Equestria's Doom

Rarity made her paces around the interior of Celestia’s castle.

A candle held in a small, golden cup was levitated to her side. The flickering light from the candle cast a faint and shaky illumination across the stained glass windows and golden doors of the hallway she trotted through. Her night-robe was a welcome presence against her side in the cold night. She wrapped herself in thoughts as she strode along in her midnight wanderings.

She remembered how quickly Twilight had gathered the Elements within Celestia’s castle once demons began to emerge from the Everfree forest. There was nothing lacking in that part of her response; she trusted Twilight to always look out for her friends. Something about her studious friend’s answer to the sudden threat was unusually panicked though, which was somewhat unlike her.

She took in a small breath as her candle-light shone upon a stained glass mural of her and her friends. Each pony was laid into the window in pieces of glass that matched their respective colors. The six ponies flanked Celestia on either side and a yellow sun shone over them. Each pony had its own small smile and Celestia’s head was bowed in contemplation, her wings spread out wide, as if to shelter the elements. The shapes of the ponies seemed to shift about slightly in the low light of her flickering candle, seemingly taking on lives of their own.

An inscription was scrawled below the painting on a plaque carved from brass:

The light of our world
The elements of harmony
Saviors of Equestria
Hope of our children

Rarity remembered the way the Elements had chuckled when the inscription had been shown to them on the day it was laid into the castle. She herself thought it was a tad bit dramatic; the over-exaggerated ramblings of some random poet who had been conscripted for the task of honoring the sacrifices and journeys of the Elements.

Fluttershy’s figure was on the bottom right. Rarity surveyed the smile on her face and the gentleness in her closed eyes. She put her hoof on the mural and closed her eyes in silent contemplation.

Rarity began to wonder if all of this was enough. The plan with the World Nymph seemed haphazard to her at best and she found herself questioning if risking the lives of the other elements was truly the best way to go about things. She dismissed those thoughts as she thought about the capabilities and integrity of her friends. After all, it wasn’t anypony’s fault that Fluttershy had ended up like this, but it was in the hooves of her friends to undo what had been done.

“Fluttershy,” she said under her breath. Despite the softness of her words, they cast a ghostly echo throughout her surroundings. “I won’t let you go. We’ll save you, darling.”

She stood with her head bowed before the mural. A cloud shifted and moonlight began to shine upon her. Rarity looked up and blinked a few times in the sudden light, before turning to continue walking down the hallway.

She came to Twilight's room first.

As was expected, she was hunched over a book, transcribing its contents onto a piece of paper.

Rarity took note that Fluttershy's human body lay in a bed that had been pushed to one side of the room. Various papers containing arcane imagery and furiously scribbled notes were hung on the walls above and stacks of ancient books surrounded the bed.

Twilight stopped her studies to acknowledge her friend.

“Can’t sleep, huh?” she asked with a yawn, looking up from her studies.

Rarity shook her head. “I’m just checking on everypony. These are troubling times, you know.”

Twilight nodded. “Well, I gathered everypony here for a reason.”

“Right,” replied Rarity. “It was a bit of a shock to come here so suddenly, but I trust that you have a good plan.”

Twilight smiled. “Me and Celestia immediately started working on a plan, once she was informed of what had happened. We’re going to announce it to everypony in the morning. It was just most convenient to gather everypony here in the castle for what’s coming.”

“We’re not the only ones affected by this you know.” retorted Rarity.

Twilight sighed. “It’s sad that even more ponies have had to die in the last couple of days, but Ponyville has been evacuated, you know. The only ponies there now are soldiers. This kingdom is doing the best it can.”

“Oh, I wasn’t questioning anything. You and Celestia have done a marvelous job of keeping everypony safe in the middle of this whole thing.” replied Rarity.

“We’ve certainly tried our best and of course, there’s our new friend to look out for.” replied Twilight.

“Speaking of which, what’s the matter with him, er, her?” inquired Rarity.

“I conducted an extensive investigation into the marks on his armor and I believe he may be an Argenta.” replied Twilight.

“A what now?” asked Rarity.

“The Argenta people were a powerful warrior race that once joined forces with ponies to contain the World Nymph,” explained Twilight. “Most mighty of them all was the Slayer, but I’m sure you know the fairy tale.”

“Oh yes, of course, now that you mention the Slayer.” remarked Rarity. “At the height of the final battle, as the world itself was being torn into ruins, the Slayer emerged from the ranks of the Argentan army alongside a most powerful alicorn. He rode with her into battle with the World Nymph and she gallantly gave her life to protect him in her final moments. It’s the kind of thing I like to tell Sweetie Bell on nights when she can’t quite get to sleep.” said Rarity with a chuckle.

Rarity briefly conversed furthermore with Twilight before making her exit.

She came to Pinkie Pie’s room next, to find her already sleeping. Rarity reached into her saddlebags and left a stack of cookies on the table for the mare before leaving.

She came to Applejack’s room next, to find the mare doing pushups.

“Four thousand four...four thousand five…” grunted Applejack as sweat swam down her face.

Rarity gasped as the mare switched to handstand pushups. Applejack saw her and toppled over on her flanks.

“Are you-” started Rarity.

“Doin’ fine.” grunted Applejack as she climbed off the ground. “Just gotta get back to it.”

Applejack restarted her pushups as Rarity stood in the doorway.

“Well, I’m just making my rounds to make sure everypony is doing okay toni-” she started.

“Doin’ fine. Just have to make sure I’m strong enough for this one.” said Applejack. Then she stopped her pushups and sat on her bed. “Rarity, what if I’m not strong enough? I mean, what if it all comes down to me and I can’t do it?” said Applejack in a defeated tone.

“Dear, I wouldn’t worry about that.” said Rarity.

“Well, what makes you say that?” replied Applejack, looking up to her friend for guidance.

Rarity gave a smile before continuing. “This isn’t just about your strength, you know. It’s all of us, as ponies who care about one another an awful lot.”

“Yeah, I bet telling yourself that makes you feel a whole lot better.” retorted Applejack.

Rarity stopped and stared at the floor. Something had come over the room and she suddenly felt a tad bit smaller.

She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. “What if we aren’t good enough? I mean, what if we can’t-”

“C’mon, don’t get all like that.” said Applejack, trying to put on a smile. “I’m sure Twilight’s plan will be good enough, whatever it is. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to hit ten thousand before midnight.”

Rarity let out a sigh of relief as she felt the feeling of tension vanish. “Don’t let me keep you, darling.”

“Whatever you say, sugarcube.” replied Applejack as she resumed the handstand position.

Next, Rarity came to Rainbow Dash’s room.

Her bed was empty and unmade. Various personal items were scattered around the room and her packed suitcase still sat in the corner. The window had been cracked open and a chill wind crept into the room. A few empty wine glasses were left on top of her dresser and night table. There was no sound save for a slight rattle as the draft upset the glasses.

“Dash?” nervously asked Rarity.

Nopony replied to her.

“Dash, I’m worried, where are you?” asked Rarity again with a trembling voice.

She noticed the door to the balcony open and quickly trotted up to it. Before going through, she looked through the glass pane of the door.

A silhouetted figure sat on a chair facing out away from Canterlot’s city lights. It overlooked a forest faintly illuminated by moonlight. The branches of the trees let out a gentle whooshing sound as the midnight breeze blew over them. The pure scent of the night’s air was tainted by wine. Rarity noticed a few more empty glasses on the edge of the balcony and one had fallen to leave shards of glass on the floor.

The figure hiccuped while Rarity remained silent.

Finally, she could no longer contain her curiosity. “Dash?”

“Yup,” replied the slouched pony. “That’s me. The great Rainbow Dash, the screw-up.”

She could see her face now and it was completely expressionless. Her eyes were half-lidded and her mouth hung slightly open as she breathed slowly.

Rarity almost offered words of condolence but chose not to speak. She watched silently as Dash raised a picture of Fluttershy to the front of her face. Dash silently stared into the picture and grasped it with her other hoof, leaning over to look into the picture. As she gazed into its depths, she reached to a chanticle that still contained a few drops, taking another sip.

“Um, well, I didn’t know you drank.” said Rarity in a soft voice.

“Oh, it’s my sad little girl coping mechanism. Haven’t done it in a decade.” muttered Dash so quietly Rarity could barely hear it. “So I’m not surprised that you don’t know. I mean, about the drinking. That you don’t know about.” said Dash, slurring every other word.

Rarity gulped. “I think I’ll-”

Dash nodded drunkenly. “The glasses. I mean, the wine glasses. I’ll clear them up. Don’t tell the others. Don’t want them worried.”

Rarity gave a curt nod and quickly trotted out.

She began to trot down the hallway to the room of the creature they only knew as Flutterguy.

She stopped walking and suddenly noticed something strange.

There was music not just coming, but pouring from the room in a cacophony of sound.

It sounded as if somepony was playing a guitar, but at many times the speed Rarity was used to. The sound was heavy and landed on her ears with a metal impact. She heard a faint voice shrieking lyrics in a language she couldn’t understand. The door to the room was open and she could see the silhouette of a pony contorting back and forth as it hunched over a guitar, its mouth occasionally opening to let out a roar.

Alternatively, it may have simply been wordless screams that matched up perfectly with the tempo of the loud and furious music being played. Her untrained ear had no way to discern. Either way, she chose to turn back and head back to her room for the night, leaving Flutterguy to her heavy, strange and metal music for the night.

“So what’s your plan, Twilight?” asked Applejack.

Sunlight shone through stained glass windows to put a spotlight on the first four elements as they trotted down one of the many hallways of Celestia’s castle. Their hooves stepped on the thick fibers of a red carpet as they passed murals of themselves and busts of Equestria’s other great heroes. The ceiling of the hallway lay far above them and was dotted with skylights and ornate chandeliers.

“You’ll see!” said Twilight, barely containing her glee in her excitement.

“Maybe we’ll ride in a giant balloon straight to the World Nymph!” exclaimed an excited Pinkie Pie. “Or maybe we’ll be on a hu-u-u-gge elephant!”

“Perhaps we’ll be on a gilded war-carriage.” elaborated Rarity with a sharp inhale. “Think about it and picture this: the elements of harmony, Equestria’s heroes, gallantly riding off to war, flanked by Celestia’s finest soldiers in golden armor inlaid with precious jewels-”

“Well heck, maybe it’s a new spell or something.” said Applejack curtly. “Like a big one that can fix this whole dang mess in a minute flat.”

“Girls, just one more moment!” retorted Twilight with a flick of her mane.

Rainbow Dash’s snores almost overpowered the sound of their conversation. She slouched over as she rode on Flutterguy’s back, who’s eyes were also baggy from tiredness.

“Hmph, you two.” snided Rarity. “Perhaps if you had rested properly, maybe you’d-”

“Maybe if you didn’t spend a half hour powdering your gosh-darn butt cheeks or somethin’, we’d already have it figured out!” snapped Applejack.

Twilight giggled. “We did have to wait for a while on you, Rarity.”

She grouched as the rest of the group jeered at her for a few moments.

Her suffering ended as the group of ponies approached a large, wooden door that stood at the hall’s end.

Twilight’s voice lowered from a combination of tension and excitement. “It’s right behind here!”

She giddily swung her flanks from side to side like a little girl and then parted the doors for all to see.

“It’s...a ship?” asked Rarity with a note of confusion in her voice.

“Looks more like a castle to me.” said Applejack in an awed voice.

The galleon was as beautiful as it was confusing to the ponies. Its hull was carved from timber, inlaid with looping decorations that worked their way up to the bow, where they gave way to a figurehead in the likeness of a mare. Portholes which held windows reinforced by iron bars. They dotted the midsection of the ship every dozen feet or so. While the wood wasn’t painted any particular color, it had been expertly stained and the smell of its artisan treatment was still clear to the ponies present.

A long bow extended from the front of the ship that nearly impacted large, wooden doors guarding the entrance of the chamber it was being held within. Along the edges of the deck, several enormous machine guns with many barrels were placed evenly, three on each side. A pair of canons were perched on the front of the ship, flanking the bow. There was no sail that the ponies could see and it felt strangely naked without one. There was also an elevated platform clearly meant for a captain to direct the ship from.

“Wo-o-o-ow!” squealed Pinkie Pie as her eyes sparkled.

“Twilight this is just, I can’t believe it!” exclaimed Rarity. She stumbled over her next few words and they came out as an insensible squeal of delight.

“Well, don’t start wetting your knickers yet Rarity. How are we gonna sail the darn thing and why in tarnation do we need it?” asked Applejack.

“That would be where we come in.” boomed an imperial voice from behind the ponies.

A group of sailors in uniform poured into the room. Their shirts were red with golden buttons and they wore white pants with black and pointy hats, rifles slung across their sides and swords tucked by their hips. Fine leather boots were on their hooves, each pair tied into the same precise knot. They held their heads haughtily and refused to even look at the mane six gathered in the ship’s chamber.

“We are Celestia’s very own flying galleon brigade, with over twenty years of loyal and productive service between us.” haughtily announced one of their numbers.

He had a captain’s hat on his head and an even bigger mustache. His eyes were pretentiously shut and his nose was stuck upwards in the air. Medals of various sizes hung from his chest and his uniform was impeccable down to the elaborate knots on his boots. A wood-handled revolver was slung along his chest instead of the rifles his men carried. His cutie mark was a blue champion’s ribbon.

“And I am Captain Seaworthy.” he proudly boasted.

Applejack stepped forwards and extended a hoof. “Hi there stranger, I’m-”

“The element of harmony known as Pinkie Sparkle, I have already been informed.” said Seaworthy in a tone of voice far louder than what was needed.

“Applejack.” snarled Applejack. “Never heard of ‘Pinkie Sparkle’.”

Seaworthy failed to acknowledge her comment. “And this fine vessel is known as the-”

“Celestia’s Majesty!” exclaimed Twilight. “I’ve heard a lot about its service from Celestia herself.”

“Oh, you report directly to the Princesses?” inquired Seaworthy. “May I ask your rank, seeing as how you are starkly naked, without your uniform?”

“I’m not in the military,” said Twilight sheepishly. “None of us are, actually.”

“Oh, trust me, I know.” said Seaworthy.

Something seemed to come over the stallion’s face and his facade of professionalism flickered for a brief moment.

“Anyways, me and my crew will be conducting preliminary inspections. Celestia will be in soon and any further questions are to be directed to her.” abruptly stated the stallion.

Him and his crew slinked off to perform their duties.

“Good riddance.” said Applejack in a nasty tone of voice.

Twilight was trying to smile. “Well girls, that didn’t go quite as expected. I didn’t think the great Captain Seaworthy would be, well-”

“A big ol’ butthole?” snided Applejack.

“Language!” asserted Rarity. “He was a stuck-up meaniepants, but we must put crassness aside.”

“Anyways, I’ll explain, since he neglected to do that.” said Twilight with a note of disappointment in her voice.

“Celestia’s Majesty is a floating galleon, meaning it’s a flying ship. It’s magically powered by a specially trained unicorn; one of Seaworthy’s crew has trained from a young age specifically for the job. Vessels of its nature are rarely used due to the number of specialized crew required to operate them, but for this specific mission, we’re going to be flown out to the lake containing the World Nymph.” explained Twilight.

She took note that Flutterguy was staring at her with rapt attention and continued. “Me and Celestia chose to use this ship because it’s the quickest way to get us to the lake, at the least possible risk to any of us. Given that the demons seem to be spawning from somewhere in the Everfree, I specifically requested that we receive a compliment of trained soldiers to help us out if we get into a fight.”

A twinkle came into Twilight’s eye. “Once we board the ship, there’s yet another surprise for all you ponies, but that’ll have to wait.”

Flutterguy chuckled and the rest of the group turned to look at her.

“Um, how much of this do you understand, anyways?” asked Rainbow Dash curiously. “Do you even speak Equestrian?”

Flutterguy nodded.

“I think she does that at everything.” commented Pinkie Pie. “I’ve got an idea!”

Pinkie Pie bounced to Flutterguy’s front. “If you understand me, shake your head three times and stamp your left hoof.”

Flutterguy proceeded to do so.

“Huh, well, that answers that.” idly commented Dash.

The group was silent for a moment as Seaworthy’s crew continued their inspection behind them.

“You can talk to us, sugarcube.” said Applejack gently.

Dash nodded. “Yeah, we’re all in this together. Just open up some, we won’t hurt you.”

For a second, Twilight thought Flutterguy smiled, but it might have been her imagination.

“My little ponies!” exclaimed Celestia as she entered the room. “I assume Seaworthy has filled you in on-”

“Men, REPORT!” boomed Seaworthy as he rounded a corner.

His stallions lined themselves up and raised their noses in the air with shut eyes. Each one stood at rapt attention with perfect posture and their medals gleamed in the sunlight. Seaworthy himself gave a crisp salute to Celestia.

“My most excellent majesty, our initial inspection is complete and-” began Seaworthy.

“I’m so happy to see you, girls!” said Celestia with a smile as she approached the elements.

“And this is our new friend?” she asked with a smile as she turned towards Flutterguy.

Something had come over Flutterguy’s face. For the first time, the ponies present noticed a wave of emotion sweeping over her face. Her mouth opened as if to speak and then shut. Her eyes had grown suddenly wide and the stranger seemed genuinely shocked, as if a sudden surprise of some sort had just occurred.

“First time seeing an alicorn? The mane always gets people.” said Celestia with a mature grin. “Well, no worries. Let me just give you a quick scan-over to see if Twilight missed anything important.”

Celestia’s horn glowed and reached out to Flutterguy. For a moment, her face was still, then her eyes shot open and her mouth dropped.

“My majesty, is everything-” began Seaworthy.

“There’s no way. There’s just no way.” said Celestia with a choked sob.

She strode forwards and took Flutterguy in her legs while weeping. Flutterguy returned the gesture and tears of her own began to pour forth.

“Um, do you know one another?” said Twilight with clear confusion. She was ignored as the two reunited.

“I never thought I’d-I mean, I thought you’d be dead after all this time-” said Celestia through her happy sobs.

Flutterguy gave her a pat on the back and shut her eyes. Celestia returned the gesture by nustling her muzzle in the mane of the mare and squeezing her eyes shut.

Celestia let go of Flutterguy and took a step back. Her tears had dried and once again, she had assumed her regal posture.

“I trust that you shall serve my friends here with due respect and loyalty, as you once did for me.” she said in a gravely serious tone.

Flutterguy kneeled and her face twisted up with incredible emotion.

“I will not fail you a second time, Princess Celestia.” spoke Flutterguy in a low tone of voice.

Celestia bowed her head in respect, letting her horn touch the top of Flutterguy’s head. “In my eyes, you have failed in nothing. Mistakes happen in the heat of battle and you can be held to no fault.”

“Now rise from the ground, mighty Slayer.” she continued with thunder in her voice.

“Wait, she’s the Slayer?” gasped Twilight.

The other ponies in the room all burst out into excited chatter.

As they talked, Flutterguy stared into the shimmering rainbows of Celestia's mane and began to remember...