Epica: The Fall of Harmony

by DaNumbahZer0

Chapters

Prologue
Foreboding Truth
Letters to the Princess
The Midnight Hour of the Darkest Day
Blood and Brew
Taken
Spellbound
Symphony of Destruction

Prologue

“On the midnight hour of the darkest day,

The Ones who should stay locked away,

Come again to scourge and scour,

Hope and light they shall devour,

Blood light will shower land and sea,

Drowning peace and Harmony….”

Zecora awoke from the terrible dream. Her striped body shivered feverishly from the
cold sweat soaking through her dampened fur. Or was it the horrific images that haunted her in her sleep that caused her to shake? She couldn’t be certain.

She stepped lightly from her bed onto the great throw rug that decorated her floor in symbols and ancient script from her homeland. A hot cup of tea would surely do her nerves well, she thought, crossing the symbol laden straw weaves that lined her path to the iron kettle. She absentmindedly struck up a fire beneath the kettle, adding an assortment of tea leaves and soothing herbs to her brew. Soon, a sweet aroma fluttered in the air, filling the small hut with tantalizing fragrances. Her mind pooled at the strange tangents of the dream that had left her weary. The words echoed in her mind, reverberating harshly as they spiraled into the pit of her stomach.

“Such terrible thoughts to fill one’s dreams, I wonder what these words could mean?”

A loud whistle popped a hole in her pondering bubble. She removed the pot from the flame to quell the earsplitting howl, setting the freshly brewed beverage to cool and simmer from its boil. It was not just the words that chanted in her mind in the voices of her kind that left the Zebra unsettled. Dark shapes with hungry eyes remained etched in her thoughts as well, their silhouettes only just visible in the wavering crimson aura that shrouded them. She poured herself a steaming cup of her herb infused beverage and began to sip gingerly at the brew. The tea did help. The chemicals released from the boiled herbs were soothing; slowly bringing her down from her elated state of unrest.

“Ah, what a pleasant and soothing type of brew. It never fails to ease the mind, it’s true!” The banded mare proclaimed. “Enough pondering these thoughts of mine, I will try again at a later time.”

She finished her tea and made a beeline for her bed across the room. She snuggled
down beneath the wooly covers, tucking in for another attempt at sleep. She nuzzled into the fluffy white puff beneath her head, letting the symphony of the nighttime creatures serenade her as she started drifting off. She took one final look into the majesty of the night sky through her bead and chime adorned window before closing her eyes. A bright star flickered against the darkness amongst the dappled embroidery in the blackness. Not in the way that most stars idly twinkle. No. This star was flickering the way a candle does before the wind breathes the flame away. It shone dimly then brightly, all the while shifting in coloration from the purest white to the bloodiest red.

“Blood light will shower the land and sea,

Drowning peace and Harmony….”

Zecora’s eyes shot open, a tiny red essence dancing within their glassy reflection. “Oh,
sweet Celestia, what can we do if this prophecy of old is real and it’s true?”

Foreboding Truth

“Spiiiiike!” The young unicorn called happily, extenuating the major vowel in the dragon’s name.

Moments later the stout purple figure of her scaly number one assistant came barreling down the curvature of stairs with a mountain of literature piled as high as the dragon was tall, balancing unsteadily in his grasp; a recipe for certain disaster. Sure enough, in his plight to bring down the stack of books that Twilight had summoned for, his clawed foot missed a step, sending him and the statue of text careening to the ground, bouncing humorously down the last couple of stairs.

The young dragon rubbed his head, nursing what would surely become another lump. At this rate it was going to look as though Twilight beat him behind closed doors. Maybe he could use that story to aid in his luck with the ladies he thought, but shook the idea out of his mind. The purple unicorn was rushing over from her desk of experiments to inspect him.

“Oh my, Spike, are you alright?” She asked with concern on her brows.

The baby dragon rubbed his noggin and nodded, “Yeah I’m okay, Twilight,” Spike said peeling himself from the floor and starting to pick up the mess he had made, “thick scales and a thick head, you know!” He beamed reassuringly.

Twilight chuckled, “Oh yeah, you have a thick head alright!” Her spiraled horn igniting in violet essence to assist Spike as the splatter of literature began floating and stacking themselves neatly by her desk, the final book prying itself from the dragon’s clawed fist.

The dragon’s eye twitched as he stared at Twilight as she performed her usual levitation charm, surely boring holes straight through her in his obvious annoyance. “Remind me again why you don’t just do that to begin with,” motioning to the freshly stacked books beside her academic throne.

She countered his annoyed glare with a raised eyebrow and smirk, “Because, Silly, I have to be able to physically see the objects I am trying to lift for the spell to work.”

His eye twitched again, raising his hand to protest the Unicorn’s logic, but before even the first words were hissed she had cut him off.

“Oh! Spike, what time is it?” she interjected, clearly aware of something she most likely had forgotten until this very moment.

Caught by surprise the dragon stumbled over his words, “But that¬…. Wait, huh,” confusion lapsing over his facial features.

“What time is it, Spike?” She repeated, a tweak of impatience humming in her tone.

The young dragon sprinted back up the arcing staircase, returning with equal haste. “It’s almost noon,” he began, but before he could question her about why the time was important, Twilight was darting around the room, rustling up her saddlebag and filling it with books, a couple freshly picked apples from Sweet Apple Acres, a quill, ink, and a dashing bit of Rarity’s handiwork.

“I told Zecora I would pay her a visit today around quarter after twelve, and now I’m going to be late,” a sigh of frustration seething from between her teeth.

Spike burst out in a fit of laughter, “Not the first time, is it Twilight? Ha ha! Better hope she forgives you or she might put a curse on you!”

“Oh, ha ha, very funny you little squirt!” Twilight said crossly over her shoulder as she was still amidst in her hustling and bustling. In truth she was only half listening to the little dragon at this point.

“Just like how the princess was going to send you back to magic kindergarten!” Spike lost it. He was now rolling around on the floor with his heavy bouts of laughter.

Twilight's cheeks turned shades of red as she retorted, “Will you stop bringing that up? It was one time! I really thought she was going to punish me! Besides, aside from it being rude, I just plain don’t like to be late!”

“Whatever you say, Twi,” Spike wavered with the final bouts of his outburst, wiping a trickle of moisture from either of his green eyes.

“Anyway, I’m off to see Zecora! Keep an eye on the place, will you?”

“Yeah, yeah, have fun, Sis!” Spike waved, ascending the flight of stairs once again to return to his work.

With that, Twilight strode from her tree home and off in the direction of the Everfree Forest.

Her hooves clopped cheerfully along as she trotted her way through Ponyville’s cobblestone streets. The scents of freshly picked fruits and vegetables from the market place hung merrily in the air, making her stomach growl in rebuttal to her unwillingness to stop for a bite to eat. Her tummy was making a strong argument, she thought decidedly, as she passed by Sugarcube Corner, and a torrential flood of sweet scents assaulted her olfactory lobe. She had to make sure nopony decided to stop and chitchat right now; because she was certain if she opened her mouth a waterfall of drool would cascade to the stones beneath her hooves. How embarrassing would that be?

Sugarcube Corner won the waging war between her stomach and her disdain for tardiness. Twilight felt shameful guilt rising from her belly, but it was soon washed down by the sugary goodness of one of Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s famous double chocolate filled, cream cheese icing-topped cupcakes, or DCFCCITC for short, according to Pinkie Pie. If that is what you want to call it.

Twilight decided she ought to pick up Zecora a nice treat as well while she was there. It was the least she could do for not keeping to their scheduled time to meet up. With her quivering hunger quelled, the horned pony continued her trip to the Everfree Forest.

Her trot soon began to gradually become quieter, no longer a pitter-patter of clopping against stone, but a swishy, gentler sound as she left Ponyville behind, striding from the market streets into the glowing meadow that separated the town from the forest. The field was alive with the melodic humming of woodland creatures. Songbirds chirped and sang from the tree line as insects of all kinds chimed in, harmonizing nature’s welcoming buzz into an orchestral wonder. The unicorn couldn’t help but smile as the sounds tickled her ears and scent of sweet grass and beautiful flowers lingered in her nostrils.

Soon she arrived at the edge of the forest, staring into the mysterious depths of the lush foliage. She had walked this path a hundred times in the past, but there was an eerie feeling in the air whenever she crossed into the Everfree Forest.

Her path was a serpent slithering through the dense overgrowth that stretched on endlessly in every direction. The trail itself was thinly splotched with any sort of growth, surprisingly enough, worn into the dirt from traffic traveling to and from Zecora’s hut. The bright side was it made it numbingly easy to find the route to the zebra’s home, even at night.

Before long, Twilight was at Zecora’s door. The Zebra’s home was abstract. Many trinkets and trophies from her homeland lined the walls, inside and out. Although none of the décor was intended to frighten visitors, their alien nature often made their symbolization of welcome and hello hard to discern past the frightening appearances.

Twilight lightly tapped the door with her hoof, “Hey Zecora! Sorry I’m a little late,” she called. Seconds later the door swung ajar revealing a manic black and white figure beyond the threshold. Her eyes were bloodshot and roaming wildly in all directions. Her mane, although not uncommon for it to be primly drawn up in a flowing, banded crescent, stuck out madly today like she had caught a stray lightning bolt from one of the weather ponies. She looked like she had had way too much of whatever special brew she had been concocting, Twilight thought to herself, smiling coyly.

“Twilight Sparkle, so glad you could come! Come inside and sit, my little one!” The Zebra said in her normal rhythmic manner.

Twilight just gazed upon the foreign mare with great concern, “Um, Zecora, are you alright?”

“Yes, yes, my dear all is fine, a little late, but you’ve still made good time.” Zecora said with a glint of her normal self in her shimmering blue eyes.

Twilight stepped inside her quaint little home, and noticed that it wasn’t just Zecora herself that looked a mess today. Jars and flasks that normally hang suspended in the air by strands of thread now lay scattered throughout the room. Navigating the chaotic scene was like playing some absurd game of hopscotch.

“Wow, what happened here?” Twilight asked as the duo made their way through the cluttered maze.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Twilight. All seems well to my sights.” Zecora chimed as they zigzagged their way to the bubbling cauldron in the center of the room. “Oh you must mean the mess all around! I’m trying out a new recipe I’ve found!”

Twilight’s eyes scanned the room, a look of unease quickly forming on her face, unsure of what to think of the mess, despite Zecora’s excuse. “Oh…. Well, what new recipe are you trying, Zecora?”

“It's a brew to sooth one’s mind at night. Particularly handy when it’s sleep you fight.” The Zebra’s eyes widened erratically as she realized she spoke words she did not wish to say. “I mean, that is to say….”

But Twilight cut her off, “Zecora,” her brows drawn in concern for her friend, “What’s going on?” Her friend stood, digging her hoof into the ground nervously in a repetitive fashion, avoiding Twilight’s longing gaze.

The words lingered on the Zebra’s lips, daring to spring forth with every breath she drew. Her chest felt tight, a lump formed in her throat and she could feel oncoming sensation of dank perspiration beginning to coat her skin. The striped mare finally mustered up the courage to lay her frightened eyes upon the unicorn’s longing ones.

“I’m your friend, Zecora. You can tell me. I’m here for you!”

The walls in Zecora’s mind crumbled. A drawn out sigh passed through her lips and she spoke, staring into the bubbling cauldron, “On the midnight hour of the darkest day, The Ones who should stay locked away, Come again to scourge and scour, Hope and light they shall devour, Blood light will shower land and sea, Drowning peace and Harmony….”

Twilight struggled to maintain her composure, fighting gravity from pulling her jaw limp. Confusion dotted the purple pony’s face. She gawked at her friend, completely confused.

“Those words came to me in the darkest of dreams, shrouded in darkness and bone chilling screams,” Zecora explained, casting narrowing eyes upon her Unicorn friend as she spoke, “I fear this nightmare may be an ominous premonition; a warning and not just silly superstition.”

Twilight chuckled edgily, “Oh, Zecora, surely it was just a bad dream. You can’t really believe….” She was cut off harshly.

“You ask me to tell you what is on my mind, and yet when I speak, it is doubt that you find!” Zecora shouted venomously, boring angry eyes into Twilight’s soul, “Listen to me and do not be a foal, these words I have heard are black as coal! They are a prophecy I heard long ago, that foretells the rise of a powerful foe. They speak of a coming of terror in our lives, where harmony is broken and monsters thrive!”

Twilight shrunk beneath Zecora’s wrathful outburst. Her tail tucked tightly between her haunches as she hunkered down, melting into the floor. “I…. I….” She had lost her ability to speak, caught off guard by her friend’s unexpected rage.

Zecora could see the fear she had struck in Twilight’s heart. Her rage subsided as quickly as it had come about, floating away in the summer breeze. She shook her head, ridding her mind of what had come over her, “I am terribly sorry, my dear Twilight! I did not mean to give you a fright! These dreams I have had just have me on the brink, it eats at my heart and makes it sink.”

Twilight’s gaze finally met with Zecora’s again. This dream of hers, this premonition, really had her spooked. She had never once seen Zecora like this. It was as if her foundations were crumbling inside her, creating deep rifts in her heart and digging out her roots.

“I’m so sorry, Zecora,” Twilight began, carefully inching toward the striped mare, “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just didn’t realize how badly this dream had affected you.”

“You have no need to apologize, as I can see how it must appear from another’s eyes.” Zecora said, grabbing a nearby wooden ladle and began to churn the sweet brew bubbling excitedly in its metal confines.

There was an awkward silence as the Zebra continued sloshing the mix that Twilight felt compelled to break. “Soooo…. You really believe that this dream was more than just a nightmare, then, Zecora?”

The striped mare did not respond. Her eyes remained glassily transfixed on the swirling currents she was creating in the pot. Twilight looked on anxiously, watching the maelstrom swim in Zecora’s eyes.

“Um…. Zecora?

The Zebra shook her head wearily, finally snapping back to reality, and fixed her eyes on Twilight’s. “Yes, I am afraid to say I believe it may be, for a telltale sign in the night’s sky I did see.” The reminiscence sent icy pricks down the length of her spine.

Twilight stepped forward and embraced her friend, hoof around her shoulders, “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Zecora sighed and told Twilight everything in perfect detail. From the chanting of the prophecy and monsters in shadows, to the flickering flash of crimson that shone in the night, Zecora’s words hung heavily in the air, thick as smoke and made it equally hard to breathe as she digested the information. It sent shivers down the young pony’s spine. Now she could understand why it must have unnerved Zecora so much to have experienced the dream, herself.

“I-I don’t know what to say….” Twilight meekly managed to say after enduring the horrors of the thoughts that haunted and hung heavily on her friend’s conscience.

“There is nothing needed to be said, about these thoughts that sink one’s heart like lead. But something further makes me sick with worry, it tears and bites at my soul with great fury….” her words lingering ominously as a dark cloud ready to burst.

Twilight ached with anticipation, “What is it, Zecora? What’s on your mind?”

The Zebra’s eyes glassed over with tears as she spoke, “To tear the fabric of Harmony, one must pull the threads at the seam. To crush the Elements is to blot out the light, blacking the sun for an endless night. If the Elements of Harmony were to fall, it would mean eternal chaos for us all….”

In her heart, Twilight knew now what ate at Zecora’s mind. The truth was written in the words of old, but some masochistic part of the young unicorn spoke up desiring to hear the words. A hard lump in her throat threatening to choke her as the words slipped out absentmindedly, “You mean….”

Both ponies stood rigidly as Zecora nodded, “Whatever evils come, should it be true, I fear they will come all hunting you….”

Twilight felt her heart stop, staring blankly into Zecora’s eyes.

Letters to the Princess

It had been two days since her disturbing visit to Zecora’s and yet every haunting detail from the encounter hung over Twilight like an anvil waiting to drop. The thought of anything so horrid was an unbearable mental image, and Twilight had to force the creeping notions out of her mind when they arose.

She had tried to sleep on the thoughts that were ravaging her mind, but to no avail. Rest did not come for the young unicorn. The heavy bags beneath her eyes were more than a telltale sign of her insomnia. She had kept herself cooped up in her library, rummaging through every piece of literature she could get her hooves on trying to figure out more about the foreboding insight that Zecora’s dreams had been cursed with.

The entire library had been checked, top to bottom, “A” through “Z”, and everything in between, but to her disdain, she was unable to scrounge up even the tiniest scrap of information regarding the foretelling. It was beginning to seem hopeless.

When nothing had turned up in her vast labyrinth of literature, Twilight made it priority to contact Princess Celestia in regards to the looming divination. She explained everything that Zecora had witnessed, and expressed great concern, hoping to receive a speedy response concerning the topic that ailed her. But to her discontent, the princess had not yet responded to her plight. What in all of Equestria could possibly be keeping her from sending a reply? It was driving Twilight up the wall with nervous anticipation. Princess Celestia was normally quite punctual with the passing of mail, making Twilight’s mind even more erratic.

Spike was vexed by Twilight’s recent behavior. She had been acting quite strange since her visit to Zecora’s. The letter she had him breathe away to the princess in a dash of emerald flames had been written by Twilight herself, rather than a recitation of her thoughts for him to convey. It was strange, thought the little dragon, but at the time he didn't pay it much mind, as he was relishing a break from the daily transcriptions.

He saw the purple mare sitting at the kitchen table, her mane and tail appeared frazzled and unkempt. She sat hunched over the table with her face buried in the crooks of her forelegs, crossed over one another on the table. Was Twilight crying? Spike cautiously approached her, trying to decipher what must be troubling her. As he neared her bunched stature the sound of soft snoring tugged at his ears. She wasn’t crying at all; just sleeping. That was a relief. Strange though, he thought, Twilight was usually bustling with energy in the mornings.

Spike gently nudged the young pony, “Hey ya, Twilight, what’re you doing sleeping on the table? You know you have a bed right?” He was hoping his meek attempt at humor would brighten her up.

Twilights eyes drifted open unsteadily, releasing a bleary moan. Sunlight filtered in through the windows and burned her tired eyes. She cast a sideways glance at her scaly assistant, whose concerned eyes made her smile. “Mornin’ Spike,” she mumbled into her hooves.

“ Good morning, Twilight! What would you like for breakfast today?”

A great yawn interjected within her response, “Wha-ev you wa-ah do is fine, Spike.”

He returned minutes later with a scrumptious daffodil and hay sandwich, toasted with dragon fire, and a tall glass of apple juice to go with it. Twilight smiled. This was one of her favorite meals.

Spike snacked on a handful of precious gems as Twilight finished her delectable dish. “Thank you, Spike, that was absolutely delicious!”

“Aw shucks, it was nothin’! You’ve seemed really stressed out lately, Twi, it was the least I could do!”

She sighed, “It’s that noticeable, huh?”

Spike looked on timidly, “Yeah, kinda. Ever since you went to visit Zecora you have seemed outta whack. What happened over there?”

Twilight pondered for a moment, debating whether or not the dark dreams and premonition were something that the young dragon should know about. But as his worried eyes looked upon her, she knew that it was best that he knew the truth. Twilight drew a deep breath and began her story.

Spike looked upon her with disbelief. Chills coursed through him with the thought of what Twilight had been foretold. Surely such madness could not be true, could it? After much discussion on the sinister fortune, both Spike and Twilight felt that further action was necessary. Perhaps if they sent the princess another letter the severity of the matter would be addressed. It was worth a shot.

She didn't want to seem impatient, but who knew how much time they had if this nightmare became real. Besides, Twilight thought, if anypony would know something about ancient prophecies, it would be her mentor, after all, the princess was over a thousand years old. Surely if something as terrible as Zecora’s dreams were true, Celestia would have something to go on. Even if the Alicorn of the Sun did not have the answer herself, Twilight felt confident that she would know where to search.

Two more days had passed since her most recent script to the princess, and still no reply. What the hay could be taking so long? Twilight needed answers; she needed guidance. This was serious business, and somehow the princess seemed to have shoved it off like she had done when Twilight had noticed the portentous precursors of the return of Nightmare Moon. ‘But the princess didn't blow you off when you recognized the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return,’ Twilight reminded herself, ‘She knew what was happening as well and her wisdom guided me to discover the Elements of Harmony for myself through the magic of friendship.’ Twilight ridded her mind of all notions that the princess simply wasn't taking her worries seriously with a gentle shake of her head. But if the princess was taking her concerns to heart, why was it taking so awfully long to hear back from her. Twilight pondered this warily. A sudden dark thought slithered its way into her mind and crashed down upon her, pinning her struggling optimism to the ground. If Celestia wasn't brushing her qualms aside, then what could be keeping her from making contact?

With all her heart, Twilight beckoned her mind to remain convinced that the princess was merely busy with royal affairs. But something more profound lingered on; a truth that Twilight was steadily coming to realize, though her adamant mind rejected the surreal imaginings. Her heart sank into her stomach. Something must be terribly wrong in Canterlot. The princess must be in grave danger….

The Midnight Hour of the Darkest Day

It had been nearly a week since Twilight had visited Zecora. ‘Nearly a week and still no letter from the princess,’ Twilight thought to herself as she stared blankly out of her bedroom window watching the sun sink beyond the treetops. Something just seemed terribly wrong. Princess Celestia seldom took this long to respond, and when she did there would always be reason. Unfortunately, with the twists and turns of things lately anything that would keep the princess from replying to a desperate letter from her star pupil was not bound to be any normal royal affairs. She clucked her tongue in frustration and clocked her head on the window with a solid thud, breathing puffs of condensation into her sights.

Beyond the foggy glass, Twilight noticed the familiar form of a certain pale yellow Pegasus walking slowly through the market across the way. It had suddenly dawned on her, that she had been so collected in her thoughts and tribulation that she had not left her home in the library since she had returned from that fateful trip into the forest. It was time to get a fresh perspective of these happenings, she thought. She needed to gather the five of her best friends and fellow bearers of the Elements of Harmony to discuss the issue that plagued her sodden mind. As quickly as her hooves would carry her, Twilight swung down the arced stairway and out the front door of her home to catch up to the yellow mare.

“Fluttershy! Hey, Fluttershy, wait up!” Twilight hollered to her companion as she trotted her way up the cobblestone market street.

The pink-haired pony spun around, wide-eyed. “Oh, um hi, Twilight,” Fluttershy said in her gentle whisper of a voice, “it’s so nice to see you!” The corners of the Pegasus’s lips turned up in a fit of implosive joy! “How have you been? Are you alright?”

Fluttershy was beaming, but her eyes stuck to Twilight as she approached quivering with concern. “It’s really good to see you too, Fluttershy! Yes, I’m fine…. Er, well, more or less anyway,” The yellow mare gasped. Before she could question Twilight about the nature of her unrest, the purple pony had cut her off, “I’ll explain in a little while. Have you seen the others today?”

She nodded gracefully, “Yes, I just came from Rainbow Dash’s house, and I saw Pinkie a little while ago over at Sugarcube Corner.”

“Excellent! And what about Applejack and Rarity, have you seen them today, Fluttershy?”

“Um, well, no, not exactly…. But I’m sure Applejack is somewhere on her farm, she’s always got things to do around there and all.”

Twilight nodded in agreement, rubbing her chin with her hoof, “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right, AJ is probably over at Sweet Apple Acres, and I’ll bet my bottom bit that Rarity is neck deep in a dress order over at her place!”

“Twilight, um, is there some reason you’re looking for everypony right now?”

Twilight gave a vertical shake of her head, “Yeah, there is, but I’ll explain later! Can you get hold of Rainbow Dash and Rarity, and meet me back here in an hour? Spike and I will go round up Applejack and Pinkie Pie!”

“Well, um, I would love to, but I’m actually just here in town to pick up a few ingredients for Angel’s favorite salad tonight, and I was going to go home for the night.”

“Please, Fluttershy, this is very important!” Twilight protested!

“But I….” The yellow mare began, but to no avail.

“Pleaseeee! I really need to talk to you girls tonight,” throwing much emphasis on the urgency of her request.

Fluttershy could see that Twilight really needed her friends. It was etched in every expression the pony made. After some quick and decisive thought, the yellow Pegasus agreed to track down Rainbow and Rarity. Angel was not going to be happy with her tonight.

“Thank you, Fluttershy. See you in an hour then,” Twilight bid her friend adieux. She dashed back in the house and summoned Spike to the door, “C’mon Spike, we’re going to go get AJ and Pinkie. We need to tell them what’s going on around here.” Who knows, perhaps a few fresh perspectives on the ordeal would serve them all some good. After all, they were the Elements of Harmony; surely they could figure something out together.

Twilight and Spike decided it would be quicker if they split up, so the purple unicorn tore off in the direction of sugary sweetness while Spike hustled his way to the farm as fast as his stubby legs would carry him.

An hour soon had passed. Twilight and Pinkie were the first to arrive back to the library. They sat at the kitchen table nibbling on the tasty pastries the Cakes had generously provided when they overheard Twilight mention the six of them getting together this evening. Pinkie could tell that something was wrong. This wasn’t going to be a normal gathering and certainly not a slumber party, although she had packed her balloons and confetti just in case.

Not that the cupcakes weren’t delicious, but Twilight had no appetite. She had a lot to explain tonight and the gravity of the situation had her stomach on edge. She felt as though she might be sick.

“So, Pinkie, how have you been?” Twilight asked, breaking the awkward silence.

“Oh, you know same old, same old. Been babysitting a lot for Mr. and Mrs. Cake! This month is the Big Bombshell Bamboozle Dessert Competition in Fillydelphia! They’ve been super duper excited about it, and the cake is even more scrump-diddly-umptious than the MMM! And I know you remember how amazingly amazing THAT was!” The ecstatic pink pony ranted excitedly, exploding with pent up vivaciousness.

The ponies giggled playfully reminiscing about the crazy train ride they had all embarked on, transporting the Cakes’ delicious marvel to a similar dessert competition in Canterlot. It felt good to laugh, thought Twilight. She really should have come to her friends sooner with her troubles; a valuable lesson in friendship, indeed. She should write a letter to the princess about the inspiring revelation. Not that she would get a reply….

Soon there came a knock at the door, and a flood of ponies poured into the library like water bursting through a dam. Good. Everypony was accounted for, Twilight thought looking upon the colorful group as they entered. “Thanks everyone for coming over on such short notice,” The purple unicorn began, removing herself from her seat at the table to greet her beloved friends.

“Aw shucks, Twilight, y’all know better than ta make a fuss over somthin’ like this,” the orange coated earth pony said in her rustic accent, “Now how ‘bout y’all get ta tellin’ us what’s got your tail in a knot, Sugarcube.”

“Yeah, cuz you’ve been like, cooped up in here for over a week,” The rainbow-maned filly chimed.

Had it really been a week already? Wow.

“Yes, Darling I must say, we’ve all been a bit worried about you. When Fluttershy said you needed to talk to us we came just as fast as we could,” The brilliant white unicorn added, elegantly brushing her glistening purple curls that framed her gorgeous face from her sight.

“So what’s up?” Pinkie questioned, having also gotten up to stand beside her friend.

Twilight smiled with a nod. She was so grateful to have such incredible friends. They would do anything for her and her for them. She had missed them dearly this past week. She realized that now more than ever. She drew a deep breath, adorning a look of grave seriousness and began the story of her trip to Zecora’s and the events that followed.
She described the zebra’s dreams in avid detail, effectively sending cold chills down the backs of everypony, including herself. Reminiscing the day brought the ominous feeling back into the pit of Twilight’s stomach. She wouldn’t be able to stomach a meal for a week.

She went on to describe the letters she had written to the princess about the predicted premonition, and how no matter how urgent the scripts were, no reply had been received. “And what’s worse,” Twilight almost whispered, staring at the crumbled remains of a once beautiful pastry, “I fear that something might have happened to the princess. Why else wouldn’t she reply to my letters?” She concluded, twisting her face in a miserable grimace.

The rest of the Mane Six gawked at the purple unicorn with expressions of shock and awe.

“Now hold on now, Twilight, we don’t know for sure that somethin’ bad has happened to the princess,” AJ spoke up reassuringly, wrapping a hoof around her friend. Twilight smiled halfheartedly and touched her hoof to Applejack’s. “Ah’m sure she’s just been really busy with her royal duties n’ all. It ain’t nothin’ to worry about til’ it’s somethin’ to worry about, hun.”

“Yes, I must agree with Applejack, Darling, perhaps you’re reading a bit too much into this.” Rarity chimed in, adding to Applejack’s embrace with a silky hug of her own. Catching a glint of anger in Twilight’s eyes, the white unicorn realized that her message wasn’t conveyed the way she had intended, “I am not saying all this isn’t real, Twilight, just that we shouldn’t speculate on the princess being in danger simply because she has not been responding to your letters.”

“Yeah, I mean there has to be about a gazillion things that Princess Celestia has to do this time of year with the Grand Galloping Gala right around the corner,” Rainbow added encouragingly.

Twilight wanted to protest. She could feel fire licking at the back her throat, sapping what little moisture was there, but thought it best not to rustle up unnecessary contestation with her friends. ‘They are here to help,’ she reminded herself. ‘All of this is just a lot to take in. They haven’t been living with this foretelling for the past week like I have.’

“Maybe you’re right,” the purple coated mare breathed, “but I just don’t know what else to do. Zecora really believes this is all going to come true, and soon.”

The mares all sat and pondered the happenings for a while. It could have been minutes, but it sure felt like hours were passing as they discussed the issue at hoof. Nothing conclusive could be decided amongst them. There just seemed to be too much missing from the equation, variables and unknown bits that prevented the mares from being able to decide what course of action to take. It was beginning to seem as hopeless as before.

A sweet, timid voice rose up from the discord, “Um, Twilight.”

“What is it, Fluttershy?” Twilight replied, surprised to finally hear the Pegasus speak up.

“Well, um, since you said Zecora is really worried about all this, maybe we should all go see her. You know, um, that is, if you want to?”

This made perfect sense. Why hadn’t she thought of that? It was so obvious. For all she knew, Zecora could have gained more knowledge on the fortune since she had seen her last. “That’s a great idea, Fluttershy!”

“Mhmm!” The others agreed.

“Well that settles it then! We’ll go to Zecora’s hut and hopefully find some answers!” Twilight beamed, a rising determination brewing inside her, hot and bubbling.

The band of fillies packed a few saddlebags with a few necessities and hurriedly made their way from Twilight’s home in the direction of the Everfree Forest. Twilight called out to Spike over her shoulder, “See ya in a little while, Spike! We’re going to Zecora’s to hopefully find out more about all of this mumbo jumbo!”

Her words fell upon deaf ears though; the little dragon was fast asleep, curled into a ball on his bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Not long after the girls had left on their journey to the zebra’s hut, the baby dragon was writhing in his bed. His insides were set ablaze and dank perspiration dripped from his every pore. His clawed fingers gripped at his bloated belly, trying to tear the fire from within his core. In his plight, he rolled off the bed, crashing hard onto the wooden floor with a loud thud. Shoulder now aching as well, the dragon crawled his way to the curving steps on his belly. He had reached the first descending step when it happened: a great eruption blasted its way from his mouth in a puff of black smoke and ruby red flames. The blast had caused him to recoil harshly, forcing him to lose his balance even on his hands and knees, and he spiraled down the bending staircase, landing squarely on his back and aching from the fall.

Spike groaned in pain, pinching his eyes shut to fight back tears. He opened an eye warily, looking up into the plume of smoke that now shrouded the entire upper level of the house. Through the smog, he could make out flecks of burning embers, cascading like butterflies as they transmuted to ash. A burnt piece of parchment fluttered down slowly through the dark haze, its edgings all singed and blackened from the flames. The scripture landed lightly on the dragon’s belly, but the words etched onto the parchment in shimmering crimson landed on him like a meteor, crushing him solemnly in their wake. In the elegant swirls of Celestia’s magical script the letter delivered the gravest of news….

Twilight,

I write to you now with great fear in my heart. I suspect my previous letters were intercepted. Zecora’s foreboding truth is real. There is nothing we can do to interject with the tidings of this great evil. I haven’t much time. They are already upon the castle. Do not make your way to Canterlot, my most faithful student. The capital has fallen. Run. The Elements of Harmony must remain or all hope is lost. Run and hide my student. I will come for you. Remember your training as it will serve you well. Until we meet again….
Princess Celestia

Spike ripped himself from the floor and tore open the door, calling for Twilight and the others, but it was too late. They were long gone; into the forest, and into the hands of the prophecy. A glimmering red star burning with rage above the canopies of the woods burst, showering Equestria in crimson hues as it cast its malevolent radiance upon the land, sky, and seas….

“….Blood light will shower land and sea,

Drowning peace and Harmony….”

Blood and Brew

The sky exploded. Shimmering bouts of scarlet streamed through the treetops breaking apart the blackness. The echoing blast rocked Equestria into seismic chaos, splitting the ground for miles while the deafening reverberation rang out ruthlessly into the night.

The ponies had nearly made their way to Zecora’s hut when the sky tore itself to ribbons. The boisterous boom had them all writhing in pain; one of Twilight’s ears even dripped with dabbles of blood. They rolled around helplessly in the underbrush of the forest waiting for the riotous ringing in their heads to subside. The trees sneered and mocked them in their agony, dancing in the blood-lit night.

When at last the sonic blast had abated, the mares helped one another up. Their equilibrium shaken, this was no easy task. Twilight was particularly far gone. She felt sick, the vociferous quake had certainly ruptured an eardrum, she was sure of it. Fighting nausea and the ricocheting agony pounding in their heads, the girls pressed on into the tangling groves of the forest.

At long last, the group made their way through the thick brush to the zebra’s hut. The sight that stood before them left their jaws limp and their mouths speechless. The straw that lined the roof was a havoc of tangled weaves and bald splotches where the blast must have stripped it. All the windows were shattered leaving shards of glass piled in heaps around the edgings of the hut and in the scorched remains of her flowerbeds. Jagged cracks carved their way through the cobblestone walls. Hulking bits and fragments of stone lay in piles in stretches of the perimeter where the toothy cracks had managed to chisel off segments of the wall. Zecora’s ornate homeland décor now lay in crumbled pieces around the archway into her home, where her solid wood door had been wrecked and splintered, hanging loosely from its hinges.

“Jeez! What in tarnation y’all reckon happened here?” Applejack asked, scoping out the scene with unbelieving eyes.

“I don’t know, but we-ow-should go inside and make sure Zecora’s alright,” Twilight responded, still nursing her injured ear, “Come on everypony!” They all nodded their agreement and Twilight led the way into the hut, stumbling a bit in her current state of disarray.

What lay in wake beyond the ruined walls proved to mortify the crusaders. If the exterior was a mess, the inside was a torrent of malevolent discord. Glass, phials, and other miscellaneous alchemic materials lay sprawled across the wooden floorboards. A cracked cauldron lay on its side, having dispelled its bubbly contents across the room. A fire flickered and crackled violently where the fractured iron container once sat atop metal grating, filling the room with a dense layer of smoke. The chimney must have collapsed during the aerial contusion and was no longer allowing the fumes to escape the confines of the residence.

“Oh my goodness,” Pinkie shrieked, surveying the scene with searching eyes, “what in Equestria happened here?”
The weight of the situation was falling down hard upon the campaigning ponies as they treaded lightly through the wreckage, and Zecora was nowhere to be found. The hut was deserted. Every square inch of the place was in ruins, completely disassembled and in shambles. Even the striped mare’s bed was destroyed, leaving tiny feathers hovering in the murky air, glowing like fireflies in the light of the flames.

Although the zebra was nowhere in sight, evidence of her presence was written in the walls. Literally. Words and rhythmic passages were scored in the wooden halls, accompanied by deeply carven hieroglyphics and ancient script, the likes of which nopony in the room could understand.

Twilight recognized bits and pieces of the deranged lunacy chiseled in the walls. They were the lines that she had recited to her from her dream. Other than that, it was all alien to her. She was following the familiar text when a terrified squeal cried out from behind her, startling her.

She whipped around to see Rarity backing away from the wall on the far side of the hut, a look of pure terror engraved in her face. Rainbow hovered nearby, trying to get a better look at the cause of Rarity’s distress. As her eyes fell upon the spot, all the color dissipated from her face. She gasped, slapping both hooves over her mouth.

The others cautiously gathered around the twisted sight. A familiar metallic scent hung in the smoky atmosphere. Dripping globs of scarlet trickled down the wall, pooling in the crook of the floor. Deep grooves were dug into the floorboards, trailing gleaming streaks of crimson from the puddle to the doorway.

The girls cried out in terror and collected in the middle of the room. They all wore looks of anguish and sheer fright, imaging what malicious fate must have befallen their dear friend. Before they could begin to decide what to do, a dreadful sound tore through air. A hoarse silence followed as everypony was too frightened to move. Another thunderous roar split the night sky.

Fluttershy shrieked, blaring her petrified alarm next to Twilight’s bloody ear. “Ow! Fluttershy, what’re yo….” She fell silent, the words catching in her belly and expelled into the vacuum of the never. Eyes wide as saucers fell upon the instigation of the yellow Pegasus’s terror, and her pulse throbbed in her temples. And as Twilight stared on, two enormous orange eyes stared back with a black toothed grin….

Taken

The glowing eyes narrowed, locking the terrified mares within their crosshairs as the creature dragged its jagged claws across the stone wall. Torrents of sticky saliva dripped from its mouth. Spider webs of the putrid fluid strung together the rows of serrated teeth that lined the gaping jaws as it gawked at the girls with untainted malevolence.

“Wha-what the hay is that thing?!” Rainbow cried, her face contorting into a mishmash of terror and disgust at the sight beyond the broken window. Though her question was far from rhetorical, Dash never truly expected an answer.

“I have no idea,” Twilight called out, packing herself into the collaboration of harmony, “I’ve never even seen anything like this, not even in all my books!”

The beast drew in deep breaths through its crooked nose, seemingly drawing all the warmth and prosperity from the cloudy air as it gathered the aromas of the inhabitants. Its eyes grew wide with sick revelation as the scents collaborated within. It inhaled another massive breath, as if double checking what it had picked up before. When the identical bouquet registered in the monster’s mind it smiled wickedly. The beast spoke.

“Twilight….” The voice was abyssal, clawing its way from the beast’s throat.

Twilight’s eyes grew wide, daring to burst from their sockets. The other five gaped in utter disbelief at their friend. How does this creature know my name?

“Whatever evils come, should it be true, I fear they will come, all hunting you….”

Before she could begin to think, the brutish fiend had its mouth gaping, a yellow glow forming in its throat. Flames erupted from the mouth, pouring into the hut with slithering malice, engulfing all that they touched in fiery blaze.

Twilight hadn’t ducked, staring in incredulity as the fiendish flames licked at her mane. She was soon brought to the floor forcefully. Rarity and Rainbow had wrapped her in their hooves and forced her hard into the solid wood beneath them. The crashing tackle had her shoulder aching on top of her still toppling equilibrium. Applejack was on the move, scampering on her belly towards the entryway.

“Come on everypony!” AJ hollered, beckoning her friends to follow her. The fearful mares glanced at one another and took off in the same fashion that AJ had, scooting their way to the door under the heat and billowing smoke.

Before her friends had made it to the door, Applejack was scooped up by her flowing tail. One of the beasts had made a ragdoll of the lean farm pony, hoisting her high in the air at its shoulder height. The beast’s slimy tongue snaked its way across the orange pony’s face to taste her fear before slithering down and grasping her throat as a snake chokes its prey, leaving a grotesque residue on her fur.

The beast was choking the life from Applejack. In a blind rage, Rainbow took off, her wings creating swirls in the smoke as she ascended. The cyan Pegasus ran headlong into the beast’s belly, successfully causing its diaphragm to spasm (as well as give Dash a massive headache--she hadn’t thought that one through all the way.) Dash tumbled to the ground a few yards away from the collision. Her attack had worked; the beast had keeled over in agony having its wind knocked out, releasing its crushing grip on Applejack’s throat. The Earth pony collided with the ground hard, but she quickly peeled herself from the packed dirt.

The monster roared gutturally, spraying a shower of saliva as it uncurled itself from its fetal position. The fiend lunged at AJ with reaching claws. Unfortunately for the creature, Applejack was prepared for his assault this time. Two shoed hooves planted themselves deeply into the monster’s angular face, mashing his scaly flesh into the resemblance of a messily folded blanket. Applejack felt the sensation of bones giving way beneath her hooves, cracking under the pressure of her hardest applebucking kick.

The beast came to a crumbling skid, smashing its face in the ground as it halted. “Hurry y’all! We gotta get the hay outta here!” Before AJ had finished hollering the beast was digging its bloodied face from the dirt, rubbing the bridge of its pointed, dragon-like snout and assessing the extent of the damage the Earth pony had caused. The bridge of its nose was crooked and collapsed along with the upper ridge of one of its eye sockets. Blood gushed from the wounds, bone visibly showing through the gash running from bridge of its nose to its injured eye.

The creature let loose an angry roar, tearing off in AJ’s direction again, with murderous intent glowing like hot embers in its eyes. Applejack, dove, narrowly avoiding the beast’s strike, but it rounded quickly and was upon her again before she had time to recover.

Razor sharp claws gripped her flank, tearing the flesh. Applejack screamed in agony and fell to the ground. Her shriek rang out in the night, rattling unmercifully in her friends’ ears. The beast rolled AJ on her back, straddling her and wrapping death around the farm pony’s neck. Her cry was choked out hoarsely as the beast pressed its scaled hands into her throat. Blackness was creeping in as her eyes rolled back. Her end was near.

The beast grinned sadistically as it strangled its prey. The world was spinning fast, becoming nothing but a blur to the poor Earth pony. Just as the light began to fade completely the beast relinquished its hold. What happened?

A large chunk of burning wood cracked the monster in its diamond-shaped skull, knocking it to the ground in a petrified daze. Hulking bits of rock and debris followed the initial strike, battering the downed creature in a hailstorm of brutality, each propelled at an enormous rate. The beast shielded its muzzle from the barrage with its brazen arms. Ear shattering cracks pierced the air with every strike, tearing its flesh and cracking bones.

Twilight and Rarity were giving it everything they had, tearing stone from the walls and floorboards from the burning hut and discharging their armaments at the beast. Both unicorns wore looks of rabid anger, their brows crossed and teeth barred, looking extraordinarily menacing beneath the glowing aura of their horns. With each shot the beast howled in anguish. The stones cracked its bones and the burning debris scarred its hide in blazoned welts.

Rainbow and Pinkie hurriedly dashed to their downed companion. “AJ! AJ, wake up! We have to get the hay outta here! C’mon, AJ! C’MON!” Rainbow screamed. Her voice cracked as it always did when she was shouting. The Earth pony didn’t budge.

Pinkie pressed her ear to her friend’s chest. Her heart was beating and her chest was heaving. She was simply unconscious; an unfortunate complication given the group’s current life threatening predicament.

“She’s alive,” Pinkie called, “but she won’t wake up! Oh, AJ now is not a good time for a nap!” Pinkie’s ears tagged back as she pressed her hooves excitedly against the mare’s chest, trying to rouse her. It was no use.

“We’re going to have to carry her out of here, Dashie,” she said solemnly.

Dash’s face lost color. Ugh, this is NOT good! How are we going to get out of here and escape these—these THINGS if we have to carry Applejack?! Buck it all!

“Alright! Help me get her on my back, Pinkie!”

Pinkie squeezed her head under the dead weight of Applejacks limp form, struggling to hoist her up. The farm pony was lean, not an ounce of fat on her. Her body was nothing but muscle, so she was quite heavy for being such a little pony. Pinkie was relieved when a sudden blue light glowed around the unconscious mare as Rarity directed her attention to the difficult task the rescuers were facing.

Rarity guided Applejack’s dangling chassis above Rainbow’s as Pinkie darted back and forth to get her legs to hang correctly. Soon the ragdoll of a pony was laid across Dash’s back. She used her wings to steady her friend, trying to make sure she wouldn’t fall when she started running. “Alright, I got her! Let’s get the buck outta here! C’mon!”

The others nodded simultaneously, encompassing the charioting Pegasus. Rarity decided to keep her magical hold on Applejack as best she could as they fled to better help Rainbow cope with the extra intricacy of toting their cataleptic friend. The crusaders tore off down the path into the darkness of the woods.

Twilight had one last good measure strike to deal as they ran. She fired a blast of destructive magic at a nearby tree, severing it in half and bringing it into gravity’s well-versed hooves. The great tree fell atop the recovering beast, effectively crushing it and pinning it to the forest floor. It let out a mighty howl in agony and daunting fury. They had done it.

They were just starting their trek through the winding forest when a bone chilling voice filled them with dread. “Run little ponies. Run and save yourselves, but this one belongs to me.”

Their blood ran cold. What the hay did that sadistic creature mean by that? Rainbow’s breath caught in her throat, causing her to stumble and nearly come crashing down with AJ in tow. She skidded to a halt, quivering in sudden revelation….

“Rainbow, why the heck are we stopping?! We have to run!” Twilight shrieked angrily sliding to a stop having nearly collided with the cyan mare.

Dash glanced around fretfully, terror in her rose-colored eyes. She bit her lip hard, nearly drawing blood. She bowed her head, a tear streaming down her face realizing exactly what the horrible monster had meant by its taunt.

“Dashie?” Pinkie said so softly it was barely audible.

Rainbow turned around to face the burning hut. A terrified cry split the muggy air. A familiar cry; the cry that the group had come to know over the years whenever a certain yellow Pegasus had been startled by—well, even her own shadow at times.

All eyes turned toward the bloodcurdling scream, all terrified of what they would behold. There, atop the burning wreckage of Zecora’s hut, sat a crouching devil, grinning maniacally. There, in the clawed grasp of one of the monsters horrid hands dangled the yellow mare by her wings. She cried out in sheer agony; a Pegasus’ wings were not meant to bend that way.

The others gasped in horror. How could they have let this happen? How could they let poor, defenseless Fluttershy suffer such pain? It welled in them all, scoring abyssal gorges in their sullen hearts.

Rainbow whipped around, ready to charge the creature even if it meant her certain death, but before she got the chance it was taken away.

“Say goodbye to your friend, you foals! She belongs to me now!” The monster cackled, drowning out the painful wail of its quarry. “Get them, my brothers! Bring me the rest of the ponies! Master shall be pleased when we return!” With that the great beast vanished into a cloud of smoke and flames, leaving nothing but the echoing sound of Fluttershy’s anguish hanging in the thick air.

“NOOOO! FLUTTERSHY!” Rainbow cried as the monster whisked their friend away into thin air, leaving no trace of where it might have taken her.

The mares had no time to spare grieving for their poor friend now, though. Monsters all began swarming from the depths of the forest in a rumbling stampede. In terror, the girls turned and dashed into the woods.

The blackness of the woods was impenetrable. Twilight lit the way as best she could with her magic, but she could not focus enough to produce a steady beacon to guide them. They were running blind. Their hooves caught underlying branches and debris, nearly causing imminent disaster on several occasions.

The rumble of the demon horde was becoming louder as they closed in on their fleeing quarry. In the unsteady light Rainbow caught sight of something ahead. Two more of the horrid things lay in wait for the fast approaching mares. She saw a downed tree off the side of the trail and made a call. “C’mon guys, this way!”

Rainbow tore off the path and into the dense foliage of the Everfree Forest, leaping over the fallen tree. The others followed suit, trusting their friend’s instincts as Dash led them through the thick overgrowth of the woods. Fallen limbs struck their bodies as they trudged on. Thorns from nearby vines grabbed at their coats, occasionally delving into their hides. The scratches and bumps were nothing at this point. It was do or die.

Finally, the inevitable happened, Rarity tripped over a fallen log, smashing her powdery white fur into the underbrush, causing cancellation of the levitation charm she had been performing to help support the unconscious mare upon Rainbow’s back. Applejack came crashing down upon Dash midstride. She never had time to react. The sudden weight added to her gallop made her collapse, somersaulting in the blackness of the night and casting AJ’s body into the darkness.

Pinkie had stopped moments before to help the fashionista. Rarity held a hoof to her head, a trickle of blood inching its way down the side of her face from under her frazzled purple curls. “Oh, Rarity, are you alright!”
“Yes… yes, I believe so—ow,” she replied shakily as she massaged her wound.

Instants later clawed hands grappled the pink Earth pony and dragged her into the forest, leaving nothing but the sound of Pinkie’s last scream dangling in the air.

“No, Pinkie!” Rarity called out, igniting a bright light at the tip of her spiraled horn. In the shadows of the trees the fancy unicorn could make out the shapes of half a dozen demons laying in wait. She looked on in horror as she watched Pinkie’s hooves disappear into the trees, leaving deep marks in the soft soil as they frantically clawed at the ground, desperate for escape.

Soon one of the beasts scooped up Rarity as well, hoisting her from the ground by her magical appendage and rendered comatose by a bludgeoning blow to her abdomen. She was carried into the darkness.

Twilight helped Rainbow to her hooves, unaware that two more of her friends had suffered the same fate as dear Fluttershy. Only when Dash called out their names in horror did the purple Unicorn realize the awful truth. Three of her friends were now in the grasp of the hands of death. This was going to be the end--Zecora had been right about it all….
From the shadows nearby, another beast made its move, lunging at Rainbow Dash with outstretched claws. Thinking quickly, Twilight dove into her friend, shoving the Pegasus out of the way of the beast, and placing herself in its path instead. The beast wrapped its powerful limbs around the purple mare, tackling her into the forest. The two rolled, bouncing hard on the ground before spiraling through the air again as they managed to roll off a large drop off into the murky depths below.

Rainbow pushed herself off the cold dirt. She was alone now. Twilight had sacrificed herself to save her. She needed to find Applejack. “AJ! AJ where are you!” There was no response. She frantically dashed in all directions, hoping to be lucky enough to barge into the comatose form of her athletic friend. Amazingly, she was. She stumbled onto AJ and hunkered down beside her friend, accepting that this was it; this was where their journey ends. She wrapped her hooves around AJ’s neck, embracing her friend warmly. At long last, Applejack stirred. She looked upon her friend through eyes that refused to focus.

“Ra…. Rainbow,” She said, her country twang was music to the Pegasus’ ears, “did we make it?” Tears trailed down her Pegasus friends, cheeks. Dashie shook her head weakly. AJ didn’t catch it though. Before she had retained true use of her eyesight again, Rainbow Dash was torn from her side, screaming hoarsely into the night. Applejack was alone; alone in the dark with countless bloodthirsty monsters circling her as hungry predators stalk their helpless prey. Her hind leg seared with pain. There would be no running away from this. She closed her eyes and wished this nightmare would end.

The familiar feel of clawed fingers wrapped themselves around her legs, dragging the Earth pony into the darkness….

Spellbound

Twilight shook her head—a terrible idea with her symmetry still going unchecked. Her head was throbbing. She delicately massaged her temple in an attempt to quell the pounding in her skull. She gazed blearily into the blackness around her. The canopy above was immensely thick here, barely any of the shimmering redness made its way into her wooded abyss. But how did she get here? For that matter, where was “here”?

She recalled pushing Rainbow out of the way of that monster. A sudden fear dawned on her; she didn’t know what had come of the beast. She was suddenly on edge, adrenaline fighting the ache. She focused hard, light, I need light. Her horn lit up with an amethystine glow, discharging bright light into the thick foliage surrounding her. Nothing but the maniacal silhouettes of crooked trees and lush groves reflected in her dilated pupils. A crackle from behind her had her ears perked up and flicking trying to locate the sound. A rustle in the leaves confirmed her greatest fear at the moment; the monster was still alive and close.

Fear flooded the unicorn’s mind, fueling frightening thoughts that plagued her mind. She began to slowing inch her way from the sound, spinning around to check her bases as she stepped carefully into the dark woods. Her hooves cracked sticks and crunched the fallen leaves inevitably. She would never make a silent escape. Another loud disturbance shook branches and leaves from behind her. She jumped and rounded aiming her violently glowing horn into the black veil. A sickening sound whisked past her ears. She shrank within herself at the guttural noise of the monster’s voice.

“Twilight Sparkle…. There is no escape. Surrender your body and mind to the Dark Lord. You cannot save your pathetic world. Harmony shall be crushed and Pandemonium shall rise from its smoldering remains.” The voice turned her blood to ice. The shadowy figure of the creature morphed into sight, gliding silently from behind a crooked tree. It ran its claws down the length of the trunk nonchalantly as the dark words scratched and clawed their way from its throat. The beast looked even more menacing in the wavering luminescence of her horn. Its eyes were black and dead, dark shadows flickered across its reptilian face, carving out every deep contour in its wicked smile.

Twilight was scared; there was no ridding the terror from her mind, but this beast was offering information. Maybe she could get something of importance from the creature if she could play it cool. Just maybe.

“W-what do you mean? Who is the Dark Lord? And how the hay do you know my name?” She stammered as the creature drew slowly, but steadily closer.

“All in good time little pony. Come with me and I can assure you no harm will befall your precious friends.” It smiled heinously, running its slimy tongue across the daggers in its mouth. A trail of drool poured from the corner of the monster’s mouth as it did so. Disgusting.

She winced. What if it was telling her the truth? How could she trust the atrocious fiend? Fluttershy had been taken mercilessly by her broken wings and AJ had been mauled and left unconscious from a nearly fatal lack of oxygen. The answer was clear: she couldn’t. “H-how do I know you aren’t just telling me what I want to hear to get me to come with you?” Try as she might, fear hung in her words.

The monster sneered odiously, but remained silent. Twilight braced herself, ready for the beast to lunge at her at any moment. Her eyes narrowed and her horn glowered threateningly. The smile faded from the devil’s cracked lips, “So be it.”

The beast pounced, moving quicker than Twilight could have possibly anticipated. She fired a violet blast of magic. The bolt grazed the beast’s shoulder, misdirecting it, but it was still upon her before she could make another go at it. Its mighty arm collided with the young mare, flinging her limp body to the ground. She stumbled, trying desperately to recover from the blow. Her eyes darted around frantically trying to relocate the attacker. Another crushing blow was delivered, sending her spiraling into a nearby tree. Blood trickled from a new gash in her head. The world was spinning. A painful ring chimed loudly in her ears. She felt queasy and was struggling to stifle a violent onslaught of vomit. Her balance was shot now. She couldn’t make out the ground from the sky. She tried pulling herself to her hooves but was struck down again by a mighty hand. This was it. The monster would take her.

Her thoughts trailed off into nothingness. A black void clouded her mind. The world disappeared around her. She was everywhere and nowhere at all at the same time. This is it.

The beast reached to hoist the young mare from the ground and return with the final Element of Harmony, but something was wrong. Sudden bouts of powerful magic were breaking the air with loud pops and cracks. Amethystine bolts of lightning erupted from the unicorn’s horn, tearing apart nearby trees in splintering explosions. Her eyes opened wide, glowing the purest of white, followed by a similar light display from her horn. Without warning her magic exploded.

A pillar of light burst through the treetops, piercing the swirling clouds thousands of feet above. The beast was struck by the powerful blast, tearing it into a hunk of barely recognizable charred bits of flesh and bone. Maelstroms of lightning channeled along the light shaft, stretching upward into oblivion. The world seemed to stop as the magical plight all but made time stand still, leaving a little purple unicorn in an unconscious lump on the forest floor.

The forest was eerily quiet. There were no animal sounds tweeting and chirping that defined one’s normal perception of the woods. Just the rustling of the leaves high in the treetops could be heard as the gusts up above buffeted the canopy. Debris showered down shaken loose by the wind, falling lightly on the spent mare.

Twilight roused, slowly coming to as the leaves and twigs landed on her sagging frame. The world was in motion. Her eyes would not focus despite her best attempts, not that there was anything to see really, the blackness around her was an impenetrable void. Her head was pounding making her feel like it would split in half and lull from her shoulders. She felt utterly sick. Her stomach pitched and yawed violently. Eventually there came a point where she could no longer curb the twinge in her belly, spilling its contents on the bed of leaves where she lay.

She had not felt like this before—well that was not entirely true. There was the one party at Sugarcube Corner where Applejack had brought along a special treat: fermented apple juice. The sweet liquid had a unique flavor. It was still sweet like apple juice, but it bubble and tickled the mares’ lips. It was really quite good, so good in fact that they had all gone overboard with the beverage. They had all woken up the next morning feeling sick with heads pounding. Light was utterly painful. Its blinding rays even seemed to have sound; a reverberating hum that rattled their throbbing heads.
Twilight felt exactly like that now. If she was honest, the fact that it was the dead of night was almost comforting in her condition. She would not have to contend with the searing pain of light penetrating her mind and attempting to crack it open like a knife prying open a ripe melon.

She tried to get her bearings, inching herself from the damp leaves. She stumbled on shaky legs when she had gotten to her hooves. Nothing but darkness could be seen in any direction. I need light.

Normally when she focused on the thought, she could will a gracious bit of magic to light up the surrounding area, but this was different. She could not seem to conjure the magic. She tried again, focusing harder on her desire, but again was met with disappointment accompanied by a jolt of sharp pain in her forehead. She groaned audibly in reaction to the displeasure. Why can’t I get this spell to work? This doesn’t make sense! I’ve never had trouble producing light charms! I don’t understand. She tried yet again.

A few tiny sparkling embers showered from her horn’s tip, flickering as the power would in the library during some of the weather team’s nastier storms. A miniscule orb of light lingered at its tip, producing the faintest sum of light. Her face contorted in frustration and concern. Something was wrong. She couldn’t do it. Not really at any rate. She tried willing more emotion into the light charm, but again was met with excruciating pain. She would have to make do with the infantile light for the time being. She didn’t have time to sit and fret with her magic at the moment. I’m probably just worn out from all that has happened, she told herself, glancing around the area.

Still, the lack of magic was most disturbing. Without her conjuring abilities she felt naked and defenseless. It was her most treasured ability, and now it was nowhere to be found. The thought that it may never return lingered in the back of her mind. She shook it away feebly. No, whatever this is, it can’t have incapacitated my magic permanently. That’s impossible. Still, even the slight inkling of the thought drained her will and frightened her deeply. Now was not the time to dwell on that, however, as she slowly recollected the events leading up to her current predicament.

Fully fledged bouts of fear registered in her mind as she recalled the attack of the monster that knew her name. She peered into the blackness, feebly lit by the flickering twinkle at the tip of her horn, for signs of the beast. It appeared to have gone, but why? What could have compelled it to leave when it had her so firmly in its grasp? None of this was making sense to her. Then she saw it, a smoldering lump of molten hide and shattered bones; the broken remains of her murderous attacker.

She gasped aloud, tumbling backward and smacking her head firmly on a nearby tree trunk. Exactly what she needed: more pain to make the night better. Her dim orb cut out when she hit her head, forcing her to painfully reproduce it. She examined the charred remains of the beast from afar, taking note of its disfigurement. Sweet Celestia! What happened? Who could have done that to it? Not that I am complaining…. Surely I would be in deeper water had somepony not come to my rescue, but where is that somepony? I don’t understand. Why save me, but leave me here on my own in the dark after going through the trouble to kill that THING. Ugh! Nothing is making any sense! And to make things worse all my friends were taken…. Oh, what am I going to do! Maybe I would have been better off if I had let it take me away…. It had promised my friends wouldn’t be hurt if I did. But now that isn’t even an option. He’s dead, and I have no idea where to go from here. Here…. I don’t even know where “here” is at the moment. Ugh! What am I going to do now?

She sat firmly planted on her haunches and pondered silently in the flickering luminescence of her weak enchantment. I suppose the best thing I can do now is return to Ponyville. Spike and I can make our way to Canterlot, and we can tell the princess everything. Yes, she thought, that seemed like a solid plan at this juncture. She clambered to her hooves again and began her log trek back home.

It was a long hike indeed in her current state. It took her an eternity to relocate the path through the forest that she used to get to Zecora’s hut. The crimson rays from the blood star provided enough light that the young mare didn’t have to waste her strength any longer to keep the pathetic orb lit at the summit of her horn.

She reached the edge of the forest to gaze upon the meadow leading her home to Ponyville. The sight that lay before her was a final crushing blow to the unicorn. Ponyville glowed under the night sky, alight with towering flames reaching into the air. Bloodcurdling howls and shadowy figures roamed the streets. Home was gone. Twilight collapsed at the edge of the forest, her will was completely broken now. What was left? Her friends were taken away, her home was burning to the ground, the princess was miles away, and she was without her magic. The spellbound pony broke down into a fit of tears.

“Is this really how it ends? Is this how Equestria falls? Oh, Princess…. I need you. We all need you.” Twilight sobbed into her hooves, wishing with every fiber of her being that she could just die here at the edge of the forest and put an end to this suffering. Nopony deserved the fate that their world was facing. The rapture was upon them now, and the Elements of Harmony were far apart and powerless in the face of this plight.

A sound from behind her brought her head up from her hooves, listening with a twitch of her ears. A dark laugh echoed from the darkness as cold, clawed hands grabbed hold of the unicorn’s hind legs, dragging her into the darkness….

Symphony of Destruction

A terrible eruption rang out into the night sky, reverberating in every stone wall of the castle. Powerful bouts of magic exploded and ricocheted repeatedly, leaving the once proud throne room in piles of rubble and stained with blood as the battle raged on into the night. Shattered debris of painted glass carpeted the rich cobblestone floor, creating beautiful reflections on the walls as malevolent spells tore through the air, crackling and popping as they connected either with flesh or rebounded off a nearby wall.

Grotesque figures morphed through the entrance of the throne room, clashing against the steel blades and unicorn horns of Celestia’s finest. Her Highness stood side-by-side with her younger sister to aid the guards against this opposing monstrosity, tearing through the beasts’ ranks with their Godlike abilities. Their manes were ruffled, their royal fur lay caked in blood and wore a fine layer of soot and ash, tainting the majesty of their glorious regality. Yet in the same light, the sisters never appeared truer to their esteemed titles as rulers of Equestria than they did now as they fought alongside their loyal and faithful subjects to defend their great capital.

The battle was quickly beginning to seem hopeless. No matter how many of the fiends met their end to the Princesses and the Royal Elite, more took their place. Fatigue was quickly wearing on the defenders as they frantically moved to force this malevolence back from whence it came. Something would have to be done soon or all would be lost.

“Shield your eyes, my sister!” Celestia ordered as she spread her mighty wings and ascended into the middle of the cavernous room. Luna did just as she was told, warning their companions of her sister’s plan. Not a second too soon either, because the instant that all their eyes were closed tightly, Celestia cast a blinding light into the room. It was as though the sun itself had become some beaming chandelier in the great room, blinding all who failed to hide their eyes well.

It worked. The intruders all rolled and wailed on the hard ground, clasping their misshapen hands across their eyes. Those that were just now entering the room met their demise quickly as Celestia charged, running them through with her mighty horn. Luna followed suit, summoning the Elite to make haste and follow as well.

They tore down the winding halls of the castle, blasting foes and helping the remaining royal guards to vanquish the onslaught of demons. No creature so vile would be receiving mercy from the Alicorn rulers on this night. Too many lives had been lost. Too many families would be severed. Too many innocent lives torn or lost in the sea of this raging storm to be worthy of mercy; the princesses would make quite certain of that.

Corpses of demonic beings lay scattered throughout the palace. Their infernal stench stifled the once pure air. These were the beasts of Tartarus. The royal siblings recognized their foes from the very second they laid eyes upon them. Off and on throughout the centuries, creatures such as these had managed to pry their way through the gates of oblivion to wreak havoc on this peaceful world, but never in numbers like this. This was no mere coincidence. No, there was no mistake about that. Someone or something must have broken through the powerful seals that held the gates of Tartarus shut. This was particularly disturbing to the Alicorn rulers. Whoever opened this portal to their world must not only be wicked beyond comprehension, but also powerful beyond imagination. Even with all their might, Celestia and Luna could never have torn a rift large enough to allow such an impressive opposition to slip from the depths of the Never to roam free to do their insidious bidding, thus the being responsible for this unbridled tyranny would undoubtedly be even more powerful than the sisters. That fact lingered heavily on Celestia’s mind. Who could have such raw power? Time alone would answer this sadistic question.

The group fought tooth and hoof through the infestation and arrived at the twin oak doors leading into the dining hall. The room was barricaded with powerful enchantments, but they were enchantments that the regal sisters recognized. It took only a touch of rainbow magic and the doors were forced open. The room was clear. Lifeless bodies of cretins covered the plum-colored carpet and earthy stone floor. The long oak tables were in disarray and propped messily on their sides. The scarring across the tabletops and charred edges would indicate that they were used as cover in whatever ruckus that took place here. Rustling beyond a nearby barrier had the princesses and their battalion on the tips of their hooves and ready for a fight.

“Show yourselves!” Princess Celestia ordered in a voice eerily malicious of her normal demure demeanor. Even Luna shifted, slightly nervous from the hint of malice in her older sister’s tone.

“Princess?” A strong but familiar voice questioned, revealing him from the hunkered position he had taken behind the makeshift cover.

“Captain, I am glad to see you are still with us,” Celestia said, letting the powerful glow of attack dissipate from her horn, “Are there others?”

Dozens of members of the royal guard began popping up and showing themselves, revealing that nearly all of Shining Armor’s battalion was still alive and well. Many looked as though they had been to Tartarus and back, but none seemed mortally wounded.

“Boy, are we glad to see you your highnesses!” Shining exclaimed, coming out from behind the table and bowing to the princesses.

“We don’t have time for pleasantries and formalities, Captain. As you are well aware, the castle is under siege.” Celestia pointed out matter-of-factly, motioning to the blanket of dead bodies that covered her dining hall.

Shining nodded in agreement. “Yes, your highness. We’ve been driving them back all night, but it seems as though no matter how many of these—things—we slaughter, more take their place. I’ve never seen anything like them before. It’s like…. It’s like they are straight out of…”

“Straight out of the bowels of Tartarus,” Celestia cut in, “that is correct, Captain. There is no doubt about their origin. What we need to know is who unleashed them and why. Have you come across anyone or seen anything that is giving these creatures direction? This cannot be a rogue and feral effort.”

Shining bowed his head in near disbelief, “No Your Majesty. We haven’t seen their leader.... or even anypony that even remotely seems in control of these monsters. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to any of their attacks. They just keep coming, and their only clear intent thus far is to kill anypony that stands in their way.”

The Princess grimaced in deep thought. They have a greater motive. Someone MUST be leading this assault. But for what purpose?

“Is Princess Cadance safe?” She asked with a hint of her normal sweetness in her words.

“Yes, Princess, she is currently on the far side of room caring to the wounded. We’ve been very fortunate to not lose anypony so far.”

Celestia nodded solemnly, striding purposefully into the heart of the room. “Indeed, Captain, you are very fortunate. Many of us have not been so lucky tonight.”

A grave silence fell across the room. It was if all the warmth and happiness had completely fallen away, leaving nothing except grief and despair in its wake. The guards continued barricading the room. Those that weren’t helping to fortify their defenses were hurrying to the aide of their wounded companions. Luckily, Shining Armor and his crew were alright with the exception of a few bumps and bruises.

Cadance appeared from the far end of the room, walking gracefully, but with a fire in her step. Determination burned in her eyes like molten hot magma. “I have done all that I can. The injured guardsmen are going to be just fine, nothing but scratches in the scheme of things. Princess Celestia, what are we going to do? We cannot keep fighting like this! If we do the only thing that will come of it is more pain and suffering.”

Celestia bowed her head. Her lips trembled with unrivaled rage. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was right. This foe they faced was powerful beyond comprehension. Sure, the Royals had the magical ability to vanquish the waves of demons that were burning Equestria’s capital to the ground, but even they had their limits; this cannot go on like this any longer. She knew what had to be done.

“Luna,” Celestia called, beckoning her younger sibling to her side.

“Yes, my sister, what is it?”

“We won’t be able to hold out much longer like this. We are going to need to fall back.” Her words fell upon her subjects’ ears like an avalanche.

“WHAT?! You’re saying we should just give up? Just give into this monstrosity that threatens to—“ The indigo-furred mare lost her words in the racing emotions contorting her sister’s face. “Sister…. We mean no disrespect, but….”

Celestia raised her hoof to quell her sister’s racing thoughts. “It is not something I want to do, little sister, but we have to think of the good of Equestria. Canterlot is lost. There is nothing left to save here.”

Cadance, Shining Armor and the rest of the guards shook with disbelief. How could the Princess give up of them like this? How could she make the decision that would make all their fighting so meaningless?

“Princess, I’m sorry, but what good will that do?! You can’t be serious.” Shining Armor spoke with respect, but his eyes wavered with the pain of betrayal. Celestia allowed him to brand her with his emotions. It left welts in her soul that would scar her for many years to come. Inside she prayed that one day her faithful subjects would understand her decision.

“I assume you have some sort of plan, your highness?” Cadance approached, embracing her husband in the warmth of her wing.

“I do,” she responded curtly, sighing as she collected her thoughts, “Luna, you must go. Find Twilight Sparkle and protect her with nothing less than your life, understood?”

The princess of the moon and stars nodded solemnly, “Yes, Sister we will do everything we can to keep her safe.”

“Good. Shining Armor, you and Cadance will use the ancient passageways under the castle to escape the city, take as many of the wounded with you as you can. We want to get as many ponies out of here as we possibly can.”

The prince was taken aback. He didn’t know of any underground passageways out of the castle. “But Princess, what do you mean? What passageways?”

“Cadance knows them and she also knows the incantation to open them. You may want to let her lead this one, Captain.” He nodded his approval and turned to his wife.

“But what about you, Princess, where will you go?” Cadance pleaded.

“I shall fly west towards the mountains. If I’m right, an old friend just may be willing to help us. And maybe, just maybe, his aid can make a difference in this brewing war.”

War. That’s what this was, wasn’t it? Equestria had gone over a thousand years since the Great Wars. There had been times of unrest, chaos, discord even, but nothing like this. This was the real thing. The smell of burning buildings and the lingering blanket of fear draped across the country were sentiments of this unfavorable disaster. Never in all the years that Princess Celestia ruled over the magical world of Equestria could anypony have predicted this, though. It was a war between the living and the damned; Heaven against Hell; Equestria versus Tartarus, and Tartarus had drawn first blood with its wicked, lusting fangs.

Luna’s eyes grew wide. She can’t possibly mean…. “Tia, you mean to call upon him don’t you?” The distant look clouding her sister’s pearly eyes said it all. The pain and longing welled up in her shimmering rosy orbs, drawing but a single streak along her battle-stained muzzled.

Celestia smiled. “It’s our only hope, little sister. If the sun shall ever rise over Equestria again to banish this darkness, it must be done.”

Luna looked on in desperation, “But Tia, he could kill you! Please, let Us come with you!”

Princess Celestia shook her head solemnly, casting her shimmering mane about gently, “Where I go, you cannot follow, little sister. This is something I must face alone. And more importantly, Twilight Sparkle must be protected. She and the other elements of harmony must not fall into harm’s way. If they do, I fear the worst for them and all of Equestria. Go to her, Princess Luna. She needs you much more than I do.”

Luna bowed her head. Her body shook savagely with pent up emotion, but she knew in her heart that her sister spoke only the truth. Tears streamed from her tightly shut eyes as she grew past her trivial denial and into a grave acceptance of what had to be. Four powerful little words burned in her heart. I love you, Tia.

“Alright everypony, does everyone know what their mission is?” Celestia called, her eyes scanning the faces of her subjects. Nothing but fiery determination burned within each eye of her audience as they nodded. “Alright, we mustn’t waste any time, let’s get a move on. Good luck everypony and—“

The sound of stone grinding against itself cut the princess short as the stomach churning sound radiated through the dining hall. The vibrations caused chandeliers to come crashing down. Guardsponies dashed and ducked to avoid the falling debris before Shining Armor and Cadance fired up a defensive aura, deflecting the glassy shower. The wall on the north side of the room was ripping in half, contorting in ways that rock could not do without magic, bending and crackling as the wall was torn apart. A thick cloud of dust flooded the room, cloaking everyone in a blinding haze. Through the smoke a single voice was heard; a terrible wicked cackling echoed insidiously throughout the hallowed halls.

From beyond the blackness of the gaping gouge in the wall the malevolent laughing halted and began to speak, “What a very sentimental speech, your highness. It’s too bad some of your faithful servants won’t be around now to carry out your foolish plot.”

Snap. A string of magic slithered through the air, casting itself amongst a group of guardsponies. Before anypony could take a final breath the thread of magic combusted with unbridled force. Seven ponies lay lifeless on the cold stone floor after the explosion. Their armor melted and disfigured by the blast.

The ponies gaped in disbelief. Celestia’s eyes were wide, trembling in the wake of the murder of her followers.

“SHOW YOURSELF, YOU MONSTER!” The royal Canterlot voice roared through the dusty haze, spewing venom in every word as Celestia snarled.

“As you wish, Princess,” the voice mocked.

The sound of powerful wings pummeling the air licked at their ears, and torrential bursts of wind burst through the corridor, clearing a line of sight to the open wall. There stood a tall and twisted creature of mismatched entities; seemingly a mishmash of different creatures merged into one unified being. As the draconequus entered the room, all the hope and determination ceased to exist. It was as if his mere presence was able to sap the very life from the room, leaving everyone desolate and hopeless.

The regal sisters stared in disbelief. How was it possible that he had escaped his stone prison? “Discord?!” They shouted in unison

The dark draconequus let a smile slither into place. Snap. Another explosion rippled through the air, laying several more of the guards to rest in charred and molten armor.

They could do nothing but gawk in disbelief. Since when was Discord able to so mindlessly wreak havoc and take lives? It made no sense. He was the embodiment of chaos. Disharmony. Not death and—

“Destruction.” The monster plainly said, though his voice seemed laced with poison as it fell upon their ears.

They all stared on in horror, quizzical looks flashing upon their faces in the sight of this new enemy.

“I am Destruction. It took several millennia to escape my untimely entombment in the fiery bowls of Tartarus, but here I stand before you, Celestia, and I shall see to it that Equestria shall never again see the light of day as you so nobly put it. This world is mine now, and no one shall stand in the way of me and my unholy army.” The draconequus finished with a sickening smile.

“What is it that you want, draconequus?” Celestia dared to ask, standing tall in the wake of the fire and flames.

“Manners, Celestia, manners. My name is Destruction, your highness. Not ‘draconequus’ as you so rudely addressed me, and I merely wish to see your world crumble beneath you. To watch as your flame flickers before it is extinguished. I am the harbinger of death, the bringer of destruction and pandemonium.” Shivers raced down their spines. The alicorns’ wings trembled edgily at their sides. The monster raised his clawed hand to click away life in another fiery explosion.

Celestia responded, casting a destructive spell of her own. It exploded against the draconequus’ flesh. A direct hit.

“Luna, GO!” She hollered, casting a blast through the ceiling to the open sky. Her sister hesitated, shaking herself from the rattling situation, but soon sprung into the sky, disappearing into the night.

“The rest of you, go! Hurry!” Cadance hurriedly cast her enchantment, opening the floor into the secret passageways underneath the castle, leading the remaining guard and her husband to safety underground before sealing the pass behind them.

Celestia then spread her mighty wings and with a powerful thrust, rocketed into sky. As she looked back she could see the smoke starting to clear. In the twirling swirls of fading smoke the draconequus stood unscathed, with but a twisted smile across his lips….

Author's Note

Admittedly, I feel like this chapter is a little rushed.... But it was written after completing the following two chapters to give a little insight as to what was going on in Canterlot during the course of the story lol I will probably edit it later, but I do hope you all enjoy it as is until then :)