Fallen

All of the City Turns to Black and Fades Away

Celestia and Luna flew faster than they had ever flown before.

There had never been a crisis as severe as this one. As they flew, they could see the hatred that had been spreading for weeks. Friends were turning on each other, families were breaking apart, and nopony trusted each other. Throughout it all, black crystal structures marred the landscape, turning the soil black and unusable. Farms were failing, ponies lost their jobs, and many were dying. The only time Equestria had been in turmoil such as this was with the Windigos, and even that wasn’t this bad.

“I tried to warn you, Celestia. She wasn’t yet up to the task,” Luna said. There was an edge to her voice that Celestia wasn’t used to hearing.

“I know you did, Luna,”Celestia replied. “I had thought that, after all of the adventures she and her friends had gone through, she’d be able to do it.”

“Well, you were wrong, weren’t you?” Celestia could understand Luna’s anger. Because of her poor decision making, Equestria had fallen into chaos, and the only thing that could save it was a miracle.

Choosing not to answer her sister’s question, Celestia said, “We need to hurry. We must reach the Crystal Empire before it’s too late.”

Luna shared in her sister’s worry. If the Crystal Empire disappeared now, while it was spreading hate and fear to the rest of Equestria, then all hope would be lost.

“We are only a few miles away now,” she told Celestia.

They flew on in silence. The only noises that they could hear was the wind whistling in their ears and mane, the flapping of their wings, and the frantic pumping of their hearts.

After about three minutes of this, Celestia broke the silence. “It should be right over this hill--”

Celestia and Luna both gasped, and stopped in shock. There was only one place in the city that was not entirely black; the tip of the tallest castle spire. But even that was swiftly being darkened. Even as they watched, the tip of it turned the same black color as the rest of the city. This snapped them both out of their stupor, and they began flying towards the city as fast as they could. But even as they flew, they could see the city beginning to fade away…

A snarl occupied Luna’s face. She put on an extra burst of speed, only to be stopped by a golden magical aura.

Whirling around, Luna growled, “Why did you stop me! A few more feet and I could’ve stopped Sombra!”

“No, you wouldn’t have been able to. Sombra is in his domain now. He knows every turn, and the hatred and fear coming out of there would only lend him strength. Not only that, but if the city had faded away with you in it, and you failed, no one from Equestria could help you.” Even as she spoke, what little bit that remained of the Crystal Empire disappeared.

“You are wrong! I could’ve at least slowed down the disappearance--” Something about Celestia’s expression stopped Luna. There was a deep, unbridled sadness in her face that caught Luna by surprise.

“I couldn’t lose you both.”

A sense of horror, accompanied by sadness for her sister, filled Luna. ”I-I’m sorry, Tia… I… I didn’t think about…”

“It’s alright, Lulu.”

But they both knew it was not alright. For when the Crystal Empire had faded away, it had taken Twilight Sparkle and all of her friends with it.