Chapters Enemy of Harmony (EOH)
It was a normal day in Ponyville. Or so you would think. Deep in the shadows of Everfree Forest, a dark shadow awaited the destruction of Equestria. His name: Loremane.
Meanwhile:
Rarity prepared her finest piece yet; a long flowing gown for The Princess herself! Rarity knew it had to be perfect. She worked many long days and nights, and it was finally finished. Twilight Sparkle had shown up to enchant the dress just a little so the long train would float behind the Princess.
"So, Rarity," Twilight smiled, "how much sleep have you gotten?"
"Sleep? I forgot about sleep!" Rarity's eyes widened.
"You know what," Twilight grinned, "why don't you get some sleep?"
Rarity yawned. "Yeah, I'll get my much needed beauty rest."
Twilight left, and headed for Pinkie's place. But, as soon as the door closed, Rarity screamed into a dark hoof that covered her mouth from behind. There was a quick, black flash, and Rarity was gone.
Pinkie Pie was working on making another party, this time for Applejack, to celebrate her healing from Pony Pox. The door to Sugarcube Corner dinged as Twilight walked in. "Who's this party for?" Twilight asked. Pinkie gasped. "You haven't heard?"
"Haven't heard what?"
"Applejack's all better!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I'm celebrating her getting all healed up!"
Twilight smiled. "Well, you keep doing that, and I'll go talk to Applejack and see how her recovery went."
Pinkie shrieked in her high-pitched voice as Twilight left, "DON'T SAY A THING!"
"Don't worry, I won't."
When Pinkie was kneading the Apple bread dough, somepony behind her knocked her lights out. Another black flash, and she disappeared.
Twilight came up the road to Sweet Apple Acres, the hot sun beating down on her coat.
"Hey, Applejack! Need a hoof?" she called.
"Nah, Ah got it!" Applejack called back, pushing an apple basket into the cart next to her. Twilight wiped the sweat from her mane and smiled.
"Are you sure you don't need help?" Twilight looked out over the orchard.
"Ah said, Ah'm fine, Twilight." Applejack said impatiently.
"Okay, but wouldn't it be faster if I helped you buck trees?" Twilight was concerned for Applejack's welfare. The last time she worked this hard, she exhausted herself.
"Ah said, Ah don' need help!" Applejack shouted. Her face softened when she Twilight's frightened expression. "Oh, shoot, sugarcube, Ah didn't mean ta scare ya. You okay, Twiligh'?"
"Yeah, I guess. You're extra cranky today, aren't you?" Twilight cocked an eyebrow concerningly.
"Yeah, Ah guess Ah have been, haven't Ah? Ah really didn't mean ta snap at ya like Ah did. Ah'm really sorry."
Twilight smiled and replied, "It's okay. You need to take a break; Your knees are wobbling! Why don't you take a seat and rest for a while?"
Applejack nodded tiredly, and mumbled, "Ah suppose you're right, Twiligh'." Applejack hobbled inside the barn to lay on some straw and take a nap.
That never happened, however, as a hooded figure stepped out of the barn's dark corner. "Applejack," the figure rumbled in it's demonic voice.
"Now who the hay are you? And what are you doin' in mah barn?" Applejack yelled.
"Why," the figure rumbled, the cloak shifting.
"I've come to capture you."
The cloak fell, and in it's place was a grey version of Big Mac, his eyes glowing red, and a bloodied horn jutting out from under his ragged black mane.
"Alright, you asked for it, varmint!" Applejack growled, galloping to destroy her target. But in a quick, clean movement, the figure kicked Applejack back, and she laid unconcious on the barn floor. "No one is here to help you now, Applejack." the dark creature rumbled. And with yet another black flash, Applejack was gone.
Fluttershy was feeding Angel when Twilight walked in, startling her. "O-oh! Twilight!" Fluttershy stammered, trying not to scream.
"Sorry if I scared you, Fluttershy, but I have a favor to ask of you." Twilight smiled.
"Oh, um, okay? What is it?" Fluttershy relaxed.
"Well," Twilight began, "I need help finding Rainbow Dash. I can't exactly fly to find her, and wherever she's napping this time, she's hiding really well. Would you be willing to help me find her?"
Fluttershy shook her head.
"Why not?" Twilight queried.
"I still have all my animals to feed, and it'll take me a while. I'm sorry, Twilight, I really am." Fluttershy replied softly.
"It's okay, I think I just figured out a way to get her." Twilight grinned mischievously.
"Bye, Twilight." Fluttershy waved as her friend exited her house.
"Bye, Fluttershy." Twilight called back. But, as soon as the door shut, as always, there was a muffled, shrill screech and a flash of black light, and Fluttershy disappeared.
Rainbow Dash was sleeping on a cloud when it burst and she plummeted toward the ground. Twilight watched eagerly as she fell, knowing she'd stop herself before she hit the ground. But, Twilight watched as a flying black shadow flew by and swallowed Rainbow, making her disappear. "What? No!" Twilight screamed. She, too, was overcome with the same shadow, and she was suddenly nowhere to be seen.
All six of the ponies were huddling a few minutes later, either shocked, scared, or enraged.
Fluttershy sobbed. "I'm scared, I'm so scared!"
Pinkie began to sing a little tune to cheer everyone up, but with every note, her hair grew flatter and flatter, a sign she was becoming sad.
Twilight wasn't paying attention to the others, however. She was looking out the only glass wall that stood between them and the metal room.
Inside were corpses of ponies of all kinds, pegasi and unicorns. It was reported that there were ponies going missing almost every day. Now she knew where they were going. Bloodied horns and wings of all colours lined the far wall, and in the center of it all, was a metal table, with dried blood stains littering its glistening luster.
Rarity bawled, and Applejack tried her best to calm her, while Rainbow Dash was ramming against the glass wall trying to escape. No one, however, was going to escape their impending doom.
Rainbow Dash suddenly stopped ramming the wall, and a black magic aura surrounded her figure. Her eyes widened as she teleported on top of the table in the next room. Fluttershy screamed in terror as she watched her friend's wings get plucked off, feather by feather. "St-stay strong, Fluttershy! D-do it for me!" Rainbow screamed in agony as her eyes were violently ripped from their sockets.
"No! Rainbow!" Fluttershy screamed. She sank into a deep depression that not even the now saddened Pinkie Pie could pull her out of. She slammed her head against the white wall behind her over and over, bawling, "Why her!? Why did they take her!?" Fluttershy's screams ended abruptly and she began to whimper. She had cracked her skull open.
She turned to Twilight. Tears and blood mixed and streamed out of her eyes. She took a few small steps, and whimpered, "I'm so so sorry, Twilight..." Her face grew pale, and her eyes became lifeless. She fell to the floor with a wet thud, her blood spattering on the remaining ponies.
3 days later...
It had been several days since Applejack had eaten, a result of working the farm double time to make up for the lost time when she was sick with Pony Pox. "Pinkie?" she asked.
"Yes, AJ?" Pinkie sat down from her forehoofstand.
"Do you happen to have any food?" Pinkie's mane fluffed up. "My goodness, I forgot to get food for your Congratulatory Party! No, I'm sorry, AJ, I don't have any food for you. Now, if we were in Ponyville, I have food stashed everywhere!"
Applejack turned to Twilight. "I'm sorry, Applejack, but my magic doesn't work when I'm stressed."
"Well, could you at least try?" Applejack groaned weakly. Twilight nodded her head reluctantly, and tried to summon some food... but to no avail. Sparks flew from the tip of her horn, but there was no summoning. Twilight shook her head slowly and sadly, and Rarity began to go slowly insane.
Applejack sank to the floor as she felt her stomach burst, her gastric juices splashing her insides. Her world began to go black, and she said her final words: "I'm going to see my parents. I won't... be... coming... back..." And with that, she coughed up some blood and laid still.
Rarity was next to go, because she hadn't slept or eaten while working on Celestia's dress, trying to make it perfect. "I'm so hungry..." she groaned, licking her lips while staring at Applejack's corpse. Twilight saw this and shouted, "Rarity! No! You must get a hold on yourself!"
But it was too late. Rarity was ravenously feeding on Applejack. Then, she began to suffocate. She was choking on a bone chip that came loose from Applejack's ribcage. "No, no, no!" Twilight screeched. She tried to do the Heimlich on her, but it was too late. The bone had sliced open her lungs and was bleeding internally. Rarity coughed up blood as she slowly and painfully died in Twilight's hooves.
Pinkie and Twilight were the only two left. They had seen all their friends die so far, and couldn't afford to lose each other. "Twilight?" Pinkie asked, groaning. Twilight whipped around to see a knife embedded in Pinkie's neon coat. "No, no, no, no! Not you too!" Twilight cried. Pinkie shushed her sobbing friend, and demanded she do something for her: "When I'm gone, keep smiling. I don't want you to be sad. Ever! Never stop smiling." Pinkie's lungs failed, and Twilight was now covered in Pinkie's, Rarity's, Applejack's, and Fluttershy's blood and guts. "Don't worry, Pinkie..." Twilight sobbed, "I will never... stop... smiling."
The Resurrections and Recollection
It was this small act that triggered Loremane's soft side. But he quickly brushed it aside, and proceeded to teleport Twilight onto the slaughtertable. He showed himself for his final deed. A dark flowing robe ran over his black coat of fur, and multiple severed horns were embedded in his flesh. He was going to cut off Twilight's horn... personally.
Twilight's sobs became roars of anger and rage. "You're a monster! I've witnessed you destroy my friends' sanity and lives! I will not let you destroy mine."
A familiar voice began to speak. "I'm afraid you have no choice, Twilight. I have destroyed countless lives and collected many a horn and wing. Yours, however," a gleaming row of teeth smiled from beneath the hood, "will replace my broken one." Loremane removed his hood to show... "Shining Armor!?" Twilight cried.
"No, just his form. I can shape shift." He grinned. "Now, shut up so I can cut off your horn!"
Twilight was enveloped in a black aura and she was pinned to the table. A large saw began to cut at her horn and blood spurted out into her eyes. Her entire life flashed before her. Fluttershy's kindness, Rainbow Dash's loyalty to her and her friends, and her friends' caring natures toward protecting her. The journey to find the Elements popped into her slowly fading mind.
Then... she remembered something Applejack said no more than five minutes ago: "I won't be coming back. " And Twilight thought to herself, "Yes... She... Will...!" And with that, magic flowed through her like a broken dam.
Loremane felt his soul slip away into non-existence as the glass wall separating the two rooms shattered. "No! NO!" he cried in anger and despair.
Twilight's magic was so strong, her friends' and the other corpses' souls were reunited with their bodies, and all injuries and broken bones were fixed and healed. The knife in Pinkie's chest pulled itself out. Twilight passed out on top of Rainbow Dash, who finished her agonizing scream and shouted, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy!" Then she realized she was back to normal, and blushed. "Oops."
Rarity found herself on her back, and jumped up and ran to keep chowing down on Applejack. "Rarity! Stop!" Applejack shouted.
Rarity paused, and said, "Whatever happened to me? I've never had a cannibalistic nature before! And I vow to never do such again!"
Fluttershy stood, shook her head and wings to get the shards of glass off, and saw Rainbow Dash. She smiled the biggest, happiest grin and flew to hug her friend. "Rainbow! Do you know what happened?"
When she sat up, Pinkie's eyes went wide, and her hair drooped. Applejack saw this and ran to her side. "What's wrong, sugarcube?" Pinkie turned to Applejack.
"I saw it all. Every single one of you... dead."
Rarity stiffened. "Did you say," she gulped, "dead?" Pinkie nodded. Rainbow let go of Fluttershy, and flew to Pinkie's side.
"I'm sorry, Pinkie, but I need you to tell us all what happened." And so, Pinkie took a shaky breath, and began the recollection of the events.
"Rainbow's wings were ripped off and eyes torn out." Rainbow's eyes widened. "Fluttershy screamed when Rainbow died and slammed your head against the wall until your skull cracked."
Fluttershy recalled the event and turned red as Rainbow turned to her and scolded, "I told you to be strong for me!"
Fluttershy responded meekly, saying, "You would have done the same if you watched me die."
Rainbow bowed her head and said, "Fair enough. Continue, Pinkie."
Pinkie started taking small, sad hops and continued, "Applejack, you starved; Rarity, you began to eat Applejack crazily and bled to death internally from a rib bone chip; And I," Pinkie sobbed, "I was stabbed with a knife. The one sitting next to Rarity, over there." She pointed in Rarity's direction as she hopped over Applejack's side, curled up, and cried.
"Honey, that took a lot of courage, and I'm proud of you, but I can see how you were so scared." Applejack petted Pinkie's hair and soothed her. Rarity took it all in, and slumped, looking at the knife that sat beside her in absolute horror.
Rainbow hugged Fluttershy in an attempt to calm herself, to which Fluttershy responded by hugging her back and petting her mane, whispering, "It's okay, it's all okay now."
When Twilight awoke, Rarity ran over to her and hugged her tightly. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" Applejack had calmed Pinkie down enough and fluffed up her hair that they could all go and comfort their friend. Twilight shivered with trauma at the remembrance of the incident. Pinkie grimaced, "I shared everyone's story, but we don't know what happened to you. What DID happen?"
"Well," Twilight started, tears beginning to decorate her tired eyes, "after Pinkie got stabbed, I was teleported onto the table and the stallion who killed you all came out and showed himself. But," Twilight gasped, "he wore my brother's face. He was a shapeshifter. He began to saw my horn off and I remembered everything you guys had done for me, and magic took over. I can't remember what happened..." Twilight wailed in despair at the trauma.
Rarity smiled and pulled Twilight closer. "It's okay now, sweetie. We're all okay, thanks to your magic outburst." Applejack smiled softly and said, "Alright, sugarcube, let's get out of here."
"Wait," Fluttershy called, "come here, I found a sign."
Twilight stood, and walked toward her. The other four followed. "Loremane's Lab," Twilight read aloud.
"So that's what his name was." Applejack growled.
"C'mon, let's get all of these other ponies out of here before we have any trouble." Rainbow said.
"Agreed." Rarity affirmed.
"But," Twilight said, "do any of you want to remember this?" Fluttershy was the first, and only one, to speak. "I think I'm speaking for everyone when I say..." She looked around, feeling everypony's eyes on her, and for once, she was not afraid. "...yes." The other four and everypony else nodded.
"All right, let's get us home." Rarity said. And with a flash of Twilight's horn and a blinding light, they teleported back to Ponyville. Back home. Back... to safety.
Two days later...
"Twilight!" Spike called.
"What now, Spike?" Twilight groaned. "What could possibly be more important than recording my experience OF A TRAUMATIC EVENT? First you wanted a cookie, and then you needed-"
"The princess is here! And she wants you and your friends to meet her at Sweet Apple Acres!" Twilight slammed her journal shut, and quickly rushed to Applejack's farm and found her friends. All of which... were alicorns!
"Celestia, what are you doing?" Twilight had tears of joy beginning to run down her cheeks.
"You and your friends all lent their energy to destroying that demon. They were the ones who gave you that energy outburst; I felt it. Never in a thousand years have I ever experienced such raw, true power in harmony. Not since the Pillars."
"The Pillars?" Twilight was puzzled. "Who are the Pillars?"
"That doesn't matter now, I'll explain later." Celestia exasperated. "Now, can I get on with my glorious speech?"
Twilight grinned half-heartedly, tears now flowing down her cheeks freely. "Alright, alright."
"From this point forward, I have chosen you all to become immortal among Luna and myself." Celestia smiled as her horn glowed and wings grew on Twilight's back. "Now," Celestia smiled, "the spirit of friendship will live forevermore."
Author's Note
Thanks for reading! This story was inspired by the line that Pinkie Pie dies with, and I expanded on this multiple times. This was the finished result. Plus, I was a little high on what the doctors called Contrast, as I had gone in for an MRI the night before I wrote this, and I was new to the fandom. I wanted to see how well I could kill certain characters. (As of Nov. 13, 2020, I have updated and made this story a little better.) Not my best work, to be sure. Check out D.E.R.P.Y.H.O.O.V.E.S. for a better, more complete, fleshed out story.
Also, sorry for the short epilogue, everything that was split up into chapters used to be one big mass of text.
