Transference: Epitome of Darkness

Chapters

No Need to Hurry. No Need to Sparkle. No Need to Be Anypony but Oneself.
You Smell Like Sin and I Need Some
Remembrance
You Better Start Believing
An Introduction Is in Order
For the First Time in Forever
Familiar Feelings
Like a Beacon
Nourish the Flame
First-Hoof Experience

No Need to Hurry. No Need to Sparkle. No Need to Be Anypony but Oneself.

Even after all this time, I still couldn't believe how stupid I had been before my final moments. I should have expected something so selfless from Twilight Sparkle.

The Princess of Friendship, Element of Magic, had sacrificed herself for her friends, subjects, and likely all of Equestria, by binding all magic in the Unity Crystals.

And therefore myself deep within them. To go to such lengths was almost flattering in some way, but I could have done without such flattery. What a waste of my time this all was.

Why had I never thought of the possibility? I knew about the next generation, damn it! But it had never crossed my mind that I could become the reason for them to create these god-forsaken crystals in the first place.

Thankfully, the passage of time felt very different to me now than it did before. After all, I was used to being trapped in one way or another; by now, this was just another tick on my list. I was patient because I knew my time would come again.

At some point in time, my thinking must have shifted to that of a true immortal. And I embraced it with every fibre of my being. Even if I wasn't much more than a dark mist.

As I listened to Twilight's soft voice once more, echoing through the bright nothingness, I mulled over many things to while away the time.

How much time had passed since my renewed imprisonment? What was happening on the outside during my absence?

How many times had I listened to the neverending preachings of friendship, forgiveness, and whatnot solely directed at me?

Seriously, the walking fata morgana would not leave my side at any given point in time; as nice as it was to look at, it pissed me off.

The voice had been really maddening at first. But in the end, it didn't take more than a couple of years for it to become nothing more than an annoying background noise to me.

"There is hope for everypony gone astray, even for evil and wicked creatures like yourself. Please, believe in betterment, for I believe in yours!"

Evil...

"Who defines good and evil, you?" I questioned aloud, more myself than the purple transparent princess. "You damn ponies are nothing but hypocrites!"

The pony mirage did not answer me, obviously.

I knew she wasn't real. It was but a shadow of her former spirit. A sliver of her soul that was supposed to torment me for all eternity, it seemed.

Somehow I just knew this feat had something to do with Starlight Glimmer. Leaving her alive for so long had been a mistake on my part. Her involvement with the crystals must have been substantial.

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. A future you could share with others, with true friends!”

The future...

I sighed mentally. "Twilight, did you truly think this babbling would affect me when you entrapped me in here? How naive you ponies are. I'll make the 'enlarged' future mine, I assure you!" I laughed.

The image continued with her lectures to me undeterred. To my great annoyance.

I hated to admit it, but it would have been nice to talk to somepony for a change... or more. Twilight had been a good-looking mare for sure, back then, when she was still in existence.

Nothing I could do to this thing, though. That in itself seemed to be the real punishment for me here.

"I can't force you to become our friend... All I can do is hope that someday you will."

Friends...

I had only strived further from my former human self and the 'righteous' path since my arrival in this familiar pony world.

There were no boundaries for me anymore. I would not set any now. Why would I? So much fun was to be had.

I was truly free, even in here. Indulging in the darkness that had chosen me, that had helped me, that had empowered and granted me what I desired most.

A true friend indeed. The only one I'd ever need. Unlike a certain alicorn princess of the night...

With a clouded mind, I blocked out her voice as best I could and bided my time in the vast nothingness that was the hollowness of the Unity Crystals. Physically split in three but still one in its magical core.

Truly, being 'evil' was so much easier, wasn't it? I could just take what I wanted. Why would I ever want to change?

Even if I wanted to... after all I did? Impossible.

...Was it?

And so the years passed, weakening me in the process, as the darkness I had merged with could not feed on anything, as there was nothing but bound magic around me.

Until one faithful day, when the preachings of butterflies and rainbows suddenly stopped without prior notice, giving way to a brief eerie silence.

...

Shortly after the voice of Twilight had felt silent, a strong draft came up, pulling the bright lights around me upwards in a display of dancing colors, making me realize magic was leaving its prison as if it was in some sort of a hurry.

Magic was finally returning to Equestria...

And so would I.

Not long after the unicorns and pegasi had received their magic back, earth pony magic emerged for the first time in the history of Equestria during the Maretime Bay Day Festival.

However, the Unity Crystals had been severely damaged through a display of disharmony between the pony tribes during the festivities.

A small crack that only expedited the inevitable.

"Woah! What is that?" Pipp yelled through the storm, filming with her phone as she looked at the lighthouse in the distance. "Oh, this will go viral, I know it!"

"No, no, no! The magic! It's dying!" Sunny exclaimed. "What is happening to the crystal?"

Following the rainbow trail from the lighthouse, a black and purple fog emerged from the crystal into the sky, covering the sun as it formed into dark thunderclouds.

Magic glitched all around, ripping voids open in the ground where thunder struck. Magic became too unstable for anypony to use safely. Panic broke out.

Clear-headed, the mane five soon found the solution to be working together, mending the cracks that had formed in the Unity Crystals and stabilizing magic once more as the ponies helped each other out, no matter the tribe.

It mattered little.

The black and purple clouds above them would not leave. On the contrary, it almost seemed as if they had become self-aware, desperately on the lookout for something as they descended and flew over the gathered ponies.

"We should check on the crystal, you guys. Something is off!" Zipp said, only receiving nodding heads from her visibly afraid friends in turn as they made their way to the lighthouse.

As they approached the slightly pulsating crystal, their cutie mark magic combined and fed into it, bringing forth an illusion of a well-known hero from the past.

Twilight Sparkle.

And so they listened to what seemed to be some sort of pre-recorded warning.

...

Twilight's mirage fizzled. "...by summoning all of my magical strength to achieve placing the magic in the crystals and the-" Static "But the spell is broken. You are exposed to the world once again! You must watch out for Op-" Static "Before she-" Static "...I'm with you."

Twilight's mirage disappeared back into the crystals, leaving the mane five with a puzzled expression as they looked at each other for guidance for what it could have meant.

The sky thundered again, and as if not satisfied with what had been offered, the dark clouds left Maretime Bay and gave way to the sun to shine again.

"Oh, thank god, it's leaving!" Hitch said, visibly relieved. "The animals were really scared!"

"And who is the evil pony?" Zipp asked, looking back at the lifeless crystals, expecting an answer of sort.

Author's Note

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/86640-no-need-to-hurry-no-need-to-sparkle-no-need

You Smell Like Sin and I Need Some

I felt that I was weaker now than before my imprisonment.

The time in the crystals had definitely taken a toll on me. And if that rainbow trail leading up to the sky was any indication, then magic was still in the process of fully returning to Equestria.

However, it must have reached a breaking point where my prison lacked the magical resources to sustain Twilight's spell for my containment.

I couldn't tell how long it would take to regain my old pontential, but it was probably the same for all creatures that relied on magic. Including Luna, Discord, and changelings if they were still around.

Hopefully Luna was... revenge wouldn't be the same without her. Even boring, I feared.

As I flew through the sky as a disembodied dark purple cloud, I began to wonder if this was all intentional. Did Twilight somehow ensure that magic only gradually returned to the world and thereby also limited my powers? If so, the effect seemed negligible.

And then, did ponies here even know what happened in the past and who I was? Were they prepared in some way for my return? How much time had actually passed?

So many questions that needed to be answered.

Well, at least one pony seemed reasonably aware of the situation. I could feel it seeking out for me in the distance. I didn't care what it hoped for in turn.

I'd soon have a body of my own again. And that was all that mattered.

"Opaline?"

The purple alicorn didn't answer.

Her attention was focused solely on the screen in front of them. The dark cloud in the sky was fast approaching the castle. It would be here any moment now.

"Opaline?" Misty tried to speak to her again, voice shaking. "I'm scared. Are you sure this is the only way?"

Still not averting her gaze. Opaline whispered, barely audible, "You weren't there when it all happened, Misty. None of you ponies were. I lost so much during that time, back when I was still a unicorn..." Opaline paused for a moment before she slowly turned her head, looking Misty straight in the eyes. "Only the powerful will shape the future, you understand? This is for the better, for both of us, trust me.”

"B... but after everything you've told me--" Misty startet to argue, but stopped as the darkness in question began to manifest around them both. "Eeee!"

Startled, Misty stumbled back and fell on her hind legs, frozen solid as she watched the black and purple around them take the form of an unfamiliar two-legged creature.

The unstable form floated before Opaline in an eerie stillness. The missing mouth and eyes on his face gave it a grotesque, nightmarish appearance, like a strange puppet.

Opaline seemed surprisingly composed as she took a few steps forward and began speaking to the otherworldly being.

"I--, We have awaited your return," Opaline corrected after briefly glancing at Misty. "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Opali--"

"There is no need for this," a voice echoed and interrupted her introduction.

"OPALINE!" Misty cried out in panic as the purple alicorn was slowly being swallowed up by the surrounding shadows. "Get away from her!"

"Stay back, Misty!" Opaline ordered in a stern tone, only her head still visible in the black mass that was forming.

Then Opaline's head was also engulfed in darkness, silencing her. The dark, bipedal form melted into the shadows as it seemingly descended into Opaline.

"That's so wrong," Misty mumbled quietly as she averted her gaze, huddled in a corner, crying in fear for Opaline and her own life.

I blinked.

Once more I had come to life.

As the shadows retreated from my face, I began to breathe the stale air around me. What a treat.

Aside from the visibly black aura emanating from my body, most notably around the corners of my eyes, Opaline's appearance had remained the same.

I stretched my back and wings and indulged in the positive feelings that entailed. Pure bliss.

Oh, what a joy these simplest of things were. I just stood there in trance for a while, taking it all in.

The simple things wouldn't do it for long, though. I needed so much more from this world.

I could listen to Opaline's intentions later, she was still with me and would remain so for as long as I thought it worthwhile.

"Are you satisfied?" Opaline's voice asked inside my mind.

I just shook my head as I had other plans at the moment than having an internal dialogue. And so I made my way over to the light blue unicorn, still sobbing in the corner, glancing at me anxiously as I slowly approached.

As my mind started forming pictures in my head, I could feel Opaline panicking. Her feelings for that unicorn were true, she couldn't hide them from me.

"PLEASE, don't do this, she will benefit you in other ways!" the voice inside my head tried to persuade me.

I needed this. It had been too long.

I slowly picked Misty up by the neck with my magic, much like a kitten. I brought her face to mine and looked at her.

She didn't fight at all and hung in the air like a wet sack of potatoes, her shimmering big puppy eyes focused on me.

"Opaline?" she asked as she looked at me, tears flowing freely. "Are you still there?"

"Yes... and no," I answered instead, looking at her, being deep in thought myself. "Misty, huh?"

For reasons unclear to me, I had conflicting thoughts about what I wanted to do. She smelled so good.

Misty had her tail tug between her legs when I turned her around in the air with my magic. I felt like I was inspecting the latest wares at a market.

"Please..." the voice started pleading again, "this is the only thing I ask of you in return for my alliance."

Scenes of the past started forming in my head. Opaline's memories.

Many showed Luna distraught after their unification efforts had failed repeatedly. Applejack and Rainbow Dash fighting. And many more.

Interesting, I thought distracted, still with Misty in my magical grasp. Opaline truly did her best to continue my legacy. I would have to give her that.

There was also a bit of hatred towards me, I realized, and with that came scenes of close friends and family members dying.

Oof, the changelings really had some fun back then.

I doubted that she had intended for me to see that, but there was only so much she could hide from me. Especially when strong feelings were involved.

"I see," I said and put Misty back on the floor. I gave her a pat on the head and wiped away her tears with my magic. "Don't you disappoint me, Misty, you hear?"

The feeling of relief I felt inside me was... strange. Because some of it was my own.

She sat there in front of me, perplexed by the sign of affection. Still shivering and obviously unsure of what to do next.

Kinda cute, I thought.

...

I shook my head. There was still the issue with my unfulfilled desires.

"Misty," I addressed her again. "Would you be so kind as to get me a pony or two to bring over? Preferably mares.”

I had to sort out a few things with Opaline regarding the past, and this task would be a good test for my little... hm, apprentice I suppose?

"But Opaline, then they would see our castle?" Misty questioned my order. "And... why?"

I couldn't help but grin. I wondered how much Misty knew about me. Apparently Opaline had told her some things.

"You'll find out soon enough, Misty." My voice made it clear that this was the end of our discussion.

Misty was obviously uncomfortable with all this, but she went on her first errand anyway.

Remembrance

I listened with loose attention to what Opaline had to say about the past, while following what was happening on the screen in front of me with much more interest; a birds-eye view from one of her magical familiars, showing how little Misty was trying to start a conversation with one of the locals of Maretime Bay.

My equine order would probably take a while if this continued the way it did. I sighed deeply.

However, I had to acknowledge how convenient this new magic was for me. It felt like suddenly being in possession of Odin's raven spies, a decent reason to keep my host's mind and magical talent around for a while longer since I couldn't use them without her, unfortunately.

While this new gimmick was interesting, I soon became restless and rather impatient, so I interrupted the little storytelling in my mind. I didn't need all the little details for now. After all, there were other things that took precedence after being imprisoned for so long.

"-So... to summarize this," I said aloud, still looking at the screen in front, gesturing with my hooves to zoom in for a closer look. "The remaining elements and Luna had been instructed by Starlight Glimmer to physically split up the Unity Crystals and the tribes, to strengthen Twilight's spell, and to try and keep the ponies united despite it, since any discord between them would weaken the seal on me also." I waited a moment for any remarks, but none came. "Well, that sounds like it must have been quite the ordeal for them, huh?" I snickered in delight and wondered what it must have felt like for the interracial couples. "What about the fights you showed me... Princess Luna, where is she now?"

There was a short moment of silence in my mind before the inner voice spoke again. "I'm afraid I don't know where Princess Luna is. She went into exile voluntarily a few decades after your banishment," Opaline answered. "Many ponies had been defiant and were against splitting up, including the Element of Loyalty and later founder of Zephyr Heights. They blamed Luna for what had happened, and her forcing the split by any means necessary didn't help her popularity and the already fragile friendship bonds during the aftermath of your reign. She had become very different from the beloved princess she once was, bitter and without power to calm the minds in the nights. Thus, the alienation between the tribes became inevitable, leading to an undesired weakening of the spell. I contributed to it to the best of my abilities by sabotaging the elements, but it seemed she had already done more than enough harm on her own. I believe your banishment was supposed to last longer and that they hoped of a possible return of magic without you... that Princess Twilight's sacrifice would suffice."

It didn't feel like she was lying or keeping any noteworthy details from me. However, I couldn't help but notice her watching Misty with almost as much interest during her little recapitulation.

"Misty's not really trying, is she?" I asked out of the blue, not acknowledging what she had said about the past.

Startled, Opaline answered, "Y-You see, Misty is not really used to-"

I didn't want to hear excuses. "No, she's not even trying. It's quite obvious." I sighed once more while massaging my temple with my right front hoof. It felt good. Oh, how I missed touching stuff. "Anyway, do ponies remember? Do they know what this was all for?"

"They're naive little ponies who have known nothing but peace for almost a thousand years. I'm afraid you've become more of a legend than true history, a fairy tale." Opaline paused, and I felt strong negative feelings coming from her towards me. "They can't comprehend what happened during that time, despite the recordings left behind. I believe they are unprepared for your return."

I thought about that for a while. Did these damn ponies just banish me only for somepony else having to take care of the problem now? I highly doubted that was Twilight's intention, but then again, I did feel some blockades in my mind from the purple one's blabbering. Was that a symptom of a failed spell, only a silly reformation attempt? There must've been more to it.

Well, only one way to find out. I still had questions that needed answers, but I had enough of this for now. Eager for fun, I spread my wings and buckled my back like a cat as I stretched my new alicorn body. With a flick of my head I shot a magic flare into the screen, making it disappear into nothingness.

"What are you doing?"

I entertained her inquiry. "Oh, I think Misty needs some help with my request, don't you think?" I laughed as I flew out of the castle, enjoying the fresh wind in my mane as I did. "Let's make them believe again... make them feel once more."

I couldn't restrain myself any longer. This new world was now all mine to play with.

You Better Start Believing

Maretime Bay's sheriff was trotting through the streets of the idyllic coastal town, looking left and right, in every corner, checking if something was amiss, when a sudden cold breeze made him shudder and halt for a moment.

The feathery animal on his back had felt it, too, chirping in loud protest.

"Yes... I know, Kenneth. The sun is almost down now." Hitch sighed as he looked back at the white bird with a tin-can-hat. "But you can't expect me to just sit idly after what happened today. I have to make sure that the pon--"

Hitch's ears suddenly perked up as he picked up on something not far from where they were. Kenneth flew up in surprise, left behind as the stallion galloped full speed in the direction from where the sound had come from.

It didn't take the earth pony long to make out the source.

There, at the end of a slowly darkening alley, a beautiful unicorn mare with light blue fur sat on her hind legs, right next to a wooden cargo box, holding her hooves up to her face, sobbing.

"What is wrong. Why are you crying?" Hitch tried soothing with a calming voice, slowly crouching down to her level as he addressed her. "I'm... I'm Hitch, what is your name?"

Startled and visibly distressed, the mare looked up and backed away immediately with one hoof covering her face. "NO, please!" Tears ran down unhindered now, the freshly bruised right eye standing out prominently from the rest of her face. "I'm sorry!"

Hitch was shocked. Somepony must have hit her. "W-Who did this?!" The dark stains on the fur of her front legs became apparent as he came closer. Blood? It took him a moment to compose himself.

This was unheard of. Nopony had hurt anypony in... forever.

The unicorn looked at him, seemingly coming to her senses. "No... you don't understand! It's not mine!" The unicorn sniffled, snot mixing with the tears as she looked at him, turning her head slowly to the side, looking further down the alley and then back to Hitch. "I-I tried to..." she started, but suddenly started crying again when she couldn't find the words anymore, digging her hooves back in her face.

Hitch followed where her gaze had gone a moment ago and noticed something lying further down the alley. It was hard to make out as the sun had almost set now, shrouding their surroundings in an unsettling darkness.

A weak magic aura tried to hold him back for a moment as he stepped away and closer to what was lying on the cold ground. The object seemed grotesque and didn't make sense to him at first.

It became more apparent when he stepped into a warm puddle.

As he looked down at his now blood-soaked hooves, another breeze brought a smell into his nose that he never thought possible. He came to realization that there, before him, lay a mutilated torso of a pony, missing half of its limbs.

He had to gag and throw up, making the mess even worse. This wasn't real.

It couldn't be.

This was really happening.

It had taken surprisingly little to break the remaining blockades in my mind. I felt almost sorry for that young mare for being my guinea pig.

I was flying above the colorful roofs of Maretime Bay, looking for another potential playmate. The sun had just set a moment ago, so it was quite a fun challenge.

"You didn't have to hit her." Opaline said in my mind.

"What? Misty?" I asked, unbelieving. "That is what you are worried about, really?" I laughed.

She didn't follow-up on it. For good reason, as she was well aware that I would only take so much backtalk.

"It's better for her to learn sooner than later, my dear host. I have no use for a cock-blocking little weakling that works against me at my side."

Speaking of cocks, the tentacle magic Opaline had in her repertoire was fun and all, but I really craved the sensation of a real one again. I really hoped there were more stallions around this time to take over for a bit of fun.

As if on cue, my cutie mark started vibrating. One of the familiars must have spotted something interesting, so I brought up the magical screen back in front of me.

"Oh, that one looks familiar. Looks like Misty is useful as bait after all." I turned around, a smile now plastering my face.

It was going to be a great night.

"Alright..." Hitch took a deep breath, still pale and legs shacking from what he had just discovered. "I'll get my friends, then we can work this out together." He looked back at the unicorn. "Okay?"

The bundle of sorrow didn't dare look at him.

"I still don't know your name."

"...My name is Misty. Misty Brightdawn." She looked at him from the side now, trying to clean her face from the tears and snot with a hoof.

Hitch forced a smile. "Whatever happened here, we will get through this, Misty." He wanted to put a hoof on her shoulder for reassurance but stopped when he remembered the blood on it. "It's going to be alright."

Misty looked up to him, a weak smile forming as she nodded back slowly, more to reassure herself. "O-okay." But her newfound courage vanished when she noticed the raven watching them from the roof above. "No! You need to leave. Now!"

The sheriff only stood there for a while, looking at her without saying anything.

"H-hitch?"

"Hm?" He looked confused. "Oh, was that his name? Right. I knew it sounded similar to bitch."

Misty's eyes widened in realization, looking around, trying to spot the responsible alicorn, which was nowhere to be seen. "No... please! Why are you doing this? I don't understand!" In fear she backed away, until she hit a wall with her back. "Please let him go!"

Hitch suddenly came up close and forced her to stand up with him on their hind legs, pushing her against the wall with force. "One kiss, Misty. And we're done for tonight, hm?"

"NO!" she cried. "Stay away from me!" She tried pushing him away, to no avail as he was so much stronger.

She struggled for a while, starting to cry again. Then Hitch's body suddenly backed off by itself.

He theatrically said, "Oh, woe is me. Looks like I have been denied once more. A shame, really. Whatever shall I do now?" The smile on his face seemed unnatural.

She watched him trot out of the alley.

"You should follow him, Misty. Who knows what a desperate Stallion like him is capable of in a night like this one."

Opaline's laughter sent a shiver down her spine.

An Introduction Is in Order

Author's Note

Not dead just yet

An Introduction Is in Order

Above, on the outer edge of one of the many roofs of Maretime Bay, I sat in silence, taking in the reinvigorating feeling of that young stallion's body with my eyes half closed, all while listening to Misty's never-ending pleas as she followed my newest toy down the street below me.

She would never be a second Luster, that much I'd come to accept. No matter, she'd still be fun to have around one way or another. I smirked at the thought of what was ahead.

There was no need to hold back. My lust was going as strong as ever. And one little play wasn't going to cut it for me.

"Please, you have to stop this!" Misty cried out in tears, trying desperately to keep up as Hitch galloped away into the dark.

She seemed to care about what would happen without her around. It kinda warmed my heart. This was going to be a lot more fun than I originally thought.

Not granting even a glance back, I mocked her, "You have to do a little better than that, my dear Misty! Come now, the night is still young."

The sniffling murmur that followed close behind was incomprehensible to me, so I focused on the question of where to go. It didn't take long looking around for me to set my sights on the prominent rainbow trail piercing the sky.

With determination and high expectations, I ran straight to the oh-so-familiar source, only to be stopped by an eerie feeling as I came closer. There was something surrounding the Crystal Brighthouse. Some magical barrier, a last remnant of my prison, perhaps?

Like a cheap mime, I stretched across the invisible wall with my upper butterscotch-colored body as I stood on my hind legs, trying to get a feel for it, knowing it was pointless to try breaking it by brute force.

"So you're gifting them a bit more time, Twilight? How generous of you," I said more to myself than the out-of-breath unicorn who had finally caught up. "It won't last."

I looked up to the magic pouring back into Equestria like there was no tomorrow. It would only be a matter of time.

"Plea--"

"Shut up, Misty! I'm thinking." I looked at her in thought, already disappointed since I knew she wouldn't be of much help to lure them in. At least not voluntarily.

The expectation of having a bit of fun with one of the new mares had me excited, so I was bummed that I would have to postpone it or wait for them to come out. I barely remembered their names, but they sure looked fine from what little I could recall.

"Who this?" it suddenly chirped from the ground, almost giving me a heart attack.

Dumbfounded, I looked down before me. Some seagull with a tin hat looked up to me, tilting its head.

"Who this?" the bird repeated like a broken record.

It must have been Hitch's talent. He could talk to animals just like... Fluttershy

I shook my head to get rid of some unwelcome thoughts and made use of it immediately.

"Go and get help, quickly! This mare is gravely hurt and can't walk any farther!" I pointed to her blood-soaked fur for dramatic effect while leaning over to Misty, ensuring she wouldn't ruin this chance.

"Mmphp!" she protested with my dirty hoof in her mouth, not daring to bite into it. I wouldn't have minded, though.

"Shhh, it's okay! Help will be here soon!" I sheepishly glanced over to the bird with one eye as I helped the unicorn to the ground.

Overwhelmed but determined to fulfill the task, the feather-brain saluted and flew up the hill and through the forsaken barrier.

I took joy in Misty's wide eyes and trembling body as she looked up. It was a great way to pass some time.

"Don't worry, I'll try to make it quick." I couldn't help but smile.

Unfortunately, I had to make her situation look a bit more believable for it to work as I imagined. My smile grew even wider at my made-up excuse.

Sunny and friends came running down after Kenneth had succeeded in getting their attention, urging them to follow out into the night. It had been impossible to make out the details without Hitch, but the loud chirping and nervous flapping made the urgency clear.

Kenneth had to have been sent by Hitch, who was still out there somewhere, no question about it.

They all halted when Kenneth stopped in the middle of the road, hovering around, looking left and right, puzzled.

"Where is Hitch?" Zipp asked while flying a bit closer to the ground.

A scream filled the night and sent a shiver down their spines.

"T-That wasn't Hitch," Pipp said, startled and hiding behind her big sister mid-air.

"Somepony needs our help!" Izzy circled around them and yelled into the dark, "WHERE ARE YOU?"

The answer came in the form of another scream, followed by what seemed like muffled crying.

"It's coming from opposite directions!" Sunny and Zipp said in union.

"Please, why won't you stop?" echoed an unknown voice around them.

Izzy frowned, close to tears. "Stop what? What is this?!"

Sunny hesitated but said, "We should split in two. One pegasus per--"

"I will not separate from my sister," Zipp interrupted. "Not after all that happened. This could be exactly what we were warned about."

"Zipp! I'm not a foal anymore. I can look after myself." Pipp brought some distance between her sister to emphasize.

"Listen, I don't think we have time to argue," Sunny started, "but I can't force out my wings on command yet and it would make more sen--"

Another bloodcurdling scream, followed by a calm voice, "Get a move on already, mares."

The group looked at each other for a moment with frowns, unsure what to make of it.

"HITCH?" Izzy broke the silence. "WHERE ARE YOU, THIS IS NOT FUNNY! "HITCH?!"

No answer.

Sunny ran off in one of the directions the voice was coming from. "Izzy, Kenneth, with me!"

Zipp and Pipp flew off in the other.

For the First Time in Forever

Author's Note

Edgy ahead, consider yourself warned. Oh, and also Happy New Year!

For the First Time in Forever

I couldn't help but fall in love with Opaline's magic familiars, they were so unbelievably versatile in their use.

I had set them up all over the place, and the ravens were now broadcasting my little radio show while blocking all other forms of magical communication, luring the mares into different directions so that I didn't have to deal with them all at once.

Brilliant! All giddy I did a little tap dance with Hitch's front hooves.

Misty was also doing a great job playing the damsel in distress. What a little drama queen she was, though.

"Nooo!" Misty wailed as her flank got hit again by the veiny root whip coming out of the ground, looking at the two familiars close to her in utter despair, as if they would be of any help.

Silly pony.

Earth pony magic sure was something. The roots even made sure she'd stay neatly in place. I definitely would have to try some things later for sure. The influence of Opaline's magic making it all the more potent.

Damn, that mare had a talent for kinky things.

However, seeing the bloodlines add up on the sky-blue fur, where a cutie mark would normally show, I realized that I had to hold back some more if I wanted the unicorn to last for a while. Not to mention that it'd be a crime to ruin her appealing appearance; an eye candy like no other I had seen so far around here.

I really started to warm up to Misty, despite her obvious shortcomings.

Opaline had also been awfully quiet about my little intermezzo, which came as a surprise. I was kinda looking forward to her disapproving comments. But I figured she wouldn't try to intervene too much as long as I didn't overstep any unspoken boundaries, like touching her teasing no-no-place. Which was fine by me, for the time being at least. I would let her have this for now, for I was so pleased with my new host and the powers that came with it.

Misty would be of use as a fine stress relief plush in the meantime.

Anyway, two brand new feathery playmates were being lured in and I definitely had other plans for those two, so I'd get my fun for sure. Still funny, that I'd be getting my appetite at home but eat outwards instead of the other way around. I snickered as I made the root lash forward once more.

"Nhm--"

Misty took that one like a champ and dug her face deep into her forelegs, grinding her teeth, never looking back at me once the whole time.

Cute, but I needed her to be more vocal about the whole thing. I paused for a moment and looked at her delicious-looking plot from behind.

None of the other ponies would go home tonight. It was better to get rid of and have fun with them early on before they became a threat by some stupid miracle or other magic crap. I felt like I learned my lesson after the stunt Twilight had pulled on me.

I turned my head and looked out to sea in thought, ruminating if this truly was what I wanted.

...

Yes, it was.

Misty got one more powerful whip to her flank for good measure, which was promptly rewarded with her beautiful, although now a bit broken voice.

Pipp shrieked as another scream pierced the night, loud as thunder this time. "Zipp!" The shock made her lose altitude for a moment.

Zipp flew back and hugged her, giving her a little pat on the head. "You don't hav--"

A purple glow coming from a bush below caught their attention.

"What th--"

They both screeched in surprise as some magical bird shot out of it, flying past them with speed and heading straight down the hill to town.

"What was that?" Pipp asked, now holding her sister's front hooves in a tight grip.

"I don't know but it looked like some glowing bird," Zipp answered, watching after it. "You stay here and wait for Sunny and the others, you hear? I'll check what this is all about."

"Zipp, no, wait! I'm coming with you! Don't leave me here!"

But her sister was already off with speed she was no match for, following the unknown creature.

"Zipp..." she whispered while slowly flying down to the ground. She sat on her hind legs, unsure of what to do next.

Her sister had always been so protective of her, but she really didn't want to be alone tonight.

"Pipp."

Pipp sprung back up in the air in surprise and turned around, nervously flapping her cloudy wings. "HITCH?!" But there was nopony there. "What? Where are you? HITCH!"

And then she heard it again, it was without a doubt Hitch's voice. "Come to the community garden, there is an injured pony here that needs our help, hurry!"

"What!? Who is injured, what is happening?" She turned around in different directions multiple times "..Hitch?"

But there was no answer.

Pipp took out her phone, which had been neatly stashed in one of her extra feathery wings, to message the others... but there was no signal. "What is going on?!" She flew up higher in the air in disbelief to find a connection but to no avail.

She turned in the air and looked in the direction her sister had left, but Zipp was already out of sight and nowhere to be seen.

"Pipp! I need your help, please!" Muffled crying was heard in the background. "Hurry!"

Pipp became even more nervous than she already was. "I-I can do this, I'm not a foal anymore..." Pipp mumbled to herself before yelling back to the shadows around here, "I'm coming, Hitch!" Hopeful, that the others had also heard him.

The community garden... She flew as fast as she could.

In my alicorn body, still down in Maretime Bay, I massaged my temple with my left front hoof. "Finally, you dumb cunt... I should have just gone up there and taken them instead of playing this little game of mine." I shrugged. "Well, wouldn't be as much fun, though."

I stretched my body like a cat as I did so often, spreading my big wings and suppressing the urge to purr, waiting patiently for the bigger sister to arrive.

This would need some coordination, but I was all up for it. I was smiling so much tonight, it began to hurt. The good kind of pain.

She was almost here now.

Seriously, I couldn't believe how fucking stupid these ponies were in this time and age, but it looked like they loved playing fetch. They're nothing more than animals... these... things. My smile faltered for a moment but I shook it off.

I wanted this. I needed this. I desired this.

...

It was time, my prey came into view down below as she cut another corner, still following one of my ravens.

Idiot. How could you leave your little sister behind like that?

Zipp pounced at my glowing familiar, in an alley only a few blocks away from my first victim. Only for me to make it disappear into nothingness the moment her hooves touched it, leaving her behind in the dark. "Huh? What, where did it go?"

I made my dramatic entrance from above, engulfing our surroundings in dim lighting with my horn as I descended right behind her. "Well, hello there. I hope you had fun chasing my little gimmick around, for it was likely your last."

Hehe, that wasn't too bad, right? I cringed a bit.

The tomboyish pegasus turned around, not a glimpse of fear in her eyes to be seen. "An.. alicorn?" This fact only seemed to stun her momentarily. "Who are you? And where is Hitch?" She was on guard, one could tell from her stance. Slowly, but noticeably, she started to back away from me.

Well, at least her instincts seemed to work.

From her movements, it looked like she must have had some sort of combat training in the past, for self-defense maybe? I smirked and suppressed a snicker as I watched her back into a wall.

"Oh, don't you worry, little princess. Hitch is in good hooves right now." It was true, the incoming sensations made me twitch in delight for a second. "Very good hooves indeed. But I'm afraid that I'll be asking the questions here," I said with a somewhat genuine smile and stepped forward.

"Y-You're that thing Twilight warned us about, aren't you?" A glimpse of knowing smugness formed on her face as if she had just discovered some grand plot.

I shut that attitude right down.

Closing the distance by dashing forward with a bit of magic help I used my still engulfed horn to pierce right through her right spread-out wing, close to where it connected to her back, making it glow like a disco ball as the purple light shone through the feathers, granting us an interesting ambience for a brief moment.

Slowly, to really take in the feeling of my horn sliding through the tender skin and muscles, I backed up and looked at her with disappointment, a line of blood caressed my face as it came down my horn.

Zipp didn't scream, not a word left her lips. Heck, I think she stopped breathing there. She just stood on all fours, looking back at me with big open eyes, then at her weirdly angled wing, blood slowly dripping down the feathers to the ground.

I appreciated her mental crash, for it gave me a moment to cherish what my little stallion puppet got to taste. It was making me dizzy and craving for more. I wondered how she'd compare to her sister.

So I came forward once more and hit Zipp with all the physical strength I could muster while she was still dazzled by what had happened to her now twitching wing. I felt some teeth loosen as my front hoof connected with her right cheek. The force of the impact made her head hit the wall behind her as her upper body was flung upwards.

Crap, that might have been a bit too much. I held her up by the injured wing with my magic. Ah, still breathing and conscious. Good.

Wouldn't have been much fun otherwise. But then, to my surprise, came the tears.

Oh my.

I had thought she was stronger than that, what a baby, sheesh. "You've never been hurt once in your life, huh, little princess?"

She closed her eyes, trying to get out of my magic grip, but I could tell it was hurting her to move. "W..Why are you d-doing--"

I shook her like a bell, making her flinch. "What did I say? I'm asking the questions! What did Twilight tell you, what's her plan? And most importantly, where the fuck is Princess Lu--" I suddenly had to moan because of what transpired in the community garden. God damn it, I made myself look like a total fool in front of her. But that pucker, holy crap. It felt so good. "Oof, your sister sure is something, sweetie."

That got a reaction.

Zipp opened her eyes and stared at me in shock. "What?"

Another fucking question.

I sighed. "Fine, I'm feeling somewhat generous today, let me show you."

I smacked her to the ground, making her barrel touch the cold stone, spreading her hooves out in all directions, and pulled up her head as I brought up my magical screen with a quick horn-flick, showing the views of my two familiars left behind.

One had the whole scene, with even little Misty being seen in the background, trying to avert her eyes, and the other was a close-up.

It took her a while to comprehend what she was seeing there.

But then she screamed her sister's name, just like her sister did on screen. What a delightful scene it was.

"PIPP, NOOoo!" She tried to break free. "HITCH, STOP! PLEASE STOP!"

They couldn't hear of course, but it was still funny to watch. And I swear that little mare was on fire now and I fucking loved it so much. "You know what, I can do you one better."

The little fucker tried to bite me in my leg, and I let her do it after short consideration.

"MpMP!"

It turned me on even more. "Yes, good! Harder!" I brought my head down and kissed Zipp's head right before I connected mine and Hitch's feelings.

One could see the immediate meltdown as the sensations overwhelmed her. My pain of her bite, her injuries... but most importantly Hitch penetrating her little sister's asshole with that creamy-looking stallion cock of his.

God, what a delight.

I made the roots around little Pipp's throat tighter, making the youngest grasp for air as she cried, and Zipp and I could feel how it affected her little sister's asshole around Hitch's dick. So tight! I moaned and kissed Zipp again, leaving some drool on her pretty mane, while caressing her good wing with my right hoof.

There was no longer any need to hold Zipp down, she didn't struggle at all, just looking at the screen, wincing with every 'plop' of Hitch's humps, her own anus twitching every time it happened.

Who would have thought a mare could shed so many tears, it was diluting the blood on the ground. "Pipp..."

I also didn't need to ask her anything anymore, as I already had all the information there was to be had. Her mind was completely defenseless through the shock and I could read her like an open book in that moment now.

However, they all seemed to know next to nothing, they were completely clueless. Heck, Zipp didn't even have a grasp of who Luna and Celestia were.

What the hell do they teach their kids here? And this is supposed to be a princess?

Unbelievable.

I sighed. I felt like I it was time to bring this to an end so I could join my puppet up there. There were still two more mares that needed to be played with that night, after all and I only had so much lust for one night.

Another kiss, on her neck this time, followed by me pushing her body down to the ground with my left front hoof and grabbing her injured wing with my mouth.

Her feathers tickled when I started pulling ever so slowly.

Zipp seemed to come to her senses, as this newest sensation became the most dominant. "AAAH, STOP, PLEASE, PLEASE! NOO!" She desperately tried to get away.

I didn't even hear her anymore. I was too focused, too thrilled about it all. My expression became blank.

And then I came for the first time in forever as her wing ripped off.

Familiar Feelings

They were everywhere. The night sky seemed to come to life with purple.

"What are those things?!" Sunny held a hoof up for protection. "Leave us alone!"

"Zipp... please... make it stop," was heard all around them, followed by muffled crying and other sounds they could not place.

Izzy held some of them off with small bursts of magic directed at the sky, but the ravens were relentless, taking their turns diving down and pecking at them, all while screeching ominous messages.

Their beaks and talons were sharp as razor blades.

"Ahh! It hurts!" Sunny cried as one of the creatures sliced along her raised leg. Blood flowed from a thin line on her fur down onto the grass.

Kenneth, having sought cover under Izzy at first, flew into the air and charged.

"No!" Izzy tried to catch the little seagull, but he was already out of reach. "Come back!"

He had no chance. The ravens fought over him, almost as if they were starving from hunger, plucking and ripping his fragile body apart.

A tin can fell from the sky, followed by feathers and other parts, right in front of Izzy, who was standing there following the gruesome display in shock, her face sprinkled with red as the remains slowly rained down. "...Kenneth?"

They attacked the moment she let her guard down, pecking at her face. "Zipp...? Hitch... please..." they screeched in unison.

Izzy fell to the ground.

Sunny ran to her friend in tears, smacking away the see-through birds with her hooves as best she could, gushing blood from her wound like a sprinkler. "IZZY! Get away foul beasts!"

But to no avail.

More and more were coming down, covering them like a feathery ball. She felt them snatch at her delicate little teats, making her shriek up in surprise and pain.

Suddenly, a yellow, almost golden aura covered them both as Sunny's powers were brought forth once more, giving her horn and wings, and casting a protective shield around them both.

Sunny was breathing fast. She didn't know how to cast a spell like this. It had just appeared by itself. She looked down at her friend in her hooves.

The unicorn's face was covered in wounds and she had one eye closed in pain. "Sunny..." Izzy cried with a trembling expression, holding both hooves up to her face. "What is happening?" she mumbled while being comforted by the alicorn.

"I don't know," Sunny said, on the lookout for any further attacks. "But we need to find the others..."

Izzy widened her eyes in realization, one of them a pure red, glancing to the side at what was left of Kenneth. "We... we have to..." Her whole body trembled in fear.

Sunny held her close, still watching the night sky and using her unlocked magic to light up their surroundings. The ravens were still repeating their messages above them but seemed not eager to come close now.

Exhausted, Sunny looked to the Brighthouse in the distance, then back up, whispering with a pleading tone, "Twilight... anypony, please, please help us."

Nothing seemed to happen, so Sunny tried to get a hold of herself and helped Izzy back up on her legs. "Let's go, we need to do something."

"But where?" Izzy said, head hanging low, but taking great comfort in the warmth her friend gave off.

"I-I don't kn--" A shooting star crossed the sky, and then another right after, both in the same direction. It was over in a blink.

Izzy, noticing the sudden stop, looked up at her friend. "Sunny?"

"D-did you see that?"

"What?"

Sunny pointed in the same direction as the shooting stars had gone. "This way! Come!" She ran as fast as her injured leg allowed it.

Izzy didn't question her friend and ran right after.

I had my snout deep in Zipp's crotch when I received my familiars report. It seemed the other two had figured out where to go, likely with the help of Sunny's peculiar powers.

Well, it wouldn't matter much anyway. I could probably handle two more with Hitch alone if I had to.

Zipp, still being held down to the ground, had long overcome her initial shock of having now lost both of her wings and was trying desperately to break free from me, wailing around in her puddle of blood, adding further contrast to her fur with the red it soaked up.

More for her sister's sake than her own, I presumed.

The scene on display before us had become quite rough, and it was obvious the little one would die if nopony intervened anytime soon. I can't deny that I had too much fun with those roots and hearing the sound of a suffocating pony was something special.

The despair in their eyes... ah.

I bit into Zipp's left butt cheek with glee, making her scream in pain. It left an interesting mark... with enough imagination, one could interpret something from it.

Maybe a cloud? An animal of sorts?

Hmm, maybe I should give Misty one, like a cutie mark. As a thank you for a job well done.

In thought, licking the mare juices from my lips, I looked at Zipp's tight, still pulsating asshole. I would have loved to have a dick right then. A magically conjured one just wasn't the same.

But I had something else that came close when it came to sensitivity. I smiled, lowering my head down.

The alley became a bit darker as the tip of my bloody horn went into her little asshole. The only light now coming from the floating screen and the magic that held Zipp down for me.

Her rump gave off a nice glow, highlighting her cutie mark specifically as it shown through her flank.

"N-NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

I had to be careful as my horn was quite long... A little bit too far in and I'd have a colorful pony kebab.

Hmm, but I was getting quite hungry from all of this, though. Wouldn't mind som-- "Ah, look, your friends made it to your sister," I interrupted my own train of thought.

I pulled my horn back, shivering in delight as it was caressed by her rectum as the tip slid back out.

I would let her have that before I ended her life. I was just so unbelievably generous tonight.

"Sunny! Izzy! Help her, please!"

"They can't hear you, doofus." I lay down next to Zipp, leaning over to taste some of her salty tears with my tongue. Delicious!

Oh, the shock on their faces, how wonderful.

"Hitch!" What are you doing?! STOP!"

I snickered and wished I had brought popcorn.

Izzy seemed to have a mental breakdown, while Sunny tried her best to get Hitch off Pipp's flank. "HITCH!"

"It's not your friend!" Misty suddenly spoke up, wiping away some tears. "He's not in control!"

God damn it, Misty! Don't ruin this for me.

Big Roots shot out of the ground and held the newcomers upside down, and a few smaller ones whipped them all over their bodies.

"NOO!" Zipp screamed almost as loud as the ponies on screen.

"YES!" I yelled back, prancing to her flank to stick my glowing horn into her backdoor again. "It might sting a bit."

But then something happened. I didn't see it all, but as soon as I turned my head back to the screen a bright light flashed.

I immediately lost connection to Hitch and my familiars. Screaming, I held my hooves up to my head, trying to soothe the pain.

The bad kind of pain.

It hurt. It hurt so much. I felt like I was burning alive.

This was impossible. I had felt this magic before. The aura around Sunny... her magic.

I felt how Zipp kicked me in the face full force with her hind legs before she ran out of the now completely darkened alley.

It barely hurt in comparison.

"...but Luna killed you," I whispered in agony.

Like a Beacon

Hitch was the first to come to his senses.

Back to reality from what must have been a dark dream, a nightmare, or so he was hoping, denying the loose memories that were trying to form in his scrambled mind. He shook his head, one hoof up trying to massage his headache away, vision slowly becoming clearer.

Sitting up slowly, he looked around, eyes squinted.

The last thing he remembered was a bright flash of light that had lit up the night for a brief moment, golden and warm. It had come from Sunny, who was lying not far away on the ground, unconscious, it seemed.

Her body was still emitting a faint light, pulsating in rhythm with her every breath. Izzy lying back to back, her own horn reacting to the light as well.

Even the rainbow trail shooting up from the Unity Crystal seemed to have become more intense in colors.

"Sunny!" Trying to walk to her, Hitch stumbled, falling over with his chin forward. The fall dampened by what felt like a fluffy cloud. Lifting his body up with two forelegs, he realized what was lying in the damp grass. "Pipp?!"

She was injured and unresponsive, her exposed backside riddled with bloody streaks, and... no. The memories in Hitch's head became very vivid for a moment, triggered by the sight. He gasped, backing away from her, feeling his member twitch for a second, realizing it had been put to use moments ago.

But those weren't his memories. They couldn't be. He'd never do something like that.

Nopony would.

Hitch's breathing became faster. He sat back down, looking at his friends before him, holding up both of his forelegs to the sides of his head, mumbling and shacking, unsure of what to do next.

"I-It's not y-your fault," it came stuttering, barely audible to his right side. Misty was slowly putting herself up, her coat making her hard to spot in the dimly lit dark, tears flowing down her cheeks. "This... thing it--"

Hitch didn't let her finish, charged forward and grabbed her tight by the shoulders. "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" He shook her violently. "You know, don't you?!"

Intimated, Misty cried, trying to form an answer. "Please stop!" Misty wanted to back away, but Hitch didn't let her. "S-Somepony is in Opaline!" she said, cowering down in fear, forelegs on top of her head. "Please, let go of me!"

Hitch let go of her, trying to take a hold of himself. "Opal--" he started repeating but turned around when he heard somepony approaching from behind. "Zi--"

Zipp tackled him, head down first into the side of his barrel, making him gasp for air, followed by a forehoof to his exposed chin. He fell down to the ground out cold, blood running down his nose.

"NO!" Misty screamed, shocked by the sudden attack, stumbling backwards on her hind. "It's not his fault, stop!" she followed up, trying to shield Hitch's head from further attacks with her body as she looked up at Zipp.

Izzy woke up groaning. Feeling the warmth on her back, she turned around. "Sunny?!" she said, trying to wake her up. "Sunny?!"

Zipp eyed Misty briefly but paid no further mind and cowered down to her sister instead. "Pipp! Pipp!" she said repeatedly, lifting the upper body of her sister up and hugging her tight. "Pipp..." she now whispered, clenching her teeth as she saw the bruises and marks on her sister's body, looking back at Hitch with nothing but murderous intent.

Despite seeing it all happen, knowing that he couldn't have been in control, she just wasn't able to subdue her emotions. Her hate. Her anger. At him... herself.

She had failed her sister.

Pipp's eyes slowly opened, earning Zipp's full attention again. Pipp flinched, trying to break free before realizing who was holding her. "Z-Zipp!" she said, eyes growing wide, immediately starting to cry. "It hurts." She dug her head deep into Zipp's fluff, returning the hug, flinching again as she felt the still bleeding stumbles on Zipp's back. "Your wings!"

Zipp didn't say a word, trying to be the strong sister she held back her own tears, holding Pipp even tighter.

"Sunny wake up, please!" Izzy cried, looking at the others as if to ask for help. "She's not waking up!"

Misty watched them from the side, holding Hitch's head in her hoofs on the ground. "You must go while you still can." Misty said quietly as she looked up to the sky. "Go to the Crystal Brighthouse; they can't go there. I'll buy as much time as I can."

The sky was clear, no familiars to be seen anywhere, like they had never been there. What had happened? Misty looked over to the lying earth pony, who was emitting a golden light in a steady rhythm, almost like a beacon of sorts.

That light, that flash... it had shielded them somehow. She could still feel the warmth even now. It--

"Who are you?" Zipp asked, starting to tend to her sister's wounds as good as she could, eyes like daggers as she looked at Misty. "What is your play in this?" Zipp looked between her and Hitch with nothing but disgust. "Are you with them, with that... alicorn?"

Hitch started moving again, trying to stand up, but Misty didn't let him. She held him tighter as she tried to form an answer.

"Listen, please, I don't know what is happening exactly, but something, that thing, is in Opaline; it has taken control of her!" Misty sniffled. "And him, it's not his fault!" she added after a pause as she was looking down at a dazzled Hitch. "Opaline would never do this... any of this."

Zipp didn't answer but shot up in alarm as she noticed something in the distance behind Misty, phantom pain reminding her of her lost wings as she tried to spread them to shield her sister in response.

Something was flying straight towards them.

A being made of fire lit the sky around it.

It wasn't alone.

I saw the phoenix land in the distance as I was making my way to them.

And then another. And another. It looked like a bonfire from here.

Could it be? A thousand things ran through my mind.

It felt as if magic poured slower into the world than it had before.

The rainbow trail flickered.

No, it was being redirected. Something else was consuming it.

I shouldn't have waited. I shouldn't have played.

Panic overcame me, or was it fear?

I had to kill them.

Fast.

Nourish the Flame

"GO AWAY!" Izzy yelled with teary eyes, her horn failing, almost mocking as it only lit up like a glow stick. "Leave her ALONE!" she said, stomping in an attempt at intimidation.

Dozens of the engulfed beings were gathering around them, more and more trying to come closer to Sunny, screeching.

The heat was becoming unbearable.

Sunny blinked awake, a hoof on her head to shield her from the bright dancing lights around. "W-What is happening?" Slowly getting up on all fours, she took a defensive position next to Izzy, her magic failing as well as she tried to bring forth her alicorn powers, but fur glowing bright as she did.

Drawn to it, the beings lit up in excitement. The rainbow trail flickered in the distance.

Sunny started to recognize what they were. Her father, Argyle, had often told her stories about them. Mythical creatures from a long bygone time.

Phoenixes.

Were they here to help them? Sunny slowly stepped forward in their direction.

"Sunny!" Izzy tried holding her back. "Sunny, please, wait!"

"Those... are not Opaline's familiars." Misty said, barely audible, watching from the sides, a mix between relief and concern showing on her face as she helped Hitch get on his hooves.

What were they here for?

They kept screeching. It sounded like an old melody of sorts, a forgotten, foreign language.

The warmth they emitted felt familiar, like the one Misty had just felt before.

Hitch focused. "Chosen...? Chosen for what?" he seemed to ask. Still dizzy from the earlier hit, he lowered his head and groaned. "What do you mean? You don't make any sense!"

"Y-You understand what they are saying?" Misty looked at him bewildered, fear forgotten for a brief moment.

"Barely." Hitch looked at one close to them. "This one's name is Philomena," he said, listening to what more it had to say. "No time? You... you are sorry?" he repeated, unsure if he had understood correctly. "Sorry for what?"

More phoenixes landed.

"Guys, what are we going to do?" Zipp asked, sweat forming on her forehead from the heat, mixing with blood from her wounds and dripping down on her sister that she was trying to protect. "I don't like this. What do they want? Will they help us fight?" she asked, looking over to Hitch for answers.

"I-I'm not sure." Hitch answered, looking at Zipp, then back, trying to form a question. But the phoenix he had talked to was no longer there, indistinguishable from the others. He tried addressing them as a whole, "Are you--"

Ignoring Hitch, they rushed forward, trying to get a hold of Sunny.

"HEY!" Izzy yelled in response. "STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY" she repeated, jumping at them, her fur and mane singed by the fire as she tried to fend them off Sunny. "NOO! Sunny!"

There were too many.

"AHH," Sunny cried, trying to back away from all the talons that reached for her, that dug in painfully deep. "STOP! Please!"

Hitch didn't hesitate and charged forward. "Get away from her!" He headbutted one to the ground, it didn't defend itself, but two more just took its place instead.

Zipp remained standing over Pipp, lowering herself further down. "DON'T COME CLOSER" she yelled angrily at them.

But they didn't care for anypony else than Sunny.

She was lifted off the ground when enough of them had found hold.

"HELP!" Sunny yelled, trying to break free from the many talons and beaks that were holding her, by her tail, her ears, her fur, her legs, ripping into her as she squirmed around, trying to break free. "IT HURTS! STOP, PLEASE!"

The rainbow flickered again in the distance. Izzy's horn pulsated in rhythm to Sunny's panicked breathing.

Izzy and Hitch followed suit, running below the flock, trying desperately to get a hold of Sunny.

Zipp started breathing rapidly. "What are they doing to her?!" Zipp exclaimed as she watched Sunny being lifted in the direction of the Brighthouse. She looked down at her crying sister and then at Misty, despair showing. "You are one of us, right?"

Misty looked at her, then at the ball of fire in the air, and back at her. "I-I--"

"Stay with her." Zipp said before she turned and galloped after them.

"ZIPP!" Pipp yelled, looking after her sister, trying to stand up but failing. "No..." Pipp whispered, tears rolling down her puffy cheeks. "Don't leave me!"

Misty looked up to the sky, trembling as she saw it approach. She whimpered, cowering down on the ground. "Please, don't," she whispered.

But no interest was shown in either of them.

Pipp followed Misty's gaze, then looked after her sister, who had almost caught up with Hitch and Izzy now. "You must help them!" she said, wincing in pain as she tried to move again.

"B-but"

"Please" Pipp begged. "I'm fine, go help them. Make them stop. I beg you!"

"I-I--"

"GO!"

Misty flinched, turned around, and ran after the others as fast she could, leaving Pipp behind.

What was she supposed to do?

I had no idea what Misty was up to down there. And frankly, I really didn't care all that much.

My immediate concern was that damn earth pony and those fucking phoenixes. Where did they even come from so suddenly? It was clear, I couldn't let them reach the Crystal Brighthouse or the barrier surrounding it for that matter.

Magic was unstable again.

The rainbow trail shooting up from the Unity Crystal was going more haywire the closer the phoenixes brought Sunny up to the Crystal. This wasn't good, obviously, and I had a premonition about what was going to happen if I let them get any closer.

My mind went slow, the world seemed to go by frame by frame.

I had almost caught up and so I tensed my whole body.

I flew right into the flock, dispersing them like firework, making them drop her from a pretty good height.

Ah, yes, I anticipated the moment she made contact.

That Hitch pony wasn't fast enough to catch her, and I doubt it would have made a difference to be honest, and so I delighted in the sound of breaking bones as she hit the ground.

I heard them yelling her name.

Sunny groaned in pain on the ground, weeping. The grass had done little to break her fall, but she likely survived because of it.

They crouched down to their friend in pain.

Snickering, I wondered what they wanted to do, kiss her boo boos away?

I was so relieved. Whatever had been at play just now wouldn't be happening. Sunny would die here and now.

They all would.

I flew down to the ground, landing right behind them, flaring my wings, basking in the sight before me.

Zipp turned around, looking at me, with a look I could not properly place, making it all even better.

Love me some guessing.

Anger? Despair? Frustration? Heck, I didn't know, but it looked fantastic on her! One of my favorite games to play.

Interestingly, the phoenixes kept their fair distance up there, not one came after me. They knew what was good for them, it seemed. Circling us in the sky, they made for an interesting audience for what was about to happen.

Zipp charged at me. I grimaced, and entertaining her heroism, I charged forward myself, head down.

My horn went right through her throat, a familiar feeling sending a shiver down my back. I finally got my Zipp-kebap after all; not quite the one I had originally wanted, though, but it would make do.

I lifted my head, Zipp still attached, who gave the best death rattle she could muster, I'm sure.

The weight was a bit of a strain on my neck, and I could only see out from one of my eyes, but I kinda liked it.

Posing like a model, I asked the ponies before me, "How does it look?"

But they were no fun, they just looked at me, tears in their eyes, shouting emotional nonsense at me.

My god, these ponies were all so weak compared to the ones in the past. Pretty sure I had just finished off one of the more feisty ones here.

What a waste of perfectly fine mare.

Anyway, I suppose Zipp didn't look as good as I had thought as a horn cosmetic. So I started swinging my head in circles, letting physics do its thing, until I heard a rewarding ripping sound as the centrifugal force made her come off my horn, slicing through her throat.

That must have triggered something. The next awakened hero, up and about, Hitch came charging.

They really don't learn, do they?

I just stood there, towering over him, letting him do whatever.

It was pathetic.

But then he bit me! That fucker actually bit into my leg!

I laughed. "That's the spirit, Hitch!"

Using my weight to my advantage, I brought him to the ground, my hooves on his heaving chest.

He squirmed, yelling something I didn't register.

Lovely. He was such a good boy, I'd miss his dick for sure.

I put all my weight on his chest. Not feeling it give in at first, I started bouncing, like as if he were a trampoline, until it finally did give in.

An awkward feeling in a way, sure, but still very rewarding. Bubble wrap, but filled with pony intestines.

Oh god, I could pop them all day.

Another death rattle, quickly drowned in blood as it made its way out his orifices. Frankly, not as good as Zipp's, but fair enough!

I stood there a moment, looking up to the sky, watching the phoenixes do their never-ending circles around us.

It felt surreal, the world felt even slower now, and I took it all in, smiling.

Izzy was still with Sunny, sitting there right next to her, crying, looking at me.

Huh, Misty was there too now. When did she get here? I smiled at her, but she only cried.

They were all always crying. I sighed. Crying was good, but not all the fucking time. Wouldn't mind a smile here and there.

I made my way over to them, stomping down on Hitch's face once for good measure.

Maybe twice. I stood there in the bloody mess for a moment, feeling the sensation on my hoof's frog. I steered in the mush.

Mhm, that's the stuff. I shivered for a moment, blushing slightly as I then continued my little trot.

I sat down before Izzy, gliding my hoof through her mane. She was beautiful.

She just sat there, looking at me, crying, of course.

Misty was standing next to us, she looked frantic, her hooves soaked in blood after she had tried something with Hitch, no clue what. She said something to me, repeatedly.

Silly Misty. I only want to kiss that cute little mare in front of me.

"What a beautiful little mare you are, Izzy!" I noted.

Izzy answered me, or rather she asked me something I believe, but I didn't understand her, and I was terrible at lip-reading. Not that I really cared, it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

I brought her head closer to mine, kissing her, forcing myself in with my tongue.

She didn't resist at all, which was a real shame.

She only cried, sobbed. I could taste the snot that was dripping down from her nose.

It made me kinda mad in a way.

This wasn't much fun; my toy was clearly broken.

I leaned back, looked at her for a moment, and then spat her in the face, hitting her left eye.

She didn't flinch, probably not even comprehending what was happening anymore.

I held her neck with my left front hoof and punched her in the face with my right.

She stopped crying.

Leaning closer, I gave her another kiss. I could feel the loosened teeth with my tongue, the metallic taste of blood.

Better.

I broke the kiss, looked at her once more, to take the sight in, to remember her face... and punched her again.

And again.

I felt Misty right next to me. How she tried to hold me off, holding my right foreleg, she even had the nerve to pull on my mane!

I liked her; she was always being so cute. But despite being right there with me, she also felt so very distant at that moment, blurry.

She didn't matter. Nothing really mattered here.

I grinned as I watched the face in front of me become more unrecognizable with every hit, clear imprints of my hoof stamped into her flesh.

Just had to make sure not to hit the horn in a dumb angle, that would hurt like a bitch.

Yeah, that was enough. I stopped and let go of her. Izzy, or the torso left of her, fell backwards, right next to Sunny, who was still lying there, of course, crying.

I watched her turn her head, trying to talk to Izzy.

Was she stupid?

I grabbed one of Izzy's legs with my mouth and yeeted her corpse out of Sunny's sight. A fountain of red painted the grass, mirroring the lights in the sky in the blood's reflection.

She really should focus on me.

And that fucking Misty, blaring, crying. All that nonsense, non-stop.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP" I yelled, slapping Misty in the face with my right hoof.

She fell to the ground, sobbing, looking up at me, saying something.

I didn't care.

Opaline, after having been silent for so long, said something, too.

I didn't care. I shut her off immediately.

Why can't they let me have something for once?

I sat next to Sunny, looking down at her bright, glowing fur. Then up at the sky, at the phoenixes.

At the stars.

Where are you, Luna? Why are you letting all of this happen to these ponies? This is all your fault. It--

Sunny tried to move, tried to crawl away, I suppose.

I put a hoof on her throat, watching the sky, to see if there was any sort of reaction.

From the phoenixes, the stars... anypony?

I felt her struggling, panicking, trying to grasp for air, trying so desperately to move my hoof away as I pressed down.

The sensation of it all made me moan. I tickled her little teats with my free hoof a bit; such cute little teats.

I wished there was time for more. I looked down at her, admiring her beautiful wide eyes, then back at the sky.

Nothing... the phoenixes kept circling. The stars kept shining. Misty kept crying.

Eventually, Sunny stopped breathing.

I looked back down at Sunny, just in time to witness the golden aura get dimmer, like an outgoing candle.

Most of the phoenixes dispersed, some stayed, circling as if nothing had happened, now seeming more like vultures than anything else.

I grinned. I had won. There was no one here to stop me. Not even trying.

I stood up, turned myself around, and kicked Sunny's head with all the force I could muster with my hind legs. I was certain that she was dead, but I didn't want to take any risks. Better safe than sorry, right?

Magic seemed way more stable again, not quite as it had been before, but that would surely come in time again.

The rainbow trail didn't show any sort of anomaly.

I looked around, at the little ponies, and I wondered if I could somehow make use of the phoenixes' fire, to warm them up again a bit. It would be my last chance to have a little fun with them after all, and I didn't really mind them dead.

At least they wouldn't cry all the time then.

Speaking of crying, I remembered the moment I looked at Misty's bloody face; there was still one left!

Pipp! I had almost forgotten.

I stood up, almost prancing, I made my way over to Misty. "Come, Misty, there's still one more to go!"

She didn't move, but I wasn't in the mood to argue, so I just picked her up with my magic, floating her behind me as I made my way down the hill again.

Actually, I was in a pretty good mood now. I should take my time with Pipp, maybe even keep her? What's the worst that could happen with that one, she seemed especially weak?

Playing out some scenarios in my mind, I eventually decided to keep her. She'd be perfect for Misty to train on, like a little pet of her own.

Or should she be Misty's first? First kill, of course, Misty would be mine.

Hmm.

A bit of a dilemma. It's... huh?

I just stood there, looking down at the spot I had seen her last with Misty when I flew over them.

Where the fuck was she? She hadn't looked like she was in any condition to move anywhere far.

I looked around, dropping Misty to the ground, not very gentle-like.

"Help! Help me!" somepony screamed in the distance. "Please, help me!"

That wasn't Pipp's voice.

"AHHhh! W-What is happening?!" Another pony I didn't recognize, a stallion.

There were earth ponies in the sky above me, held by the phoenixes.

What the hell.

I watched them pass over, until the Brightouse came into my view again.

It was on fire. I saw some phoenixes nosedive right into it, adding to its intensity, and some others dropping something... into it?

I couldn't really make it out from the distance, but it was obvious. They were dropping the ponies, dead and alive.

I started running as fast as I could. The rainbow started flickering again.

FUCK

Most of the little shits I had killed were already gone, I was just in time to witness three of them carry Zipp's body away, up to the Brighthouse.

They were already behind the forsaken barrier.

No No No

Did that mean that fucking cunt didn't even have to be alive for this shit to go down? Or were they compensating?

Do ponies make for good coal?

I panicked. I flew up into the sky, trying to bring down as many phoenixes that carried ponies as I could. Making them let go of their cargo.

It was raining ponies.

But there were too many. I tried conjuring as many familiars as possible to help me. But there were just too many.

The phoenixes were pillaging Maretime Bay. I could hear the screams of young and old; the smell of burned fur and flesh.

This wasn't pony-like at all.

First-Hoof Experience

I slammed my body against the barrier, time and time again.

It wouldn't bulge. Other ponies, presumably trying to save their loved ones, made it through. Only for many of them to be picked up and tossed into the flames themselves.

There was something to it all, I had to admit that.

I sat myself down right outside the barrier, watching the show unfold. Misty was running around like a headless chicken, going in and then outside the barrier again multiple times, trying to warn them, telling them to leave, to hide, to run, eventually giving up, breaking down not far from me.

Unsure if she had been warning them because of the phoenixes or me, I mustered her from the side. Not that it made much of a difference, but still...

I made sure that none of the phoenixes got to her with the few familiars I had left. They were disintegrating one after another. Magic had become scarce again. The rainbow trail seemed to get dimmer and dimmer.

What else was I supposed to do?

With each passing hour, there were fewer and fewer phoenixes in the sky. They stopped tossing ponies into the fire at some point and joined the fate of their kin, diving into it, making the fire shoot up briefly into the sky each time.

I could see some of the ponies run into the fire on their own, followed by screams of pain and yelling, yelling of names. Names of ponies I had never heard before.

The sun came up in the distance, twilight giving it all an eerie flair.

Beautiful, I couldn't have done it better myself.

After a few more hours, as if to mark the end to the spectacle, a colorful explosion on top of the fire extinguished it all, rippling rainbow circles in the sky unleashing all magic withheld back into Equestria at once.

I shot up, standing on all fours, wings flared, almost overwhelmed by the feeling, the magic in the air. Been a while since I had felt so strong, so... unleashed.

I could feel the barrier shatter. I could feel another presence up in the remains of the Brightouse.

Time was of the essence now. Whatever the fuck had appeared up there, I had to get a jump on them.

I took to the sky, conjuring a few ravens, making them shoot in all directions to act as eyes for me.

Not forgetting Misty, I hauled her after me in my aura. She didn't react much, exhausted from it all.

The first vision came in. Right from above the remains.

There it was, right in the middle of still lit ember; something moving.

It seemed... rather small?

I made my way up, ponies all around, looking through the leftovers, shouting names. Some turned to me, seeing that I was an alicorn.

Knocking them aside, I made it to where I had seen it.

A foal. It was crying, like newborns usually do.

I stood there, dropping Misty right next to me in some still fiery embers close to it.

"AAH!"

Was I a joke to them? This had to be a joke or something.

The surrounding voices irritated me; the relentless begging, the sobbing, the snot.

Right, they didn't know who I was, so I guess it made sense to ask me for help.

I made use of my newfound powers, taking possession of all the pesky nuisances.

Like sweeping the floor clean, I made them all run off the nearby cliff, down into the ocean. I could feel every one of them drown, hitting the sharp rocks. Something I really needed right now. It helped relief some of the stress.

A foal, really?

I had some familiars of me follow Misty and intervene as she almost did a little lemming there, trying to hold them back.

I put her back in the same exact spot, this time making her cry in pain as I pressed her down into the embers with my familiars.

She was starting to irritate me.

I let go of her and looked down at the foal. It had stopped crying. It was looking at me, staring at me.

A white alicorn, a filly.

...Celestia?

I looked into the foal's eyes. They seemed different. It looked like it was judging me, making me grimace in disgust.

"Stop looking at me," I whispered, flaring my wings.

It didn't.

What the fuck was this, this feeling? Who was this?

Not that it mattered.

I looked at Misty, who was looking at the foal, then back at me.

"Kill it," I said, looking at her, smiling.

This was perfect, actually.

"W-What?" Misty said, looking at me with big eyes, then back at the foal before us, shacking her head. "No!"

"Come on, Misty," I started, "didn't you see all the ponies that had to die for this... thing?"

Misty shot up, anger showing in her face. "NO! This is because of you! ALL OF IT IS" she yelled at me, tears rolling down again.

I was taken aback for a moment there. Guess I had been a bit too obvious with my manipulation attempt there.

I sighed and looked at her.

As if she had seen it coming, she shot forward, grabbed the foal and tried to make a run for it.

Was I really such an open book? It kinda hurt in a way.

Misty didn't get far. What was she even thinking? Where would she go?

I immediately felt her strong emotions for me as I took over. Wow, she really didn't like me at all. Was I really that bad?

I circled around her a few times, seeing myself from her perspective as she held the foal.

I sighed again, internally this time. This would go nowhere. She wasn't another Luster, never would be.

"You mustn't!" Opaline's voice exclaimed in my head when I was already thinking ahead of things. "Please--"

I stopped the yapping.

There was a good side to this after all. I bit my lips as I looked at that juicy flank of hers. I came a bit closer and got myself a sneak peek by licking once across her mare bits and squeaky clean ponut in one swoop up to the end of her dock, feeling the sensation of my own tongue on her at the same time.

I shivered.

The presence of that stupid thing irritated me, though. It was still looking at me.

Guess I had to make time for a postnatal abortion of our little newcomer here first.

Making Misty drop that thing to the floor, I started looking around for something heavy enough in the rubble around us.

A brick stood out, blackened by soot.

That would do.

I sat myself down, watching Misty pick the brick up with magic first, but then decided she should hold it with her hooves.

It's just not the same with magic. She needed the experience first-hoof.

Loosening my grasp on Misty, just enough so that she had the illusion of a chance, I made her stand above the foal, lifting the brick above her head.

"NOO," Misty cried, looking at me with pleading eyes. "Please, don't do this!" Her tears fell down on the foal below her.

"Me?" I snickered. "You are the one doing it."

Misty closed her eyes, but I opened them again.

This was quite fun. I'd let her regain full control the moment it would be too late to change the outcome.

The foal was looking up at Misty now, hooves reaching up to her as if she wanted to be picked up.

Disgusting.

I made Misty bring the brick down full swing, breaking the connection between me and her right after.

Snap

The brick smashed into the ground.

"What?" I asked, unbelieving, wings retracting.

Misty and the foal had disappeared.