Equestria Down

Chapters

Across The Land
When All Said And Done
Into Others
Winding Road
A Desolate Place
A Urge For One
Quid Pro Quo?

Across The Land

Author's Note

Hey guys, back here with another story. This is coming from an old reverse Nightmare Moon story I tried a few years ago and it didn’t take too well.

Now I edited the chapter around and changed a bit of the premise and what we have now is a new chapter of a new story that may or may not continue based on feedback. I am optimistic, and have an ok track record of making ok stories or putting a twist on other stories that other authors have given to me.

But we’ll just see how the first chapter works out. Hope you enjoy.

Across The Land

It was never supposed to end this way. Equestria. . .should have prospered. Twilight Sparkle may have been a great many things; but the one thing she knew was nowhere near the truth was that she was mentally crazy.

Steps assaulted the ground, building into a jumble of sound. Clink Clink! Thump! Thump! Three figure traversed in a line, their gait a mixure of sleep deprivation and anger. Weeks had to pass since they found the company any other besides themselves.

A low thrum sounded, gradually building in intensity. Various sounds began to echo in and out.

''Don't do it!''

''We'll be ok, you have to survive!''

''You're the only one who can do anything!''

''Twilight!''

''Is this the end?''

''Noooooo!''

''. . .I'll always be so proud of you, Twilight. . .”

Shuffling forward, the only sounds piercing the air besides the steady rainfall begun was the rhythmic breathing from the cold.

''Ugh, remind again why we care about coming back this way seeing as this used to be a good town.” a raspy voice sounded with a tongue of venom. “We’re just torturing ourselves.”

''You mean you still don't know? Did you listen to anything Master Dai told us back in Sandgen?'' the trio stopped in front of a downed structure as Twilight grew irritated at their bickering she was sure they were going to get into before long.

''Oh, I'm sorry: I was just busy keeping the harpies at bay!''

''Quiet, the both of you! Spike, you should have been taking notes like I told you, and you Sunset: while I appreciate you saving our lives back there, you could have at least shown a little skill in the art of multi-tasking. Every second is crucial to us as we may not get this chance again, so focus!''

''Sorry, Twi,'' the pair apologized, noting her look of no nonsense as she brought her attention to the horizon.

''Good, now according to our intel, this area should still be bare, but stay on your guard,” Twilight Sparkle said, leading the advance forward.

Agreeing either way, the trio moved forward at a swift pace, trying their best to keep from any prying 'eyes', lest any unwanted memories surface. Relaying across the path, small structures and corpses lay strewn about, battling a fight with time as the blanket of hot, acrid air chipped away at their skin and the distant rumbling of clouds portrayed a swirling vortex of despair around the town. Dragging herself with a slower stride, Twilight Sparkle stopped to realize two things.

''You know,'' she called from behind. ''you're half right: this was a good town. . .until that day reared its ugly head. We made a lot of friends here Spike, haven't we?''

''Mmm-hmm,'' the drake agreed. ''hard to believe they're not all with us now.''

''I know,'' Twilight weakly sighed, running a golden armored hoof through the rubble in front. ''It still. . .hurts. It hurts that this only started after I 'defeated' Tirek. . .and Equestria paid the price for my failure. It went downhill from there,'' she brought a picture untouched by time in her field of magic for her comrades to see as she blew the dust and dirt off. “I hate it.”

''W-We really should get going, Twi.'' Spike advised, noticing her stoic look at the photograph, a slew of emotion no doubt stirring within her. Twilight never took what happened to her friend easy, and every day she seemed to blame herself more and more.

''Y-Yea. . .'' Twilight responded with next to life in her voice as the trio sped off, moving past the wreckage and out on the mountains plain, yet none looked back to the still standing sign that portrayed:

Ponyville's Golden Oak Library/ Castle of Former Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Some time later:

The trio trudged on for what seemed like miles, past the makeshift gravestones of the many soldiers and innocent souls, through Ghastly Gorge, and even through what remained of the Everfree forest: cold, hungry, angered and most of all; lost in the growing maze of Equestria by the day. Nightfall consumed a good portion of their journey into the ever so rising sun, a sight and feeling Twilight held deep hatred for.

''Great, it's up again.'' Twilight ducked behind a lone, bushy tree. ''why can't night be permanent?''

''Oh come on, Twi: you don't hate it that much.'' Spike waved a claw in naivety.

''You wouldn't know,'' Twilight whispered, her companion not fully knowing what happened that day besides the account of events from Twilight. Spike trained in the Far East, so he was unable to be there.

He didn’t fully understand.

''Spike!'' Sunset scolded. ''Can’t you be more considerate?''

''Whatever,'' Spike huffed into his clasped claw over his maw. ''just speaking the truth. And as a matter of fact, I-''

''That goes for both of you.'' Twilight began to cut into her companions. Twilight's voice began to waver, the pain in her voice betraying the tone she attempted to set.

''Me, what did I do?'' Sunset pointed a hoof to herself in shock. ''Spike started it!''

''And now I'm ending it!'' Twilight stomped up to Sunset, catching the glow of something that shimmered in her eyes as she huffed at her friend, poking her in the chest with her hoof gauntlet. ''You have no idea of the pain I went through all thanks to this d-d-damn sun and what it did to me! What it took from me! And what it-'' Twilight choked on her words for a moment, slowly breathing in and out. If she was going to talk about this, she would compose herself.

''Twi?'' Spike asked, Twilight holding a hoof to stop him from talking. It was bad enough for them to have the gall to mention something as important as this was to her.

''I had a good life: friends, books, all the basic necessities that made me me,'' Twilight sniffled. ''I'm supposed to be The Princess of Friendship, and how do you expect me to be that if I have no friends or wings? Look at me!'' Twilight gestured to herself, showing off the dark and gold plated armor surrounding her forehooves, body plate that hugged her slender purple frame, brown cloak draped over her neck, and friendship tiara was given a rustic and gated look from the Victorian Pony era, colors of the different elements up top the star of her Cutie Mark. “But the worst is how cruel the world can actually be.”

''Well, yea you lost your wings, but that doesn't make you any more or less different than us; you're still Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.'' Spike sat and stretched, a few bones popping from the sudden movement. ''You can still make something happen with us by your side.''

''I agree with Spike: I mean, would you think I'm a Princess or Alicorn because I have bat wings?'' Sunset smirked, portraying her curved fangs, furry pointed ears, and leathery wings. ''Nergal the Insatiable accidentally bit me when we did our little expedition to the Minotaur Plains, and while I didn't want that to happen, I don't regret that; it's a blessing in a way.''

''Because you got stronger,'' Twilight bitterly commented, noting Sunset flaring her wings out. ''While I got weaker.''

Sunset dared to push the envelope. ''What makes you so sure about that? How do you know maybe not being an Alicorn anymore is a blessing.” Sunset looked at Twilight who stared right into her friend’s eyes, unwavering and unblinking.

''Because it was my destiny. . .it was mine and it was taken from me,'' Twilight said, walking down the broken path that led to the downed drawbridge, which she had to use her magic to move in order for them to proceed. The wood creaked underneath her magic, pieces chipping off and falling to the ground as she hefted the wood into the moat, water splashing the unicorn in the face as she ignored the impromptu bath.

''So why here? Why Canterlot?'' Sunset wondered. Twilight kept walking ahead, her guard up as the pair had to scramble to keep her pace. ''There's nothing here, anymore.''

''There is,'' Twilight nodded to her companion, knowing that she did not believe her, she had already lost faith in most things of the past, such as returning to her own world, thanks to the portal being destroyed on both sides. Sunset held even little doubt that Canterlot would hold anything of value. ''The Royal Archives should hopefully have most of what we should need if Tirek didn't completely raze everything in sight he deemed dangerous to him.''

Spike flew ahead, scouting a few of the charred buildings, checking to see if any creature may have taken up residence; for shelter or attacking. ''Even if we find something worth value; what's your plan, Twi?''

''Simple; stop Tirek from causing any more damage to the world, and then end the nightmares of my failure,'' Twilight whispered the last part to herself. Every day that she remained in this world, the longer that she wanted it all to end, but she made herself a promise. A promise that she was forced to make on the behest of Celestia.

And on her death bed, no less.

Spike stopped his step, turning around and looking back at his friend, hoping she was not saying what he had a good enough idea of what she was. ''Twi. . .''

''I want to die,'' Twilight said simply, closing her eyes briefly.

The wind blew, a vicious cold coming along with it as the sound of magic being cast in a futile effort. The brilliant display of spells came in a thin line, soaring to its intended target with the speed of a bullet.

FWOOSH!

“. . .Did it connect?” a wary voice called from the foxhole that was covered by nature’s landscape. All sound stopped for the moment, the towering castle that stood miles away standing proud. The two Unicorns prayed that it did something.

A flicker of a flame started inside, just by the pair’s hooves, making the two of them scramble.

“Oh, son of a-“

BOOM!

The covering went in up flames, blanketed in the wake of the smoke cloud which shot up to the heavens, displaying heat and charring the ground. A secondary explosion occurred, the amber flames seeming to be a beacon of death.

The land soon went quiet afterward, animals scattering about in fear of what happened.

“And that,” a gruff voice, laced with vocal fry with a tinge of anger commented in a bored tone, slowly lowering his hand to his side as the magic around it dispelled. “Is what happens to those who dare retaliate against me.”

“It is as you say, Lord Tirek,” Tirek spied his minion, or at least questionable minion as she attempted to kiss his flank for the umpteenth time. “The tracing spell was accurate within 15 feet.”

Tirek growled at Chrysalis, tugging at his chain that he held wrapped around her neck, causing her to yelp out in pain and cough harshly at the internal spikes that lightly punctured her throat.

“Of course; I am not a fool; those. . .attackers will soon regret sending all of those dead followers my way; as I show no mercy,” the glow of magic in Tirek’s eyes glowed brightly.

“Like you didn’t with Twilight Sparkle?” Tirek quickly backhanded the other voice who dared to get too close before yanking her chain back, slamming her tiny body on the ground, getting up from his chair to apply pressure on her tiny head, her screams and tears doing nothing to faze the magic eater. “P-Please! Mercy!~”

Tirek dared his hoof a bit further, feeling her bone slowly give way before he stopped.

“Another inch and you will be dead, Cozy Glow,” Tirek said, huffing a breath of hot air. “I suggest if you wish to continue your existence-“

“Y-Yes! I apologize!” Cozy pleased with her master, hoping he would be lenient. She did have a habit of pressing the envelope, and if she kept up her remarks, it would end terribly for her.

“Hmmph.” Tirek sounded, seemingly content with the scope of her groveling for now. He returned to his seat, his eyes narrowing and the feeling of annoyance began to creep into his face. “Twilight Sparkle is nothing. . .I destroyed what she and her ‘Magic of Friendship’ stood for. I am the one reigns over all make of creature, and any who are foolish to resist will be erased.”

Chrysalis dared another question. “Why keep her and her comrades alive then?” Tirek simply chuckled and began to scheme. This was something that he controlled in the palm of his hand, and he only wished for such a thing to occur because he knows the limitations of his foe.

He beat her, and left her and the small remnants of hope to lick their wounds, but now he would break her inch by inch until nothing was left.

“I thought you would know more than most,' Tirek shook his head at Chrysalis. ''Part of being a ruler also entails making those with the highest resistance suffer for a time; to breed compliance.”

Cozy Glow and Chrysalis looked to each other, uncertainty plastered across their faces as their master spoke of his plan. It made them wonder if he would be gracious enough to grant them their own desires in exchange for their own slice of the world; or if he would dispose of them at the first idea of them being useless.

Equestria and beyond was on a set course to change, in some regard. One would rule over all, or all would scramble over each other trying to make sense of the chaos.

“If Sparkle and her little followers wish to go against the law of the land, they will be very, very suprised at what I can do.”

When All Said And Done

Deep, in the Everfree Forest

Zecora hummed another one of her tribe's traditional brewing songs as she went to work in her cauldron. It was one of the many Zebranican beliefs that speaking words of power over your brew would instill it with magical powers, or even be blessed by Mother Moon herself. This particular brew was more so a favor to a long friend that the shaman held no issue with doing this: it was nothing but a simple truth serum.

''Let me take a look, it would appear I followed the instructions straight from the book.'' Zecora said to herself as she walked over to her spice cabinet.

Dropping in a pinch of salt, the mixture bubbled and turned a pale yellow color, trails of steam billowing and exiting out through the windows of her little hovel. Going over and prepping a flask for bottling, a feeling of bliss washed over the zebra as she poured and capped the flask, causing her to sigh in content. She was done.

Normally, Zecora would love to have another companion to converse with to lift this small feeling of loneliness. But, it was only herself for the few days for the safety of others as nopony would disturb her brewing. Little known fact, more so a funny accident is that a poor Pegasus mare needed help with her back problems and accidentally ruined the brew Zecora agreed to help make, instead causing a major discoloration and voice change that lasted about a month or so. Ever since them, a sign has put a few feet before her home, stating: BREWING, DO NOT GO PAST THIS POINT.

Since then, things around the Everfree have been calmer, aside from murderous Timberwolves, psychotic Cockatrices, and a talking Leviathan, things have been quiet, only a few times have certain nuisances arose, taking her ability to perceive danger to a whole different level.

Most of the forest was lost, due to intense fight that occurred with Twilight Sparkle and Tirek. Much of the foliage refused to grow back, making the ever so spacious forest appearing as a small grove.

Zecora wouldn’t admit it openly, but she. . .was scared. Scared of what the future would hold. Part of herself, she blamed for not being there to offer her aid, even as little as she could provide it.

Something. . .anything, could have been the key to helping turn the tide; but her own fears got the better of her. Twilight was indeed a strong mare, but on that day, she was broken. The sight alone of her powers being taken and her worst fears that had come to pass only resulted in the natural turn of events of her losing all hope.

“Hmm?” Zecora heard a small sound, making her instantly stop her internal monologue.

Halting her movement, a sound, almost imperceptible to most ears thrummed into the ground, worming its way to the zebra's waiting ears. The sound mad her heart stop for a second.

''Wha-"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The smell of sulfur and fall of charred leaves perforated the ground, a massive mushroom cloud filling the otherwise calm and collected skies.

A rhythmic sett of hooves against the forest floor formed depressions trailing the ground as the burning smell up of the uprooted tree filled their nostrils. Rummaging through the wreckage, a limp form splayed with blood and multi-colored liquids laid frantically shaking against a still burning metal vat. Getting impaled through a small branch, Zecora groaned in pain.

''Hehehehehe. . .'' a voice filled with glee chuckled. ''How the weak have managed to stay. . .well, weak. And here I thought you were worth the trouble, but I guess not,'' it showed no emotion whatsoever so.

''U-Uh. . .'' Zecora groaned, millions of nerves flaring up in pain, even to the point where blinking her eyes felt like a sword through her head. ''W-Why?~''

''Why, you ask?'' the voice sounded upset. ''I'm bored and just blowing off time, as well so steam,” the figure laughed again, surveying the damage. “I am here because I smell. . .her scent; she must have passed through here at some point. By the way, the look of pain on your face looks so delectable, I can't stand it! Let me welcome you to a whole another feeling to the word pain,”

''N-No. . .don't. P~LEASE!~'' Zecora whined, her chances of escaping were practically dead at this point, so as she was.

''Yes, yes! This is just what I wanted: fear! Come, come! Let me indulge in that body of yours.” another bout of chuckles rang out, the sound of bone being torn and flesh being eaten as his victim screamed.

Images of an old time flashed by, covered by a haze. Powerful spells were slung, shouts rang out, and a blinding light consumed everything for a time before dying down.

Ugh, again.

“Just you wait, Tirek. You may be all nice and comfortable, but that throne belongs. . .to me.”

The three of them had searched every inch of the castle, and found nothing.

Even in the small few hidden compartments yielded the same thing; books burnt to ash. Twilight’s sliver of hope for the world was beginning to dwindle.

“Looks like he took care of everything,” Spike huffed as he finished skimming through another charred book, only to throw it over his shoulder where it hit Sunset in the head, knocking the book she picked up in her magic halfway across the tattered library.

“Watch it, Spike!” Sunset scolded, rubbing her forehead. “You almost hit my horn.” Spike merely acted as if he did nothing wrong. “What the buck did they teach you at that school?”

“Twi? Find anything?” Spike called out, his expectations not quite as high as he would have wanted, but he still managed to keep the idea of it ablaze in his mind. Twilight idly kicked manuscripts and felled boards of wood. It didn’t appear as she did since she took a seat on the ground, muttering to herself all the while.

“There should be something,” Twilight muttered, her eyes glazed over. Her hoof lazily traced the image of the sun blackened by the ashes of destruction on the book she wanted to pick up , but found no power to do so. It could be pointless; pointless information when they need relevant information. Her mind told her there was nothing left. There had to be. They came. . .all this way for nothing.

“Come on, Twi,” Spike flew over to her spot, landing on the ground with a small flourish as the floor creaked and moved a tad. They would probably go back through everything one last time before calling it quits. Twilight faced her adoptive brother with a look that threatened to consume him.

He knew the feeling of dread all too well, since he lost Rarity. The eyes seemingly devoid of life, the bodily shakes, and of course, the hardest to imagine for a mare like Twilight, but easiest to tell; when it happened; the almost infantile way she spoke, as if she was a newborn who’s only instinct is to cry when something was wrong and to cling onto the closest thing to resemble a parent.

“Let’s go, we-WHOA!” Spike yelled as the floor gave way, causing him and Twilight to shout out in suprise. The fall down was shrouded in darkness, Twilight tossing and turning to right herself. The air whipped past her face, forcing her eyes shut and the feeling of weightlessness making her stomach touch her back.

“Guys!” Sunset’a voice called out, her figure swooping down into the hole after her friends.

Twilight didn’t know what laid at the bottom of the fall, but one thing she was sure of was that it would be death. Not quite the end she envisioned, but she figured it would be better than nothing, if she had to be honest with herself. She had resigned to her fate. Her release would be upon her soon.

It would be a matter of-

“Got you!” Sunset shouted, nearly crashing into Twilight as she hoisted her up and kept her plummeting, the sudden change in gravity jerking her shoulders and causing her a bit of pain. Spike soared ahead into the darkness, inhaling a breath as white fire gathered in his maw, crackling and arching before he let the projectile fly to the ground, impacting the ground and providing light.

A swing to the left and the pair nearly avoided a ginormous crystal spike that would have aimed for their heads if Sunset had not been quick enough to react. Twilight’s eyes soon adjusted to the light, revealing that they were indeed surrounded by crystals on their way down.

“Twi, Sunset; you good?” Spike asked, touching down on the ground with a powerful thud. Ugh, bright.

“We’re fine, but what kinda spell is that?” Sunset asked. Spike shook his head and performed some quick hand motions, swiping a portion of the fire in his claw and raising it above his head as it grew in size. It continued to burn as if nothing happened.

“Blinding Lightning; and it’s not a magic spell, it comes from within when you become a Dragon Adept,” Spike chanted a few words in a language that either of them couldn’t understand.

“You mentioned that in your diary; you said there were levels.” Twilight said, nodding to herself when she thought more about it. Spike did commit 4 years to the practices in the Far East, though his account of events was far and few.

“6, actually, including being the Novice, but I only held that for 2 and a half years before I was promoted.” Spike viewed his surroundings, slowly walking forward as Twilight and Sunset followed afterwards, curious.

“And where are we? The caves beneath Canterlot? Isn’t this where-“

“-Cadence and I were trapped while Chrysalis tried to take over Canterlot,” Twilight responded with a less than chipper response at the events that occurred that day. The look of disappointment on their faces as Twilight stood her case to her friends about when she knew Cadence was not really herself, but everypony, including Celestia. . .

Called her crazy, called her out, and abandoned her when she needed them the most. Twilight thought she had did wrong, even admitting that she may have acted rash, only for her innate sense of right and wrong to come to her rescue as she fought tooth and nail to make it back and prove them wrong.

They never even properly managed to apologize after all was said and done.

The three of them had split up, Spike dispatching a portion of his lighting to the pair in aiding exploring the spacious caverns as Twilight figured they should explore to see if there could be anything worth while.

Thoughts of Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding flashed through her mind; the feeling of her legs being pushed to the limit thrummed through her slow walk, the clip clop of their hooves against dirt and rock, and the flames that consumed her into sending her in this forsaken place all by herself.

Spike and Sunset journeyed into another room, their guard up and their gazes focused as they searched.

Twilight walked forward, paying little attention to the sounds of her companions talking and more so of her own thoughts once again.

Or she would have, were it not for her bumping into something.

“Ow,” Twilight dully commented, rubbing her head as she stood up.

“I did not know I was that heavy to knock you over so easily,” a voice chuckled. A very familiar voice sounded.

To say that Twilight Sparkle was confused was a massive understatement. Throughout all of her life, she has experienced many things, making her a very studious mare, certainly well above the average level intelligence for most ponies. But her brain was currently experiencing what Spike often referred as a brainfart.

Her mind had to be playing a trick on her, there was no way this was real. No, wait. Twilight did have a way to explain this: with science. All she required was to go on with topic of what she is seeing, devolve a hypothesis of what may happen, gather data, draw charts and run the experiment at least 3 times to confirm a pattern. Or that would have been the course of action if not for her previous breakdown. How could this pony, whom she loved dearly be standing in the same room as her, Spike and Sunset when they're were pronounced dead with everypony else?

Perhaps she could apply some philosophy to this: in the golden age of Equestria's birth, there was a philosopher who theorized:

"If you have two theories that both explain the observed facts, then you should use the simplest until more evidence comes along."

It would make sense to assume what Twilight believed what happened was merely a farce as opposed to a lengthy explanation.

If only she hadn’t seen and touched their cold bodies herself.

But this pony was not there when everything was taken from her; she assumed she perished in the chaos that followed.

''This really can't be true. . .could it?'' Twilight pondered to herself. ''B-But I saw what happened. . .they should not be here! My mind must be playing jokes on me but would not looking into this make me a hypocrite?''

It keeps playing back and forth in her mind like a silent film: over and over again, with no apparent end in sight. But how would-

''Twilight, you okay?'' Spike roused her of her thoughts as he and Sunset came around the corner as he walked on all fours due to the low ceiling. ''What did you. . .oh, my goodness.''

“That can’t be right,” Sunset shook her head, her ears splaying against her head. “H-How did you?”

A long sigh of annoyance diverted their attention to the pony who turned to face them, their eyes dilated from the light.

''I had begun to lose hope, but somepony comes, finally. I wish I planned for just an occasion,'' Luna muttered to her as Twilight’s mind began to break down more than what it already was.

Luna walked over to Twilight, ignoring Spike and Sunset’s face full of surprise as she and struck her across the face with the force of a freight train, the shockwave impaling a massive dent in the crystals and shattering them like toothpicks. All the more while, gasps of shock rang from Spike as Sunset facehoofed.

''Yeeeooooooooowwwwwwch!'' Twilight shrieked, her left cheek turning as red as the sun itself, a low throbbing making her pain sensors go off the charts. ''Why in the hell would you do that?!'' Twilight's tone resembled the Royal Canterlot Voice, booming with authority and pain.

''Why wouldn't I?'' Luna chuckled. ''Slapping you like a rag doll brings a smile to my face, so at least one of us is getting a kick out of this.''

''Don't do that again,'' Twilight growled.

''Whatever.'' Luna shrugged, returning to tapping the Crystal with her hooves.

“Princess Luna, where have you been? We thought. . .you were dead,” Spike mentioned with a tongue of venom. “But you hide in here with rocks-“ Luna cut him off with a hoof, her tone reaching the lowest of octaves.

“If you think I am here by choice, then you are as stupid as you are powerful. . .and I am a Princess no longer, no thanks to Twilight,” Luna said, staring daggers at her once she paused for a moment and showed her wingless back. “She failed.”

Into Others

Author's Note

Welcome back, guys. Enjoy and stay safe. Also for the heck of it, I am connecting a plot device, or in this a character device from another story I have done. If you have read I Couldn’t Become Nightmare Moon, then you should know what I’m gonna mention, or if not, you’ll just see when you read.

”What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

-Albert Pike.

Into Others

Twilight’s head nearly was smashed into the wall as spit flew out her mouth.

“All you had to do to was finish him; to put and end to that unfortunate chapter in Equestrian history, to be the one to bring about change!” Luna shouted at Twilight, her tear-stricken face no longer resembled any regality as she was fueled with anger and sadness. “You had one job, and you couldn’t even do that!”

Spike walked over to his friends, intent on breaking them up. Whatever emotions Luna felt were moot in trying to get her point across. Seeing the former Princess be reduced to a pile of rage and anguish did little to warrant his sympathy at the moment.

He, along with Twilight and Sunset thought she had perished anyways.

“Princess Luna,” Twilight chocked, Luna’s hoof cutting off some air as she fought swallow the spit that pooled in her mouth. She had to tell her something to calm her down. “I-I-“

“-Shut up! Stopping the invasion of Canterlot was foal’s play, doing away with Sombra; a simple feat for you, even going and getting your crown from Sunset Shimmer and besting the Sirens!” Luna growled, wanting nothing more than to curb stomp her within in an inch of her life. It would be a small price to chip away at the insurmountable pain and punishment she had to endure. “Why was this time any different?!”

“I tried m-my best,” Twilight argued, not wanting to use her magic less she ends up making the situation worse.

“That is a load of horseshit!” Luna shouted, spit flying from her mouth and hitting Twilight in the face. “If I didn’t know any better, I would Celestia’s biggest mistake was-OOF!”

Sunset Shimmer managed to pull Luna away, wincing when one of her hooves struck her in the cheek, causing her to grit her teeth and nearly force Luna to the ground, struggling and flipping her over like a rag doll. Luna sensed her intent and fought to make things bad for Celestia’s former student if she continued down this path.

Jabbing her hoof into Sunset’s midsection and attempting to catch her with a wild hoof in an arc, Sunset hissed, nearly trying to bite Luna before her hoof came back, catching her and forcing her to the ground.

Twilight slumped down to ground, coughing and soothing her sore throat, the words that Luna said sinking and making her think about how she. . .was right. She should be mad, she should be upset, she should. . .but she was not.

“Release me!” Luna shouted, suddenly feeling the change in pressure as she was hoisted up and laid down to the ground, Spike’s claw wrapped firmly around her neck as he pressed his weight into her, making getting up difficult. “Before l-“

“-Before you what? You know that using your magic needlessly will drain you faster, and contrary to what you might think; Spike is stronger than what you may think.” Sunset smirked, dusting herself off and nursing her swelling cheek. Buck, Luna sure could hit hard. “How about you calm down and talk to us for a second instead of attacking us?”

“Only if ‘Twilight gives no bucks Sparkle’ did the right thing, none of us would be in this predicament; Equestria would be healthy, the magic of Friendship would still be here, and Celestia wouldn’t be dead!” Luna roared, Spike pressing his claw deeper into her back the more that she tried to get up. “Why have you come here in the first place?”

“To get answers; we hoped there would be a spell or any information to try and stop Tirek,” Twilight muttered, approaching the downed mare. Even without looking at her, Twilight could sense Luna’s malice from a mile away. If that alone could kill, Twilight would be better off just jumping off of a cliff.

Luna laughed, her laughs echoing and filling the air. They couldn’t possibly be serious, could they? Any semblance of hope ebbed away with Twilight failing to do what Celestia groomed her to do; the one thing that mattered more than anything else. “There is no way to stop Tirek; he has ravaged the entirety of Canterlot Castle and all of the hidden or otherwise conscious items that he deemed a problem. We stand divided. And there is no way that you can fix this,” Luna’s voice was nearly a whisper.

“And why are you here? Where were you when Twilight fought Tirek? Why didn’t you seek us out or-“ Sunset paused at Luna exhaling a swift breath at her. Luna slowly shook, the muscles and veins bulging and shaking. Sunset Shimmer did had quite the sharp tongue, even more so than Twilight at times, and even Spike with his sarcasm.

“Because, Sunset Shimmer; in his twisted and all powerful mind spawned a worser fate than death; confinement.” Luna said, relaxing when she spoke about her eternal punishment. “With my sister being dead, I am without family, and was forced underneath Canterlot to live in a prison of sorts.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked.

Hmmph. It did make sense that he would be as dull of knowledge as when he was a baby.

“Due to a spell cast on this place; I am unable to leave the proximity of the caverns.” Luna said, closing her eyes. In her opinion, banishment to the moon for a millennium was far from tame than this. It was more of a literal prison where she constantly was surrounded by all the things she had essentially grew up in grew into over the years; what her and Celestia built.

And what the significance of having all that be gone meant when she was the only of the two to witness the destruction.

Twilight stopped her next thought. Trapped? For how long? And was Tirek’s magic that strong?

“What? H-How have you been surviving for however long you’ve been down here?” Sunset gasped, wondering how Luna hadn’t died from starvation.

“I will tell you. . .if you release me,” Luna appealed to Twilight for the moment, hoping that she would be willing to put the small issue to the side for the moment. “I will not apologize for voicing the facts that we both know to be true; one of us has to take account for her actions, and that by us, I mean you.”

Twilight sighed, knowing Luna was right, but only just. There were a few things that Luna got wrong and assumed rather than fact-checking with her, but she could tell that in her rage and pain that Luna was not trying to be the best of listeners right now. At least not until she calmed down. “Spike.”

Huffing and letting her up, Luna growled at Spike wanting to wipe that smug grin off his face. If only she had her full power. “I will not attack; I am simply just-“

“-Emotional, I think we all are guilty of that, Princess Luna. But we need to find a way to help make things right. You understand that, right?” Spike asked, hovering over to Twilight and keeping a wary eye on her. Twilight nodded her head and spoke. Spoke about that day, and her own account of events.

“Things were going smoothly, we had prepared for the attack the best we could. Cozy Glow, Sombra and Chrysalis all at once fueled by the magic of other races were too powerful. If only we could have secured Grogar’s Bell, and we would have had a chance.”

“You underestimated them. We all have, but that power combined with them possessing most of Discord’s Chaos Magic, the Alicorn Amulet, as well as the poisoning the Crystal Heart’s power did little for our defenses!” Luna shot back, remembering the battle from the accounts of others, as well as her own. The battle endured for days before they fell.

And her punishment began the moment Tirek took Celestia from this world.

“What was I supposed to do? Let them destroy Equestria?” Twilight asked, hoping to find a way to get the world back to how it was.

“They did that anyways! Whether you let them or not, they still did! Why? Why? Why would you lay down your arms, and bend to their will?”

Twilight’s tears almost fell to the ground, the cold feeling on her cheeks making every second feel like an eternity. She didn’t even know how bad things would get; to what lengths Tirek would go to claim his prize, and how much he made her suffer. “He had the girls and Starlight hostage. They-“ Luna stomped a hoof, quieting her for the moment.

“-Already resigned to the fact that they were, indeed not going to make it,” Luna solemnly accepted the reality. “ They understood the risk of the greater good, and looked their end in the face with the smile of a hero, not caring that their time may have come prematurely, but that they fought with everything that they had and they were content enough with that until the last second.”

“Twilight could handled it differently, sure,” Sunset agreed but tried to find a bit of a silver lining, if any. It definitely was a hard choice to make in the position she was in, but there had to be some leeway given.

“Her friends told her to forget about them; that completing the mission was the only thing that mattered; their lives were supposed to be sacrificed on the altar of peace if it meant restoring Equestria, but instead it was a waste since Twilight could not finish the worse of the worst off!”

“They were my family!” Twilight shouted, pain in her voice as she sobbed with every word. Her heart sped up, her mind began to boggle, and the weight of seeing them be taken away from her made it all the more worse. “I would have given anything to ensure that they live! I would rather it be me than them! That’s my regret!”

“Hnnngh!” Luna head butted Twilight, causing her to stumble back as Luna held her head in her hooves, paying her broken and pathetic face no mind. She couldn’t talk; she sat around and just let it happen without any inkling of the consequences afterwards.

Luna did, however. She attempted, she bled, she flailed around, even when she was taken to the point of no return. It was the matter of principle for her versus anything else.

“They wanted you to forget about them; that’s how you could have honored their own sacrifice. . .but instead you let them perish with no viable reason. And that-“ Luna walked away from Twilight, not wanting to look at her for the moment. She couldn’t. “Is a capital offense.”

“But Princess,” Spike cleared his throat after seeing a stern look from her. “My bad; Luna. We may just have a chance, but only if we work together. Surely-“

“-You wish for me to join my sister, is that it?” Luna asked with a tongue of venom. Of course; a murderer always returns to the scene of the crime to ensure there were no witnesses, if only to cover up their tracks. “As thrilling as that may sound, I would kindly decline that offer.”

“We wouldn’t be sending you to any danger, we would-“

“-Please, Twilight. I know that behind that barely regal appearance lies a social, high-strung train wreck who’s intelligence is overshadowed only by her need to adhere to precise deadlines and plans. . .I will not be your tragedy, nor will you treat me as one.”

“Then why? Why stay alive if you won’t help us at all. What point is there is doing anything if you will just stay here in the caves of Canterlot?” Twilight’s mind fought to make sense of what compelled Luna to be this way. She knew she was hurting, but figured a mare as old as her would still try and fight in spite of whatever was in front; with or without Celestia.

But this was difficult to pinpoint.

“I have my own reasons. . . Twilight here must atone for her sin; only then will I know peace and help.”

“And what the buck is atonement for her? Are you saying you want her to follow the same route as the girls and Celestia?” Spike’s magic began to flare, embers beginning to form at his feet and claws.

Luna shook her head, sitting against a wall and sighing. Things were simpler when they thought she was no more. “That is up to Twilight to decide as she fights to find any way, if there exists any to help make things right. And I would not know where to start.”

The look on Sunset’s face almost resembled that of Maud on a bad day as she simple stared at her. She couldn’t believe it. Princess Celestia, the older of the two, almost always had a plan of some sort, be if small or large. Luna also did from time to time, and between the both of them were hundreds of years, and even more, and the best she could think of was. . .

Nothing?

“But you and Celestia were princesses, with plenty of years of experience. How could you not nothing to suggest?” Sunset asked, walking closer to her Luna kept her head down. “Was that all a lie?”

“Sunset!” Twilight scolded.

“She has a point, Twi.” Spike agreed, his mind on more or less the same wavelength. “Nothing of a 1,000 years can help us?”

Luna clicked her tongue, knowing that question would soon come, and she honestly wanted to shy away from it, but the more that she did, the harder it would be to get the words out.

“In a time of relative peace, there can, and oftentimes there is, just that. Peace. Until Discord, not much else had been done that we didn’t account for. And even more recent events had admittedly been handled by Twilight and her friends.” Luna said, circling a hoof on the ground as her ears dropped. This would be the nail in the coffin. “We are not as all knowing or benevolent as you think; at least my sister was not. I. . .need not remind of what I went through, do I?” Luna’s small glint of shame was felt through her own eyes reflecting into Twilight’s.

Spike was tired of going in circles. He had to get this straightened out. “So there’s nothing you can do?”

“There actually is a lot I can do, but to what extent it will be useful in restoring Equestria is completely up to your judgement, should I decide to help.”

They really had come for nothing, then.

“But if you must know about your earlier question,” Luna seemed to brighten up a tad. “I haves survived on water from a nearby pond. . .and my own mane for sustenance.”

“Come again?” Sunset flicked her ears, making sure she heard correctly. “You ate-“

“-My mane, yes. That’s why I am as small as I am, compared to my sister. It is the same way I managed to survive my banishment to the moon.”

Luna ate her mane? How. . .did that work?

“Is that healthy?” Twilight asked, genuinely curious to every aspect of how that worked.

“Somewhat, but I am able to change it what I want to taste; it merely gives me enough energy and essential vitamins and minerals to help keep me where I am. It also consumes a very minuscule amount of magic so, there’s no real worry and my mane always grows back in a few days.”

“And how does that work? Where does it come from?” Twilight wondered. She has heard of slightly more weird things, but this was something else.

Luna shrugged. “Magic.” Twilight shook her head, wanting to laugh, but knowing that any explanation would remain subpar to actual experience.

“Now that is horseshit.”

Winding Road

Author's Note

Welcome back, all. Let's get back to it.

War is fear cloaked in courage.

-William Westmoreland.

Winding Road

A subtle whine filled itself within Twilight's mind as she listened to Luna regal them with information that they already knew and had interpreted through the lens of another. If any shred of action were to be taken to make sure that Tirek was taken care of in some fashion, it would be a task in itself to accomplish with next to no plan.

''And in the young, dying hours of the time before Tirek was known to be a monster, he and his brother Scorpan were peaceful, though that time has passed,'' Luna commented, shaking her head at Starswirl's willingness to befriend the tamer of the two, only it to bite everypony in the flank at one point or another. ''His quest for power and magic is only out shadowed by his intelligence of most matters.''

''So, what about Scorpan? Did he try and help Tirek or stop him?'' Spike asked, huffing when a bit of dust flew into his nose. The books that he and Twilight read regarding the stories of the past did little to provide any context on their present situation. ''I can guess that trying to go against his brother, even being evil, would be difficult.''

''Aye,'' Luna said, agreeing with the drake as Luna traded the information that would hopefully help the group, and. . .Twilight; to fix her mistake, if possible. ''Scorpan, in his wisdom, chose to attempt reconciling with Tirek, to help change his mind, to help the balance be maintained. Tirek only chose to spare his younger by sapping him of any powers he had, and essentially outsing him to their home.''

Sunset groaned, hoping to find something of value to help fix the very bleak, and the decline of the world around them. Tirek's power was sure monstrous, so fixing any of the damage caused would need the help of many, and Scorpan's power could have been a great aid. ''So why do we just fiddle around if there's nothing concrete we can go on?'' Luna rolled her eyes and gestured to Twilight, who looked downtrodden in her thoughts as the moments went on.

''You may consider asking the one who doomed us all. Canterlot was naturally the first place that Tirek picked to all but raze to the ground. Any pocket of resistance he stamped out. . .all but one.'' Luna looked to the group. ''He may be waiting to perform a grand culling at the pinnacle of his power.''

''And is this not it?!'' Spike asked, sweeping a claw in around them as if the situation could not get any worse. ''This piece of shit Centaur took everything from us! We need to find a way to get even with him! He took our friends! Destroyed monuments! Made all of our defenses and allies look like tearing pieces of paper! And you mean to tell me there's possibly more?''

Twilight watched the glow of pain that came from Spike's eyes as his words were felt more by her than anypony else; due to her. . .her. . .failure. Spike's feelings about his friends were certainly different. Dragons lived longer though most species, and that often made connections more difficult when they ended. He would eventually have to deal with the reality of every other creature coming into contact with him that formed a bond with him dying, and that reminiscing would be worst than death.

''I do not need to tell you about that, Spike; the worst is typically the last thing to happen when it pertains to matters such as this. In terms of what you three can do, I cannot provide much. All of the Pillars, including Starswirl, are gone, The light of The Crystal Empire is no more, as well as Harmony itself,'' Luna racked her brain to think of anything even remotely useful to prolong the inevitable in her opinion. ''Perhaps something may lay in wait in the shadows.''

Twilight got up, admiring the dull, jagged rocks of the caves, wanting to understand even the slimmest of things that may prove to help. ''Shadows. . .'' Twilight delved deep into her mind, attempting to piece together an idea that would be suicidal, but the payoff would hopefully be worth it.

“Well, the portal back to the Mirror World was destroyed, and there wouldn’t even be anything there of value to help us. The Sirens had their powers taken away, and any magic there is like a speck of dirt compared to Tirek,” Sunset recounted her adventures when Twilight showed her the true power of friendship. How silly was she was; acting as a foal would. “I don’t think-“

“Wait,” Twilight said, slowly walking over to Sunset as she looked at her, wanting to see what exactly she had in mind. ''Not all of the Pillars are dead. . .Stygian. He should still be alive; right?''

Luna recalled the name from Starswirl; the young pony who admired the exploits of the Pillars to honor their exploits by making copies of their artifacts, only to end up becoming the Pony Of Shadows before being freed. The power of the shadow was comparable to her own Power as Nightmare Moon, all those years ago.

''Be that as it may; do you honestly think he would be so willing to assist? And for what?'' Luna asked in a sarcastic tone of voice as the anger from both Spike and Sunset rose in response to Luna only providing useless information with lackluster motivation. ''And another, more pressing question would be where in the wide world of Equestria have the three of you been traveling for you to end up here with your tails curled up?''

''Who said we would ask him?'' Twilight challenged Luna's position on the matter, not caring much for any shred of morality when it came to trying to fix her mistake. ''The power of the shadows should be enough; it should be just what we need to help turn the tide. It. . .has to work,'' Twilight swore to herself. Twilight wished she could approach this issue by herself when everything was said and done, as to no rope in Spike, Sunset, or even Luna. ''We just need to find him and use his power to do something; we can take care of the rest as it comes,'' Twilight said, noting Luna's cackling laughter at Twilight's idea, the sound filling the entire cavern until Luna was in pain.

''And, once again, Twilight Sparkle; you fall into your old habit of thinking with your base instincts, instead of using your actual intelligence! The intelligence that you, yourself are so afraid of because the outcome can be altered at a moment's notice. The plans you make will never be exactly how you envisioned! Something. . .can always go wrong-'' Luna stomped on a rock, causing it to crack nearly in half. ''Which is why you let everyone die because you couldn't bear to see your plan come to fruition exactly how you thought it.''

Twilight had enough. Enough being blamed; enough being made out to be the bad pony; to make it seem as if her own suffering was not to be counted for anything. . .and for her to be the one to go down in history as the one who doomed any and all future generations to come. A blur of pain came from her, only to be followed by her body moving on its own. rushing towards Luna as a change in gravity was felt, and she felt pressure from her.

''Twilight, stop!'' Sunset shouted at her, trying to pry her friend off of Luna, who had her hooves pressed firmly into her neck. ''It's not worth it!'' Luna merely chuckled as she began to choke on her own spit, and her face turned a darker shade of purple.

''Twi, give it a rest! What will this accomplish? She's doing this on purpose!'' Spike walked over to Twilight, intent on picking them up, only to feel a wild hoof strike him in the leg before he growled. Grabbing her and picking her up, the gleam in Twilight's eyes soon faded with a strike to her neck from Spike. Coughing and hacking up her spit, Luna failed to move from her spot, only settling for shaking her head.

''Hehehe. . .hehehehe. . .I-COUGH!-knew it. Even a-as a young foal; you never disappoint. . .it will be a matter of time. . .before the past catches up to you.'' Luna said, her breath coming out as a dull rasp.

Sunset shook her head, waning to only gain an understanding of what had to be done. Stygian as a lead, was the only thing they could cling to.

So they had to find out what exactly they had to do and where they had to go.

''Where can we find Stygian, Luna?'' Sunset asked, her patience being worn thin by the second. Luna merely settled for pointing a weak hoof to the sky before she spoke again.

''Only a rumor from the last time before I was sent to live in this hell; but I do recall hearing of a possible location being that of the ruins of Mount Eris.''

''Why Mount Eris? Wasn't Stygian and The Pony Of Shadows created in The Hollow Shades?'' Spike asked, sure that his accounts of the events of The Pillars were correct.

''Where you begin, Spike. . .can not and should not determine where you end up. Investigate if you so choose, just know I attempted to point you all in the right direction-'' Luna sat down on the ground, resolving herself to talking no longer after this. ''Leave me to my punishment. . .and dare not return.''

''Let's hope Stygian is more hospitable than you,'' Spike picked up Twilight and cast a look to Luna, huffing before turning around and walking away, Sunset taking flight and hovering along with Spike, a dull look in her eyes as Luna closed her own, remaining quiet as she listened to the sound of Spike's paws contact the ground as they gradually dulled.

A Desolate Place

''Twilight. . .'' the name made her face contort into a frown. The notion of having to go through with this made her stomach twist into a million knots. That. . .tone alone was enough to provoke her to throttle the nearest creature. It would only be a matter of time before she would hurt somepony. ''Come on, let's go.''

Again.

Spike and Sunset slowed their stride, looking back to Twilight who stopped just short of the shore where she faintly pieced together the memories of what occurred before, all those years in the past. She thought back to when they went on the journey outside of Equestria, beyond places they were nothing but comfortable with in order to save who and what they loved. Even if it meant they would not come back. If there had to be a sacrifice.

Any more importantly, if nopony would for the sake country and crown.

''You know, it's almost poetic if you think about it,'' Twilight muttered to herself, though loud enough so her companions could hear. The weathered balloon that Twilight had for almost her entire life still managed to be with her, even though everything that had happened, it still managed to survive, though she had to tend to the fabric and basket multiple times to preserve a fragment of the past. ''The last time we were here, it had to be for the betterment of Equestria, and now we're here when everything's been taken away.''

Sunset, being the only one who was not present for the excursion in question but knew enough from second hoof accounts to know that it was a hell of a journey and the aftereffects would have possibly been worse than the present predicament that they were in. Spike groaned, walking over to his friend and crouching down to her level, the drake's form making Twilight slowly look up as he steeled his mind for what he was about to say.

''I know, but the least that we can do while being here-'' Spike swept a claw around the air to speak in reference to the world around them. ''-is to make sure what will be left when our time comes is that the next generation-''

''-Assuming one will be present,'' Twilight interjected, making Spike shake his head and continue with his point.

''And they will be they will be if we do what has to be done now,'' Spike said, nursing Twilight ahead as she looked over at a spot very intently. ''Sunset; take point.''

''Roger,'' Sunset said, unfurling her wings as she flew ahead a bit, keeping her eyes and ears open for disturbances as the trio searched for their quarry.

''So, you want to tell me what's with the idea of all but lynching Stygian in the event he doesn't or can't give us what it is that we need to have a chance of winning this fight?'' Spike asked, walking with Twilight as the flashbacks of their time here when he and Twi branched off from the main group following the argument of Queen Nova's Pearl and the lengths that Twilight failed to trust her friends for the sake of the mission and Equestria. ''He may be more receptive if you give him a chance.''

''You mean The Pony of Shadows; you forget but even though we helped rid him from Stygian, he only wound up going right back and bonding again, so was it really worth it at the end of the day?'' the question made Spike shrug as he was only as sure as Twilight was at the time. ''We may just have to take things by force if it means accomplishing our goal.'' Twilight watched Spike's reaction as she chose to say what she was about to hold back for the sake of not seeming like a jerk. ''You can't tell me they taught you nothing at that school of yours on doing what's necessary-'

''Only if there are no other options left, and should we have to take life-'' Spike opened his claw, wiggling the digits as he reflected his mind to the times in Sandgen Village. Each firm corrective action, each tactic learned, each time he meditated, and the first time he had lost control in a moment of weakness, and what that meant for his own character. ''Is to prevent suffering and end the fight quickly, not be a murderous tyrant who enjoys the loss of life like one who just kills for the sake of. . .like some.''

A part of that speech did tell Twilight that Spike may have been directed towards her. Her attitude in recent times did tip towards the way of being a tad too aggressive when matters were relatively tame. Most of the events that the trio encountered were indeed able to be resolve with a bit of finesse versus Twilight being headstrong in both the literal and figurative sense which often involved Sunset needing to swoop in and provide an assist. ''We need to be quick, who knows what Tirek could be planning.''

Spike huffed, his wings ruffling back and forth when a cold wind blew past them. ''One thing at a time, Twi,'' Spike said as the pair walked up the steps that once were home to the Hippogriffs who fled beneath the waves to Sequestria before the ensuing chaos of Tirek's reign left them all but extinct, except a select few who went into hiding. Up ahead would be the town where the Hippogriffs used to reside, and where so much history converged and came to an end so easily due to the events that Tirek and Twilight's respective choices. ''We should focus on. . .wait. D-Do. . .you smell that?''

Twilight quirked her head, sniffing the air, already being used to the smog and dirt smell, only to soon find something else underneath. . .something strong and almost unmistakeable if she had not been so out of it for the moment. ''Ink?''

A massive roar sounded as they walked up the final step, almost being knocked down as Sunset was flung toward the pair, soaring before she corrected herself, shaking her head and zooming back to her friends, Spike unfurling his claws and baring his teeth. ''What the hell happened to take point?''

''I was doing that, before oh, I don't know; the said Pony of Shadows blindsided me, so excuse me for being surprised at an enemy I can't easily see!' Sunset argued, wanting to say something else before being pulled forward, only to be hit with and held down by an invisible force as Twilight rushed forward along with Spike as he took flight, trying to save their friend.

''. . .Nooo.~'' Twilight heard a deep voice sound the closer she got to Sunset, her mind preparing to think of the best countermeasures in a single second, even though she knew that would be impossible. A wave of air pushed her back, the metal grips on her hooves slowing her to stop before she looked to Spike to dive towards Sunset, only for him to be enveloped in a ball of darkness, shaking about until being slammed to the ground as well with Sunset. ''Why. . .have you violated my domain, Destroyer?''

''Stygian? Is that you?'' Twilight asked, narrowing her head to the voice that she heard all around, but was unable to pinpoint. ''We've come-'' Twilight stopped talking as she felt her mind being pulled at for a moment, the voice in the air humming in acknowledgment before speaking again.

''-I know now why you have. . .come. You seek my Shadow's power, which means. . .my power!''

''Ngh! W-What gave you t-that idea?'' Sunset asked from her place on the ground, desperately trying to raise her head up to no avail. ''Let us go!'' a crack of the stone came as she was pushed deeper into the ground, trying to spit out the dirt that got in her mouth.

''Let them go, Stygian,'' Twilight said menacingly, creeping forward when she began to growl every second that passed by. ''We need your power, and we'll get it, one way or another.''

''To what end? To. . .use my powers to win. . .your war?'' Twilight witnessed a glow of light before a dark figure emerged, a stallion's shape walking through the demolished stone before lowering his head in front of Twilight, a snarl coming from his mouth. ''And. . .how would a failure, such. . .as yourself be able to tame the power. . .of shadows?''

Spike slammed a claw onto the ground, the veins in his skin threatening to burst as he fought against the force pushing him down. An almost pulsing pressure was felt on his head as he began to stand up with a labored intensity. A glow in his eyes appeared like a beacon of light in contrast to the surrounding darkness. ''Twilight, stay back.''

Stygian turned his head to the drake who fought against his power, the shadows themselves were one of the most powerful things that remained in this forsaken world, and even those who would possess any ability to resist or even negate the awesome power were far and few. ''Who. . .or what, are you?''

Spike slowly began to walk over to the center of the destroyed fountain where Twilight and Stygian were sizing each other up. white fire beginning to gather in his claws as his wings jutted out. ''An Adept.'' Spike simply said, managing to fly towards the dark figure, throwing his fire towards his target.

''Spike, d-don't!'' Sunset groaned, Twilight jumping back as Stygian roared, brining up a wall of shadows that held back the majority of the fire, causing some to spill over and almost singe Twilight if she had been any closer to the drake's attack. Spike flew up, blasting a shot of fire to which Stygian leaped out of the way, causing Spike to land on the ground, the burning passion in his eyes to end the fight as quickly as possible showing as he clasped his claws together as he stared up to the gray, bleak skies and light poured out from his eyes and forming a miniature ball of light which he held in one claw as the other rested behind the other.

''Sun Sphere!'' the light grew in its intensity, appearing brighter than the sun itself, causing his foe to reel back and hiss as the ball climbed high in the sky, providing light for the entire island and even illuminating the surface of the water, revealing the aftereffects of Tirek's conquest; multiple broken ships, discolorations in the water, and a few of the bodies of the Hippogriffs that either tried to fight or flee the end of their life.

Twilight stood there, shielding her eyes from the light, still feeling the light even with her eyes closed and body facing away. She heard another roar from Spike and Stygian, hearing a clash of the two, a slash of flesh and scale, and a shout from Spike telling her that he was wounded. She wanted to charge right in and help, even if it would be all for nothing. She was little better than somepony to just watch and see what would happen.

She hated standing by.

''Augh!'' Stygian yelling, being sideswiped by Spike's feet and those deadly sharps claws as he felt a pinch on his flank from the other pony. He was unable to focus on many things when his damnation was so close. ''Ragh! Parasites!''

''Yea, no! Go down already!'' Sunset shouted, inhaling a breath and shouting, a wave of sound following, causing Stygian's form to distort and ripple, the pulsations revealing the old, weathered and defiant true self of Stygian as he tried to cling onto his form.

''N-No!~ Please. . .it's all I. . .have. . .'' Stygian pleaded as his ears began to bleed and his eyes began to bog. Twilight realized her chance to do something, to claim what would soon be hers, and put poor Stygian out of his misery. It would be a small shot, but not impossible.

Steeling herself and looking at the only weapons that she could reliably say she had, Twilight leaped into action, seeing Spike perform some motions with his claws, no doubt some kind of move to pacify the enemy, but Stygian's power was too great and only really came with one major drawback. If Twilight could correct that issue. . .

She would be nigh unstoppable.

''Stygian!'' Twilight yelled, leaping up, her hoof spikes unlatched as she dove in, the change in momentum from impacting the unicorn almost causing her to slip off if not for her spikes latching onto his throat and chest, silencing his claims and replacing them with the gargling of his own blood. ''I told you. . .one way or the other. . .'' a cough of blood was flung onto her armor, but she didn't care. ''Your regrets die with you.''

Stygian chuckled, managing to look Twilight in the eyes as the shadows began to shrink, lowering them to the ground before collapsing in a pool of liquid. ''Huh. . .with me, t-they die. B-But, they shall. . .live with you.'' Stygian said before going silent, a small thrum sounding from beneath the very ground as Spike, Sunset, and Twilight had little time to react before the shadows suddenly grew, the hissing of being burned doing little to deter it as it continued to grow.

''What the?'' Sunset asked, seeing the mass of shadows latch onto Twilight, nearly consuming her as Spike's Sun Sphere began to die out, the drake looking at the action unfold as the look of almost childlike glee that was once on her face before being consumed by the shadows being replaced with fear as she could do little to fight back.

''Twilight, no. . .'' Spike shook his head, his emotions almost coming to the surface as he rushed over to his friend with Sunset, failing to notice Stygian's body slowly turn to dust behind them.

Canterlot. . .

''Hmmm. . .where, oh where did you scamper off to? The usual place, perhaps?'' a bout of laughter sounded before the sound of hooves assaulted the ground, the figure heading towards the tattered remains of the castle, sure he would find his quarry before long.

Author's Note

Back again, guys. Hope you enjoy.

''I like the idea of isolation. I like the reality of it. You realize what you are... not that the knowledge is inevitably rewarding.''

-Joseph Brodsky.

A Urge For One

Author's Note

''Lessons are not given, they are taken.''

-Cesare Pavese.

A Urge For One

A blast of hot air assaulted the plain in front of Spike and Sunset Shimmer as Twilight began to stir from her long slumber. After seeking out The Pony Of Shadows and its awesome power, the next idea that would follow Twilight's machinations would be something that the drake would just be completely ecstatic to find out what that would be her plan to. . .undo whatever Tirek held plans for the shattered Equestria.

At times, the longtime assistant of Twilight Sparkle wondered since that very first day arriving in Ponyville, was every action from that first day ever worth it?

The late nights, the periling adventures, lies, hurt, abuses of power, and so much more were given to the warriors of peace and friendship, though nothing like this had been seen before.

''Twilight. . why?; we don't know how the Shadow Pony's powers might affect you,'' Spike said, cradling her friend in his arms, checking on her temperature, and witnessing the eldritch force. It shaped her, clung to her as her own fur and mane. When the threat of The Pony of Shadows came to light, Twilight and their. . .friends and the help of The Pillars managed to do what needed to be done to return peace. ''Sunset, any idea of what we can do? You were Celestia's student before Twi, maybe something in all those ancient tomes can help us figure out what we're dealing with.''

For the moment.

Sunset ruffled her wings, shaking off loose dirt and grimacing as she tried to remember something; anything holding even a shred of hope to explain what the trio, or rather, duo in this case had to perform damage control when it came to Twilight and the actions that led the group to where they were currently. Princess Celestia's old notes about the primordial forces that birthed the world that everypony knew, certain ideas were given shape in the way of a crude telltale to blanket the mass of destruction and sorrow to bring forth the light that so many took advantage of.

Excluding Princess Luna, and perhaps a spat or two that Celestia informed the young and ambitious Sunset Shimmer about, there was very little she could immediately produce that would make Twilight's. . .process any easier. Taking a bit more time would be the only thing that she could do while Spike took the mantle of the group until things improved.

''No, and the more that I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that the two of us should have exercised more caution and care with trying to convince Stygian to come to the fight versus what Twilight did, and all for the sake of her self-proclaimed mission to right-'' Spike laid a claw on Sunset's shoulder, causing the thought she wanted to finish to halt like the flame of a candle being blown out.

''-That was something that not one of us responsible for, and you know that,'' Spike said, his quick tone and glare doing little to affect her on the outside right away, but with his training, he could tell it made a blip of agreement sound from her soul. The difficult part was vocalizing rather than denying outright. ''I did all I could to train for something on this scale, but even being an Adept still did little; and even my Master would agree that Tirek, even with him being as powerful as is would do little.''

Sunset swiped away the claw, baring her fangs in a non-threatening gesture. ''Then why run off and train if it's essentially not up to par to Tirek?''

The same phrase, only worded differently from time to time from many different sources hiccuped within his mind; why did he venture off? Why go to Sandgen Village, take under the brutal and unforgiving training to become a true dragon? Tirek's influence over the broken Equestria was powerful, and while little remained to be 'proud' of, it still made the situation no better.

Spike. . .could not.

''I was too weak; Sunset, you know firsthoof. Even Twilight did. All of her friends, Celestia and Luna, Cadence, Shining Armour, every single creature who knew of me knew I was weak,'' Spike gripped his friend a tad tighter, but nowhere near close to hurt her. That was never his intention. ''I wanted to be more than the errand dragon; the little troublemaker who always needed saving. I wanted to be the one to do the saving.'' Spike said, exhaling as phantom pains emanated from his legs and wings, a distant reminder of the times where they no longer decided to shut down past the point of failure.

The crack of the constant whips, the grunts of anger from being tossed about like a ragdoll, the intense heat of the smelting pits, and the immense psychological torture that often distorted his reality to the point of being unable to tell up from down still failed to be enough.

Master Dai would always remind him otherwise.

Sunset clicked her tongue, watching her companion give her a lazy glance back as they continued onto shelter, narrowly passing by an undisturbed house that managed to be spared of any destruction, the drake soon making his mind up when he glanced upon the entrance, seeing the door slightly cracked open that compared to the narrow slit in his weary eyes, the look softening once he smirked to himself, gesturing for Sunset to follow inside. ''We should be safe for the time being.''

''How?'' Sunset asked, walking inside, her body posture alert for any sign of trouble. While not being entirely doubtful of the drake's words, it still possessed a sense to be sure. ''Let me guess-''

''-Training,'' Spike quipped back quietly, not wanting to rouse Twilight so soon. The inside looked to be somewhat decent in comparison to the carnage that ensued outside of the village. A few pieces of furniture strewn about, the plants that were once given life from sunlight and water now shriveled up and in fragments. The huge brown coffee table that stood in the center of the living room was the only thing untouched. ''This place. . .seems almost untouched.''

Sunset cast a look at a few of the portraits and pictures on the wall that displayed elegant interpretations of a regal figure dressed in golden attire, from the meticulously placed crown that displayed jewels that shined in the dust to the almost lavender purple cloak that draped the figure. Others were left haphazardly put in place, various corners being cut out or drawn out in a kind of marker. A breath of something in the air made her unsettled, though not enough to be on edge.

Finding a small loveseat to temporarily set his friend down, Spike sat on his behind and started to contemplate what the next move would have to be to gain any kind of ground. They couldn't stay here for long, and they could not keep running, only to be hunted like wild animals to be killed. They had to fight back for what they knew to be the right thing to do, as well as to start the long process to recover any semblance to a former life. ''We need help.''

''Maybe a miracle will fall into our laps,'' Sunset finished inspecting the rest of the house, sitting perpendicular to Spike as they both laid their eyes on Twilight cradled on the chair, her body shaking at random intervals, the shadows spreading throughout her body, coming often with violent pulses that nearly came out and attacked the pair, only to retreat back the downed Twilight, leaving the pair to internalize what was happening in their own way. Twilight would pull through, she always did when the worst had yet to come. . .

Hadn't she?

Spike and Sunset felt a pressure slowly come into the room with each second with the preception of seeing their friend sitting and more than likely suffering more and more come into question. Every blink felt longer than the last. The muscles used to do so felt pushed to their limits before their eyes both closed at the same time.

The eternity that passed before the next sight their brains could process was not what they saw before.

Then the shriek of pure terror and desperation came shortly after.

Quid Pro Quo?

Author's Note

Back once again with the fun of reading, and I hope you're ready to go.

''When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.''
-Elon Musk.

Quid Pro Quo?

Canterlot Castle. . .

Luna huffed, once again faced with the same, bleary sight of the quiet crystal caves. She knew. Time and time again, her supposed faith in those that she once hoped would provide change remained unchanged. Inside her mind, or that of Nightmare Moon yielded many viewpoints, some of which she was wholly unable to separate fact from fear. Dark Magic, or that which Celestia and that weak-minded thought of as they chose not to brave the far beyond for such power.

Though Tirek took his ultimate delight in ensuring that all after him would be unable to do so without immeasurable costs.

''Why?'' Luna asked herself, her mind throbbing with uncertainty and aggression. It made no sense. Failures; each and every one of them. ''Twilight is the last pony I would think that would allow so much death and sorrow; only followed by that plebian Discord,'' Luna said, trotting to the entrance that she grew to no question the apparent reality that it was made to show the general area of Ponyville. ''If I could jump off of this cliff, I would,'' Luna muttered, reaching a hoof out, only for it to stop dead in its tracks. The same result. ''I wonder what ever became of him,'' Luna's eyes closed as a mild hum came after munching on a bit of her mane.

WHOOSH!

''For once, I agree with you of all ponies; and the end of our world must truly be nigh for that to happen.'' Luna's blood ran cold, feeling the pulse of breath on her neck. No; it couldn't be. Could it? Luna tensed to move, not knowing she let herself be blindsided so easily, and in her own home. Much couldn't be done with her back, so she merely relaxed her shoulders and lowered her head for the inevitable. Staring at the ruined lands of Ponyville and beyond in the distance did not make for an honorable death.

''Why do you not attack? You could have easily-''

''In my current form, not as much as either of us would hope, but that can be discussed later.'' Luna slowly turned around, the dim light providing enough of a view, though her eyes could be fooled. ''I. . .propose a truce. You have questions, no doubt. And I have some of my own, along with some answers.'' Luna's laughter filled the caverns as her would-be assailant seemingly struggled to not tear out his own neck talking to her. He would wipe that jovial nature before long.

''And why; in the wide, wide, frankly bucked-up world of Equestria would the notion of working with you in any capacity be something that I would do?'' Luna's entire body shook, nearly horking up spit and phlegm as she became light-headed at the concept. ''I-''

''-Was once Nightmare Moon, so how much worse could you get than me?'' the smirk on his face fueled Luna's frown and to her surprise, a hoof was extended. ''What do you say?''

''If you can get me out of this cage, then I would agree to work with you. . .but I would peg Tirek a better player in this game we call life.” Luna said the implication of being let loose appeared more of an impossibility than anything else. Whatever angle was being played was something surely that had to be done for the sake of a greater advantage over Tirek, though even she in her lonely, contemplative state was unable to make a solid or valid counterclaim to helping. ''The years have not been kind to you, I see.''

A deep-throated hiss failed to deter Luna’s question. Only the deep red hue of his eyes, her own reflection a faint blip in what she could see of his rage, depravity, and whatever else gave him strength. “We shall see, but we will need to combine our minds, and my magic in this case to have a chance.” Luna’s head whipped back as she was struck by his hoof. A thud was followed by an animalistic grunt and Luna found herself with the worst burning sensation across her chest. “But you need to die first.”

Pure agony. That was all she could feel; ripping and tearing of her head and body to its limit; only surpassed by the wave of splintering cold that overtook the air of the caves. Memories flashed by, a wild and terrifying scene paid for, no doubt in blood. Luna gasped, her throat nearly caving in on itself. His laugh echoed with the whisper of eldritch spellbinding bringing abominations from the world over to the surface. Most barely managed to hobble and crawl towards the dim light, pops and oozes of flesh encased in bile failing to stop them.

“Yes, very good; very good.” Luna’s ears folded to each word spoken gradually dulling in intensity until silence reigned. “Let’s see who will stay and who will go.” Luna had the feeling she may have done evil to squash another, but little could be done about it now. ''King Sombra will return. . .''