Author's Note

Warning: This chapter contains Gore, death.

Dem Bones

A protracted yawn escaped Trixie's snout when he stretched upon the main neck of the tree-headed dragon that served as her steed. They had landed in a clearing within the Everfree Forest, its overgrowth now spread over massive portions of Equestria. She patted the central head of Spike a couple of times before she hopped down, as did Lavender Lace and Fuschia Blush, who mounted the matching dome's of the beast.

With the sudden confirmation that the Necronomicon had resurfaced after so many years, she wondered if her counterpart who'd stolen it had as well. She would hunt her inferior double from this world down, deliver her to the mistress, and prove her worthiness as second-in-command. She took a moment to admire some skulls hung from a tree, a monetary distraction from a boredom that often consumed her.

She tapped a hoof to her chin. "Hmmm, now if i were me, where would I be...? Probably fooling around with Starlight Glimmer back in her caravan," she mused with a giggle. She looked back to see Fuschia and Lavender making out and shook her head. Those two were insatiable! Probably down to the tentacled creatures nestled in their wombs which stirred their loins up every time they pleasantly squirmed about. She felt a bit of leakage trail down her thighs and sighed. "Later. We have a job to do. I still don't understand why the mistress doesn't simply raze all the areas where the enemy might hide out. That's what Trixie would do. But I suppose she always knows best!"

They were still so busy locking lips that neither paid her any real attention. She sneaked up behind the pair and whapped them both so hard on their asses they yelped. "Come on bitches, time to earn our pay! We'll have plenty of time for that later!" They fell in line behind her as the trio decided to explore the forest. Of course there was always a threat slave traders or opportunists could assail them if they failed to recognize her, but she almost welcomed anypony foolish enough to try, knowing a bit of the old ultra-violence would stave away the anhedonia, plus Spike could always roast them if need be.

They fanned out. Poked here-and-there almost aimlessly. They had already sailed over the vegetation for hours, looking for areas where it looked like survivors might hide, knowing that the likely possibilities had been localized to this section. She couldn't afford to let any of the Four Horses show her up. The Necronomicon had recently been sensed by the mistress nearby. Impatience and frustration soon settled in. "Where could it be...?"

An hour of aimlessly searching passed. Eventually she stumbled upon a shimmer cast from the distance, and charged in, desperate for anything that would sate her curiosity. But when she saw Death constrained by a series of tentacles arising from a portal her heart nearly stopped. She'd never like any of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse, but this one in particular made her shudder, a creature disconnected from baser needs.

She approached one heavy and uncertain step at a time. A part of her considered simply leaving the monstrosity there. Nopony needed to know. But she knew how important Death was to the mistress. She was her masterpiece. Her counterpart from this world warped almost beyond all recognition and transformed into a living weapon of mass destruction that would mercilessly rain death upon all of Equestria.

Death wiggled against its binds, its horn sparkling each time it attempted to cast a spell, only for the magic to immediately fizzle out. Trixie watched transfixed as the skeletal creature struggled for several moments, eyes aglow from its sockets under the black hood, its bony structure mostly devoid of flesh visible under its cape.

She aimed her horn at the tentacles, which flared to life, as she directed a wave of energy at the restraints. They bristled and writhed under the heat, smoked and trashed, but continued to hold on tight, even after a continual barrage that lasted over a minute.

She huffed and readied herself for another blast. "Damn it! Trixie has to admit she can't do this on her own." She cupped her hooves about her snout. "Bitches! Get your cute little buns over here now!" Her shrill holler carried quite far across the forest.

She tapped a hoof impatiently, but thankfully the pair arrived in a short amount of time, and sensing her plan they lined up beside her, readying their own horns. They charged up their horns to the max, unleashed a concentrated miniature light-show, and the tentacles began to char and thrash in a frenzied manner, until they were finally forced to withdraw back into the portal which sealed closed behind them like it was never there.

The now liberated death immediately sailed away into the gloom without ceremony. "Creepy," said Fuschia and Lavender who looked to each other.

"You said it. Oh well. Bored now. Back to work, bitches." Trixie hoped she'd made the right choice. She'd rather not endure her hated rivals, but were she lost there was a chance the mistress would blame her, and her wrath was always terrible to behold.

*****

Smashed and broken bodies laid strewn about like broken toys in War's tireless wake. The first guards foolish enough to oppose him had suffered brutal and meaningless deaths. Blood now soaked his fur coat an even deeper shade of crimson. He lamented that he couldn't draw out their bloodshed, but there were so many other targets to choose from, and most importantly he needed to draw out the leaders of this rabble.

He ran over the earth ponies and unicorns that assailed him, leapt into the air at the pegasi who tried to keep their distance, and body-slammed them with his full armored weight into a ruptured mess under his titanic frame. The earth quaked under his frame. He snorted and dragged a forehoof to kick up dirt and stone, charged at the terrified soldiers, skewered them on the spiny horns that lined his monstrous helmet.

A hail of gunfire and arrows rained over him. Most of the missiles bounced harmlessly off his armored hide, and the rare ones that managed to slip through the lighter portions in the sieves produced little more than small cuts and scratches. He continued to rush into the squads about them, tossed them about in a pink mist that rained with mud and stone all over, the terrified civilians trapped in the middle squashed under his hammer blows. His savagery was such that he'd help inspire many of the rape gangs that now stalked certain portions of Equestra that attempted to emulate his countenance.

At last Flash Sentry and Fleur di Lis made their appearances, rallying another pair of squadrons behind them. He was dressed in golden armor highlighted with scarlet, and she wore a similar design of silver and blue to highlight her elegance, both of them wielding lances that shimmered under the sunlight that peeked in from above.

Flash dove in first amidst a flurry of pegasi, smoldering with hatred, determined to drive the lance through War's skull, even if it cost him his life. The berserker ran to meet him head-on, hurled into the air, and turned his head to one side as he twisted, the enchanted lance piercing his armor and cutting into the meat of his shoulder.

A bellow sounded as War sunk his teeth into Flash's wing and brought him down, his snout holding fast as he tossed the screaming pegasus about in a mess of red, sinew shredding and bones cracking as he tore the wing free. His prey trashed about in sheer agony as the predator gnashed the chunk of flesh-and-bone in his jaws, eating it with a hard swallow that left his flashed teeth stained a shade of vermillion.

A part of him was tempted to obliterate him on the spot, however not only did he prefer to draw out his prey's suffering, but he also wanted to break the spirit of their soldiers. Those who rushed to aid their commander or attempted to stop him were quickly slain. A few of them poked him with their spears, but he dispatched them with ease, none able to pierce more than a couple inches past his armored hide before he ended them.

Suddenly he felt a lance pierce his barrel and exit out the other side. For a normal pony the attack certainly would have proved fatal. With a war cry that made all who heard it shudder, he turned upon its wielder Fleur, who seemed smugly satisfied she'd avenged her fallen comrade. But that quickly turned to terror once he turned on her.

Before she could react he launched a kick that shattered her knee. A shrill cry sounded as she crumpled, her leg twisting unnaturally, as tears filled her eyes and she attempted to crawl away. He bounded over. Stomped on another knee. Watched and listened with satisfaction as the proud mare screamed and cried and writhed like a little bitch.

He casually strolled further into the camp, started to smash open caravans and rip down tents, the strays that tried to run or hide hastily dispatched. The lance still lay embedded in his side. His ears twitched at the approach of familiar hooves.

"War! I have come for you!" Shining Armor arrived in pale armor, his two-sided sword and thick shield at the ready. "Face me you vile coward!" He was flanked by Sunset Shimmer and Trixie who kept their distance once he started to valiantly stride forward.

For a moment an eerie near-silence descended on the area, the two warriors facing each other down in order to decide the camp's fate. They paused for a moment to take each other in. And then both howled as they rushed in at once and their duel began.

*****

Famine dove in like a silent bird of prey, picked off strays with a quiet cackle to herself, a hoof clasped around the mouths of ponies as she skinned them with her razor-sharp wings. She cut their tongues out to all but mute them, sensed their skinned bodies writhing about in a pool of their blood until they mercifully expired. She was always disappointed in how quickly most of them died, but reminded herself they were mere appetizers, a lead up to what she was truly here for. She licked her lips.

Bushels of writhing vines arose from the dirt all over. Whenever a pony stepped on the wrong spot of dirt they were pulled screaming into the earth that opened up beneath them, the dirt closing over their heads as the coils captured them. She scrunched her snout in disgust. No doubt this was the work of that weakling Pestilence. He rarely ever fought the enemy directly, preferring to act from the shadows. She constantly reminded him that he was a third-rate choice for his role; there were plenty of other unicorns the mistress wanted to choose. Unfortunately her first two candidates, Sunset and Starlight, had eluded her, and for some strange reason she was too attached to Trixie to convert her any further. For whatever reason the wizardess amused the mistress.

She sensed somepony familiar slipping between the vines, deftly dodging the vines, hopping past traps to harmlessly set them off, using the lasso held between her teeth to help her swing past the mystical invaders. She pulled small explosives for her belt, tossed them about, and set the plants ablaze in a plume of fire and smoke.

"What's her name again? Applecrack? Applebottom?" She knew this farm pony had become a particularly vengeful vigilante ever since most of her extensive family had been murdered. She applied her own brutal brand of justice to whoever crossed her path, to the point where she'd earned the nickname The Judge, often reading to her victims their list of crimes before she hung them. "Heh, heh...this one will be fun to break." The blindfold fluttered over her eyes when she dove in with a cocky smirk.

Applejack's right ear perked. She was used to the subtle signs of an ambush from all the times she'd been on raids. Especially whenever it was her turn to play the bait. She felt the subtle vibrations in the air before the bird of prey dove in, maneuvered out of the way with a spin, and managed to spare her would-be killer with her lasso.

She was yanked into the air by Famine who hurtled back into the sky far above the camp. Tree limbs cracked and leaves were cast about when she rose higher-and-higher. "Impressive!" She swerved to avoid the bombs hurled at her that erupted in fiery explosions about her. She swung the earth pony about, who held on tight the entire time, eyes ablaze as she single-minded lobbed tiny bombs from her looped belts.

The psychotic pegasus raced onward. With her high speeds she had intentionally ruined numerous crops, causing natural disasters of all sorts, determined to live up to the namesake her lovely mistress had bestowed. When the old rivals were Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash they were adrenaline junkies, both well-suited to this hellish new world. But now she had finally surpassed her. Become a creature far beyond any mere pony. She would prove it once Rainbow's allies all lay dead at her hooves.

However that sort of cockiness was familiar to AJ who'd seen it so many times whenever the weak were bullied. She'd handed so many raiders a taste of their own medicine at the end of her lasso. This time she waited for her moment, when Famine dropped her defenses for the briefest second, and launched a special bomb reserved for special occasions. The tiny metal orb appeared to sail harmlessly by Famine.

Immediately afterward it ignited into a blazing inferno that shook the skies. The psycho shrieked as tiny splotches of molten fire landed on parts of her lithe frame, skin sizzling and bubbling until it popped wherever it touched. "Okay you inbred cousin-fucking mud pony hick, you've really asked for it now!" She spun at the highest speed she could manage. Slammed AJ into a thick tree trunk with a satisfying crack. She watched the unconscious earth pony slide down limp and fall with a trickle of blood left behind.

"Aw, did I scramble your little luddite brain? Too bad," she said beating her metallic wings as she hovered in place. Not that any of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse needed such things to fly after the powers their mistress had bestowed, however certain old habits from her former life died hard even now. She descended on her victim.

A colorful trail cut across the sky as Rainbow Dash intercepted her. All her usual cocky humor was wiped from her face as she said, "Why don't you try me on?"

Wisps of acrid smoke rose from the burnt spots on Famine who smirked back. Luckily for her most of the damage was superficial, as her spin shook off most of the molten fire before it burnt too deep. "I was afraid you'd never show up! Wanna race?"

"You're on!" Rainbow Dash immediately hurtled off.

They decided to play chicken. Pushed themselves to insane speeds, deliberately flying low, dodging between the thick tree trunks, seeing which of them would slam into one first. All it would take is the slightest slip-up and the sudden impact could potentially cripple or outright kill them. In truth Rainbow Dash knew she was outmatched; the enhancements made to her rival had pushed her beyond mortal limits.

She was toying with her. Wearing her down until she claimed her prize. "Hey Dashie, remember what happened to Scootaloo? It's a shame you weren't there when she needed you most! She always wanted to fly so I granted her wish! I busted those tiny little wings, carried her high as I could go, flying faster-and-faster, until the little shit was pissing and shitting herself, sobbing like a newborn as she begged you to come save her! She never lost faith in you all the way up until I smashed her face into a cliff..."

Rainbow knew she was trying to piss her off, and for a scant moment she almost succeeded. But she couldn't afford to let the anger overwhelm her. She had to find some way to beat this monster no matter what the personal cost might be.

"Or how about those ineffectual losers the Wonderbolts? They were charred to a crisp almost instantly when they tried to take on all those dragons! That's when one of the Rainbow Dashes rushed in, performed the most epic Rainboom that Equestria ever saw, and took a huge chunk of the horde with her! Nopony knows what happened to that Dashie. Maybe she destroyed herself in the process, or even traveled in time far into the future! What do you think? I've heard some pretty wild theories...."

Normally Rainbow would have shot back a one-liner or otherwise taunted her, but she was oddly focused on beating her in this race, hoping she could reach some form of absolution. She wished her parents could have seen her now.

What she didn't expect was a storm of bladed quills hurled her way. Famine spun and launched the barrage from her wings. They moved so fast a scream sounded, so quick even Dash struggled to see them, and while she weaved and dodged most of them, a few pierced her skin, pinning her with a shriek to a tree trunk. She desperately tried to rip herself free only to realize an embedded razor feather had pinned her plume.

Famine floated before her. She stroked her cheek with a hoof. "I wonder, which Rainbow Dash are you? And which one died that day in a failed attempt to save Equestria? Would the other one have succeeded where you've failed now?"

While she had been asked which Dash she was many times, she'd never answered, not even to her dearest friends. They'd tried to test her on various occasions but she simply evaded their questions or shut them down. It didn't matter whether she came from Equestria or that other world. What mattered is the close bond they'd formed. They had even become lovers for a short time before they mutually decided a close friendship was better. She closed her eyes in remembrance of her spirited double.

Famine patted her cheek. "Oh, how I'll relish this moment..."

*****

Meanwhile it was Pestilence who used the vines under his control to invade the innermost depths of the camp where the civilians, the breeders, and the wounded hid. A final defense was laid out in case the enemy crossed into this area. An entire zoo's worth of animals under Fluttershy's command waited around their caretaker, and Tree Hugger who wore an open vest covered in various buttons. Nurse Redheart and the other medics kept watch over her patients, which included a strapped-down Pinkamena.

Further back lined the barracks where the younger soldiers trained. Many of them were born from the mares Shining Armor had bedded. A force that trained in order to impress their mostly absent father who was too shame-stricken to meet with them. He couldn't bear to see them turned into an army now, felt that he was responsible for all that had happened. The foals and fillies took up arms in preparation for a potential battle.

He continued to uncork more potions from inside his heavy coat pockets, emptied their bubbly contents onto the earth, and watched more vines instantly sprout. Some were covered in poisonous thorns to match his aesthetic. He'd earned his reputation by contaminating bodies of water, including the water supplies that the survivors depended on. He'd wiped out entire towns in his time without a second thought.

All that truly mattered is that they served the mistress now. The sooner they finished this the better. All he needed do was eliminate anypony he crossed paths with, collect what bodies he could for his own research, while the rest could be used as raw components for his alchemy. Most importantly he needed to find Starlight Glimmer before the others killed her. He could still save her. Still make her one of them once she understood.

Innumerable vines arose and moved in. They plucked up and seized dozens of ponies before they could even react, crushed them between their coils, or punctured them with spines that filled them with poison. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the unpleasant screams. Told himself this was necessary. The animals moved to protect the ponies, bit and scratched and tore into vines which split apart in messy sprays of clear fluid, but for every one they felled several more were quick to replace them.

He'd leave them to their work. He trotted away and continued to spill more contents from bottles onto the dirt wherever he waled. He still had a score to settle with Famine...