Twiastasia

It felt like an eternity before Celestia came to a stop. Wordlessly, she levitated the regal box off of her back.

“This is it.” Gile whispered to Anon and Fizzy. Each nodded their head.

“S-so, um-”

Anon was cut off by the box opening, and several pieces of jewelry being handed out to Twilight’s pony friends. The necklaces seemed to spontaneously attach themselves to each of the ponies’ necks. Finally, there was a crown. Twilight held it in her hooves, marveling at its beauty.

“What… is this?” Her words were slow and came out strange, her mind scrambled.

Princess Celestia turned to Twilight, looking down on her with love.

“That is your Element, Twilight. The Element of Magic. Please, place it on your head, and when the time is right-”

But she hadn’t time to finish her sentence. Every creature stood still in fear as the once silent Badlands now quaked. The ground snapped open all around, and its fury sent loose rock into the skies. Twilight lost her hold on the Element of Magic.

“HOW!? HOW HAVE YOU RETURNED!?”

The voice was unlike any the creatures had heard before. Marbled and morphed by something dark and obscure. All that was recognizable in the noise was the volcanic fury. The sound singed the ears of the creatures, and many of them fell to the ground, the earth below their hooves loose. All were now distinctly aware of the toiling chasm below them, the infinite darkness that bubbled and writhed and threatened outright to swallow them whole. Pitch black tendrils loomed high overhead, pointed sharp and jagged, spearing at seemingly nothing in their rage.

“ONCE I SEND YOU AWAY, ONLY TO RETURN!?? IT TOOK ALL I COULD TO KEEP FROM KILLING YOU BEFORE, AND I WAS PUNISHED DEARLY FOR-”

The noise crackled in pain, the coalesced miasma now split violently, sending plumes of smoke into the air. They appeared as tears in reality, showing the dark void that lie beyond. The pocked ground now shattered almost entirely in its unity, the sound of the surface world being so violently flung and torn was unlike anything the creatures had ever seen. For as far as they could see, what was once barren dirtland was now almost entirely a dark mass, leaving only scant slabs of compact dirt and stone that sailed along the inky waves. It boiled with rage.

“I CANNOT STAY MY HOOF AGAIN. I’VE LOST CONTROL. I’VE LOST ME.”

It was at this point where the entity Evir showed itself to the sunlight, however weak it shined here. A whirling ball of constant movement barreled from the large opening in the mountain, smashing through the mouth of the cave. Within the toiling sphere, Anon could just barely make out the form of a pony.

“T-there! In the middle! Evir!”

Celestia shot blinding fury from her horn, burning away chunks of writhing darkness. It seemed to be substantial damage, but the sheer scope of this enemy made the sun princesses’ attacks futile.

“I AM EXPONENTIAL.”

Those fluid spears, like liquid with no master, jabbed to Celestia with blinding speed. They would’ve hit her mark, had she not took to the skies. Countless tendrils followed her flight, and like the great hydra, striking them down only summoned more.

“Twilight’s Element!” Rarity cried from a small landmass. “P-please Twilight! Wear your Element!”

In the chaos and confusion, Twilight’s crown had fallen at her side. As the ground crumbled around her, she scurried to retrieve it.

And as the crown touched her head, her eyes became alight.

…

“W-what the FUCK Anon!? Hoooo, Boreas, take me back to Echidna, cause this shit is FUCKED UP!!” Gile had swept up Fizzy in his claws, falling to Anon’s side, who cowered with him.

“I-I have NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT IS HAPPENING!! WHAT THE FUCK DO WE DO!??”

“R-RUN!??” Fizzy offered.

“RUN WHERE?? INTO THE FUCKIN’ ABYSS??"

“I-I THINK WE WE’RE JUST SUPPOSED TO WAIT UNTIL TWILIGHT AND- OH SHIT TWILIGHT!”

Anon’s blind panic for Twilight’s safety overcame his general panic for the situation, and with shaking feet, he rushed for the edge of the crumbling land he, Gile, and Fizzy had been stranded on.

“ANON ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!? YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW AND COWER WITH US!”

“AAAAAHH I CAN’T! GOTTA BE THE HEROES WE SAID WE’D BE!”

Swallowing the fear that wracked his body, the thief closed his eyes and jumped for the nearest land. Small tendrils shot from the inky black below and coiled around his ankles. Though he stuck the landing, the coils now threatened to drag him into the miasma.

“Argh! FUCK! T-Twilight! Twilight I’m coming!”

He violently kicked at the matter which now tried desperately to build stronger foundations on his legs. They grew out in thing streaks, clamping down to cement their hold.

“FUCK! YOU! FUCK! YOU!”

This mantra gave rhythm to his attacks. He focused his kicks and, after much struggling, was able to shake free. The tendrils suddenly letting go with the force of Anon pulling against his restraints propelled his face into the dirt.

“God-damnit… Agh, I’M COMIN’ TWIII!!”

It was now that Anon noticed the ethereal glow in Twilight’s eyes. Though she was still a few jumps away, there was a stable enough path to reach her.

“Y-yoohoo! Anonymous darling! We all need to get to Twilight to do our magic! P-please help!?”

Anon screamed into his hands.

“H-HOW ARE YOU SOUNDING SO CALM!?”

The white unicorn planted her hooves into the ground.

“I am ANYTHINGBUTCALMRIGHTNOWDARLING!!”

“I- J-JUST FUCKIN’ TELEPORT!?”

“I CANNOT TELEPORT DARLING!!”

Anon screamed again.

“WHY ARE YOU STILL SAYING DARLING!?”

“IT’S A COPING TACTIC DARLING NOW HELP!”

“FUCK!” Anon spun on his heels and called for Gile. “GILE! PLEASE! IF WE WANNA GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE, WE NEED TO GET TWILIGHT’S FRIENDS ALL TOGETHER!”

“ARE YOU FUCKIN’ KIDDING ME? YOU’RE KIDDING ME.”

“CELESTIA IS FLYING RIGHT NOW! YOU CAN TOO!”

“M-MY WING STILL HURTS!”

"BULLSHIT YOU PUSSY! WE DID NOT COME THIS FAR JUST TO DIE HERE! WE ARE GONNA BE RICH AND WE ARE GONNA BE HEROES! WE CHEATED DEATH ONCE! PLEASE, LET’S SAY ‘FUCK YOU’ TO THIS WORLD ONE MORE TIME!”

Gile dragged his claws down his face, mumbled something Anon couldn’t hear, then beat his chest with wild fervor.

“AAHH BOREAS-DAMNIT ANON! FINE! LET’S DO IT AGAIN!”

With that, the griffon let out a screech and took to the sky, leaving a very distraught and very pissed Fizzy Taps alone on the dirt.

“C-COME BACK HERE YOU ASSHOLE!”

“GOTTA SAVE THE WORLD FIZZY, YOU’LL THANK ME LATER!”

Some of the larger tendrils now targeted Gile, but they were no match for his frantic speed and horrified flying. It seemed many of them would go for a lunging strike, yet, for whatever reason, they’d be held back, barely contained and bubbling with rage at their immobility.

“COMIN’ IN HOT RARITY, HOLD ONTO ME BECAUSE I WILL NOT BE HOLDING ONTO YOU!”

“W-WHAT!? DON’T YOU DARE DARLI-”

The fashionista’s voice turned from yelling to shrill screaming as Gile dive bombed her, whipping back towards the landmass Twilight stood motionless upon.

“WHAT IN TARTARUS IS UP WITH TWILIGHT??”

“I ASSUME MAGIC SHIT GILE, C’MON AND FIND THE OTHERS!”

“HOW ABOUT YOU PUT IN SOME FUCKIN’ LEGWORK ‘HERO?’ THIS SHIT IS HORRIFYING!”

“YEAH, IMAGINE NOT HAVING WINGS ONTOP OF IT ALL!”

Anon spotted Rainbowdash and Fluttershy on a mass nearby, with Rainbow collapsed.

“Oh shit oh shit oh shit…” He mumbled as he hopped from rock to rock to reach them.

“A-anon!? P-p-please help! R-rainbow won’t wake up!”

Anon wasted no time in slapping the rainbow pony across the face.

“ANON! WHY IN EQUESTRIA WOULD YOU-”

“Argh… The Tartarus happened…”

Rainbow rubbed her face with a hoof before locking eyes with Anon.

“D-did you slap me you oversized monkey!?”

Anon wordlessly pointed to the chaos around them.

“W-WHAT THE HAY HAPPENED!??”

Anon stood and addressed them both.

“BAD SHIT! NOW GO FIND THE REST OF YOUR FRIENDS AND BRING THEM TO TWILIGHT SO YOU CAN, UH, DO YOUR THING! GILE AND I ARE WORKING ON IT TOO!”

Rainbowdash didn’t need to be told twice. She took off with blinding speed. Anon was ready to start land-jumping again when Fluttershy’s voice stopped him.

“U-uhm…”

“Y-You’re still here? Get moving mare! This land won’t be here for much longer!”

“I-I can’t!”

“B-but you have wings!”

Fluttershy just shook her head wildly, her sobs picking up in intensity once again.

“I-I c-can’t do it on my o-own! T-this is a-all t-too much!”

Anon muttered a curse and took a knee, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking the pegasus in the eyes.

“Listen to me Fluttershy. Yes. You. Can. I really only know your name. I don’t know who you are, and I know you’re, well, shy. But your- no, our friends are out there, and they need our help. They need your help. We need the rest of the Elements up there with Twilight, or none of us are making it out of this alive. Do it for them, and do it for you.”

After a few seconds, Fluttershy regained a semblance of composure, and though tears still streamed down her face, she nodded her head.

“I’ve seen the windowpane with the little yellow pegasus who sealed away that chaos creature. I want to see what she can do in person.”

“... O-okay Anon. I-I’ll show you just how brave that little pegasus can be.”

With that, Fluttershy took to the sky as well, searching for the two earth ponies remaining. Anon diverted his course now, heading back towards Fizzy. The tendrils that would shoot from the abyss below were little trouble for him now, and soon enough the sobbing mare was in his arms.

“Equestria’s a fuckin’ paradise huh?!”

“S-SAVE THE JOKES FOR AFTER WE’RE SAFE ALIEN!”

“ ‘Ohh Anon thank you so much for saving my life, you’re so big and strong-’ “

“S-SHUT UP! TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!”

After a few jumps, he was back on the central land mass with Twilight.

“Gotta laugh through chaos Fizzy, I’m hangin’ on by a fucking thread over here!”

A few moments later, Gile flew in with Applejack. Rainbowdash was with Fluttershy, bringing in the last pony needed: Pinkie Pie. Celestia still cut lines through the skies, deftly dodging the dark tendrils as she rained shining fire down onto any that got too close. Anon became acutely aware of the edges of their platform being eaten away by the miasma.

“Alright, everyone here!? T-this is the time to do the thing, s-so hurry up and do it!”

The ponies were all crowded around Twilight, their gazes ranging from concerned to horrified.

“S-she’s in some sorta stupor! We gotta snap ‘er outta it!”

“You mean the glowing eye shit isn’t part of the spell!?”

“T-that part usually comes right after the spell is cast!”

Gile shook Pinkie Pie in fear. “WELL WHAT COMES BEFORE THAT? START THE THING BEFORE THOSE TENTACLES START COMING AFTER US!”

“We think about each other and our friendship!”

“... SERIOUSLY?”

Anon and Fizzy pushed Gile out of the way.

“DO IT DO IT DO IT!” They said in tandem.

Evir let out another unworldly groan, the entire world seeming to shift and spin.

“I MUST.”

The abyss, the tendrils, everything that was Evir seemed to stop it’s rabid frenzy.

“I MUST.”

The mass seemed to shift its focus onto Twilight and her friend’s final landmass, their collective sights now all locked on. Celestia’s face was flushed in panic.

“I MUST.”

It all descended onto them. Every tendril, every speck, ever single iota of Evir and his darkness flung itself towards Twilight. Thousands of tiny slivers of the smoky matter grew and climbed up the dirt and onto their bodies at an unimaginable speed as the land mass sunk into the swarming darkness.

“I MUST.”

And a rainbow exploded.