for good or for worse.
" And i want you both to my Queens." He said, including Rainbow in the discussion.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and then at Sombra.
" We accept." The two said in unison.
" Good" Sombra said with confidence.
Everything had fallen into place. Sombra used his knowledge of dark magic and Crystals to build themselves a castle where they had slept. It would be grander than Canterlot itself. He created his own army out of shadow to protect them and the castle from intruders. And with good measure. Celestia and the others would soon be searching for them in these very woods. And Celestia was going to find out the hard way what Revenge can do to a pony. Especially when that pony's name is Twilight Sparkle. But was everything that was happening really taking place, or was it all still her head?
Had she really escaped and convinced Rainbow Dash to go with them, or was she still in her padded room in the Hospital? She wasnt sure. Twilight wasnt sure of anything anymore. Was her sanity finally starting to crack because of what happened with the Xenomorph or because of her use of Dark magic?
" Rainbow Dash," she paused.
"What is it Twi?," RD asked her friend.
"Is... any of this real," Twilight asked her with a bit of a confused look in her eyes.
" What do you think?," Rainbow gave her an answer by smacking her in the shoulder.
"Owww," Twilight let out," ok, so everything is real."
"Glad i could help you figure that out," Rainbow Dash asnwered with a smirk.
Author's Note
Hope you all enjoy this. more to come at a later date.
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
Slipping Between the Cracks
Twilight turned to her left and saw nothing but white, there were no trees, just padded walls. She turned again and was back in the forest with Sombra and Rainbow Dash. What was happening to me she started thinking. She turned again to see Celestia and her friends surrounding her in the padded room praying for her well being, and yet when she turned to the right again she was greeted with Rainbow Dash's loving eyes. What was going on. Was her mind finally starting to slip? Was her sanity past the point of recovery?
She couldn't tell, not now, at least not anymore. Her mind was slipping away on her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Rainbow Dash is right there she thought, and yet she's also with our friends. Their waiting for you back at the hospital Twilight, All your friends are there.... waiting to kill you. Wait, she thought some more, KILL ME? NO. NO. NO. They care about me, they-they wouldn't do that... would they? She was so unsure now what was real and what wasn't. It all started to blur together for a moment. The Trees seemed to merge with the White padded room she was simultaneously occupying.
She felt dizzy as she watched the room begin to spin in different directions.
"Its ok. Their.. their waiting for me.." She begun to blather under her breath.
"All my friends.... yes my friends," She kept repeating.
Everyone were still searching the woods for the 3 ponies. Rarity kept shouting their names in the vain attempt that they'd hear her. The 3 of them were miles away by now, but the white unicorn didn't know that until it began getting late. Celestia called off the search for now, she told everypony they'd start again when the morning was clear the next day. She had no idea the mental stress Twilight was going through at this moment. No one did. And no one else would realize that 'Sombra' was in fact just a sick manifestation of Twilight's soon to be twisted mind.
Rainbow Dash was doing all she could to help her marefriend through this ordeal. What she didn't realize was that Twilight's magic was having an effect on her to the point that she was sharing in her friends delusions. And it all started the moment they left the woods together. Twilight could feel something clawing at the back of her mind. What if Rainbow Dash was going to betray her. NO. No. Rainbow would't resort to that she thought to herself. She loves me, she'd never hurt me or turn on me.
She .. She wouldn't. NO. NO. Twilight pushed the thought out of her mind as much as she could. She wasn't going to hurt then only pony other than her family that she truly loved and cared for. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but look worried as her friend sat there on the ground, and rocked herself back and forth. What am i gonna do? Rainbow Dash was pacing back and forth herself. Her friend was going insane and she couldn't think of anything to truly help her. She cared about Twilight more than anypony. This pained her to see Twi in this kind of condition.
Twists and Turns
Twilight could hear the words repeating in her head. With every utterance they became clearer and louder, almost like a Thunderstorm sounding off in her mind. She knew that Rainbow Dash would keep her safe. She knew that her love for her would make it all the more clear. Twilight opened her eyes to see Rainbow Dash standing over her with a concerned look on her face. Then they heard the sound of hoof steps. And they were getting closer. Rainbow Dash jerked her head to her left side in time to see a familiar pony approaching their location. She looked as if she was gonna panic.
"It's ok Rainbow, whatever happens at least we're together, right?," Twilight said as she got to her hooves.
"Your'e right," RD told her lovingly.
"IVE FOUND THEM," came the voice and soon the rest of their friends, as well as Celestia, were surrounding them.
"Rainbow," Applejack wasnt mad or anything when she saw the condition they were in,"Twi needs to come with us, back to the hospital."
"Yea, sure, just so the rest of you can lock her away?," Rainbow was getting nervous and angry at the idea of Twilight being sent back and forgotten, instead of being cured of whatever was wrong with her.
"It's not gonna be like that, Sugarcube," AJ was doing her best to keep the situation from spiralling out of control.
"I mean it Applejack, step BACK," Rainbow Dash got between her and Twilight. She looked ready to kill some pony.
"You need to comeback with us Twilight," Even Celestia tried to intervene and calm everypony down.
"You.. you're just jealous," Twilight spat," Jealous that i have somepony to love me and not force me to alone like you were for nearly 1000 years."
"How dare you...,"Celestia said with all the bitterness she could muster," I have you know Twilight that i did love somepony once. But he was killed during the first war with the Crystal Empire. I watched my beloved die as that bastard Sombra plunged a blade through his heart. So don't stand there and presume to know the things ive been through." Celestia could tell she shocked everypony with the revelation she just laid out, everypony including Twilight
She had never told anyone about that before. She had carried that burden for 1000 years, even during the time when she banished her own sister to the moon.
Author's Note
Hope you all like this, ill work on it some more tommorow.
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
Celestia had never told anypony before that she had nearly married somepony in the past. As Twilight's words stung her in her heart, she coldly revealed a part of her past that she had never wanted to confront again, nor reveal to anypony else. She could still remember the sound Sombra's blade made as it impaled her lover's skin. She could remember how much he suffered through it all just to tell her that he was glad to of met somepony like her, and despite their backgrounds, that it meant everything to him that she stayed by his side. Twilight watched as her friend and mentor broke down in front of everypony.
She realized that Celestia's past was nothing for her to throw jabs at. She never went through the burden of banishing a loved one, all the while regretting it for over a thousand years. She didnt know the pain of watching the friends that Celestia had made in her years, watching them die while she never grew old. She also never knew that Celestia and Luna had to bury their own parents in the Crypts beneath Canterlot. Twilight noticably lowered her head and apologized for the harsh words. She clearly didn't mean any of it, Celestia could tell by how remorseful Twilight had felt afterwards. She accepted Twilight's apology, and still insisted that the two of them come back with the others to the hospital. They all assured Rainbow Dash and Twilight that no one would harm them when they got back.
Back in the Pysche Ward
Twilight's screams echoed through the hallway of the Hospital. They were taking her back to that padded room again. She tried to kick and break free of her 'captors' the orderlies, but had no success at all. She watch as they escorted Rainbow Dash to a room of her own. She could hear them tell RD everything would be resolved shortly and they would let her go.
'NOOOOOO!," Twilight raged, " LET ME GO, I HAVE TO BE WITH HER, SHE NEEDS ME!," She continued to scream, regardless of fruitless her efforts were. They tossed her back into that room and locked the door. She found she couldn't use her magic at all. They had erected a dampening field around her 'cell' and an anti magic restraint had been placed around the collar of the straitjacket they had put her in.
This had to of been Celestia's doing when it came to the anti magic field. They didn't want to her to become a hazard to anypony around her. Two doctors came into Rainbow Dash's room and explained that she was being treated for some kind of magic contamination. They told her that was all they were aware of and that there was no need for alarm. What they didnt say was that Celestia also wanted them to hold her overnight.
She could tell though, there was something wrong. Everything that they were told was a partial truth. Rainbow Dash was seperated from Twilight and put into a padded room of her own for an over night observation. They told her that she'd be free to go soon after some tests were run. That never happened. Oh yes, they run tests. But on Celestia's ORDERS, She was to be held for observation. Apparently Celestia and their other friends had noticed measurable changes in Rainbow Dash's personality when she was with Twilight. She seemed to not want to leave her side, and when AJ tried to seperate them with Celestia's help on the way back, Rainbow Dash DECKED her. She had never done anything like that to the cowpony in all the years they had been friends. Celestia started to become convinced that something to do with Twilight's magic was overtly affecting Rainbow's judgement.
"LET ME OUT, I HAVE TO MAKE SURE SHE'S OK!!," Rainbow Shouted inside the padded 'cell'. That's what she called it at least. It felt like a prison cell. She had a phobia of being confined in small rooms like this. No pony had ever known why. Part of it had to do with her family life. She never told anypony other than Twilight that her mom left her on her father's doorstep one evening. She never saw any pictures of her mother as a foal, so never had any idea how she was. She never wanted to feel isolated like that again, so she took up racing as a way to make herself feel at ease.
"What's her condition Doc," AJ asked the doctor on call at the facility.
"She seems to be unstable still,"he paused as he said this," and she tried to take out one of the orderlies when they came to check up on her."
"She also kept shouting she needed to make sure Ms. Sparkle was ok, and that we weren't harming her, which i tried to assure Ms. Dash that we weren't." He could tell Applejack was concerned as he explained everything to her.
AJ turned to see the most unexpected visitor walk through the door to the hospital. It was A.K Yearling ( Daring Do). Everypony there was confused as to what a pony of her stature was doing there. She walked past Applejack and right up to the doctor.
"Why am i hearing that Rainbow Dash was committed?," she asked in that raspy, yet stern tone she was known to have.
"Um, Its for her own good, Ms Yearling," This doctor knew Ms. Yearling from years ago, but she apparently didn't recognize him. He figured out though why she was here and asking about Ms. Dash.
"Is there any chance i can see her, maybe i can get through to her or something," Ms. Yearling asked hesitantly.
"Of course, right this way," The Doctor turned back to Applejack and told her not to tell anypony what he was about to say.
"I wont tell a soul Doc," She was the most honest pony after all. If somepony told her something in confidence she made sure no one else would find out.
Back when they had first encountered Ms. Yearling, AJ had secretly made a mental note that the Adventure pony and Rainbow Dash bore a striking resemblance to each other. Applejack had thought at the time that maybe they were related and didn't know it. It wasn't exactly her place right then to come out and say something about it, so she kept it to herself.
"All i can tell you is that Ms. Yearling is a blood Relative of Ms. Dash," he looked at her as he said this," No pony else can know, not even Rainbow Dash, i dont know what the revelation would do to her state of mind." As soon as he said that he turned and walked Ms. Yearling to the room RD was being held in.
As soon as she walked through the door to the room, Rainbow Dash bolted to her feet in shock and surprise. Yearling turned to the doctor and whispered something RD couldnt make out. He turned back to her and stated that she was being released under Ms. Yearlings care. Rainbow Dash wasn't sure what to make of it, but as long as it got her out of that cramped room, she was fine with it. Yearling told her that they had promised to release Twilight the next day. The reason they both had been held there for observation was because Celestia believed that Twilight's magic been altered and thus was affecting Rainbow Dash in an unseen way.
Later that evening, they released Twilight when they felt she had calmed down enough.
"She was going through a tough time after our friend Starlight died," RD told her Idol," That and she was swearing that she had heard voices in her head." when she said that A.K. looked worried. Rainbow Dash then turned to her and asked how in the world was she able to convince the doctor to let her go. Only close family could.. do .. that. Rainbow Dash looked back at A.K. and saw that the tan pegasus was holding back tears.
"what, what's wrong A.K. ?", Rainbow was in for a shock as the adventure pony looked her dead in the eyes.
"I'm your mother."She said it. All these years later and she had finally let it out, nearly crying in between letting those specific words come out.
"You... This must be a joke or something," RD didn't believe her," Did Pinkie put you up to this?" The cyan colored pegasus let out.
"Rainbow.." A.K.started to speak, but RD cut her off halfway.
"My mother left me when i was a foal,"She spat.
"I know, i couldn't care for you then, you think this was easy for me? Ever since you ran into me during that incidient involving the rings of Scorchero, I finally realized that i needed to find you and tell you the truth. I dont expect you to forgive me right away kiddo, but i needed you to know that i regretted my decision everyday of my life. Every waking hour when i was writing a book, i was thinking of the mistakes in my life.
"I.. i need to go." and with those words Rainbow Dash bolted off in the direction of her cloud home. When she knew she out of sight, she changed directions and flew to Cloudsdale. There was a certain other pegasus she need to talk to. Her father, Rainbow Blitz.
Author's Note
Certainly worth the title if you ask me. :D
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
She's ... my mother. Those were the only words that rang through Rainbow Dash's head as she headed to her dads' house in Cloudsdale. She had to know if it was true or not, and if it was true, how was this going to affect how she viewed her idol. A.K. Yearling had run from her past all her life as far as RD was concerned. How could she of just left her like that. RD could feel the repulsion towards that act building with in her. When she finally got to Blitz's house she knocked on the door, the sun had just started to set, with the last bits of light still floating over the clouds . He answered the door, surprised to see his daughter standing there with her eyes apparently red from sobbing.
The thought that her idol A.K. Yearling was the mother that left her when she was just a foal, was still ringing through Rainbow Dash's mind. There were so many emotions hitting her all at once. She knew she couldn't stay mad at her forever. But she wasn't exactly sure how to tell her how she felt after all these years. She had so much anger and resentment coursing through her veins right now, but she also tried to remain level headed and see it from Yearlings perspective.
"A.K. Yearling..... Is she my mother?," She asked him. She could tell from the look in her father's eyes that it was painful for him to go through this at all. Rainbow Blitz took a deep breath, and looked Rainbow deep in her magenta eyes. He took another breath before speaking.
"Yes, it's true."
Rainbow Dash's face lost all of its color. There were a thousand questions raging through the pegasus mares' mind. How, no why did she abandon me? Why didn't she tell me sooner? Why did she wait so long to come back into my life now? Was she aware of all the times i could of been killed when Fighting Nightmare Moon, Sombra, or Discord? That i took Scootaloo in under the fear that i didn't want her to grow up like i did, without one or both parents? Did she think i'd just welcome her back with open hooves?
All these questions and more were swirling around Rainbow Dash's head. She knew deep down that she understood as to why A.K. had to leave her all those years ago. Another part of her hated her mother for it all the same. She did understand though that it would have been too dangerous for her to be raised by a pony that was always being sent on adventures. Having her child with her would of put one or both of them in unnecessary danger.
What would her mother think if she knew that her own daughter had faced down threats like Sombra and Discord. Or even Nightmare Moon for that matter. Would it finally force Yearling to come to her senses? Dash knew that only time would tell if questions like those came up at all in conversation.
She couldn't of known though that her own marefriend, Twilight, would be seduced by another. Nor that she would succumb to an ancient curse brought about by the use of Dark Magic.
No. I need to go back and find out why she hid this from me for the longest time. I need to find out what else compelled her to come forward now. The Cyan colored pegasus was still having trouble believing that A.K. Yearling was her long lost mother. And even when it did sink in, she felt more resentment towards her than ever before. She was so angry at her for abandoning her so long ago. Why didnt she just take her with her? She could of raised her to be an assistant or something. Of course if that had happened she'd of never met her friends or defended Equestria from various threats. Defended Equestria, that thought stayed prominent in her mind. She was going to make her mom listen to all the times that she nearly died without so much as a thought of her being there for her own flesh and blood.
Rainbow Dash flew back over that spot where she had left A.K. when she flew off. She wasn't there. Rainbow decided to fly to Twilight's to see if she had seen her. She had. Yearling was sitting down in Twilight's library, slack jawed at all the merchandise that Twi had bought of hers. Books, Posters and even a few Neigh Bucko plastic figurines littered the bookshelf where she kept all of her Daring Do novels. Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash with a view laced with worry and concern. She looked back at her marefriend and asked her to come to the balcony.
earlier that afternoon, they had decided to release Twilight into Celestia's custody. She looked to be improving, and whatever was wrong with her magic had subsided, so Celestia decided the lavender alicorn was fit to be sent home for the night. What Celestia didn't realize was that things would go down hill the next day or two, and continue like that for the next couple weeks or more.
"She came here worried about you Dashie," Twilight spoke affectionately.
"I had to go to my dad's for something," Dash looked over Twi's shoulder, making sure that A.K. didnt hear," Something that's going to change how i view A.K. Yearling for a long time."
"What's so important you couldn't come to me first?," Twi asked her with some concern.
Rainbow Dash entered the room adjacent to the castle's balcony, motioning Twilight to follow her into the library. As she did A.K. Yearling turned around to face her. Her flesh and blood. Her daughter she abandoned years ago to pursue her archaeology adventures and her book writing. And Twilight was going to be a witness to it. To the Truth A.K. Yearling had hidden from the world for the longest time, until they had run into each other during the rings to Scorchero incident.
"Why don't you go first A.K.,"Dash began," why dont you tell my 'friend' here just what you started to tell me."Rainbow Dash felt like humiliating the older mare in front of her friend, at least part of her did. That part wanted to do it to get back at her for abandoning her own daughter to a world that was sometimes filled with injustice. Her more level headed side wanted to run to Yearling, and hug her, crying all the same and forgiving her for abandoning Dash all those years ago. That side eventually won in the end. She had to vent out all of her anger first.
Twilight remained where she was standing, puzzled as to what was going on at first.
"I know part of you is angry at me," A.K. said,"angry that i did what i did," she paused," But you have to understand kiddo that i did it to protect you, I couldn't just take you along." Kiddo?, Twilight got called that by her own parents when she was a filly. It was a sign of affection given to her by... her mother. Wait, she thought. DARING IS DASH'S MOM?!. She kept listening despite coming to the revelation on her own.
"Protect me?," RD glared," Do you have any idea of the things i've been though??", She was furious and A.K. could tell.
"I've faced down Nightmare Moon, King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, Discord, and Lord Tirek," She just laid it out there. By the look on Yearling's face, Dash could tell that it was sinking in. Sinking in that at any point if they had failed or faltered she could of been killed by one of those menaces. Yearling sat back on her haunches when she heard Dash mention Nightmare Moon. What was i thinking she thought. She knew of the princesses through her 'dealings' with Ahuiqzotal. Celestia had been concerned more than once that Yearling was in over her head, but she had assured the princesses that she could handle it. She had never learned of the names of the mares that had reformed Princess Luna, just that they had used the Elements of Harmony to do so. Yearling was looking at one of them now, her own Daughter was the Element of Loyalty. She just sat there as the weight of that memory long ago came crushing back to her mind. I should of never left, she thought. She also realized that if she hadn't Rainbow Dash might of never moved to Ponyville, or met her friends.
"Rainbow....," her voice trailed off as she was overcome with tears. She broke down in front of both mares and began crying. Yearling felt a hoof on her shoulder and glanced up to see Dash hugging her. Apparently seeing her mom bawling was too much for her to handle. She was never one to hold a grudge for long. She felt bad for coming across so harsh to her. That and Twilight was glaring at her to console A.K.
There was a faint,"I'm sorry, so sorry ,"as Yearling muttered the words in between crying some more into Rainbow Dash's shoulder. They decided to start picking up the pieces of Yearling's life. Twilight herself nearly cried tears of joy as she watched Rainbow Dash reconcile with her mother. They talked about Rainbow's life, despite all the pain that was showing. She told her mom about Scootaloo. Scootaloo was presumed to be an orphan since no one ever saw or spoke of her parents. She had a house, but some believed that it was a half way house that been given to her by the orphanage she had been placed in as a foal. Awhile back RD had taken her in as an adopted sister. She wanted her to have a better chance at life, so she took her in.
"You didn't want her to have the same path that you did,"A.K. looked at Dash with a soft smile," so you did what i failed to do."
Dash could tell that she was proud of her daughter for it. The two of them hugged. Rainbow got up for a moment, looked back at A.K., and told her she'd be right back. Rainbow Dash wanted Scootaloo to meet her idol, to meet the mare that was Daring Do, and the mare that was her mother. She felt now was the perfect time to introduce the two of them. Scootaloo had such an impact on her that she couldn't put this meeting off anymore. She felt herself filled with a renewed kind of purpose in life. They would pick up the pieces of her life together. The three of them plus Twilight would be a whole family.
Dash and her mom left for a moment to go pick up Scootaloo, but when they got to Dash's cloud home, she was sound asleep. They decided to go back to Twilight's castle and wait a bit. That would be a mistake. For little did they both know that Twilight was under going a dramatic personality change. And it was all due to a pony she had met some time ago in Canterlot. A pony that Dash didnt know her 'lover' had been seduced by and slept with the last time she had been in Canterlot. But she would soon. And Twilight would share in this pony's curse. The two of them would become bound by more than just sex and romance. They would be bound by something dredged up from the utter depths of Tartarus.
Author's Note
All of my stories are works in progress. i update them when im not crafting, doing art, or playing Starcraft, or updating my Youtube Channels. I've been considering doing a reading of one of mine, but i keep putting it off. That and i can't wait for season 6. 3 MORE DAYS. THE HYPE IS GONNA GET REAL.
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
When they went to visit Twilight, Dash and her mom could tell something was off with her daughter's friend. Her behaviour was different, almost disconnected to a certain degree. Her movements almost seemed controlled, like some dark force was using her as a marionette of sorts. When she looked at them, her eyes seemed hollow, almost cold. It sent chills down Rainbow Dash's spine, as well as A.K. Yearlings. Twilight just stood there, like a silent predator under a guise of false friendliness. Dash and A.K. began backing out of the castle. Twilight started walking towards them with a sick grin on her muzzle.
feed
Must.....
FEED!
That singular thought was consuming Twilight at the moment, Dash and her mother looked ripe. If she got ahold of them she'd rip the meat off their bones and eat it raw.
WAIT. what... what is happening to me? Twilight thought for a split second. Their my friends, she held onto. But the hunger was overpowering, and the voice that followed was cold and yet sweet all at once. They'll be part of you if you want to think of it that way, dear Twilight. They'll live on through you, their essence will become part of us.
"Twi..Twilight.. What are you.. doing?," Rainbow asked her in a terror stricken tone. She couldn't grasp why her friend and lover was now looking at her as if she was a piece of meat ready for the shredder. Dash and her mom both bolted to the sky and headed for the one safe place, Sweet Apple Acres. As soon as they got there, they found something right out of a horror movie. Applejack was found in her barn tied to a post upside down. At first Dash thought she was dead, until she touched the cowpony's side, and AJ started squirming. They untied her and asked her what happened.
"I .. I . don't know, i was outback checkin' mah tool shed when something overpowered me and dragged me in here, it was too dark to get a good look, but i .. i thought i saw a glint of purple, and then i blacked out till y'all came along," Applejack saw the shock in Dash's face, but what she heard next was worse.
"AJ, we just left Twilight's and she looked like she was going to kill us," Dash had to pause for a moment before continuing," She looked distant, like something in her mind had snapped." Rainbow could tell that this surprised AJ as much as it did herself when it took place. It had looked as if something dark had taken ahold of their friend. They couldn't of been more right. Twilight's mind was being warped by something that the three of them could never comprehend. But one pony could. This pony was also sleeping with Twilight behind Rainbow Dash's back. And it was one of the most unlikely kind. Twilight was sleeping with an earth pony that she had met one night during a orchestral performance during a trip to Canterlot. This pony was a cellist with the Canterlot Orchestra, one that Twilight had met once or twice before and really paid no mind to.
hun..ger..r...
must.... feeeedddddd........
must consume.... ESSENCE.
But this pony came to her during this latest trip to Canterlot, and something about her mesmerized Twilight to the point that they went to bed together. She had never had sex with an Alicorn, much less a princess before and yet it was best thing that happened to both of them. But unfortunately this unnamed pony had a dark curse laid upon her. She was tormented by constant music playing in her head, and now after her 'romp' with Princess Twilight, that curse had been passed to our dear Twilight. Something dark and sinister was now pulling the strings on her life to the point that she was a danger to ALL around her, including her friends. This force had never been exposed to a magic wielder like Twilight, and now that it did, it could very well cause tremendous amounts of pain and torture.
Twilight's very soul was struggling to curb the hunger of the darkness inside her now. She could feel it. When she looked in the mirror, gone was the radiant purple mane with a crimson streak through it, and in its place was a blackened mane with a silver streak instead. She could feel herself slipping at times. As she looked in the mirror, something flashed through her mind. A white unicorn lying in bed with a snapped neck and a horrified look on her beautiful face. Then she snapped back to reality and the horror sank in. It was Rarity. She.. She had killed one of her own friends. a friend that next to Rainbow Dash she might of developed more than affection for. A mare that she realized had stolen a kiss from more than once. A mare she had slept with during the last Hearts and Hooves day. And neither AJ nor Rainbow Dash had known about it at all. Twilight could feel herself being consumed by the darkness a little more after she had come to that very hard and unbearable truth.
She turned to look away from the mirror, but that was harder than it looked. She noticed as she glanced sideways into it that her purple coat was almost a muted grey. She had become something out of a nightmare she thought. And yet she was still hanging on to the memories of her friends. She wanted to run, no, to gallop back into the arms of Rainbow Dash and tell her a thousand times how sorry she was for trying to harm her. She knew that AJ wouldn't be as forgiving though. She had known that Rarity and AJ were dating when she and Rarity had their little fling.
This unnamed pony for the moment had been abused and cursed by her own parents. They were well to do unicorns that had inadvertently given birth to an earth pony. This pony hated her life to the point that when she finally met the Princess, when they slept together she whispered to her that if she wanted to see her again, then her parents needed to be taken out of the equation. She told Twilight about the abuse, and about the curse her parents put over her. About the constant music in her head. Twilight didn't realize that the curse over this pony had been transferred to her now. She waited until her mistress' parents entered into their mansion, and used her now darkly enhanced magic to literally shred her victims. She walked back out of the mansion to the arms of her lover, and the two of them walked away from the scene of the crime.
This pony and Twilight went back to Twi's castle and went to bed together. She swept Twilight more under the power this curse that had been placed over her. But she wasn't griping. The more the two kissed, the more they had the urge to go further into depravity. Twilight allowed herself to be tied to the bedpost and whipped, an act in which the two took turns. They slapped one another's flanks in a dark and kinky fashion. And all this was being done with the knowledge that Twilight had been ordered to kill her parents upon receipt of sexual favors.
The two ponies would become inseparable now. Every kiss, and every touch would bind their souls together, for good or bad. There was no escaping the fate that would be handed to them for a crime such as murder. No pony in over 100 years had killed another pony. And old hatreds would simmer to the surface of what was supposed to be a now peaceful nation, a hatred that could divide the country of Equestria into thirds. The old Rivalries between earth, pegasus, and Unicorns would be dredged up to the surface after nearly 1000 or more years of unrequited peace. A peace that would be hard to restore when it was shown that a member of royalty was sleeping with a renowned cellist by the name of... Octavia Melody. Yes. That OCTAVIA. Even Vinyl Scratch would come to know the taste of heartbreak after what her friend, and her partner, had resorted to.
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
Everything was so clear to her now. Her new purpose, her mistress' every caress and the whipsers being made into her ears. She could feel the hate buidling for what she had been for the longest time. Just a slave to her friends and her former mentors every whim. They took her firendship and her very soul for granted. She would also know the price she'd paid for the evil she committed. But she didn't care anymore. All of her past was behind her now. All she was looking towards now was the darkness that engulfed her now. She embraced it with open hooves. She would become their Nightmare. The living emboidment of ever lasting torment and pain. And yet she was also a slave to her 'lover's' curse until the end of time. And even then she'd still be trapped in a semi immortal shell.
She should of known the price of the evil she committed. There was no one to call, no one to blame it on but herself and her damned immortal soul. Even Octavia couldn't of foreseen the path that she and her curse had set Twilight on. Hell was about to come to Equestria's doorstep once again, and there'd be no end to it. Their pain would be what Twi now desired. Their tormented screams would fill her heart with pleasure, as well as a deep and ever abiding abyss.
Their Tragic lives would be clear as both the night and day in which they all slept and lived. The whispers of the dead spoke to her in the heart of the night, passing along the blessings and curses of those damned souls that interacted with the mortal realm. Twilight could hear her grandparents amongst the souls speaking to her now, as well as that of AJ's parents, and many many others that died long ago. Twilight's sanity was gone now. In its place a cold and calculating machine that no longer cared about friendship reports, or her friends for that matter. It only cared for Octavia, and the chaos that once permeated the land when Discord ruled.
Rarity was in bed when a shapeless form slithered into her bedroom above the Carousel Boutique and took shape. Before the sleeping mare stood a Black Alicorn with a glistening Crimson and Purple Mane. Rarity awoke to a sudden chill and saw she'd soon realize was Nightmare Twilight. Before she could utter a single word a purple and black aura formed around her neck, and with one thought, snapped her head to the left. There was no remorse in the eyes of this Nightmare alicorn.
It disappeared as quickly as it had entered. In the morning when Rarity didn't show up for her usual get together with Applejack, AJ went to Rarity's place to check on her. What she found stopped her heart cold. There in front of her was the lifeless body of her friend, and fiancee. She noticed the black and purple magic tinge around Rarity's neck, and screamed inside the confines of her own mind.
TWILLLLLLLLLIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
AJ staggered out of the White unicorns bedroom and into the horrified eyes of Sweetie Belle. She kept the small filly from entering until the Nurse Ponies could get there to recover the body and examine it further. The look in Sweeties' burned for an answer as to who could of killed her sister. AJ looked her in the eyes and told that from now on she was her responsibility. She told SB that she and Rarity were in the process of getting married, and that if anything happened to one of them, the other spouse would take care of her.
AJ found Spike hanging around outside of Sugarcube Corner and asked him to alert Princess Celestia that Twilight has become some kind of Nightmare Alicorn. Spike looked at her in disbelief, but immediately went and got a quill and ink and penned the message. The context of the message was that something odd was happening to Twilight according to Rainbow Dash and that Celestia should get here soon before another one of their friends were found DEAD. Apparently no one had told Spike that she had killed Rarity while in her new form. The little purple dragon looked at AJ with a grief stricken look in his amber green eyes. It was beyond comprehension for him. How and why would Twilight do something this heinous? No pony had killed another in over a hundred years. Why now?
Both Celestia and Luna arrived to see what they could do to help. How could she of done this Luna thought. What could of driven a mare so devoted to her friends to kill one of them in something akin to cold blood? Unless... Luna thought. She wondered if this had anything to do with that dark disturbance that been reported to them by Discord. He told her in private that he felt something might of been trying to take a hold of Twilight and that there was another pony with her. From what he could gather it was an earth pony, but she had traces of unicorn magic IN her blood. The only earth pony that had been born to Unicorn parents was one Octavia Melody, from what Luna was told by her sister. It had been reported that her parents had been killed by an unknown assailant. Luna suspected that intruder to be Twilight. What they didn't know was that Octavia's parents had used forbidden magic to get her a cutie mark, and now that curse had been transfered to Twilight after the two of them had sexual relations with the other. Twilight's soul was now bound to Octavia's, and it would take something extraordinary to save them both. And much more to keep them both alive.
The first signs were starting to show. One of the vendors in Ponyville that ran one of the fruit stands hit a grey mailmare with a bag of apples before attempting to hit her again with his bare hooves. Celestia stepped in at the right time to prevent him from striking the grey cross eyed pegasus in the face. She turned and glared at the vendor for his actions.
No one had seen this kind of aberrant behavior amongst poines for nearly 1,000 years. Not since the times of Discord or the birth of the Lunar Republic. Back then it had been a crime of Treason to show any kind of violence like that. She believed she had fought hard for the equality and the peace that her ponies now knew of. It might of surprised her to know that even 1,000 years later the tensions between the tribes were still prevalent, it would just take more to bring them to the surface. This was just the first step in a much larger plan. But The Princess of the Sun didn't know or realize it until it would be too late.
Her, Twilight, and Octavia had no idea that the curse that been placed upon Ms Melody by her parents was from the time of the Lunar Republic. It was the final piece of a puzzle that had been lost to the annals of time. Her sister, Luna, had tasked her Lunar sages with cataloging all the Known dark magic artifacts and keeping an eye on them should they need to be employed or eradicated if they proved too powerful to control.
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
There was no denying it now. Nothing would stop Twilight from consuming all in her path. She could feel it. It whispered to her of the horrors that would befall her homeland. It sang of the dirges of the dead and dying. She had lost all pretense of sanity awhile ago. Whatever she clung to now was an echo, a shell of what she used to be. Soon the Twilight Sparkle everypony knew and loved would be close to dead, consumed by the dark curse inflicted on her by her mistress Octavia Melody. Soon dead things would creep beneath the moonlight, and terrors to freeze a pony's soul would slither between the shadows, waiting to smother their victims in her name. Or better yet, in THEIR name. Three unholy beings would be summoned to Equestria and tear its foundations asunder.
The lands of Equestria would fall one by one to the 3 Lords of the Burning Hells. The Lord of Hatred would rekindle the bitterness and mistrust of the three pony tribes to an unbelievable level. And Princess Luna would again be torn between staying loyal to her sister, or being endowed with the power and title that would be offered to her by the Lord of Destruction himself, Baal.
She could feel the darkness calling out to others of its like across all dimensions. ITs taint left her wanting more power and depravity. The Darkness inside Twilight was about to bring forth the most unlikeliest of allies to her world. A trio that nearly destroyed a far away land with hellfire and creatures of your utmost nightmare. Out of the blackness of the shattered Soulstone emerged 3 beings, but the world they entered was not their own. Normally when demons are slain by mortals or the Angels of the high heavens they are reborn in the Burning Hells. But not these three. Their souls were dredged up and pulled from the abyss into a swirling portal not ment for them. Twilight Sparkle had unknowingly put all of Equestria at risk now.
Whether or not she could be saved was of no consequence at the moment. Equestria would be graced with the presence of Three of the most powerful Demon lords known to the far away land known only as Sanctuary. Matheal's death at the hands of the one called the Nephaelm had released Diablo's essence from its stone prison. And yet Tyrael had no way of knowing that this action would also create momentary contact with another realm none of them had ever heard of. This new land though would come to feel the fear, despair, and Terror that accompanied these three Strangers.
As they fell through the portal, the three brothers landed in an open field not far from Canterlot. The lands around them were pristine, the grass being touched by a slight breeze. As they got their bearings they all turned to one another and cracked a wicked smile. They weren't sure of what they would find in this new world called Equestria, but they knew they'd take advantage of the chance to corrupt this land to their whims. The Three had emerged.
Their names were Diablo, Mephisto, and the Lord of Destruction himself, BAAL.
Back in Ponyville
AJ hugged Sweetie Belle as tight as she could. The poor filly had been crying all night, since Applejack had told about what had happened to Rarity, but most of all that if they had gotten married that if anything had happened to one of them, the other was to take care of Rarity's little sister like family. Sweetie couldn't believe her big sister was just gone. How? How could Twilight of done something like that? she thought to herself. The two held onto one another until Sweetie had sobbed herself to sleep in AJ's hooves. Her and Applebloom had set up an extra bed in the Clubhouse for Sweetie to stay in. AJ still couldn't believe it herself. The one pony in the world that she loved more than anything was gone now, taken away from her by a friend that was herself possessed by a darkness none of them could comprehend. And that darkness would cover the land in misery soon enough if the Royal pony sisters didn't attempt to stop it.
Applejack just stared at a picture of Her and Rarity that was sitting on her nightstand. The picture showed the two mares in a loving embrace, with engagement rings around their hooves. It had been the happiest moment of her life right then and there. All Applejack had left now were memories of her lover. And those kinds of memories she would hold onto no matter what. She had to understand why Twilight did what she did, she just had to. Something though took ahold of her. An intense Hatred that she couldn't deny. IT creeped into her mind, whispered into her ears that she should find Twilight , and bury an axe in her former friend. AJ picked herself up and trotted over to the axe that was resting over the mantle of the fireplace. The axe in question had belonged to her father at one point and had been passed down to her after her parents deaths. She held it in her hooves as clearly as one would of held one in their hands if she had been human. She carried the axe in her mouth and closed the door behind her. With the hatred burning stronger now the closer she got to where she needed to go, the more her rage fueled her.
None of their other friends knew what she was planning, and even if they did realize what she had planned, none of them would stand in her way. Not even Rainbow Dash. Applejack was no longer an Element of Harmony, she became the embodiment of Hatred now because of what Twilight had done to Rarity. And she was going to make Twi suffer hard for it. She was going to make her understand the pain and suffering that AJ was going through now. The Element of Honesty was gone. And the Lord of Hatred would be the one to cast the first stone.
Mephisto had acquired his first pawn. Her name was Applejack.
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
Applejack, Mare of Hatred
Her life was over. Everything she had ever cared about or loved was becoming distant to the tan earth pony. Applejack thought long and hard about what she was planning. Her friend Twilight was now just a beast needing to be put down. Her friend had become a monster and as much as it pained her, needed to be brought to justice for what she did to Rarity. Rarity. The one and only mare she had ever truly loved with all the fibers or her being. As much as the two of them had squabled, she knew she loved her the fisrt moment they stole a kiss during Nightmare Night. Twilight Sparkle was many things, but she was never the type to murder a pony in cold blood. At least back then.
"Twi, ya better prey to Celestia' for mercy," AJ said softly to herself as she neared the Castle. The lights were on. As she opened the door, she caught sight of a grey earth pony entering the map room. The pony didn't see AJ, it was dark in the hallway. The Lights were on in the top half of the castle. Applejack made sure as not make any noise as she slipped down the long winding hallway unseen. As she got the stairwell, she ducked out of sight as the other pony came around the corner. AJ got a good look at who it was.
Octavia? What in lands sakes is she doing here? Applejack thought for a moment. then it hit her like a pile of bricks. Was this the mare that had cursed Twilight? Aj had known Octavia for years, she was considered part of the family even. She was related to AJ's Aunt and Uncle Orange, so Octavia was actually a 4th Generation cousin of the Apple Family. As Tavi ascended the stairwell, AJ followed behind her, keeping her distance as not to startle the grey earth pony. As Tavi walked into Twilight's bedroom, Applejack quickened her pace. The tan earth pony kicked the door to reveal Twi and Tavi in bed together. Twilight turned around startled at first. But when she saw who it was, her heart froze. The Purple alicorn had been able to expel the evil that tried to take ahold of her before AJ had gotten to the castle.
But that wasn't going to stop Applejack from getting revenge. Twi saw the anger and hatred in her friend's eyes. The hatred was overpowering. Twilight could feel it eminate from her friend like an aura. AJ was seething with it. Octavia tried to reason with their mutual friend, but it didn't look like it was having much of an influence on her. That's when Twilight saw the ax clenched in Applejack's mouth. The earth pony reared up and placed in her front hooves, before trying to slam it into Twilight's flesh. Octavia saw this and pushed Twilight out of the way. The Ax hit the bed, nearly hitting Octavia in the side. She ducked down and avoided the lethal strike.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING APPLEJACK?!", Twilight screamed in fear, " Octavia helped me dispel the force that was possessing me!," She yelled out. She saw AJ readying another swing.
" YA KILLED RARITY!," AJ hollered," MY WIFE!." As Applejack let that ring out, Twilight got a look of sheer horror on her face. AJ saw this and backed off. What was she doing? She looked at Twi one more time and came to the conclusion the alicorn was telling the truth, her coat was back to its normal radiance, as well as her mane. There was something more though. Octavia wasn't moving at all now. It turned out that at the last moment while AJ was in mid swing, the ax made contact with the cellist's flank. Twilight could see the horror in her friend's eyes.
"IT's ok AJ, it was an accident. Thats what we'll tell them if she's dead." Twilight reached out with her left hoof and felt for a pulse. There it was. the heart beat was faint, but it was still there. Twilight looked for something to use for a bandage. When her back was turned she felt something strike her in the back of the head. It was the handle of the ax, with AJ in possession. But whats more was there was a second pony behind her. Twilight blacked out as she hit the floor of her bedroom with a soft thud.
AJ and the pony in question, dropped Tavi off at the local hospital, with a note that read she had been in some sort of accident. It didn't specify what the accident was, just that she had lost some blood. AJ and her ' friend' though, took Twilight back to the farm and down into the new Apple Cellar that AJ had built the year before. They locked the door behind them and woke Twilight up with a cold bucket of water. The other pony next to her was Rainbow Dash. As she came to she took notice of where she was. Oh god she thought to herself. Dash was going to find out she had slept with another mare, and betrayed her trust and confidence. Twilight tried to reason with her two friends.
"Please dont do this. I told you, she helped me expel that force that took hold of me, why are you doing this AJ. I'm Sorry for what happened to Rarity, i am, but I HAD NO CONTROL WHATSOEVER?!." AJ seemed to relax after was out of the way.
But Dash, Dash was another matter. The Cyan pegasus punched Twilight in the stomach. She realized they had tied her to a post planted in the center of the cellar. She hit her again. Twilight knew she deserved it, she had betrayed Rainbow. She had told her multiple times before that there was nopony else. And it was true then, but not recently. She deserved each slap and punch the Pegasus threw at her. Rainbow backed up when she realized she had gone too far with it. Twilight was tied there, sporting a black eye, multiple bruises, and blood running down her nose and mouth. What have i done she thought, she had been upset at Twi for sleeping with another mare, but to do this to her?
Dash trotted over to Twilight and held her. The Alicorn didn't even bother to push her away, she knew that her marefriend was remorseful, that she didn't realize she was capable of something like that. But it also made them both wonder if this was something that might happen again. They both knew that Berry Punch had been in an abusive relationship, hence why the purple mare was now an alcoholic, although they knew that she never hit her daughter at least. Twilight's friend Moondancer had just gotten out of a bad relationship herself. The stories she told Twi in their frienship letters back and forth between here and Canterlot could fill volumes.
Rainbow Dash untied Twilight and continued holding her battered friend. Twilight could barely stand as it was now. She ached to much from all the blows she received. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and cried in silence at what she had done to her marefriend. To think she was capable of that kind of damage to somepony she loved, was enough to almost break her heart. An abusive relationship was not something either mare wanted to dwell on. Now came the hard part. Getting Twilight and Applejack to forgive each other over the others actions. They turned around to see the cellar down open, and Applejack gone like the wind. She couldn't be near Twilight, not right now, not with all this hatred burning through her soul right now. AJ ran as far as she could, as fast as she could until she was in an open field half a mile away from the farm and away from the lights of town.
She turned to see a shrouded figure twice her size approach her position. There was something ominous about it, but something kept her there. That was when she heard his voice in her mind. A chilling, yet somewhat calm voice speaking to her now. It was something that on any other occasion would of frightened her. But not tonight. The voice continued speaking, whispering to her. It started to take on a sickly sweet tone.
"You know you should of killed her, dont you?", the voice chimed.
"what are you carrying on about?" AJ responded back.
"Your friend, the Alicorn." it spoke, " You should of just gone through with it, buried that axe in her neck the way she snapped your wifes," The voice began to take on a more determined tone.
"If you and i were to become one, we could work together to achieve it, to achieve the revenge you so want right now." The voice beckoned her, no, tempted her in to the thought.
"What would happen to me after?" Applejack needed to know what the drawback to a deal like this would be.
"You would become the Embodiment of Hatred, of Vengeance," The voice whispered to her.
" Ah cant' believe Ah'm sayin this, but you got yourself a deal." AJ then felt an intense gust pick up, and before she knew it, she was levitated off the ground. A black and hazy red aura surrounded her and then disappeared. As she opened her eyes she could feel the power washing over her. Applejack the Element of Honesty was gone now, replaced by something darker, albeit stronger in a sense. The lord of Hatred gained a physical foothold in the land of Equestria now. In this new body, she would be known as the Mare of Hatred. Her former friends had no idea what was coming their way. As she was getting used to her new form, something else was taking place in Canterlot. The Princess of the night was about to be tempted by a mystery guest He'd give her an offer she couldn't refuse.
Shattered Harmony: True Terror comes In Packs
For too long he had waited for another chance like this. It was almost too easy as far as he was concerned. To be honest, he could sense the power in this creature before him, but he could also see how on guard she was. It was always the nature of some beings to seek power over anything else that was handed to them. It gave them focus and made ones of their caliber stronger. But power also had the tendency to corrupt, and Princess Luna was all to familiar with that concept. She had let her jealousy get the better of her once before. And all it cost, in the end, was banishment to the moon for 1000 years. She had forgiven Tia for it years ago. She thought she had learned from it, but this being in front of her made her question it all the same. All the old wounds were coming back to the surface. Wounds that she thought she had healed long ago.
"You were a difficult mare to track down My Lady,", the cloaked being told Princess Luna ," it's almost like you didn't want to be found."
"Twas not that hard to hide my aura from the likes of you,", Luna spat back at him. She knew who he "was" and just how powerful he could be if she fell back into his trap. She had learned her lesson from the last time they had met.
" So," the cloaked figure in front of her began,"What do you say Princess?", She tried to deflect the look it was giving her from under that dark hooded robe.
Luna was no longer the same pony she was when her heart was filled with envy, loathing, and jealousy for her sister and her position within the Canterlot hierarchy. She no longer harbored those feelings towards Celestia like she once did all those years ago. She had no idea that her refusal of this creatures deal might cost Equestria dearly in the end.
Baal, the Lord of Destruction patiently waited for an answer from this 'interesting creature' that was standing in front of him. He had corrupted countless humans and nearly succeeded in corrupting the Worldstone, only to be cut down by not only a group of human heroes, but to see his goal undermined by not only Tyrael for destroying the Worldstone, but the incompetence of his younger brother Azmodan, his brother Belial though was a whole different story. Baal was well aware that it was Belial that had manipulated the others with a precision that was unmatched by the other Lords of Hell. He was also unaware that Belial was still ALIVE. Apparently he had granted one of his minions his masking and camouflage skills, and the ability to copy both of his forms. Which meant that the Belial that was absorbed into the Black Soulstone was not the real Belial, but a plant.
And Belial had plans for Equestria. Plans that involved a shape shifting creature that was just recovering from a failed coup detat'.
"I know you can sense energy and magic levels, my dear", It hissed to her. This thing was right on that regard. Luna could sense a tremendous power coming from this 'thing' standing in front of her. She could sense something else, a faint trace of ... humanity. Luna and Celestia were aware of the knowledge of humans, first because of the Magic mirror that Twilight used to go after Sunset Shimmer. And second because nearly 1000 years before her banishment, and around the time of Discord's coming to power, there had been a small civilization of humans here, But those humans were so chaotic it allowed Discord to manipulate them into wiping out their entire race through Nuclear Warfare. Such devices were recorded of in a forbidden section of the Canterlot Library that not even Twilight Sparkle was aware of.
Am i really that willing to cross the line and betray Celestia again? Luna thought to herself long and hard. If she did this there would be no redemption for her this time. As the princess of the night stood there in the throne room, she could feel the indecision hang in the air like a thick fog. She turned to the mysterious figure and shut the book on his offer once and for all.
"No." She spoke those words as strongly as she could. Apparently it wasn't the answer he was looking for. The figure disappeared in a cloud of black and grey smoke. Perhaps there was another in this world that was more accepting of his offer. It wouldn't take him long to find someone that was more accepting of what he had to offer. Especially when they were within the borders of Canterlot.
On the outskirts of the Equestrian border between Canterlot and the Badlands, Baal stood where he had teleported and paused for the longest time. He felt the need to collect his thoughts before seeking out the next target on what was a small list. What he didn't expect was that his brother Belial was right behind him. Belial had perfected his masking ability to the point he could mimic any Equestrian lifeform and completely fool his own brothers without them knowing it was really him, and not one of the locals as it were.
Baal turned around to come face to face with whom he thought was Princess Celestia, the Sister to Princess Luna and ruling monarch of this land. Before he could even utter one word, he was hit with a blinding flash of light, and found his form being sent into oblivion by mimicry of Celestia's most powerful offensive spells. Belial had mastered Equestrian magic faster than any of his kind could have predicted. That and he now had the perfect guise in which to manipulate everypony around him.
As Baal's essence turned to ash, Belial had made sure to copy his brother's form before disappearing into the Badlands to track down Queen Chrysalis and other her his services in exchange for her allegiance. Belial couldn't help but admire her outward appearance. For most in Equestria Queen Chrysalis was a monstrosity to be condemned for her actions, as much as her appearance. Not so with the Lord of Lies. He actually found her quite beautiful and robust in her figure. Of course, she was completely unaware that she was being watched.
The Lord of Lies knew full well the ins and outs of human emotions as well. He knew the kind of power that Lust, Jealousy,and other emotions could have on someone. And the Changeling Swarm fed on the most powerful emotion of all. Love. And he would make sure she had an ample supply of it, if not more. Belial was going to offer the Queen of Changelings more than just a simple alliance. He was going to offer her his hand/hoof in marriage. Not only was that beneficial to Belial, it would also mean that if they were compatible genetically then he could produce for her an heir and future ruler of the Changeling Swarm. He continued to observe her before deciding when to make his presence known to her.
Queen Chrysalis was getting her bearings after making the long trek back to her hive. The outskirts of it bordered Canterlot, mostly since her empire was still vast and intact after her failed invasion of Canterlot itself. She had erected a concealment spell to hide the majority of her empires border, that way it was easy to cross into Equestria proper without being detected most of the time. Little did she know was that she was about to be given an offer she couldn't well refuse. And all it took was the possession of her body by another being of immense power.