Transference: Epitome of Darkness

"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.

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.