Blackest Night: Equestria

Part Three: Sun, Moon, and Stars

The princesses were resting together on Celestia’s bed, moving as little as possible as they concentrated on replenishing their magic. Celestia herself was leaning against the backboard, eyes closed and her legs folded in a neat pile, while Luna was sprawled on the edge of the bed, her limbs dangling over the side and touching the floor. Both of them were attempting not to focus on the sounds of carnage coming from outside, with limited success.

After awhile, however, the sounds they were hearing began to change. Celestia cocked her head and frowned. “Luna? Do you hear that?”

Luna inclined her head and listened hard, faintly making out a growling murmur from outside the castle walls, muffled by the closed window and thick walls. With a pulse from her horn, Luna opened the window with her magic and listened again. A low chant came through the open window, gradually getting louder and more distinct.

“DEVOUR HARMONY. DEVOUR HARMONY. DEVOUR HARMONY. DEVOUR HARMONY.”

Frowning in consternation, Luna stepped off the bed and trotted over to look out the window.

The Black Lanterns had abandoned their attack on Canterlot’s populace, stepping away from their intended victims and rising into the air as a unified mass. The nobles and guards who had been attempting to fight them off looked surprised and a little wary, huddling together and preparing for the worst as they watched the Lanterns’ ascent. The sky began to fill with flying ponies.

“They’re moving off,” Luna noted with trepidation. “It would seem that their priorities have changed.”

“‘Devour Harmony’,” Celestia repeated. “What could they mean by that? Do you think they are after the Elements?”

Luna shook her head. “Not likely; their direction is all wrong. They are headed away from the tower where the Elements are kept.”

“…which points them directly towards Ponyville,” said Celestia.

There was a pause.

“So that would mean…”

“We can’t be certain of anything just yet,” Celestia reminded her quickly. “They could be headed to anywhere in Equestria for all we know. Still, we must get in contact with Twilight and her friends as soon as possible and make sure they’re safe. For now, they are our only real weapon we have against these creatures.”

“Shall I write them again?” asked Luna, already halfway to the writing desk.

“No, that won’t be enough,” Celestia replied, getting up from the bed and stretching. “We will need to assess the situation firsthand; it’s the only way we’ll know for certain that they’re safe. Do you have enough magic left for a long range teleportation spell, Luna?”

“Teleport? To Ponyville? You mean us to intervene personally?” Luna asked nervously. When Celestia nodded, she began to fidget in place. “Sister…I do not believe that going to Ponyville is a very good idea right now.”

Celestia looked at her inquisitively. “Why not?”

“There are…many complicated factors involved,” Luna evaded. “Given the current situation, and with the citizenry in a state of panic…and with recent history to consider…I think it would be best if I were not seen in Ponyville during this crisis.”

“Luna, this is not the time or place for your riddles!” Celestia said impatiently. “We are in a state of emergency! Every second that passes where we do nothing puts the future of all of Equestria in jeopardy! If you have a good reason why we shouldn’t go to Ponyville, then I need to hear it!”

“I – I-”

“LUNA!” Celestia yelled.

“Because Ponyville will mistake me for one of those creatures!” Luna burst out. “Those ponies will take one look at me and assume the worst! They will think that Nightmare Moon has joined their forces, or, or, is controlling them through her magic or something else equally preposterous and insane! They do not listen to reason when frightened, Celestia; you have seen what they are like! If I were to suddenly appear, now, in the midst of all this disaster, I would only make matters worse! To them, I am still a monster!”

“Oh, for the love of-” Celestia shut her eyes and took in a deep breath. “Luna, this is ridiculous! How can you possibly be concerned with something as trivial as that in the midst of an invasion?”

“It is a relevant concern!” Luna said stubbornly. “I would not be welcome there and my presence would only cause more panic. My talents would be better served helping the Royal Guard with the wounded or sending letters to other nations requesting their assistance. I will only be a liability in Ponyville.”

“Luna.” Celestia’s voice was firm. “Right now, Twilight and her friends are in danger. The most important ponies in Equestria are at risk in an attack that nopony knows how to stop, and they might not even be aware of this threat until it’s too late. If we lose them, we lose everything. Without the Elements, we don’t even have a chance. Equestria will be lost. And the more time that we waste here, the closer we come to losing them completely. Are you prepared to risk their lives on the chance that Ponyville might reject you?”

“Well, I –” Luna struggled for words for a moment, then stopped and hung her head. “…No. You are right, sister. We should leave at once.”

“Good,” said Celestia brusquely. “Do you remember how to perform the spell?”

“I think I am well acquainted with teleportation magic, Celestia,” Luna said with a faint smile, her horn already spilling magic out into the air. “Especially yours.”

Celestia grimaced and added her own magic to her sister’s, allowing the white and blue energies to mix and swirl together until they created a shimmering ball of magic. Meeting each other’s eyes, Celestia and Luna simultaneously sent out a pulse from their horns. In a flash of light and a rush of noise, the two princesses disappeared.

Inside the gardens near Canterlot Castle, Black Lanterns continued to fly into the air as a stone statue of a dragonequus shuddered on its plinth. Tiny cracks and imperfections appeared across its body, with bits and pieces of stone slipping off the statue’s surface like a layer of shed skin. The statue continued to fragment into pieces, moving and shuddering as though there was something moving underneath it.

With a thunderous roar, Discord burst out from within the confines of the statue, sending rubble flying everywhere. He arched his back and stretched loudly, the joints in his wings and arms popping as he shook out the cramps of his recent slumber. Yawning, he put his hands behind his head and drifted into the sky, taking a glance at the area around him.

“My, my, that didn’t take long at all, did it?” he murmured to himself, his lips curling into a smile. “What let me out this time? Horde of rampaging wildebeests? A few stray feathered serpents? Yet another love spell gone tragically wrong?”

“Discord…”

The dragonequus looked down to see an angry-looking group of Black Lantern ponies directly under him, with the pegasi in the group swooping up to glare at him face-to-face.

“Do you know who we are?” one of the pegasi spat.

“Well, if I had to guess…” Discord made an exaggerated show of looking off into the distance and tapping at his chin with a claw. “…I’d say you’re a bunch of models trying out one of those new diets. You’re all looking great, by the way; nothing but skin and bones – literally.”

The pegasus snarled threateningly at him. “You murdered us, Discord! Chopped us up, roasted us, froze us - all for your sick amusement! You saw our pain and you LAUGHED at it! Now we’re going to make you feel EVERYTHING that you did to us!”

Discord burst out laughing. “Ahhahahahahahahahaha! Well. Well. This is a new one. You know, I do believe I am genuinely impressed. Resurrecting all the ponies that I killed so they can come kill me in an ironic little application of karmic justice? How wonderfully original. I haven’t seen anything like that in centuries. Well done, Celestia, Luna, Twilight – whichever one of you came up with this little parlor trick. You might have even fooled me, too, but you forgot about one little thing…” His grin broadened. “There’s no magic that can raise the dead.”

“You know nothing,” the pegasus spat. "You can’t even recognize what’s right in front of your face! Soon we will-”

“Oh, give it a rest,” said Discord, rolling his eyes. “Your charade’s been spoiled; now you’re just embarrassing yourselves. Besides, the whole ‘zombie’ thing’s more than a little played out. I think it’s time we changed things up a bit. Something in the neighborhood of oh, I don’t know – green rubber ducks that sing soprano?” He snapped his fingers.

Nothing happened. The Black Lantern pegasi flapped closer.

Discord frowned. “Hm. Must be off my game today. Let’s try that again.”

He snapped his fingers a second time, and still nothing happened.

Screwing up his face in determination, Discord pointed at the undead pegasus in front of him and willed it to change, pushing with all the power of his innate magic. As before, the pegasus remained the same.

“Why isn’t this working?” Discord burst out, frantically aiming from one Black Lantern to the next. “Change! Change! Purple flowers! Green-and-blue bees! Encyclopedias that dance the polka! Something! Why aren’t you changing?!”

“As powerful as your magic is, Discord, it is still only magic,” the pegasus said, his eyes hard. “Magic is nothing compared to death. Death is everlasting. Death conquers all. Even you.”

The pegasi flew at him, latching on to his head, midsection, and legs. Discord struggled, trying to throw them off, but the momentum of their impact drove him into the ground with a crash. In an instant, the Black Lanterns were swarming all over him.

He barely even had time to scream.

Twilight was unable to speak, something that she counted as a blessing given her current situation. If she had been able to talk, she would only have been able to either make a long, high-pitched squeaking sound or let out a stream of babbling gibberish that would’ve put Pinkie Pie to shame. This was the effect of seeing the mighty Star Swirl the Bearded in the flesh before her, looking at her with open contempt and a dismissive gaze. Twilight felt herself shake and tried very hard to keep her legs from giving out. The others had mentioned how traumatic and frightening it was to face a Black Lantern, but she hadn’t expected anything like this. Dead animals and resurrected family members she could handle; this was on another level entirely. This was the stallion who had quite literally written the book on magic, laying the foundations for everything that she knew about her craft. Twilight didn’t even know how to begin fighting him.

Exhaling out a sharp breath, she shut her eyes and concentrated on casting a spell. A stream of magenta light shot from her horn, creating a light pink dome around her and her friends. Twilight tried not to let herself sag in relief.

“A basic amniomorphic defensive shield, created by focusing a stream of magic into a single point and letting the compressed magic spill out in a circular radius, forming a bowl-like shape,” Star Swirl said tonelessly. “Easily countered by unspooling the point of compression, thereby removing the base of the spell.”

The top of the bubble started to unravel like a slowly peeled fruit, the layers of magic dissipating once they were no longer connected to the bowl. Twilight frantically tried to cast the spell a second time, only to see her stream of magic sputter and die before it reached the top of the dome. The sides of the dome started to wobble as the spell continued unraveling, growing steadily weaker as the bowl’s point of support diminished. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike all huddled together for safety, staring up at the unwinding dome in apprehension.

Again and again Twilight tried to recast the spell, and each time the spell was deflected away, as though there was a glass wall in between her and the dome no matter where she aimed. Despite her best efforts, all she could do was watch as her barrier collapsed, falling to the ground in a splash of raw magic. Twilight’s friends flinched in response, staring wide-eyed at Twilight herself, now paralyzed with fear.

He destroyed my spell from the inside out – and he made it seem effortless! Twilight thought, her panic rising beyond her control. But how is that even possible, especially without a spell aura? That can’t have been traditional magic; it must’ve been some kind of Black Lantern trick. Unless…he was somehow able to reach out and manipulate my magic instead of casting his own spell, but I thought that that kind of magic was considered theoretical at best! And if that’s only the beginning of what he’s capable of…Oh Goddesses, what kind of spellcaster am I dealing with here?

“I must say, I expected quite a bit more from you,” Star Swirl commented with a dry harrumph. “Using a defensive spell that any first-year magic student could cast against me, a spell that I invented*, no less, and you honestly believed that that would be anything more than an annoyance? You embarrass yourself for even entertaining the thought! And this is supposed to be Celestia’s newest protégé, the one that the Canterlot Mage Assembly declared to be the most promising magical practitioner they’ve seen in decades? Either this is an extraordinarily cruel joke or Celestia’s standards have been slipping.”*

Twilight was taking painful, shuddering breaths, blinking furiously so that the tears in her eyes wouldn’t be visible to the Black Lantern. “Not-the-truth-not-the-truth-not-the-truth,” she chanted under her breath. “He’s-just-an-illusion-he’s-just-an-illusion-he’s-just-an-illusion-”

“And now this!” Star Swirl exclaimed. “Utilizing a childishly rudimentary mnemonic device in order to counteract a psychological attack, not to mention the fact that you’re actually saying it out loud *like a distraught little schoolfilly! If you are truly the Element of Magic then I must question how Equestria is still standing!”*

Twilight choked back a sob, burying her head in her hooves and repeating her mantra at a faster pace.

“Don’t listen to him, Twilight!” Dash called out. “He’s just trying to mess with your head! You gotta focus!”

“You mustn’t pay attention to those dreadful lies of his!” Rarity added. “His words are a merely a feeble attempt to drag you down to his level! Do not give him that satisfaction!”

“You’re the number-one pony in town, Twilight!” said Spike, giving her a thumbs-up. “Nothing can stop you, not even a crazy undead pony sorcerer!”

They’re right. My friends are right. I’m better than this, I know I am. Goddesses, have I really let him get to me this much?

Twilight stopped crying, rubbing at her eyes with her hooves. She looked back at her friends, giving them a silent nod of gratitude before turning back to confront the Black Lantern.

“You’re wrong,” she said, renewed strength in her voice. “I’m not weak. I’m not powerless. I’m not a failure. You don’t know anything about me. You don’t know anything at all, and you certainly don’t know magic! I can’t believe I ever actually thought of you as Star Swirl the Bearded! You’re not even his shadow; you’re nothing! You have his face and his powers, but you don’t understand magic the way a real unicorn does! Magic isn’t a contest or a game of skill, and it’s not a tool to make yourself look better than others! Magic is harmony, a living, breathing harmony that binds us unicorns to the universe! Magic is vibrant, magic is colorful – magic is LIFE to us, and whoever or whatever you are, you’ll never understand that no matter how long you live!”

Twilight punctuated her speech by shooting a beam of magenta light at Star Swirl, forgoing the shape of a traditional spell in favor of a blast of pure magical energy.

Magic.

The beam glanced off of Star Swirl’s flank, leaving an ugly burn scar that quickly healed. Star Swirl barely reacted to the injury, glancing down at it with a “hm” before locking gazes with Twilight once again.

“An impressive speech,” he said indifferently. “You comprehend magic on a level much better than I, and you are empowered by the strength of your bond with your friends. How very touching. Unfortunately for you, though, I have friends of my own.”

“DEVOUR HARMONY. DEVOUR HARMONY. DEVOUR HARMONY. DEVOUR HARMONY.”

A wave of Black Lantern ponies soared out of the clouds, descending rapidly to land on the ground behind Star Swirl the Bearded. All kinds of Black Lanterns were in the mix, including stray birds, chipmunks, rabbits, earth pony workers, Wonderbolt pegasi, and Canterlot elite. Each of them snarled, hissed, and bared their fangs at the group, spreading out to form a tightening circle around the six ponies and one dragon. As they advanced on the group, more Black Lanterns continued to appear from out of the sky, continually adding to their ranks.

“Uh…this might be a problem,” Fluttershy squeaked, her eyes huge.

The zombies closed in on them, the circle growing smaller and smaller as they grew closer to their prey.

“Girls!” Twilight shouted. “Remember your Elements! If we work together, we can repel them!”

“Ah, yes. Lord Nekron informed me of those bothersome abilities of yours,” Star Swirl noted. “Your little ‘harmony’ trick won’t work this time, I’m afraid.”

“What’re you talking about?” Dash demanded. “I nearly killed one of you zombie lantern things using my Element! With all six of us here in the same place, we’ll blow you all away, no sweat!”

“That may be true,” Star Swirl conceded with an ugly smirk. “But even then, there are only so many of us you can attack at one time, and our numbers will never stop growing. Every Black Lantern in Equestria is after you now, and no matter how many of us you kill or drive away, there will always be more. It is only a matter of time before we overpower you purely on the basis of numbers alone. And once one of you has been bitten, your power will no longer be united and the rest of you will be felled one by one. But don’t let me impede you; by all means…show us what you’re made of.”

Twilight gulped, but didn’t move. Applejack glanced at her. “Twi? You ready to do this?”

“S-sure, yeah,” Twilight managed, tensing her muscles in anticipation. “On my mark, everypony! One, two, -”

Before she could get to “three”, the Black Lanterns roared and sprang into the air, leaping at them from all directions with their mouths stretched wide. Instinctively, Twilight powered up a spell, fully aware that the zombies were far too close for her to be able to cast it in time. With no time to move or take one last look at her friends, Twilight shut her eyes and waited to feel the sensation of teeth biting through her fur.

In a flash of blinding light, Celestia and Luna appeared before them, standing in between them and the Black Lanterns. In a synchronized motion, the twin alicorns quickly swept their horns back and forth, unleashing dual concussive blasts of magical power. The Black Lanterns were buffeted away by this show of force, howling in impotent rage as they were flung into the air and far off into the distance, falling like raindrops.

“Princesses!” Twilight cried out, breaking into a relieved smile. “Thank goodness you’re here!”

Celestia offered her student a gentle smile before returning to the matter at hand, stepping forth and flaring her wings challengingly at the Black Lantern Star Swirl. Luna did the same, pausing only slightly to adjust the navy blue saddlebag strapped to her side.

“You simply had *to intervene, didn’t you, Celestia?”* Star Swirl said disapprovingly. “I had hoped that overstepping your bounds would be an uncommon practice in this new age.”

Celestia stared at him with a pained expression. “Star Swirl. Not you too.”

“Even the mightiest of ponies succumb to death eventually. You and your sister should know this better than anypony,” said Star Swirl. “Soon even you so-called immortals will see the peace and clarity that death brings to us all.”

“Enough talk, foul trickster!” yelled Luna, blasting a bolt of magic at him. “You would disgrace the name of Star Swirl with your blasphemous insinuations? Such a deed is beyond reproach! HAVE AT THEE!”

Luna fired bolt after bolt of charged magical energy at him, with Star Swirl deflecting each one of them without moving the slightest inch. No matter how quickly she cast the spell or how powerful the beam was, he evaded them all, tearing her beams apart and letting them dissipate before they could reach him. Star Swirl remained impassive throughout, studying Luna with detached interest as she continued to hurl attacks at him.

With Star Swirl momentarily distracted, Celestia turned and addressed Twilight and her friends. “Listen to me, all of you; we don’t have much time. You need to get out of here as fast as you can. Luna won’t hold his attention for long and more of those things will be here at any second. It’s imperative that you get to safety. Hurry!”

“B-but what about you?” Fluttershy questioned.

“We’ll be right behind you as soon as we can, don’t worry,” Celestia promised. “We won’t let you out of our sight until you’re out of danger. Now go!”

Nodding brusquely, Twilight turned tail and fled, with five ponies and one dragon hurrying along behind her. Celestia watched until they were out of sight, then turned back to the battle. Luna’s breath had grown ragged by this point, her spells growing noticeably dimmer and sluggish as her rage slowly burnt itself out. Star Swirl was openly smirking at her, an eyebrow raised in challenge at her weakening efforts.

In one swift leap, Celestia was at Luna’s side. “You can stop now, Luna,” she said quietly into her sister’s ear. “I will handle the rest.”

Luna nodded, promptly ceasing to fire spells and panting softly. The Black Lantern looked from one Princess to the other, his smirk widening as he turned to regard Celestia.

“Star Swirl.” Celestia’s voice rang out across the open courtyard. “I am putting a stop to this right now.”

“And how do you propose to do that, Princess?” Star Swirl called out. “You cannot kill me, and not even your magic is capable of surpassing mine! I am the greatest mage that Equestria has ever known!”

“Yes. Yes, you are,” Celestia replied. “And yet, Star Swirl the Bearded – the real Star Swirl the Bearded, mind you -  remains largely forgotten by our history, with most of his magical innovations lost to time. Did you ever wonder about that, when you were taking his form and absorbing his memories? Did you ever wonder why a stallion that completely revolutionized magical theory left so little of a practical legacy?”

“How does any of that matter?” Star Swirl spat. “I have the power! I am the superior magician! That is all that is important!”

“See, Star Swirl realized - entirely by accident - that his proficiency at magic made him the most dangerous pony that had ever lived,” Celestia continued, ignoring him. “He had mastered control over the magical fields of other ponies, an ability that granted him an unexpected gift: not only could he sense the harmonic field at which all ponies’ magic vibrates, but he could also control the harmonic field itself. With the power to manipulate the field of any spellcaster, he could turn their own field against them and do almost anything he wanted to their physical form. Nopony had a chance of stopping him, as nopony understood harmonics the way he did. Such power terrified Star Swirl, and so he ordered the advanced forms of his magic stripped from public knowledge, ensuring that this dangerous power would die with him. He did do one thing with harmonics before passing on, though…” Her eyes flashed. “He taught it to his Princess.”

The Black Lantern Star Swirl opened his mouth to reply with a condescending sneer, but only a ragged cough came out. Frowning, he straightened up and tried to speak again, only to stop when he noticed how much his throat and mouth were quivering, robbing him of speech. Looking down at himself, Star Swirl was alarmed to discover that his entire body was quivering rapidly in place, with the faint trace of a white magical aura around him. As he continued to vibrate faster and faster, little bits and pieces of his decaying body flew off of him, creating small holes that exposed the dark gray skeleton underneath. Star Swirl attempted to run or at least move away from the area of this magical attack, but his attempt at movement only served to detach one of his legs, which promptly disintegrated. Star Swirl could only look askance at Celestia as his body was completely torn apart, with flesh, cloth, bones, and all reduced to small chunks and scattered to the wind. In less than a minute, he had completely dissipated.

Luna stared at the place where he had just stood. “Harmony above, sister, what was that?”

“Star Swirl’s…most terrible secret,” Celestia answered, panting. “Star Swirl…knew that with enough force exerted…over a harmonic field…you could get the equine body to do anything at all…even tear itself to pieces. He…made me promise…when he taught me harmonics…that I would never use it on another living pony.” She raised her head and blew out a breath. “I have…kept my word.”

Luna looked from the spot where the Black Lantern had disintegrated to Celestia and back again, her eyes wide. “Celestia…I never knew you were capable of such a thing.”

“I don’t like…to use it,” Celestia replied. “Aside from the…moral implications, controlling harmonics on that level…requires an enormous amount of magic…to be expended and focused on one subject…even for me. I don’t think…that I will be able to use it again…until I have fully rested.”

“Which you cannot do, with the sun blocked,” Luna noted grimly. “At least we are safe, if only for a moment.”

“It will not last for long,” Celestia said suddenly, standing up straight and turning to leave. “That spell was a diversionary measure at best. It will not take much time for Star Swirl to re-form and gather up his Black Lantern army once again. We need to find shelter for Twilight and her friends as soon as possible.”

“Agreed,” said Luna. “Let us make hence and find them. They have been apart from our gaze too long.”

Celestia nodded, and the two alicorns set out into the night.

“Twilight, slow down!” Applejack hollered, pushing her hat back up as she ran.

“We can’t!” Twilight replied without breaking stride. “Didn’t you hear what the Princesses said? We have to get to safety! Those things could be on us at any moment!”

“I do appreciate your concern, darling,” Rarity huffed, “but we haven’t seen a single one of those creatures since we started running! Can we please stop and rest?”

Stunned, Twilight skidded to a halt and looked around. The streets were deserted and dead silent, with not a single living or un-living pony in sight. There was absolutely no sign that there was even an attack going on at all, much less something chasing after the six of them. Twilight frowned. This didn’t feel right.

Behind her, her friends slowed to a stop with obvious relief on their faces, breathing heavily and working the kinks out of their muscles.

“Are we done yet?” asked Pinkie wearily. “Have we escaped? Twilight?”

Twilight was scanning their surroundings thoughtfully, her brow creased. “No,” she said. “No, I don’t think we have. Something’s wrong.”

“How perceptive.”

Black Hoof melted out from behind a tree, causing Twilight to nearly jump out of her skin in surprise. That tree hadn’t been nearly big enough or shady enough to conceal him, even with the low visibility caused by the thick cloud cover. The fact that he remained undetected even when they were that close to him meant that he must’ve been standing perfectly, unnaturally still behind that tree as he watched them. Twilight repressed a shiver.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Say…ain’t that Grim Graves over there? The creepy ol’ stallion who runs the funeral home?

”

“Oh! Hey, yeah, I remember him!” Pinkie blurted out. “I tried to throw him a Welcome-to-Ponyville party when he first came to town, but he just stared at me like a sleepy fish and said ‘You don’t smell right’! What a weirdo!”

“So what is he doin’ in one o’ them Black Lantern getups?” Applejack asked. “Last I heard, he was still alive.”

“Lord Nekron has personally brought me into the embrace of death himself,” Black Hoof murmured, his eyes unfocused. “I have been reborn as his instrument in this universe. I am Black Hoof. This army belongs to me.”

“So YOU’RE the jerk behind all this?!” Dash exclaimed. “Why, I oughta-”

“Dash, please,” cautioned Twilight. “Black Hoof…why are you attacking Equestria? Whatever did we do that made you want to hurt us so badly?”

“We hate you because you EXIST,” Black Hoof replied, his voice rising with fevered passion. “Life is a disruption of the natural peace of the universe. Life creates change, destruction, and chaos where before there had been only order and stability. Even among living things, you Equestrians are the worst, twisting and perverting the laws of nature to suit your own selfish whims. You are all monsters and hypocrites, and you do not deserve the blessings of this planet. When we kill the six of you, the tether will be severed and there will be balance in the universe again.”

“Twilight, he’s babbling nonsense,” said Rarity, frowning at him. “Tether? Balance? What on Equestria is any of that supposed to mean?”

“He’s talking about the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight guessed. “It all makes sense. That’s why the Black Lanterns have been targeting the six of us. That’s why those things back off whenever we display our individual Elements. The Elements of Harmony are your weak point, and you’re trying to destroy them before they can be used against you!” she finished triumphantly.

Black Hoof smiled humorlessly. “Foolish child. You know so much, yet understand so little. In a strange way, I envy you. Your ignorance grants you innocence of the horrors of your world.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” asked Applejack. “What don’t she know?”

“The Elements are only the beginning,” said Black Hoof. “The supposed ‘harmony’ you create when uniting your disparate abilities is only a taste of your true potential. Your power comes from a source that dwarfs every living thing in the universe, even your beloved Princesses. Your Elements are fueled by the power of Life itself, channeled through their chosen conduit…” He cocked his head to look directly at Twilight. “…her.”

“Me?” said Twilight, taken aback. “What do I have to do with this?”

“Everything,” Black Hoof replied. “The line between your universe and ours is razor-thin, and the primal forces of our cosmos have been seeping through for millennia. Even before your planet existed, the raw power of Life energy has been bleeding through and infecting the fabric of your world. As a result of this, a handful of Equestrians in every generation are born with the ability to sense this pure Life force, with some developing the ability to draw on the power themselves. Across the centuries, these ponies have been personally sought out by Princess Celestia…to receive special training.”

Twilight felt something cold coil up inside of her and squeeze tightly. “No…no, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’ve felt it, haven’t you?” Black Hoof countered. “The surge of power whenever you use the Elements, the rush unlike anything you’ve ever felt before or since…you have to know that it’s not just your own magic. You have to know that there’s something different about you, something that is beyond even what the Element of Magic is capable of. You have to know that the only reason Celestia picked you as her student was because of the connection you have to something greater than yourself, the connection to the Life of a different universe. Without that, you’d barely even matter to her.”

“You’re LYING!” Twilight shrieked, limbs trembling with a cold fury. “Princess Celestia wouldn’t ever do something like that! I know her! She wouldn’t lie to me!”

“You never thought it was strange?” Black Hoof continued, his voice dripping with fake concern. “How your magical ability jumped from barely functional to unbelievably powerful in an instant? How Celestia only offered to train you after that same explosive display of magic? How she always seemed to care more about your magic than your mind in those early days? Lord Nekron has shown me the truth, Twilight, and you must also accept it. You cannot deny what your heart already knows.”

Gritting her teeth, Twilight struggled to find something, anything to say back to him, some golden gem of a retort that would tear his words apart and expose him as a liar. Despite her best efforts, though, every comeback she came up with remained stuck in her throat, weighed down by the horrible realization that everything Black Hoof was saying made sense. Every doubt, every misconception, every question she’d ever had about her status as Celestia’s student was suddenly shoved to the forefront, invading her every thought and dominating her mind.

Before Twilight could say or do anything in response, a shout pierced the air.

“Twilight, get away from him!”

Celestia came galloping up from behind them at full speed, her horn glowing and her eyes fixed on Black Hoof. The Black Lantern reared up to face her, eyes glowing and hooves pulsing with an unnatural black power. Before he could make a move, though, Celestia blasted him with an intense burst of magic, sending him flying back into the shade.

Celestia skidded to a halt in front of the group, Luna catching up to her a moment later.

“Twilight, are you hurt?” Celestia asked her student, looking her over with concern. “Did he do anything to you?”

“I’m fine,” Twilight muttered, not meeting her eyes.

Celestia gave her a puzzled look before turning back and addressing the assembled group. “Alright everypony, listen up. We may not have much time left before those creatures attack again, so we must prime the Elements for use as soon as possible. We need a secure location to rest up and come up with a plan. Does anypony know of somewhere that the Black Lanterns won’t think to search?”

“Ooh! Ooh! I know!” said Pinkie, wildly waving her foreleg in the air. “Sugarcube Corner! I already chased one of those things out of there before I left to find you girls, so it should be clear!”

“Sugarcube Corner…that might work,” said Rarity thoughtfully. “They wouldn’t expect us to go back somewhere where we’ve already been attacked, especially that place. It should take them awhile before they think to look for us there.”

“Then what’re we waiting for?” Dash demanded. “Let’s stop talking and start moving already!”

“Wait, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia cautioned. “If we go there on hoof or by air, one of them may spot us. We will need to teleport inside if we want to remain undetected.”

Twilight’s head jerked up. “A long-range teleport spell?” she exclaimed. “With all of us at once, and all the way across town? Princess, I don’t think any of us has enough magic to pull that off, even you!”

“You’re right,” Celestia agreed. “We will have to pool our reserves and cast the spell as a group. Twilight, Rarity, Luna, begin adding your magic to mine and be prepared to cast the spell in unison. Everyone else, stay as close together as possible. We don’t want to leave anypony behind.”

The two unicorns and alicorn obediently trotted over to Celestia’s side, closing their eyes and powering up their horns. Thin streams of purple, white, and blue magic emerged, swirling together in front of the bright light of Celestia’s horn. The remaining members of the group shuffled towards them, all staring at the magnificent light show of magic hovering in the air.

Twilight, Rarity, Luna, and Celestia strained and grimaced as they concentrated on their magic, their horns so bright that they obscured their faces. Above, the glowing ball of magical energy spun faster and faster. As the four mages increased their magical output, their individual streams of magic blended together to create an intense maelstrom of power.

“Now!” shouted Celestia, her eyes watering.

All four of them cast the spell at the same time, creating a flash of light that swallowed up the entire group.

With a loud pop, the group materialized in the second floor corridor of Sugarcube Corner. Twilight and Rarity nearly collapsed, slumping against the wall as they suddenly felt their strength slip away from them. Seeing them stagger, Dash and Applejack rushed over to their side and helped them back up, Dash grabbing Twilight while Applejack took Rarity.

Celestia shook her head to clear the spots from her eyes, glancing about the hallway. “Is everypony here? Did all of us make it?”

A chorus of affirmatives answered her, confirming that every member of the group was present and accounted for.

“Good,” Celestia replied. “Pinkie, go downstairs and tell the Cakes what we’re doing up here. We don’t want them to think that their home has been invaded. Twilight, Rarity; go rest up in one of the empty rooms. You’ll both need all your strength when the time comes. Luna, check on the Elements of Harmony and make certain that they’re ready to be used. Everypony else, stay on alert. We can’t let our guard down, even now.”

The group nodded in response, then set about their work. Pinkie hopped down the stairs, calling out words of encouragement to her employers. Twilight and Rarity each ducked into a spare room, Twilight sparing one last look at Celestia before heading inside. Luna unzipped her saddlebag with her magic, pulling out each of the Elements one by one and telekinetically examining them. Applejack took the first watch, staring out the window and searching the outside landscape for any sign of Black Lantern activity. Fluttershy, Dash, and Spike sat in a small circle in the hallway, discussing possible strategies to use against the Lanterns in low voices. Celestia looked over all of this with approval, then curled up against a wall for a quick nap.

For a moment, everypony allowed themselves to breathe.

Black Hoof stirred, the last of the burn scars fading from his body as he stood up and looked around. The clearing was deserted once again, with Twilight and her friends long since gone.

“So you are saved yet again by your Princess,” he mused aloud. “No matter. The message has been delivered, and the plan begins in earnest. Death is coming for you, Twilight Sparkle.”

Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out his lantern and spoke into it.

“Black Lanterns. Your orders have changed. The Elements of Harmony are no longer your priority; you must now bring as much power to the Black Lantern Battery as possible. Feed and devour. Feed and devour. Kill EVERYTHING you can find. Tear this town apart.”

The answering cries of hundreds of Black Lanterns rang in his head, and Black Hoof smiled.