The Trio of Unstoppable Evil
Eyes shut against the discomfort from the outside light. Her mind stirred to the bird’s chirping into her twitching ears. She couldn’t reclaim the urge to slumber. There was only the powerful thoughts that plagued her mind. All her little chores she had to do for the day would keep her from resting her head down. There was only one option left for herself and it would be to raise her purple legs up from the cozy bed she rested upon.
She stood up with a stretch as she planted her hooves on the floor. Twilight wiped her slightly encrusted eyes and levitated a napkin from the dispenser on the table next to her bed. The crust were dropped into the said napkin and thrown into the little metal trash can that was made of metal rings. After that little action, she spread her lips apart to reveal her equine teeth. Her horn radiated magical energy and her chewers had a purple tinted aura around it. She felt a pressure on her gums and teeth, to carefully clean the filth from her mouth. Each time she did, a tiny sting of energy shocked her gums and cheeks. A little annoying to endure, yet she was used to the processes ability to cause pain.
With that done, Twilight carefully moved the magical spell from her mouth and saw all the nastiness contained in a neat fashion. She placed it all in the trash can with her spell and went her way out. A little early in the morning, she didn’t want to disturb Spike for anything.at the moment, so she walked with a silent creep down the stairs from her room. Twilight arrived at the door and opened it with a weak pull. It barely creeked from its hinges and she exited Golden Oaks Library to the quiet streets of Ponyville. There, she saw the sun rise upward towards the sky as Princess Celestia would raise it. A basic sight turned amazing by the sheer power of the Celestial Goddess herself.
Not wanting to miss her appointed meeting, Twilight decided that the view could be enjoyed some other time. Though, she would always be amazed by an opportunity to see it. She continued onward through the streets of Ponyville without many ponies around. Until she came to a park that she really didn’t recognize. It seemed abandoned and the very play sets decayed and old. Rust and spikes protruding from the broken and probably unplayable slides and swings.
Is this the place where I was supposed to go?
She trotted around the broken apart sets until she found somepony sitting on a wooden bench. The body and head covered in a black cloak with a hoodie. The darkness of the hood concealed it’s face. It looked at Twilight Sparkle and emerged a bag from under the bench between it’s legs. Twilight went on the bench and sat down, the awkward presence of this anonymous creature giving her a chill on her spine. It lifted the contents of the black bag and rested it upon her side.
“Here...” the cloaked creature said. Her tone that of a mare with a solemn quiver in her voice.
Twilight nodded, she didn’t understand why lengths had to be taken for a simple transaction... she knew there was nothing to worry about. Whatever this thing is shouldn’t be too hard to crack. She looked at the concealed mare, it staring off into the distance with a painful glare.
“Well, can you tell me anything at all about this? And why I have to go all the way to this abandoned area, it seems to me a bit too spectacular to me.”
The mare would only stare out without making a peep.
“Look, you sent me that cryptic message in the mail, you asked for my help and against all of my judgement, I’ve come to help a pony in need to see what it was all about.”
Continuing to ignore Twilight, the mare would just watch what was left of this sad state of a playground.
“Ack, what is in this thing anyways?”
Twilight levitated the contents and what emerged from the bag was something peculiar. A golden box, etched with deep cut crevices in its frame and a single ruby in the center of a circular opening. She looked at the object as it glistened from the morning light.
“What in Equestria is this?”
Twilight looked to where the cloaked mare was and saw nothing, but an empty seat. She got out of the bench and searched with her eyes wherever she may have gone. She turned on the sound of a silent screech and saw the swing move forth and back before it went down to a silent stop. Twilight felt her heart race until she took a hysteric breath, she dropped the object and made a starting sprint. She then stopped, something inside her called out and she turned back. The golden box sat dropped on the ground, glistening with an ominous air around it. She stared upon the object and levitated it to her, before making a full-sprint home.
A brush of air flowed through the many trees and gave a loud breeze. A chilling touch that could have broken any type of concentration from the cold wind. In the middle of the forest, a figure sat with it’s arms stretched out. Hands engraved with a red eye on each that shook rapidly from the socket of each palm. It’s face unseeable by the darkness of his hood with one red eye staring out. Three swords sticking out from its back and a white cloak-like suit covering its body. A humanoid creature that sat in a meditative state.
From the shuffle of the bushes near came somepony. She had a short and spiky red mane with a long spiky red tail. Her body was a coconut white hue, and she had a wings on her back and a horn on her skull. Attached to her left hoof was a machine-gun prosthetic weapon that looked like it could mow down loads of creatures. On one of her wings, she carried a unsheathed katana while the other wing sat on her side. Sharp fangs protruding from her giddy smile and a cutie mark of a bloody dagger on her rump. She walked up to the figure, sitting so quietly in it’s meditative state. A puff of smoke wafted out from the barrel of her gun.
“I just fought off a darn tootin Manticore to get here, I hope this job is worth the pay” she said before blowing the leftover smoke from her gun.
The figure lifted up its right arm a bit higher over its head, the arm itself shaking around like it was having a seizure.
“Ahaha! I have located it!” it said in its raspy like voice. It’s left arm fell to the ground limp, before he took a few deep breaths of air.
“Uh… what are you doin?” she asked.
The being placed its functioning arm on it’s leg and picked itself up from the ground. Insectoid like feet revealed from the white pants it wore. It stretched the working arm it had while the other flailed around like a piece of attached meat. The alicorn watched disgusted as this occurred.
“Oh hello, I believe you must be… eh… Stacy the alicorn mercenary correct?” he asked while standing upright.
“You haven’t answered my question.” she said with katana still raised. “What the heck were you doing?”
“Oh that, just scouting what we are going to hunt down and mercilessly take from the pony who has it”, he said cheerily. “It seems to be pretty close by!”
Another bush shook and screams came as well, as another pony ran through the landscape before stopping between the two from a full sprint. Dragging its hooves through the ground before coming to a full stop.
“Oh Celestia! There was a small BUG over there, I was so terrified.” she said. “Hi, am I too late for the job?”
“Wait a minute, Stacy is already here so you must be DeathMurder the Penultimate, the most powerful Mercenary in all of Equestria? That... can’t be right…” he said confused.
DeathMurder the Penultimate shook off the dirt from her hooves. The average looking earth filly stood by the two and smiled.
“Oh that's normal, most ponies don’t ever see it coming before I rip off the top part of their skulls with my bare hooves! And make them eat their own grey matter before they lose consciousness. Honestly, it’s no biggy!” DeathMurder gave a cute smirk after speaking in such a quick way. “I also like to read a lot… and coffee, lots of coffee,,, eheheh AHAHAHAHAAHAH, “Achem” it's kinda my thing”
The other two looked at each other with a worried expression. Just hoping nothing more terrifying or demonic would come from her mouth.
“Well… uh, so what are we going after again?” said Stacy.
“Oh right, but before that, I should introduce myself as the creature known as Saac, and hey my arm has regenerated back”, shaking his working arm with a test movement.
Saac went with his newly functioning arm and pulled out a scroll from the back pocket of his white pants. He unfurled it to show an image of a golden box with a ruby in its base.
“This is the Tartaran Heart, a very valuable object that has disappeared for centuries” he closed the scroll and returned it to its place, in his pants. “No one knows what significance this object has, but certain benefactors will pay lots of money for it.”
“Yay! Money, so I can buy more books, awesome!” said DeathMurder the Penultimate.
“Yes, more money for whatever your heart desires, let's head out then before I lose its location”, Saac went forward to the endless grass and the two followed him through, leaving the spot they were in. They continued walking through it with the quiet whisper of nature keeping them company.
Twilight breathed without any hesitation as she arrived to Golden Oaks Library. The morning light had turned to an afternoon warmth. She hastily turned the knob on the door and ran inside. Basking in the peace and safety of her home, she rested for a moment in the entrance way.
“Twilight? Are you alright?”
Sparkle caught sight the source of the voice and made a startled cry. It was a black tentacled abomination, black ichor foaming from its many holes and demonic horns protruding from the massive skull on the tentacles. It spoke once more, more filth flowing from its gaping mouth.
She closed her eyes and re-opened them to find none-other-than, Spike the Dragon standing before her with a raised eyebrow.
“Ugh, Did something happen this morning?”, Spike scratched his chin as he looked at the terrified Twilight Sparkle. Unable to dissect what could possibly have happened now.
“Oh thank goodness, It’s just you Spike. I’ve been having these terrifying visions all over the place! Demonic monsters and so much more where ponies usually are standing from.” she said while straightening her mane with a comb over from her hoof. “And, it all must be from this thing that I got.”
Twilight levitated the golden box from behind her and showed it to Spike to which he studied it’s frame.
“I dunno Twilight, it looks pretty average to me. Where’d you get it?” he said while handing it back to her.
“No time to explain, It must be some evil artifact, it certainly isn’t something I’ve ever seen in my studies, absolutely ever!” she dropped it to the ground and prepared her horn as it glistened with energy. “I’m going to destroy it so it doesn’t hurt anypony ever again!”
Twilight grunted and fired a hard stream of magic at the cube. Concentrated power overlapped it before a blast of dust emerged. As it dissipated, the cube stood unharmed.
“What in Tartarus…? How could it not be turned to dust?”
A knock on the door and Spike begrudgingly left Twilight to her insane musings. The door screeched open with the force of Spike’s pull. Emerging from the other side was none other than a hooded creature with a single red eye glowing from the shadow of his hood.
“A hello” he said in a friendly tone. “I believe there is something that belongs to me in your home, which I would say is delightful to look at.”
Spike turned to Twilight mumbling to herself against the burnt floor she created. He could only sigh, tired of all the garbage that happens on a daily bases.
“Uh, Twilight, there’s some guy here who’s asking for his cube back-”
Feeling himself being picked-up, Spike froze in surprise and then saw himself fly through the air as the hooded creature threw him.
“Not now Spike! I’m trying to decipher this-” Twilight felt the force of Spike on her body, sailing them both to a bookshelf. A couple of books fell on to them as they crashed.
Saac ran inside and sprinted out with the golden cube while giggling like a schoolgirl, the two other associates poked their heads in the doorway to notice him running like a madman past them.
“Scram!” he yelled, the two following him as they went through.
“STOP!”
The three froze their sprint as they saw Princess Luna emerging from the sky. She with a furious expression on her face. They paused in terror at her presence, the two other ponies bowing their heads while Saac just stood.
Luna landed on the ground, staring at the three with a angry gaze.
“Do you have any idea what destruction you have within that cube!? Relinquish it now and I shall be merciful!” she said with a boon.
“Oh, I know what this is capable of, Pony Princess.” he said with a gaze. “And, it’s too late now.”
Luna’s irises opened fully before she fired a blast of devastating energy from her horn. Saac simply pressed the ruby on the base and the three were surrounded by a black barrier, disappearing from sight. The blast of magic created a large crater that digged deep into the earth.
“NO!” she screamed in desperation. Luna slammed her hooves to the pavement, smashing it to smithereens.
Twilight and Spike emerged from their home and went to the forlorn Princess while the dragon rode on back. They arrived to find her staring out into the sky.
“Princess Luna! Whats going on!?” spoke Twilight.
“Do you know what that is, Twilight Sparkle? I only just sensed it recently and now that it has returned, I’m not sure on what to do.”
Twilight felt terror grow inside her.
“Please, be more specific! I’m actually scared.”
Luna turned to Twilight, eyes searching for an answer that would reasonably explain all this. She spoke with a shaky voice.
“That is the key to unsealing Tartarus, to which if used will set all demons to roam Equestria, it will be the end.”
Twilight shook at the news and gasped.
“What do we do now!?” said Spike.
“The only pony who knew where the seal was is Starswirl the Bearded, and he’s long gone.” said Princess Luna. “That creature pressed the ruby on the key, it will teleport anypony to the seal immediately.”
I know where it is
A voice flowed through their minds. From afar, a hooded pony came forth. It trotted forward, to the three and unsheathed its hood from itself. A completely pitch-black pony, three long red eyes on its formless face.
“Hello my Princess, it has been so long.”, Teeth grew out from the bottom of its formless, pitch-black face and turned into a happy grin. “It is I, Clover the Clever.”
“Clover!? But, you’ve been gone for hundreds of years! Where have you been!?”, Twilight walked up to her and looked at her terrifying face. “You don’t look like a normal pony.”
“It all makes sense now, so that’s what had happened to you…” said Princess Luna.
“Yes, but let me explain what had transpired after all this time.”
Clover the Clever sat down and gave a sigh. It felt as if she had a wealth of pain over her back.
“I was… tasked by Starswirl to safeguard the Seal to Tartarus. I could never associate myself with other ponies or anything that could risk the destruction of Equestria, but I could enter and exit Tartarus as I pleased…” Clover unsheathed her cloak to show her pitch-black pony form, eyes covering the mass of black over her body. “I extended my life over time through demonic powers, and I soon became what you see before you, I’ve lived for hundreds of years.”
“Why now? Why return after all this time?” said Twilight.
“I wasn’t exactly alone, that creature known as Saac was another tasked with safeguarding the seal. He’s from a race of Moth-Minotaurs. He was a close friend until he decided he wanted something more than this existence, to become the God of Tartarus, and he believed he could defeat the current lord with the seal’s power. He has made it that I had to safeguard the Seal with the sacrifice of my anonymity.”
“Now he threatens to destroy all that I’ve sacrificed to protect.” she stood up and outgrew a horn from her head. “Let’s go before he makes a mistake he’ll regret.”
Dark magic encircled all four of them, before they vanished with a flash.
A sudden awakening, a alicorn pony stood up from the grassy ground and looked to watch Saac standing alone. Near him was a large stone door, the size of a hundred ponies stacked upon each other. Ancient demonic indentations on the facet all over it. She stood up, her machine-gun prosthetic raised for battle, she aimed it at him before hearing a soft click from her barrel.
“My bullets, what have you done?” she said angrily.
Saac outstretched his arm and released the contents from his palm. Loads of ammunition fell to the dirt. He turned his head at her and looked with his red eye.
“How can you disobey a Princess, Have you gone mad and what exactly have you gotten us into!?” said Stacy with a wave of her gun.
He looked towards the stone doors, him raising his arms up to the sky, the golden cube levitated up before turning into a bright powerful levitating light.
“The future is here Stacy, either join me or be fated like the rest who would cross me.”
She looked at the madman before her and readied her katana.
“We weren’t going to be paid after all, you’ve played us both for fools!” she searched around, before her worries were sedated. DeathMurder the Penultimate slumbered comfortably in the grass. Stacy ran forward with her Katana and screamed a hectic battle cry.
Heh, what are you going to do? Cut me with your edge? and we both know that horn on your head is a prosthetic too, Alicorn
Stacy paused her attack after hearing the voice in her head. The blatant insult along with the knowledge of her horn only pissed her off even more.
“So what if it’s fake, It’s gotten me out of a lot more situations than you’d ever believe! And how did you get into my head!?”
Saac shrugged.
“It was merely a little trick I’ve learned over the years.”, Saac pulled out a bag from his pocket and dropped it to the ground near. “Don’t get so angry, here’s your payment I’ve promised.”
Stacy went up to her once ally and picked up the bag of bits from him. She started walking her way out.
“Oh and can you take DeathMurder with you? It’s going to get hectic in here by the time you're gone.”
Stacy went up to the slumbering filly and picked her up on to her back. To which, she flew up to the sky and left out of sight.
Then, a black circle emerged from behind Saac as he readied the opening of the door. From it came Twilight, Luna, and Clover the Clever.
“So you’ve all come.”
Clover sprinted forward and transformed into a horrible black gaseous creature. Two large black claws levitated from her disembodied pieces. A terrible equine skeleton as the head with two horns on each side of the skull. Twilight stood up before Luna stopped her with a tug of her tail.
“Don’t, this is not your battle, we won’t involve ourselves just yet.”
A deep demonic voice came from Clover the Clever.
“Stop this madness, Hades will rip you apart!’
Saac turned to his opponent and took off his clothing to show his true form. A moth head on a humanoid body, insectoid legs and claws. He chittered and then blinked with his big moth eyes. Huge butterfly wings suddenly emerged from his back.
“You and I both know I won’t stop, Clover.”, he lifted up to the sky in flight. “Let’s end this now.”
Saac lifted up a finger and fired a blast of arcane energy from the tip. It spiraled towards the demonic Clover before she deflected it with a claw. It went back towards him and burned a hole in his wing. With this new opportunity, Clover went forward and pinned Saac down to the earth.
“Now!” she screamed, Luna and Twilight ran forward and went to the bright energy that was originally the key. They used their magic and together started to solidify it back to its previous form. Saac pushed the force of Clover’s claw back and ran forward to the stone doors. To which he leaped and tried to acquire the key in mid air. It solidified and fell to the ground, sending Saac flying into the opening crevice that was the entrance to Tartarus. The door closed with the key gone from it’s place, and it locked him in.
Clover combined her form back into the pony-like thing she was. Twilight and Princess Luna both were breathing hectically after enduring this predicament.
“Thank you, I couldn’t have done this without both of you. But, I have one request, please don’t tell anypony of what has transpired here, promise?”
“But… I have so many questions, like where is Starswirl now?” asked Twilight.
“Truth be told, I don’t know Twilight Sparkle, it’s been many years since I’ve last seen him.” Clover lifted up her horn and casted her spell. “Goodbye then.”
With a flash, Twilight and Luna returned to the spot where Spike awaited them both.
“Well, Twilight, I must return, but we must remember to keep this a secret.” Luna sighed before lifting up her wings for take-off. “The fate of Equestria is in our hooves.”
She flew back to Canterlot Castle over the darkness of the night sky.
“So, what happened Twilight, is everything going to be okay?” asked Spike.
Twilight looked to the moon and gave a breath of relief.
“Well Spike, somethings are just best left unanswered, now come along, we’ve got organizing to do.”
They entered Golden Oaks Library and slid the door closed.
