Eclipsed

After a few moments, Twilight opened her eyes. She saw her friends all accounted for and confirmed that they were indeed in Ponyville, more specifically in between two houses and out of sight from anypony.

"Come on, we have to hurry" Twilight said to the others.

"Wait, d'ya hear that?" Applejack placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

Twilight and the other's listened quietly. For a moment they all heard the sounds of several voices of ponies she knew around, giving several mutterings of confusion. Then, she heard another voice.

"...now is not a time for fear, but for a new age!"

Twilight peaked her head around the corner of the building she and the others were behind. She knew that a couple of the others were also looking as well, as she could feel Applejack's hat brushing against her slightly.

She looked and saw that everypony in Ponyville were drawn over to the town hall, where several armoured ponies were stood with a cloaked unicorn addressing the masses.

There was no doubt in Twilight's mind that it was Nexus addressing the ponies of Ponyville. At his side was possibly the most muscular and intimidating earth pony stallion Twilight had ever seen, wearing the same armour as the other pony soldiers at the town hall, marching down the town hall steps and spreading out across Ponyville as Nexus delivered his speech.

"How the hay did that guy get here ahead of us?" Applejack asked.

"He must've teleported here as well" Starlight suggested.

"Well let's go and kick his flank before Ponyville ends up like Canterlot" Rainbow Dash said, pounding her front hooves together for emphasis.

"And are you going to kick the flank of that mass of muscle next to him?" Rarity inquired as she slyly pointed to the stallion in question.

Rainbow hesitated for a moment, looking at the stallion next to Nexus and then back at Rarity. "If I have to, yeah" she nodded.

"Okay, Rainbow, after this is all over we need to talk about the differences between courage and down right foolishness" Rarity said "that stallion makes Big Macintosh look like...well, me" she said before looking at Applejack "no offence meant, Applejack"

"Nah, that's a pretty decent comparison" Applejack nodded, not taking her eyes off of the beast of a stallion that stood far away from them.

"We need to get to the tree" Twilight cut in, catching the attention of all her friends.

"But how? Those ponies are just stood there, menacingly" Fluttershy said "they're right in our way"

"You're right" Twilight sighed "stealth is out of the question, if they don't allow us to pass, we'll have to go through them"

The whole group nodded at what Twilight said. Twilight was the first to walk out of cover, her friends following behind closely. As they approached, they could hear Nexus's speech to the townsfolk.

"So rejoice, for your meaningless lives shall be given greater purpose" Nexus preached "we shall bring down the tyrants Celestia and Luna and praise our holy King Umbra"

The crowd began to talk out to one another again. Confusion to outright accusations of lunacy could be heard.

"King who?" One voice would say.

"Equestria doesn't have a King!" Said another.

"What tyrants? The princesses are kind and protecting" a third could be heard.

Nexus grabbed their attention again by snapping a single bolt of lightning into the air above, startling those in front. "I know the news I bring is hard to comprehend, but what I say is truth" he stated "the princesses have lied to us all"

"The only lies here are coming from you!" Rainbow called as the group approached.

Nexus leered his gaze over to Twilight and her friends, pride and loathing in his eyes. "Ah, the false prophet of Celestia" he stated "come for the elements of harmony, have you? Another set of trinkets you are not worthy to possess"

"Well she clearly is worthy to possess the elements, otherwise she wouldn't have them in the first place" Pinkie told Nexus.

Nexus turned his nose up slightly at Pinkie before turning back to look at Twilight. "Alicorn" he merely said as he gestured to Pinkie Pie, catching Twilight's attention "tell me, does this...chattering clown speak for you?"

"No, I can speak for myself, and I don't appreciate you talking about my friends like that" Twilight stated.

"What you appreciate is irrelevant, I simply speak truth" Nexus stood proudly "and the truth is that Lord Umbra wants you brought to him alive"

"Well, I'd like to see you try and take her, even with your lapdog there" Rarity told him.

"Iron Hoof, they've begun bore me, bring her to me" Nexus ordered "her friends are expendable"

Twilight and her friends watched as the armoured goliath of a pony, Iron Hoof, next to Nexus nodded and charged straight towards them. The townsfolk had decided to fall back from the town hall, sensing that a fight was about to occur.

"Bring it on, big guy!" Rainbow exclaimed as she spread her wings, darted straight at the charging stallion.

Rainbow Dash lunged at the charging stallion, full of determination and ready to fight, only for her to be smashed to one side by a single swing of Iron Hoof's armoured fore leg. Rainbow was sent flying into a tree, hitting the ground before she struggled to her hooves.

Iron Hoof didn't slow in his charge at all, meeting up with Applejack next. Applejack too charged toward Iron Hoof, taking advantage of her smaller size by sliding in better the brute's legs. Once she was behind him, she waited for him to turn around before springing onto her fore legs and delivering three consecutive bucks to the stallion's face.

Iron Hoof grunted, swaying slightly before getting over his stagger. The last thing Applejack saw was Iron Hoof's flared nostrils before she felt Iron Hoof's forehead connect with her face with full force. Blood erupted upwards from Applejack's nose as she dropped to the ground.

"Hmm? And here I was thinking the farm mare had more in her" Nexus commented as he observed the fighting from the town hall platform.

"Applejack!" Twilight glared at Iron Hoof, who was preparing another charge towards her.

Twilight's horn glowed a strong magenta as she watched Iron Hoof charge away from Applejack and towards her. She waited until he was close enough and then released a large blast of magic at the brute, striking him in the chest and sending him flying backwards towards Nexus.

Nexus merely rolled his eyes before making his own horn glow, effortlessly catching Twilight's magic in mid air. The act made both Twilight and Starlight stare in shock as Nexus held the raw magic in mid air, leaving Iron Hoof to crash straight through the town hall doors, taking them off the hinges in the process.

Nexus then threw Twilight's spell back at her with a flick of his horn. The group separated as the magical blast hit the spot they were all previously stood, sending grass and soil in all directions as a cloud of purple smoke rose from where the blast hit.

Nexus turned his head in time to see Rainbow Dash soaring straight for him. He used his magic to throw Rainbow off course and onto the stage he was previously delivering his speech.

"Come on, old colt! Show me what ya got!" Rainbow Dash lunged at Nexus again.

"Very well" Nexus nodded simply as his horn glowed again.

Rainbow Dash merely picked up more speed, hoping to hit him before he cast his spell. She sped straight into Nexus, only to fly straight through the other side of him. Before she could register what happened, she felt her tail get grabbed by Nexus's magic and she was sent spinning straight into the side of town hall with enough force to crash through the wall and to fly out of the other side.

Nexus closed his eyes for a moment, focusing himself. Then, with perfect precision, he spun around in time to shield himself from a beam shot by Starlight and then another from Twilight.

Twilight and Starlight both attempted to overpower him. Twilight had struggled back when she fought against Starlight, but this Nexus was on a whole other level than that. He had far more years of study than she or Starlight, Twilight knew this and figured she had no chance of beating him without completely depleting her magic in the process.

"Do you honestly think the pair of you can beat me? Or are you just delaying the inevitable?" Nexus turned his shield into two separate beams erupting from his horn, each one colliding against Starlight and Twilight's magical attacks.

"He's too powerful!" Starlight said to Twilight "go get the elements, I'll keep him busy and catch up with you"

"I'm not leaving you, Starlight" Twilight shook her head.

Before either mare had a chance to say anymore, the sound of rubble moving caught their attention. They both looked and saw Iron Hoof emerging from the debris of the town hall, the parts that had landed on him when Rainbow Dash was sent crashing through.

"We don't have time to argue, and these two are gonna take a massive beating before they stay down" Starlight stated "go! I'll be fine"

Twilight hesitated. She couldn't just leave Starlight to deal with both of them. She saw Applejack getting to her hooves, blood from her nose staining her coat, and Rainbow Dash pulling herself off of the ground.

She reluctantly nodded at Starlight "okay, but I'll be right back"

Starlight nodded before using a teleportation spell, the beam she was previously combating striking the ground. Once Nexus turned to defend against Starlight attacking front another direction, the beam Twilight was colliding her magic with was broken and Twilight and an opening to sprint passed.

Applejack was helped to her hooves by Rarity and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash was helped up by Pinkie Pie and Spike and the whole group galloped off towards the Everfree forest.

"What about Starlight?" Rarity asked as they ran.

"She's keeping them busy" Twilight replied, her tone clearly showing that she didn't like it one bit.

The group hurried off into the dense forest of trees ahead, Twilight turning around one last time to see Starlight chancing between teleportation and blasting pure energy at the two stallions attacking her.

Twilight hesitated again before following the rest of her friends into the forest.

The Everfree forest was dark enough normally, but the eclipse burning above darkened everything in the forest even further. The group was at least thankful that the eclipse seemed to frighten the more dangerous beasts of the Everfree, meaning that while they could barely see they at least didn't run the risk of running in a hydra or a manticore or something else of that nature.

Applejack's nose had stopped bleeding mostly, but dried blood still stained her coat and parts of her hair. Her face was bruised in areas but her nose somehow wasn't broken.

Rainbow didn't have any serious injuries, just a few bruises and scrapes, which surprised most of the group considering Rainbow had been sent through a wall at high speed.

Twilight ran ahead of the group as she hurried quickly to the cave where the tree of harmony was located. The only reason she didn't take flight with her wings was because the others reasoned that Nexus and his brute would see them overhead. They had no idea how long Starlight could hold them off, they just knew they didn't have a second to waste.

Twilight didn't like that she had left Starlight behind in Ponyville with those brutes, but she knew that she couldn't beat them as easily as she first thought that she could. She was used to magically strong opponents, but she found Nexus to be in an entirely different league from all the other foes she and her friends have faced.

They approached the cave of harmony and ran inside. They hurried down the tunnels as fast as they all could.

"So, do we head back to Canterlot to blast 'his royal highness' or do we bring the beating of a lifetime down on that Nexus and his pet?" Rainbow asked as they ran.

"As much as I'd like to bring that Nexus down a peg or two, I don't think Canterlot can last very long with an alicorn leading the charge against them" Twilight replied as they approached the tree "once we have the elements, we hurry back and blast that Umbra back to wherever he came from"

Twilight and the others approached the tree of harmony in the centre of the large expanse within the cave. It stood there in all its harmonious glory, though it seemed to be reacting to the eclipse outside by making its crystalline surface glow brighter, giving an ominous glow that covered most of the cave.

However, when they stood right in front of the tree, a collective gasp filled the cave when they saw.

"The elements?! They're gone!" Twilight exclaimed in pure shock and horror.

Like Twilight had said, the elements weren't in their proper places in the tree. They had been taken, and judging by the cracks in certain parts of the tree, whoever had taken them had ripped them out forcefully.

"That Nexus must've been playing us" Rainbow Dash stated as she looked up at the tree.

"Which would mean that this is a trap" Applejack thought out loud.

"Indeed"

The girls all turned around upon hearing Nexus. He stood on one side of the cave entrance with Iron Hoof on the other side.

"What have you done to Starlight?!" Twilight stood in front of the rest of her friends in a battle ready position.

"I can assure you that she put up quite the fight"

Nexus and Iron Hoof both bowed their heads as a silhouette of a tall stallion filled the cave entrance as he entered. Then the sound of what sounded like blades scrapping against stone could be here, and it took Twilight a moment to realise that it was in fact wings that were being sharpened against the ground with every circular swipe at the ground.

"Umbra" Twilight said as she watched the stallion walk past Nexus and Iron Hoof.

Umbra approached through the doorway, his wings striking the stone ground in a circular motion with each step. He looked up passed Twilight and her friends and at the tree.

"I noticed the tree had changed a lot since I last came here" Umbra stated "very tacky"

"How dare you set hoof on these grounds!" Twilight glared at Umbra, she and her friends standing their ground.

"Look at you pathetic fools, ready to fight in the name of Celestia the magnificent" Umbra.

"You aren't fit to speak her name" Rainbow Dash stated as she hovered on the spot with the help of her wings.

With a sharp flex of his back muscles, Umbra's wings spread out from either side of his body as he glared at Rainbow Dash. "I am not fit, little pegasi?" He asked plainly, earning a grunt of annoyance from the rainbow maned pegasus.

"Before I realised it was nothing, I fought for the tree of harmony by their sides once" Umbra said as he pointed his wing at the tree of harmony. "I loved them like true family should, and they...betrayed me" he stated as he lowered his wing "well, now I will destroy...EVERYTHING they have created!"

Before Twilight had a chance to react to what Umbra said, the dark alicorn threw a barrage of sharpened feathers at the group, which quickly went into separate directions to avoid the sharpened projectiles that were thrown.

Umbra leaped forward with his wings flared out. He blocked several strikes from Applejack and Twilight and quickly to attack mode. Twilight had never seen such skill and grace. He was like a spinning gyro and struck with the force of a hurricane as he sent Twilight back against the cave wall with his hoof.

Applejack was the next to attack, actually managing to land a hit on Umbra's fore leg, which proved ineffective as Umbra quickly used his horn to blow Applejack back with a powerful force of magic.

Umbra turned to strike first this time, but instead felt two hooves drive into his chest as Rainbow Dash flew into him with determination. He struck his wings into the ground with enough force to break rock, slowing down the rate that he was force back by Rainbow Dash.

"How's this for a little pegasi?" Rainbow asked with a grin as she forced Umbra back as far as she could.

Umbra didn't reply. Instead he spun around on the spot, carving a perfect circle in the ground with his wings. Umbra's back hooves struck Rainbow Dash in the chest and sent her back to the ground, falling down at the base of the tree of harmony.

"Hey!"

Umbra turned around to the origin of the voice, and was struck with a strong force of two sets of hooves. He was sent back against the wall with great force, cracking and shattering the wall in the process. He looked up and saw the two ponies who'd struck him.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack both stood proudly, and both of them were ready to strike again as they ran at Umbra.

"That's the spirit" Umbra muttered to himself through a grin before lunging forward.

Umbra dodged both of the incoming strikes this time and struck Pinkie with an extended wing, slamming her down to the ground. He kicked Applejack against the wall and prepared to strike her again, before Twilight blasted a beam of light at him.

Umbra turned around in time and met the beam with one of his own, the two alicorns locked in a power struggle which Twilight was quickly loosing.

Then a second beam of blue was shot along side Twilight's. Twilight turned her head, half expecting Starlight to be stood there, but was surprised to see Rarity to be the mare blasting a beam along side Twilight.

"Since when did you know attack magic?" Twilight asked.

"I did a little light reading after the whole changeling fiasco" Rarity answered "though I'm still getting the hang of it"

Twilight nodded and focused on combatting Umbra's powerful magic. She was already weakened from her battle with Nexus, so it was getting increasingly hard to keep up with this far more powerful opponent.

Rarity focused with all her might and changed her offensive beam into an attempt to bind Umbra's body in place. The most she managed to do was slow down his movement, something Umbra was quick to notice.

"Hold him still!" Rainbow called as she prepared for another charge.

Rarity nodded in acknowledgement held him down as best she could, slowing Umbra down to a snail's pace as he struggled with all his strength.

Rainbow had a quick running start from the tree and took flight, soaring with quickening speed towards Umbra. Umbra attempted to intercept but was drawn to a complete halt by Twilight also helping Rarity bind him in place. Rainbow grinned as she was about to connect her front hooves straight into Umbra's face.

But before she could, Twilight was struck with great force and was sent flying back against the wall, her magical connection broken and allowing Umbra more movement. Rarity turned to see that Iron Hoof had stepped in to assist.

Then she felt a blow of power strike her side from behind, sending her not that far from where Twilight was beaten down to. Rainbow saw that it was Nexus who had thrown Rarity to one side. Rainbow picked up more speed and hurried to strike.

Umbra quickly moved his once again freed body just in time to dodge Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow would have cursed and attempted another fly around, but instead she shrieked out in pain as something sharp slash across her stomach. She was sent down to the ground with a crashing force.

"Rainbow!" Rarity called as she watched Applejack and Fluttershy hurry over to her. Rarity hurried to her hooves and moved over to Rainbow's side.

Rainbow grunted and attempted to stand, failing as she was forced to stay down by Fluttershy. Rainbow looked down and saw a bloody slashed wound on her stomach, with one of Umbra's knife like feathers still dug into the flesh.

Twilight gritted her teeth before struggling to her hooves. Umbra noticed and turned around, ready to fight again.

"I'm far too powerful for you, what in Equestria do you honestly think you have that could match my power?" Umbra said as he approached.

"Something far more powerful than any one pony" Twilight said as she was the last one standing against Umbra.

"Let me guess, friendship?" Umbra said with a cold laugh "I just hope your precious friendship has made many ponies willing to mourn for you once you're gone"

Twilight, struggling to stay on her hooves, prepared a shield spell. She failed to produce it at first, her weakness starting to show. Umbra charged up his horn and prepared to fight a bright orange flaming spell at Twilight. Twilight continued trying to fight, refusing to accept that she'd lost.

"Come on, come on for Celestia's sake!" Twilight shouted at herself as she tried to make her horn glow, her eyes screwed shut in focus.

"That's right, where is your princess Celestia now?" Umbra said with a mocking tone as he prepared to release his magical attack.

Then a bright light filled the entire cave. Twilight at first though it was Umbra's spell hurdling itself at her, but when she opened her eyes she saw that Umbra's magic had shot straight up into the ceiling of the cave.

Dropping down to her knees for a moment, Twilight looked up and saw that princess Celestia had arrived in the cave, and had also rammed Umbra straight into a wall with all her remaining strength, attempting to pin Umbra to be the wall.

The wounds on Celestia's fore legs from earlier were still bleeding fresh blood. She pushed on through and used her magic to throw an approaching Iron Hoof back towards the cave entrance, smashing through through the rock formation.

Umbra pushed forward and managed to overpower Celestia, throwing her back a couple feet. Celestia kept on her hooves stood ready to defend the weakened group who'd tried to beat Umbra.

"I will not let you harm them!" Celestia declared.

"You're a bit late for that" Umbra replied, pointing his hoof toward the bleeding Rainbow Dash.

Celestia scowled and threw herself forwards at Umbra, who in turn ran forward. The two alicorns clashed horns and each attempted to overpower the other in a struggle like no other.

"What's wrong, Celestia, mad that I broke your trusty watchdogs?" Umbra asked as he pushed forward.

Celestia ignored Umbra's statement and ignited her horn, a swirling gold bolt striking Umbra back. Celestia acted quickly to avoid an attack from the side of her, having seen Nexus in the corner of her eye.

Celetsia duelled Umbra and Nexus in a skirmish of spells being thrown between the three powerful magic users. Umbra and Nexus both worked together to try and whittle down Celestia's magic stores, which proved far more difficult than when they did the same with Twilight and her friends.

Celestia had a plentiful and rich supply of magic to release and she had burned through very little of it, her weakness being mainly from her physical injuries.

"Ah, Celestia, nice to see that after all these years your magic is still at the top of your game" Umbra stated as he set his horn ablaze with raw magical power.

Celestia shielded herself from the initial blast, but was struck from the side by Nexus. She didn't have time to recover as Umbra changed his strategy to striking Celestia in the face with the full strength of his hoof. Blood flying out of her mouth, Celestia was sent to the ground by a second blow from Umbra.

"Celestia!" Twilight staggered over to Celestia's side to check on her.

"You have to go to the empire" Celestia said with a cough, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth "warn Luna and the others"

Twilight and Celetsia both looked up as they heard the sound of a spell being charged. They first thought that Umbra was about to finish them off as they saw his horn glow, but they had no idea what he was going to do next.

"I'll show you the true potential of magic!" Umbra stated as his horn glowed far brighter than it had before.

Twilight expected a far more destructive spell to be thrown, or something of that nature. But the moment she heard cracking sounds, her face went completely pale.

"No..." She heard Celestia say weakly.

She and Celetsia both turned around and saw the tree of harmony, completely covered from top to bottom with Umbra's orange glow of hazed magic. Twilight tried her hardest to stand up, but her magic depletion had weakened her body greatly.

With every yank of Umbra's head, the tree of harmony cracked and shook with resistance. The tree glowed in defiance as of attempting to protect itself, but Twilight knew the tree couldn't do very much without the elements.

"Umbra! Stop!" Celetsia cried out as she forced herself up to her hooves. Twilight was able to see the tears brimming in Celestia's eyes.

Umbra ignored her and put all his strength into his magic. Pulling and tearing away with sharp motions, everypony in the room was forced to watch Umbra, being too weak to intervene. Nexus was the only one with a smile on his face.

Then it happened. With a loud shrieking smash, the very base of the crystalline tree was shattered apart from the stump. Twilight's eyes widened as her pupils shrunk in horror.

Umbra side stepped in a circle with the damaged tree in his telekinetic grasp, purposefully smashing and thrashing and dragging it across the cave walls and ceiling. Chunks and shards of blue and white crystal were flung and shattered in all directions in a display of destruction. Then one last large chunk of the former tree crash landed back against the trunk as Umbra let it go.

To Twilight it was as if the entire event was happening in slow motion as she watched the tree of harmony, the most powerful object in all of Equestria, being completely decimated so carelessly by Umbra.

"Twilight, go" Celestia's voice was barely heard by Twilight, who was still frozen in place.

Twilight was unable to move for a moment, finally turning her head away as she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned around slowly and saw Applejack, who had a cold hopeless look on her face.

"Twilight, we have to go" she said slowly.

Twilight turned back around and saw Celetsia pulling herself over to the pile of crystalline rubble that was the tree of harmony. She pulled herself up to her hooves, ready to continue the fight.

But she turned her head around as she heard Rainbow Dash's whimpers and struggling. Rarity seemed to be attempting to calm Rainbow as Fluttershy was examining the wound, which still had the blade like feather stuck in it.

Twilight looked back at Applejack, giving her a nod before staggering over to her friend's side.

As carefully as they could, Rarity and Applejack picked Rainbow Dash up by her back and hurried to get out of the cave. Fluttershy and Pinkie followed behind and Twilight was about to leave when a spell struck the ground in front of her.

"Leaving so soon?" Nexus asked as he approached.

But before anymore could be done or said, Twilight felt a claw push passed her. Twilight then watched in surprise as Spike charged forward and let out a thick flame of green fire towards Nexus.

Nexus shielded himself from most of the flames, but wailed out in pain as a streak of flames hit him in the eye, sending him to the ground as he attempted to but the flames on his face out.

Twilight quickly levitated Spike onto her back and turned back to see Celestia on her knees in front of the rubble.

She shook her head and hurried out of the cave.

Celestia hobbled over to the remnants of the tree of harmony, the largest chunk that had been shattered across the cave. She dropped down to her knees and placed a hoof on the large chunk of crystal.

"Mother...forgive me" Celestia said as she lowered her head.

"Hmm, what do you say grandmother?" Umbra approached, speaking to a small chunk of crystal in his telekinetic grasp before looking back at Celestia "Do you forgive her?"

Celestia turned around at Umbra, watching as he tossed the chunk of crystal to one side and walk closer. She noticed that Twilight had escaped the caves with Spike on her back.

"You may have taken Canterlot and destroyed the tree of harmony, but you will never win" Celestia stated as she struggled to her hooves "someone will always stand in your way to stop you"

"Who, the purple alicorn?" Umbra asked as he leered his head closer to Celestia "her magic may be strong, but it isn't enough. Without the elements, she will suffer the same fate as all others who stand against me"

"No..."

But before Celestia could say anymore, her entire body went limp as Umbra hit her with a spell that paralysed her entire body. Celestia fell to the ground, helpless as she saw Umbra standing over her.

One of the very spells she had taught him long ago was now being used against her.

Twilight galloped as fast as she could to catch up with her friends, Spike holding onto her back tightly. She watched Rarity and Applejack carrying a wounded Rainbow Dash on their backs as the others ran closely behind. It was obvious that every movement caused the feather stuck in her flesh to draw great pain from Rainbow.

"Why can't we pull that feather out?" Rarity asked with concern, her eyes tearing at the edges as she heard Rainbow's painful cries.

"Because she could bleed out faster if we do" Fluttershy answered, who was practically crying from what had happened. "We have to get Rainbow to a doctor"

"That Umbra and his goons will find us if we head to Ponyville General" Applejack said as she supported Rainbow's upper body on her back.

Twilight and the group arrived back in Ponyville, where she immediately noticed the damage from the battle that had occurred earlier.

The town hall had now completely caved in on itself, as well as several other buildings being destroyed or partly destroyed. Ponies were rushing to put out several fires that had broken out and the ground had been scarred all over by disruptions in the soil.

Then the group saw Starlight, lay on the ground beaten and unconscious.

"Starlight!" Twilight ran over to Starlight's side, Spike jumping off of her back and landing next to the two ponies.

"What do we do now?" Pinkie Pie asked, looking behind her to see if they were being followed.

"We have to get to the empire" Twilight said as she tried to carefully move Starlight.

Just as Applejack was about to question how, a loud whirring splash of magical energy ringed out. The group looked on, those who were able to quickly ready to defend. But their defensive positions when they saw what had occurred.

In front of the group was a violently swirling circular vortex of silver and blue energy twice as tall as any of them. It spat specs of magic that quickly absorbed into the soil where it landed. Twilight knew it was some kind of magic, but what? And cast by who?

"Twilight, hurry! Get through the portal!" A familiar voice echoed through the vortex.

"Cadence?!" Twilight asked through the portal.

"Hurry! We can't hold it much longer!" Luna's voice could also be heard across the vortex's stream.

Before Twilight could say anything, she looked behind her and saw Umbra staring directly at them from the entrance of the Everfree. He charged quickly and spread his wings into flight as he advanced forward.

"Quickly, everypony through the portal! Hurry!" Twilight called out.

Rarity and Applejack ran though first with Rainbow Dash on their backs, Pinkie Pie picked up Starlight and hurried through. Fluttershy and Spike were ushered through last by Twilight.

Twilight threw herself through the portal last, actually being able to hear Umbra's frustrated screams echo out from the portal as she landed on the crystal ground on the other side of the now closed portal.