A cold wind blew across the mountains as Philomena soared over them. She stared in awe as the mountains looked golden in the sunlight. Wait...no, it wasn't the sunlight that made them look golden. It was a creature that Philomena didn't recognize at first. As she drew nearer to the source, she saw a large golden being sitting in the valleys bellow. It looked like a ginormous lizard with hooves for hind legs, deer antlers, and bird wings. It's blue eyes were locked on the flying phoenix that circled overhead. "Greetings, Philomena," it said softly as the bird landed next to its large paws.

"Nico, it's good to see you again," Philomena chirped as she dipped her head in greeting.

"It's been a long time old friend. How are Celly and Lulu doing?" Nico asked.

"They are well. Did something bad happen somewhere in Equestria? You only come to me when there's danger," Philomena said worridly. Nico shook his head.

"No, but the Usurper will reawaken soon and destroy everything in its path," he said.

"Oh no, this is bad. Very bad," Philomena murmured. Nico nodded in agreement. "What must we do?"

"You must find the Golden One. It is the only being who can defeat the Usurper."

"But... The Golden One has been gone since... Hundreds of thousands of years! How am I supposed to find that?" Philomena asked in disbelief.

"The Mane Six will aid you along with Althaia."

"Althaia? She's alive?" Nico nodded.

"I have not much time left to explain. Remember what I told you young one and be safe," he said.

"I will," Philomena quipped.

Philomena opened her eyes and ruffled her feathers. If the Usurper awakens any sooner than the summer solstice, Equestria will be doomed. Of course, Equestria will doomed either way. Philomena knew from the ancient archives that the Usurper was not like any of the past villains that the mane six had to face. This one will stop at nothing to achieve it's goal and the only thing that can stop it is it's ancient enemy the Golden One who is also called the Vopal One in the stories. As predicted, many ponies forgot about that legend and considered it as an old "mare's tale" like the story of Nightmare Moon. Philomena opened her cage door and flew out the window. She needed to see Fluttershy. Only she could understand animals which was good because no one needed to hear about this...for now at least. She scanned all of Ponyville in search of the yellow pegasus and landed on a table next to the mane six. "Oh! hello, Philomena. How are you today?" Fluttershy asked.

"What's Philomena doing here?" Spike asked.

"I don't know but it must be important," Twilight said.

"Philomena, is something wrong?"

"Do you recall the legend of the Destroyer?" Philomena asked.

"Legend of the Destroyer? No, I haven't heard of it," Fluttershy said.

"The Destroyer? Who in tarnashion is that?" Applejack asked.

"The Destroyer is an evil serpent who tried to destroy Equestria multiple times. He was defeated by his arch nemesis called the Golden One when the world was young. Many people forgot about that fateful moment in history and considered it to be a filly's story." Fluttershy then translated this for her friends to understand what the pheonix was saying.

"Who's the Destroyer?" Twilight asked.

"He is Apophis, the Snake King, the Usurper, Darkness, Death, the Destroyer, and the bringer of all things bad," Philomena said and ruffled her feathers. "He was the one who killed many innocent ponies in ancient times."

"Well, I think that's just that a myth. Besides, how could a simple snake take over Equestria?" Rarity asked.

"He doesn't want to rule it. He wants to destroy it. He is much larger than you may think. He even...ate one of my siblings."

"I'm sure snakes can't eat one of you," Fluttershy said. "You're much too smart to get eaten by one of them."

"You fools!" Philomena squawked. "This is serious! If we don't awaken the Golden One, Equestria is doomed! The Destroyer is not like the villains you faced before. This one will eat you and it will destroy anything in its path! You must listen to me or else you'll die!" She didn't wait for another response and flew off into the clouds in an angry flutter. If only those mares weren't so stubborn! If only Apophis wasn't real, then she wouldn't be so angry. If only her siblings were alive to calm her down. If only...

"If only" won't solve anything Philomena. Remember that. You need to focus on the quest.

But how would she know where the Golden One sleeps? Perhaps Althaia knows...

"I assume that the foolish mares did not listen to you?" a voice said from below. Philomena looked down to see Althaia sitting on a boulder while writing on a scroll.

"Althaia, it's been a long time since I've seen you," Philomena chirped and landed next to her.

"Indeed."

"They didn't listen."

"Just as I thought. Have no fear good friend. I'll make them listen," Althaia said and scribbled something on the scroll before using her magic to send it somewhere. Philomena tilted her head curiously.

"How will you make them realize that the legend of Apophis is real?"

"Nightmares." Philomena frowned at her. There was no absolute way that her friend was going to do that.

"Oh no you're not. There is no way that you're going to give them the same nightmare. You're strictly prohibited from doing that," she reminded her. "You'll be put in jail again."

"I'd rather face prison than Apophis any day."

"Alright. But if you get caught, you have no one to blame but yourself," Philomena replied and flew off.

Author's Note

Come on guys! Post a comment already! I don't care if it's negative! I worked hard on this fanfiction! There's a comment section for a reason!

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter called "The Night Killer."