Chapters These are the recovered entries of Snow hoof, a Private in the EDF, or Equestrian Defense Force, who suffered from war effects, and fell under schizophrenia and, in the end, insanity.
Day 437 of this war. I’ve been through 437 days if pure hell. These.... things, changelings, they're called, they just keep coming. I wonder if they are even organic, like there are factories, just spewing endless hordes of this shape shifting freaks into our world... I have to wonder how my family back home in Canter lot is doing. We had it all there, except worries. We didn’t need to fear having a changeling pounce on you, and rip your skin from your bones, and take your place among friends, and family. This journal is my one piece of sanity left, my one little gem from home. A gift from uncle Ice wing, I never thought I’d actually write in a journal... then I was drafted, and here I am, middle of fucking nowhere. Just waiting for an ambush to take me away from here, to a better place...
Journal of Pvt. Snow hoof, day 575
Journal of Pvt. Snow hoof, day 618.
All further text has become nonsensical, and completely unreadable. Welcome to the Equestrian Defense Force.
Twilight Sparkle had just woken up, and was starting her checklist of things to do that day. "Well, I have to buy some vegetables from Carrot Top, and I have some books Princess Celestia wanted me to have, so I’m waiting for those to be delivered. I should PROBABLY stock up on more paper, bu-". She would have kept reading her entire list until some pony knocked on her door, rather loudly. Opening the door, she was most surprised to see three royal guardsmen standing at her door. "We have been ordered by the Princess to take you and the other five elements of harmony to Canterlot at once. Princess Celestia has an urgent matter involving the war to discuss with you." At this, Twilight was confused but some small, nagging parts of her didn’t want anything to do with the war that has been raging for over 2 years now. "I'm sorry, but I didn't get any warnings for this. What is this matter she needs to talk to me about?" she asked, her voice so piloted yet so confused. "We were told not to tell any pony any more information on the matter, other than that there are guards bringing Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie for the same matter. You will be together when you get to Canterlot. Please pack your bags and enter the chariot as soon as possible." And with this, Twilight packed some of her belongings and they were off, Canterlot-bound
""But... it’s in the middle of the day! This just isn't logical." Twilight said, looking outside. The only thing she could see was the matte-grey sky. No sun, no moon. The six all stood there, staring up until Pinkie finally figured it out. "Wow, that’s a lot of changelings. I wonder what kind of party is that big? Ooh, a party that big would need an even BIGGER CAKE!" she exclaimed cheerfully, blissfully unaware of the events that would soon follow. "By Celestia, she's right, the castle is under attack!" shouted a royal guard, and alerting Celestia. Suddenly, with no warning, they were in the great hall, the ton of them. The few guards stationed at the doors between the hall and the outside were already defending against the endless mainstream of changelings. One guard was using a spear, mounted on his shoulder, and while the other had a war hammer fastened round his mouth. But when one changeling died, another was soon to fill its place. "GIRLS!" Celestia cried out, as if expecting them to know what to do. On command, Twilight let out a volley of spells of nearly every kind: Fireballs, ice balls, and even lightning balls into the fray. Upon impact, each spell cleared out the area around it. Out of nowhere, more changelings were at both flanks, almost surrounding them.
The trip was quite possibly the most boring trip ever, but knowing what they were being sent to do made Rainbow Dash even MORE impatient. The thought of finally using a sonic rain bomb made her all the more exited, but all seven were stunned (and Dash disappointed) to find that when they arrived, the camp was nothing more than piles of rubble, with the occasional body lying on the ground, blood leaking out from split skin and bones broken like matchsticks. "Umm... I think we may have a bigger problem than a changeling camp here, guys." Said Angel Kidd, looking around for any signs of what may have happened. From behind them, a voice spoke up, making Fluttershy jump into a nearby bush to hide. they turned around, and were surprised to see a changeling standing before them, but not attacking. "Well, that's an interesting way of putting it." said the being, standing stock-still. "Girls, ready your weapons!" commanded Dash, but Angel Kidd saw something they didn’t. No, no! Hold back, every pony. You haven’t attacked us, why is that?" Angel Kidd asked, in a curious manner. "Well, if I was to attack, there would be nothing left of you aside from a few strands of flesh, like the changelings I... 'dealt' with over there." She replied. Angel was taken by surprise, not knowing changelings even had genders. But aren't you a changeling? Why would you attack some of your own? Twilight piped up, searching her head for a scientifically answer but finding no luck. "Well if you wanted the honest answer, which I don’t see you not wanting, I despise my race. I look at our history, our culture, and I see so many problems, so many mistakes. Even today, we are far from perfect like you Ponies." She replied, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. Before anyone could reply, she shape shifted into a hazy gray pony with a black mane. "That’s why I am almost always like this, in a pony form. Nobody knows aside from you, now. My name is Neo." She said, trying to act cheerful, as if she didn’t just admit she hated her race and all its mistakes. "Well, Neo. Seeing as you have a burning hatred against your race, and prefer ponies, it might be a good use to us to have you along with us, for a while at least." Neo gave this some thought, and agreed to it so long as she didn’t catch any pony eyeing her up.
The 6 woke up simultaneously, startled by the deafening roar and the crashing of armor. Twilight was the first to take action, using a telekinesis spell to pull Angel Kidd’s body to safety. "Fluttershy, make sure he is okay, and fix whatever is wrong." gently commanded Twilight. Fluttershy nodded and proceeded to take Angel's armor off to inspect for broken bones. "I COULD USE SOME BUCKING HELP HERE, IF IT ISN'T TOO MUCH!" screamed Neo, barley holding off the beast. Rarity was just drawing her sword and a bolt of rainbow flet past them all in impacted right on the lumbering behemoth, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Twilight was quick to put up a shield around them to keep the flying chunks of wood from lodging themselves into some pony’s body. When the dust cleared, it was Rainbow who had flew right into the side of the pony thing. Even though she was two-thirds smaller than the beast, she seemed to be towering over it. Neo just stood there, jaw agape. "While I am impressed, a pony thing of this size doesn’t go down that easily. SOMEPONY needs to check and make sure it is dead..." she explained, looking at the girls as if she was expecting one of them to just risk their lives on command. "I... uhhh.... I guess I could do it for ya." Applejack spoke up, a hint of worry in her voice. "Very well then, if you wish." Neo retorted, not sounding the least bit concerned for Applejack's safety. Approaching the beast, she noted a few things, for example the rough, bony skin, the flesh of a pony as well as a changeling. A dark green eye staring right at her. Realizing the beast was not dead, but watching her ominus approach, Applejack froze, stock-still. "What’s the hold up here, AJ?" asked Rainbow dash, impatiently. "Ooh! A stating contest! I bet Applejack has got this one in the bag!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing up and down with pure excitement. "Uhh, girls? We may have a problem here." Applejack whispered. "A problem as in what, darling?" Asked Rarity, putting jewel blade away. "A problem as in this... thing... isn't dead." She said cautiously, not to alert it. Twilight's horn began glowing, readying for an attack. The beast just lied there, oblivious to the figure sliding behind it. In one swift motion, Neo brought the dagger straight down into the ponything's thorat, sending a gush of blood spraying out and leaving a large gash. Should that not have done the trick, the serrated edges of the blade doubled its size upon yanking the dagger out. The beast rolled on its back, and scrambled to get onto its feet, but it was too late. The dark green fluid of life had filled its lungs, making it impossible to breathe, and the horrifying sounds died down within seconds.
Angel woke up, and was shrouded by a fine mist, wetting his coat. He looked around in hopes of finding something -- or some pony to help him figure out where he is. After what felt like hours on end of walking, he had given up. That’s when he heard it. It was faint at first, but he followed the sound and came to a small pond, and standing at the edge, humming gently, was a light blue unicorn. Her mane was two shades of blue and rather short, and Angel saw no visible cutie mark. As the unicorn turned to face Angel, he couldn’t help but notice that her face was awfully familiar. "Angel, you have been blessed with the divine gift of life. I recommend you not be so reckless as you were..." She said, looking at him with a stern eye. "I-I'm sorry, but... who are you?" he asked, confused. Looking around, he was going to ask another question when the Unicorn spoke over him. "I have seen what happened, and I know what will, but only in my Celestial body. I can tell you everything that will ever happen, but you won’t remember anything when you wake up. We will later meet in a more... substantial form." she said, and giggle as she reached out to touch Angel's coat. Only the hoof went right through him, and he stepped backwards, looking at his chest. When he looked up, the Unicorn was in his face (almost through it). "You need to listen to me very carefully, Angel. You will be in a lot of pain, and you will be very confused. I need you to help your friends, okay?" She spoke carefully, and Angel nodded. She seemed to move backwards, but he realized it wasn't HER moving. He was being pulled towards an intensely bright light, the sound of distorted voices coming from the other side, wherever that may be. He was pulled in, and engulfed by the blinding light, and suddenly everything was gone.
Some pony, or something, is out there.
Angel watched the figure silently, his watchful eyes never falling off track. The unicorn, he had made it out to be, was looking around confused, looking for something. It wasn't until the unicorn turned her face towards the fire did Angel see who he was looking at. He rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up to walk over to the figure. She looked up, and recognized the snow-white unicorn walking towards him. "How did you find us?" he whispered, walking her away from the others, sound asleep. "I followed your tracks. Kind of easy to spot them." She said. They both looked to the woods, keeping an eye out. "Does Celestia know you've left the castle?" Angel asked a hint of worry in his voice. "Oh, she sent me with something for you." she said, and pulled an envelope out of her satchel. Angel took it and began reading.
Princess Celestia.
They had walked for hours when Applejack finally had the brilliant idea. "Hay, Twilight, why can you make one 'o them fancy portal things and whip us on over to Celestia?" She said with her southern drawl on almost every word, Twilight though for a minute, unsure about the idea for some reason. "Applejack, using magic takes energy from me. If I’m tired when I cast a spell, chances are the spell will either backfire or just fail. Judging by th-" she was interrupted by Rainbow Dash, who saw her opportunity. "Well, Twilight, if you need rest to cast the spell, then we should all take a nice, long break and let you get your rest." she said, patting her head with the last few words. Not five seconds later she was gone, undoubtedly going off to find a comfortable looking cloud for one of her naps. "I guess I’ll take guard duty for a bit." said Shimmering Leaf, and he went off to a nearby tree and settled down under it for the shade, keeping a watchful eye around the camp. They all had drifted off, when they flew overhead. Dash was the first to hear it, and rightfully so, as she was abruptly woken up but an earth-shattering clap of thunder. She jumped up, half frazzled and half groggy from just waking up, when there was another. Her ears felt like there was an alarm clock going off in her head. She looked around, when it hit her. This was the same sound that was made then the changelings flew overhead. She peered over the cloud, and sure enough, the swarm of them flew under her. Dash spotted an opening and darted through it to get word to the girls, who were already wide awake. "Twilight, da-*BLOOM*-eed that spe-*BLOOM*- ou can cast it!" shouted Rarity, looking up to the sky every few seconds. Twilight understood, and her horn started to glow with a purple tint, an exact copy of her coat, and a beam of energy shot from the tip. It seemed to impact an invisible wall, and spread into a doorway directly to Celestia's castle, and they all stepped through, through into the blaze.
And she was happy.
Fluttershy saw it all happen. From Rarity talking down Chrysalis, to her being impaled, and dropped at their feet, gasping for air, blood gushing steady. Everything around her stopped as she watched her dearest friend fall to the hands of death. She had her tools ready, but by time she reached her, the lifted had left her completely. Unresponsive to anything she tried; Fluttershy broke down and cried softly on Rarity's body. She said a few words no pony actually made out and shut her eyes, leaving her in peace. Every pony’s eyes were on the scene. Queen Chrysalis, Princess Luna, a few royal guards and the mane 6. It was almost peaceful in the midst of the changeling queen that had just maimed one of their best friends, when, from a doorway, a beam of pure white energy shattered on Chrysalis, sending a gush of blood spattering across everything near her, the majority in Rarity's body, turning the red blood into a rotting grey mixture. Luna whipped around, and saw Princess Celestia sanding there, donning her special made armor, her eyes fixed on the direction that Chrysalis flew. "I want you girls to stick with Luna and clear out the castle grounds for reinforcements. Colgate, Angel, yo-" she was cut off by a changeling landing between Colgate and Angel Kidd, and changing into a black earth pony before her. "My name is Neo. Yes, I’m a changeling, but I despise my race and was enlisted by your group to fight Chrysalis and her army. That's all you need to know about me." Neo said sternly, with a glare towards Celestia. Shimmering Leaf was comforting Fluttershy. "No, you see, I will know whatever I demand to know about you. Later, that is. You, Colgate, Angel and Shimmering Leaf are tasked with defending the main hall with my royal guards and Luna’s lunar guards." Celestia commanded, walking with Luna to the cloud of rubble where Chrysalis lay. Luna was setting off, the mane 5 in tow, when a deafening roar startled every pony, and a dark figure emerged from the rubble. "Girls, get out NOW!" Commanded Celestia and she stepped back and charged a spell. Luna and the five raced out to a balcony overlooking the palace grounds. And they stared into the sea of black.
Princess Celestia saw her, standing behind Queen Chrysalis, holding jewel blade, the yellow pony with the pink mane, so shy, so tame, but with a bright determination in her eyes. She slowly lifted herself a few feet off the ground, just high enough to hit Chrysalis with the sword.
Fluttershy knew what she was doing was almost suicidal. But what Rarity had done for them... this seems almost mandatory. She closed her eyes, and remembered the feeling of pain that crashed over her knowing she was just seconds too late. The words she had wanted to say, that never were heard by her ears. That’s when she remembered what she was doing.
Queen Chrysalis noticed a small, yellow movement in the corner of her eye. Turning around, she recognized the small yellow Pegasus as the medic of the 6 girls, and the one that took Rarity’s death the worse. She had her eyes closed, and tears began to form. She stared straight at her, until she opened her eyes again, wide with fear. Then the world seemed to be sucked into a black hole, dark as night, but glowing with shadows.
Then there was the void.
NOTE<<
Im leaving for 3 or 4 days, but may continue work on the fic, at a slower rate. hang in there, everypony!
The tears flowed uncontrollably. 'What was i thinking!?' she thought to herself, but her mind was a racing blur of nonsense. Her eyes shut tight; she just reached out for something, anything to grab her or to grab to pull her away from the vortex growing behind her. By now the room was engulfed in flaming shadows, the once beautiful stained-glass windows were completely drained of color, the rock walls that had seemed to strong, so safe, were crumbling into oblivion. Celestia looked up at Chrysalis, who was frantically trying to fly out of the pulling of the void's gaping maw, the looming shadow that was inhaling their very world, leaving nothing but the darkness. Rarity's body, the blood spattered over the walls, even the throne itself was sent flying into the vortex's entrance. With each object the vortex consumed, the stronger it’s pull grew .The balcony doors were pulled off their hinges, and Luna (along with the other 5) snapped their heads, eyes wide and mouths open as the shadow's fire consumed everything, growing out the door and covering anything near it. A changeling had flown in behind them, but overshot his approach, and slammed into what they all thought was a wall, but on impact, he was engulfed in the burning shadows. Applejack looked over to Fluttershy, and swe her being sucked towards the vortex, the tears running like water from her eyes clamped shut. She took a gigantic leap, over everything being sucked into the vortex in the great room, and right next to Fluttershy. "Alright, sugar cube, you're gon' have to trust me here... hold on to me" she said, in the calmest voice she could muster. FLuttershy looked up, and latched onto Applejack, burying her head in the blond mane of her friend. Applejack closed her eyes, focusing all her mental and physical power into one powerful leap, a leap that should have sent them sailing back over to the balcony, a leap that didn’t counter for the pulling of the vortex. Applejack and Fluttershy landed mere feet from the vortex, and were slipping away by inches. "Hang on, AJ!" yelled Rainbow as she flew towards them, and reached out. Applejack held on ad Dash tried to pull them away, but then it happened. Fluttershy lost her grip, and was almost instantly engulfed in the vortex. Applejack turned around, her rear hoofs were being licked by the shadow's fire. Then she, too, was engulfed. Dash had almost no time to react, and was just turning around when her wing caught a flame, sending her in as well. Then it expanded, so suddenly and so fast, the entire room, and balcony, was engulfed. All Twilight saw was the blackness of death, but she was alive. Outside, all things, living and dead were sucked into the vortex, leaving an empty room. Then the shadows lit up, a variety of colors shooting out and back into place. The windows gained color, and all the characters were back in their uniform pallets.
All accept the mane 6, Celestia and Luna.
There was darkness.
Fluttershy seemed to be floating, as of on a cloud, maybe in water. She looked around, and saw nothing. Holding a hoof to her face, she could see herself clearly. But there was nothing.
-~-Meanwhile in Equestria-~-
-~-Meanwhile in the Void-~-
Fluttershy saw a small light up ahead. Was it the way back to Equestria? Maybe, just maybe... She floated directly into the glowing portal, and the world went back again. But she heard something. Squeaks? Barks? Chirps? It was all of nature calling out to her. Slowly, she woke up. The void, it was just a dream. She let a sigh of relief, and got out of her bed, answering all the calls of nature. But she looked out, and her heart stopped. All brain functions seemed to cease. Breathing became impaired. Looking out, the animals were not calling out to here; they were screaming and running, running from the forest fire, running from the changeling army, invading peaceful Pony Ville, the defenseless town in the invasion force's way. And she passed out at the horrifying sight, waking up floating...
Into the Void.
Applejack was waking up from a nap under the biggest, shadiest apple tree on her farm. She tilted her head up, and the sky was black. Looked almost like storm clouds, but the inhaled through her nose, and her eyes began to water. Smoke and smoke means fire. She traced the direction of it all due east. Her house. She raced towards to all, eyes burning, lungs burning, legs burning. But she was too late. By time she had gotten to the house, fire was spouting from every window, every door, and every hole in the boards. She darted between flames and into the house, just long enough to see if any pony was in there. She called her list of names, starting with Granny Smith, ending with Applebloom. No answer. She turned around, but there was no doorway; a wall of fire took its place. Looked to her left - flames spreading and closing in. Right - exact same. She heard the floors creaking under the stress of weight, and looked down. But it wasn’t the floor creaking. A roar erupted, and the burning, white-hot ceiling crashed down on her, sending her, too...
Into the void.
Rainbow was flying back from Phillydelphia, where she had the best concert of her life. Iron Mare, best seats on their 'Peace of Mane' tour. She raced back home, eager to show Scootaloo the guitar pick she managed to catch in a miracle event. But she came home to fire, smoke, debris everywhere, and an army of changelings overrunning he town she called home for so many years. She could handle the war, and this was close to breaking her, but that’s when she saw it. Scootaloo weeping, in a shaded area away from everything else. Looking over, she saw the forest on fire, and thought of Fluttershy, and all the animals. Then she noticed a trail of smoke from Sweet Apple Acres, and realized it wasn't just the main areas, it was the entire town. She was almost to Scootaloo, when she felt her hoofs go out from under her, and looked up to stare a changeling dead in the eyes. His horn started to glow, and her vision started to burn, from outside in.
Fading into the Void.
Twilight was trapped in her library; the dark smoke burned her eyes and stung her lungs. She knew had to stay lot, but that wasn't easy when you're panicking to find the way out of a burning library. "Spike! Spike, where are you?" she called out. From behind her, the purple dragon, which had grown in size since Twilight had left almost a year ago, crashed through the flames and burning books to Twilight. "Don’t you worry; I'm going to get you out. Now listen, stay down and crawl to th-" the sound of steel crashing against bone and flesh stopped all voice. Twilight looked up, and there was a glint of steel protruding from Spike's throat, muted gurgle escaping from his mouth. He fell silently, and an enormous changeling stepped in his place. "You are the one known as... Twilight Sparkle..." he looked at her for confirmation, but received nothing more than a horrified stare. "Yes, so it seems. Well, you are now the highest ranking P.O.W of this army. This means you get the luxuries of daily beatings, and the releasing of information vital to the life of you, your friends, and your Queen's kingdom. What fun! Now, let us go." With that, she was blinded by a spell, the world glowing a vibrant array of colors, then fading to a startling black, the black of the void.
Luna was reading her books she had brought along to make the trip shorter, when Twilight shot up out of bed drenched in a cold sweat, gasping for air. "Twilight, what's the matter?" asked Luna, dropping her book from its magical prison. "I had a dream... a vision. Pony Ville was overrun by Changelings, and Spike... they killed Spike... And a Changeling lord of some type blinded me with a spell, and everything went black." She said, propping herself up straighter in bed. "You went into the void!?" Luna said, but Twilight could tell by her uneasy voice that this was something big to her. "If this is true, which I assume it is, then I shall inform Princess Celestia of this when we land." Luna said formally, and continued progress on one of her books. "May I know why this is such a big ordeal, Princess?" Twilight asked curiously. "Twilight, in your course for unending knowledge, there are thing best left... shall we say untouched. For you, this is one of them. You friends, the ones who were sucked into the vortex at the castle... Well, their fate will be reveled in due time, child." said Luna, dismissing any further conversation. "But Princess, my friend’s fates are something... something rather important to me, quite frankly." Said Twilight sternly, raising her tone. Then a voice came from the back of the cart. "Twilight, don’t worry. Wherever they are, I’m sure that they will be just fine." said Angel Kidd, sitting next to Twilight on her bed. "I'm sure of it" he continued, nuzzling her gently Twilight sighed, and lied down to continue her uneasy sleep.
In around 2 hours, they finally arrived at the hospital, and Celestia was rushed into intensive care, first priority. "Princess Luna?" called a nurse, with a sea foam coat and purple mane. She took a small bow and proceeded to inform her on Celestia's condition. "I am Nurse Radiant Water, and I have successfully gathered the inf-" she was interrupted by an impatient Twilight. "Yes, Nurse, could we learn of Celestia’s condition?" she spoke quickly. The nurse glared at her for a moment, continuing her talk. "We have determined that the venom from whatever snake bit her is slowly shutting her body down from the inside out. Not to mention a dented skull, she will need a small surgery there, and recovery will take a while. As for an antidote for the venom... we are working on one. No telling how long it will take." Luna ponders what was said to her for a moment, when Twilight steps in. 'Well, how long will the venom take to fully shut her body down?" she asked, confused and worried. That’s when the doors to the hospital swung open, and a Pegasus walked in wearing Equestrian Marine armor. "I was told Celestia was hospitalized here, what is her room number?" A small conversation ensued, and the grey Pegasus turned towards Twilight, her blonde mane almost the same as Applejacks. "You're Twilight Sparkle? Sorry to hear about your friends, but I want you to come with me. Something I feel that you should know. By the way, the name is Derpy, General Derpy Hooves, of the Royal Equestrian Marine Corps." She spoke softly for a mare of her stature, and they walked down the hall quietly, as not to disturb any patients. "Twilight, I’ve heard your story, and I realized something before I came here that will change how you view this war. You, as well as the other elements of harmony are being used; your power isn’t for war, it is to rebuild. Should Equestria fall into the hands of the chaotic olden days, your powers will unite to recreate order, and restore balance and peace. Using these powers in war is having the opposite effect, but you are a valuable force." She stopped and looked at Twilight, who appeared to be following with Derpy. "So what I’m saying, and this is not a requirement to choose, but I see you have two choices: Keep fighting and waste your powers; should Equestria fall into darkness, you will not be able to bring us back to the light. Or, stop the fighting and let Equestria fall, for you can rebuild it, free of the war and its horror. The choice is yours. But I must report to Celestia, good luck... in whatever you choose." she said, and walked further down the hall. Twilight looked aimlessly down the hall until Derpy was out of sight, but the thoughts raced. Her mind wa in a frenzy: figuring out what to do for both choices, and the outcome. How long would rebuilding an empire take? What if the continues with this, if we lose the war, and can't rebuild? What if..." And she stopped. She realized that she was putting too much effort into it, and went to her quarters to sleep.
Celestia saw it all, from her point of view. It was a forced out of body experience, and she saw what it was that caused everything to go so wrong. Somehow, a portal to the Void had opened, taking Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Now, the void was no ordinary thing, and for all of Equestria knew, Celestia was the only one who could control such power. But before her stood the portal, engulfed in the glowing shadows (the glowing was said to be caused by the poor should that stepped a bit to lose to the portal, or were just sucked in.) Looking over, she saw the feared changeling queen flapping her wings violently in the current of wind to escape, and eventually doing so. Then her world started to glow an intense white, and she was pulled back inter her world. Her world could suffer an unfortunate and dramatic end, should it not be stopped.
Luna was in the room as well, and was just finishing her book she saw her sister waking up. "Celestia, I have news. Queen Chrysalis has esca-" Celestia cut her off to reveal what she had seen, what the others had not. "There's more, Luna. The void opened and took Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. And we both know what happened last time the void opened like this..." she said, raising an eyebrow and hinting back ages ago, when Discord first spread his chaotic rule over the land. He had uncovered the power of the void, which had swallowed a larger portion of Equestria. However, that was long forgotten history, and few ponies cared about it anyways. Luna sat, lost in thought. She fondly remembers the time she herself almost used in rage towards her sister. "Well, you know we can’t just leave them in the Void. How do we get them back out?" Luna asked, knowing it was possible. "Luna, I know that we need to, but there isn’t any way to bring something out of the void without losing something, or some pony, for that matter. Since we need to retrieve 3 ponies, we would lose 3 others..." Celestia said, trailing off into another thought. "But it is obviously possible to make it out... General Derpy did, remember?" Luna said, thinking of positive things to sway Celestia's thought. "Yes, Luna, but did you see what it did to her!?" yelled Celestia, her face turning red with frustration. Luna was just about to excuse herself from the room when a nurse, who’s name she had forgotten walked into the room with a look of pure terror on her face. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna..." she said, taking a small bow. "You have a.... changeling king who wishes to speak with you, he's a big one." she explained, her face pale.
The lobby had completely cleared out except for Derpy, who was taking a nap in her chair. She was drug out of sleep by what sounded like chains and armor clanking and rattling by her, and a thud as something fell to the floor. Or so she thought. She opened her eyes, the bright hospital lights blinding at first, and looked around. Finally her eyes landed at the source: a huge changeling sitting in the chair. He had thick armor, made of what she thought to be machalium. She was just backing out of her chair to protect Celestia when he spoke up. "Yes, Pegasus. I can see you there." He said, turning his full attention to her. "You must be the infamous General Derpy Hooves, Celestia right-hand pony. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the leader of all the changelings you and your soldiers have ruthlessly and rather efficiently slaughtered over the course of this war. Yet I seek not to destroy you, for if I did, you wouldn’t exist anymore." he said, pausing for a see if she was keeping up. By this time, and had straightened herself up, and was rather curious as to what he was doing here, let alone how he knew where Celestia was being held. "That means you're King Thorgvade..." she said, speaking as little as possible. “Yes, so it seems you understand who, exactly I am. Well, I have not come here to attack any of your forces; in fact, I come with a proposition for you’re... rather weakened princess, who I shall speak to now. I wish you luck, and leave you with something to prey on... You should pray your beloved Princess accepts this offer, for it means the sure destruction of your empire as you know it should she not." he said, and got up. Each step he took, there was a loud thump, until Derpy had traced them off into another hallway. And she started praying.
Celestia was just drifting back into sleep when there was a loud knock on the door, one that would tear any thinner door off its hinges. Luna got up and answered it before looking at the intruder. "I regret to inform you that Princess Celestia is not in any condition to take any visitors at this time, please come back later." she said, and went to shut the door, but the visitor had stuck his hoof out to keep it from closing. "I do feel that she may want to hear about my proposition for her, Luna..." he explained with an almost emotionless voice. Looking up, she was taken by surprise when was confronted by the gargantuan changeling standing in the doorway. "Well, well. King Thorvade. She is almost asleep, so you had better make this quick. You know your presence should not be tolerated in our territory." she explained, and let him in. He walked, and stood at the foot of Celestia’s hospital bet. He waited for her to wake up, but with no response, he stamped his foot, letting loose an earth-shattering clap. Celestia took a quick breath, and her eyes shot open. Looking around, she could easily identify where it came from. "Thorvade, you have no place here, why is it that the guards let you in here?" she asked, sternly. She propped herself up in the bed and awaited his explanation. "Princess, I don’t come with my army. I have come with an offering for you. Seeing as you and your kingdom have been weakened by the constant battles, I see it fit to offer a treaty. Should you agree to forfeit all of Equestria's land to the Changeling federations, you and the rest of your army will be spared from more of this simply pointless war." he said, with a sudden burst of emotion in his voice, such was a stunning difference from the flat tone just minutes ago. "You know we are too smart to just give you our lands, our people, and everything we've worked for. You should know better, and you said so at the very start of this war." With this, Thorvade was angered and stood on his hind legs, ready to bring them down on the defenseless princess. Just then, Luna raced in-between the two the them and spread her wings. "I do say it is time for you to leave, Thorvade!" she yelled in her 'royal Canterlot voice' and started backing him to the door. Once out of the room, he left Luna with a piece of advice. "You had better hope you can defend yourself after this outrage. If not, all of Equestria shall burn, for all you will know." he said, and turned away, the ground almost shaking with every step he took.
~-Meanwhile, in the Void-~
The three of them had been floating endlessly, but each one of them saw it. There was definitely a light. Somewhere, none of them knew. But there was light. As they got closer, Applejack noticed something floating to her left, almost like a rainbow. That’s when it hit her: that was Rainbow Dash. Looking to her left she saw Fluttershy. By this point, all of them had seen each other, but found they couldn’t talk, as if there was no air, but they hadn’t suffocated. It didn’t matter anyways, they were nearing the source of light, and the world went from black to a bright white. Then they found themselves on land, actual earth. "Applejack, Fluttershy!" screamed dash and ran to her friends, hugging them both. "Good to finally see ya, partner." said applejack with her country twang in her voice. Oh, I’m so happy we're finally out of... ummm... where was that, exactly?" asked Fluttershy, her expression going from happy to somewhat confused. "I don’t know, sugar cube. But we're back, and that’s all that matters." said Applejack, comforting her friend. "Yeah, but back... where?" asked Rainbow. Applejack was about to tell her not to worry Fluttershy when she realized that she didn’t exactly know where they were. "Well, you’re in the finest part of changeling territory you could ever just drop from the sky into." said a voice from the woods. Applejack was confused at first, but realized that exiting the portal must have dropped them from the sky. "Well howdy there, partner. Where exactly are we?" she asked. "Well, all I know is that changelings have control over everything here. Come with me, I’ll give you three a place to stay for the night." he said, and started walking down a narrow path into the woods. "Hey!" said dash, flying up next to him. "You never told us your name." she said. With this, the almost pitch-black pony stopped, and his blood red mane flowed in the wind. "You can call me Voltage. Now hurry along, we don’t have a lot of time 'till sundown." he said, and continued down the brush-lined path.
~-Canterlot Hall-~
The harsh, bright light faded her vision, which was already too blurred to make sense whatever was going on around her. Or... had gone on, for that matter. Even through the blurred vision, she could make out the beautiful stained glass windows of Canterlot Hall. But something was... different. There wasn’t normally pure sunlight in the hall, and if there was any, it was tainted by the windows. No, these were untainted, fresh rays of light. As her eyes started tu burn, she realized that moving under some shelter would be best until she regained her vision. Crawling in a completely random direction, she finally reached the shade of what rooking was left after the massacre. She sat there for a couple of minutes, until her eyes finally focused. She looked around the room, at the utterly decimated (once) great hall, where she had walked with honor at the Grand Galloping Gala, and witnessed an attempted overrule of Celestia's will by the changelings. But there was no damage to the actual castle with that attack, it appeared something had exploded from the inside, or impacted from out. Yet she saw nothing to indicate what would have caused all of it, until she saw the floor. Littered with broken, beaten and bloody bodies of both pony and changeling alike, she realized that the changelings had, in fact attacked, but they aren’t here for anything specific. All they wanted was the elimination of the castle. She kept looking around, and saw a pool of grey liquid that she had been lying in. the followed the trail to her side, and was about to yak when she saw something much, much worse. It was as if some pony had stuck a chunk of changeling flesh to her body... right where she was impaled by Chrysalis. She tried to brush it off, but soon realized it as rafted to her body, taking the place of the flesh that was ripped out when Chrysalis's horn entered her body. At that exact moment, her body began to shudder uncontrollably. Her mine went into spasms of which an unrecognizable language was chanted, but slowly melded into her language. "Give in to the final mind, and become one with the void..." it repeated over and over, countless times until she slowly regained control of her body and mind. She panted, and her thoughts raced with such speed, she couldn’t make the first word in any of them. Slowly, she calmed herself down, her head relaxed and she drifted off into a sleep.
~-Phillydelphia Medical Treatment Center-~
"Your Majesty, it is time for your pills." said nurse Valiant Wave, entering Celestia’s room with a small tray. Celestia gave a small moan, and turned over in bed, not wanting to be disturbed. Valiant Wave stood there for a moment and decided it best to take her temperature. She carefully inserted a thermometer into Celestia’s mouth, and stood by. After a few minutes, she took the thermometer out, and Celestia eyed her carefully. The nurse's face went pale, and she rushed out, calling for her treatment specialist. Moments later, her doctor rushed in, and checked for symptoms of the venom taking its effect. This ensued for ten minutes, the doctor stopping only periodically to catch his breath. "Well... Princess, it seems the venom has taken effect much sooner than we had planned. Your antidote should be ready in three days, but the venom has begun to slow your heart rate. A health rate is around sixty-five beats per minute when not exercising. You have dropped to fifty. Five more and you won’t have the blood circulating quick enough to keep your body sustained. "Then you should better gat on that antidote, Doctor. And I know some pony who can really help with some potion making." she said, looking over to Luna, who was taking in what had happened. She nodded in agreement, and left for her private carriage, bound for pony Ville. Celesta watched it float away in the midday sun, and drift back into sleep.
~-Meanwhile, in Canterlot Hall-~
Rarity felt a head nudging her, as if trying to flip her on her side. She slowly opened her eyes, and was stunned to see a changeling hovering over her, looking dead in her eyes. She stuttered to find words to speak, but there was a great flash of green, and that changeling was replaced with a pony, whose face was so familiar: Neo Bolt. "Rarity, you're... alive?" she said, slowly shifting her gaze towards her chest, where the infected area had spread considerably. "Rarity, listen to me. Don’t say a word, just nod and listen." he said, very carefully. Rarity’s eyes grew, but she followed orders and went along. "You have had your wound mixed with changeling blood, which means you have been revived, but at a cost. Your brain is split in two: Pony and Changing. That flesh in your chest, is changeling. Your mind will be fighting near constantly to take control, and all you have to do is push the Changeling side away, and make sure you keep your pony side, or... sane side, active. Otherwise you’ll just turn into a changeling, and you wouldn’t want that. We're a bunch of truly disgusting beings." she said, her view drifting off. "Oh... okay, then?" said Rarity, as she stood up. She took a few steps to keep her balance, and she walked alongside Neo. "Well, we're going to need a way out of here, aren’t we?" she asked, stumbling around every few steps. "Yes, no worries. Ill open a portal right to Pony Ville, we will be safe there for a while." he said, and in the doorway, a portal opened, consuming the shadows. Neo stepped through effortlessly, but Rarity had to fight to get herself through. When she landed on the other side, she instantly recognized where she was: the outskirts of Pony Ville, close to Applejacks ranch. "Thank you, Neo, for getting me here. I... have a few stops to make, but you can take refuge on my house." she said, walking in the direction of the ranch. Neo stood there for a second, and walked into town, stopping to look at the wildlife along the way.
~-Devaronia Prototype Equipment and Chemical Processing Facility-~
"Sir, he has a report from Phillydelphia. Celestia's condition has taken a bad turn, and our time to make this potion has been halved." said the deep yellow-colored unicorn. He stepped over to a sky blue Pegasus, with a light grey mane. She stood there for a moment before reaching a conclusion to the dilemma. "In three days, we can have the test sample. If we send that over to the guys at Phillydelphia, it may work." He said, looking into a small vial being filled with a bubbling pink liquid. "But what is if doesn’t work, it could potentially kill the princess." said the unicorn, stepping to the Pegasus’s other side. "And if it does, then the Princess is saved, and Equestria wont plummet into disarray, and we are all enslaved to the Changelings." He said. His voice rose a bit, and he took the vial and placed in a small transport container. Looking up, a Pegasus was waiting in a flight suit made with aerodynamics in mind; the wearers face was angled in directions to streamline the wind to prevent friction or drag, as well as vanes on the legs to increase maneuverability. He took the case, and set it on the back of the suit, which fastened it together, practically inseparable. He walked to the take-off lane, and was set in a small carriage. There was a brief wait, and the system activated: The carriage launched forwards, down a 1500 meter long runway, and sent the Pegasus into the air, well over any speeds achievable by unsuited pegasi (save Rainbow Dash). His entire world shook, and he could hardly keep his head straight. At these speeds, the suit made a screeching whirr, piercing his eardrums even through the ear protection. After he adjusted his heading, it died down, and he was off to Phillydelphia. The two day trip gave him a one day margin of error, along with a tracking devices implanted in the case. Should he be captured, he can jettison the case, and an infiltrator can retrieve it and take it the rest of the way, if necessary.
~-Ponyville, one and a half days later-~
"Rise and shine, every pony!" called a voice from a room in Voltage's house, and as the sleeping ponies woke up, one my one, the small of bacon and eggs filled their noses, the warm smell waking them up and drawing them to the kitchen. They all stumbled in, one by one, yawning and rubbing their yes. "Well. Good morning, every pony. Since you all were leaving, I thought I’d make you all a big breakfast." he said, putting the last plate of eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice. They all sat down, hardly noticing one another. Voltage and thunder lane talked a bit over the course of the meal, and the rest finally joined in. It was mostly uneventful, ending with the hugs and goodbyes of new friends. "I'll write to you!" called Rainbow Dash to Voltage, taking off into the midmorning sky to get a view of the area. After a few minutes, she came back down in front of her friends. Well, looks like out best bet is to head out that way." she said, pointing a hoof to the east. "I can see one of the trade roads down ways, and we'll be there in no time of we use one of those." Thunder lane looked up. "Well, will we be there by tonight? Celestia needs this potion, because tomorrow her heart rate will drop fatally low." he explained, inciting a small panic among them. "Calm down, every pony. Now, if he needs to, Thunder lane can go ahead without us to deliver the potion, we'll still make it there. If it is this important, I think he should just to be safe." said Rainbow, taking over the operation as usual. This ensued for several minutes, before Thunder lane decided it best to take off, and get the potion to her a.s.a.p.
~-Phillydelphia Intensive Care-~
"Princess, the Pegasi who has your potion has arrived, he'll be here sho-" she was cut off by the door abruptly opening, and a team of doctors and a pegasi in a flight suit barged into the room. "Celestia, we don’t have a lot of time, so I will make this quick. My name is Doctor Flowing Hope, and we have a small problem. This potion was taken out early, it would be completed today, but we could not get it to you in time. It has a chance of potentially thickening your blood, making it impossible for blood to pass through your body, and... Well, let's say, suffocating your blood veins. Now, we have it ready, do you wish to proceed?" she asked Celestia, who nodded weakly. She knew that her time was close, but this potion was made to fix that. She propped herself up on the hospital bed, and breathes softly. Looking at the tray, she saw needles and vials being prepared, in almost total silence. Luna was asked to leave the room, only Flowing Hope was allowed to be in here for the duration. As they all bustled out of the room, and walked over to Celestia, needle in her mouth. She inserted the needle through her neck, into a main blood vein, but didn’t inject anything yet. "Celestia, before this happens, I just want to say... Should this end poorly for you, it was a true honor serving under your rule." she said, nervous for what was going to happen. "Thank you, but there is no need to be worried. For if it is my time, then I shall go." she said, shifting her gaze to the needle in her neck. "Now, are we ready to continue?" she asked, smiling weakly. Her heart rate was already two away from the fatal limit, so any small thing that could go wrong can potentially kill her. She gulped, and breathed in through her nose, out through her mouth as Flowing Hope pressed down on the metallic needle, the pink liquid flowing into her veins.
Celestia was listening to the heart beat, trying to keep tempo with it. *beat*...*beat*...*beat*...*beat*...*beat*... Then she felt the needle eject its flowing, aqueous liquid into her blood stream. *beat*...*beat*...*beat....*beat*....... She opened her eyes, wide with fear. Her mane was slowly fading away, the brilliant colors molding into one, moody shade of grey. *beat.......*beat....... "Princess.... Princess, what’s wrong!?" asked Flowing Hope, her voice breaking. Tears formed on the edge of her eyes, and Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the willpower to force the words out. *beat...........*beat*............ The drum that had kept her in tune with her life was fading out, the silence deafening her, and the bright light was burning her eyes. She slammed them shut, and the darkness shifted with the silence. There was one outcome here, and she knew it, but it was all too painful to realize. She exhaled a deep, long held breath, and listened for the tune of a dying Princess...... *beat*...................... The silence carried her away, to a land of long ago, hidden in the future. Where it was? Well, no pony living knew. Maybe one was where they wished most at the time they were lifted. But she was comfortable, and that was a welcomed feeling she had not felt for weeks, and she embraced it with open arms.
Hope cried until no more tears could be found. It was just a dry heave of total insanity; I just injected the very potion that-NO, FLOW. DONT THINK IT, YOU HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE POUTCOME. But, what if she had said it wasn’t a good idea, what if..' she was shaken by a hoof on her shoulder, and looked up to see Luna, confused and nervous. Flowing Hope stepped off of Celestia's body, and the room went silent. And this feeling came over Equestria. It sent chills down filly and foal's spines, and clawed atb the heart of the grown, and elderly. The pain was there, but why... That was something that Equestria would find out later.
Nurse Flowing Hope and Luna stepped out into the hallway. During the procedure, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow dash, as well as Angelkidd, Neo Bolt and Shimmering Leaf jioned back up with the others. Both Luna and Hope had tears streaming down their face, and one look gave the ponies their answer about what happened. Twilight was brought to her knees, and started sobbing hysterrically. Applejack hung her head low, her hat falling onto the floor. Fluttershy ran down the hall, wanting to get away from everypony and be alone. Rarity fell against the wall, and her eyes watered up, and flowed over. Pinkie's hair deflated, and she let loose a river of tears. Even Rainbow was seen rubbing her eyes, int his case. Throughout the hospital, nurses were informed that Celestia had past away, that the potion failed. A small fleet was scheduled to take her body back to Canterlot, where she would have a royal funeral, and a proper burial. Throughout the rest of the day, happyness was unheard of. Nobody ate, slept or talked to one another, and a feeling of helplessness came over everypony. Twilight was in her room which was assigned to her for her stay in Phillydelphia, pacing around the room. None of her books said anything about what happens when a Princess is lost. Of cource, Luna would be the new Pricness of Equestria, but Celestia was the nation's soul. She was the reason that Twilight and her freinds were pulled into this war, and she knew that they would still be fighting it. But it was a fight without reason. She turned around, starting her pace the other way, when a mare standing in the doorway caught her eye. Twilight looked up and identified the face, but her words were trapped in the bottom of her throat. "Twilight, i am truly sorry about what happened. But just know, I was as close to her as anypony else." Derpy told her, in hopes of comforting the uneasy feelings going on in Twilight's mind. "B-but you're a soldier. I dont mean any offence, nor am I comparing you to one, but you dont see her talking it up with any of her royal guards, do you?" Twilight asked, the tears welling up again in her eyes. "Thats all Equestria saw. When the ponies were away, she was the Princess that would take the time to know your name. I opened the door for her once, back when I was a royal bodyguard of hers, and she smiled, said thank you. It wasnt fifteen minutes when she came back to her room, when she stopped and asked me how I was doing, using my name. Being a guard, this threw me off guard, but it shows what kind of pony she was at heart. As for Luna, i havent had much contact with her, but I may now." she looked over at Twilight, who was listening patiently, but didnt seem to change from all of this. "Okay, what im trying to say is... while it know it is a great loss to you, it was one to me, and I don't wank you to feel alone in this. your freinds feel the same way too, i assure you." she said, gently rubbing her head against Twilight's "Well... What happens now?" asked Twilight, looking over at derpy, the confusion in her voice. It was clear to Derpy that she, nor her herself, knew exactly what would become of the war. Her eyeslined up in a rare moment of focus, but there was no answer. Not yet, at least. "I'll think about it, and talk to Luna. For now, you need some sleep, kiddo." she said, and stood up. Derpy gave a hug to her newfound freind, and walked out, closing the door behind her. Twilight climbed in her bed, and wrestled the covers, seemingly unable to find that sweet spot to sleep in.
~-Twilight's realm of dreams-~
She looked around. The room was pitch black, but there was a spirit approaching her. Of a... changeling? It approashed her, a small sound she couldnt place. "Twilight, you have suffered the greatest loss Equestria has ever suffered. But what Celestia told you about the Changelings wasnt everything you should know. There was a time where your nation faced a greater threat than it does now. And so Equestria reached out for help. And we reponded, we helped them build the empire they have today, helped them through the war they were struggling in. We almost built the entire empire. Then the day the war was over, they tuned on us. Daggers went in the back of the changelings who the ponies had trusted for years, all because of a single order. Given out by Celestia herself. She saw it fitting that, once she had an empire under her control, and all posible threats neutrilized, the the one downgrading factor of her empire, the fact that it was not entirley hers, and that it was saved by a foreign force, eliminated. So she purged us from Equetria. Slaughtered our families. I saw my kids executed, one my one, by a spear to the neck. I tried to escape, everything I had fought for was being destroyed before my unwilling eyes. and I was almost free, if it wasnt for that markscolt in the treeline. Crossbow bolt, right to the face. And, well, Celestia saw this as a bad decision, so she covered it up. The enemy she fought with us had somehow returned, and taken all of our allies with them. For a few years there, we would gladly have rejojned in an alliance, with some payment for the poverty they forced on us all. But no suck luck, we were gutted and left for dead. So we waited in the shadows, amassing our empire from the dark, feasting on what you called 'love'. For after the Equestrian Massacre, we had no capability for such feelings. All exept for me, but I was dead so it mattered not. Now, with my vengance complete, not that I wished anything like this. I was dead and with my family, i was happy, I have been assigned to a living soul to guide them through times like these. I will appear whenever you dream, but you can only listen and heed my words, any attempts to talk will be met with silence. But for now, it would be wise to get the sleep you were seeking." said the changeling, as he turned around, and began walking the other way. "Oh, and should you be wondering, which I know you are, you cannot pronounce my native name with your tongue. Noah is who you may know me as. Now, off to dreamland you go." he said, and faded into the darkness. But it semeed all to dream like for Twilight already.
~-Twilight's bedroom in Phillydelphia-~
She woke up, her head aching. She felt well rested, though, and that helped a bit. But it all slowly came back to her, like a wave of realization about what the figure in her dreams had said. She could remember it all, but didnt know who to tell. She was just getting out of bed, thought racing through her mind in a slur of unreadable thoughts, swirling into a massive array of confusion and panick. She was sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor, studying the patterns in the boards. Then a knock came at the door. She got up, slowly, still waking up. Then came another, more impatient "im COMING!" she yelled at the door, which was so think it probably didn't go through. She unlocked and opened the door to see Princess Luna standing before her. "Twilight, I wanted to tlak to you. After all this i know that you must be going through a lot, emotionally." she said, tilting her head as if to ask for entrance. Twilight accepted, and stepped aside. "Princess, I actually... I have something I need to tell you." Twilight said, nervously. Luna looked up, her face in a state of worry. And Twilight let it all out, from that vision she had. And Luna's face, even through a midnight blue coat of silky fur turned pale, and her eyes grew wide.
Twilight had finishged her explanation of her dream last night, and the look on Luna's face stopped her blood cold. "Twilight, i dont know how, exactly, this is possible, but it IS true. Now, you muct be careful witht his information, do you understand me?" she asked sternly, looking dead at Twilight." She nodded in agreement, and hopped off the bed. "Well, im gonna go get some breakfast... Luna?" Twilight asked, in a rather shy voice for her standards. "Yes? What is it, dear?" she asked walking towards the door. "Do you know when we'll be sent back out? You know, to take up som espionage missions. You know that's what we were trained for, right?" She asked. Luna gave a small chuckle, and looked up at Twilight, smiling. "YEs, I happen to know that. You will be sent back out eventually, but im having you all special battle suits made. It was one of Celestia's wants, but she never got to after your weapons. They are going to be specially made for your abilities, anhd when you receive them there should be something for you all." Luna said, using a spell to open the door. "Now, you go on with your freinds. Keep your mind occupied. Im giving you a three-day pass to go to Ponyville for a short stay, you all deserve it." Luna said, dissapearing down the hall. Twilight stopped for a moment and thought of her freinds in Ponyville. Not many, but she would spend some time with the ones she had. And there were her old freinds, all of which would be happy to know they were going home for a few days, to finally relax and (hopefully) clear their minds.
Twilight walked into the mess hall, and grabbed her tray. As soon as she set her tray down, and slop of gristled grey much, which looked like something a prehistoric flying beast would build a nest out of. She got her tray of mush and found the table her freinds were sitting at. Rarity was still wearing her vest, which seemed unusual to Twilight, but it didnt matter at the moment. She had the good news to deliver. "Good morning girls, how are we all today?" Twilight asked in the perkiest voice she could muster. She received looks of restless nights and sore eyes. "Well, Luna knew we were all going to feel like this, so I have news to deliver. We are scheduled to go back home to Ponyville for three days." she said giving a light smile. The table perked up a bit and some chatter about what one would do when they got back home filled the rest of the morning, and they were packed and sent off by midafternoon.
Scootaloo was riding her scooter from Sweet Apple acres, where she had played with Applejack for a bit, and was headed to seek some new adventure for her cutie mark. Then an object darting across the sky caught her eye. SHe stopped her scooter and looked up, focusing in as well as she could. She saw it was horse-drawn, so a chariot of some sort. SHe could only imagine what was inside it, or who. It seemed to be making a landing here, and she knew right where it would: Town center, the largest open area in Ponyville next to Sweet Apple Acres. So she kicked off and rced dowjn the hill to the town center, eager to see what awaited Ponyville. The chariot landed with a thud, and about the same time Scootaloo pulled up, panting from buzzing her wongs behind her, getting that extra push she needed. But her tiredness seemed to leave her body, washed away by a river of hope, seeing all those familiar faces step out of the chariot. wilight, Rarity, Applejack, FLuttershy, Pinkie, and... Rainbow Dash. Her hero, returning from military service. Wearing her uniform, Scootaloo called out her name, and git ehr attention rather quickly. She walked up to Scootaloo, who gave Dasha hug. "Im so happy your home, i've been working on my flying and i's a lot better!" she exclaimed, a giant smile on her face. By this time, Applebloom and Sweetie belle had come down to see the commotion. Applebloom instantly saw the orange coat of her older sister, and ran towards her, tackling her to the ground. Sweetie belle ran up to Rarity and squeesed her tight. And even non family members strolled up and chatted, and all of Ponyville was happy.
Rainbow Dash was dropping Scootaloo off from hanging out with her to the Apple's house, and had turned around to go to her cloud manor, whena d ark figure caught her eye, zooming through the sky. Dash bering Dash, she took off after it, intent on knowing what it was. She guessed five thousand feet..... four thousand.... three thousand.... two thousand.... one thousand... By now she could clearly make it out: A lone changeling over the Ponyville night sky. But where there's one scouting ahead, the is a fleet in tow, laying waste to anything avnd everything in their way. She flew down to Twilights house, and as soon as she stepped in, she heard the faint sound of hundreds of wings, flapping simultaniously. the sound that brought their hearts to a stop days earlier, and it was getting closer.
Closer to their freinds, their families.
Closer to the defenceless town of Ponyville.
And there wasn't a thing anypony could do to stop them
Twilight was just getting to bed after reorganizing all the books ponies borrowed and didn't put back correctly. Spike was already fast asleep, but there was a knock on the door, and a frantic one at that. Twilight was walking down the stairs, when a rainbw shot through her window, down the stairs and trailed to a cyan pegasis panting in front of her. "Rainbow, what happened?" Twilight asked, trotting to the side of her freind, who was so tired that she was having trouble staying on her hoofs. "Twilight, I saw a changeling scout over Poinyville... And could hear... the ivasion force that was coming. We need to prepare some form of defence, anything! Send word to Celestia, and-" she stopped herself after hearing what she had said. The reality that their beloved Princess, whom they had all looked up to was no longer. "Send word to Luna and tell her to get 5th Platoon down here, they trained at the same boot camp we did." Twilight looked at the floor, eyes darting back and forth as if scanning an imaginary battle map. "No, we need to evacuate everypony here, you go tell the others, and then we'll move to the nearest town for refuge." she explained, calming Dash down. "Twilight, we BOTH know that that they'll still destroy Ponyville if we arent here, and when they reach Skywind they'll burn it down as well." Dash's ears popped up upon hearing the noises grow closer, and felt the ground begin to rumble, shaking every bone in her body to the core. "T-Twilight?" she asked, her eyes brimming with tears. "They... they're here..." she said, pointing out the window to where the night sky should be. The moon and stars were erased by the hundreds of thousands of changelings, dropping down from... from something floating in the sky. Rainbow was just going off to get the others, but when she turned around they were all there. And each one of them had the same pale look on their face, the color in their coats nonexistent. "Darling, this... this would be a capital time for o-one of your plans..." Rarity said, the tears flowing. Fluttershy was on Applejack's back, holding on for dear life, crying her soft cry and burying her face in Applejacks mane. They all stood there, waiting for someone to make the first move, when Rainbow Dash finally decided to take a small look and see what was going on. She saw the changelings piling back into their floating base of some sort. But something... else was dropping from it. Small specs fell from the bottom of it, and she waited ti see what happened when they hit the ground. "Maybe it's like my Rainbombs...' She thought, waiting still. They didnt land near the town, but ina feild of wild animals, who took notice and walked up carefully to the objects. Seconds later, they all exploded, releasing a small flame and some form of gas, visible from afar. The animals began choking, letting out a chorus of dry heaves and gags in an attemp to inhale air to their dying lungs, but to no avail. One by one, they dropped dead scattered around the field. "Oh no, no, no no NO! GUYS!" Dash screamed flying back down. "They have some... floating base. And they dropped something an a field near Ponyville, and all the animals near the... things started choking when the things went off, and they're moving to drop them on us, and-" Twilight put a hoof against Dash's mouth, so she could ger her word in. "Girls, we need to go and get ever single pony out of this town, do you understand me?" She asked, looking at each and every one of them. They all nodded, and started towards the door. Just before any of them could reach it, three Lunar guards bashed in the door, wearing hazmat suits. "You six need to out these on, right now. DOnt say a word, not a yes and not a no, just do it." They commanded, throwing each oif them a suit. Once they had all gotten theirs on (Fluttershy was forcefully put in against her will, and curled up in a ball again) "Okay, ill get the rest for everypony else in town, and" she was stopped by the commander of the 3 Lunar guards "No can do, we need to get to a safe spot and await extraction. We were dropped off three clicks away, but with the airship the changelings have produced, we couldnt hotdrop in. SO, we need to keep you six safe." he said, looking up. His eyes followed hundreds of objects down from the airship, all of which hit the ground with a small click.
By this time, almost everypony in Ponyville was outside looking up at the airship or down, at the small cylinders of... something that dropped from the ship. The guards Pressed a button on their chest, as well as on the Six's suits, and their masks hissed and pumped oxeygen into their breath pipes. "You may want to go inside, this wont be a pretty sight..." the commander to,d them. "Well, why don;t you tell them to go? Why let THEM die!?" Dash asked, her vioce cracking and the tears beginning to flow. Just then, all the cylinders popped, releasing a mucky yellow gas across the entire town. Everypony looked around, and one by one, they all started coughing. The Earth Ponie's lungs began to swell up, until they reached the point of breaking and popped, releasing blood into their bodies, and flowing out of their mouths and nose, all of them lying face-down on the dirt. The Unicorn's horns began to distenigrate with a small flame, until it reached the inside of their headsa. Their brains began to fry, with a burning smell and sound. Their brain stems lit like candles, and scorched the flesh from the inside, burning strong as the drop dead into the earth. The Pegasi's wings began to bloat up, and they, like the Earth Pony's lungs, popped, with waves of blood gushing out, draining them of the precious ruby fluid of life. The screams from ponies dying, and the cries and coughs of fillies mixed in their heads, combining to form a single, solitary sound, the elimination of all living. Dash had her eyes closed tight, but something forced them ooen. She looked up and saw Sweetie Belle, Scootaloom and Applebloom, just about to enter the gas feild. She fraced towards them, grabbing the spare oxeygen mask off of the back of one of the Guards and a mask, racing towards them. "DO. NOT BREATHE AT ALL, DO YOU UNDERSTAND. YOU WAIT UNTIL THIS MASK IS ON, OKAY?" She demanded, blocking their veiw of the town center, littered with the tortured bodies of freinds and family. She worked fast, and got them all in the mask, but it wouldnt last long. "Close your eyes, and get onto my back." she said, calmly as possible, the tears welling un to aa small puddle at the bottom of her mask. They nodded, and slimbed on, eys shut tight. Dash walked calmly throug the town, and to the other sidem away from the scene that would haunt her mind through day and night.
Twilight had seen everything, her unwillingness to leave her freinds had come to the unwillingness to break eye contact, as if an apoligy for not being able to do anything, for standing there, so helplessly. But there was more. Deep inside, she felt her the ends to her sanity fraying with every passing second. Applejack was brought to her knees, and sobbed relentlessly, as did all the others. None of them saw any point in holding back those walled in feelings and emotions,a nd everything from the past two weeks came out. But they all knew that this just meant that they would be sent into deeper missions, and that they, the most well trained fighting force in Equestria's history, were breaking down, tight-strung ropes of sanity being chewed away, leaving the shallow, emotionless bodies left. Those of killers, wether it's for revenge of Ponyville, or avenging the fallen Princess, they could feel the anger kicking in, overtaking all other feelings, and telling them to do what they were trained for. They knew that even through all this, that there were still missions to undertake, and if they failed in any of them, this will happen all across Equestria, turning the green, rolling hills and small towns dotting the land into mass graves, the bodies dumped into ditches dug up by the changelings, to save the effort of at least a box for each one. They had seen it happen, and they knew that this would be the first one. The town where they had called come, the wood was rotting from the gas, and even the mighty tree upon which the library was built started to crumble, leaving the sould of town, where everypony gathered to share gossip and meet freinds was blown away like a faded memory leaving one's mind, never to return.
Their chariot had arived, and they were ordered to bring the three fillies along with them, to stay at Luna's castle. And they each piled in, solemnley, still sobbing when there were no tears to be found. The fillies had practitially no choice but to see their way through the maze of death, and disease that polluted the town, and they lifted off. Bound for another hellhole, and destined to be the slaves Twilight was warned about from Derpy. She fell into a fitful sleep.In her dissapearence into the realms of the night, she saw the face again. Noah, she rememberd his name as, and he approached her just as last time.
"Twilight, you have just seen the extent that my race will go to in order to eliminate anything in their way. We were oncce known for out mercy, and were a helpful race, but... well, ive told you that story. Now, this is a rare occasion in which you can speak to me. I can make this memory never haunt your dreams, but I will no longer appear in your realm of the night. Think about the memory loing enough, and with great effort, and great pain, youy may wish me back. But I will not be able to reverse this once more. Speak." Noah commanded, the two options weighing her mind like anvils."Take the memory away, please." She tried to continue with her thoughts, but once her answer was spoken, Noah dissapeared, and she was dropped into a pit of blinding darkness. Dropped into her realm of dreams.
~-Five years after the Ponyville chem drop-~
The Changelings had found their newly-developed chemical bombs quite effective, and they used them to clear out entire strongholds. They have produced an additional two airships in the years since, and have been radiating the Equestrian soil at every opportunity. Phillydelphia, Las Pegasus, and Manehattan have all fallen to the sheer destructive power unleashed upon Celestia's green earth. Luna forged a desperate alliance with the Gryphons, but it is a fragile one. Applewood, filled with its once-glamorous stars and bustling stores filled with overpriced fashion items was now one of the many mass graves dug up by the Changelings on their raids through the countryside. Vanhoover was passed by, for reasons unknown, and almost every refugee in Equestria was living there, or had sailed onto Gryphonia, in hopes of starting anew.
The Six had quit the service, and the information of the E.D.F is current as shown:
Twilight Sparkle, Spellhoof .:Status: Presumed dead .:Location: Unknown, assumed dead
The E.D.F did make a large leap in weaponry: The 'air-rifle'. These long, tubular objects mount onto a ponies shoulder and fire a ball of molten steel at a target, at ranges far greater than the Crossbow would allow.
~-Command Facility, upper regions of the Crystal Mountains-~
Luna stood atop her spiral staircase, awaiting her scout's return. She could hear her stepping quickly, breathing fast. Never a good sign, but she'd have to see what the news was to fully determine that. The Purple pegasus had a deep blue mane, and a cutie mark that resembled a show cloud on one half and a raincloud on the other. "Princess Luna, Royal scout number zero-zero-one-five reporting back." she said, raising a hoof in a salute. "What did you see, Winter?" Luna asked. Winter Rain was her full name, but she preferred one or the other. "My Princess, the three airships of the Changeling Navy are closing in. I fear we may have been detected." She said. Luna remained silent, and stood stock-still. Winter looked around nervously. "Luna, are we awake here?" she asked, waving a hoof in front of Luna's face. "Yes, im awake. Send orders to every single pony, unicorn and pegasus here: If they can get to an arms stockpile, get whatever they can and mount a defence. I am giving Earth ponies access to our prototype weapons, the Pegasi are unrestricted for flight and Unicorns shall be given the key to use the best spells I know. Get that off, ill be suiting up." Luna said, turning around and walking to her fitting station.
After everypony received the news, chaos ensued. Makeshift sandbag walls were raised, and ponies were fitted for defence. Looking out one of the few windows, one would see the three great airships, all in a line. Luna had been suited up in her obsidian and ebony armor. "Prepare for contact!" She yelled, as the changelings were released from their pens inside the ship, and charged towards the base. Some had crossbows mounted on their shoulders, and the sound of cracking stone echoed throughouyt the base with every bolt launched. But then there was silence. One brave young pegasus dared poke his head up to see what happened.Seconds later, his head exploded in a wave of crimson, and his snout was torn away, leaving a hole the size of a hoof in he middle of his head. His body flopped with a thud onto the ground, and the earth pony beside him looked down with fear. His exposed skull jutted out from his face and glitened in the candle light. Another earth pony ricked a shot at one of them, and mounted uo his air rifle. He braced herself against the wall, eyes shut and breathing heavy. She could feel her heart beat speeding up with every passing second, and her body resisted every urge to shoot up over that edge and take the shot. Then her brain took over, and she forced herself up. She immedeatly saw a changeling hovering overhead, and moved into position. She put her mouth in the bit and chomped down, sending the ball of iron hurdiling towards its target. Upon impact, the changelings middle body chattered like glass, shearing him in two. he fell down the side of the mountain, a trail of dark green following behind. Before she puleld herself back, she saw something. The middle airship had something mounted on the very tip, and it was glowing in a glowing shade of night. The sunlight around the area of the ship seemed to fade into the darkness one feels when sleeping. Luna had set her helmet on, and was looking over as well. SHe instantly recognized it as the void source. Her mind flashed back o the Canterlot Invasion, when the giant vortex spawned in the throne room, the shadows engulfing the light. She snapped back to reality, but it was too late.
From the ship, the ball of dark energy was fired. It took its slow path to the base, where upon impact with the stone walls, the earth shattered. It was righteous fury given form, sending all objects the shadows toutched into oblivion, never to be seen again. Ponies and Alicorn alike suffered the same fate. Luna thought quickly, and took out her sister's sun amulet. Holding it tight in her mouth, she released its sheild unto her body, covering her in a holy white veil. She shadows around her receeded, and she raced off, away from the hell that was raining upon the base, leaving countless earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns to be sucked into the primordal abyss.
Equestria fell into purgatory, the few refuges who had not left for Gryphonia had no belongings,m no freinds, no family. It was only by chance, and by the grace of the Elders, that travellers met upon the road. On the rare occaisions this happened, the two would usually stick togather in the wasteland. The earth bled, dark and cold, and suffocated from the radiation spread by the chems dropped for the past five years. The few ponies that still wandered the planet ravaged by death, desiase and famine had only one hope, and one that grew weaker every day. The hope that somewhere upon the unholy deathland that the land of the once-mighty kindgom of Equestria was built upon, that the elements of harmony lived on, untainted. And each of the beleivers knew, deep down that in their own way, that hey were right. And daily, at the same time as the last day, Equestria was rocked by a calming wind. And that wind blew through the Neighagra Falls, and through the dark and gloomy couds of Cloudsdale, Until it reached the end. The end of death, and the beginning...
~Of Creation~
They all walked silently down the hall to their rooms, climbed in their beds and hoped for a good night's sleep, a sleep that never came. Twilight was reading one of her books, when she noticed Fluttershy peering in her door. "Hey Fluttershy... having trouble sleeping?" she asked in a soft voice. "I... well... if it was okay with you, I just wanted to... talk if that’s okay with you.... if you have the time..." followed by an inaudible squeak. "Of Course you can. Come on up." Said Twilight, and moved over on her bed.