Dark Sun Celestiaby sakurabaz00xChaptersPrologue to an EpilogueThree Sides of a CoinReservoir StallionsChaos and HarmonyTwo unicorns, one caveHell on Earth or the time I was in prison and totally escapedRestless Dreams or the cupcake that kept on givingPrologue to an EpilogueIt was busy in the bank that day. Lots of people. And it was hot. That little boy was with his parents. They were going to open a bank account for him. So they could get him to learn and understand the value of saving. The little boy was an earth pony, as were his parents. The mother was pink with a cerulean mane laced with a bit of gray. His father was black, black as coal, and he had a red mane. The boy himself was white as snow with blue hair. They were in the middle of the line. It was slow. The boy felt the heat, even inside the bank with it's cooling systems. He asks his mother if they are there yet. His mother smiles at him and reminds him that patience is a virtue. He scowls and looks down on the floor, as if the act would make time go faster. He wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but here, a place where he had no friends, and no toys. His father puts an assuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. This'll be worth it in the end." 2 more minutes pass and the line moves ever so slightly. The boy starts humming a tune, one he imagines would go great in a superhero movie. One that would go great with the Mysterious Mare-do-well, he thinks. Several more minutes pass and they finally get to the till. The father begins to talk to the pony in the till when the clock makes an audible sound. It strikes 4:00. As if on cue the ponies directly behind the family of three are armed with guns in their mouths, the likes of which haven't been seen since Princess Celestia banned them centuries ago. They open fire. The boy's parents collapse, blood oozing from the exposed heads. The boy is too shocked to speak when the gunponies point at him but they stop short of shooting him when a loud clopping of hooves is heard in the bank entrance. "Do not kill the boy. We do not kill the innocent." it says. The boy looks up to see the guns move away from his face. He sees two masked ponies, both black in coat color. He sees the voice in the back, a man wearing a terrifying mask covering his mouth but not his eyes. Eyes of complete evil. Soulless. He approaches the boy. "I will tell you now a lesson I learned growing up." He stands right in front of the boy looking at his dead parents, and then back. "Hatred is a wonderful feeling. But don't fault me for this. Blame your parents. Now run." The boy does not need to be told twice as he runs as fast as his little legs can take him. He runs until he can no longer run and he collapses on a grassy field. He cries and he cries until someone picks him up. He tries to protest but he finds himself without the strength. He wakes up at the police station. The man in front of him is bespectacled. He notices the boy stirring and wraps a coat over him. He starts to ask him about the robbery but the boy does not respond to any of his questions. The policeman stops talking and puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. We couldn't catch up to them." The boy looks up at him and wraps his hands around his neck, crying again as he does. He cannot keep the emotion at bay. It is far too much for him to handle. "Spike. Can you come over here for a minute?" Twilight shouts inside her labratory. A recent addition to the library the laboratory is equipped with the latest magical and scientific apparatus. There were several tables filled with countless papers filled with notes about complex equations. There was a mobile white board near the table, which was filled the words, NUCLEAR ENERGY IS THE KEY. Twilight stands in front of this whiteboard, thinking again about those two words. Nuclear energy. The door opens and a baby dragon enters. "What is it Twilight?" Spike says. He is still short, but is now visibly taller than he was when he arrived in Ponyville. Twilight turns around and sees her assistant. "Take a letter Spike." Spike smirks and grabs a nearby piece of parchment, getting the quill he keeps with him all the time. "Just like old times huh?" Twilight smiles back and goes over to her notes. "Just like it. Except it's not about friendship anymore." She makes a passing glance to a photo on the far end of the table. That of her and her friends on the eve of her second winter wrap up in Ponyville. She smiles. That seems so long ago. She harbours no delusion about the time that has passed since then. It had only been 4 years since she arrived in Ponyville but she had chosen to stay here, with her close friends, rather than go back to Canterlot. This was her life now. And her life's work was nuclear energy. "Dear Princess Celestia My experiments with the volatile rock Zebranium has taken a positive turn. It is highly radioactive but I have taken appropriate steps to contain this. I determine that Zebranium is the fuel for the future, and will be the energy source of the future as a new millennia begins and we get closer to the setting of the sun. Your sun. I remember that talk we had a few months ago. I thought you were joking, as you so often do, but deep down I should have seen your intentions. You feel that the time has passed for the ponies of Equestria to have an all-powerful princess and I understand. That is why I continuing my experiments. There has been some support here in Ponyville, although Fluttershy is scared of what it'll do to the wildlife. There's no risk. I've taken every precaution. Your faithful student Twilight Sparkle." "That's a mouthful." Spike murmurs as he sends the letter off. "What'll happen when the princess leaves for the Eternal day?" Twilight looks at her assistant thoughtfully before looking back at her notes. "I really don't know. But I do know one thing. Somebody's going to have to continue her legacy, and I'll do my part to make sure that happens" Spike turns to leave "Ok, if you need me I'll be by Rarity's". Twilight remembers something about how dragons were fireproof and she asks him one last thing. "Say Spike do you think dragons are immune to radiation?" Spikes turns back to look at her "You're not thinking of using me as a guinea pig are you?" "No of course not. I was just thinking of those scales did more than they already did." "Find another dragon to help you with that." With that he leaves and Twilight is left in the room with some tough questions. No real answers. The boy goes through foster family after foster family. He does not fit in any. They say he is too sullen, too withdrawn. Most attempts to make him open up failed. Most households tired of him after a few weeks. So he stayed in the orphanage where he met a zebra named Xorn. Xorn had been there when the boy first arrived. He was a few years older than he and was an outcast among the ponies. The boy felt an attachment to Xorn, from the first time they sat together during lunch. A group of bullies had threatened Xorn and, as if by instinct, the boy had moved quickly to fight them. One by one the bullies had gone down to the boy's furious hooves and they would've gotten worse if Cynthia, the orphanage administrator, hadn't stepped in at the last minute. For this the two were forbidden to go outside for 1 week but after that incident the two had been inseparable. For the next five years they indulged in their favourite past time: get rich quick schemes, most of them involving petty theft. One would distract shopkeepers while the other would steal. This would go on until inevitably they got caught by the local guards. Shame would fill them as Cynthia would reprimand and punish them but they would go at it again and again. And throughout this Xorn kept telling stories about the Canterlot fortune, the legendary royal bullion, and a diamond that rendered one immortal. On one particular night while reading a book on the history of Equestria Xorn begun to lay down his plans for the future. "Just think. In the royal castle. Hidden deep underground, precious gems, diamonds, gold. That'll make us! We won't have to stay in the orphanage anymore. We can live in the swankiest mansions, and live by our rules! Imagine" "Where did you hear these stories?" "My father was an agent for the land of the zebras. He infiltrated the royal castle this one time but... he got caught. The last time I saw him he told me about a crystal he dug deep in our old backyard. A crystal that opens portals to different dimensions." "Different dimensions? What?" "The castle is impenetrable. My father got in using the crystal, phasing through time to pass through as a ghost would. We'll have to find that crystal to get to those fortunes." And so the two friends to hone their thieving skills, always mindful of their goal. "Immortality isn't a one-way street. Living forever... does not feel as good as it seems. Existing... beyond your friends. Lovers. The unnaturalness of it all. I have learned to forget it. I live in the now, the present. Even when Luna was banished to the moon I did not spend my time thinking about how I was the only immortal being in Equestria. I tried to stay to my royal duty, as a benevolent deity. As the designated ruler. As father would have wanted. But ... I wavered. I had rule for hundreds of years and knew I didn't want to rule for hundreds more. So I took you in. I made you my personal student. You demonstrated immense magical power. And I knew. I knew you could take my mantle. " Three Sides of a Coin"Hate is a wonderful thing. It's the greatest motivator for ponies everywhere. It gets things done. Were it not for my hatred of all of ponykind... the fuel that keeps me alive. I wouldn't be here with all of you. And we wouldn't have this... plan. This blueprint for Equestria's destruction. We are all here to gather in preparation for the death of Celestia... and the creation of OUR empire. A haven for us. Outcasts." "I saw him last night. While I was taking watch I saw him and his stallions. Making... something... plotting his... revenge. For last time. That was before Nightmare Moon, before I unleashed my Dark Side. I remember... he forsook his royal duty for something more. He wanted it all for himself. So we stopped him... and for that he was sent deep underground, in the depths of the Everfree Forest. But we always knew he would come back, as Nightmare Moon came back. For the prophecy says so." "Check this out" Twilight says giving Rarity a peculiar looking diamond glowing green. Rarity takes it into her hooves and is fascinated by it, her eyes gleaming as it does when presented with precious stones. "How pretty! What is this gemstone?" Rarity says. Twilight thinks of how she obtained it, taking a moment to put her front left hoof on her chin. ""Zecora gave it to me. She said it was from her homeland, a remnant from the great mines of Zebraland." Rarity takes all this in, eyes still focused on the green gem when she turns to look at Twilight. "Zebraland?" Twilight looks back and shrugs her shoulder. "I asked Zecora where she came from and apparently it's impossible too pronounce by us ponies. So it's Zebraland." She gives a nervous laugh. Rarity nods her head in agreement and goes back to admiring the gem. "And what do they call this gem back in Zebraland?" "Well she didn't tell me whatt it was called. Apparently only a few Zebras know it exists." Rarity keeps looking at the gem before it registers in her head. "And why would a gem as lovely as this be kept secret for so long. It's such a marvel. It's like it came from another place, an... alien creation." "Because of it's radioactive nature." "Radio- what now?" "Radiation. It's a term I found in a book about the last Cross-Equestrian War. Apparently there were rocks that were used in the war to harm other ponies via radiation. It's... wel the rock emits particles that change stuff. Like the inner workings of your body for example." Rarity looks at the glowing gem for a second before dropping it quickly. "You mean this gem can give me the uncurable sickness?" "Not that one. That one's been deactivated. The glow's just for show. I brought it over cause I thought you might like it." Rarity looks at the gem on the floor for a moment before picking it up and putting it on a nearby shelf. "Well it is lovely. Thank you for the lovely gift. But is there another reason for coming here and giving me a deactivated radioactive gem you got from Zecora." "Well." Twilight takes a notebook out of her saddlebag. "I only had a couple of those stones. I call them Zebranium. I don't think they're exclusive to Zebraland. I think... I think they're actually rocks from the sky. Just a theory. If it's true then there may be more out there, and there may be some more near here. So that we won't need to go out to Zebraland to get them. Besides the mines were shut centuries ago." "And why do you need more of these highly dangerous gems?" "Because... they contain a power that can rival the sun." Every action has a consequence. The boy tried to think of this as he sat in a cell in the local jail. For petty theft of course. He reaped what he sowed, and he wasn't a fool. He knew that there were punishments for this kind of behavior. But it had been his fourth visit to the jailhouse and the beatings he endured from the guards were even worse than last time. As he sat on the cold, unforgiving floor he tried to remember his parents, And that day. And he didn't want to remember. But he had to. He had to hold on to the memories so he could stay motivated. For the one thing he knew he had to do in his life, other than stay out of jail, was to find the killers and bring them to justice. How could he, merely a thief, and merely a thief of apples and oranges, be in jail, experiencing cruel and unusual punishment? How could those killers stay free, and presumably still killing. He should be in his bedroom, with his mother reading him a bedtime story. But those days were gone. He was alone. In a sense. There were two sisters, that much was true. But there were more. Much of this has been lost to history. Books and cameras were only inventions of the modern age. In fact the only people who remembered that there were other legendary alicorns, and creatures were the princesses themselves, and Discord, being a child of Chaos, one of the primordial beings present in the beginning. So how does one go about gathering the evidence that there were other alicorns? By being able to roam the imperial palace unimpeded, and examining the royal family tree located in the hidden Throne room. You ask, have I ever been there? How would I know this? The answer? I don't. I've never been there. But I know of an extraordinary zebra who got in there. And it is his story that I will tell. Reservoir StallionsTwo security ponies were standing guard at the door. Two more stood behind the door, invisible to any outside observers. But no the those opposite the bank, sitting in an unassuming armored carriage. The occupants of the carriage had been planning this heist for a long time. Five of them, each given a code name corresponding to a celestial body. The ringleader was Mr. Jupiter, a bald stallion with white eyes, a face marked with scars and mask that covered his mouth. This man was larger than the others, the unquestioned leader and the one sitting back, as if to meditate. The man to his right, appropriate considering his status as Jupiter's right hand stallion, was Mr. Pluto. A diminutive stallion, a relative newcomer to the criminal lifestyle, Pluto was taken adopted by Jupiter from an orphanage. They were distant relatives, and Jupiter had been quick to snatch him so as to bolster his ranks. Pluto was a natural thief, a true speedster. He could snatch and run better than anyone in Equestria but his true talent was blending in the crowd. He had the uncanny ability to camouflage himself amongst crowds and virtually any scenery. How he did this was kept as a trade secret. Mr. Mars was the man sitting opposite Jupiter. A true pony of war, Mars had spent much of his life fighting in guerilla wars all throught Equestria, working as a mercenary for anyone with the bits to spend. He was a loose cannon, a true cowpony, someone who thought rules didn't apply to him. Working wth him was treacherous, as most would attest. He had once beat a co-worker to death over a spilled cup of coffee. During a mission. Jupiter had been reluctant to take him into this mission but he knew that Mar's ability to fight outweighed his volatility. In the front of the carriage, the drivers if the carriage was moving, were Mr. Neptune and Saturn, identical twins. Both had blue hair, and both were unicorns. The two were noted metamorphs, able to transform their bodies into anything they needed. They could poses as other ponies, inanimate objects, even the wind, the sky. They were involved in the great heist of the Fillydelphia Sierra Madre casino when they outwitted an entire security team and Princess Celestia, stealing several million bits. It is said that not even the twins knew how they gained the ability to metamorph as it is not a power normally asociated with unicorns. All five of the prospective criminals were wearing stylish black two piece suits, similar to those seen in the catwalks of Canterlot, altough these were custom-made and untraceable. All except Jupiter were wearing black sunglasses, less a stylistic statment and more a means to hide one's identity without wearing unattractive masks. Jupiter took a bag from under his seat and opened it in the middle of the carriage. Inside were several guns, designed to be used either in the mouth, or otherwise with the front hooves. Jupiter took them and gave his companions their weapons. "Five of a kind. there's about 15 security guards in that bank. They're not gonna let us in without a fight. No use for stealth. You two go in first. Keep the guns hidden, they won't suspect a thing. I'll come in and make my move my move. Then both of you make yours. The twins should already be inside. They'll sneak in once we start. Now." He points an accusing finger at Mars. "no killing unless necessary. This should look routine. Anything out of the extraordinary and our friend at Canterlot will make his move on us. And I don't want that to happen. Not yet anyway" Mars nods his head and touches his chest. "I promise I'll try. So what were we stealing today." "The orb of the Solarium, one of the time relics left by Queen Chronos. This, along with the orb of the Lunarium, and my... other stone will allow us to execute the final stage of our plan." "What plan is that?" "Taking control of the sun of course." Chaos and HarmonyEverything ever made has an opposite. This of course a fundamental truth to the existence of all ponykind, and indeed all of existence. Where there is light, there is dark. Heat and cold. Fire and ice. The disparity is the key to making the world work. When the world began there was nothing. Nothing at all. An endless expanse of nothingness. Then, somewhere in that endless expanse, emerged a being called Chaos. And Chaos was, at all times, everything that would ever exist, and nothing. The very concept of Chaos is incomprehensible, and to think of the personification of chaos causes normal ponies to be sick. Chaos spread forth, creating a chaotic, misshapen, barren land out of the darkness. This was a land of brimstone and fire, fiery meteors falling from the sky, Gigantic supevolcanoes constantly erupting. And this was the birthplace, and territory of the great chaos daemons, the firstborn of which was Discord. This was the land of Chaos, and time did not work here, for logic did not exist here, and Harmony did not reside here. Harmony emerged in the skies above the land of Chaos and blossomed forth. From harmony came time and space, governed by the king of all existence, Chronos. From Chronos came the Sun and the moon, governed by the Princess of the Sun and the Moon, Princess Celestia and Luna. These celestial beings created a small piece of paradise for themselves, up in the void, exempt from the chaos of the lower world. Hidden in the clouds, a floating piece of land called Eden. And here was born life, harmonious life, different to the immortal daemons of Chaos. First were the ponies, formed in the image of the two princesses. It is said that the unicorns burst from the King's head, the earth ponies sprung directly from the earth, like a plant, and the unicorns fell from the sky, in order to become the watchful protectors of the land. Angels, of a sort. And all the flora and fauna were created in this week, and it was good. But, as with all things, it all came to a head. For Chaos and Harmony were two sides of the same coin. They were brothers. They were the same. The floating paradise of Eden and the land of chaos were on a collision course with each other. It was their destiny, chaos and harmony colliding in order to create life. What happened after that? The daemons were defeated, but not vanquished. They were driven deep into the hell they had created. Over the entrance a forest was made, the Everfree Forest. Discord was defeated and imprisoned in the Garden of Eden, as a statue, frozen in time, with the power of Harmony. Chaos was lost, disappearing, as a dark spirit, into the world. It is said that it reincarnates as a normal pony every millenia, free to cause chaos in the guise of a normal pony. The land was transformed. The barren land became the Equestria we see today. King Chronos ascended the heavens, leaving the fate of Equestria with his daughters Celestia and Luna. And that is the story of how Equestria was made. Maybe. This is the history of the world as written by the Order of the Sun, an ancient religion dedicated to the Princess Celestia. Several other religions give differing, and varied histories of Equestria. The order of the Locust for example posits that Princess Celestia was born from a flower. Shortof asking Princess Celestia about the history of Equestria, a subject she never divulges on, we can only speculate on how Equestria was created. Perhaps we are all just specks, on a canvas in someone's room. Maybe everything was random. There was nothing and then there was. Or perhaps everything that ever is always was, and always will be. Nothing changes. It is far easier for ponykind to believe in the tangible. Princess Celestia. And as long as we are here, alive, is there anything else needed? Two unicorns, one caveTwo unicorns were out on the fields today. The one at the front, the white one with the purple hair, was using her horn to look for gems. Something she enjoyed doing, though not usually with the company of her friends. The one behind, the purple pony, the one levitating a book in front of her to read, was keeping pace with her friend, though oblivious to the one in front. This one was a bit of a bookworm, once she got to a new bok she could not stop reading it until she finished it, or collapsed from exhaustion. One of the two, or both even. They continued walking this way, through the fields of grass until they finally reached a rocky, mountainous surface. Rarity's horn vibrated indicating that they were close to their destination, or at least one of their goals. Rarity squeals with excitement. "Ah, we must be close now. Unless this is one of those Diamond Dogs again." She takes a moment to survey her surroundings. Satisified that they are alone she continues to move, her friend, Twilight, mumbling along, transfixed on the words of the book. Their walk leads them to an entrance to a cave. It is unfamiliar to them. They were east of Ponyville, a far off east. Worse yet, no one even knew they were here. Twilight had insisted on the mission being secret. The power of Zebranium was an important part of her plan to maintain the Sun, and who knows what other ponies, ponies with nefarious intentions, could do with it. Rarity steps forward, using her horn to light the entrance to the cave. She approaches it tentatively. Shining a light all around she makes a startling discovery. "Twilight!" she says walking back to her friend. "Someone's been in here." A moment passes by before this registers in Twilight's head, making her pull away from her book. "Sorry Rarity. I wasn't paying attention. What did you say?" Rarity frowns at being ignored and sighs before telling Twilight again. "Someone's been in here. There's footprints all over the entrance." Twilight takes another moment to take that all in again before laughing at her friend's joke. "Haha." she laughs for a while before noticing her friend's disapproving glare. "Rarity no one even knows this place exists. We're officially in no pony's land. That can't be true." Twilight realises the error of her mistake when she sees Rarity give an audible humph. She walks past Rarity to the entrance of the cave. "Ok I'm sorry Rare. I have a hard time believing that..." her words are lost as she stares at the clear footprint near the mouth of the cave. "What... the..." Rarity smiles at her friend's apparent loss for words and walks right next to her. "I told you so. You say no one's been here. But these footprints here. they indicate someone has been here before." Twilight mulls things over before deciding magic could solve this mystery. "I'll... use a life detecting spell to see ahead." Twilight focuses all her magic to her horn in order to detect the soul, not unlike how Rarity finds gems. The more souls there are nearby the more energy it takes, and for Twilight, right now, a lot of energy was being used to perform the spell. That meant one thing. There was someone here in the cave. And there were a lot of them. A minute passes by before Rarity tries to touch Twilight, not knowing if the strain was killing her friend. "Twilight?" "Stand Back Rarity!" she manages to say before her horn experiences a magic overload. Rarity is blown away by the power of it, hitting a wall behind her. She opens her eyes to find Twilight shivering and in obvious shock."Twilight. What happened?" Twilight looks at her friend and stands up. "There's ponies here. And not just one person. There's about a hundred of them. And they're doing something. They're mining the gems." "That's... that's bad right? We've got to tell someone. The princess." she gets to her feet and grabs Twilight's hooves. "Come on." "They're coming for us." Twilight says letting herself be pulled up by her friend. They start galloping away when they notice a group of ponies wearing white masks, forming a wall. They get closer and the two unicorns turn left only to find another wall of ponies, this time wearing black masks. They try to run the opposite way but yet another wall of ponies approaches them wearing red masks. They turned to go back to the cave but there, at the mouth of the cave, was a fearsome pony wearing a different mask, one that covered his mouth but not his eyes. And now the two unicorn had realised their mistake. Now they looked at each other with fearful eyes. And they put their arms around each other. "I'm so sorry for bringing you here Rarity." "Oh Don't be. It's not your fault." The apparent ringleader of the ponies completed the circle formed around the two unicorns. He starts to talk and his voice is not normal. Gravelly, robotic, like a different being was uttering those words, not someone normal. "Hello Twilight, student of Celestia. What brings you to our humble abode?" Twilight stares at the stallion talking before opening her mouth. No words come out. He laughs and the laugh is guttural, a primal noise, unnatural, alien. "What is the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He starts laughing again, and the other ponies join in. "Well what about your lovely friend? Introduce yourself to us." Rarity looks around before saying . "I am Rarity. We were...just looking for gems when we happened to pass by this cave. We meant no harm and wish to leave now." The stallion laughed at this and approached them getting closer and closer. "You mean no harm. But there is always harm to go around. You wanted something in the cave. Yes? You wanted this." He puts his hand inside his coat pocket and takes out a large sample of Zebranium. "You wanted this right? What a coincidence. The day I start my plan is the day Celestia sends her student to stop me." He throws the rock on the ground. "How then are you gonna stop me? You're not even a fully-grown mare yet. You can't stop me." He gets right up Twilight's face. "Tell me. Is Celestia still trying to be a merciful Princess? She hasn't tried seducing you yet?" "Seducing me?" "Ah... maybe she didn't send you after all." He turns his back on them and starts going back to the cave. "This is no place to have a nice, proper talk. We'll talk inside my chambers." The ponies around them picked the two up, the two unwilling, but helpless to act, Twilight being unwilling to teleport knowing that Rarity didn't know how. Together they were going to face their fears. Inside the cave. Two unicorns. One cave. Hell on Earth or the time I was in prison and totally escapedI was in Stalliongrad now. I was... in Stalliongrad prison. Alone. Again. Again... In a way Stalliongrad was the worst prison I had been in. This wasn't Equestria anymore. This was the land of the Winter Ponies. Ponies who did not know the meaning of harmony. And did not care to know it. I knew harmony once. But that was a long time ago. Everything that had happened to my life was chaos. Carnage. I never wanted this. I didn't want this. Xorn left me. We got to the house. We got the gems. But he didn't want to share it. He wanted it all for himself. Understandable, this should be to me. But... I couldn't believe it. My best friend, the only friend I've had the last couple of years betrays me just like that. Incomprehensible. But not impossible. He had called the guards in advance. Once we got the gem we heard them. And just as I turned to him he was gone. Just like that. I don't know how, he wasn't a unicorn he couldn't use magic. Maybe it was the crystal. Maybe the stories he told me about the crystals were true. But that didn't matter anymore. They caught me. And they sent me here. Here in Stalliongrad where the only jail sentence is for life. Where you had to fight for food. Oh Celestia. Stalliongrad prison was located underground with the only entrance being a hole in a far off desert near the city. When I was put in here I was thrown way down. And all the inmates were around me. I was fresh meat. There was only one rule in Stalliongrad, the guards had told me. No killing. The death of one inmate meant that the guards would come down and kill five more. They beat me down. I was on the floor, bloody and battered. The first few days were manageable.I had mastered the art of hiding, and sneaking. But there weren't too many hiding spots in this prison. Sooner or later they would fine me. And they did. I had learned enough about street fighting to ward off most attackers. But... not warding off multiple attackers. They ambushed me in the showers. The doors were locked. I wasn't going anywhere. But I still fought. I still tried to put up a fight. Knowing that the battle was already lost. That was my life. Losing everything, and trying desperately to stay sane. But there's no sanity with that kind of loss. That kind of carnage. And so they beat me down. They called me horrible names. And they... did things to me... things I never even knew could be done. Innocence lost. The first month carried on like this. They would use me and then they would lay off... but they would always come back... and I... couldn't do anything about it. No one listened. No one cared. The pain, the constant pain. But in a weird way I... welcomed it. I was alienated from the world. But... they made me feel... something. Even if it wasn't something I wanted. I still felt something. And that was all I needed. To feel. The numbness was getting to me. The alienation. I could relate to no one. But they wanted something from me. ME! Me, a pony no one has wanted, someone who lost everything and never got anything in return. It felt nice. For once. Soon. They weren't hitting me anymore. And their leader, this stallion named Kaisar. He approached me. And he told me. ME! I want you to be mine. Nobody else's. Can you do that for me? . And I felt so grateful. That he would want me. ME! Out of all the ponies, and the stallions in this prison he had wanted me. And I... liked it. I liked it. The months went on, and nothing ever changed. The violence was still rampant, the prisoners were the wardens here. But I knew. I knew I was protected. By this stallion. Oh it wasn't perfect. He was very abusive. Dominating in fact. But I never put up a fight and he liked that. I was submissive and he was dominant. I was happy. But there had to be more to life. I couldn't spend my life like this. In the company of stallions I have nothing in common with. Murderers. Rapists. I was just a petty thief! The injustice of it all! Sometimes I like to look at the stars, during the night, when everyone sleeps. I look at the stars through the hole. And I see my family. I see me. Happy, married with two foals. Living in a nice house. Having romantic adventures. Safe. Secure. One night. I saw a shooting star. Only this shooting star was coming down. To where I was. It wasn't a shooting star. It was some sort of meteor. A giant glowing rock flying at me. Was this my end? A wonderful death, death by giant rock? No, I thought. If I was going down. I wasn't gonna take it lying down. So I ran to one of my hiding places quick as I could. And then the rock hit. Cataclysm. I was flung out by the force of the rock's fall. All around me. Ponies were getting up. But there was fire everywhere. Some ponieswere reduced to ashes. There was a strange glow all around the prison and it seemed that the ponies were the ones proving the luminosity. And I looked at myself. Nary a scratch on me. How strange. Everyone around me was dying. But II wasn't even affected by it. The hole had collapsed, along with most of the surface. Somehow the rubble, and the rock that had fallen down on the prison, had formed a means of escape. A stairway. Perhaps not to heaven but certainly out of this hell. Out of this life. I took it as a sign. I wasn't meant to rot in here. This was my deus ex machina. I wasn't supposed to stay here. And I wasn't going to. No way. I galloped up to the surface. Determined to follow my destiny. I was gonna make a difference in the world. I was gonna save other ponies from becoming like me. But first. First there was the matter of getting out of Stalliongrad, a task made easier by the utter destruction of the town from the meteor. And after the escape. Revenge. Revenge. And then life. That was a good plan. A better plan than I had had for years. Restless Dreams or the cupcake that kept on givingRestless Dreams In my restless dreams I see her. Her wings. On me. I fly through the sky. The fearful night sky. I fly through the night. The stars, the clouds. This was what I wanted. Freedom. Freedom from the laws of gravity. To unleash myself, to expend my energy. To become... supersonic. In my restless dreams she flies in the daytime. Soaking up the sun, practising her tricks. She is free. In all the ways I am not. But I am happy for her. Her place is in the skies. My place was in the bakery. Making cakes. Cupcakes. In my restless dreams she remembers. She remembers that we were going to do something today. Me and her. Just the two of us. When we had first met she was resistant to me, but once we had found a common ground, pranks, we got attached to each other. We enjoyed the pranks. She does not know why I want to see her. What we are going to do. It is better for her not to know. She would know soon enough. In my restless dreams she knocks on my door. I go to the door. She apologises for coming late. I tell her it's okay. She asks what we are to do. And I say... baking. She is disappointed. She thought we were going to prank someponies. In a way she is right. I was going to prank her and she was going to prank me. But there was no need to let her know about it. In my restless dreams I offer her a cupcake. As a gift. As a starter. A precursor. She collapses. I catch her. I strap her to a machine. A machine not of chaos, not of harmony. But of cold, and unyielding order. She gets strapped in. I prepare my equipment. And I wait for her to wake up. In my restless dreams she never wakes up. And I'm glad she doesn't. I look at her sleeping form. And I smile. That's all I wanted. There's something wrong with me. Well to be honest, there always was. Is it normal for a simple Earth pony to break the laws of physics, keep pace with Rainbow Dash in flight, AND break the fourth wall? Huh? There was something wrong with me. Bottled up. But it was coming out. I couldn't let it control me. Twilight's a smart pony. I'm sure she'll know what's wrong with me.
Prologue to an EpilogueIt was busy in the bank that day. Lots of people. And it was hot. That little boy was with his parents. They were going to open a bank account for him. So they could get him to learn and understand the value of saving. The little boy was an earth pony, as were his parents. The mother was pink with a cerulean mane laced with a bit of gray. His father was black, black as coal, and he had a red mane. The boy himself was white as snow with blue hair. They were in the middle of the line. It was slow. The boy felt the heat, even inside the bank with it's cooling systems. He asks his mother if they are there yet. His mother smiles at him and reminds him that patience is a virtue. He scowls and looks down on the floor, as if the act would make time go faster. He wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but here, a place where he had no friends, and no toys. His father puts an assuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. This'll be worth it in the end." 2 more minutes pass and the line moves ever so slightly. The boy starts humming a tune, one he imagines would go great in a superhero movie. One that would go great with the Mysterious Mare-do-well, he thinks. Several more minutes pass and they finally get to the till. The father begins to talk to the pony in the till when the clock makes an audible sound. It strikes 4:00. As if on cue the ponies directly behind the family of three are armed with guns in their mouths, the likes of which haven't been seen since Princess Celestia banned them centuries ago. They open fire. The boy's parents collapse, blood oozing from the exposed heads. The boy is too shocked to speak when the gunponies point at him but they stop short of shooting him when a loud clopping of hooves is heard in the bank entrance. "Do not kill the boy. We do not kill the innocent." it says. The boy looks up to see the guns move away from his face. He sees two masked ponies, both black in coat color. He sees the voice in the back, a man wearing a terrifying mask covering his mouth but not his eyes. Eyes of complete evil. Soulless. He approaches the boy. "I will tell you now a lesson I learned growing up." He stands right in front of the boy looking at his dead parents, and then back. "Hatred is a wonderful feeling. But don't fault me for this. Blame your parents. Now run." The boy does not need to be told twice as he runs as fast as his little legs can take him. He runs until he can no longer run and he collapses on a grassy field. He cries and he cries until someone picks him up. He tries to protest but he finds himself without the strength. He wakes up at the police station. The man in front of him is bespectacled. He notices the boy stirring and wraps a coat over him. He starts to ask him about the robbery but the boy does not respond to any of his questions. The policeman stops talking and puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. We couldn't catch up to them." The boy looks up at him and wraps his hands around his neck, crying again as he does. He cannot keep the emotion at bay. It is far too much for him to handle. "Spike. Can you come over here for a minute?" Twilight shouts inside her labratory. A recent addition to the library the laboratory is equipped with the latest magical and scientific apparatus. There were several tables filled with countless papers filled with notes about complex equations. There was a mobile white board near the table, which was filled the words, NUCLEAR ENERGY IS THE KEY. Twilight stands in front of this whiteboard, thinking again about those two words. Nuclear energy. The door opens and a baby dragon enters. "What is it Twilight?" Spike says. He is still short, but is now visibly taller than he was when he arrived in Ponyville. Twilight turns around and sees her assistant. "Take a letter Spike." Spike smirks and grabs a nearby piece of parchment, getting the quill he keeps with him all the time. "Just like old times huh?" Twilight smiles back and goes over to her notes. "Just like it. Except it's not about friendship anymore." She makes a passing glance to a photo on the far end of the table. That of her and her friends on the eve of her second winter wrap up in Ponyville. She smiles. That seems so long ago. She harbours no delusion about the time that has passed since then. It had only been 4 years since she arrived in Ponyville but she had chosen to stay here, with her close friends, rather than go back to Canterlot. This was her life now. And her life's work was nuclear energy. "Dear Princess Celestia My experiments with the volatile rock Zebranium has taken a positive turn. It is highly radioactive but I have taken appropriate steps to contain this. I determine that Zebranium is the fuel for the future, and will be the energy source of the future as a new millennia begins and we get closer to the setting of the sun. Your sun. I remember that talk we had a few months ago. I thought you were joking, as you so often do, but deep down I should have seen your intentions. You feel that the time has passed for the ponies of Equestria to have an all-powerful princess and I understand. That is why I continuing my experiments. There has been some support here in Ponyville, although Fluttershy is scared of what it'll do to the wildlife. There's no risk. I've taken every precaution. Your faithful student Twilight Sparkle." "That's a mouthful." Spike murmurs as he sends the letter off. "What'll happen when the princess leaves for the Eternal day?" Twilight looks at her assistant thoughtfully before looking back at her notes. "I really don't know. But I do know one thing. Somebody's going to have to continue her legacy, and I'll do my part to make sure that happens" Spike turns to leave "Ok, if you need me I'll be by Rarity's". Twilight remembers something about how dragons were fireproof and she asks him one last thing. "Say Spike do you think dragons are immune to radiation?" Spikes turns back to look at her "You're not thinking of using me as a guinea pig are you?" "No of course not. I was just thinking of those scales did more than they already did." "Find another dragon to help you with that." With that he leaves and Twilight is left in the room with some tough questions. No real answers. The boy goes through foster family after foster family. He does not fit in any. They say he is too sullen, too withdrawn. Most attempts to make him open up failed. Most households tired of him after a few weeks. So he stayed in the orphanage where he met a zebra named Xorn. Xorn had been there when the boy first arrived. He was a few years older than he and was an outcast among the ponies. The boy felt an attachment to Xorn, from the first time they sat together during lunch. A group of bullies had threatened Xorn and, as if by instinct, the boy had moved quickly to fight them. One by one the bullies had gone down to the boy's furious hooves and they would've gotten worse if Cynthia, the orphanage administrator, hadn't stepped in at the last minute. For this the two were forbidden to go outside for 1 week but after that incident the two had been inseparable. For the next five years they indulged in their favourite past time: get rich quick schemes, most of them involving petty theft. One would distract shopkeepers while the other would steal. This would go on until inevitably they got caught by the local guards. Shame would fill them as Cynthia would reprimand and punish them but they would go at it again and again. And throughout this Xorn kept telling stories about the Canterlot fortune, the legendary royal bullion, and a diamond that rendered one immortal. On one particular night while reading a book on the history of Equestria Xorn begun to lay down his plans for the future. "Just think. In the royal castle. Hidden deep underground, precious gems, diamonds, gold. That'll make us! We won't have to stay in the orphanage anymore. We can live in the swankiest mansions, and live by our rules! Imagine" "Where did you hear these stories?" "My father was an agent for the land of the zebras. He infiltrated the royal castle this one time but... he got caught. The last time I saw him he told me about a crystal he dug deep in our old backyard. A crystal that opens portals to different dimensions." "Different dimensions? What?" "The castle is impenetrable. My father got in using the crystal, phasing through time to pass through as a ghost would. We'll have to find that crystal to get to those fortunes." And so the two friends to hone their thieving skills, always mindful of their goal. "Immortality isn't a one-way street. Living forever... does not feel as good as it seems. Existing... beyond your friends. Lovers. The unnaturalness of it all. I have learned to forget it. I live in the now, the present. Even when Luna was banished to the moon I did not spend my time thinking about how I was the only immortal being in Equestria. I tried to stay to my royal duty, as a benevolent deity. As the designated ruler. As father would have wanted. But ... I wavered. I had rule for hundreds of years and knew I didn't want to rule for hundreds more. So I took you in. I made you my personal student. You demonstrated immense magical power. And I knew. I knew you could take my mantle. "
Three Sides of a Coin"Hate is a wonderful thing. It's the greatest motivator for ponies everywhere. It gets things done. Were it not for my hatred of all of ponykind... the fuel that keeps me alive. I wouldn't be here with all of you. And we wouldn't have this... plan. This blueprint for Equestria's destruction. We are all here to gather in preparation for the death of Celestia... and the creation of OUR empire. A haven for us. Outcasts." "I saw him last night. While I was taking watch I saw him and his stallions. Making... something... plotting his... revenge. For last time. That was before Nightmare Moon, before I unleashed my Dark Side. I remember... he forsook his royal duty for something more. He wanted it all for himself. So we stopped him... and for that he was sent deep underground, in the depths of the Everfree Forest. But we always knew he would come back, as Nightmare Moon came back. For the prophecy says so." "Check this out" Twilight says giving Rarity a peculiar looking diamond glowing green. Rarity takes it into her hooves and is fascinated by it, her eyes gleaming as it does when presented with precious stones. "How pretty! What is this gemstone?" Rarity says. Twilight thinks of how she obtained it, taking a moment to put her front left hoof on her chin. ""Zecora gave it to me. She said it was from her homeland, a remnant from the great mines of Zebraland." Rarity takes all this in, eyes still focused on the green gem when she turns to look at Twilight. "Zebraland?" Twilight looks back and shrugs her shoulder. "I asked Zecora where she came from and apparently it's impossible too pronounce by us ponies. So it's Zebraland." She gives a nervous laugh. Rarity nods her head in agreement and goes back to admiring the gem. "And what do they call this gem back in Zebraland?" "Well she didn't tell me whatt it was called. Apparently only a few Zebras know it exists." Rarity keeps looking at the gem before it registers in her head. "And why would a gem as lovely as this be kept secret for so long. It's such a marvel. It's like it came from another place, an... alien creation." "Because of it's radioactive nature." "Radio- what now?" "Radiation. It's a term I found in a book about the last Cross-Equestrian War. Apparently there were rocks that were used in the war to harm other ponies via radiation. It's... wel the rock emits particles that change stuff. Like the inner workings of your body for example." Rarity looks at the glowing gem for a second before dropping it quickly. "You mean this gem can give me the uncurable sickness?" "Not that one. That one's been deactivated. The glow's just for show. I brought it over cause I thought you might like it." Rarity looks at the gem on the floor for a moment before picking it up and putting it on a nearby shelf. "Well it is lovely. Thank you for the lovely gift. But is there another reason for coming here and giving me a deactivated radioactive gem you got from Zecora." "Well." Twilight takes a notebook out of her saddlebag. "I only had a couple of those stones. I call them Zebranium. I don't think they're exclusive to Zebraland. I think... I think they're actually rocks from the sky. Just a theory. If it's true then there may be more out there, and there may be some more near here. So that we won't need to go out to Zebraland to get them. Besides the mines were shut centuries ago." "And why do you need more of these highly dangerous gems?" "Because... they contain a power that can rival the sun." Every action has a consequence. The boy tried to think of this as he sat in a cell in the local jail. For petty theft of course. He reaped what he sowed, and he wasn't a fool. He knew that there were punishments for this kind of behavior. But it had been his fourth visit to the jailhouse and the beatings he endured from the guards were even worse than last time. As he sat on the cold, unforgiving floor he tried to remember his parents, And that day. And he didn't want to remember. But he had to. He had to hold on to the memories so he could stay motivated. For the one thing he knew he had to do in his life, other than stay out of jail, was to find the killers and bring them to justice. How could he, merely a thief, and merely a thief of apples and oranges, be in jail, experiencing cruel and unusual punishment? How could those killers stay free, and presumably still killing. He should be in his bedroom, with his mother reading him a bedtime story. But those days were gone. He was alone. In a sense. There were two sisters, that much was true. But there were more. Much of this has been lost to history. Books and cameras were only inventions of the modern age. In fact the only people who remembered that there were other legendary alicorns, and creatures were the princesses themselves, and Discord, being a child of Chaos, one of the primordial beings present in the beginning. So how does one go about gathering the evidence that there were other alicorns? By being able to roam the imperial palace unimpeded, and examining the royal family tree located in the hidden Throne room. You ask, have I ever been there? How would I know this? The answer? I don't. I've never been there. But I know of an extraordinary zebra who got in there. And it is his story that I will tell.
Reservoir StallionsTwo security ponies were standing guard at the door. Two more stood behind the door, invisible to any outside observers. But no the those opposite the bank, sitting in an unassuming armored carriage. The occupants of the carriage had been planning this heist for a long time. Five of them, each given a code name corresponding to a celestial body. The ringleader was Mr. Jupiter, a bald stallion with white eyes, a face marked with scars and mask that covered his mouth. This man was larger than the others, the unquestioned leader and the one sitting back, as if to meditate. The man to his right, appropriate considering his status as Jupiter's right hand stallion, was Mr. Pluto. A diminutive stallion, a relative newcomer to the criminal lifestyle, Pluto was taken adopted by Jupiter from an orphanage. They were distant relatives, and Jupiter had been quick to snatch him so as to bolster his ranks. Pluto was a natural thief, a true speedster. He could snatch and run better than anyone in Equestria but his true talent was blending in the crowd. He had the uncanny ability to camouflage himself amongst crowds and virtually any scenery. How he did this was kept as a trade secret. Mr. Mars was the man sitting opposite Jupiter. A true pony of war, Mars had spent much of his life fighting in guerilla wars all throught Equestria, working as a mercenary for anyone with the bits to spend. He was a loose cannon, a true cowpony, someone who thought rules didn't apply to him. Working wth him was treacherous, as most would attest. He had once beat a co-worker to death over a spilled cup of coffee. During a mission. Jupiter had been reluctant to take him into this mission but he knew that Mar's ability to fight outweighed his volatility. In the front of the carriage, the drivers if the carriage was moving, were Mr. Neptune and Saturn, identical twins. Both had blue hair, and both were unicorns. The two were noted metamorphs, able to transform their bodies into anything they needed. They could poses as other ponies, inanimate objects, even the wind, the sky. They were involved in the great heist of the Fillydelphia Sierra Madre casino when they outwitted an entire security team and Princess Celestia, stealing several million bits. It is said that not even the twins knew how they gained the ability to metamorph as it is not a power normally asociated with unicorns. All five of the prospective criminals were wearing stylish black two piece suits, similar to those seen in the catwalks of Canterlot, altough these were custom-made and untraceable. All except Jupiter were wearing black sunglasses, less a stylistic statment and more a means to hide one's identity without wearing unattractive masks. Jupiter took a bag from under his seat and opened it in the middle of the carriage. Inside were several guns, designed to be used either in the mouth, or otherwise with the front hooves. Jupiter took them and gave his companions their weapons. "Five of a kind. there's about 15 security guards in that bank. They're not gonna let us in without a fight. No use for stealth. You two go in first. Keep the guns hidden, they won't suspect a thing. I'll come in and make my move my move. Then both of you make yours. The twins should already be inside. They'll sneak in once we start. Now." He points an accusing finger at Mars. "no killing unless necessary. This should look routine. Anything out of the extraordinary and our friend at Canterlot will make his move on us. And I don't want that to happen. Not yet anyway" Mars nods his head and touches his chest. "I promise I'll try. So what were we stealing today." "The orb of the Solarium, one of the time relics left by Queen Chronos. This, along with the orb of the Lunarium, and my... other stone will allow us to execute the final stage of our plan." "What plan is that?" "Taking control of the sun of course."
Chaos and HarmonyEverything ever made has an opposite. This of course a fundamental truth to the existence of all ponykind, and indeed all of existence. Where there is light, there is dark. Heat and cold. Fire and ice. The disparity is the key to making the world work. When the world began there was nothing. Nothing at all. An endless expanse of nothingness. Then, somewhere in that endless expanse, emerged a being called Chaos. And Chaos was, at all times, everything that would ever exist, and nothing. The very concept of Chaos is incomprehensible, and to think of the personification of chaos causes normal ponies to be sick. Chaos spread forth, creating a chaotic, misshapen, barren land out of the darkness. This was a land of brimstone and fire, fiery meteors falling from the sky, Gigantic supevolcanoes constantly erupting. And this was the birthplace, and territory of the great chaos daemons, the firstborn of which was Discord. This was the land of Chaos, and time did not work here, for logic did not exist here, and Harmony did not reside here. Harmony emerged in the skies above the land of Chaos and blossomed forth. From harmony came time and space, governed by the king of all existence, Chronos. From Chronos came the Sun and the moon, governed by the Princess of the Sun and the Moon, Princess Celestia and Luna. These celestial beings created a small piece of paradise for themselves, up in the void, exempt from the chaos of the lower world. Hidden in the clouds, a floating piece of land called Eden. And here was born life, harmonious life, different to the immortal daemons of Chaos. First were the ponies, formed in the image of the two princesses. It is said that the unicorns burst from the King's head, the earth ponies sprung directly from the earth, like a plant, and the unicorns fell from the sky, in order to become the watchful protectors of the land. Angels, of a sort. And all the flora and fauna were created in this week, and it was good. But, as with all things, it all came to a head. For Chaos and Harmony were two sides of the same coin. They were brothers. They were the same. The floating paradise of Eden and the land of chaos were on a collision course with each other. It was their destiny, chaos and harmony colliding in order to create life. What happened after that? The daemons were defeated, but not vanquished. They were driven deep into the hell they had created. Over the entrance a forest was made, the Everfree Forest. Discord was defeated and imprisoned in the Garden of Eden, as a statue, frozen in time, with the power of Harmony. Chaos was lost, disappearing, as a dark spirit, into the world. It is said that it reincarnates as a normal pony every millenia, free to cause chaos in the guise of a normal pony. The land was transformed. The barren land became the Equestria we see today. King Chronos ascended the heavens, leaving the fate of Equestria with his daughters Celestia and Luna. And that is the story of how Equestria was made. Maybe. This is the history of the world as written by the Order of the Sun, an ancient religion dedicated to the Princess Celestia. Several other religions give differing, and varied histories of Equestria. The order of the Locust for example posits that Princess Celestia was born from a flower. Shortof asking Princess Celestia about the history of Equestria, a subject she never divulges on, we can only speculate on how Equestria was created. Perhaps we are all just specks, on a canvas in someone's room. Maybe everything was random. There was nothing and then there was. Or perhaps everything that ever is always was, and always will be. Nothing changes. It is far easier for ponykind to believe in the tangible. Princess Celestia. And as long as we are here, alive, is there anything else needed?
Two unicorns, one caveTwo unicorns were out on the fields today. The one at the front, the white one with the purple hair, was using her horn to look for gems. Something she enjoyed doing, though not usually with the company of her friends. The one behind, the purple pony, the one levitating a book in front of her to read, was keeping pace with her friend, though oblivious to the one in front. This one was a bit of a bookworm, once she got to a new bok she could not stop reading it until she finished it, or collapsed from exhaustion. One of the two, or both even. They continued walking this way, through the fields of grass until they finally reached a rocky, mountainous surface. Rarity's horn vibrated indicating that they were close to their destination, or at least one of their goals. Rarity squeals with excitement. "Ah, we must be close now. Unless this is one of those Diamond Dogs again." She takes a moment to survey her surroundings. Satisified that they are alone she continues to move, her friend, Twilight, mumbling along, transfixed on the words of the book. Their walk leads them to an entrance to a cave. It is unfamiliar to them. They were east of Ponyville, a far off east. Worse yet, no one even knew they were here. Twilight had insisted on the mission being secret. The power of Zebranium was an important part of her plan to maintain the Sun, and who knows what other ponies, ponies with nefarious intentions, could do with it. Rarity steps forward, using her horn to light the entrance to the cave. She approaches it tentatively. Shining a light all around she makes a startling discovery. "Twilight!" she says walking back to her friend. "Someone's been in here." A moment passes by before this registers in Twilight's head, making her pull away from her book. "Sorry Rarity. I wasn't paying attention. What did you say?" Rarity frowns at being ignored and sighs before telling Twilight again. "Someone's been in here. There's footprints all over the entrance." Twilight takes another moment to take that all in again before laughing at her friend's joke. "Haha." she laughs for a while before noticing her friend's disapproving glare. "Rarity no one even knows this place exists. We're officially in no pony's land. That can't be true." Twilight realises the error of her mistake when she sees Rarity give an audible humph. She walks past Rarity to the entrance of the cave. "Ok I'm sorry Rare. I have a hard time believing that..." her words are lost as she stares at the clear footprint near the mouth of the cave. "What... the..." Rarity smiles at her friend's apparent loss for words and walks right next to her. "I told you so. You say no one's been here. But these footprints here. they indicate someone has been here before." Twilight mulls things over before deciding magic could solve this mystery. "I'll... use a life detecting spell to see ahead." Twilight focuses all her magic to her horn in order to detect the soul, not unlike how Rarity finds gems. The more souls there are nearby the more energy it takes, and for Twilight, right now, a lot of energy was being used to perform the spell. That meant one thing. There was someone here in the cave. And there were a lot of them. A minute passes by before Rarity tries to touch Twilight, not knowing if the strain was killing her friend. "Twilight?" "Stand Back Rarity!" she manages to say before her horn experiences a magic overload. Rarity is blown away by the power of it, hitting a wall behind her. She opens her eyes to find Twilight shivering and in obvious shock."Twilight. What happened?" Twilight looks at her friend and stands up. "There's ponies here. And not just one person. There's about a hundred of them. And they're doing something. They're mining the gems." "That's... that's bad right? We've got to tell someone. The princess." she gets to her feet and grabs Twilight's hooves. "Come on." "They're coming for us." Twilight says letting herself be pulled up by her friend. They start galloping away when they notice a group of ponies wearing white masks, forming a wall. They get closer and the two unicorns turn left only to find another wall of ponies, this time wearing black masks. They try to run the opposite way but yet another wall of ponies approaches them wearing red masks. They turned to go back to the cave but there, at the mouth of the cave, was a fearsome pony wearing a different mask, one that covered his mouth but not his eyes. And now the two unicorn had realised their mistake. Now they looked at each other with fearful eyes. And they put their arms around each other. "I'm so sorry for bringing you here Rarity." "Oh Don't be. It's not your fault." The apparent ringleader of the ponies completed the circle formed around the two unicorns. He starts to talk and his voice is not normal. Gravelly, robotic, like a different being was uttering those words, not someone normal. "Hello Twilight, student of Celestia. What brings you to our humble abode?" Twilight stares at the stallion talking before opening her mouth. No words come out. He laughs and the laugh is guttural, a primal noise, unnatural, alien. "What is the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He starts laughing again, and the other ponies join in. "Well what about your lovely friend? Introduce yourself to us." Rarity looks around before saying . "I am Rarity. We were...just looking for gems when we happened to pass by this cave. We meant no harm and wish to leave now." The stallion laughed at this and approached them getting closer and closer. "You mean no harm. But there is always harm to go around. You wanted something in the cave. Yes? You wanted this." He puts his hand inside his coat pocket and takes out a large sample of Zebranium. "You wanted this right? What a coincidence. The day I start my plan is the day Celestia sends her student to stop me." He throws the rock on the ground. "How then are you gonna stop me? You're not even a fully-grown mare yet. You can't stop me." He gets right up Twilight's face. "Tell me. Is Celestia still trying to be a merciful Princess? She hasn't tried seducing you yet?" "Seducing me?" "Ah... maybe she didn't send you after all." He turns his back on them and starts going back to the cave. "This is no place to have a nice, proper talk. We'll talk inside my chambers." The ponies around them picked the two up, the two unwilling, but helpless to act, Twilight being unwilling to teleport knowing that Rarity didn't know how. Together they were going to face their fears. Inside the cave. Two unicorns. One cave.
Hell on Earth or the time I was in prison and totally escapedI was in Stalliongrad now. I was... in Stalliongrad prison. Alone. Again. Again... In a way Stalliongrad was the worst prison I had been in. This wasn't Equestria anymore. This was the land of the Winter Ponies. Ponies who did not know the meaning of harmony. And did not care to know it. I knew harmony once. But that was a long time ago. Everything that had happened to my life was chaos. Carnage. I never wanted this. I didn't want this. Xorn left me. We got to the house. We got the gems. But he didn't want to share it. He wanted it all for himself. Understandable, this should be to me. But... I couldn't believe it. My best friend, the only friend I've had the last couple of years betrays me just like that. Incomprehensible. But not impossible. He had called the guards in advance. Once we got the gem we heard them. And just as I turned to him he was gone. Just like that. I don't know how, he wasn't a unicorn he couldn't use magic. Maybe it was the crystal. Maybe the stories he told me about the crystals were true. But that didn't matter anymore. They caught me. And they sent me here. Here in Stalliongrad where the only jail sentence is for life. Where you had to fight for food. Oh Celestia. Stalliongrad prison was located underground with the only entrance being a hole in a far off desert near the city. When I was put in here I was thrown way down. And all the inmates were around me. I was fresh meat. There was only one rule in Stalliongrad, the guards had told me. No killing. The death of one inmate meant that the guards would come down and kill five more. They beat me down. I was on the floor, bloody and battered. The first few days were manageable.I had mastered the art of hiding, and sneaking. But there weren't too many hiding spots in this prison. Sooner or later they would fine me. And they did. I had learned enough about street fighting to ward off most attackers. But... not warding off multiple attackers. They ambushed me in the showers. The doors were locked. I wasn't going anywhere. But I still fought. I still tried to put up a fight. Knowing that the battle was already lost. That was my life. Losing everything, and trying desperately to stay sane. But there's no sanity with that kind of loss. That kind of carnage. And so they beat me down. They called me horrible names. And they... did things to me... things I never even knew could be done. Innocence lost. The first month carried on like this. They would use me and then they would lay off... but they would always come back... and I... couldn't do anything about it. No one listened. No one cared. The pain, the constant pain. But in a weird way I... welcomed it. I was alienated from the world. But... they made me feel... something. Even if it wasn't something I wanted. I still felt something. And that was all I needed. To feel. The numbness was getting to me. The alienation. I could relate to no one. But they wanted something from me. ME! Me, a pony no one has wanted, someone who lost everything and never got anything in return. It felt nice. For once. Soon. They weren't hitting me anymore. And their leader, this stallion named Kaisar. He approached me. And he told me. ME! I want you to be mine. Nobody else's. Can you do that for me? . And I felt so grateful. That he would want me. ME! Out of all the ponies, and the stallions in this prison he had wanted me. And I... liked it. I liked it. The months went on, and nothing ever changed. The violence was still rampant, the prisoners were the wardens here. But I knew. I knew I was protected. By this stallion. Oh it wasn't perfect. He was very abusive. Dominating in fact. But I never put up a fight and he liked that. I was submissive and he was dominant. I was happy. But there had to be more to life. I couldn't spend my life like this. In the company of stallions I have nothing in common with. Murderers. Rapists. I was just a petty thief! The injustice of it all! Sometimes I like to look at the stars, during the night, when everyone sleeps. I look at the stars through the hole. And I see my family. I see me. Happy, married with two foals. Living in a nice house. Having romantic adventures. Safe. Secure. One night. I saw a shooting star. Only this shooting star was coming down. To where I was. It wasn't a shooting star. It was some sort of meteor. A giant glowing rock flying at me. Was this my end? A wonderful death, death by giant rock? No, I thought. If I was going down. I wasn't gonna take it lying down. So I ran to one of my hiding places quick as I could. And then the rock hit. Cataclysm. I was flung out by the force of the rock's fall. All around me. Ponies were getting up. But there was fire everywhere. Some ponieswere reduced to ashes. There was a strange glow all around the prison and it seemed that the ponies were the ones proving the luminosity. And I looked at myself. Nary a scratch on me. How strange. Everyone around me was dying. But II wasn't even affected by it. The hole had collapsed, along with most of the surface. Somehow the rubble, and the rock that had fallen down on the prison, had formed a means of escape. A stairway. Perhaps not to heaven but certainly out of this hell. Out of this life. I took it as a sign. I wasn't meant to rot in here. This was my deus ex machina. I wasn't supposed to stay here. And I wasn't going to. No way. I galloped up to the surface. Determined to follow my destiny. I was gonna make a difference in the world. I was gonna save other ponies from becoming like me. But first. First there was the matter of getting out of Stalliongrad, a task made easier by the utter destruction of the town from the meteor. And after the escape. Revenge. Revenge. And then life. That was a good plan. A better plan than I had had for years.
Restless Dreams or the cupcake that kept on givingRestless Dreams In my restless dreams I see her. Her wings. On me. I fly through the sky. The fearful night sky. I fly through the night. The stars, the clouds. This was what I wanted. Freedom. Freedom from the laws of gravity. To unleash myself, to expend my energy. To become... supersonic. In my restless dreams she flies in the daytime. Soaking up the sun, practising her tricks. She is free. In all the ways I am not. But I am happy for her. Her place is in the skies. My place was in the bakery. Making cakes. Cupcakes. In my restless dreams she remembers. She remembers that we were going to do something today. Me and her. Just the two of us. When we had first met she was resistant to me, but once we had found a common ground, pranks, we got attached to each other. We enjoyed the pranks. She does not know why I want to see her. What we are going to do. It is better for her not to know. She would know soon enough. In my restless dreams she knocks on my door. I go to the door. She apologises for coming late. I tell her it's okay. She asks what we are to do. And I say... baking. She is disappointed. She thought we were going to prank someponies. In a way she is right. I was going to prank her and she was going to prank me. But there was no need to let her know about it. In my restless dreams I offer her a cupcake. As a gift. As a starter. A precursor. She collapses. I catch her. I strap her to a machine. A machine not of chaos, not of harmony. But of cold, and unyielding order. She gets strapped in. I prepare my equipment. And I wait for her to wake up. In my restless dreams she never wakes up. And I'm glad she doesn't. I look at her sleeping form. And I smile. That's all I wanted. There's something wrong with me. Well to be honest, there always was. Is it normal for a simple Earth pony to break the laws of physics, keep pace with Rainbow Dash in flight, AND break the fourth wall? Huh? There was something wrong with me. Bottled up. But it was coming out. I couldn't let it control me. Twilight's a smart pony. I'm sure she'll know what's wrong with me.
