What Happened in September...

Chapters

Prolouge - Ashen Awakening
Interval 1 - A Troubled Morning
Interval 2 - Woes of a Princess and Pupil
Interval 3 - Under the Stars
Interval 4 - Tragic Reunion
Interval 5 - Epiphany
Interval 6 - To put Affairs in Order
Interval 7 - What Happened in September
Epilouge - The birth of a Nightmare
The Aftermath - Author's Notes

Prolouge - Ashen Awakening

Everfree Hospital - September 23rd - 4 Months B.N.M.

A sharp whistling noise penetrated the air, the screams of thousands upon thousands of ponies crying out across the sky, the sky lighting up with the color of fire.. It was only until a thudding 'Boom!' echoed out through the darkness that Hydro Gen's eyes snapped open. He took in a shuddering breath and let it out as a soft wheeze, his body shaking as a cold wind blew over his dazzling white coat. His red eyes squinted from the flickering flashes of the broken light fixtures that were crackling nearby. His whole body ached as he weakly lifted his head up, groaning and feeling spine pop in a few places. He was laying halfway out of a glass door that had shattered, the hospital behind him in total ruin and the sky lit up with the color of blood. He looked towards the outside and gasped, his pupils shrinking to the size of needles and his body shaking with horror.

A gigantic, yellow bubble of magic had surrounded the town of Old Ponyville...or at least what was left of it. A rainbow-colored mushroom cloud hung like a dark symbol of death over the glowing, fiery ruins of the destroyed town. Hydro Gen weakly got up on his hooves, staggering a little as he took a few steps towards the magic bubble, the color of it fading and holes starting to form on its surface. Hydro watched as pillars of ash and smoke spilled out from the holes of the shattered bubble, getting caught on the breeze and mixing the color of black into the sky. After a moment, the yellow bubble finally shattered and dissipated, a sudden gust of powerful wind blowing Hydro back on his haunches. Tears spilled out of his eyes as he watched the atomic cloud rise higher up into the air, the ring of rainbow energy that had blasted outwards from the explosion lingering above.

He pulled himself back up onto his hooves and slowly walked forward towards the cloud, his breath coming out in raspy wheezes. He blinked as he started to hear noises in the back of his mind, sudden yelps and lines of conversation rapidly flowing through his brain. Amongst the noisy chaos, he heard his own voice ring out and state calmly

"My name...is Doctor Hydro Gen...I'm an Atomic Scientist of the Canterlotian University of Magical Manipulation and Arcane Study, and Princess Celestia's star pupil. For years now I have been forced to grow up in a vile, disgusting place called 'Equestria', a dark, rotten cesspool of disease and hate. It wasn't always like this...Equestria used to be a peaceful land...filled with joy...happiness...and peace for all. But over the past several years...a dark shadow has crept over our once tranquil lands of calm and peace, and the world as we knew it had died. Celestia and Luna tried their best...tried their very best to stop all the pain, all the suffering. Nothing was working, and my life suffered because of it. Things had become difficult for me and my Marefriend, Angel Hooves, and for my best friend, Alexi Snow-Walker. I can't really tell you what happened here, because quite frankly I can't remember...

I can't remember, what happened in September... when everything is gone, when It's dark and I'm alone. It's been forever, since I could have remembered. Where the hell is everypony...I just want to know the story, of what happened right before....

...I become so alone."

Interval 1 - A Troubled Morning

Old Ponyville - January 7th - 1 Year B.N.M.

9 Months Earlier

The sun was just starting to come over the horizon as birds started to sing their cheery tunes of the morning, snow gently falling from trees as the heat of the celestial orb warmed the quiet town. A cold breeze swept over the silent town of Old Ponyville, the winding streets barren and empty of ponies, with graffiti covered alleyways giving the town a greater sense of dread and misery. A group of drunk ponies, six in all, waltzed down Mane Street from the north, bottles falling from their saddlebags and drunken laughter rumbling from their bellies. Further down the street, a teenaged colt poked his out of of a trash can, a brick in his mouth. He looked to the left and right quickly, making sure the coast was clear before hopping out of the can and rushing across the street. With a quick snap of his head, the brick sailed from his mouth and through a bakery shop's window, the loud shattering of the glass making several lights turn on in the windows of nearby houses. The colt rushed forward, grabbing a loaf of bread in his mouth and dashing away, shouting through muffled lips "Down with the Taxes! Feed our families!!!"

The sound of the shattering glass had woken up most of the ponies in the close vicinity, including a white colt with a long, dark brown mane. His golden, amber eyes shone as he slowly opened them, putting a hoof to his forehead and groaning. He sighed as he heard the commotion outside, muttering to himself

"Bakery...that's the eighth time this month..." A tired voice next to him whispered after a tiny yawn

"Mr. Loaf is going to snap before too long...I bet forty bits he'll be spending the night outside with a shotgun, waiting." The colt turned his head to the right and smiled into the pink face of a mare with a long, flowing yellow mane and bright blue eyes. He leaned forward and gave her a tender kiss, whispering as he pulled back

"Good morning..." The mare smiled and nuzzled his cheek, whispering back

"Morning Hydro...sleep well?" The colt, Hydro Gen, smiled and nodded

"As well as can be expected Angel, how about you?" Angel smiled and shrugged, sitting up and letting the warm, fleece blanket fall around her naked body

"Alright I guess..." she muttered to him, shivering a little at the cold air that occupied their apartment. Hydro sat up as well, smiling as he gently rubbed Angel's back and whispered

"Hey...you know what today is?" Angel looked back to him and smiled, nodding. They leaned in towards each other, wrapping their front hooves around another and sharing a deep, passionate kiss, Hydro mumbling between their lips "Happy Anniversary..."

~~~

Hydro narrowed his eyes at the T.V., sitting in the kitchen and using his magic to levitate a newspaper and donut near him, watching the news. The anchor-colt looked like he was losing sleep, his voice bored and miserable as he muttered

"And in other news...Hoofington has reported a 12.5% increase in crime since Hearth's Warming, with the reported number of theft incidents rising well into the hundred's. Princess Celestia has offered to deploy a full security relief team to the small town, but cannot promise it's arrival date as resources are already stretched thin from Manehatten's relief effort." Hydro sighed, taking a bite out of his donut and flicking his eyes over to his newspaper, reading down the front page article quietly

~*~

Murder Spree in PhillyDelphia!

Authorities are calling for any and all aid from Canterlot Officials concerning the massive spike in murder and assault rates in their besieged town. In the last three months alone, over two hundred and forty-five ponies have been killed or reported missing. PhillyDelphia's mayor had this to say:

'I will not say that things are fine and under control right now, because they're not. We're facing heavy attacks from local street gangs everyday, and everyday I have to personally write a letter to a poor mare explaining why their husband isn't coming home from police duty. The situation is getting worse and without aid soon, I'm afraid our town may even cease to exist.'

Unfortunately, according to a few Canterlot Officials, the massive drug-war in Manehatten is soaking up most of their relief and riot forces, and they promise that resources will be reallocated as they become available...again, Princess Celestia was unavailable for comments, but Princess Luna assures the that help IS on the way.

~*~

Hydro sighed and dropped the newspaper, the sounds of hoof-steps coming into the kitchen. "World's a mess...same as always" he muttered, Angel leaning down and kissing him on his cheek

"Now now dear...have a little faith. Canterlot's trying their best with what they have! Times are hard for everypony..." Hydro nodded and watched as she slipped a pink coat over her blue jumpsuit, smiling as she turned her head and blew a kiss to him "See you later tonight hun." Hydro smiled and said back as she walked out the door

"You too...don't forget! Reservations tonight at La Fluers!" Angel winked at him and shut the door, leaving Hydro to slump in his seat and sigh. He didn't say it outright, but he knew Angel was acting differently. They had been together for at least four years now, and had a few rough patches along the way. It wasn't anything they couldn't handle, and to Hydro it seemed like things were going pretty great now that the worst of it was over. He shook his head though, still feeling as if something was amiss. She was eating more, got moody at smaller and smaller things, and sometimes didn't even bother waking up until the afternoon. Not to mention all the intensified sexual attention she was pretty much demanding from him. One particular night haunted him, actual fear creeping into his mind as he remembered Angel flailing about on top of him, screaming so loudly he had to literally shove his hoof in her mouth to get her to shut up.

He sighed, folding up the newspaper neatly with his magic and heading out towards the balcony door that was located in their tiny living room. He stepped out into the cool, crisp air of the morning, taking in a deep breath and trying not to retch at the foul smell that wafted up from the alley below. Three stories up, and Old Ponyville still looked like the same vat of shit everyday, promises of 'Full-town cleanups' unfulfilled and forgotten. He grimaced, his eyes flicking towards the tall mountains that held the golden city of Canterlot. His eyes traveled across the golden spires of marble beauty, and across the golden Observatory that belonged to the University. His horn gleamed a misty white as he narrowed his eyes towards the dome, his body tingling with the sensation of floating. In a bright white flash and crackle of magic, Hydro had dissapeared.

~~~

"And here ve see the effects of rainbow juice and several larvae of the mo- SVEET CELESTIA!" A dark brown colt with a lightish brown mane shouted, jumping in fright as a white crackle of magic emanated from right behind him. Hydro Gen stood upright, smirking as his white lab-coat stopped flapping and letting the colt turn around to face him, a shocked look on his face. Once he saw Hydro's face however, he sighed with relief and muttered "Oh...Hydro...it's you! You scared me half to death you foal! I thought one of the students may have gone and tipped over one of the chemistry sets." Hydro laughed as he stepped around the colt, the faces of several younger students looking up at Hydro with awe. He turned his head towards the colt and said with excitement

"Alexi! You didn't tell me the higher professors were letting you take the lower classes on tours!" Alexi blushed and chuckled a little, muttering

"Vell I didn't see it as much of a promotion...not too much of a change if you ask me..." Hydro shook his head and smiled, patting him on the back and whispering

"Well keep up the good work, I'll be in the lab when you're ready." They nodded to each other and went their separate ways, Hydro towards the Nuclear Physics lab, and Alexi back to his eagerly awaiting class.

~~~

Hydro focused his eyes through the visor that was located on the side of a massive, cylinder-shaped microscope which took up most of the room. He watched as a few atoms carefully floated about in his view, his horn aglow with white magic and levitating four notepads around him, pencils scribbling furiously on each of them. As he finished, the lab door opened and Alexi trotted in, donning his white lab coat and goggles and heading over to Hydro

"Class vent vell enough" he said with a sigh, sitting on his haunches next to Hydro "vut's new?" Hydro sighed and shook his head, turning off the microscope with the push of a button and muttering

"Nothing new...I still can't get them to stick together or find any kind of magnetic polarity between different types. I don't know but...at this point it's not looking good for our 'Use an atom to split an atom' theory." Alexi groaned and face-hoofed, looking over one of the floating notepads and sighing

"Another dead end...vutever. As long as Canterlot keeps paying the vills and keeps me rich, I have no problems." Hydro smiled at his friend and gave him a playful punch in his shoulder, laughing

"Still in it for the money Alexi? Come on now, you know that the glory and adventure of the science is worth it!" Alexi smiled and nodded

"Of course Hydro, you know I am only kidding da? Oh, Happy Anniversary by the way, I heard from Angel just the other day that you vere celebrating it today!" Hydro's smile faded slightly as he asked

"Oh? When did you see her?" He didn't know why or how, but he had already guessed the answer before Alexi even opened his mouth

"About two days ago, ve went out to lunch, vhy?" Hydro's eye twitched slightly as he remembered that Angel had bailed on him that day, saying she would be too tied up at work to have any kind of lunch with him that day.

"No reason..." he muttered, turning towards the nearby table and placing all of the notepads neatly in a line on top of it, his anger boiling up for a moment before subsiding. If anything, he'd get to questioning Angel about it later. He sighed as he sat on his haunches in front of the table, going over his notes carefully and muttering "Well this is a dead end...now what? Perhaps...something smaller? Maybe if I can use parts of the at-" his thoughts were interupted as the lab door banged opened and a golden-armored Pegasus guard walked in, his head high and his eyes narrowed. Alexi groaned as he saw him enter and shouted

"For the last time, ve said no bursting in like that! Ve are vorking on delicate projects here and-" Hydro gently placed a hoof over Alexi's lips and shushed him, looking over towards the guards and asking

"Yes? What do you want?" The guard cleared his throat and stated loudly

"Princess Celestia requests your immediate audience in Canterlot Castle, she wishes to express the urgency in this matter and that there is no time to lose." Alexi's eyes widened as he heard those words, Hydro sharing the same expression. There was only two times they had ever heard those exact same words come from a messenger's mouth, and each time it had meant severe trouble for the science department. It was no surprise that Alexi and Hydro let out an aggravating sigh at the same time, each of them breathing out the word

"Shit..."

Interval 2 - Woes of a Princess and Pupil

Hydro Gen sighed as he trotted up the front steps of the massive Canterlot Castle, guards and other robed officials running this way and that, trying to meet the demands of their superiors and mobilizing for deployment. The Relief Efforts were putting more and more strain on Canterlot, Hydro knew that, but this was just ridiculous. It was like someone had stomped on an ant pile and simply stepped back to watch the chaos. Hydro galloped up the massive front steps that rested inside the great hall and took a left, running down a long hallway and trying his best not to bump into pissed off looking ponies that were carrying piles upon piles of documents with their magic or saddlebags.

Hydro grunted as he moved through the tight crowds "Sorry, excuse me! OUCH! Watch it there! OH I beg your par- oh sorry! Excuse me!!!"

After five minutes of weaving in and out of the castle's labyrinth of hallways, Hydro finally reared up on his hind legs, pushing his two front hooves against the throne room door and shoving them open. The throne room was an utter mess, a long rectangular table resting in the middle of the room. Papers and maps and official documents were strewn about the place, many scribes and red-robed archivists trying their best to file everything and clean the clutter. Hearing the door open, a dark-blue mare with a solid blue mane peered upwards, her horn aglow with ethereal magic and her wings rustling with angst at her sides. A cutie-mark of a crescent moon adorned her flank, as well as a small blue tiara that rested on her head.

Princess Luna smiled as she exclaimed "Hydro! You made it! Tia's on the balcony." Hydro nodded and looked across the table, seeing the massive clutter that they still had to go through.

He sighed, looking up at her and muttering "Things are worse by the looks of it...what's all this?" Luna frowned, looking down at the mess and shaking her head.

She looked up and said "We're losing the drug-war in Manehatten...and more and more cries of help are coming to us from across Equestria. Tia's doing everything she can but...it's staring to bring her down." Hydro nodded, pointing a hoof to the door on the left and raising an eyebrow. Luna nodded and went back to the paperwork, leaving Hydro to head for the balcony.

~~~

Princess Celestia sighed, shuddering as her purple and blue mane whipped about in the chilly wind of the afternoon. Her pink coat was doing little to keep her warm, and her crown-like tiara felt like it was frozen to her head. Her ears perked as she heard the door open, turning her head and letting a soft, sad smile cross her lips.

She held out a hoof out and said quietly "Hydro Gen...my star pupil. You came." Hydro trotted up to her and bowed politely.

He looked up and said with concern "Princess I heard you needed me as soon as possible. What's wrong? Is something amiss?" Celestia merely sighed and shook her head, looking out over the lands of Equestria. From here she could see everything, Ponyville, her and Luna's castle-estate in the Everfree Forest, and even the lower levels of Cloudsdale.

She held out a hoof towards the sky and quietly spoke "Look Hydro...look at our world. I wish I could say everything is calm and peaceful in Equestria, but it's not. We're losing Manehatten to the Drug Cartels, PhillyDelphia's cries of help continue to ring in my ears, and there are even whispers of a potential Civil War in the future."

Hydro's jaw dropped in surprise, his voice coming out in a slight stutter "C...Celestia, you don't honestly think it'll come to war do you?!" Celestia dipped her head and sniffed, shaking her head and letting out a low whine. Hydro's eyes widened as he whispered "Princess...are you crying?"

Celestia turned her head to him, tears spilling from her eyes as she sobbed "I don't know! I don't have enough guards to meet the demand and I can't open the draft! I promised myself after Stalliongrad I would, not, open, the, draft!" She stomped her hoof at each word, Hydro nodding sadly as he remembered the cold bloody war in the north, all those Griffons and Ponies...

He looked up and muttered "Celestia...things will be ok, Equestria's gone through dips like this before, it'll be ok I promise!" Celestia sniffed, wiping her eyes with her hooves and nodding, looking out across the world.

She sighed, "Sometimes I wonder Hydro...I just don't feel like things are getting better, no matter what we do to help. I wanted to ask you...how is the Agri-spell coming?" Hydro sighed, walking up to the railing of the balcony and propping his front hooves up, looking down towards Old Ponyville and shaking his head.

He turned his head and said "Progress...but not enough. We've figured out a way to increase the effects of the spell, so that the crops will grow faster, but we STILL have yet to find a way to minimize magic usage. It's still too strenuous of a spell to perform. I'm afraid Hoofington's going to have to hold out a little longer..." Celestia sighed and nodded, sitting on her haunches next to Hydro.

She muttered "Thank you Hydro...for coming to see me. Things have been so stressful and I barely have time to spend with you anymore...how are your studies?" Hydro smiled a little as he thought about the work in the labs, wondering if Alexi was working on some of their notes...or secretly going out to lunch with Angel again.

He smiled despite this, and turned his head to Celestia "Well..." he muttered, "It's a slow process but we're working on it. We're narrowing down the possibilities of what could split an atom but...we're not quite there yet. I've got an idea of what I could do though." Celestia nodded, smiling as the rays of the sun broke through the cloud barrier and illuminated a good portion of Canterlot. Her pink coat shone brightly in the sun as she stared up into the sky, smiling and taking in a deep breath of fresh air.

She sighed "Thank you Hydro...I'm glad you stopped by. How's Angel doing by the way? Oh, do tell her that she doesn't need to apologize for last Tuesday. Your presentation on Atomic Fission was something nopony should have missed. I must apologize myself for scheduling the luncheon on the same day, you know would have-" She was cut off by the sound of Hydro's voice, a low, confused tone in his words

He looked up towards her slowly "What...about last Tuesday?" Celestia blinked in confusion and narrowed her eyes.

"Last Tuesday..." she said, muttering quietly, "Angel said she was attending your seminar on Atomic Fission...it's why she couldn't make it to the luncheon." Hydro narrowed his eyes as he stared down towards Old Ponyville, spotting his apartment building on Mane Street.

He breathed venomously "She told me she couldn't make it to my seminar because she was at your luncheon..." Celestia blinked in surprise as Hydro muttered "If that's all...Celestia...I must be off" Celestia nodded, waving him off gently with her hoof

She smiled a little and whispered "Of course...have a good-" Hydro's loud teleportation spell cut her off as he dissapeared in a spasm of white magic. She sighed sadly and looked out across the land again, muttering to herself

"-day..."

~~~

Hydro shoved the balcony door open with a loud bang, storming inside and looking around, a furious look in his eyes. He lifted his head up and shouted "ANGEL!? are you home?!" Nopony answered him and he let out an aggravated sigh, heading into his bedroom. He fell back on his bed, letting out a deep sigh and burying his face in his hooves. What was going on? Why had Angel lied to him AND to Celestia of all ponies! He sat up, staring at the mirror across from the bed, situated on top of the dresser. He looked miserable, physically as well as emotionally. He knew it was only a matter of time before Celestia started to pull their funding, allocating it to one of the relief efforts. This whole business with Angel lying wasn't helping either. Just as he was getting up to go back into the kitchen, he heard his front door fly open with a loud bang.

He jumped a little at the sound and listened as he heard loud rustling coming straight towards the bedroom. He gasped and looked around the room for a place to hide, fearing that he was being robbed. He dove under the bed as his bedroom door crashed open, hearing some sort of...giggling. He settled down on his side, pressing his ear to the bottom of the bed and trying to listen. The bed suddenly shifted downwards however, the mattress hitting him in the face so hard he had to shove his own hoof in his mouth to muffle his cry of pain. He was just about to crawl out from under the bed and find out what exactly was going on...when a voice spoke. His eyes widened and his pupils contracted to the size of needles as he heard her voice, his mind screaming in anguish, praying that what he wasn't hearing was real.

Angel's voice whispered, a guilty tone in her voice "I...I don't know if we can keep doing this...this isn't fair to Hydro...it's not right!" If that didn't rack Hydro's body with pain, then it was definitely the colt's voice that accompanied Angel's

He spoke "Vhy haven't you told him? It'll hurt him less to just tell them rather then him catching us...ve'll be in big trouble if he finds out...I don't vant to lost my best friend!" Hydro curled up into the fetal position, listening as the two of them talked for a moment...and the first sensual moan of the afternoon echoed out.

He laid there, his hoof in his mouth and tears spilling out of his eyes, staring towards the far wall. His bed creaked and he let out a tiny sniffle, trying his best to stay quiet has his best friend Alexi gave it to his marefriend. Every moan, every whimper, every shout of his name, made Hydro wince and whine with despair. After what seemed hours, Angel gave her final cry of release and her panting moans filled the air. Hydro stayed perfectly still, his eyes wide and vacant as he heard the two of them slip off of his bed and head into the bathroom. Once the water started running he quietly slipped out from under his bed, standing on shaky hooves and his eyes settling on the bathroom door. He wanted to be angry...he wanted to be miserable...but no matter how hard he tried, no emotion could accurately match the situation he was in right now. He felt like the walls were closing in on him, and his shattered heart began to beat rapidly. It was just too much, he could barely even breathe!!! He turned his head toward the glass sliding door that led out to the balcony and pointed his horn downward, tears streaming down his face and his eyes shut tight.

A white aura of magic covered his horn and in the next second, a ball of white-hot energy shot outwards and smashed into the door, making it explode with such thunderous force that a part of the wall had been blown away in the process. He heard a cry of fright from in the bathroom and he galloped forward, putting his front hooves up on the railing and leaping over it, his eyes catching sight of the fields north of town. He let out a furious cry of anguish as he poured a massive amount of magic into his horn, teleporting with such force that the magic explosion he left behind shattered most of the windows nearby.

He appeared immediately on top of the hill to the north, lifting his head up to the sky and screaming as a depressing wave of sadness crashed over him, his broken heart throbbing. He fell to his belly, covering his head with his hooves and sobbing.

First Equestria...

Then his teacher...

Soon enough, his funding for his work...

And now...his Marefriend fucking his best friend.

Hydro had refused to believe it before, but now...his pessimism outweighed his optimism. There was no denying it now in his opinion. Equestria was a mess, probably too far gone to save now. And now...he too was a victim of the shitty world he was born into. All he could scream at this moment, was "WHY!!!!!!!!!!??!"

Interval 3 - Under the Stars

Hydro stared up at the stars, the freezing air blowing around and over him, making him shiver and shake. He didn't care, couldn't care, at this point what happened to him. He hadn't moved from this spot since he violently teleported away from his traitorous Marefriend and his Best Friend. Well, at least thats what they used to be. It had been at least eight hours since then, and the distraught, broken colt had done nothing but watch the sun gently fall behind the trees, and Luna's Full Moon rise up over the horizon. His eyes twinkled with the light of the stars and moon as the pearly white orb of majesty rose higher and higher. He felt tears slide down his cheeks as he cried silently, wondering what it would have been like if he had gone with Angel to their anniversary dinner, unaware of what she was doing behind his back. Did she have a reason...did she need one? Why had she done this...was it because she thought he couldn't satisfy her sexually enough? Was it because she simply didn't love him anymore?

Hydro shook his head and sighed, shivering as he watched the stars, wondering if anyone was worried about him or looking for him. He scoffed, shaking his head and trying to pick out the constellations that hung quietly overhead. The stars were the one thing left that Hydro could count on to still be there for him, their twinkling forms gracing the sky with unmatchable beauty. He smiled a little as he found 'Starswirl the Bearded' hanging overhead, his beard very prominent in the sky.

He chuckled a little to himself but suddenly jumped as a soft, caring voice said next to him "Beautiful...isn't it? He always wanted to be the biggest in the sky, but he had to settle for a close second. The biggest constellation went to 'Augustus the Eighth, Dragon of the Ruby Isles'. Sad thing though...considering Starswirl did the only thing WORTH mentioning..." Hydro turned his head to the right and blinked in surprised, his mouth partially agape. Princess Luna was situated on her back next to him, staring up at the stars with him. She wasn't wearing her usual princess gown, but simply chose a dark blue body coat and cape.

He sat up and stuttered, partially from the cold, partially out of surprise, "P...Princess Luna! What are you...when did you...!?" Luna sighed and stared up at Starswirl for a few more moments before looking over at Hydro, a soft expression on her face.

She raised an eyebrow and said to him "When did I what, get here? Well I planned on visiting you right after you jumped from your apartment window and caused about 5,000 bits of property damage with an overcharged teleportation spell." At this Hydro simply scoffed and shook his head, thinking about earlier and rolling his eyes.

He looked down at her with an uncaring expression and muttered venomously "What...you here to collect or something? Who even cares...it's not like the rest of Equestria isn't a massive fucking bill of property damage." Luna's eyes widened in shock at the way he addressed her, hearing the anger and pain in his voice

She shook her head and sat up, whispering "No...I'm not here to collect a payment...I was just worried about you. If you prefer to be alone, I understand..." She stood up to leave but Hydro's hoof quickly found hers, halting her and making the Princess's head turn.

He muttered "Wait...don't go! I'm sorry...it's just...I haven't had the best of days today...please sit back down..." Luna looked at him for a moment, his eyes pained and filled with guilt. She nodded and sat back on her haunches, getting comfortable and folding her front hooves in front of her.

She whispered, "Hydro...what's wrong? I can tell you're in so much pain...you can tell me. Please?" Hydro stared down at ground, tears forming once again in his eyes. He shivered as a cold breeze blew past and once again looked up at the stars

"Luna?" he asked quietly. She nodded and he went on "Why's the world a mess? Can't you all just...magic the world's pain away or something?" At this Luna giggled and shook her head, staring up at the stars as well and sighing.

She muttered "You know, I wish the world worked that way but it doesn't...me and Tia' can only create, we can't destroy. What we've made we have to learn to work with...it's just the way of things." Hydro's eyes narrowed for a moment and he looked back at Luna, a confused look on his face.

"Wait a minute..." he said slowly, making Luna's eyes flick towards him "You all created Equestria, right?" Luna nodded slowly, wondering if she was liking where this conversation was going. He went on "Equestria's already tearing itself apart...why can't you just let it destroy itself and rebuild anew?" Luna's eyes narrowed at this and she frowned, shaking her head firming.

She half-shouted "Hydro, NO! Do you know how awful that sounds?! Why would I let millions of ponies die just so we can 'start over'? You don't think everyone in Equestria deserves a chance to live!? What kind of benevolent leaders would me and Tia' be if we just blew up Equestria every time a problem came around?!" Hydro listened to this and sighed, nodding his head and laying back on his back. Luna joined him, laying back as well and looking at him with a concerned frown on her face. She whispered "Hydro...please tell me what's wrong. What happened? Why did you flee from your apartment so violently?"

Hydro took a moment to close his eyes and take in a breath, breathing out "Angel cheated on me with Alexi...I found out she lied to me AND Celestia about where she was last Tuesday. Went to go talk to her about it and...heard someone slam the front door open. I dove under the bed to hide, thinking it was robbers and then...and then......." He couldn't finish, a sob escaping his lips and tears flowing from his eyes. Luna's mouth was agape and her eyes tilted in sadness, scooting over and pulling him into a tight hug. Hydro buried his face in her shoulder and wept, sobbing and choking out "S..she fucked him! They were right on top of me, saying that it was wrong...they should have told me, but they did it anyway!!! My marefriend...of four, fucking, years, with my best friend!? W...why!? What's wrong with me, what did I do wrong?!"

Luna rubbed his back, gently shushing him and cooing "Shhh....Hydro shhh....it's ok...it's ok....you didn't do anything wrong ok? I'm so...so sorry..."

At this Hydro pulled his head back and sniffed, muttering angrily "H...how is this ok? How could I have not done anything wrong!? It had to have been me, what else could have been!?"

Luna sighed, shaking her head and muttering "I don't know...but you need to go ask her." Hydro scoffed at this, gently pulling out of her hug and staring at her.

"How..." he croaked "...am I supposed to face her? After all that, how do I face this?" Luna looked at him for a moment, a knowing look on her face that made Hydro shake his head and whisper "No...no, I can't!"

Luna gently shook him, saying "Yes, you can! Hydro if you don't get at least a reason out of her it's going to eat away at you until you drive your self nuts! Please...you can give it a little time but at least try to find out before the week is out, it will make you feel....fire." Hydro blinked in confusion, raising an eyebrow at Luna whose eyes were growing wide.

He muttered "Um...fire? What do you mean fire?!"

Luna sat up quickly and pointed towards the town, shouting "FIRE!!!" At this, Hydro sat up and turned his head, gasping as a large pillar of black smoke rose up into the air, a tall building ablaze and a few buildings near it starting to catch as well.

He jumped up as he suddenly realized exactly what building was going up in flames, screaming "MY APARTMENT!!!"

~~~

"Hydro...I'm so...sor-"

"Save it Luna...I don't want to hear it anymore..."

"H...Hydro..."

"NO! I'm tired of hearing the word 'sorry'! Sorry this, sorry that, I'm SICK of it!"

Hydro was sitting on his haunches, across the street from the ruined apartment building that was still getting doused by the local fire-ponies. He stared up at where his home used to be, smoke billowing out of the window and a few licks of fire still consuming his curtains. Tears were streaming down his face, but he kept a relatively calm demeanor, his eyes wide and vacant. "Everything I owned..." he whispered to nopony, "...was in that little shit-hole I called home..." Luna, sitting next to him, sniffed as she looked up at his home as well. He held a weak hoof up, muttering "You know...in a weird way, I just don't feel like I can care anymore. Equestria's a rotten world of shit that I thought I could be safe from. Safe from all the pain and misery of a twisted and shattered life. But no...now I'm just another statistic in a dying world of pointless, idiotic bullshit, WONDERFUL!" The last word came out as a violent shout, Luna wincing as Hydro shook and forcefully stamped the ground with his right front hoof.

He panted, fury in his eyes as Luna tried to calm him down, rubbing him on his back and draping a wing over him as well. It wasn't until he heard her voice, that he looked up.

"Oh dearest Celestia!!!" She screamed, "What happened?! Has anyone seen Hydro!? Oh no, not the apartment, no!!!" His head slowly lifted up, his wide, staring eyes locking on a coat of pink fur, and the slender legs of a mare he knew quite well. Angel was a little ways down the street, her front hooves up over her mouth and her eyes wet with tears. Luna saw her as well and was about to say something when Hydro lurched out of her hold, trudging angrily towards her.

Luna shouted "Hydro, wait! DON'T!!! Not while you're angry like this, you're not thinking straight!!!" Angel, hearing Luna's voice, turned her head and gasped at her coltfriend, a fresh set of tears forming in her eyes.

She called out with relief "Oh Hydro!!! You're ok, oh thank Celestia!!!" Hydro didn't respond simply walking up right in front of her and whipping his right hoof about, slapping her right across the face. Everypony in the nearby vicinity gasped as Angel staggered backwards, a shocked expression on her face.

Hydro looked her dead in the eye as he shouted "I'm ok...? I'm ok!? DO I LOOK OK TO YOU!? How do you think I look right now, huh!? Happy to see you!? Well you can throw that fucking idea right out, the FUCKING WINDOW, if we HAD ONE!!!"

Angel let out a weak whine of protest and shouted out of fear "H...Hydro what's gotten into you!!! That...h..hurt!"

Hydro blinked, his eyes boring into hers and striking intense fear into her heart as he continued his rant "OH, I'm SO, SORRY, that you are the one that's hurt. What about ME, huh?! I can only guess how the apartment caught fire! Maybe, oh just maybe, you happened to leave the stove on after you and Alexi's FUCK SESSION that happened earlier in the day!!!" Angel let out a sharp gasp and shook her head violently, Hydro nodding in reply and shouting "Yes, yes I DO know!!! When were you planning on telling me, huh!? Judging by the 'guilty' conversation you and Alexi had while in bed, I can guess it wasn't going to be anytime soon!!!"

Angel held up a hoof, choking out a sob and whimpering "H...Hydro I'm sorr-" She let out a yelp and fell back on her side as Hydro slapped her again.

His roar echoed across the streets "DON'T, TELL ME, SORRY!!!!!! Sorry, is when you step on another pony's hoof by accident. Sorry, is when a foal apologizes to his mother for breaking her vase. THIS, isn't something you just up and fucking say sorry about!!!" Angel put her front hooves over her head, wincing and sobbing loudly as Hydro went on "How long has this been going on!? Weeks, months, YEARS even!? We've been together for four years, FOUR! How could you do this to me, do you even care!?"

Luna rushed up, putting a hoof on Hydro's shoulder and shouting "Hydro that's ENOUGH! Stop it, you're scaring her!" Hydro shook his head, staring down at Angel who was sobbing uncontrollably and whimpering over and over again "I'm sorry!! I'm so sorry!!!"

Hydro simply scoffed, spitting on the ground in front of Angel and whispering loudly "We're done, you back-stabbing, home-destroying bitch, FUCK you!" He turned, pushing off Luna's hoof and trotting away, leaving the two mares to watch him go sadly.

Homeless and alone, Hydro looked up towards Canterlot, his heart in shambles and his lungs heaving for air. His horn gleamed with white magic and he screamed "CELES-"

He was already gone by the time he finished her name, his destination clear in his mind: Canterlot.

Interval 4 - Tragic Reunion

Hydro wheezed, a large trail of blood behind him as he dragged himself away from the Everfree Hospital, gasping for air. He turned his head and looked down across his side, two nasty looking holes bleeding from where two bolts of magic had hit him. He recognized the singe marks around the wounds, having done numerous autopsies on ponies who suffered the same fate. He had been shot by somepony...but for what reason he had yet to remember. Memories were coming back to him steadily and he winced, remembering the day his apartment caught fire. Tears streamed out of his eyes as he whispered to himself

"Still can't remember...what happened in September. Back when everypony died...trails of blood right from my side. I can see now...the ponies were defeated, by something really strong. It seems very weird and wrong, it just doesn't belong...like it came out of this world..."

He rested his head on his hooves and wheezed, another flash of memories and words rambling through his head at an insane rate. Above all the commotion, he heard his own voice, weak and riddled with sadness.

***

June 7th - Town of Everfree - Four Months after Apartment Fire

"This is the recording of Doctor Hydro Gen, in the year of our Princess Celestia 1484, Town of Everfree on the edge of the Everfree Forest, southern portion. It's been about...four months now since I've moved from Ponyville...my work being forced to come along with me. As I predicted...Celestia did indeed pull funding for our project...regrettably, of course. The drug war in Manehatten might as well be lost and there have even been attacks in Ponyville as well as in Trottingham...it's a mess. I haven't heard from Angel since that night...and even then I don't really care for it anymore. Found out she was pregnant...believe it or not. She's made attempts to contact me, even told me in one of her letters that she would be waiting for me every Thursday at our usual spot at our favorite diner. I refuse to see her, as I don't think any more emotional bullshit is good for me right now. While our funding may be gone, I still have nearly unlimited resources from my dead parents old accounts...as well as a small fortune of my own. I'm so close...so very, very close to splitting the atom, I can taste it! As for...what Luna and I had discussed that one night...about Celestia and her recreating Equestria...I do wonder if it could be possible. Such an idea is murderous, traitorous even...but is it necessary? Is it horrible to do a deed that must be done, regardless if it's moral or not? Our children deserve better then this shitty world...but who could ever dare to make that choice, to destroy and create anew?"

Hydro sighed, setting down the small recording and looking about at his new lab. The whole installation was about the size of his last lab, all located in a basement underneath the Everfree Hospital. He had cut a deal with the physicians above, donating a sizable sum of bits to their medicine program. He scoffed as he made his way over to the Atom Machine "Meet in Ponyville...what bullshit. Does she even know what she might as well be saying? 'Oh Hydro, meet me, your traitorous ex-marefriend who's pregnant with your best friends foal, in the place that's now being attacked by murderous drug cartels and runs you the risk of getting shot or clubbed to death!'. Honestly, she's out of her fucking mind..."

He growled as he pushed his face against the visor like lens and booted up the machine, his horn lighting up with magic and his work resuming. Six clipboards floated around him as well as pencils, furiously scribbling as he spoke "Beginning test number one-forty-two. We have concluded upon several trial and error tests that parts larger then the atom will not split it, no matter how hard we collide them together or even how we collide them. We're going to try and move to the other spectrum of size: smaller. I am now moving this part here and..." He trailed off, eyes narrowed and his mind focused in concentration. He watched as one of the atoms floated by, and his eyes slowly moved over to the part his magic moved, a good deal smaller then the atom. His left eye twitched and the smaller part rocketed forward, hitting the atom with tremendous force. His eyes followed the atom which sailed upwards, but did not break. He sighed, growling as he moved a smaller part over "We'll try smaller...let's see."

He levitated a considerably smaller part over and used his magic to wipe the sweat off his brow, narrowing his eyes again and launching the smaller part towards the atom. The atom was once again hit and flung across the space inside the machine, but again, did not break or split. Hydro was just about ready to say 'To hell with this' when suddenly...a bright flash emitted from the atom, and it split in two. Hydro reared back with a frightened yelp as all the lights in his lab suddenly brightened and shattered, his machines powering up and beeping rapidly. He turned his head sharply towards the large plug in the wall that powered the atom machine and used his magic to rip it out of the socket, the machine powering down and the lab slowly returning to normal. He panted as he looked around, making sure the lab was stable before scribbling quickly one of his clipboards.

"Success!!!" he shouted with glee, a wide smile on his face as he spoke quickly while writing "Test number one-forty-two is a success! All data has been recorded and the result couldn't have been more astounding! Energy, power, so much of it!!! All stored within such a tiny little vessel! This has got to be one of the most amazing scientific breakthroughs in the history of Equestria! I won't reveal my findings to Canterlot...not yet. I still have to figure out how to harness this energy...maybe manipulate it even! Oh the possibilities, it's fantastic!" He smiled and put down the clipboard, sighing contently as he looked over at the clock on the wall. It was about midday...which made him frown. Today was Thursday, meaning that Angel would probably be planning to go to the diner. He frowned, looking towards the ground and thinking. He was still hurt over the events that had transpired months before, but he couldn't hide the fact that a part of him still longed to fix things. Perhaps he had been too rash...too unforgiving. He didn't know how he was going to handle the foal...it being Alexi's and all. He sighed, shaking his head and looking up towards the ceiling.

He sat there for a moment before finally throwing his hooves up towards the ceiling and shouting "FINE!"

~~~

If one thing was for sure, it was that Old Ponyville had seen better days. Most of the buildings had gone to hell, plastered with posters screaming 'Condemned', having shattered windows, and being covered with graffiti. Groups of guards patrolled up and down the streets, questioning everyone who dared to get close to them. Most of the shops had been closed, and barely anypony was walking about outside. Hydro quickly moved down the street, making it a point that he didn't want to be here any longer then he had to be. He really wanted to get back to his research with the newly split atom, but if he didn't get this of his chest now he didn't know if he could ever let himself live it down. He turned down onto Mane Street and immediately caught sight of the diner he and Angel always loved going to. He shifted his eyes towards the far back of the seating area, two tables to the right and one back...and saw her. He couldn't help but feel a wave of cold crash through him as he saw her, sitting on her haunches in the chair, her belly partially swollen from being with foal. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping in awhile, her sad eyes staring down at the uneaten omelet sitting on her plate. Hydro sighed, shaking his head slightly as he trotted forward towards the seating area.

The mare at the front pedestal looked up as he approached and said "Table for one?" Hydro shook his head and pointed over towards Angel, making the mare nod and let him through. He walked slowly through the seating area, weaving through the tables and other ponies trying to enjoy their meals. As he approached the table, Angel turned her head towards him and let out a soft gasp.

Her eyes widened as she whispered "H...Hydro?" Hydro sighed and nodded, watching as Angel smiled and eagerly motioned for him to sit. He did so, a slight frown on his face as Angel's smile faded a little bit and she asked "So...how've you been?"

Hydro immediately replied "Angel, let's not start this off by asking rhetorical questions. You cheated on me, my home burned down, and Celestia pulled the funding on our project which means I've been having to spend my own fortune on keeping it running." Angel's eyes widened as Hydro went on, his eyes narrowing and his voice indicating that today wasn't the day for patience "The only reason I'm here is to talk, and get all this bullshit off my chest so I can work with a clear conscious, got it?"

Angel nodded her head sadly and said weakly "It's...it's really good to see you again..."

Hydro scoffed "Really? Imagine that, you seemed well off already when you were staring up into my best friend's eyes as he plowed you like the Apple Family does their farm."

Angel cringed at that harsh statement and whimpered "Hydro...it was a mistake...I didn't mean to-"

Hydro waved his hoof in the air, shutting her up as he growled "Cut the bullshit and stop telling me it was a mistake or an accident or whatever! I want reasons, good ones."

Angel felt a tear down her cheek as she said "I...I was lonely...Hydro that night on our anniversary was the only night I got to see you for a month! You've been working non-stop at the lab for Celestia and I never got to have you for myself!"

Hydro's eyes twitched as he whispered venomously "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize trying to solve the problem of Famine for Equestria and saving the lives of thousands was cutting into our cuddling time." Angel whimpered as Hydro went on "Every night that I got to have with you was a privilege for me, a fucking HONOR! Being allowed to spend at least a night with the mare I love the most after having to deal with the world's bullshit, was the greatest reward I could have ever received or asked for! Yes, I was lonely too, but it was the thought of you that kept me going and trying to find answers so I could finally be done away with Celestia horseshit and be able to be there for you!"

Angel sniffed, tears rolling down her face as she whimpered "I'm sorry...Hydro I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have done it and I-"

Hydro held up a hoof, sighing "Just...don't, ok?" Angel nodded, listening as he spoke "I don't know about many things right now. My research has just hit a whole new level of intensity and that's going to be taking up most of my time, so I'm going to be gone more then ever now. Speaking of...where is that piece of shit Alexi anyway?"

Angel looked down towards the table and sniffed, whimpering "Left...went back up to Canterlot and I haven't seen him since. Once he heard I was pregnant..."

Hydro's eyes widened with anger and his horn partially glowed with magic, hearing the words that noone should ever have to hear. Alexi...abandoned her, refusing the responsibility, refusing to help those in need. He whispered "I'm going to kill him."

Angel looked up and shook her head "H...Hydro no...please. There's a reason he left...ok?"

Hydro scoffed and said "Oh? What, did you cheat on him too?" Angel shook her head rapidly, frowning at his words.

She spoke softly "There's...a reason I wanted you to come out here...it was something that you couldn't put into a letter. I had hoped that...if I told you some things and talked to you...that maybe we could try again." Hydro sighed and turned his head, looking out over the mostly ruined town. Could he do that to himself...throw his heart to Angel again, knowing full well that in her hooves she could easily break it again? He looked over towards her, her pleading eyes, the sadness covering her like a tight shawl.

He sighed "Angel...I th-"

"LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!"

An bolt of magic rocketed into the side of the diner, making the wall explode with the magical discharge. Ponies across the seating area and in the street dove for cover as a group of colts wearing red and green colored bandanas ran down the street, the unicorns of the group blasting bolts of magic backwards towards a group of Royal Guard. Bolts of magic flew this way and that, most of the bystanders fleeing or trying to take cover to avoid getting hit in the crossfire. Hydro flipped the table over and pulled Angel behind it, pulling her head against his chest and partially cover her with his own body. Bolts of magic flew over their heads, even taking a piece of the table away as Hydro shouted "Keep down! It's going to be ok, I promise!"

Angel nodded, whimpering "Hydro I'm scared!" Hydro gulped, lifting his head over the table just slightly so he could see what was going on. The two groups had taken cover in the alleys or behind carts and barrels in the street, shooting at each other or pelting sharp and deadly rocks towards one another. The unicorns were trying to throw their magic and block their enemies, sending the bolts flying every which way and making them collide with other buildings nearby. Hydro grimaced and brought his head back down, trying to think. They weren't safe there, or anywhere in Old Ponyville for that matter.

He whispered to Angel "Baby...listen to me ok?" Angel looked up, frightful but nodding. Hydro spoke quickly "We're not safe here, those bolts are flying around too erratically...we're going to have to move, ok?" Angel squeaked as Hydro went on "Listen...I have magic powerful enough to block and even turn those bolts away if they come at us, ok? When we move, you be my shadow, move exactly as I do and don't stray, ok?" Angel felt tears in her eyes and nodded, watching as Hydro peered over the table again and nod. He slunk back down and whispered "Ok I think we can ma-" He was cut off as Angel put her hooves on his cheeks and pulled him into a deep kiss, her form shivering against his. Hydro was stunned for a quick moment, his body freezing up before being immediately replaced with a raging fire that he thought he would never feel again. As they slowly pulled apart, they smiled, Hydro looking up again and shouting "Ok...let's get out of here, together!"

They jumped up, Hydro's white horn flaring as he turned back a bolt of magic rushing straight towards them. They galloped from the seating area, rushing over towards one of the alleys. They suddenly stopped however as more of the cartel ponies rushed out of it, adding their own magic to the fight. Swearing, Hydro turned them back and headed towards the other side of the diner, moving through the smoke but using his magic to make it breathable. Angel suddenly screamed as they moved towards the edge of the building, watching as more cartel ponies burst out of the opposite alley and shot towards the guards, pushing them back. Hydro looked over across the street, past the whizzing bolts of magic and flew back and forth. An empty alley rested across from him and he gulped, turning towards Angel who saw it to. Hydro nodded and Angel stuck close by him, watching as his horn flared white and listening to his shout "Alright, GO!"

They rushed out into the street, Hydro pulling Angel forward and stopping to deflect bolts of magic that shot towards them. "Keep going!" Hydro shouted, whisking away two more bolts and trying his best to keep them covered. A series of five bolts rushed out towards them, making Hydro gasp and light up his horn even brighter then before. Two of the bolts crashed into one another and a third spiraled away violently, but the last two had made it past. Hydro watched in horror as one of the bolts sailed over Angel, and the last smacked her right in the side. She screamed and toppled forward, falling into the dirt and growing still. Hydro shouted as he galloped over "NO! Angel!!! ANGEL!!!!" He dropped to his belly, picking up her head in his hooves and whispering "A...Angel? Angel speak to me baby!"

The mare let out a small whimper, her side bleeding from the gaping hole from the blast of magic. She whimpered as she looked up into Hydro's frantic eyes "H...Hydro? It hurts..."

Hydro ripped off his lab coat, pushing it against her wound and trying to get the bleeding to stop. He felt tears in his eyes as Angel gently put a hoof over his, his whispering frantic "Angel hold on...please just hold on! I'm not letting you go again please hold on!"

Angel smiled and pulled his hooves off of her side, pulling them towards her chest and whispering "Hydro...I need...to tell you something, ok?" Hydro stopped, leaning his face down close to his and letting his tears fall. He nodded and she whispered "Hydro...you're going to be a daddy....it's yours."

Time seemed to slow down as Angel gently leaned her head up and kissed him softly, whispering quietly "I love you...". He could do nothing but stare in horror as she laid her head back down into the dirt and let out a small sigh...her last breath.

He whispered quietly "Angel...?" She didn't respond, her eyes shut peacefully and her mouth set in a small smile. "Angel!" he shouted, gently shaking her as a wave of cold washed over him. He buried his face in her neck, his voice echoing out across the streets "ANGEL!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He sobbed, throwing himself over her body and not even caring about the bolts of magic that whisked by. He looked up as a bolt hit the corner of the building they were situated near and felt his horn flare up with white. "I can save you! I can save you hold on!" He looked up towards Canterlot and screamed "LUNA!!!!!!!!!"

With a bright flash of white, Hydro and Angel were gone.

Interval 5 - Epiphany

Luna walked in front of the large chalkboard, an open book floating around her and her eyes twinkling behind a pair of blue-rimmed glasses. A classroom of around a hundred unicorns eagerly watched her as she stopped, turning and pointing a hoof towards the chalkboard, her Canterlot-Voice booming out across the room "And as we can see my students, Starswirl, with the aid of The Blood Ritual and The Emerald of Redemption, successfully sealed the malevolent force inside the moon. This was a major milestone in Equestrian History, as it successfully marked the power of two of the Elements of Harmony, Loyalty and Magic. Combined, these two elements could wield the most amazing of powers, but who is to say these were the only elements in existence? Scholars believe that more elements existed, per investigation of Starswirl's journals, but all attempts to locate them have failed. Now, does anypony have an idea of why that is, or do you have other questions?"

A cyan unicorn in the third row raised his hoof, Luna nodding at him and allowing him to speak. "Princess," he started, flipping through his book of notes quickly before asking "You've explained to us the power of the Elements, telling us they are mighty and powerful. But, if this is the case, why weren't they used against The Entity in the first place? Magical artifacts of such power had to have had some weight against its dark magic."

Luna nodded with a smile and said "This is true, the Elements of Harmony individually did hold great power, and combined the Elements of Magic and Loyalty could even topple an Ursa Majoris, an Elder Major. While your question is a very good one, it's the very same question that has been asked by many scholars and archivists over the past decade. Even our Grand Scribe, Whiteria Augustus Quill, has not the answer. Most theorize that The Entity's magic was unlike any that had ever been seen before, a different field of magic all together. Since there was no real way to test or experiment with such dark magic, I'm afraid the answer to that question is nigh impossible to achieve. But...science goes on! Maybe one day we'll have an answer as to why The Entity was as powerful as it-"

"Princess Luna!" A guard shouted, bursting into the classroom and startling the midnight mare. She looked over with surprise as the guard shouted "Princess you must come quickly, there's been a terrible accident! It's Doctor Gen!"

Luna gasped and shouted to the class "Class dismissed!" Rushing over towards the guard, she dropped her book and glasses on her desk and shouted "Lead the way!"

~~~

"Sir please, we're trying to he-"

"GET AWAY FROM HER! I want LUNA! Get me Princess Luna, or Celestia, I don't care which!"

"Be reasonable sir she's dying we need to help her!"

"I, said, STAY, AWAY!"

Hydro screamed, slamming his front hooves on the ground in the front entrance hall and causing the marble underneath him to splinter, his horn flaring white and his eyes insane with anger. The double doors on the left burst open and Princess Luna, along with the guard, rushing in. Luna gasped as she beheld Angel's still form bleeding on the cracked marble, her bottom lip twitching in fright.

She shouted and pushed through the crowd "Stand aside! Stand ASIDE I SAID!" She galloped towards the fallen mare, dropping to her belly and flaring her horn up with magic, quickly passing a wave of blue over Angel's body and watching as Hydro dropped to his belly on the other side of her.

He whimpered as Luna looked into the wound with her magic, trying her best to knit it "L...Luna I'm sorry...I didn't know where else to go...y...your magic was the only magic I could trust!"

Luna flicked her eyes up and whispered "Hydro shhhh....it's ok. You were right to bring her here...I need to get her to Celestia!" Hydro nodded and stepped back, watching as Luna covered herself and Angel with an aura of blue, their forms vanishing with a quick flash.

Hydro fell back on his haunches, burying his face in his hooves and weeping. How much more could he stand to put up with? Equestria had taken so much from him now, his life, his home, and now his family. A few ponies tried to approach and comfort him, but he shunned each of them away, telling them he wanted to be left alone.

Hours passed, the sun hanging just above the horizon and refusing to go down, the absence of Luna and Celestia's magic relevent to the distraught doctor. At long last, the sun started to dip behind the trees, the sky darkening as Hydro lifted his head up towards the staircase, shivering as Luna looked down on him, a look of utter despair etched on her face. Her horn was aglow with blue magic, the moon rising up from the East and casting it's pearly glow across the world. Hydro looked up at her face, a pleading look in his eyes that was only returned by the sadness of hers.

"N...no" he whispered, getting to his hooves, shaking his head adamantly and shouting again "NO!"

Luna felt a tear roll down her cheek as she whispered across the hall "Hydro...I'm sorry..." Hydro shook his head, his eyes wide and a frown etched on his face. He couldn't believe it, he refused to believe it!

He flinched as he heard a tender voice speak from behind him "Hydro...?" Turning his head, his eyes met Celestia's, a solemn look on her face as she whispered "Hydro we did everything we could...but I'm afraid it was not enough, I'm sorry." Hydro felt his body shiver and shake, his eyes growing wide and his eyebrows angling downwards. He clenched his teeth together and choked out a sob, tears spilling down his face and his ears perking to the sound of Luna's soft hoofsteps descending the stairs.

He shouted towards Celestia suddenly, the Princess wincing at the harsh tone of his voice "DAMN you! Damn you, you selfish bastard of a Princess you! How could you not save her!? You're a GODDESS, the both of you! What stopped you from saving her, or my foal!? TELL ME!!!!!!!"

Celestia sighed, her body shivering as she whispered "Hydro...we did everything we could within the boundaries we set...you have to understand that-"

"BOUNDARIES?!" Hydro shouted, spitting his words out with as much venom as he could muster "You operated within boundaries?! I just lost my entire family because of your stupid fucking boundaries! What boundaries could have possibly stopped you from saving the life of two innocent ponies, huh!?

"It's a promise Luna and myself made to one another a long time ago Hydro..." Celestia whispered, trying her best not to let her tears fall "If we went above and beyond, everypony would be storming the front gates, demanding we do the same for their dying loved ones Hydro. Nopony lives forever...not even Luna or myself. I'm sor-"

Hydro stamped his hooves on the ground with thunderous force, his horn flashing and the windows around him exploding violently, sending glass shards flying about. He screamed "Do...NOT, tell me SORRY! I have done nothing but serve you and your damn, fucking empire! I do so much for you, for Equestria and the ponies you leave to die, and this is how I'm thanked?! My teacher betraying me and letting my unborn foal die?!"

At this, Celestia's eyes narrowed and her voice boomed out, her mane whipping about as she shouted "Do NOT accuse me of treason Hydro Gen! I have done nothing but try to help fix my crumbling world! Do you not think I am pained everyday when I wake up to another thousand problems my Empire faces?! I tried, I honestly tried, desperately even to save Angel and your foal! But even Goddess's have limits and I must respect those!"

Hydro shook his head, pointing a hoof at her and shouting with as much might as he could muster "No! Don't you even try to feed me that horseshit! The world has gone to hell and it's all your fault! If you wanted to you could have easily fixed this, the both of you could! I'm done with this world, I'm done with this place!" He took in a deep breath, his horn flaring with white magic and his voice echoing out across the halls of the entire castle

"FUCK YOU, AND FUCK EQUESTRIA!"

With that, he dissapeared in a flash of white magic, leaving only a broken Celestia to choke out a sob and dip her head in sorrow. Princess Luna put a hoof on her shoulder and frowned, her heart throbbing at the pained weeping of her sister.

~~~

'WOOMF' was the only noise audible on the high hill overlooking Old Ponyville, Hydro falling to his belly and pushing his face into the ground. His sobs were muffled and his wails silent as Luna's Moon continued to rise higher and higher into the sky. He stamped the ground with his front hoof, hissing "Damn them...damn them all!" He sat up on his haunches, his eyes brimming with tears and his teeth clenched, staring up at the celestial orb that hung in the sky. "I can't take it any longer...I won't take it any longer!" He got up on his hooves, looking around slowly and muttering "This world's too far gone to save now...nothing we do now can redeem these rotten and savage ponies from the sins they've committed against Equestria."

The irises of his eyes shrunk as an idea crept into his mind...an awful...murderous idea. "The atom...that energy..." he whispered, his mouth partially hanging open as his eyes widened. "Perhaps..." he muttered, looking over in the direction of the Everfree Hospital that housed his lab. It was there...in that exact moment, that one of the very few strands of restraint and sanity he had left snapped, his gasp echoing across the rolling plains of green. "I could do it!" he shouted to the air, smiling as he thought of the possibilities, the energy he could harness to finally bring a blissful peace to Equestria! "I CAN do it, I know I can! If Luna and Celestia won't take matters into their own hooves, I WILL!" He laughed to himself, rearing up on his hind legs and smiling malevolently at the moon. "I'll save them...I'll save them all! I'll save Equestria....by DESTROYING IT!" He flung his front hooves up into the sky, screaming "I'll force you to remake Equestria! I'll make you save us all!!! The last of innocence in Equestria died with my foal, and I will not let such a crime go unpunished! Prepare yourself Equestria, for the dawning of a new age!!! HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!"

He laughed like a maniac, the sounds of thunder and lightning crashing about in the distance. His plans had been drawn, and now all that was left was to build it...build a weapon powerful enough to douse Equestria in the flames of pure energy, released by his own scientific breakthrough. He knew there was no going back from this, no turning back from the bloody path of mass-genocide he was about to trot down. To him, it was a necessary evil, a mandatory evil, to save a dead world from tearing itself apart any further.

He giggled as he looked towards the Everfree Forest, his machines and devices waiting to brew the ultimate killing machine.

"One Hydrogen Bomb, coming RIGHT UP! Tee hee hee hee!"

Interval 6 - To put Affairs in Order

September 22nd - Two Months Later

Dear Hydro,

I know things have been difficult for you these past months...but I want you to know you are not alone. If you are up to it (If you're not I understand), there is a small convention party being held in Canterlot in the Gala Hall in a few days. I do hope you'll come...it's not been the same here without you, and I know it would mean the world to Celestia. Please think it over, for me...I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Luna

The letter lay opened on top of one of the desks in the lab, several more like it crumpled up nearby. The steady beeping of whirring machines filled the air with constant noise, several tubes of liquid self-cycling themselves and electrical wires running across the ceiling and floor. In the center of the room, on a large wooden table, rested a long metal cylinder, a panel open on its top. Inside was a tangled mess of wiring and small glass tubes, a sphere shaped base resting in the center of the contraption. Tools, parts, wires, all manner of items were strewn about around the device, indicating it was being worked on with furious vigor. The door to the lab swung open with a loud 'BANG', a wide-eyed Hydro trotting in and smiling. His mane was a ruffled mess, and his once Golden-amber eyes seemed to have taken on a red tinge of color, the whites of his eyes streaked with red and bloodshot.

He whistled a merry tune as he pranced past the device, his horn lighting up and causing several tools to float upwards and begin working on the contraption. He shifted through several papers littering the desk, his wild eyes slowly moving across the words that entered his vision only briefly before he tossed them aside. Finally, his eyes fell upon Luna's letter and he stopped. He carefully read each and every word, going over the passage at three times before gently setting it back down onto the desk. He turned his head back towards the contraption and watched as a screwdriver screwed in one of the last screws holding a black-colored sphere together. He smiled and brought the ball over to him, looking towards a small hole on its side that was large enough to fit his horn through. He bowed his head and pushed his horn in, his magic flaring up and covering the ball with a white aura.

He narrowed his eyes in concentration as he strengthened his magic, his horn growing brighter and causing the sphere to flash like a strobe light. Sweat dripped down his mane and neck as he shut his eyes, gritting his teeth and pouring as much energy as he could into the spell, the black sphere slowly starting to change with texture. Hard plastic was replaced with a shimmering sort of glass, the sphere spinning on his horn and glowing with a bright white light. Finally, the sphere dimmed and Hydro smiled, pulling the glass ball off of his horn.

He smiled, breathing hard and panting out "There! A container that will resist the high energy levels...just the right combination of elements. All i need to do now is create a vacuum spell powerful enough to pull the energy in...and seal off the orb." He smiled and levitated the orb over towards a small pedestal that was situated near the device on the wooden table. Nodding, he levitated Luna's letter alongside him and trotted out of the lab, the door swinging behind and closing with a thunderous 'BANG!'

~~~

Hydro looked over himself in a hand-held mirror, using magic to flatten and fix his mane and adjust his bow-tie. He smiled towards the mirror and winked, his red eyes twinkling with excitement. He was situated in a horse-drawn carriage, the destination being Canterlot. Knowing that he wasn't going to be arriving for another thirty minutes, Hydro took the time to look outside and into the bleak world of Equestria. The sky was beginning to darken into night, a cool wind blowing over the land. Old Ponyville was clearly visible in the distance, the sight of it making Hydro grimace with disgust.

"Soon..." he whispered quietly to himself, a light rain beginning to pour from the skies "Very soon...I won't even have to look at it anymore..." The plan was all very simple, but the execution was going to be difficult. The creating and harnessing of the energy wasn't the problem, it was triggering it. For many nights now he screamed with frustration, trying to figure out exactly how he was going to trigger the release of the energy, his studies into far-range magic and advanced electronics becoming more of an obsession then an actual task. He sighed, sitting back against the soft cushion back of the carriage seat and folding his hooves in his lap, glaring forward and doing his best to clear his head.

It was going to be a long night...

~~~

"Hydro, so good of you to make it!"

"Oh Hydro darling, good to see you!"

"Doctor Gen, always a pleasure!"

"Impressive party here, eh Doctor?"

Hydro smiled as he weaved through the crowd of fancily dressed ponies in the Gala Hall, the soft sounds of a five pony orchestra floating across the room with an elegant flair. He had his goals worked out in his mind, his objective clear. He levitated a small glass of champagne off of a tray nearby and took a tender sip of it, his eyes flicking over towards a mass of ponies grouped around the royally dressed form of Princess Celestia. She had a tiny smile etched on her face, but even Hydro could tell that it was a fake as her ability to rule was. He slung his head back and drunk the whole glass down like a shot, levitating it back on the tray and making his way over through the crowd.

Celestia had just finished shaking a gentlecolt's hoof when Hydro's voice whispered from beside her "Hello...my Benevolent Teacher..."

The Princess blinked in surprise and looked down at a smiling Hydro, sitting on his haunches next to her. She whispered loudly "Hydro? What are you doing here?"

Hydro chuckled and waved to a passing couple who nodded towards them, whispering through clenched teeth "Happy to see you too Celestia...I'm sorry if I did not make the guest list...but Luna was kind enough to so graciously invite me to your little party..."

Celestia frowned, a sad look in her eyes as she said "Hydro I didn't mean it like that. I'm just...surprised you're here, I figured you wouldn't want anything to do with me anymore after last month..."

Hydro shrugged and scanned the crowd slowly, his voice dripping with joy "Oh Celestia, things happen...I knew you did everything in your power to save Angel...I was just too emotional and hot-headed to think clearly. I must apologize for my behavior that night, it was most atrocious of me."

Celestia smiled, putting a hoof on Hydro's shoulder and whispering "Thank you...you don't know how much that means to me. I was up for nights after that day Hydro...I'm glad that you're back." Hydro closed his eyes and nodded with a tiny smile, opening them and spotting Alexi in the crowd. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over his traitorous best friend, watching as he chatted with a few fellow scientists whom he recognized as the Department of Agri-Magic.

"If you'll excuse me..." Hydro muttered up to Celestia "I must go see Alexi, I haven't seen him in such a good while. Oh, and is Luna here? I really wanted to see her by the night's end."

Celestia nodded and said "Of course, she should be up on the second floor somewhere, entertaining a few of our guests...have a good day, ok Hydro?" The scientist colt nodded with a wide smile as he slowly walked forward towards Alexi.

He heard him speak as he approached "That vus very interesting, da? I did not think you could pull such a big amount of magic towards through that funnel!" The scientists nodded, chuckling along with Alexi.

The russcoltian pony froze as a voice exclaimed from behind him "Alexi, my old friend! Just the colt I wanted to see!" Alexi turned his head slowly, his eyes wide as Hydro stared at him with wide eyes of his own, a sinister smile splayed across his face.

Alexi gulped and whimpered "H...Hydro! What...what are you...?"

Hydro chuckled and sat on his haunches, draping a leg over his friends shoulder and saying "Oh come on, I had to come congratulate you in person! You're the colt of the hour are you not? Finally finding the trick to that Agri-Spell we had a problem with a few months ago! I read the article on it and I just had to come say congratulations!"

Alexi chuckled nervously, a slight stutter in his voice as he muttered "R...really...well that's good..."

Hydro nodded and leaned his head in close to Alexi's ear, whispering "I need your help with something Alexi...something that's hush hush. If you're free and available, I need you to come down to the Everfree Hospital tommorow afternoon. Tell the front desk attendant that I sent you and she'll see you in...alright?"

Alexi nodded and whispered back "Ok, I vill be there...but vut is it that is so secret?"

Hydro smiled and whispered with a slight tint of venom in his voice "It's a surprise..." Alexi nodded slowly, a nervous look crossing over his face as Hydro gave him a tiny pat on his back and moved away, heading towards the stairs.

Above, on the second floor, Luna bowed, dismissing the group of ponies that had come to greet her. She smiled as she watched them go, but suddenly gasped as her eyes flicked over to the left, watching as Hydro Gen slowly walked over to her.

A wide smile started to form on her lips as she whispered "Hydro? You came? Oh this is wonderful!"

Hydro smiled and gave the princess a soft hug, whispering as he pulled away "Would you walk with me Luna? There's something I want to discuss with you."

Luna nodded and whispered "The balcony on my tower ok? It's quiet up there, and has the best view of the sky at night!" Hydro nodded, and together they walked from the hall and towards the stairs that led upwards.

~~~

"I've thought about what you said...that one night when your apartment caught fire" Luna whispered, looking over the far landscape of Equestria, the two of them sitting on their haunches on Luna's balcony. A collection of five bottles of Apple Cider were strewn about behind them, the both of them blushing from the feeling of being tipsy. Hydro didn't say anything, simply looking out over the land as well and listening as Luna went on "It wasn't fair...none of it was fair. I pleaded with Celestia to drop the boundary thing just once...but she wouldn't listen."

Hydro sighed, muttering as he looked up towards the moon "Luna...it's fine. Really...I'm over it now, moved on, whatever. I've got a new agenda to keep and I don't have time to reminisce on what could have been or what happened."

Luna nodded, muttering as she looked up at the moon as well "Hydro...a new Equestria would be a wonderful thing...but all it can be is a dream. I would love nothing more then to fix the wrongs of the world...but I couldn't without Celestia's approval. She's still convinced that with enough time and effort, we can save this place. But...even her comforting words and promises can do little to convince me anymore..." Hydro slowly looked over towards her, a fluttering in his heart as she whispered "Equestria's dead...no matter how Celestia looks at it, I can see it in her eyes. She doesn't want to believe this world is going to hell...but it is. It's maddening...knowing you have the power to do something yet you can't, and instead you're forced to sit on your flank and just enjoy the ride into chaos..."

Hydro continued to stare at her, his eyes fixed in a sad look and a frown forming on his lips. She was sad...like he was, sad that their world was dying...but unlike her, he had found a way to fix it. If he could only share the joy he had felt when he realized there was something that could be done...

He whispered "Luna?", watching as she turned her head towards him and waiting for him to go on "What if there was a way to save Equestria...what would you risk to do it? What price would you pay to save the world from itself?"

Luna giggled, shaking her head and whispering "I think you've had too much cider..."

Hydro shook his head and whispered "No...I'm serious. If there was a way to save Equestria...what would you do?" Luna looked at him for a moment, staring deep into his sad, miserable eyes.

She opened her mouth to speak and whispered quietly "Anything...I'd do anything."

Hydro didn't know if it was the cider or simply his madness screwing with his mind, but for some reason, Luna looked a fair bit more beautiful this night then she had all the other nights he had seen her. The curve of her jawline meeting her neck, her soft, beautiful eyes of light blue twinkling in the starlight. Luna whispered as she stared into Hydro's eyes "H...Hydro I..." she was silenced however by the colt putting a gentle hoof on her cheek, gently pulling her forward. She closed her eyes, a slight blush on her cheeks as Hydro pressed his lips against hers, a deep sigh escaping them both. Neither of them moved, the wind gently lapping at the dark blue curtains of the balcony. When they finally pulled apart, Luna whispered "We're drunk..."

Hydro chuckled and whispered "So? Being drunk is good...takes the pain away."

Luna smiled and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his for a few more seconds and whispering "So if there's no pain...what's left?"

Hydro pressed his forehead against the mare's, his horn running up the base of hers as he whispered lustfully "Pleasure".

~~~

Luna fell on her back, moaning as Hydro pressed his mouth against hers roughly and drove his tongue past her lips and against hers. They ripped at each other's clothes, the two of them kissing passionately and losing themselves in the heat of the moment. Hydro pulled his lips from hers for a moment, taking the time to clench the top of Luna's dress in his teeth and tearing it away, making Luna blush and whisper loudly "Hydro...w...wait. Don't you think this is a bit much...? Is it even right?"

Hydro dropped her dress on the ground, looking back towards her and whispering with a smile "Does it feel right?" Luna frowned, looking over towards the wall while Hydro pulled off his own tuxedo, throwing it on the ground over her dress.

She whispered with a small smile, looking back up at him "Yeah...for some odd reason it does..." Hydro leaned down, kissing Luna gently on her lips and running his hooves up and down her sides. Luna sighed through her snout, spreading her hind legs apart and letting Hydro nestle himself between them, his tongue wrestling with hers. They blushed and kissed like crazy, Hydro pulling his face away and leaving them both panting.

He whispered to her as he positioned himself between her legs "Tell me again...what would you do?"

Luna smiled and pulled his face down towards hers and whispered "Anything..." she pulled him into a deep kiss and let out a deep groan, her body shuddering with pleasure as she felt Hydro push himself into her. She broke away from the kiss and tilted her head up, a soft moan working its way out of her throat and letting her body adjust to him. She let out another moan as Hydro slid himself outwards and back into her with force, the colt's face plastered with an evil smile and wide, staring eyes. As he started to rock himself back and forth into the lunar mare, he thought about the nature of what he was doing.

For her, it would be the most memorable, and most wild night of her life. For Hydro it was different. Sure, he was enjoying his passionate night with Luna...but he was also smiling at the fact that he was getting a chance to finally send a message to Celestia. To him, nothing said 'Fuck You' better then a good plowing to his teacher's younger sister before he savagely murdered everypony in the world.

Luna's sweet, heated groans kept Hydro going, along with the beautiful thought that tommorow was the day. The day he finished the Hydrogen Bomb. The day he destroyed, and saved, Equestria.

The day he would finally get his revenge.

(I feel like this was rushed, but it partially has to be. I've got a tight schedule right now and I really need to get this story done before Hearth's Warming. Stay with us, we're about to roll into some serious Insanity!)

Interval 7 - What Happened in September

September 23rd - 4 Months B.N.M.

Redemption Day

Hydro opened his eyes slowly, the light of Celestia's Sun temporarily blinding him. He squinted his eyes slowly and looked over towards the open window that led to Luna's balcony. He sighed contently, rolling away from the window and staring into the sleeping face of Luna, her quiet breathing gently warming his snout. He leaned forward, giving her a tender kiss and slowly slid out of bed, careful not to wake her. Putting his tuxedo back on, he gave his mane a quick straightening with magic and trotted towards the open window. He didn't have a very large window to operate in, and time was of the essence. Stepping out onto the balcony, he turned his head in the direction of the Everfree Forest and lit up his horn, disappearing in a flash of white magic.

He reappeared in an instant, landing just outside the Everfree Hospital with a large smile on his face and his eyes narrowed in determination. He trotted inside, giving the attendant a nod and rushing down the hall, eager to get to his lab. He had a guest to prepare for, after all....

~~~

Alexi frowned, sitting on his haunches inside the carriage across from two Unicorn Guards. They were currently on the outskirts of Ponyville, the time for the meeting approaching quickly. The scientist cleared his throat and said to the guards "Thank you for coming with me...with times like these it helps to be safe. Do tell Princess Celestia that I am thankful for her concern, but I do not think this trip will be that troublesome."

The guard on the left nodded, answering with "Of course...but I want you to know we are not just here to be your guard. The Princess is concerned about her student, and it is our job to ensure he is safe as well"

Alexi sighed and shook his head, muttering "Look...Hydro's not a pony to crowd. Let me go in, I'll look him over, and I'll report to you his state of health. I promise I vill be truthful in my findings da?"

The guards looked at each other warily for a moment before the one on the left sighed and nodded, muttering "Very well...but do make it quick, Celestia will be waiting for an answer soon." Alexi nodded as the carriage came to a halt, the door opening and the earth pony hopping out.

The Everfree Hospital looked warm and inviting, the doors opening for him as he approached. He looked around nervously, approaching the front desk.

The attendant at the desk smiled and exclaimed "Welcome sir! How can I help you today?"

Alexi looked up at her with a small smile, muttering "Um...good day miss. I have an appointment with...Doctor Gen today..."

The attendant nodded and said "Oh of course! Just head down this hall, about eight doors down, and take a right down another hallway. There should be an iron door at the end of that hall, with a staircase behind it. Go down the stairs and voila, there you go!" Alexi thanked her with a nod and made his way around the desk, trotting down the hall of white.

Below, in the basement, Hydro gently placed the sphere of glass inside the Atom Machine, the vacuum spell ready and already floating inside the sphere. He backed up, closing the door to the machine with a loud thud, his ears perking as the basement door opened. He turned his head and smiled as Alexi carefully stuck his head in, looking around carefully.

The doctor shouted, making Alexi jump a little "ALEXI! My good friend, you made it! Come in, come in!"

Alexi smiled a little, pushing his way into the door "Hydro...it is good to see you...you look like you have been busy!" Hydro smiled, looking back towards the mostly completed cylinder of metal that rested on the wooden table. One of the panels was open, revealing the pedestal that would contain the orb.

Hydro exclaimed as he beckoned Alexi over with his hoof "Indeed! Look here, it is my latest project! I was just putting the finishing touches on the shell when you arrived!"

Alexi walked over, looking over the cylinder with a confused expression on his face and muttering "Vut...is this thing?" Hydro smiled widely, trotting over towards the Atom Machine and pointing towards it.

As Alexi turned to face him, Hydro whispered with excitement "Alexi I did it...I split the atom!" Alexi's jaw dropped, his eyes widening as he look towards the machine and then to Hydro.

He whispered "R...Really? You did it? You actually managed to split it?! Hydro that's vunderful!!!"

Hydro nodded excitedly and shouted "I know! The energy outputs I got were insane, unbelievable! The best part is, I know how to collect, and even store it!" Alexi smiled widely as Hydro went on "Right now, I've got a specially prepared container inside the machine. Once I turn it on, the vacuum spell I've prepared will drag the energy into the orb, and I'll simply seal over the hole with magic!"

Alexi blinked with awe as Hydro checked over the machine, making sure everything was plugged in correctly and all the wires were rigged right. He spoke as Hydro went over one of the lines "Vut are you going to do with the energy once you've stored it? This could mean such great things for Equestria!"

Hydro laughed loudly, hysterically even...causing Alexi to laugh as well, but with a slight nervous twinge in his voice. The scientist wiped a tear from his eye and shouted "I...I know! This IS going to mean great things for Equestria, the end of it actually!"

Alexi chuckled but suddenly stopped, his smile turning into a frown as he muttered "Um...vut did you say Hydro?"

Hydro giggled, a wild look in his eyes as he pointed over to the device on the table and said "I'll place the orb in the machine once it's full of energy, seal it up, trot over to that nice little hill just outside Ponyville with the device, press a little red button, teleport away and 'KABOOOOOOOOOOOOM!' Goodbye Equestria!!!"

Alexi let out a nervous laugh, muttering "V...very funny Hydro. Actually...that's not very funny at all...vhy vould you vant to blow up Eques-" He stopped as Hydro snickered, pushing his hooves against his own mouth and trying to stop himself from laughing. Alexi smiled, laughing as he said "Ah, I knew it vus just a joke! You nearly had me there Hydro, you silly pony you!" They both burst out laughing, the two colts holding their sides and letting tears of laughter spill from their eyes.

Hydro however, suddenly lit up his horn, his face growing serious and his voice coming out in a guttural growl "But no seriously...Equestria's going bye-bye." Before Alexi had a chance to respond, Hydro's horn flared up with magic and picked Alexi up in a levitation spell, the colt crying out in fright.

He screamed as he dangled above the ground "Hydro stop! This isn't funny, put me down!!!"

Hydro scoffed and turned the colt upside down, shouting as he looked up at him with an enraged look on his face "Funny? You think I'm being funny!? You think after you fuck my marefriend, abandon me and my work, and drop Angel at the very mere mention of a foal that I'm being FUNNY!?"

Alexi yelped as he felt Hydro's magic give him a harsh squeeze around his middle, making the colt shout "H..Hydro the foal was yours! I knew it voulden't be right of me if I had stayed! Vut reason is this to take it out on Equestria!?"

Hydro jerked his head back, Alexi flying forward and jerking to a halt as Hydro pressed his forehead against Alexi's and screamed "BECAUSE EQUESTRIA KILLED ANGEL, AND MY FOAL!" Alexi's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in horror as Hydro whispered "Oh yes, that's right. You must not have gotten the memo. You see, due to Celestia's poor handling of her empire, and her inability to fix the problems she promised to fix, I had to bury not only my marefriend, but my foal as well. My unborn foal Alexi, who had done nothing wrong!"

Alexi whimpered "H...Hydro I'm so sorr-" He yelped as he was flung across the lab, smashing into a heavy-duty locker and causing it to topple over. He tried to dive out of the way but was too slow, his bottom half getting caught under the locket and causing him to scream loudly in pain. Hydro giggled as he slowly walked over "Ooooh...that sounded like a leg, or maybe a hip! Can you feel it Alexi!? Can you feel that pain!? Welcome to my world!!! You and the rest of you bastards don't deserve to live in this shitty world, turning your backs on the people you care for and leaving them all for dead! I'm the only one who's willing to actually DO something about the scum and blackness that has infested Equestria!"

Alexi seethed in pain, looking up as he shouted "At what cost!? The deaths of hundreds of thousands of ponies?!"

Hydro shook his head, his eyes and smile widening with glee as he whispered with excitement "Oh no...not just the ponies...the world! Equestria, in just under an hour, will succumb to a power that will force Celestia's hoof, making her remake the world in a better, more peaceful image! Can't you see old friend, I'm not destroying Equestria, I'm saving it!"

Alexi scoffed and spat out a glob of blood at Hydro's hooves, shouting "You're fucking insane! You really think Everypony's going to just let you waltz around with a weapon of mass destruction!?"

Hydro smiled and whispered "You don't understand Alexi...not even Celestia herself could stop me if she wanted to. Today is the day that shall forever be marked down in history as the day the world was saved from itself." With that, he trotted over, ignoring the shouting protests of the wounded colt, and pulled the power lever on the machine. The lights flickered as the machine powered on, Hydro's horn flaring up with white magic and his eyes looking through the small visor. He went about his work, Alexi being forced to watch in horror as the machine glowed with bright intensity. Hydro narrowed his eyes in concentration as the massive amounts of energy that was swirling around the machine started to siphon itself into the orb, the lights and other machines in the lab losing power quickly.

Up above, the two Unicorn Guards who were standing near the front entrance snapped their heads towards the sounds of shrieking. The attendant mare had taken a dive under her desk as the lights in the ceiling exploded violently, the entire hospital losing power. They looked towards each other and nodded, rushing inside.

Back down in the basement, Hydro carefully opened up the machine and stared in awe at his wonderous creation. The Orb was glistening with blackened magic, wisps of black energy slowly rising off of it. He smiled with glee as he gently levitated the energy packed orb over towards the cylinder, placing it gently inside and closing the metal panel. He giggled as he lit up his horn, shouting "Finally...finally it's done! It's finally done!!! HA HA HA HA!!!!" As he sealed it with magic, the door to the basement suddenly burst open, the two Unicorn Guards rushing in and gasping as they saw Alexi trapped underneath the locker.

He pointed a hoof towards Hydro and screamed "Stop him!!! He's trying to kill us all, STOP HIM!!!!!!"

Hydro snarled and flared up his horn, angling it downwards as the guards did the same. He shouted as he prepared a large volley of magic "No, NO! I'm going to save you, I'm going to save you all!!! DON'T YOU TRY TO STOP ME!" Bolts of magic whisked back and forth rapidly, the three of them trading off blasts. One of the Unicorn's flew back, smashing into a wall as one of Hydro's bolts caught him in the neck, frying his throat and instantly killing him. The other guard screamed and fell on his side, his back leg getting rended off by a white bolt. The guard lifted his head and watched as Hydro walked quickly towards him.

Narrowing his eyes at the scientist, the unicorn flared his horn up and shouted "Requesting backup, Everfree Hospital, quickly befo- ACK!" Hydro shoved his own head forward, ramming his horn through the Unicorn's eye and into his brain, letting off a discharge of magic that caused the Unicorn's head to explode violently.

Alexi screamed in panic as blood splattered all over the ceiling and walls, as well as Hydro's front "Help!!! Somepony help me, HELP!!!!!" Hydro turned his head slowly over towards Alexi, slowly walking towards him with his lit up horn, the white magic evaporating the blood that coated his front.

He whispered as he approached "Screaming isn't going to help...you're already a dead colt..."

Alexi smiled and looked at the mad scientist's side, shouting "Yeah?! Well so are you!!" Hydro blinked and turned his head, his eyes widening as he beheld two gaping holes embedded in his side, the rims of the shots singed and burned. With so much adrenaline pumping through him...he hadn't even noticed that he had been shot.

Alexi chuckled but quickly screamed as he felt his front hooves being pulled on, a white aura of magic covering the front half of his body and his ears perking to the sound of Hydro's voice "You should feel honored Alexi...you're going to be the first to die for the new world..." Alexi roared in pain, his front hooves continuing to be pulled by Hydro's magic, a small puddle of blood starting to pool underneath the colt's body.

He looked up with tears in his eyes, screaming "HYDRO STOP!!! PLEASE!!! MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP!!!!" Hydro smiled softly, his head slowly cocking to the right as he heard several snapping noises echo out from the colt's body, a fresh torrent of screams emitting from him. Alexi looked up into Hydro's eyes, his screams suddenly quieting as he felt his vision blacken, the muscles and bones that made up his middle finally giving away from the pressure. Hydro watched as Alexi was torn in half, his top half flying across the lab and splattering it's surfaces with blood. He panted quietly, his lungs heaving for air as he lit up his horn again and lifted the Hydrogen Bomb from its place on the table, the detonator along with it. He made his way over towards the door, stepping over the bodies of the guards and heading upwards. The time for Equestria's salvation was nigh.

~~~

Celestia galloped down the hallway as fast as she could, her orders already being barked out towards her royal guard. Already Pegasus Guards were in the air, rushing towards the Everfree Forest. She had heard the distress call from one of her guards, her thoughts filled with worry over the fate of her student.

It wasn't until thirty minutes later that a pair of Pegasus Guards walked into the basement of the Everfree Hospital, their stomachs nearly giving out at the sight of the carnage that had been plastered all over the place. They moved in slowly, cautious as they looked around for any signs of Hydro. One of the guards cringed at the sight of the half-body that was wedged underneath a locker, his eyes only looking away when he heard his comrade shout "Hey, you better look at this!" The guard quickly rushed over, looking at to what the other was pointing at.

He looked over the tattered mess of papers, his eyes scanning over the words as he whispered "Oh...sweet...Celestia. Contact the Princess, IMMEDIATELY!"

~~~

Hydro giggled, trudging up the hill as his side throbbed in pain. The bomb floated gently beside him, his eyes gleaming with the color of blood and his mane flapping in the wind. He reached the top of the hill, gently setting the bomb on the grass and falling back on his haunches. He placed the detonator on the ground and smiled, his horn flaring up with magic and his hoof hovering over the button. He shouted with glee as he looked over towards Old Ponyville, an insane glare in his eyes "This is your Redemption Day everypony!!!" He looked back down towards the button and moved his hoof forward, gently pressing up against the button and smiling as it began to push in.

A voice however, made him halt "HYDRO, STOP!" He snapped his head up to the left, a frightful look in his eyes as Celestia teleported onto the field so violently the grass around her had partially exploded into flames.

Hydro snarled, his hoof over the button "GO AWAY FROM ME! Stay away from me! Go...go aw-hahahahah! Oh fuck it, what does it matter!? You can't touch me now!!! You see this button here?! I'm going to PRESS IT!!!"

Celestia shouted again, tears spilling from her eyes as she screamed "No!!! Hydro please, don't! I know what that thing is, the guards have already told me! Don't do this, I'm begging you, please!!!"

Hydro looked over towards her, an enraged look on his face as she screamed "Really!? You're begging me!? After I begged you to save Angel's life, to save Equestria and to say 'FUCK IT' to the boundaries!? You sick, twisted bitch of a mare you! How dare you demand I stop from doing what you failed to do! I'm having to fix Equestria because you were too fucking afraid yourself to do it! No longer, not anymore!"

Celestia sobbed, whimpering as she held up a hoof "H...Hydro please...I'm sorry! I'll fix it, I promise! Just please...don't do this to your people! There's so many of them at are innocent, don't condemn them too!!!"

Hydro simply shook his head, smiling as he whispered savagely "Oh...I believe you Celestia...I know you'll fix it. I'll even go as far as to say you'll actually rebuild it!"

Celestia screamed "HYDRO NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

*Beep*

Celestia fell back on her haunches as Hydro vanished in a flash of white magic, the device beeping rapidly and starting to light up. She shook her head, tears flowing from her eyes and her horn lighting up with yellow magic. "Not like this..." she whispered, her horn growing brighter and brighter and drawing in a beam of light from the sun. She looked up, watching as her magic started to spread out a gleaming dome of yellow. "I cannot save Ponyville...oh I cannot save them all!!! Mother, Father, oh gods above, Luna!!! Please forgive me!!!! Please, Please forgive me!!!!!"

~~~

Hydro stood in front of the Everfree Hospital, his vision blurring and his limbs growing weak from the loss of blood. He started to laugh as he saw the yellow dome from Celestia's magic, shaking his head at the feeble attempt the Princess was making. "It's no use Celestia!!!" he shouted towards the wind, "Nothing's going to save you n-"

It happened in an instant, the dull thudding of an explosion and the brightest flash ever to have been seen in Equestrian history. The skies lit up with the color of blood and casted a red tint across the entire land. A monstrous rush of wind whipped Hydro backwards, sending him flying back into the doors of the Everfree Hospital with a loud crash. At first, there was silence, but soon there was a thunderous rumbling, an explosion of unimaginable magnitude, spreading outwards with tremendous force. A wall of fire spread outwards, instantly incinerating Old Ponyville and obliterating the land surrounding the large hill. Before the fire could reach any farther then Ponyville, however, the yellowish dome of Princess Celestia's magic crashed into the ground, trapping the explosion inside. The sheer amount of power that was needed to maintain such a spell had Celestia screaming in pure agony, her head pounding with severe pain as the explosion whipped and swarmed around her. She had used her magic to protect herself of course, her body lighting up and vanishing in a flash of yellow. It was in this moment that Everypony across Equestria stopped, turning their heads and gasping with fright and awe as a rainbow-colored mushroom cloud rose up into the air, pushing against the bubble of magic and expanding a ring of rainbow energy outwards from its middle. Hydro giggled from his spot on the floor, his side continuing to bleed and his eyes trained on the mushroom cloud, watching as a few spots on the bubble burst, ash swarming out of the breaches. He gently laid his head down and wheezed for air, his vision finally blackening and his mind falling into unconsciousness.

"I just remembered...what happened in September. I'm the one who killed them all, I survived after the fall."

Epilouge - The birth of a Nightmare

Hydro's eyes gently looked over the mushroom cloud, his breath coming out in ragged gasps as a voice called out to him "Hydro!!! Hydro where are you!!! Hydro!!!" The colt winced, letting out a weak groan and rolling onto his back, his horn pointing up into the air. He mustered up a small amount of magic and lit up his horn, a bolt of white shooting up into the air and exploding in a flurry of sparks.

About twenty seconds later, the screams of Princess Luna reached Hydro's ears "Hydro!!! Oh no, Hydro!!!" He groaned as he felt Luna land nearby, quickly galloping over to him and falling back on her haunches. She pulled him into her forelegs and shouted "Hydro!!! Please, be alive! Don't be dead...don't be dead!!!" She looked over his pained face, tears streaming down her eyes as she looked for any signs of life. She gasped when she heard him let out a soft groan, hugging him against her and whispering "Oh thank the stars..."

"L...Luna" Hydro whispered, smiling a little as he breathed in her wonderous, airy smell. He coughed loudly, a line of blood creeping out of his mouth as he tried to speak "I...I think I'm dying Luna..."

Luna shook her head, shouting "No! No you're going to be ok...I'll heal you, please Hydro just stay with me!"

Hydro shook his head weakly, growling "N...no! Leave me be...death is all that I deserve now...leave it!" Luna sniffed loudly, her tears gently dropping onto Hydro's face as he continued "Luna...I...I'm sorry..."

Luna shook her head slowly, whispering back "I don't want to hear sorry...isn't that what you always said?"

Hydro let out a soft chuckle, wincing immediately as he did, feeling his lungs seize up painfully "H...how about I say 'I love you' instead..." Luna let out a weak cry, sobbing as she pushed her lips against Hydro's, kissing him deeply. They stayed there for a good while, kissing one another gently as the ash of Hydro's Hydrogen Bomb wafted through the air. As they pulled apart slowly, Hydro felt his heartbeat starting to slow, his vision blackening. Luna watched with despair as Hydro opened his mouth to speak...uttering only a few words "F...finish...it..."

Luna could only watch as Hydro gently pressed his cheek against her, shutting his eyes and quietly breathing his last breath. She whimpered, holding the now dead Hydro Gen, the wind whipping around them. She held him tightly, clenching her teeth and shivering as she choked out a sob, whispering with rage "I'll...get you for this..." She looked up towards Canterlot castle, its white walls aglow with the color of red that had been left over from the bomb. She screamed yet again, her voice carrying across the heavens

"CELESTIA!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

One Thousand Years Later - Canterlot Castle - Grand Archives

"And...that's all that happened."

"I guess it's true what they say...history is indeed written by the victor..."

"Quill...please, you have to understand, I-"

"I know...I know..."

Princess Celestia sighed, her cheek pressing up against the side of the large wooden table that had been set up in the east wing of the Grand Archives. A lightish brown colt in red Archivist's robes sighed, placing a gentle hoof over hers and whispering "I understand...nopony should have heard about such a tragedy. It was a ghastly evil..."

Celestia shook her head and sighed "I couldn't even recover The Orb...the radiation around the impact site was so great I couldn't go near it. I was still in a magically induced coma when Nightmare Moon had rose..."

Quill shook his head, muttering "I always wondered exactly how that Orb came into being...bit shocking really, a simple unicorn having the raw ability to do what he did. Still though...what was more tragic was the fact that Luna was lost to the same anger and despair Hydro Gen had fallen into."

Celestia lifted her head up, a tear rolling down her cheek as she whispered "I still remember that day like it was yesterday Quill...Hydro hitting that button...the blast from that bomb so powerful that it bleached my coat and my mane, even through my magic barriers. I still see shimmers of white in my mane...and every spot is just another constant reminder of my failure."

Quill sighed and shook his head, muttering "Celestia please...it was in no way your failure! What Hydro did was wrong...it was inexcusable, no matter how much he tried to justify it. You did everything you could and that's that!"

Celestia nodded sadly and stood, Quill standing up with her as she whispered "I suppose you are right...come." The two of them quietly made their way out of the Grand Archives, making their way down towards the main hall. They walked in silence, the only sounds audible were their hoofsteps on the red carpeting.

As they reached the front entrance however, Quill spoke up "It is interesting...when you think about it. The moral aspect of it all, I mean, is it really the right thing to do? Doing a necessary evil, for a greater good?"

Celestia nodded and opened the front doors with her magic, staring out into the world of Equestria with a light sigh and whispering "Precisely. Speaking of which...I have a job for you Quill."

Quill looked up, asking quietly "Yes Princess?" Celestia looked down, for a moment, a slight frown crossing her face as she realized what day it was. It had been five years since that bloody day...and it was high time Quill learned the truth of another bloody chapter in Equestrian History.

She whispered "Quill...there's an old bakery I'd like you to investigate. It's condemned now but, I think you'll find it's well worth looking into."

Quill raised an eyebrow and muttered "Really? Very well...I'm listening."

Celestia looked over towards him slowly, a grave look in her eye as she whispered quietly "Tell me, Detective White Quill...have you ever heard of 'The Ballad of Pinkie Pie?'

~The End~

The Aftermath - Author's Notes

Figured I'd throw in that last twist at the end, just because I'm awesome like that. I actually really enjoyed working on this side project, but now it's all back to Leap of Faith!

I hope I did a good job writing a fic that represented the message that The Living Tombstone and Mic had in mind when creating that song.

Hope I didn't disappoint!

Stay tuned and look into Leap of Faith: Shyness Vs. Kindness!!!