"Is that... a crow?" Twilight asked nobody in particular. Not once in her life she saw a crow flying like that, and towards a city no less. Heck, she was sure that most ponies thought like her, judging by their murmuring as soon as they noticed the black bird, just like she did. To most ponies, a crow was associated with something dark, something evil, mostly because many could be found in places such as the Everfree forest. And while Twilight was by no means superstitious, at least not like many of her kind, seeing that bird made her feel uneasy.

It was no secret. Ever since the beginning of the "Downfall", the first public appearance of both the Ancients and the cult, named by the media to signify "the beginning of the end for every race on Equus", everything was turned on its head. Even the most mundane of activities were prophesized to be carriers of a yet another tragedy that would befall their planet, something that, sadly, turned out to be true most of the times. When one finally understands what all of this means, they won't be surprised to know that almost everypony was on edge. One minute, everything is peaceful. The next, everyone runs out of their homes in search for another shelter. Nowhere was safe, everypony could bleed.

Even Equestria, a prosperous and stable kingdom, was now at the brink of collapse. The only things that held it together were the two rulers, the Elements and a relatively powerful army that, while not enough to wage war on either of the threats, they were somewhat capable of defending their territory, but not without heavy losses. The reason being is that both the Ancients and the cult were way too powerful, overwhelmingly so. While the cult's ranks were filled will bloodcrazed savages and creatures that Equus never knew they even exsisted, the Ancients had magical powers and knowledge far beyond that of ponies, or any other race for that matter.

"A crow? Here?" Fluttershy's voice was barely perceivable to everyone but her friends, who were close to her.

"What's it doin'?"

"It's..." Twilight squinted. "...carrying something."

The bird in question was eerily quiet as the flapping of wings could be heard more and more with each meter it traversed. Then, when it finally reached its destination, it slowly landed down on the ground.

"What is that in its beak?" Rarity inquired, trying to keep a stoic face despite the nervousness she felt at the moment. As if on clue, the bird gently placed the object on the ground. It turned its head slightly, one eye staring at the bearers. A chill went down their spine as they noticed a very peculiar detail.

"Look! That eye!" Twilight pointed out. Before she could do anything, the object, now coated with an ethereal green aura, started floating in the air as it expanded, revealing a scroll. At first, said scroll looked empty, but then dozens of symbols, sharing the color of the aura that surrounded it, formed lines upon lines of text, which, to everpony's horror, turned out to be a spell for summoning a large green object that looked more like a sphere coated with fire than an actual fireball. Its brightness surpassed that of Celestia's sun despite being way smaller. Not only did it give the impression that it was a miniature version of the star, but it also absorbed all light from the real sun, meaning that every building, every living being, was coated in green.

One can't even begin to describe the amount of horror each pony felt, especially after such blatant display of power, daring to suggest that there might be something more powerful than Celestia living out there. Many either fainted or fled. For some, their brains had finally decided they had truly seen enough, eventually breaking into fits of insane laughter. Meanwhile, the Element bearers prepared themselves for an eventual fight that would never come, as the object never moved from its place, apparently having no desire for a fight.

"Ponies of Equestria." A voice boomed from the sphere. It was loud enough that some nearby windows cracked. "Ungrateful worms that plague our lands, we have a message for all of you, especially for the royal sisters." It was already clear who was the sender. "The city you call Fillydelphia has finally returned to its rightful owner, as many other will soon follow."

It went silent, allowing the news to sink in, which unfortunately did more efficiently that it probably hoped. The bearers could basically hear despair emanating from all streets big and small. Worse, some ponies knew, even felt, that it was bound to happen sooner or later, that the army would fail to protect Equestria's cities as they failed to protect the countrysides. Nopony even knew the situation in other kingdoms. And now, to receive the confirmation of their worst fears, broke many souls and even more hopes for the future.

"You even have the audacity to mock us through the despicable act of perverting the names of our settlements and filling them with all kinds of depravity. Such a blatant attempt at provoking us will not go unpunished. We are coming for all of you. Run, we shall find you. Hide, we will burn your pitiful havens. Nothing you do can stop us from our righteous conquest. Ironic really, the very prison you banished us in turned out to be our salvation." Twilight's heart sank in her stomach. "We can assure you that, after our victory, your species will live on as breeders, since you make excellent vessels. It is the only solution that seems fair, really. After all, we lost our bodies because of you. Someone has to pay for this injustice, yes?" With a final, cruel laugh, the sphere as well as the scroll were consumed by the ethereal fire. The crow, the very one that brought the message, flew away untouched.

"So,uh... any ideas?" Pinkie Pie blurted out after few minutes of silence.

"Hey..."

"What is it?"

"How long do we, uh... have to stay here, guarding this entrance to the royal library? It's time to go to sleep, in all honesty."

"As long as it needs, Steel Helmet."

"But it's boring!"

"We have to follow every order from the Princess, so quit your whining."

"But... but where is the excitement? Where are the awesome battles and... stuff?"

"Do you want to go to the front lines? Do you have any idea how lucky you are right now?"

"Uh..."

"No, seriously. Do you want to go there, where hundreds of brave ponies give their life to defend our kingdom every day?"

"Okay, okay. I get it. Calm down."

"I..." The other guardpony noticed somepony coming down the hallway. They wore armor, just like them. "C... commander!"

"At ease, soldier." The black-furred unicorn waved with a hoof dismissively. His green irises glanced at the two of them.

"Forgive me for asking, but what are you doing here?"

"Princess Celestia sent me to inspect the library for an... item. It is of the utmost importance for me to find it."

The two guardponies looked at each other but didn't dare to question their superior, so they moved aside, allowing the commander to enter into the royal library. He closed the door behind himself and chuckled softly.

"Fools..." he muttered as he took a good look of the place. He was about to take a turn to the right when he heard something tapping on the window coming from his left. The commander turned his head and noticed a crow tapping the glass with its beak. He sighed as he walked towards said window and opened it.

"It seems you have successfully infiltrated the castle, as ordered." The crow spoke as it turned its head to stare the pony with one of its eyes.

"That I did." The pony chuckled. "How ironic, this commander is one of the weakest minds I have ever encountered. So full of turmoil, full of fear. So... shamefully easy to overwhelm."

"There is no time for boasting, I'm afraid." The crow flapped its wings slightly. "The plans are changed."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Changed?"

"Indeed. Consensus was achieved. The Griffon kingdom is to fall within this week."

"What's with the sudden change of plans?"

"While we may have endless vessels at our disposal, most of them are absolutely useless in air combat. One idea is to conquer what remains of the Griffon kingdom while capturing as many of them alive as possible to use them as vessels."

The commander unicorn hummed. "I guess it makes sense."

The bird nodded. "Yes it does. Fresh vessels can fly, the undead ones cannot."

"And tell me, why wasn't I informed of such drastic measures sooner?"

"Something powerful resides in this region. It tampers with our connections."

"What?"

"I had the same reaction when I discovered this problem."

"How is this possible? These filthy mouthbreathers developed such a powerful spell?"

The bird covered its beak with one wing, humming.

"No. I doubt it."

"Hmph. I fail to see any other explanation."

"I don't."

"Then tell me already."

"The fanatics."

"Them?! No, I refuse to believe that."

"As strange as it sounds, that is my theory."

"They would attack us the moment they felt our presence. So far, I failed to meet one."

"Hmm... who says it must be them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you feel this... tainted magic permeating this place?"

"Actually, I do. It is why I came here."

"It is the taint of the void commonly present in objects and beings touched by the anomaly."

As the pony turned around to inspect the area, the crow landed on his head. Several minutes later and they still failed to find anything relevant.

"I thought this was going to be easy." The pony seethed. "Clearly a mistake."

"Not necessarily. Most of the items present in this place leave traces of magic that fuse together, making it hard to locate one of them."

"I swear, I'm going to set this place on fire as soon as we find what we seek."

"Hey, over there. I can feel it now."

"You do?"

"I am older and more experienced than you."

"Ah. My apologies."

Both intruders went towards a table in the distance. The unicoron's horn suddenly became a living candle, bathing the place in green light. At one point, a red dome formed out of nowhere just as the unicorn made one more step forward. It was so powerful that it threw the possessed unicron right into a bookshelf, knocking it over. The bird landed on his head once more, unscathed.

"Void-based barrier. Perfect for keeping us away. The proof we needed."

The unicorn scoffed as he jumped back on his hooves.

"Well, at least I don't feel any pain."

"Enough talk. Come, we will break the barrier together."

They rapidly reached the area where the barrier last appeared. A glowing beak and horn charged forward as soon as the magical dome appeared. The clash of two types of magic gave birth to a massive burst of energy that spread all over the place, causing a brief earthquake that shook the castle to its core.

"Damn it!" The unicorn cursed as he briefly lost control of his balance. He resolved the problem by attaching himself to the table. After the earthquake stopped, both of them noticed a book with red symbols on its cover.

"Curses, we have to be quick before this place gets surrounded by every magical user of the region."

"Is... is this..."

"Why, yes. Only those fanatics use such symbols."

"Wait, I need to see what's written inside."

"We can't afford it at the moment."

"It will be brief."

The commander used his horn to open the book on a random page. His eyes briefly glanced at the content.

Welcome, atoner, to the true path.
If it's the truth you seek, then hear me out:
Go back to your family and start a bloodbath
For it's the proof that you are righteous and devout.

After the deed has been done, which should be fun,
Then come back, start reading this book.
Their blood is pure, a priceless cure,
For your dead heart, snatched away by the deceitful hook.

Spill it all, then spill some more,
On a wall that will become a door,
To the void, my domain.

The realm of eternal drought,
Where lost souls roam about,
Host of all things arcane.

His children roam free, beneath the Ashen Tree,
On the Island of Vanity.
One of many places, where mortals from all races,
Have long since lost their sanity.

If the Dead God is what you are after,
Then don't bother, your search is through.
You haven't found the Dead God, atoner.
The Dead God has found you.

He was about to flip to another page when they heard the door opening quickly and forcefully. It was a sign that some unwanted presence found its way into the library. Enraged, but not scared, the pony grabbed the book with his magic before both of them ran towards a window.

"Stop right there!" One of the guardponies screamed to no avail. However, a new voice changed everything.

"Let us pass!"

It was a female voice without a doubt. Stopping abruptly, they turned their heads, knowing exactly who it was. The group of guardponies split apart, revealing the bearers and the rulers of Equestria, side by side.

"Commander? What are you..." A guardpony that protected the door trailed off as the bearers walked forward.

"Go. Take the book. I will deal with them."

The crow nodded as it grabbed the book and quickly flew outside before anypony could do anything to stop it.

"No! Not that book!" Celestia shouted before jumping through the window and chasing the escaped bird. Luna joined her sister few seconds later

"Princess!" Twilight shouted as the bearers of the Elements watched the royal sisters flying away in the night sky. "I need to go with them!"

"Uh, sugarcube..." Applejack warned Twilight. "Ah think we have our own problems."

Twilight Sparkle moved her head in the direction where her friend pointed at. She saw the pony clad in armor with a pair of green eyes and a horn covered in green aura.

He was similing.

Author's Note

I have to apologize for the poem if it sounds... weird. I am not used to writing those as much as the other stuff. Please tell me in the comments your opinion about it (and the chapter). :p