Legend of the Harbingersby PvtFluttersChaptersChapter 1: 1000 Years of PeaceChapter 2: Fall of a PrincessChapter 3: Sweet Apple AcresChapter 4: A Mail Pony's MistakeChapter 5: The Prancing PonyChapter 6: Guessing GamesChapter 1: 1000 Years of PeaceCanterlot Castle was cold, its hallways filled with guards... although their presence wasn't required. The only threat against Celestia and Canterlot was Queen Chrysalis. That event happened a little over a year ago and scouting reports have shown that since then, Changelings had lost faith in Chrysalis. Most of her army had faded away and moved on from Equestria to find a new Queen. Even without threats, and peace throughout all of Equestria, Celestia was worried. She stood looking out a window at the top of Canterlot Castle. She felt something "off" about tonight. But since it was just a feeling, she decided to keep it to herself. Luna, however, knew Celestia was troubled. "Sister," the dark blue alicorn said. Celestia turned around to see that her sister was ready to raise the moon to begin the night. "Is something wrong?" Luna asked. "Thank you for your concern, my sister, but I am fine. Are you ready?" Celestia asked comfortably. "Yes," Luna replied, and walked past her sister to the edge of the balcony. Luna's horn began to glow. She shut her eyes and the dark night sky was slowly illuminated by the pale moon. Celestia smiled at her sister's success. "Great job, my sister," Celestia said. "I learned from the best," Luna replied. The night was perfect- the two sisters could have stared out at their kingdom for the rest of eternity. This made Celestia forget about her thoughts from earlier. She wished she could stay longer, but this was Luna's time, not hers. Celestia walked off the balcony and back into the castle. She reached the door and opened it with her magic. "Goodnight, Tia," Luna said. Celestia was shocked- her sister hadn't called her that since she was a filly. Celestia thought her sister was still angry with her for the banishment; in fact, she still wasn't even sure that it was the correct choice. Every night when she had to raise the moon in her sister's absence, Celestia thought of her. Regardless, this was what she had chosen, and be it right or wrong, even Celestia couldn't change the past. But when Luna called her that... it meant something had changed. Had Luna forgiven her? Celestia smiled to her sister. "Good night Luna," Celestia said, and walked out of the room. Celestia walked into her chambers, closing the door behind her. She lay down in her bed and closed her eyes. The thought of being forgiven for her crime against her own sister guided her to sleep. Down in the courtyard though... something else was going on. Two guards, were playing a game of hoof wrestling. One of them was a red pegasus named Firewing, the other an earth pony named Tumbleweed. Firewing had an accident as a colt where his wings caught on fire. Nopony really knew how he manged to catch his wings on fire... but it got him his cutie mark, so he was happy... after he got out of intensive care. Tumbleweed's story was a little less eventful. He had always had a talent for uprooting weeds for ponies in need. He never complained, though. Canterlot Castle is a big place, after all. Weeds came up every now and then, and when they did, he was on the case. The two of them honestly weren't royal guard material. Although, since Canterlot - and all of Equestria, for that matter - were at peace, they never had to be "good". Except for tonight. The castle's front gate was secured with a padlock, but suddenly the lock was engulfed in a black aura. The lock made some funny noises and fell to the ground. Firewing and Tumbleweed heard this and peered over to the front gate to see a unicorn pushing it open and entering without asking permission. Tumbleweed sized up the unicorn: stallion, average build, dark grey coat, and pitch black mane and tail. He approached the stairs to the castle but Firewing and Tumbleweed quickly blocked his path. "Canterlot Castle is closed at this time of night. If you'd like to see the princess, come back in the morning and maybe we'll let you through," Firewing said with a cocky grin. He hadn't had a real chance to use his royal guard status to intimidate anypony yet, so he enjoyed this. Regardless of Firewing being much bigger then this unicorn, the unicorn didn't move, or seem to be phased in anyway by Firewing's comment. This angered the red pegasus. He wasn't about to let this pony get the better of him. "What's the matter with you? Are you stupid?! I said leave!" Firewing commanded. Tumbleweed wasn't as confrontational as his counterpart. "Hey, sorry, I don't know how you got in here, but you have to leave," Tumbleweed said in a gentle voice, much like Fluttershy. Still the unicorn did nothing. Firewing walked closer to the unicorn and lifted his hoof in the direction of the gate. "You know how to get in, so you know how to get out. Now, before we have to get violent, leave!" Firewing demanded. The unicorn didn't move but he didn't have to. A pitch black force field engulfed him, hitting Firewing in the process. Firewing screamed and jolted back. The hoof that he was pointing to the door was severely burned. The force field dissolved as fast as it arrived and the unicorn slowly walked up the stairs and into the castle through the front doors. Tumbleweed didn't pursue the stallion but instead called for the captain, Shining Armor. Shining Armor ordered Tumbleweed and a few of his guards to take Firewing to Canterlot Hospital. Tumbleweed and the others nodded. Shining Armor and his remaining guards ran up the stairs and into the grand hall of Canterlot Castle. The unicorn was nowhere to be seen. "Should we put the castle on high alert?" a guard asked. "Seal off the gate, and split up. We'll find him," Shining Armor said. His guards did as they were told. Shining Armor himself made it his top priority to secure the Princesses. He had no time to lose. Celestia's eyes opened. She was certain she had heard a noise. She scanned the room, but nothing was out of place. The curtains flapped as the cold night breeze rolled in through the window. Without getting out of bed, Celestia's horn glowed and the doors to her balcony closed shut. The curtains fell to their original position. She rested her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt the cold night breeze again. She opened her eyes to see that the balcony doors were opened again. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, and when her vision cleared, she saw the silhouette of a unicorn standing on her balcony. Suddenly Shining Armor burst through the door. Celestia turned to him and back to the balcony to find that the doors were closed... "Princess, are you OK?" Shining Armor asked. "Why do you ask?" Celestia asked, becoming more nervous by the second. "There's an intruder in the castle," Shining Armor said. Celestia looked back over to the balcony, and a chill ran down her spine. Shining Armor noticed this and walked to the balcony. The room was quiet- every hoofstep Shining Armor took could be heard. He reached the door. The knob began to glow as Shining Armor used his horn to open it. Was she dreaming? The strange 'off' feeling she had earlier. The intruder in the castle... the silhouette on the balcony. Was it all real? Shining Armor turned to Celestia and nodded. She nodded back. He flung the door open and readied himself for what was on the other side. The cold breeze overtook the room. Celestia opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Shining Armor stood on the balcony, his blue mane flowing with the wind. He looked back at Celestia and let out a sigh. Suddenly, Celestia screamed. Shining Armor turned around to see a unicorn with him on the balcony. He threw a hoof at the unicorn but he wasn't ready for the unicorn's magic. Shining's hoof came to a dead stop in mid swing, a black aura surrounding it. He tried to pull away, but it was useless. The unicorn's horn began to glow pitch black. Shining Armor was lifted off his hooves by the unicorn's magic and suspended in the air floating off the edge. If the unicorn released the spell, Shining Armor would fall several stories to his death. Celestia sprang up from her bed and readied her magic. "Let. Him. Go!" she demanded. This turned out to be the wrong choice of words. The unicorn shrugged and released the spell. Chapter 2: Fall of a PrincessShining Armor plummeted to the ground below. His life would soon be over. He closed his eyes tight and prepared for his imminent death. After ten seconds, he realized he should have hit the ground by now... what was going on? "Thank goodness I was strolling by, what happened?" a voice asked. Shining Armor's eyes opened to find his younger sister, Twilight Sparkle, standing inches away from him. She must have caught him with a magic field and lowered him slowly down. "Thank Celes-" But Shining Armor soon remembered what was happening and jumped to his hooves. "Follow me, we have to find her!" Shining ran from the courtyard and into the castle. Twilight followed swiftly. "What's going on?!" she asked in the confusion. Ahead of them were three royal guards slamming on the throne room door. "The intruder. He's got Celestia!" one of them yelled. Seeing Shining Armor and Twilight, the guards stepped aside to let them pass. "Twilight, help me with this door!" Shining demanded. Twilight took a glimpse at the knob and saw something off about it- it was covered in a black aura. Twilight and Shining Armor's horns lit up and cast a bolt of magic at the doorknob. The two magic forces collided but it was no use. The black magic was just too powerful. "It's no use!" Shining yelled. Twilight tried to keep a cool head, and it paid off. Her horn began to light up. She closed her eyes and cast her teleportation spell. When she opened them she was greeted with a grim sight. Celestia lay on the floor. Her body was nearly completely flushed of all color. But the most disturbing thing was her Cutie Mark... it had disappeared. The guards growled at the figure sitting atop the throne- a unicorn with a dark grey coat, his mane and tail darker than a moonless night. He looked at the guards but showed no emotion. Twilight didn't even care about the unicorn, though... she was fixated on her fallen teacher. The unicorn stepped down from his chair, and suddenly the entire room became a black void, absent of all life except for Twilight, Celestia, and the unicorn. Twilight slowly walked over to her fallen teacher. She wasn't alive... but wasn't dead. The life had been drained from her. She was like a pony without a soul. Twilight knelt down beside her teacher. "Princess..." she managed. She was trying to hold back the tears, though it was impossible. One tear broke through and fell onto Celestia's coat. The sun goddess didn't respond to her student. She was dead silent. "I'm truly sorry for your loss," the unicorn said. "But, it had to be done. The end days are upon us." Twilight looked at the unicorn for the first time. He showed no emotion, no remorse. How could somepony do this? "Why? Why did you do this?" Twilight asked. Her composure was slipping. She couldn't hold back her emotions for much longer. "It was her fate. Princess Celestia's fate was to fall at my hooves. I was to take her power," he said, showing his new cutie mark. It resembled Celestia's just... dark... demented even. "Soon, Twilight, I will control Canterlot. Days after, as it is predicted, Equestria will fall. You can't stop it." Twilight stood up and looked the unicorn at eye level. "Nothing can justify what you did here!" she yelled. Her composure was lost. She didn't care if her emotions showed. "The prophecy has never tried to be justifed; it is as it is. I don't need your approval to do what I did or what I will do. You can't stop me. Twilight, I wish to do no harm to you unless it is deemed necessary. You may walk away, but if you stay, I will have to end your life. Your fate is in your hooves." Twilight couldn't take this. She didn't care who or what this pony was. He had drained her teacher and... friend, of all her life. Justice was all she could think about. She lowered her head to Celestia's body. "This one's for you, princess." And with that, Twilight's horn swung directly at the throat of the unicorn. The unicorn vanished into thin air. Twilight growled with anger. He would pay. Twilight would be sure of that. "Come out!" she screamed, but to no avail. The unicorn was well concealed in his fortress of shadows. Suddenly a movement caught her eye. But it wasn't the unicorn... it was Celestia. Twilight's eyes widened as Celestia slowly moved her hoof. "Twi..... light" Celestia mustered with the last of her strength. Celestia's hoof touched her crown. What was she doing? Celestia removed the crown and presented it to Twilight. "Princess... I don't..." But Twilight didn't argue. She took the crown and as soon as she did, Celestia's hoof fell back to the black floor. Twilight looked at the Princess's crown. It was beyond any other form of beauty. She could gaze into it for a lifetime but it was cut short. Behind Twilight stood the unicorn she had forgot she was fighting. He struck Twilight with a devastating blow to the back of the head. Twilight's eyes slowly began to close. With the last of her strength she pulled the crown close to her. She had to keep it safe. The unicorn looked at Twilight, his face, of course, showing no emotion. His horn lit up. He would stay true to his word. His horn started to spark with power. Twilight had sealed her fate when she chose to fight him. Now she would have to face the consequences. He lowered his horn to her. All he had to do was touch her, and her life would end. He continued to lower his horn, but suddenly he stopped. His face showed emotion... even he was surprised. He lifted his head back up to its normal position and looked at Twilight again. His horn stopped sparking. He appeared to be deep in thought. Finally he closed his eyes and a small flicker of light appeared on the tip of his horn. Just before completing his new spell, he gave Twilight and the crown one last look... and then the room of darkness became a room of blinding light. Chapter 3: Sweet Apple AcresSweat slowly ran down Applejack's face. It was harvest season and that meant the Apple family had lots of work ahead of them. It wasn't anything they hadn't handled before, though. Applejack stood atop a hill next to a lone apple tree. She had taken to calling the tree "Wilfred" because she felt bad for it being so lonely atop the hill. If it had a name, she could pretend to be its companion. "Yain't talking to trees again are ya' sis?" a voice from behind her asked in a sort of giggle. Applejack smiled and turned around to find her little sister, Applebloom, grinning at her. Applebloom began to laugh. She laughed so hard that she toppled over on her side. "Ya' were! Weren't ya'?!" "Wilfred is a special tree, he gives us double what the others do!" Applejack stated. Applebloom dismissed her sister's statement. Applejack put her hoof on her face. Being friends with an apple tree was kind of silly. "Ain'tcha suppose to be in bed?" Applejack grinned knowing Applebloom couldn't brush this one off. The "older sister" card. Works every time! "I suppose so... hmmm... say, sis! I'll go to bed if you play a quick game with me," Applebloom said with a cheery grin. Well, the older sister card works *almost* every time. "No, you should be goin-" "You have to find me first!" Applebloom said, and ran as fast as she could in the other direction. Applejack let out a sigh. If it meant that her little sister would go to bed, she would play this little game. Applejack set off in Applebloom's direction. Sweet Apple Acres was huge. Applebloom had a slight head-start on Applejack. Still, AJ was confident that she would find her. She ran past many apple trees and suddenly heard the sound of giggling. Applejack smiled and slowly approached the tree. Suddenly, Applebloom ran out from behind the tree and right by her sister. As she passed Applejack, Applebloom stuck her tongue out. "Catch me if you can!" Applebloom said/shouted. Applejack quickly ran after her. Applebloom was surprisingly fast for such a little filly but AJ wasn't about to lose her. Running as fast as she could, Applejack leaped and tackled her sister to the ground. Applejack quickly got up to make sure her sister was OK, but Applebloom was used to playing rough. The little filly gave a playful giggle and smiled at her sister. "I guess ya got me," she laughed. "And ya know what that means?" Applejack said with a grin. "What?" "That'cha have to go to bed." AJ laughed. It was late, and night had fallen. A cold breeze blew past the two ponies, chilling Applejack to the bone as if something awful just happened. She stood still, the wind blowing through her mane. "Something wrong, sis?" Applebloom asked with a concerned tone. Applejack snapped out of her state and gave her sister a smile. Suddenly a blinding flash of light appeared inside the barn. Beams of light escaped through the cracks in the barn walls, but just as quickly as the light arrived, it was gone. Applejack looked at her sister with disbelief and then ran into the barn. Inside lay two unicorns, both of which Applejack knew. One was Twilight Sparkle, one of Applejack's most beloved friends, but why was she here? Wasn't she supposed to be studying an advanced type of magic in Canterlot with the princess? The other unicorn was Twilight's brother, Shining Armor. Almost right after looking at him, he began to move. Applejack rushed over and helped him to all fours. He looked around the room in confusion. Finally he summoned the strength to speak. "Where am I?" he asked. He was having trouble keeping his balance. It was almost like he hadn't slept in days. "You're at Sweet Apple Acres, do y'all remember me? I'm Applejack, Twi's friend from the wedding," Applejack explained. "Applejack... yes, I remember. Twilight... where's Twilight?" he asked weakly. Applejack pointed a hoof over to Twilight, who was laying flat on her belly with blood flowing from her head. "Applebloom! Go get the first aid kit from inside! Twi's hurt." Applejack ordered. Applebloom quickly nodded and ran out out of the barn. Shining slowly pushed Applejack away. "I'm fine," he said. Applejack could tell he wasn't hurt too much. Whatever these two went through, Twilight had recieved the worst of it. Shining and AJ walked over to Twilight. Her chest rose and fell slowly in sync with her breathing. At least that was a good sign. Applebloom burst through the door with her older brother, Big Macintosh. She stopped next to Applejack and gave her sister the first aid kit. First aid wasn't AJ's strong suit but being on the farm for as long as she had meant she had seen her share of injuries. When Big Mac hurt himself years ago right before apple bucking season, it was Applejack that had bandaged him up. AJ started to wrap the top of Twilight's head in the bandage, and it wasn't long before Twilight's head from the horn up was covered in thick bandages. Now that that was taken care of, Applejack turned her attention towards the only pony who knew what was going on here... Shining Armor. Chapter 4: A Mail Pony's MistakeTwilight's vision spun like she had drank too much cider. Despite this, she noticed that something wasn't right about her surroundings. She was in an old-style house, like a barn or something. Twilight slowly stepped out of the bed and walked over to the mirror on the nearby desk. She gasped at the sight of herself. She had a bandage tightly wrapped around her head- this made her mane a mess. But the state of her mane was the least of her concerns... where was she? The answer to her question came to her in the form of a orange earth pony with an old rodeo hat. Applejack gasped when she saw Twilight awake, let alone up and about. "You're awake! What a relief!" Applejack said with a sigh of relief. "How'd I get here? Wasn't I in Canterlot?" Twilight asked, but as soon as she asked, she remembered. The mysterious stallion that attacked Celestia! She tried to remember more, and then gasped suddenly. "The crown?! Where is it?!" Twilight shouted. AJ pointed a hoof over to a box on the desk. Twilight slowly turned around and looked at the box. Her horn lit up and a slight purple aura engulfed the box, slowly opening its top. Inside lay the crown of the sun goddess, Princess Celestia. Twilight picked it up and gave it a long look. It was as if the crown was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't figure it out. Applejack slowly approached Twilight and lay a hoof on her shoulder. "Shining told us all he knew, I'm sorry about Celestia," Applejack said, looking down at the floor. Twilight turned back to Applejack. "She's not gone. Not yet," Twilight stated. Applejack looked at Twilight in confusion. "Celestia isn't dead... she's just..." It was hard for Twilight to explain the state of her teacher, not because it was an emotional topic for her, but because it was hard to put into words. It was as if Celestia was under Discord's spell. All of her teacher's color had flushed away to a dull black and white. But that was the only similarity between those two states. "It's a bit hard to explain, AJ, but... Celestia... isn't in the state to do anything right now," Twilight said. Applejack still had questions that needed to be answered, but now wasn't the time. "What do we do about this stallion? The one that did this?" AJ asked. "He has to pay for what he did!" "No, attacking him won't do anything, I've learned that already," Twilight countered. She turned to the window and looked out at the clear blue sky. "How long have I been asleep?" "Through the night, why?" Applejack asked. Twilight didn't answer and continued to look out the window trying to remember everything that the stallion told her before their battle. Something about a prophecy... about how it states destiny. Whatever this "prophecy" was, that unicorn followed it. But why didn't he kill her then? She couldn't think of that right now. Much more important things were happening, and the situation at Canterlot was one of them. "Applejack, gather the others and bring them here." Applejack nodded and trotted out of the room. Canterlot had a dark force field around it. Its citizens were surged with fear, as it was impossible to enter or leave the city. The gate had been turned a nightmarish black and the force field prevented pegasi from leaving by air. The only ponies who could leave the city were the mail ponies. The unicorn had instructed all the mail ponies to deliver a message from Canterlot to all the major cities in the surrounding area. It said that Celestia was no longer in charge and he was the new ruler of Canterlot. Finally, it demanded that all the other cities were to surrender to him or be destroyed. His prophecy told him that Canterlot and Celestia was only the beginning. As time went on, all of Equestria would fall under his hooves and nothing would prevent him from carrying out the prophecy's master plan. The unicorn sat atop his new throne as a mail pony approached. This grey, cross-eyed pegasus shook with every step. Normally, she was carefree and playful, but today... she was afraid. She had made many mistakes in her line of work, from delivering the mail to the wrong address to straight up forgetting to do her job. But today wasn't the day to mess up and she had messed up. "Y-y-yes... sir?" she asked in a frightened voice. The unicorn looked her in the eyes and began. "Your track record isn't the best, Ms. Hooves," he began. "I-I know, but I'm working on it and it'll get better. I won't make anymore mistakes, I promise!" she said. Sweat began to trickle down her forehead. Why had she been so stupid!? Why'd she have to forget to deliver a paper, on today of all days?! The unicorn leaped from his throne and landed in front of the grey pegasus. She backed up and tripped on something, making her land on her back. She closed her eyes and covered her face with both hooves. After ten seconds of silence, she moved her hooves and looked at the unicorn. He was holding out his hoof to help her up. "I understand," he stated with a smile, which was rare for him to do. She took his hoof and he helped her up. "Come take a walk with me, we'll work this out." Derpy gave a nervous laugh and nodded, not wanting to take her chances disagreeing with him. The two ponies walked to a door and entered it, leaving the grand-hall empty. Except for one pony... Princess Luna. Luna hadn't made her presence known to the unicorn yet. When she found out about Celestia, she tried to escape the city, but the force field prevented that plan. And when she figured out that only the mail ponies could get through, she asked Derpy to help her, but now that plan was garbage too. She would need somepony else. Only Celestia and Luna knew what everypony else didn't, the truth about this mysterious unicorn of unmatchable power. Suddenly, the door that Derpy and the unicorn went through opened. The unicorn walked through, but there was no sign of Derpy. What did this mean? Luna didn't want to stick around to find out. Whatever happened to her ditzy counterpart, it couldn't be good. Chapter 5: The Prancing PonyEverypony sat in silence, even after Twilight had explained what was going on. Twilight had expected this, though. It was only natural for the severity of this whole thing to kick in. When it finally did, Rainbow Dash spoke up. "So... Canterlot's... gone?" she asked with a frightened tone. Twilight pondered the thought for a moment. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and everypony's attention turned to it. Twilight slowly walked closer to it and her horn lit up. The knob turned and the door opened on its own. Standing outside was a pegasus with a newspaper-filled saddlebag, who couldn't have been much older than Applebloom. His coat was a light blue and his mane a dark blue, and he had a frightened look on his face. He slowly turned his head and grabbed a with his mouth, presenting it to Twilight. Twilight grabbed it and nodded to the mail pony, who then nodded back and flew away. The newspaper confirmed her suspicions. Canterlot had been taken over, most of the royal guard were dead. A magic force field surrounded the city, and there was no way in or out unless the unicorn allowed it. There was also a wanted sign for... Twilight's jaw dropped at the name... it was Princess Luna. Twilight walked back in to the house and set the paper on the table that all the ponies surrounded. They were all quiet, eyes moving at different speeds reading everything they could. The only one away from the table was Twilight. She looked out a window running a hoof along Celestia's tiara. Her memory had returned, but she was wishing it hadn't. She remembered Celestia's last moments... the memories were so vivid. She slammed her eyes shut and forced herself to think up a plan. But soon afterwards, she reopened her eyes and began to stare out the window again. It was mid-day, and it really did look clear outside. She assumed that word hadn't spread too far yet... Her eyes fell to the Everfree Forest... despite being daylight, the forest was dark. Twilight had never been a fan of the Everfree- the thought of being turned to stone again was awful. Still, seeing the forest gave her an idea. Zecora was the wisest zebra Twilight knew and admittedly... the only one. Maybe she knew something about this unicorn. "Twi?" Twilight was so deep in thought that she jumped at the voice behind her. "Sorry 'bout that. I didn't mean to scare ya," Applejack chuckled. "No, it's fine," Twilight smiled. "What're y'all lookin' at through that window?" AJ asked. "It's a long shot but... what if Zecora knows something?" Twilight inquired. "It's worth a shot!" AJ stated excitedly. "Zecora is one of the smartest pon-... zebras I know," she said with a grin. Twilight and AJ walked back to the table and sat with the others. "Alright everypony, listen up," Twilight commanded. They all turned their attention to her. "I've decided we should go to Zecora's place. She's the most knowledgeable zebra I know, and if there's someone who knows about this... it's her." Everypony in the room looked around at one another. They all turned back to Twilight without saying a word. Together they gave her a smile. Twilight understood and returned it with a smile of her own. It was time to go to the Everfree... Canterlot was engulfed in fear. Nopony knew what road they were heading down... but they did know it would be a long and heartless one. The food coming into Canterlot had stopped thanks to this force field. And unfortunately, due to its location in a mountain, Canterlot had no way to grow food. A few mail ponies returned with food, but most were to afraid to. Some that did got caught and were thought to be killed. And even if there was a mail pony brave and sneaky enough to avoid capture, they would still only be one pony, and one pony can only carry so much. Canterlot's only hope rested in the hooves of one pony... the most wanted pony in all of Canterlot- Princess Luna. An endless supply of food and supplies was promised to the family of the pony that found her. Therefore, Luna went into hiding. She had a few guards she trusted that hid along with her. They had given up their uniforms to maintain secrecy, and were dressed in the common street clothes of Canterlot. Luna herself was in an underground cellar of an old abandoned shop called "The Prancing Pony." She had used her magic to clean it up and make it into a base of operations for herself. This "base" wasn't much, though- it was just a mostly empty room with cobblestone walls and a table. On the table was a map of Equestria, a map of Canterlot, and a candle to light the room. The rain was falling outside The Prancing Pony, and two of Luna's guards looked out the windows, watching it. Rex, Luna's most trusted guard, approached the window where the other two were standing. He was a pegasus with a grey coat and blue mane. Showing their respect, the two stood and attention and saluted. He smiled at them. "No need for that kind of stuff here. We're undercover, remember?" he explained. "Of course!" Tumbleweed replied. "We understand, it's just our habit, sir," Firewing replied. They weren't the most qualified to serve on such a high risk mission in protecting Canterlot's only hope, but they wanted revenge on this unicorn for burning Firewing and attacking Celestia. So, they were the most trustworthy. "Was there something Luna needed?" Tumbleweed asked. "No, she's fine," Rex replied. "Was there something you needed?" Firewing insisted. "No, I came up here to see if everything was OK. Besides the storm, is everything going well up here?" Rex asked. The other two nodded in agreement. After checking up on them, Rex walked back down to the cellar. It would've been pitch black if not for the candle and slight glow from Luna's starlight mane. Rex stood at attention but Luna was too caught up in her map of Canterlot to notice him. "Your majesty?" Rex asked. Luna's head jolted up. Her startled state turned to one of joy at the sight of him. "I assume everything is going well upstairs, yes?" she asked. "Of course," Rex replied. "Good job." Luna blushed at his praise. She had been trying to break herself of her old habit of saying "we" instead of "I". "Thank you, Rex. But we have far more important things to focus on than grammar," she stated. "You're right. Got any ideas?" Rex asked. Luna shook her head no. Escaping Canterlot was going to be a challenge in itself, let alone finding Twilight afterwards. But she had to. Twilight had to be told about this new ruler and what he really was. But... Luna had bigger problems. Outside The Prancing Pony, a grey pegasus with a yellowish grey mane waited. Her cutie mark was missing. The only way anypony could tell who she was was by looking at her eyes... her big, crossed, eyes... Chapter 6: Guessing GamesThe halls of Canterlot Castle were loud, and not with the typical chatter of guards and common ponies. Rain pounded the castle's windows, sometimes accompanied by an explosion of thunder or a blinding flash of lightning. Nopony could explain it. All the pegasus ponies were too busy being slaves to create a storm. So that left one question... who caused it? As Twilight and her friends reached the Everfree's entrance they began to feel tiny droplets of rain. Rainbow looked up in confusion as one smacked her on the muzzle. "Hey! What gives? There isn't suppose to be a storm today!" Rainbow protested at the storm clouds looming over head. Twilight looked up into the sky. It was just sunny a minute ago... what was going on? "Forget the weather, y'all. We need to get to Zecora's," AJ stated as she led the group onward. Rarity shuffled around trying to dodge the increasing number of rain drops. "Uh... are ya comin' Rarity?" AJ asked in a sort of giggle. Finally coming to terms with the fate of her mane, Rarity followed them into the woods. She smiled when they made it inside the forest and onto the main path. Since the forest's canopy was so thick, little to no rain made it through. The six continued down the path, Applejack still in front. Fluttershy slowly trotted behind AJ, afraid of anything and everything in this place. Fluttershy slowly trotted behind AJ, afraid of anything and everything. She walked by a strange tree with a limb that looked like it was reaching for her. Her eyes widened, and just as she was about to scream, a pony closed her mouth with their hoof. Fluttershy looked down at the pink hoof and turned to see a familiar face with a huge smile. "Giggle at the ghosties, Fluttershy. Don't scream at them," she giggled. Fluttershy let out a nervous laugh. Pinkie decided it was best to stay at Fluttershy's side throughout the trip to make sure she didn't get scared. Rainbow and Rarity stayed at the back; Rarity revolted by the Everfree's nature, and Rainbow just surprised. "This dirt path is positively awful. What pony could have passed this for a road!? It's not even fit for Applejack's muddy, disgusting pigs!" Rarity complained. Rainbow stared to laugh. "Maybe for you! This place is awesome!" Rainbow proclaimed. Rarity was unconvinced. "You wouldn't understand, Rarity. A racing pony like me loves a challenge. I can see it now... flying at speeds unmatched by any other pegasus! I would be dodging tree after tree! Until... Finally... I would burst through the tree layer and strike a pose in the bright rays of sunlight!" "Rainbow Dash... you're drooling," Rarity pointed out. Rainbow snapped out of her daydream and quickly wiped the drool from her mouth. Embarrassed, she continued the rest of the trip in silence. Twilight was in the center of the pack. Her mind raced with thoughts about her teacher, her friends, and most of all... Equestria. She knew that her actions would be the ones to save Equestria and all of ponykind... but was it even possible? Her teacher, the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, was defeated without any trouble... what chance did she have? After all, she had already fought him once and that didn't end well at all. She could still feel her head ache from the blow she received. Finally the ponies arrived at Zecora's place. Applejack knocked on the door... there was no answer. Applejack gave Twilight a strange look and then pushed on the door. It slowly opened, revealing a sight inside that made Applejack gasp. Zecora was lying on the ground unconscious. Her hut had been ransacked, her decorative mask was trashed on the floor, and her bed was split in two. Twilight and the others rushed inside and huddled around their fallen friend. Zecora had cuts and scratches all over her body... they were fresh wounds too. "Oh my goodness... she's still alive!" Fluttershy announced. The others turned to her. Fluttershy had a hoof lightly placed on Zecora's neck and sure enough... she was breathing. Fluttershy didn't wait for permission- she hoisted Zecora on top of her back and flew out of the hut. No doubt she was headed for Ponyville Hospital. "Zecora's attacker... was looking for something," Twilight said. The other ponies turned to her to see her levitating a mask and placing it back on the wall. "Why else would they have destroyed her hut?" Suddenly Twilight saw something- a book that had been tossed on the floor... but something was different... there was a bookmark inside with Twilight's cutie mark on it. Was this meant for her? Did Zecora know that Twilight would come to her for answers? Did Zecora know she'd be attacked? Twilight banished the thoughts and focused on the present... she opened the book with her magic to the bookmarked page. The chapter was titled: "The Legend of the Harbingers." "Legend has it that there exists a divine prophecy. It says that at the apex of a civilization, four Harbingers, War, Conquest, Famine, and Death, would emerge to extinguish the entire civilization," Twilight read aloud. The others looked around nervously at one another. "These four would bring about the end of the world. Their powers would be far too superior for anypony to handle," she continued. "How to you beat them? There has to be a way?!" Rainbow pleaded. Twilight skimmed through and suddenly found her answer circled in ink. Zecora... when she got out of the hospital, Twilight would have to thank her. "Though hopeless and powerless ponies may be to the Harbingers' great power, there is a way to stop them. It is believed that the combined magic of the nine Elements of Harmony is the only way to destroy a Harbinger," Twilight stopped confused. "Nine?" "I was under the impression that only six of those magnificent pieces of jewelry existed?" Rarity inquired. "So was I... does that mean that there are three more that nopony had told us about?" Twilight asked, confused. "Oh! Oh! Is it a guessing game! Can I go first!?" Pinkie jumped with joy. "I guess it is..." Twilight said with a look of despair. She opened her saddle bag and looked at the crown of Celestia. "You knew... why didn't you tell me?"
Chapter 1: 1000 Years of PeaceCanterlot Castle was cold, its hallways filled with guards... although their presence wasn't required. The only threat against Celestia and Canterlot was Queen Chrysalis. That event happened a little over a year ago and scouting reports have shown that since then, Changelings had lost faith in Chrysalis. Most of her army had faded away and moved on from Equestria to find a new Queen. Even without threats, and peace throughout all of Equestria, Celestia was worried. She stood looking out a window at the top of Canterlot Castle. She felt something "off" about tonight. But since it was just a feeling, she decided to keep it to herself. Luna, however, knew Celestia was troubled. "Sister," the dark blue alicorn said. Celestia turned around to see that her sister was ready to raise the moon to begin the night. "Is something wrong?" Luna asked. "Thank you for your concern, my sister, but I am fine. Are you ready?" Celestia asked comfortably. "Yes," Luna replied, and walked past her sister to the edge of the balcony. Luna's horn began to glow. She shut her eyes and the dark night sky was slowly illuminated by the pale moon. Celestia smiled at her sister's success. "Great job, my sister," Celestia said. "I learned from the best," Luna replied. The night was perfect- the two sisters could have stared out at their kingdom for the rest of eternity. This made Celestia forget about her thoughts from earlier. She wished she could stay longer, but this was Luna's time, not hers. Celestia walked off the balcony and back into the castle. She reached the door and opened it with her magic. "Goodnight, Tia," Luna said. Celestia was shocked- her sister hadn't called her that since she was a filly. Celestia thought her sister was still angry with her for the banishment; in fact, she still wasn't even sure that it was the correct choice. Every night when she had to raise the moon in her sister's absence, Celestia thought of her. Regardless, this was what she had chosen, and be it right or wrong, even Celestia couldn't change the past. But when Luna called her that... it meant something had changed. Had Luna forgiven her? Celestia smiled to her sister. "Good night Luna," Celestia said, and walked out of the room. Celestia walked into her chambers, closing the door behind her. She lay down in her bed and closed her eyes. The thought of being forgiven for her crime against her own sister guided her to sleep. Down in the courtyard though... something else was going on. Two guards, were playing a game of hoof wrestling. One of them was a red pegasus named Firewing, the other an earth pony named Tumbleweed. Firewing had an accident as a colt where his wings caught on fire. Nopony really knew how he manged to catch his wings on fire... but it got him his cutie mark, so he was happy... after he got out of intensive care. Tumbleweed's story was a little less eventful. He had always had a talent for uprooting weeds for ponies in need. He never complained, though. Canterlot Castle is a big place, after all. Weeds came up every now and then, and when they did, he was on the case. The two of them honestly weren't royal guard material. Although, since Canterlot - and all of Equestria, for that matter - were at peace, they never had to be "good". Except for tonight. The castle's front gate was secured with a padlock, but suddenly the lock was engulfed in a black aura. The lock made some funny noises and fell to the ground. Firewing and Tumbleweed heard this and peered over to the front gate to see a unicorn pushing it open and entering without asking permission. Tumbleweed sized up the unicorn: stallion, average build, dark grey coat, and pitch black mane and tail. He approached the stairs to the castle but Firewing and Tumbleweed quickly blocked his path. "Canterlot Castle is closed at this time of night. If you'd like to see the princess, come back in the morning and maybe we'll let you through," Firewing said with a cocky grin. He hadn't had a real chance to use his royal guard status to intimidate anypony yet, so he enjoyed this. Regardless of Firewing being much bigger then this unicorn, the unicorn didn't move, or seem to be phased in anyway by Firewing's comment. This angered the red pegasus. He wasn't about to let this pony get the better of him. "What's the matter with you? Are you stupid?! I said leave!" Firewing commanded. Tumbleweed wasn't as confrontational as his counterpart. "Hey, sorry, I don't know how you got in here, but you have to leave," Tumbleweed said in a gentle voice, much like Fluttershy. Still the unicorn did nothing. Firewing walked closer to the unicorn and lifted his hoof in the direction of the gate. "You know how to get in, so you know how to get out. Now, before we have to get violent, leave!" Firewing demanded. The unicorn didn't move but he didn't have to. A pitch black force field engulfed him, hitting Firewing in the process. Firewing screamed and jolted back. The hoof that he was pointing to the door was severely burned. The force field dissolved as fast as it arrived and the unicorn slowly walked up the stairs and into the castle through the front doors. Tumbleweed didn't pursue the stallion but instead called for the captain, Shining Armor. Shining Armor ordered Tumbleweed and a few of his guards to take Firewing to Canterlot Hospital. Tumbleweed and the others nodded. Shining Armor and his remaining guards ran up the stairs and into the grand hall of Canterlot Castle. The unicorn was nowhere to be seen. "Should we put the castle on high alert?" a guard asked. "Seal off the gate, and split up. We'll find him," Shining Armor said. His guards did as they were told. Shining Armor himself made it his top priority to secure the Princesses. He had no time to lose. Celestia's eyes opened. She was certain she had heard a noise. She scanned the room, but nothing was out of place. The curtains flapped as the cold night breeze rolled in through the window. Without getting out of bed, Celestia's horn glowed and the doors to her balcony closed shut. The curtains fell to their original position. She rested her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt the cold night breeze again. She opened her eyes to see that the balcony doors were opened again. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, and when her vision cleared, she saw the silhouette of a unicorn standing on her balcony. Suddenly Shining Armor burst through the door. Celestia turned to him and back to the balcony to find that the doors were closed... "Princess, are you OK?" Shining Armor asked. "Why do you ask?" Celestia asked, becoming more nervous by the second. "There's an intruder in the castle," Shining Armor said. Celestia looked back over to the balcony, and a chill ran down her spine. Shining Armor noticed this and walked to the balcony. The room was quiet- every hoofstep Shining Armor took could be heard. He reached the door. The knob began to glow as Shining Armor used his horn to open it. Was she dreaming? The strange 'off' feeling she had earlier. The intruder in the castle... the silhouette on the balcony. Was it all real? Shining Armor turned to Celestia and nodded. She nodded back. He flung the door open and readied himself for what was on the other side. The cold breeze overtook the room. Celestia opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Shining Armor stood on the balcony, his blue mane flowing with the wind. He looked back at Celestia and let out a sigh. Suddenly, Celestia screamed. Shining Armor turned around to see a unicorn with him on the balcony. He threw a hoof at the unicorn but he wasn't ready for the unicorn's magic. Shining's hoof came to a dead stop in mid swing, a black aura surrounding it. He tried to pull away, but it was useless. The unicorn's horn began to glow pitch black. Shining Armor was lifted off his hooves by the unicorn's magic and suspended in the air floating off the edge. If the unicorn released the spell, Shining Armor would fall several stories to his death. Celestia sprang up from her bed and readied her magic. "Let. Him. Go!" she demanded. This turned out to be the wrong choice of words. The unicorn shrugged and released the spell.
Chapter 2: Fall of a PrincessShining Armor plummeted to the ground below. His life would soon be over. He closed his eyes tight and prepared for his imminent death. After ten seconds, he realized he should have hit the ground by now... what was going on? "Thank goodness I was strolling by, what happened?" a voice asked. Shining Armor's eyes opened to find his younger sister, Twilight Sparkle, standing inches away from him. She must have caught him with a magic field and lowered him slowly down. "Thank Celes-" But Shining Armor soon remembered what was happening and jumped to his hooves. "Follow me, we have to find her!" Shining ran from the courtyard and into the castle. Twilight followed swiftly. "What's going on?!" she asked in the confusion. Ahead of them were three royal guards slamming on the throne room door. "The intruder. He's got Celestia!" one of them yelled. Seeing Shining Armor and Twilight, the guards stepped aside to let them pass. "Twilight, help me with this door!" Shining demanded. Twilight took a glimpse at the knob and saw something off about it- it was covered in a black aura. Twilight and Shining Armor's horns lit up and cast a bolt of magic at the doorknob. The two magic forces collided but it was no use. The black magic was just too powerful. "It's no use!" Shining yelled. Twilight tried to keep a cool head, and it paid off. Her horn began to light up. She closed her eyes and cast her teleportation spell. When she opened them she was greeted with a grim sight. Celestia lay on the floor. Her body was nearly completely flushed of all color. But the most disturbing thing was her Cutie Mark... it had disappeared. The guards growled at the figure sitting atop the throne- a unicorn with a dark grey coat, his mane and tail darker than a moonless night. He looked at the guards but showed no emotion. Twilight didn't even care about the unicorn, though... she was fixated on her fallen teacher. The unicorn stepped down from his chair, and suddenly the entire room became a black void, absent of all life except for Twilight, Celestia, and the unicorn. Twilight slowly walked over to her fallen teacher. She wasn't alive... but wasn't dead. The life had been drained from her. She was like a pony without a soul. Twilight knelt down beside her teacher. "Princess..." she managed. She was trying to hold back the tears, though it was impossible. One tear broke through and fell onto Celestia's coat. The sun goddess didn't respond to her student. She was dead silent. "I'm truly sorry for your loss," the unicorn said. "But, it had to be done. The end days are upon us." Twilight looked at the unicorn for the first time. He showed no emotion, no remorse. How could somepony do this? "Why? Why did you do this?" Twilight asked. Her composure was slipping. She couldn't hold back her emotions for much longer. "It was her fate. Princess Celestia's fate was to fall at my hooves. I was to take her power," he said, showing his new cutie mark. It resembled Celestia's just... dark... demented even. "Soon, Twilight, I will control Canterlot. Days after, as it is predicted, Equestria will fall. You can't stop it." Twilight stood up and looked the unicorn at eye level. "Nothing can justify what you did here!" she yelled. Her composure was lost. She didn't care if her emotions showed. "The prophecy has never tried to be justifed; it is as it is. I don't need your approval to do what I did or what I will do. You can't stop me. Twilight, I wish to do no harm to you unless it is deemed necessary. You may walk away, but if you stay, I will have to end your life. Your fate is in your hooves." Twilight couldn't take this. She didn't care who or what this pony was. He had drained her teacher and... friend, of all her life. Justice was all she could think about. She lowered her head to Celestia's body. "This one's for you, princess." And with that, Twilight's horn swung directly at the throat of the unicorn. The unicorn vanished into thin air. Twilight growled with anger. He would pay. Twilight would be sure of that. "Come out!" she screamed, but to no avail. The unicorn was well concealed in his fortress of shadows. Suddenly a movement caught her eye. But it wasn't the unicorn... it was Celestia. Twilight's eyes widened as Celestia slowly moved her hoof. "Twi..... light" Celestia mustered with the last of her strength. Celestia's hoof touched her crown. What was she doing? Celestia removed the crown and presented it to Twilight. "Princess... I don't..." But Twilight didn't argue. She took the crown and as soon as she did, Celestia's hoof fell back to the black floor. Twilight looked at the Princess's crown. It was beyond any other form of beauty. She could gaze into it for a lifetime but it was cut short. Behind Twilight stood the unicorn she had forgot she was fighting. He struck Twilight with a devastating blow to the back of the head. Twilight's eyes slowly began to close. With the last of her strength she pulled the crown close to her. She had to keep it safe. The unicorn looked at Twilight, his face, of course, showing no emotion. His horn lit up. He would stay true to his word. His horn started to spark with power. Twilight had sealed her fate when she chose to fight him. Now she would have to face the consequences. He lowered his horn to her. All he had to do was touch her, and her life would end. He continued to lower his horn, but suddenly he stopped. His face showed emotion... even he was surprised. He lifted his head back up to its normal position and looked at Twilight again. His horn stopped sparking. He appeared to be deep in thought. Finally he closed his eyes and a small flicker of light appeared on the tip of his horn. Just before completing his new spell, he gave Twilight and the crown one last look... and then the room of darkness became a room of blinding light.
Chapter 3: Sweet Apple AcresSweat slowly ran down Applejack's face. It was harvest season and that meant the Apple family had lots of work ahead of them. It wasn't anything they hadn't handled before, though. Applejack stood atop a hill next to a lone apple tree. She had taken to calling the tree "Wilfred" because she felt bad for it being so lonely atop the hill. If it had a name, she could pretend to be its companion. "Yain't talking to trees again are ya' sis?" a voice from behind her asked in a sort of giggle. Applejack smiled and turned around to find her little sister, Applebloom, grinning at her. Applebloom began to laugh. She laughed so hard that she toppled over on her side. "Ya' were! Weren't ya'?!" "Wilfred is a special tree, he gives us double what the others do!" Applejack stated. Applebloom dismissed her sister's statement. Applejack put her hoof on her face. Being friends with an apple tree was kind of silly. "Ain'tcha suppose to be in bed?" Applejack grinned knowing Applebloom couldn't brush this one off. The "older sister" card. Works every time! "I suppose so... hmmm... say, sis! I'll go to bed if you play a quick game with me," Applebloom said with a cheery grin. Well, the older sister card works *almost* every time. "No, you should be goin-" "You have to find me first!" Applebloom said, and ran as fast as she could in the other direction. Applejack let out a sigh. If it meant that her little sister would go to bed, she would play this little game. Applejack set off in Applebloom's direction. Sweet Apple Acres was huge. Applebloom had a slight head-start on Applejack. Still, AJ was confident that she would find her. She ran past many apple trees and suddenly heard the sound of giggling. Applejack smiled and slowly approached the tree. Suddenly, Applebloom ran out from behind the tree and right by her sister. As she passed Applejack, Applebloom stuck her tongue out. "Catch me if you can!" Applebloom said/shouted. Applejack quickly ran after her. Applebloom was surprisingly fast for such a little filly but AJ wasn't about to lose her. Running as fast as she could, Applejack leaped and tackled her sister to the ground. Applejack quickly got up to make sure her sister was OK, but Applebloom was used to playing rough. The little filly gave a playful giggle and smiled at her sister. "I guess ya got me," she laughed. "And ya know what that means?" Applejack said with a grin. "What?" "That'cha have to go to bed." AJ laughed. It was late, and night had fallen. A cold breeze blew past the two ponies, chilling Applejack to the bone as if something awful just happened. She stood still, the wind blowing through her mane. "Something wrong, sis?" Applebloom asked with a concerned tone. Applejack snapped out of her state and gave her sister a smile. Suddenly a blinding flash of light appeared inside the barn. Beams of light escaped through the cracks in the barn walls, but just as quickly as the light arrived, it was gone. Applejack looked at her sister with disbelief and then ran into the barn. Inside lay two unicorns, both of which Applejack knew. One was Twilight Sparkle, one of Applejack's most beloved friends, but why was she here? Wasn't she supposed to be studying an advanced type of magic in Canterlot with the princess? The other unicorn was Twilight's brother, Shining Armor. Almost right after looking at him, he began to move. Applejack rushed over and helped him to all fours. He looked around the room in confusion. Finally he summoned the strength to speak. "Where am I?" he asked. He was having trouble keeping his balance. It was almost like he hadn't slept in days. "You're at Sweet Apple Acres, do y'all remember me? I'm Applejack, Twi's friend from the wedding," Applejack explained. "Applejack... yes, I remember. Twilight... where's Twilight?" he asked weakly. Applejack pointed a hoof over to Twilight, who was laying flat on her belly with blood flowing from her head. "Applebloom! Go get the first aid kit from inside! Twi's hurt." Applejack ordered. Applebloom quickly nodded and ran out out of the barn. Shining slowly pushed Applejack away. "I'm fine," he said. Applejack could tell he wasn't hurt too much. Whatever these two went through, Twilight had recieved the worst of it. Shining and AJ walked over to Twilight. Her chest rose and fell slowly in sync with her breathing. At least that was a good sign. Applebloom burst through the door with her older brother, Big Macintosh. She stopped next to Applejack and gave her sister the first aid kit. First aid wasn't AJ's strong suit but being on the farm for as long as she had meant she had seen her share of injuries. When Big Mac hurt himself years ago right before apple bucking season, it was Applejack that had bandaged him up. AJ started to wrap the top of Twilight's head in the bandage, and it wasn't long before Twilight's head from the horn up was covered in thick bandages. Now that that was taken care of, Applejack turned her attention towards the only pony who knew what was going on here... Shining Armor.
Chapter 4: A Mail Pony's MistakeTwilight's vision spun like she had drank too much cider. Despite this, she noticed that something wasn't right about her surroundings. She was in an old-style house, like a barn or something. Twilight slowly stepped out of the bed and walked over to the mirror on the nearby desk. She gasped at the sight of herself. She had a bandage tightly wrapped around her head- this made her mane a mess. But the state of her mane was the least of her concerns... where was she? The answer to her question came to her in the form of a orange earth pony with an old rodeo hat. Applejack gasped when she saw Twilight awake, let alone up and about. "You're awake! What a relief!" Applejack said with a sigh of relief. "How'd I get here? Wasn't I in Canterlot?" Twilight asked, but as soon as she asked, she remembered. The mysterious stallion that attacked Celestia! She tried to remember more, and then gasped suddenly. "The crown?! Where is it?!" Twilight shouted. AJ pointed a hoof over to a box on the desk. Twilight slowly turned around and looked at the box. Her horn lit up and a slight purple aura engulfed the box, slowly opening its top. Inside lay the crown of the sun goddess, Princess Celestia. Twilight picked it up and gave it a long look. It was as if the crown was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't figure it out. Applejack slowly approached Twilight and lay a hoof on her shoulder. "Shining told us all he knew, I'm sorry about Celestia," Applejack said, looking down at the floor. Twilight turned back to Applejack. "She's not gone. Not yet," Twilight stated. Applejack looked at Twilight in confusion. "Celestia isn't dead... she's just..." It was hard for Twilight to explain the state of her teacher, not because it was an emotional topic for her, but because it was hard to put into words. It was as if Celestia was under Discord's spell. All of her teacher's color had flushed away to a dull black and white. But that was the only similarity between those two states. "It's a bit hard to explain, AJ, but... Celestia... isn't in the state to do anything right now," Twilight said. Applejack still had questions that needed to be answered, but now wasn't the time. "What do we do about this stallion? The one that did this?" AJ asked. "He has to pay for what he did!" "No, attacking him won't do anything, I've learned that already," Twilight countered. She turned to the window and looked out at the clear blue sky. "How long have I been asleep?" "Through the night, why?" Applejack asked. Twilight didn't answer and continued to look out the window trying to remember everything that the stallion told her before their battle. Something about a prophecy... about how it states destiny. Whatever this "prophecy" was, that unicorn followed it. But why didn't he kill her then? She couldn't think of that right now. Much more important things were happening, and the situation at Canterlot was one of them. "Applejack, gather the others and bring them here." Applejack nodded and trotted out of the room. Canterlot had a dark force field around it. Its citizens were surged with fear, as it was impossible to enter or leave the city. The gate had been turned a nightmarish black and the force field prevented pegasi from leaving by air. The only ponies who could leave the city were the mail ponies. The unicorn had instructed all the mail ponies to deliver a message from Canterlot to all the major cities in the surrounding area. It said that Celestia was no longer in charge and he was the new ruler of Canterlot. Finally, it demanded that all the other cities were to surrender to him or be destroyed. His prophecy told him that Canterlot and Celestia was only the beginning. As time went on, all of Equestria would fall under his hooves and nothing would prevent him from carrying out the prophecy's master plan. The unicorn sat atop his new throne as a mail pony approached. This grey, cross-eyed pegasus shook with every step. Normally, she was carefree and playful, but today... she was afraid. She had made many mistakes in her line of work, from delivering the mail to the wrong address to straight up forgetting to do her job. But today wasn't the day to mess up and she had messed up. "Y-y-yes... sir?" she asked in a frightened voice. The unicorn looked her in the eyes and began. "Your track record isn't the best, Ms. Hooves," he began. "I-I know, but I'm working on it and it'll get better. I won't make anymore mistakes, I promise!" she said. Sweat began to trickle down her forehead. Why had she been so stupid!? Why'd she have to forget to deliver a paper, on today of all days?! The unicorn leaped from his throne and landed in front of the grey pegasus. She backed up and tripped on something, making her land on her back. She closed her eyes and covered her face with both hooves. After ten seconds of silence, she moved her hooves and looked at the unicorn. He was holding out his hoof to help her up. "I understand," he stated with a smile, which was rare for him to do. She took his hoof and he helped her up. "Come take a walk with me, we'll work this out." Derpy gave a nervous laugh and nodded, not wanting to take her chances disagreeing with him. The two ponies walked to a door and entered it, leaving the grand-hall empty. Except for one pony... Princess Luna. Luna hadn't made her presence known to the unicorn yet. When she found out about Celestia, she tried to escape the city, but the force field prevented that plan. And when she figured out that only the mail ponies could get through, she asked Derpy to help her, but now that plan was garbage too. She would need somepony else. Only Celestia and Luna knew what everypony else didn't, the truth about this mysterious unicorn of unmatchable power. Suddenly, the door that Derpy and the unicorn went through opened. The unicorn walked through, but there was no sign of Derpy. What did this mean? Luna didn't want to stick around to find out. Whatever happened to her ditzy counterpart, it couldn't be good.
Chapter 5: The Prancing PonyEverypony sat in silence, even after Twilight had explained what was going on. Twilight had expected this, though. It was only natural for the severity of this whole thing to kick in. When it finally did, Rainbow Dash spoke up. "So... Canterlot's... gone?" she asked with a frightened tone. Twilight pondered the thought for a moment. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and everypony's attention turned to it. Twilight slowly walked closer to it and her horn lit up. The knob turned and the door opened on its own. Standing outside was a pegasus with a newspaper-filled saddlebag, who couldn't have been much older than Applebloom. His coat was a light blue and his mane a dark blue, and he had a frightened look on his face. He slowly turned his head and grabbed a with his mouth, presenting it to Twilight. Twilight grabbed it and nodded to the mail pony, who then nodded back and flew away. The newspaper confirmed her suspicions. Canterlot had been taken over, most of the royal guard were dead. A magic force field surrounded the city, and there was no way in or out unless the unicorn allowed it. There was also a wanted sign for... Twilight's jaw dropped at the name... it was Princess Luna. Twilight walked back in to the house and set the paper on the table that all the ponies surrounded. They were all quiet, eyes moving at different speeds reading everything they could. The only one away from the table was Twilight. She looked out a window running a hoof along Celestia's tiara. Her memory had returned, but she was wishing it hadn't. She remembered Celestia's last moments... the memories were so vivid. She slammed her eyes shut and forced herself to think up a plan. But soon afterwards, she reopened her eyes and began to stare out the window again. It was mid-day, and it really did look clear outside. She assumed that word hadn't spread too far yet... Her eyes fell to the Everfree Forest... despite being daylight, the forest was dark. Twilight had never been a fan of the Everfree- the thought of being turned to stone again was awful. Still, seeing the forest gave her an idea. Zecora was the wisest zebra Twilight knew and admittedly... the only one. Maybe she knew something about this unicorn. "Twi?" Twilight was so deep in thought that she jumped at the voice behind her. "Sorry 'bout that. I didn't mean to scare ya," Applejack chuckled. "No, it's fine," Twilight smiled. "What're y'all lookin' at through that window?" AJ asked. "It's a long shot but... what if Zecora knows something?" Twilight inquired. "It's worth a shot!" AJ stated excitedly. "Zecora is one of the smartest pon-... zebras I know," she said with a grin. Twilight and AJ walked back to the table and sat with the others. "Alright everypony, listen up," Twilight commanded. They all turned their attention to her. "I've decided we should go to Zecora's place. She's the most knowledgeable zebra I know, and if there's someone who knows about this... it's her." Everypony in the room looked around at one another. They all turned back to Twilight without saying a word. Together they gave her a smile. Twilight understood and returned it with a smile of her own. It was time to go to the Everfree... Canterlot was engulfed in fear. Nopony knew what road they were heading down... but they did know it would be a long and heartless one. The food coming into Canterlot had stopped thanks to this force field. And unfortunately, due to its location in a mountain, Canterlot had no way to grow food. A few mail ponies returned with food, but most were to afraid to. Some that did got caught and were thought to be killed. And even if there was a mail pony brave and sneaky enough to avoid capture, they would still only be one pony, and one pony can only carry so much. Canterlot's only hope rested in the hooves of one pony... the most wanted pony in all of Canterlot- Princess Luna. An endless supply of food and supplies was promised to the family of the pony that found her. Therefore, Luna went into hiding. She had a few guards she trusted that hid along with her. They had given up their uniforms to maintain secrecy, and were dressed in the common street clothes of Canterlot. Luna herself was in an underground cellar of an old abandoned shop called "The Prancing Pony." She had used her magic to clean it up and make it into a base of operations for herself. This "base" wasn't much, though- it was just a mostly empty room with cobblestone walls and a table. On the table was a map of Equestria, a map of Canterlot, and a candle to light the room. The rain was falling outside The Prancing Pony, and two of Luna's guards looked out the windows, watching it. Rex, Luna's most trusted guard, approached the window where the other two were standing. He was a pegasus with a grey coat and blue mane. Showing their respect, the two stood and attention and saluted. He smiled at them. "No need for that kind of stuff here. We're undercover, remember?" he explained. "Of course!" Tumbleweed replied. "We understand, it's just our habit, sir," Firewing replied. They weren't the most qualified to serve on such a high risk mission in protecting Canterlot's only hope, but they wanted revenge on this unicorn for burning Firewing and attacking Celestia. So, they were the most trustworthy. "Was there something Luna needed?" Tumbleweed asked. "No, she's fine," Rex replied. "Was there something you needed?" Firewing insisted. "No, I came up here to see if everything was OK. Besides the storm, is everything going well up here?" Rex asked. The other two nodded in agreement. After checking up on them, Rex walked back down to the cellar. It would've been pitch black if not for the candle and slight glow from Luna's starlight mane. Rex stood at attention but Luna was too caught up in her map of Canterlot to notice him. "Your majesty?" Rex asked. Luna's head jolted up. Her startled state turned to one of joy at the sight of him. "I assume everything is going well upstairs, yes?" she asked. "Of course," Rex replied. "Good job." Luna blushed at his praise. She had been trying to break herself of her old habit of saying "we" instead of "I". "Thank you, Rex. But we have far more important things to focus on than grammar," she stated. "You're right. Got any ideas?" Rex asked. Luna shook her head no. Escaping Canterlot was going to be a challenge in itself, let alone finding Twilight afterwards. But she had to. Twilight had to be told about this new ruler and what he really was. But... Luna had bigger problems. Outside The Prancing Pony, a grey pegasus with a yellowish grey mane waited. Her cutie mark was missing. The only way anypony could tell who she was was by looking at her eyes... her big, crossed, eyes...
Chapter 6: Guessing GamesThe halls of Canterlot Castle were loud, and not with the typical chatter of guards and common ponies. Rain pounded the castle's windows, sometimes accompanied by an explosion of thunder or a blinding flash of lightning. Nopony could explain it. All the pegasus ponies were too busy being slaves to create a storm. So that left one question... who caused it? As Twilight and her friends reached the Everfree's entrance they began to feel tiny droplets of rain. Rainbow looked up in confusion as one smacked her on the muzzle. "Hey! What gives? There isn't suppose to be a storm today!" Rainbow protested at the storm clouds looming over head. Twilight looked up into the sky. It was just sunny a minute ago... what was going on? "Forget the weather, y'all. We need to get to Zecora's," AJ stated as she led the group onward. Rarity shuffled around trying to dodge the increasing number of rain drops. "Uh... are ya comin' Rarity?" AJ asked in a sort of giggle. Finally coming to terms with the fate of her mane, Rarity followed them into the woods. She smiled when they made it inside the forest and onto the main path. Since the forest's canopy was so thick, little to no rain made it through. The six continued down the path, Applejack still in front. Fluttershy slowly trotted behind AJ, afraid of anything and everything in this place. Fluttershy slowly trotted behind AJ, afraid of anything and everything. She walked by a strange tree with a limb that looked like it was reaching for her. Her eyes widened, and just as she was about to scream, a pony closed her mouth with their hoof. Fluttershy looked down at the pink hoof and turned to see a familiar face with a huge smile. "Giggle at the ghosties, Fluttershy. Don't scream at them," she giggled. Fluttershy let out a nervous laugh. Pinkie decided it was best to stay at Fluttershy's side throughout the trip to make sure she didn't get scared. Rainbow and Rarity stayed at the back; Rarity revolted by the Everfree's nature, and Rainbow just surprised. "This dirt path is positively awful. What pony could have passed this for a road!? It's not even fit for Applejack's muddy, disgusting pigs!" Rarity complained. Rainbow stared to laugh. "Maybe for you! This place is awesome!" Rainbow proclaimed. Rarity was unconvinced. "You wouldn't understand, Rarity. A racing pony like me loves a challenge. I can see it now... flying at speeds unmatched by any other pegasus! I would be dodging tree after tree! Until... Finally... I would burst through the tree layer and strike a pose in the bright rays of sunlight!" "Rainbow Dash... you're drooling," Rarity pointed out. Rainbow snapped out of her daydream and quickly wiped the drool from her mouth. Embarrassed, she continued the rest of the trip in silence. Twilight was in the center of the pack. Her mind raced with thoughts about her teacher, her friends, and most of all... Equestria. She knew that her actions would be the ones to save Equestria and all of ponykind... but was it even possible? Her teacher, the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, was defeated without any trouble... what chance did she have? After all, she had already fought him once and that didn't end well at all. She could still feel her head ache from the blow she received. Finally the ponies arrived at Zecora's place. Applejack knocked on the door... there was no answer. Applejack gave Twilight a strange look and then pushed on the door. It slowly opened, revealing a sight inside that made Applejack gasp. Zecora was lying on the ground unconscious. Her hut had been ransacked, her decorative mask was trashed on the floor, and her bed was split in two. Twilight and the others rushed inside and huddled around their fallen friend. Zecora had cuts and scratches all over her body... they were fresh wounds too. "Oh my goodness... she's still alive!" Fluttershy announced. The others turned to her. Fluttershy had a hoof lightly placed on Zecora's neck and sure enough... she was breathing. Fluttershy didn't wait for permission- she hoisted Zecora on top of her back and flew out of the hut. No doubt she was headed for Ponyville Hospital. "Zecora's attacker... was looking for something," Twilight said. The other ponies turned to her to see her levitating a mask and placing it back on the wall. "Why else would they have destroyed her hut?" Suddenly Twilight saw something- a book that had been tossed on the floor... but something was different... there was a bookmark inside with Twilight's cutie mark on it. Was this meant for her? Did Zecora know that Twilight would come to her for answers? Did Zecora know she'd be attacked? Twilight banished the thoughts and focused on the present... she opened the book with her magic to the bookmarked page. The chapter was titled: "The Legend of the Harbingers." "Legend has it that there exists a divine prophecy. It says that at the apex of a civilization, four Harbingers, War, Conquest, Famine, and Death, would emerge to extinguish the entire civilization," Twilight read aloud. The others looked around nervously at one another. "These four would bring about the end of the world. Their powers would be far too superior for anypony to handle," she continued. "How to you beat them? There has to be a way?!" Rainbow pleaded. Twilight skimmed through and suddenly found her answer circled in ink. Zecora... when she got out of the hospital, Twilight would have to thank her. "Though hopeless and powerless ponies may be to the Harbingers' great power, there is a way to stop them. It is believed that the combined magic of the nine Elements of Harmony is the only way to destroy a Harbinger," Twilight stopped confused. "Nine?" "I was under the impression that only six of those magnificent pieces of jewelry existed?" Rarity inquired. "So was I... does that mean that there are three more that nopony had told us about?" Twilight asked, confused. "Oh! Oh! Is it a guessing game! Can I go first!?" Pinkie jumped with joy. "I guess it is..." Twilight said with a look of despair. She opened her saddle bag and looked at the crown of Celestia. "You knew... why didn't you tell me?"
