Somewhere across the multiverse, an Equestria that was already taken by corruption and despair lay in wait. It was nearly identical to the one that Jet called home. The key difference was the evident lack of ponies in the streets of what would be Ponyville, indicating that this was yet another oppressively ruled Equestria. The houses within the town were boarded up from the inside. Iindicating the residents, if there were any, greatly feared whoever or whatever ruled this land. A few tumbleweeds rolled through the streets. It was deathly silent, as if even the wind was afraid to blow.

A long winding road led through the town and towards the Everfree Forest. The road continues on into the forest, carving a pathway through the thick trees. It stopped in front of a moat that surrounded a huge castle. The castle was hewn from a dark grey stone and protected by the moat, which a family of rockodiles had called home. It was a traditional styled castle, having four outer walls, four large circular towers on each corner, and a series of ballistae sat atop each tower. The interior held a sizable courtyard that sat in front of the castle keep. The courtyard itself wasn't much to see, a dusty rectangle with a few sparse flowers and a few training dummies set up against one wall. A massive drawbridge covered the entrance along with an equally massive steel gate. Along with the drawbridge and gate, an invisible barrier was domed over the top of the entire castle. It was clear that whoever or whatever occupied this castle didn't want any unexpected guests. The castle keep itself was one huge block of stacked stone. A few windows lined the front of it, looking more like an office building than part of castle.

It was much more lively than the nearby town. Guards patrolled along the tops of the walls and towers, as well as the courtyard. Four guards, two one each side, were positioned by a singular wooden door that led inside the keep. They stood upright at full attention, garbed in light leather armor that was bolstered by steel rivets. Bidents were gripped tightly in their left hands, their right hands occupied by small round ornate shields. The shields were mostly wooden, ringed by a steel band. A large hump of stell sat in the center of the shield, ringed by a design that was half a blazing sun and half a full moon.

Inside the keep, in the archives, a figure bearing a large horn stood silently illuminated by a dying candle. The candle sat on a small table, flickering frequently as it struggled to light up the spell tome that was laying open on the table. The archives looked as if a tornado had hit it, scrolls and books lay everywhere. They had been thrown from the weathered wooden shelves in a heated search for something specific. There was hardly any room for the figure to move around through all the scrolls on the floor as she paced anxiously. Nearby, a familiar mirror glowed dimly, its glass cracked in a spiderweb from the center as if it had been the victim of somebody's unbridled rage. The shadowed mare paced back and forth, mumbling to herself frantically. As she paced, the mirror began to flicker slightly. This caught the mare's attention, stopping her mid stride as she turned and ran to the mirror. A distorted silhouette appeared in the reflection, surrounded by static. The mate stood in front of the mirror tapping her foot impatiently, clearly waiting on something.

"Well?!" She demanded from the silhouette in the mirror.

"I bring good news, I believe we have found him." The silhouette replied casually.

"Where?! Tell me, damn it!" She yelled furiously.

"Calm yourself, sister. You will need to repair your portal before you can even make it to the universe he's in." The silhouette stated, a hint of a giggle in her voice.

"Just tell me, sister." She said through gritted teeth, putting a spiteful emphasis on the word 'sister'.

"Fine, fine. Here is your catalyst for the portal. Just make sure to fix the damned thing." The silhouette said with a sigh, a small piece of black crystal flying through the none broken portion of the mirror.

The figure scrambled to catch it from the floor. She picked it up and held it between her fingers, giving it a thorough examination.

"Are you certain this is from the correct universe?" She asked suspiciously.

"Of course it is. The pawn of mine that found him is from that universe, that in your hand is a fragment of the crystal he holds dominion over." The silhouette replied.

"You better be sure. I have grown so tired of searching… Almost thirty years…" She said absentmindedly.

"Uh, right. After you get your portal fixed, I would highly recommend cleaning yourself up. I swear I can smell you from across the multiverse." The silhouette stated.

"Are you still here?" She retorted with a glare towards the mirror.

"I am beginning to remember why I did away with my sister from my own universe…" The silhouette said quietly before disappearing from the mirror.

She returned to the table, flipping through the pages of the open tome in a hurry. Eventually stopping on one specific page. It detailed a spell crafted to repair enchanted objects or materials. She grinned widely in the dim light, her pointed fangs the only thing able to be made out in the flickering candle light. She stepped back from the table and faced the mirror. Muttering some kind of incantation, her horn lit up slightly and launched a concentrated beam of magic at the spider webbed mirror. The mirror glowed brighter, the crack slowly sealing itself up as she watched. In a matter of seconds, the mirror was good as new. She grinned wider and slotted the chunk of crystal into the catalyst spot in the mirror. The mirror flickered for a moment before lighting up and displaying a view of a laboratory of some kind.

"There you are. Slave!!!" She yelled, turning towards the door.

A pegasus sprinted into the room, her wings bound to her body by a thick iron clasp. She panted lightly from the exertion of using her legs more than usual. Stopping in front of the darkened figure, she bowed and kept her head down.

"Y-Yes, my queen?" The pegasus asked, keeping her voice low as well.

"Fetch me the elements. I have a mission for them." She replied, snapping her fingers idly.

"M-My queen…?" The pegasus asked again, unsure if she heard right.

"Do not make me repeat myself, slave." She stated coldly.

"Y-Yes, my queen. R-Right away." The pegasus said quietly.

The pegasus sprinted back off out of the room and down the hallway. The figure waited patiently for her elements, her elite sentries. Her mind wandered off, reminiscing on the past three decades of searching and only now getting a result. She didn't have to wait too long, as the sudden 'pop' of teleportation was heard behind her. She turned to see her six elite sentries ready and awaiting command. The only thing that could be made through the darkness were six glowing gemstones. Their colors were muted, but they were distinguishable as an apple, a lightning bolt, a balloon, a diamond, a butterfly, and a six pointed star.

"Ah, there you are. I have a special assignment for you six." She said, her grin returning.

"What is your command, my queen?" They all asked in unison, their voices melding together into one eerie cohesion.

"I need you to go to this portal and search the universe there for my son, bring him back to me. I have been assured that he is there." She stated, knowing they already knew who she meant.

"What of the remainder of the inverse, my queen?" One of them asked with an unhinged giggle.

"Hmm… I do not particularly care honestly. Have fun, do your thing. Just make sure your bring my son back to me." She replied with a wave of her hand.

"It's been so long since we were let off the leash! This is going to be so much fun!" The one from before replied, the same unhinged giggle growing louder.

"Now go, my Elements of Disharmony! Find my son and make that world pay for stealing him away from me!" She screamed, pointing to the mirror portal.

She stood and watched, cackling loudly as the six figures filed through the portal. Bringing with them the next wave of evil and destruction upon a still recovering Equestria.

Author's Note

If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading. I do plan for a sequel at some point, but it all depends on how long it takes me to plan it out then actually write it lol. This was quite the feat for me, I second guessed myself a multitude of times along the way, but I managed to power through and finish things with a bang. I sincerely hope you enjoyed the journey with me through my own version of a war torn Equestria.