It was only minutes before sunrise.
On any typical day out in the realm of Equestria, this probably would mean a few things. Somepony early to get in line for Apple Cider Season, or maybe just a rooster waiting for the right moment to signal a call for the morning. Still, many a pony and even most creatures in general were either about to fall asleep or still fast asleep from a full night in their beds in many places all over Equestria, as this time was the most calm. Quiet. And above all else, peaceful.
Yet, this wasn't the case for everywhere in the world. In fact, in the polished city of the mountainside of Canterlot, there was actually a lot of commotion going on for that upcoming dawn. While many wouldn't be up and about until the sun would come up, many aristocrats of the kingdom were keeping themselves awake for a particular event that they've spent ALL DAY yesterday setting up for. Flags and banners spread around between the polished buildings colored either a dark purple or brighter orange, some poles in town having a combined flag of an almost "yin and yang" when it came to light and dark colors, and there was other examples like this all throughout Canterlot.
Amongst these decorations and preparations though, the main focus for the residence was by the balcony of the city, settled on the edge of it looking beyond the lands that lay before it. This spot would normally be ignored by many, but this dawn it was the center of attention by all who were present. Two objects stood proudly to match their place in the sky: one a bright sun, and one a silver crescent moon, both standing side by side like the rulers that had control over each. Once upon a time, this probably wouldn't be so but after many moons of change, things had developed into a much better meaning for this day in turn.
As many were waiting for the big event, others amongst the royal guard were lined up in unison, each guard formed either with the silver coats for the sun or the grey goats for the moon, but all of them joined at once to blow their respected welcoming trumpets for the rulers to come in from the air beyond the banners. Two Ponies rested their hooves down in front of their respected element: one pony with a almost shining white coat with a rainbow flowing behind her from her mane and tail, whereas the other was calmer, dark blue with the very stars of the night flowing within her trail. The two kept their wings spread good and wide as they addressed their subjects, every pony at attention and all ears for what they have to say.
"Welcome, everypony," called upon the taller one, her voice as bold as it was gentle, and loud as it was calm on the ears of everybody who listened to her. "Welcome all to the Summer Sun Celebration. My sister and I know how much every one of you have done to make this possible, and for that, we both thank all of you. As this celebration is given not just for the return of my dear sister ... but the day that one more has stepped forward to take place along our throne!"
They all knew much well what she was referring to, and all Ponies made sure their applause was heard loud and clear as a third, much younger royal brought herself up onto the platform from behind them, her hooves settling as well as she could in between the royals, her coat almost seemingly mixing the dark and light coats of the two sisters in her lavender fur and dark purple smoothed mane, her own wings spread out alongside the two. Some Ponies cheered more loudly than others, some which this lavender Alicorn knew well from miles away. She took a deep inhale before she addressed the Ponies in front.
"Remember the speech. Remember the speech," she thought to herself, just before her muzzle started speaking.
"Everypony, these last three years had been the most revolutionary Equestria has ever seen. And in just half a year we've not only made it pass the Windigo invasion onto Equestria, but brought together our friendship with not just ourselves but races outside too. As the Princess of Friendship, let's make sure Equestria's friendship with the world shines brighter than it's ever had before!"
Typically there would be an applaud right after that, but there was a bit of silence that went over the crowd, but not because none of them appreciated the speech. Instead, they were silenced because the Princesses were ready to continue the celebration with their display: the first two Alicorns took to the air, their horns glowing a soft hue of their own magical essence. The shorter one had her wings and hooves raised high up, bringing them down slow, whereas the larger one did the opposite and had both wings and hooves low and bringing them up high. All in coordinate to the moon and the sun overhead right behind them. The third one flew off a ways out of sight, but if this was anything like the lat two then everypony knew what was coming next.
Ever so slowly, the orb of the night began to move downwards in a steady pace matching both wing and hoof movements almost as if the Alicorn was holding it in her grasp. The color of the sky turned from dark to a shade of purple slowly as the sun began to rise up from the distance. A spectacle to behold for anypony watching the event and having a front row seat, but there was one more special event that accompanied this celebration.
And that came the very second the moon and sun aligned with eachother.
*BOOM!*
In a loud echo of her own magic, the third Alicorn rushed in from out of nowhere, and released a almighty powerful, magical version of the sonic rainboom in its wake. A huge light of purple magic exploded in her wake, leaving behind a very symbol of her own Cutie Mark stretching across so wide it could engulf all of Canterlot. NOW came the applause she was waiting for rang out across Canterlot as everypony cheered for the event. Another year with another glorious send off as the sun was lifted high up into the sky for another day in Equestria.
"WOO! GO TWILIGHT!" shouted a voice from the crowd.
"Well done out there! So stunning!" shouted another.
Other praises by many a pony were passed around as all three Princesses then flew off into the sky. They'll happily join the group down below later, but for now the Alicorns flew off towards the palace to get themselves settled some more. They have all day to do the fun stuff anyway now that day's actually come. All three Alicorns went right into the Canterlot castle, and while the first two settled down all calm and collected, the third one ... well ...
"OOOHOHOHO!" Twilight sighed, ALL of that stress finally coming out, "Nothing went wrong, nothing messed up, everything went EXACTLY how it should! Thank Celestia!"
Twilight actually fell onto her stomach in relief that nothing went wrong this time. The two Alicorns looked back and helped Twilight back up onto her hooves.
"Twilight, we did promise nothing bad would happen this time, and that's exactly what happened today," Celestia reminded.
"I know, it just ... hasn't had the best record," Twilight reminded sheepishly, which ... would be weird if not true. from Nightmare Moon's return to the Plunder Vines Discord left so many moons ago, the Summer Sun Celebration always seemed to go wrong one way or another, at least before the big event they pulled off.
"Which is why we've made absolutely sure this time that our defenses are at their best," Luna proposed, walking over towards the castle windows outside.
Twilight took a look outside with her, and saw that not only were there plenty of residents out there, but a good amount of royal guard as well aligning the city, spears at the ready and eyes taking a look around for ANYTHING even remotely suspicious. Twilight saw all this going on and took a minute to bring her hoof up to her chest in one breath, and bring it out at the other.
"O-Ok, maybe I'm being a little too worried," Twilight admitted, only to make both Alicorns by her chuckle to her.
"We understand your concerns, Twilight, but you also know that with as many threats that arrive in Equestria, there had been just as many victories too. I don't think there's anypony else who deserves this than you," Celestia said, taking a small moment to look over to her younger sister. An Alicorn once banished off to the moon now standing by her side all over again.
Twilight took another breath. "... Yeah, you're right. It's a party, not a military base. Thanks."
"Think nothing of it, Twilight. In fact, isn't there somepony that's supposed to meet up with you after the main event?" Celestia reminded. The smile that came up on Celestia's muzzle though told Twilight that she already knew what was what, even if the Alicorn still ended up jumping into the air, already flying.
"That's right, Cadance is supposed to be with us this year! Thanks again Celestia, Luna, but I have to go," Twilight said, and surprisingly before Celestia and Luna could say anything else, the young Alicorn raced off and took flight right out of the Canterlot castle window. Her sister-in-law can't keep waiting same as the princesses themselves can't wait (even if they all understood). Celestia and Luna looked to one another before chuckling.
"Sister, you know Cadance doesn't arrive for another half an hour," Luna reminded with a smirk across her face. Celestia chuckled.
"I know, but she won't go off on her own without our say anyway. Besides, dear sister," and Celestia said this while looking out to the celebration of a new day in Equestria, "This is a new year for all of us. We all should enjoy it at it's best."
On that remark Luna actually nudged her older sister, "That means you'll be first in line for the celebration cake?"
Celestia froze.
"W-Well, now, let's not be too hasty," Celestia quickly said dismissively. However, Luna simply looked to her older sister with one of those knowing smirks across her muzzle. ...
"... Did they make it yet?"
"I had the chef's reserve a slice for you," Luna remarked. Celestia actually gave her sister a hug.
"You've grown so much," Celestia said. Luna just decided to roll with it. Even after thousands of years, her older sister still had a sweet tooth. Speaking of reservations, by the time the two were done with this little moment, the doors to the throne room swung open as the royal messenger pony trotted in with a pair of guards accompanying her. In her muzzle was what looked like a scroll of sorts, wrapped up tight and everything.
"Your majesty, this is for you," the messenger pony said, bowing her head as Celestia levitated the scroll from her.
"Oh, thank you. I'll take care of this, you go and enjoy the celebration," Celestia said, as she began to open up the scroll to see what the information was. Luna nodded to her, and with the words of reassurance, she joined the guards and messenger in walking out of the throne room. Celestia will join them later on for sure, she only had to check this scroll first ...
.......
Back outside, Twilight flew right back to the festivities below her. With her main duties finished up for the festival, the Alicorn had the opportunity to finally relax with her friends. As soon as she can find her, which at this point shouldn't be that hard.
It only took the Alicorn a few more flaps of the wings before she looked down and began to recognize a couple of ponies down there waiting for her. One silver-furred Unicorn, alongside a pair of Pegesi; one a humbled yellow and the other a vibrant sky blue, and a pair of Earth Ponies; one casual yet stern orange and the other one party-colored and one of the Ponies that shouted Twilight's way earlier. Twilight's circle of friends thick and thin, ever since she moved to Ponyville what felt like too long ago. She could tell Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack from a mile away.
"There she is. Twilight, come on down here!" Applejack called, inviting their princess down to them. Alicorn Twilight Sparkle landed right by the group with a smile across her muzzle.
"Darling, you simply looked magnificent out there," Rarity complimented as Twilight took a seat by them all.
"Thanks, girls. I'm just glad it all went well this time. No surprise villains, no major threats, just a casual Summer Sun Celebration," Twilight replied in relief.
"I think you're the only pony who calls the "Summer Sun Celebration" casual," chuckled Applejack, though honestly they can't blame her for thinking that. Who knew her struggles better than her friends anyway?
"Yeah! What other day can we see the sun AND the moon together in the sky without the world exploding?" Pinkie added.
A bit weird, but they got the point.
But, for how much they've gone through, they are the Elements of Harmony after all. The world decided they were the savior of the world, which means fate had different plans ...
"Girls. The sky's changing! ..." Fluttershy gasped.
The entire celebration slowly began to stop. All Ponies that were once chatting away just moments ago now stopped in pause as they moved their gaze up to the sky. The skies above were changing on them all, and not in a way that even the princesses themselves were seemingly expecting. High up in the sky, they were seeing the sun AND the moon begin to shift all on their own, the bright orb moving downwards from its spot high in the sky without any control of anypony else, whereas the moon was suddenly being lifted up from the ground below into the sky.
Neither of them stopped moving until they both were lined up perfectly beside eachother right there in the sky. On one side with the sun the sky was very bright and light blue, whereas the moon side was a calm purple with stars still up with the moon. Dawn was split right in the middle, where Canterlot stood. They've only seen this once before, but it was unmistakable.
"Is that the sun AND the moon?" asked one Pony
"Why're they both up?" wondered another.
But a third pony nailed the major problem right on the head.
"What're Celestia and Luna doing?"
"Celestia? ... Oh no, the princesses!" Twilight gasped.
Almost before any of them could realize it, Twilight had already suddenly teleported away. The rest of the Ponies were almost blown back by the force of this teleport, but none of them were going to question what was going on here if they still remembered LAST TIME this happened.
~~~~~~
"CELESTIA! LUNA! WHERE'RE YOU?!"
No answer was given to Twilight's calls as she scrambled around all over the palace walls for any signs of the sun and moon Alicorns. Even at full flight, with teleportation to boot, the speed wasn't enough for her to locate where they could've gone to. Since the sun and moon rose up themselves, everypony in the palace was quick to go on edge, and looked all over the palace walls for any signs, only to not have much luck. Every royal guard and every servant within the walls searched from the top floors to the bottom floors, but no matter where they looked clues were hard to come by.
The rest of the Elements of Harmony were looking wherever they could too: Rainbow Dash doing her recon outside of the city, Rarity and Fluttershy looking along the personal chambers of the castle, Twilight and Applejack looking around the main areas, and Pinkie ... doing who knows what.
About an hour went by, though it was hard to tell since time basically stopped, before everypony returned to the final place where they saw either one of the princesses at. Twilight was left pacing back and forth like a paranoid mare as her friends came right back to her.
"PLEASE tell me you found something," Twilight said. Unfortunately the looks on their faces confirmed the bad news for everypony involved.
"I flew from one end of Canterlot to the other, and I got nothing to show for it," groaned Rainbow Dash.
"The castle didn't turn up anything either. It's as if the two just up and disappeared," admitted Applejack. That did NOT make the Alicorn feel better by a long shot.
"I knew it, I KNEW something would happen to them today, WHY didn't I take it more seriously?! Celestia and Luna are gone again from right under our noses, and nopony knows how!" Twilight recapped in worry. Twilight sat down and started nibbling away at her front hoofnails as she thought of the worst case scenario yet again as the others began heading over towards her.
"Twilight, there there, now's not the time to start Twilight-ing again. We'll find them, I can guarantee it," Rarity reassured her, though Twilight could've gone without the new verb everypony was using.
"Grr, I know, I'm just so frustrated! How many times has this happened before and it STILL happens," Twilight admitted.
"Eh, you're right there, but hey we always got them back: Nightmare Moon, Discord - oh wait, that doesn't count. OH, Chrysalis does, and Tirek, and Chrysalis again, and the Storm King -"
"I think we all get the point Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said, getting the pink mare to stop before she could monologue the next hour away. Still, it did help Twilight calm down somewhat, but the major problem still left the princess of Equestria on edge.
"Ok, ok. But what's the danger this time? Didn't ANYPONY see anything come in and take them away?" Twilight asked.
*knock**knock**knock*
Everypony in the throne room stopped what they were thinking and turned right over towards the front door. What they found standing there wasn't a royal guard, servant, or even any familiar face of Canterlot Castle. In fact, this Pony had its face covered up in a fairly large cloak, dragging down behind it and leaving only the mouth exposed. It just stood there, everypony seeing her plain as day. And ...
"Hello creepy pony standing in the corner of the room," said Pinkie Pie, "We're in the middle of a big investigation, so can your evil plans wait for just a few minutes?"
The pony didn't respond, and instead walked forward a few steps.
"Alright, who're you?! And what have you done to the princesses?!" Twilight demanded. Her voice made the pony stop, aiming the snout to the Alicorn.
... Thou possess the Alicorns' wings. Art thou also an Alicorn? ...
All the Ponies felt a shiver run down their backs (Pinkie literally shaking). That voice didn't sound like a mare OR a stallion, but sort of a mix between the two. Two voices talking at once.
"Y-Yes? That's not exactly a secret, now answer the question please!"
... I am only one of many. Together. We are Dormin. ...
"Dormin?! NO, not Dormin! ... Question?"
The pony actually chuckled. Thou wouldn't know of us. We're not one with this world ...
"Well whatever you are, or wherever you're from, you better cough up the Princesses or we'll just get them from ya!" Rainbow Dash warned, hooves up and at the ready. They've been around this rodeo enough times to know the signs of any evil-doer.
How does thou know it would be us? ...
"It's kinda obvious. A Creepy pony standin in a cloak showin up right after the princesses go missin? It's doesn't take much to figure that out, sorry," Applejack said.
"True, dear, it isn't exactly the smartest move," agreed Rarity.
But this was when Dormin threw a curve ball, and actually nodded in agreement before smiling.
... Is it? After all, we wanted thou to know. ...
"You ... wanted us to know it was you?" Fluttershy asked, confused. Dormin nodded slowly and raised their head slow, just high enough to see a pair of very pale white eyes from the darkness of the cloak. And they didn't even look like eyes if not two glowing dots. Fluttershy cowered behind her friends seeing that gaze.
"Well you've done it, so why don't you just give em back before things get worse?" Applejack asked. Dormin shook their head.
We would ... but we can't. Not yet. We have grown so weak over countless moons, our powers just ... aren't strong enough.
NONE of them liked that news.
"WHAT?! Ok, THAT'S IT, PUT EM UP!" Rainbow suddenly flew head long right for Dormin at full speed. For Dormin, they didn't need to use any magic or enhancements to deal with this Pegasus, and probably knew what would happen next because they didn't move as Twilight just narrowly got hold of Rainbow's tail before she could clobber them.
"Rainbow, don't, that won't help anypony!"
"WHY NOT?! Clearly she's lying! E-Er, he? Whatever," Rainbow Dash said, forcing her to let go of her tail.
"Obviously, but beating her up won't get them back either!" Twilight retorted.
The scroll.
The ponies stopped and looked to the figure again, this time seeing Dormin walking right towards them, and towards the thrones.
"Eh, come again?" Twilight asked. Not even afraid of the Elements, Dormin moved right passed them, and only stopped once they stood right by the throne, in particular where Celestia was standing. All they did was lower their head, and picked up the same scroll Celestia had.
Your ruler of thou's sun read this scroll. Which created the rift between thou's world, and ours. A simple trap, as it is successful. ... Though, we don't have the power to reverse it. ... For now.
"What do you mean "for now"?" questioned Applejack.
The smile that appeared on Dormin's muzzle was enough to make them suddenly see the writing on the wall.
"We're not helping you get stronger, Dormin. We'll get them back WITHOUT a deal from you."
... Even at thou's cost of the moon and sun? questioned Dormin. Before anypony could just jump them, they raised a long hoof towards the windows outside, reminding them all of the threat the two orbs would bring.
The more time's spent on what it takes, the longer your world will be at risk. ... This is thou's swiftest way of bringing your keepers back. ... That is, of course, if thou manage to accomplish what we askith.
OOF. Blackmail was never a good thing, and circumstances really seemed to push them into going with Dormin's deal.
"Do we have to?" asked an unamused Rainbow Dash.
"I don't think we got a choice. Besides, none of us know where that Dormin put the princesses," Applejack reminded. They glanced back towards Dormin, who was standing there patiently for an answer.
"So? Make him say it. Er her. Is that pony a mare or a stallion?"
Thou's princesses are safe. In the ends of the world they're kept secret. ... And it is there thou art to aid us in our favor. explained Dormin.
They weren't sure either to find that extremely dumb or extremely confident of Dormin, yet that still hardly helped them out. Looking back outside again at the sun and moon, Twilight began to imagine how horrifying it'll be if they don't fix this as soon as possible, and if Dormin has the method quickest to do so ...
"Ok, Dormin. What do you want?" Twilight finally asked, reluctantly.
Dormin didn't answer at first, but instead they moved out towards the center of the throne room. Everypony readied for whatever Dormin had up their cloak, but they had to keep themselves down somewhat. As for Dormin, they remain still at the center of the room, as a darkened mist began to emit from their cloak, and moved out along the floor.
It started off slow, crawling speed, but at another moment they went at lightning speed over each and every single window and corner they could reach, making the Mane Six scatter to avoid some of the darkness stretching around the place. This was a more controlled spread though as the mist kept in specific lines and shapes, as the blackened fog started to morph into what looked like figures along the wall side.
They also slammed the doors to the throne room shut just as the guards were finding out what was going on in there. You know, so they won't get interrupted.
Behold the idols along the walls. Dormin explained. Our world is built with these idols. Thou's goal is to destroy all of them for us.
"... And ... that's it?" asked Twilight. Naturally Dormin shook their head.
No. Those idols can not be destroyed by strength of one mere mortal. Look closer.
So they do, each pony looking at each of the idols Dormin's remaining power was showing. However, even with that they still turned to Dormin with confusion.
"Still not quite following," Rarity admitted.
There're monsters. Colossi. That plague our kingdom. It used to be a thriving world, now laid to silence. And those idols art the locks to our full power. With them standing, our power is weak, and we're unable to reclaim our kingdom back. ... But thou has triumphed many before. Thou's able to help us reclaim our lost power.
The Mane Six paused to think about what Dormin was saying. Usually somepony like Dormin would go after Equestria or something, but this seemed almost backwards. In fact the whole thing seemed different from the typical villain's approach, if he truly was one.
"So. You want us to go and handle them monsters for you, so you can get your kingdom back," concluded Applejack.
Dormin nodded.
"Then why'd you take away Celestia and Luna first? You could've just asked us if THAT'S all you want us to do," Twilight stated in disbelief.
Thou will understand in time. ... Meanwhile ...
Dormin stepped towards the scroll, and with a gentle nudge from their snout, rolled it right over to Twilight's hooves, unrolling and opening right then and there. Twilight levitated the scroll and gave it a look over. Dormin slowly moved over towards them as they did this.
"Now, Dormin, just to clarify for us, where exactly will this take us to? To where the princesses are?" Rarity said, not needing to finish the actual sentence to get the point across. Dormin though shook their head.
The Forbidden Lands is where thou'll seek the Colossi. All must be destroyed and then. Only then. Will thou receive the reward. Dormin explained. No that didn't answer Rarity's question, but for now it's all that they had. Dormin stood their patiently for their reply, none of them able to tell if they are hoping or not. After some more consideration, the Elements of Harmony turned to their mysterious kidnapper.
"We have to go get them back. If we don't Equestria's going to be one-sided forever," Twilight concluded. Not the best reality, but reality none the less. Dormin started moving aside as the Elements of Harmony all moved towards the center of the room.
"So how do we do this?" asked Twilight, looking back to Dormin.
Thou simply must read the scroll ... only read ... replied Dormin.
Well if it were that simple. Everypony came close together as Twilight levitated their scroll up. Celestia and Luna were out there, and they couldn't wait a moment longer. Twilight cleared her throat and began looking over the words. However, as she was doing this, something ... strange was happening to her horn.
She didn't even need to speak, yet Twilight's horn was already glowing.
"Twilight?" asked Pinkie. But the Alicorn didn't respond to her friends as the scroll suddenly dropped down onto the floor in front of her. Standing there, blankly looking ahead, her eyes were glowing a faint darkened shimmer, as her horn glowed a more ominous spiral of shadowy grey. They knew Twilight was talking, but her words weren't anything they could understand, suddenly speaking in a very warped echo. It was enough to make them all back up, but the power that Twilight had unleashed wasn't going to let them all just leave so easily. Underneath their hooves, the magic flowing out from her horn started to cover and cloak the ground in a spider's web of dark magic, blocking any means of escape for any of the mares. They tried getting out of the circle, but this spell also included a barrier keeping them trapped.
"O-Ok Twilight, time to calm down!" Rainbow said, nudging Twilight a bit, but once again the mare wasn't stopping.
Thou'll return ... once the spell is fully completed. informed Dormin, as they took a few steps onto the circle without any effort.
"Stop being cryptic and just tell us what's going on!" Rainbow shouted.
But there wasn't much time to actually explain anymore. As Twilight finally finsihed talking, the magic around them stretched upward, trapping them all including Dormin, inside a darkened orb. All they could do now was just sit there and take it, the orb spiraling in the air for a good three seconds in a whirlwind, before shrinking down until there wasn't even a spec of it left. As for the rest of the magic, it too began to disappear all around the room, any trace of statues or webbing began to vanish.
"OPEN UP!"
And just as well, the door was finally freed. The guards slammed right through, stumbling into the throne room and ready for any attack on the castle now, but it was far too late to do anything. No Elements of Harmony. No Twilight Sparkle. Nothing left behind except a single scroll left on the floor.
It's as if nopony was ever in the throne room at all. ...
So it begins...
head to the place where the sword's light gathers...
Raise thy sword by the light...and head to the place where the sword's light gathers... There, thou shalt find the colossi thou art to defeat.
"Yoo-hoo, Twilight, get up sleepyhead!"
Twilight Sparkle was the last one to stir awake out of the rest of the Mane Six, slowly getting up to her hooves and feeling a bit sore for having to sleep on the floor instead of an actual bed. Then again, they didn't have that much of a choice in the matter either given where they ended up. Dormin's spell landed them, for the most part, in some sort of large ruin. The walls were as ancient as the rocks, molded down and coated in old dust from the years since it's been lost in time. It seemed just as familiar as it was different, with the place Twilight waking up belonging to the throne of an unnamed ruler, each and every single statue of the Colossi described by Dormin lined all along the walls, in position as if they were in attendance to their lord.
Thanks to the wake-up call by her pink friend, Twilight found her own hooves and got herself standing. Looking around aside from the obvious statues, she saw the rest of her friends around the room basically woken up as well and waiting. The only one actually trying to do something besides just sitting around was Applejack, who was by one of the statues and trying her hardest to buck one of them into rubble.
"Come on, crack or somethin," Applejack groaned in between kicks.
"Is she still trying?" Twilight asked, a bit groggy.
"She's been at it the whole night. But I still don't understand how a simple statue can't just break after all that kicking," Fluttershy replied, just to hear the orange pony groan and move away, both back legs sore and even a little red.
"Alright. I'm spent," Applejack FINALLY admitted, "Those things are tougher than the walls of the Crystal Empire."
"So I'm gonna assume you didn't crack any of them after three days?" Pinkie inquired. Applejack shook her head.
"I'd have better luck bucking a frozen Apple Tree than making a dent in these things," Applejack replied. She took a seat, giving her back hooves a moment to recover. The others checked the statue in particular where Applejack had just finished, and sure enough all of that bucking only seemed to kick some dust if anything.
Rainbow Dash had enough.
"Ok, that's it. I know you keep saying no, but I'm gonna try it. Stand back everypony!" Rainbow Dash finally decided.
"Rainbow, wait!" shouted Rarity. However it was a bit late to say that much since Rainbow Dash was already in the air, and flown outside. The rest of the Mane Six were now wondering where to actually get out of the way. They all could hear the gathering wind outside as Rainbow Dash began to gather up more and more speed outside, wings flapping faster, and a blur outside moving quicker and quicker, until ...
"YaaaaaaAAAHHH! -" *BOOOOM*
A Sonic Rainboom. The word that best describes the strongest aerial maneuver of force and energy Rainbow knew, and she had just released one right inside of the throne room! Blasts of rainbow power launched out any window inside said room, blasting through the sky and probably being heard a good few miles away, only to fade in the air.
As for the throne room ... geesh, it's a wonder it was still standing. Rainbow stood in front of one of the statues, front hooves already slamming into it from the hit, as dust blasted everywhere and her friends kinda knocked to the wall.
... Nothing.
"ARE. YOU. SERIOUS?!" Rainbow screamed.
"There. You happy now?" groaned Rarity, who now was even filthier than she already was.
"What are these statues made out of to take a hit like that?" Fluttershy had to ask, her hoof gently being placed on the same statue Rainbow Dash just flown into. A direct hit from a pony at sonic speed and even that wasn't enough to make any actual dent on the statues, even if that same blast cracked the wall behind it!
"Rainbow, we told you that wouldn't work," Twilight said.
"You got a better idea? We've already looked this old castle from top to bottom at least seven times, and hadn't found hoof nor fur of Celestia OR Luna," Rainbow angrily and impatiently reminded.
"I know, I know, but until we know where those Colossi are there's nothing else we can do. I've already tried every spell I know of, and that didn't work either," Twilight said, though she felt reluctantly to even admit that.
"Well it would definitely help if that "Dormin" character told us where they actually were. Stupid dust, I just got this mane cleaned up," Rarity sighed, trying some of her own magic to "wring out" the dust from her mane as best she could.
"So why don't we ask Dormin where they are? He already knows everything in this BIG place," Pinkie suggested. By the looks of her friends' faces (excluding Fluttershy of course) this was asked more than once, and they weren't thrilled on relying on the princess's kidnapper for help here. They did cause this whole scenario in the first place, and who knew what was going on back home. Twilight Sparkle still was convinced it might not be a good idea, but just glancing outside towards the sky at the sun hidden behind the faded clouds was enough for the Alicorn to finally concede.
She walked towards the front of the room, and looked straight up towards the ceiling. One detail in this room that seemed different from typical throne rooms is a huge skylight just above their heads. They never had a reason until now to actually talk through this thing.
"Dormin! You brought us here, and we've been patient with you, but ... ugh, we can't wait any longer! Can you just tell us how to find these Colossi?" Twilight shouted.
They all waited for a bit, just staring up at the hole, but nothing seemed to be happening. Not another voice, not even a murmur beyond the sound of the wind outside. Twilight stayed staring up at the opening, but she slowly started lowering her gaze, thinking that Dormin wasn't -
...Thou choose only now to talk to us. ... Thou are very patient. ...
All the Ponies stepped back when they heard that mixtured voice, the chill running along through the room as they all turned their gazes up to the hole. They couldn't SEE Dormin, but they knew that distinctive voice enough from last time to know who it was for sure.
"Yeah, we've been patient with ya," Applejack said with a stomp of her hoof, "But we've waited long enough here."
... As we all, mortal. said Dormin slowly. But we are puzzled all the same. Has thou not heard us?
"Heard you where?" Rainbow remarked impatiently. Dormin was quiet at first, but eventually the voice began speaking again.
Raise thy sword by the light...and head to the place where the sword's light gathers...
"There, thou shalt find the colossi thou art to defeat - that wasn't just a weird dream? You WERE talking!" Twilight quickly concluded, as if those words were suddenly clicking with, not just her, but the rest of her friends as well.
"Oooo, that's super easy! If ONLY we had a fancy sword that can actually do that," Pinkie said.
"But we don't have a sword," Fluttershy reminded.
Thou already has one. ...
"Ok, can you just STOP talking in riddles and just spell it out? Do you want us to get rid of them Colossi for you or not?" the rainbow Pegasus snapped. She would tackle Dormin by this point if she could see them, but Dormin wouldn't allow it if they could help it. Dormin didn't speak beyond that, leaving the Ponies below to try and figure this out for themselves.
"Raise thy sword by the light ... raise thy sword ....... wait ..."
Something clicked in Twilight's head.
"What is it? Do you know what they're talking about?" Fluttershy asked.
"I think so. Wait right here," Twilight replied.
It was worth a shot. The alicorn, thinking more about the "sword" Dormin kept mentioning, turned her gaze away from the hole up in the rooftop and over towards outside instead at the natural light. For the time of day, the sunlight from out there was just at a good place for a ray of the dim sunshine to venture inside. Twilight stood in a position where she had the light cover much of her body. She raised her head good and high, and ...
aaaaaannnnnnnd ...
*shimmer*
"GOTCHA TWILIGHT!"
"ACK! Pinkie!" Twilight yelped, not underneath the pink mare as she hugged her tightly. It took the alicorn a good ten seconds until she finally got Pinkie Pie calm enough to get her to let go, making Pinkie let go with some aura magic around her body.
"What did you do that for?"
"I thought you were gonna act all magic-possessed again, so I'm gonna make sure you're still with us," Pinkie made clear. But as she was bringing Pinkie down to the ground, the light from outside started to align itself with Twilight's glowing horn. ...
"Twilight. Your horn ..."
Rarity didn't need to say anymore for Twilight to quietly look up. The light was reflecting off of her horn's magical aura, as if her horn alone was made of glass. Even so, this reflection wasn't that simple, as all of the light seemed to only reflect off of one point, bouncing off in several directions.
"How're you doing that? Never seen you use a spell like that before," Pinkie asked.
"I-I'm not doing that, I swear I'm -"
However, an idea suddenly clicked in Twilight's head.
"Ok. Ok. Now ... Aim it at the light ..." Twilight had to move very carefully now, her head stiff as a board as she slowly began moving around. The others kept a close eye on the point. The light off of Twilight's own horn did not just bounce off normally as she was moving around, but instead, it began to waver and bend closer and closer together the more she began to turn. One hoof step at a time, the lights drew closer and closer.
"Come on ... connect please ... aaaaand GOT IT!"
It was a direct line, shining a glow that was as if she was just shooting a laser from her horn. Twilight and company finally found a path on their way.
"So the Colossi is straight that way," Twilight concluded.
"Great! Come on, let's go beat some evil monsters," Rainbow said, rearin and ready to go. However, the Pegasus was already grabbed from flying away by Applejack's strong teeth. Old habits die hard.
"Hold up, Rainbow, we might've gotten the main idea, but we still got no clue where this Colossi is," Applejack said. Rainbow did settle down, but then their pink mare got up onto the window and checked outside.
"You think that very convenient-looking ditch might be the way?" Pinkie asked.
Everyone else went up and looked outside just to see what Pinkie Pie was talking about. Right out of the window, they all got a view of the world outside of the ruins. Unfortunately for many of them, the outside world looked just as empty as the castle. However, even with it looking so empty, they did end up finding a large "road" leading away from the palace. It was lined with ridges and dirt, and not even a mile away from them it lead straight towards what looked like a mountainside.
"That could work," Twilight said.
For the first time since they've arrived in this world, the Mane Six were finally off on their way and going out into the world. The exit from the ruins opened up to empty hills, and VAST plains with only the short dry grass to comfort their hooves from rocky ground below them. The sky was clear, but weakly casted under white cloud with grey spots to break up the otherwise blinding white.
The gallop down the path was no problem, but then came to the mountainside. It was a good thing they got themselves two Pegasi and an Alicorn, otherwise it would be a bit harder than it should.
"So what kind of monster do you think we're gonna be facing?" Fluttershy asked along the way.
"I don't know. I mean, I've never heard of a Colossi before," Twilight replied, not accounting any real mention of them in any of her books. Then again, they were in a completely different world, so that was probably why.
"It could be anything. It could be a giant serpent, some HUGE gorilla beast, a giant bear! I bet it's something really crazy," Rainbow said, though by her tone she sounded more excited for action than anything else, even at the expense of Fluttershy's worry. Rainbow only needed a glance to see it.
"Ehh, sorry. Too much?"
"Well I'm gonna say this, if them monsters are enough for that Dormin to capture Celestia and Luna to make us do this, we're in for one heck of a rodeo," Applejack replied.
"Hopefully not TOO big of a rodeo. I'm not looking forward to a complete tussle after all that time stuck in that dusty old castle," Rarity said. The unicorn had her priorities.
"Still keep your eyes peeled. For all we know it could be watching us right now," Twilight instructed.
Good timing to say it too, because not even a minute after she said that, the group was brought up towards a flattened area of the path. The area they found looked even more dead and old than the route getting there; the ground was dry and cracked up with gravel and stone, only a few dried bushes and a dead tree welcoming them from their climb. The tall walls of rock wrapped around the area, as if they've entered an arena.
"I dunno. My Pinkie Sense hasn't gone off in the last ten minutes, so maybe it's not around here?" Pinkie shrugged.
"I thought your Pinkie Sense can't detect monsters," remarked Applejack.
"I know, but these sound like big doozies," Pinkie reminded, "and we all know what happens when I sense a big doozy."
"Hang on, I'll scout it out," Rainbow Dash decided. They weren't getting much done down close to the ground, so an aerial recon would work much better. The Pegasus flew up good and high, and she got a good fifty feet off of the ground before she stopped and checked around. ...
....... *thump* ....... *thump* .......
"HOLY - guys we got a big one!" Rainbow shouted.
"Rainbow, what're you talking abo -" Rarity said.
....... *thump* ....... *thump* .......
"Oh. My."
*THUMP*
They found it. Or rather, it found them.
The entire group had their nerves completely frazzled when, not even ten feet away from them, a GIGANTIC HOOF slammed into the ground! The patterns on this giant foot matched nothing they've seen before, and the weight was so immense and so shattering, the ground underneath cracked and wavered with no trouble at all. The beast was nothing short of titanic. Even where Rainbow Dash was flying at that moment, this giant was even taller than that, the rainbow Pegasus flying face-to-face with it. The best way to compare this beast to anything would be a Minotaur: sturdy hooves with a cow-like head made of rock, and yet the broad shoulders and long muscular arms of a Gorilla. A HUGE mane covered its neck down its back, as dry and as bristle as the grass, and every step made the trees and shrubs shutter in fear they would be crushed. In one hand the beast held a mallet big enough to crush a Ponyville cottage, and it was casually holding it as if it weighed nothing. Shaggy fur mixed with old skin, and bizarrely varying builds around its body; a set of three flattened platforms jotted its back, and rocky rings and belts wrapped around its stomach, legs, and arms as if they were built into it.
"We found our Colossus," said a very humbled Twilight.
"Yeah," replied an awestruck Applejack.
The giant minotaur didn't even break stride, not even noticing the most colorful creatures just below it as it continued wandering along down the mountainous valley. Not even Rainbow Dash flying by its face, nor the dozens of birds that circled around its shoulders even seemed to flinch the Colossus.
"So now what do we do?" asked Fluttershy. Twilight looked to the minotaur again.
"Dormin wants it gone. And it looks like a Minotaur from back home, so ... maybe we can just tell it to go?" Twilight was skeptical about it herself, but she didn't even knew where else to start with this giant. She never had to fight anything this size of Dragon Lord Torch before.
"Well it's goin away now," Applejack pointed out, seeing how it was still walking away.
"Yeah but, to where?" Fluttershy wondered. The question then got everypony else thinking the same idea. If they wanted it gone, they needed to make sure that's what it was doing. With that idea in mind, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight started flying over towards the head as the others galloped close behind. The Minotaur Colossus still didn't stop its stroll as they got over to it face again.
"Hey, you big ape! Word from Dormin says you got to get out of here!" Rainbow shouted in the minotaur's face. All that got her was a snort from the giant beast, as it continued its march along its way.
"Eh, what she MEANS to say is that Dormin doesn't want you around here, and he wants you to go out of his Kingdom," Twilight said, less bluntly but still getting the point across. The Minotaur did eventually stop moving to look to the creatures before it, its blue eyes as ancient and blue as the sky.
"Nothing personal, Mr. Colossi, but we can't have you walking around here. So, I-If you don't mind, maybe you can wander somewhere else?" Fluttershy said. The large beast still didn't seem to give them any response beyond a low groan, and even then it wasn't anything they could comprehend. As they all were keeping an eye on the large creature though, the ground Ponies started to see a slight detail to this Colossus.
"Hey, Y'all better come down here and check this out!" Applejack suddenly called. Rainbow, Twilight, and Fluttershy flew down only a little bit before seeing what the ground Ponies were seeing. The spot in question focused on the Minotaur's leg. The leg itself didn't seem that different from the other one; a mixture of fur, skin and rock. However, after looking more closely, the Ponies started to notice something on the "heel" of the leg. It had a rather faint glow to it, slightly blue almost, but the main thing they were seeing was a slight reddish mist seeping from it.
"Oh my," Fluttershy gasped, "that looks very painful. It must feel terrible walking with that everywhere you go."
That was only confirmed when even the slightest touch from Fluttershy's hoof made the Minotaur groan in discomfort. The beast lifted up that same leg and began to give it a shake, making the ponies around it scatter to avoid getting stepped on. Looking at this injury, the other Ponies started getting some idea in their heads.
"Hey girls, you don't think -"
Hold up thy sword to reflect the light onto the colossus. Its vitals shall be revealed...
Everypony immediately freaked out, looking every which way for the source of the sudden voice but could only find the Colossi with them.
"I wasn't the only pony who heard that voice, right?!" Rarity asked.
"If you mean the freaky voice that just told us about "vitals" then yes," replied Rainbow Dash, digging into her ear as if somepony stuffed something in it.
"D-Dormin?" Twilight wondered in a strained breath, a hoof rubbing her own head as if getting a headache. Honestly though, who else would be talking to them around here besides the titan standing in front of them? Dormin though wasn't done with them ...
Thou must climb the colossus to reach its vitals. Attack its leg in order to cut a path for thyself...
... Attack its leg? The ponies took one look at the injury on the beast's leg, still seeping the red mist and still giving the Colossus a rough time.
"N-No we can't! It's still hurting," Fluttershy managed to say, presumably to the voice in her head. However, as the Ponies waited for Dormin to say something again, they kept quiet and basically left them with those hints. The Minotaur Colossus, seeing nopony in its way, started to slowly lumber onward, the ground shuttering and birds keeping pace with it in the air. It also didn't help that this beast was now walking towards the direction of the old castle they just came out of, so whatever they were gonna do they better do it fast.
"Wait, not that way!" Twilight called, flying up to the front of the Colossus's face again, "You can't go that way! Turn around!"
However, the Colossus before her only gave a low groan and ignored her this time, moving forward. Twilight actually got herself knocked back by the giant head, sending her towards the ground as the beast itself didn't even acknowledge what it did, nor who it did it to.
"It's not listening. Come on girls, help me with this," Twilight instructed. There wasn't any arguments there, and they all tried to reach to this Colossus to make it stop. But in their efforts to make this towering beast halt its march towards the castle, one Pony made one tactical error: trying to reach the beast's head, Pinkie Pie hopped up alongside its fur ... only to accidentally land right onto its wound.
*MMMMMMMmmmm* The low, gravelish groan emitted from the depths of the beast, the pain shooting through it like an arrow. The sound alone made the Ponies halt themselves, which in hindsight was a good thing, since it took just that much time for them to realize it was getting weaker all of a sudden. Weaker, and losing balance.
"Scatter!" Twilight shouted. And just in time, since the beast was falling forward. Any miniscule equine in the shadow of this animal scrambled to get out of its way, the wounded leg giving in on itself and bringing this titan to its knees. So much weight toppling down so fast made the ground underneath it crack and tremble. It wasn't enough to make this beast fall completely, it only just managing to catch itself with a large hand slamming onto the ground to make the Earth itself quake, but it still left the beast in a sharp pain.
"Oops," Pinkie gulped.
The blue hue of calmness in its "eyes" turned into a shade of orange.
"Uh oh, I think we made it mad," Rarity shuttered.
No more Mr. nice colossus. Fueled by the pain in its leg, the Minotaur turned its attention directly onto the small equine around it. Instead of a simple walk to them, it began to lean back slow, and the club it held brought WAY back behind it. Anypony could probably guess what it was about to do now ...
"Clear outta the way, y'all!" Applejack shouted.
*WHAM!*
The tremors from the beast's own steps were earth-shattering enough, but when everypony felt that club slam into the ground, the ground felt ready to break underneath them. Everypony on the ground stumbled from the tremors and the knockback it created, but it was only by a few tail hairs that none of them got caught underneath that club. Lucky for the Ponies, while they lacked in size, they found out speed worked very well even for the slowest in their group since many of the Minotaur's steps took a quarter of a minute with each one, and even longer just for it to swing.
"Wait! Stop! We don't want to fight - AAHH!" As much as Twilight tried to communicate to it, the beast was no longer having any of it, and forced Twilight back with a stomp of its mighty hoof. This stomp was dangerously close to Fluttershy, missing the Pegasus by a hoofnail!
"There's no talking it out of leaving now," Rainbow Dash concluded, hooves digging into the ground.
A giant like this going on a rampage can not be ignored. With her wings spread, Rainbow Dash had the honor of getting the first strike on this giant beast; flying up at high speed and giving the Colossus a kick right under the chin. Even for a creature the size to a mouse compared to the giant, the kick proved just strong enough to stun the Colossus, making it stop and head bobbing back slightly. Even with such a strong kick, the damage was only minute as the Colossus did a more classic Minotaur move and swung its head forward, in attempt to ram the Pegasus out of the air.
Down below, the giant hooves were stomping around all over the place, making it rough for the ground Ponies to keep still or at least keep standing as they tried to help Rainbow Dash from on the ground. The most they could do though were kicks to the legs, and even then even Applejack's bucking felt like just tossing stones at it. In fact, Applejack's kicking was making her back legs more sore than actually hurting the giant Minotaur. The Colossus's huge hoof slid to the side, and slammed Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity away from it. The hit, while barely much for the Colossus, sent all three of them into the rock wall.
Thou must climb the colossus to reach its vitals. Attack its leg in order to cut a path for thyself...
The message echoed in all of their heads again, but this time with the giant Colossus on a rampage they listened a bit more closely. What else could they do against this beast now?
"STOP!" Twilight finally said. She had enough of this, and the best she could come up with on short notice was a magical blast from her horn. The purple aura, focusing as much energy as she could, wrapped and coated the entire beast in a aura to keep the beast completely still. Just the effort of keeping the giant still was making the Alicorn strained in place.
"Twilight!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Girls, get back! I can't keep it in place forever!" Twilight shouted in a strained voice, teeth grinding together in her muzzle as she kept herself as focused on the giant Colossus as much as she could. trying to keep the beast still was like trying to lift all of Canterlot off of the ground, her legs starting to quiver as her horn glowed with all the might she could muster.
Enough time to keep the Alicorn distracted, and unable to notice one closing the gap. ...
Thou's going at it all wrong.
Such an eerie, yet familiar voice, but this time the voice wasn't just coming from the equine's heads. With all of the excitement calmed down, the group turned to find the quiet hoofsteps of their hooded king of the palace, walking towards their way.
"DORMIN!"
The mere sight of them actually made Twilight lose enough concentration to lose control of the beast. The release of Twilight's control over the titan of a colossus caused the Minotaur to lurch forward, its legs unprepared for the sudden shift in gravity as it stumbled under its own weight. The mountainous walls of the "arena" were slammed hard by the beast, shaking the earth and crumbling the wall before collapsing to the ground in a heap of its own weight.
"What in Celestia - what're you doing here?" questioned Applejack immediately on seeing them.
Thou's approach. Noble, but misguided. Thy can't negotiate with the monsters. ...
"But we can't - ... k-kill him," Fluttershy insisted, though she could barely even say the "K word". Dormin though was unmoved.
... We knew thou wouldn't willingly ...
Sometimes the best way is to show rather than tell.
With the beast dormant and weakened from the fall, Dormin moved slowly towards the Colossus The beast itself was moving rather slowly, and with its eyes still enraged in their orange state, it stared right at Dormin for a moment or two. Both beings of this world simply stared at one another for a time, before Dormin started to move closer towards the Colossus -
*stab*
GRAAAHHHHHHHH ...
None of them could entirely see what Dormin did, nor what actually came out to harm the Colossus, but whatever it was it made very little effort to slice right into the beast's head. The Colossus froze, hands gripping the ground on the sudden pain circuiting through its ancient mass of rock and fur. The damage was beyond major, a sickly black substance spewing out as if its head was a geyser. Never before had anypony, here or Equestria, had seen something so ...
So raw ...
So brutal ...
Dormin turned slowly back to the Ponies, the oil-like blood all over their person, along with the ground, in a fine coat of splattered black. The Colossus, which moments ago was so aggressive and full of life, now laid there dead as if it never lived at all. The body laid dormant, and slowly but surely a hue of its own black magic started to swirl and release from its core.
Thou art noble for mercy ... if only it was possible. Our power is locked within thy's targets. It is impossible to revive our power otherwise. ...
"Can't you just do it then?" Rainbow Dash asked. Dormin shook their head, as the black magic coating the once-hostile beast swirled and lengthened into the air. The more it spiraled, the more alert the Ponies were to it as Dormin continued, undeterred.
We would if we could. ... But thou's power is specialized. The only method for thy's gain of our power is through a vessel ....... Through your own.
The magic then struck.
"RUN FOR IT!" Twilight gasped.
The magic barely even gave Twilight Sparkle enough time to even do that, the essence of the beast flowing so fast through the air they could hardly see it catch them. Not even the sound-barrier breaking speed of Rainbow Dash was enough to escape the speed of the tendrils of magical essence to take its hold on all of them. Getting struck by this magic was as painful as it was numbing, the blackened darkness splitting amongst the six and skewering them through their chests.
All the six could do was gasp in complete shock more than they could scream in pain as the Colossus's soul and magic transferred from one vessel into several others. Blackened ask and smoke seeped out from their muzzles as the transfer transpired, barely able to breathe as it is thanks to the process alone.
Just like that. Barely under ten seconds flat. The process was done.
All six of them collapsed in a faint, unconscious from the blow to their beings. Dormin rested a hoof on Twilight's tired head, with only one final sentence for them.
Remember that ...
Author's Note
And thus concludes the first fight out of how many. Probably not going how one would expect (probably went exactly as one would expect XP) but anyway it's gonna get tougher from here.
OH GOD, sorry this took so long to do. XP Time really got away from me on this one.
