"Aw come on Twilight, "Spike said to the lavender mare who was trotting up the stairs with him. "Why can’t I come with you and Princess Luna on your late night adventure?"
In response, Twilight simply shook her head in disagreement. "I really want you to go, Spike," she exclaimed, "but I just don't want you to get yourself hurt."
The purple dragon dropped low to his knees and clasped his hands together as if he was in prayer. "Please Twilight," he begged. "I won't fall asleep this time!"
"If you go to bed tonight without sneaking out, I'll make you a special breakfast tomorrow morning."
With a smile and no other reason to argue, Spike gave in and advanced to the basket that was his nightly resting place. He stepped into his so called ‘bed’ and slowly drifted off to sleep. With a glow from her horn, Twilight surrounded Spike's sheets in a magical aura and moved the blanket forward until it covered the dragon up to his neck. She turned off every source of light except for Spike's night light and gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead. The lavender mare closed the door to her bedroom with her teeth clenched tightly on the doorknob, then moved downstairs to make final preparations. After placing the saddle with two bags filled with inventory on her back, Twilight used her magic to extinguish everything that gave out a shred of radiating light and exited her tree-shaped haven.
Equestrian nights were usually clear and starry, everypony below sleeping soundly in their beds. But tonight, sleeping was the least of the unicorn's concern. She had received an envelope from Luna herself that stated she required Twilight's assistance. To make sure she stayed awake,Twilight stayed up last night and slept through the rest of the day. It was always best to focus when faced with monstrosities from the shadows of the countryside, but she wouldn’t be doing it alone. Standing in front of her was the princess of the night herself. Her attire was a very creative design for royal battle armor, with an ebony-coated tunic protecting her frontal body parts, except for her head and face. The pauldrons themselves were shaped to be similar with the visor of an owl.
"Huzzah!" Luna shouted triumphantly. "Thou hast arriveth exactly at the time we hath planned!"
"I said I would meet you here at nine o’clock!" Twilight said to her immortal friend.
"Yes, exactly at the ninth hour of the post meridiem in the evening! Now that thou hast come, we have no time to waste!"
"Are you talking about 'we' as in us in general? Or are you using the royal 'we?'"
"Us in general my female companion! Now then, art thou ready for an adventure?"
"Luna, will you please stop talking like that?"
The Alicorn's smile became evanescent after she heard what was expelled from Twilight’s lips. "I apologize, it appears that my old habits are not dying as hard as I thought they would."
"It's no trouble, Princess. So what do you need help with?"
Luna turned her body the other direction and made her way out of town. Twilight simply followed her like a lost puppy dog, her thoughts scrambling over what the princess had in store. Fear and suspension grew within her, for Luna was leading her straight into the Everfree Forest.
"You see, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna started off, "my scouts tell me there are strange dark magics infesting the Everfree Forest. Since you posses more experience than I do, you will be my guide when we enter the woods!"
Twilight gulped and shivered. "What kind of dark magic?"
"Word is going around that goblins are infesting the forest, and both of us are going to kill them!"
Now she was nervous beyond belief.
"Don't be scared! Your fear is like a beacon to those rascals."
"Sorry."
Both mares advanced into the dark forest, the wind whistled smoothly in front of them. The cold temperatures of the night seeped into their own coats, and the bristled noise from the tree branches was the only sound they could hear within the forest. Stepping into this enigmatic wilderness at night was one of Twilight's worst nightmares. Despite the fact she had entered these woods twice, there was one thing that gave her a reason to be cautious. Her worst phobia was having to encounter the legendary Wendigo. The Wendigo was said to be very cunning, with an unquenchable appetite for flesh. For every living creature it consumed, it grew in size, hunger, and wisdom. The story of this legendary creature had also been told from Zecora's point of view as well. According to her tribal lore, Wendigo was a spirit of cannibalism who was banished to the Dark Realm after he devoured the flesh of priests. Twilight should have found comfort from that little story, but the fear of Wendigo still had a tight grip on her heart. Sweat poured down her forehead as she bit down on her lower lip, scared. Luna placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, reminding her to abandon all fear within her. She brushed the Alicorn's hoof off her and showed a determined look on her face. But the unicorn knew that mere facade would not last very long, but she did not care.
They both stopped. Something did not feel right, and Luna was the only one who could sense it. Out from the shadows of the trees, a small company of goblins appeared right in front of them. Standing four and a half feet tall with big heads and pointed ears, their skin gave off a green color with intense acne on their foreheads. They held their weapons, a bone dagger with one hand and a wooden shield clasped tightly with the other. Twilight and her immortal companion reached for weapons of their own within Twilight's inventory. By magic, Luna carried a small, two headed ax, each head resembling a crescent shape. Twilight unsheathed a broad, Iron sword and stood ready for battle. The goblins hissed and spat out profane language to intimidate their opponents, but both factions were not backing down. Seven scores of them charged after Luna while three had their sights on the Alicorn's partner. Twilight swung her sword, leaving an opening for their blood to trickle down from the cut. She materialized three spears from her radiating horn, and by mental command, shoved the spears through the heart of each goblin. Twilight turned her gaze on Luna, to see that she had slain five out of the seven goblins that charged after her. One goblin scratched Luna's right cheek with it's long, malachite coated nails; the other goblin's own weight overwhelmed the alicorn and held her down on the grassy soil. With her hooves cuffed together by the hands of one goblin, fear struck her heart as she saw it's partner ready to drive his dagger through her skull. Grinding her teeth furiously, Twilight shoved her weapon straight down the goblin's stomach and kicked the creature's shin with her back hooves. She pulled the sword out with great force, then knocked her opponent down to the ground with the same kick, except it made contact with the goblin's head. Trembling in fear, Luna's captive let go and ran off with no more intention on fighting.
"And let this be a lesson to you," Twilight shouted with rage in her voice. "No pony, or anything cuffs Luna’s hooves except for me!"
"Excuse me?" Luna asked as she looked towards Twilight with confusion. "What was that part about you cuffing my hooves?"
Twilight's cheeks blushed a crimson red as she gave a nervous smile. "Um, it was nothing Princess!"
"Sometimes, I get the strange feeling you view me as more than just a friend."
"That's not true!" she lied, "You and I are as close friends as Tim and Eric!"
"Anyways, do you mind patching up this scratch on my cheek?"
"Not at all, Princess," Twilight said as she levitated a small box filled with bandages. She helped Luna up to all-fours and looked at the minor injury. Blood was slowly oozing down her cheek and, to Twilight's, surprise, the liquid was a completely different color. "I'm impressed," she exclaimed, "Your red blood cells are actually Ichor!" As much as Luna would love to give a lecture about it, that would have to be for another time. The unicorn placed the bandage on the scratch and simply nodded as it sets in on the skin. Both ponies heard painful moaning and turned to see the epicenter that was their little unconscious goblin.
Luna approached him and shook the creature with great force to wake it up. She stopped after it's eyelids opened, but continued to hold the goblin down. "Alright fiend," Luna started with anger. "You better tell me who you are and why your kind is running about, or else you will suffer even more from my friend!"
The creature drew breath into his lungs. "My name... is Agoriku. I am officer! I worship my lord with great honor! Goblins say that those who feast on living tissue are outcast. Goblins say we are blind and do not acknowledge Melchior as king. But what do they know? Melchior is only a mere king! But my lord, oh yes, my lord is more powerful than a puny king! Alicorn muck say he is one of the Ten Pagan Deities, but he listens to more than prayers from the mediums."
"And who exactly is your so called 'lord' in the first place?"
"He feeds off many things, but he also has an appetite for fear." The goblin turned his head to Twilight and gave her a smile that sent shivers up her spine. "He has been feeding off of your fear as well! He has seen the strength of your magic, oh yes, and he wishes to invite you over to his lair for dinner."
Luna shoved her hoof down the goblin’s throat, blocking the creatures windpipes. "Enough games! Who is your lord?"
With one final breath he whispered "Wendigo" and passed away in front of their very eyes. Twilight quivered with sweat pouring down her forehead, feeling as though her very own heart had stopped. The unicorn could not decide whether or not goblin was lying or not. She backed away slowly and tried not to make a sound. Only when Luna looked back at her did she come to a stop.
"Twilight, you must listen to me—"
"I can't do this!" she screamed as a tear rolled down from her eye. Luna could see the fear and burning anger in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Princess, but I can't go on any further!"
"If you run off like a coward, you are only letting your fear of Wendigo get the best of you!"
"You have no idea what it was like! I had to suffer an entire week of nightmares when Celestia took me up as her student. Wendigo was in all of them. He was always there, feasting on my family's flesh, devouring on my own horn—"
"Those are just nightmares! They all come and go in life!"
"But they didn't feel like nightmares at all." She sniffled and a few more tears rolled down her cheek. "They all felt real! they felt almost as if... they actually happened. That fear almost made me do things I would never commit. I almost impersonated Celestia herself so I could order the Everfree to be burned to a crisp."
Luna walked up and placed her hoof around Twilight's neck. "We do things in our childhood we come to regret. You did something that I failed to do in my youth, and that thing of which I speak was coming to your senses."
Twilight's anger and fear cooled down as more tears flowed down from her eyes. "You're right Princess! I let my own fear get the best of me."
"I know exactly how you feel."
"How?"
Luna sat, motioning for Twilight to do the same. "Do you know the truth of how I became Nightmare Moon? My fear took over my body and changed me to the jealous alter-ego that Tia banished to the moon. As a filly, I remember seeing my mother and father ascending into the heavens. Their aetherial energy passed into space and they became constellations that signify their cutie marks. Many alicorns of old appropriately named this process, the 'Calling.'"
Twilight wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Where did they come up with the name?"
"My sister told me the Calling means it is time for an alicorn to rejoin with our creator, Animus. As Tia and I continued to mature, my fear continued to grow by each second. I did not become Nightmare Moon out of jealousy. I became her, because I was scared."
"What were you scared of?"
A tear rolled down Luna's right cheek, and her eyes shimmered softly. "I was afraid of losing my sister."
Twilight leaned in close to Luna and wrapped her hooves together, hugging the princess tenderly. "It's okay, Luna, you don't have to be sad."
"What could I possibly do if I lost my only sister? I would feel so alone!"
Twilight looked at Luna with a smile, and brushed a few tears off the alicorn's cheeks. "I promise you, if it does happen, then I will not leave your side for as long as I live."
"How? you’re mortal!"
"I would become immortal just to see you happy. No pony deserves to be alone." She placed her hoof on the Princess's chest. "And if there is a possible chance I do leave you, just remember, I will always be here... in your heart."
Luna smiled and wrapped her hooves around Twilight. "Thank you, Twilight, you speak words of kindness."
"And so do you, Princess." They both chuckled, climbing back to all fours, ready to face the challenge ahead of them. Just as they started off, Twilight frowned as she trod on something underhoof. Looking down, she spotted her hoof poised on a sheet of parchment. She levitated the sheet and displayed it in front of her and Luna. "What do you think this is?"
They stopped at their current location and looked over the crinkled note. The unicorn equipped her reading glasses that were covering themselves in her mane and begun to scan through the words silently in her head.
"If you are reading this message without it fading away, then you must be the champions my master informed me of. He did not say very much, except you would be ponies. But you should know that this message and I are from another time period. My name is Abraham Ignitus, the last necromancer of the human empire. I once served as adviser to the emperor, but now I serve my master as a disciple of death itself. Your battle with Wendigo will not be a walk on the golden road! There is a way to defeat him, but I have written the description on a different note. It may be among the goblins who have refused Wendigo and stayed loyal to their king. Whom ever their king is in your time, you must find him and convince those mongrels to help you. I wish luck and good fortune upon you all.
Twilight folded the paper and carefully placed it, and her glasses in one of her saddlebags. Confusion still blinded her thoughts "I don't understand! What kind of a creature is a 'human?' And do we even know anything about this necromancer?"
"I can shed some light upon both questions!" Luna exclaimed. "My father once told me stories of Abraham Ignitus. He said Ignitus was a lone, dark magic user who worshiped death as a god. With no wife or children, he carried the duty to guarding the Tome of the Underworld, an ancient book containing knowledge over certain branches of death magic such as Decomposition, poisoning, suicide. Abraham wrote it all in that book—"
She was interrupted when four, dozens of goblins sprang from behind the trees and bushes, surrounding them from all directions. These goblins were completely different in their own attire. Their armor was like that of a tribal warrior, with animal hide covering parts of their bodies instead of just the loins. Standing in front of both mares was a gray figure, taller than the other goblins, but with the appearance of an elf, his forehead barren from any pimple or zit. He stood five feet in height, with long brown hair in braids and yellow eyes. His gloves, boots, kilt and his coat that reached down to his ankles were made from bear hide, and the spear he grasped tightly in his right hand stood seven feet in length with the head made out of titanium. Both mares stood in attack position, not yielding to the impossibility of the battle. But the stranger in front of them waved his hand, signaling 'we come in peace.' They put up their weapons to hear what this stranger had to say.
"So," he started off, "you’re looking for Wendigo as well?"
Both of them replied with a simple nod.
"Then we all share a common goal. Whomever Wendigo calls enemy, we call friend in arms!"
"And who are you supposed to be?" They both asked in unison.
"My name is Melchior! I am the king of the goblins!"
"Sweetie Belle, I told you we are not bringing a crossbow to Fluttershy's," Rarity said to her little sister, who carried the weapon in her mouth.
She expectorated the crossbow and objected. "Aw come on! We may need to bring it just in case something pops up at night!"
"Now, Sweetie Belle, I understand you want to return to the field of battle again. But our parents said they can deal with those Mucks on their own."
"But Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo are fighting all the time!"
"That is because they are a rank higher than us, darling. Now then, we must be on our way if we are to make it to Fluttershy's house on time."
"Ok, fine," she said, annoyed at the fact that she could not take the weapon with her.
The door was shut by Rarity’s magic as she and her sister left their cozy home and trotted down the street to their current destination. The uniquely proper mare usually would not bother with such chores as escorting Sweetie Belle to her foal sitter, but thankfully for the change in her schedule, both sisters had the rest of the day to spend quality time with each other. As they continued to walk down the path, Rarity and Sweetie Belle encountered Applejack and Applebloom right in front of them. Both parties stopped to exchange words with each other.
"Howdy Rarity, how are you two doing on this fine evening?"
"Simply divine if I do say so myself! Now that you are here, we can all trot over to Fluttershy's cottage together." The small party advanced straight, directly to their pinpointed location. Sweetie Belle and Rarity were behind the group while the farm fillies moved on in front of them.
The young white filly leaned close to her sister and whispered. "So which one of us is going to tell them first?"
"We are not going to expose our family legacy to them Sweetie Belle." Rarity objected silently.
"And why not?"
"If we tell them we are... well—"
"Come on, Rarity, they can trust us if we tell the truth. Don't you think we’ve kept this secret from them long enough?"
"Yes, but I am not going to tarnish our friendship with them. Just imagine Fluttershy's reaction if I told her as well. Our relationship would be over and she'll be afraid to go near me!"
"Then don't tell Fluttershy! it's that simple and easy!"
"I am not having this conversation anymore Sweetie—"
"What in tarnation just happened here?" Rarity and her sister stopped their conversation to see what was going on. It was not just horrible, it was beyond horrible. The small haven that was Fluttershy's house appeared to be on the brink of collapse. Both the exterior and interior suffered immense damage and many animals sustained minor injuries. They went inside and scanned the house to see if anything was left from the disaster. Nothing new except for the corpses of a few druids lying dead on the floor.
Sweetie Belle pushed one of the bodies forward until it finally laid on it's back. When she removed the hood, it revealed a grotesque creature with green skin and acne. "Rarity, you have got to come look at this."
Rarity walked over to Sweetie Belle and examined the corpse beside the little filly. "A goblin, probably from the Cult of Wendigo no doubt!"
"Didn't you explain to me before that the Cult of Wendigo was a myth?"
"It appears I was wrong."
"Sweetie Belle, Rarity, look what I found taped to the kitchen winder," Applejack said as she pointed at the mysterious parchment taped to the glass object. Both sisters joined their friends in the kitchen to investigate Applejack's discovery. The writing itself was written in what appeared to be black blood. They observed the words in unison and began to read what was written on the piece of paper.
"Tonight, our master will finally feast upon the flesh of the virgin Fluttershy! Trying to save her will be futile. For any pony who reads this will be dead afterwards! You have been warned!"
Sweetie Belle sighed deeply after reading the note. "Applejack, you and Applebloom hurry on home. Me and Rarity have to get ready for something."
Rarity interjected herself before either farm filly could say anything. "Now wait a minute; we don't have our equipment with us!"
The little filly shook her head up and down furiously until two sets of the same uniform dropped from her mane to the ground.
"You kept our uniforms in your mane? How is that even possible?"
"Twilight and I ordered the same shampoo bottle online that says it will make our manes a portable storage for carrying any inventory."
"Where did you order this shampoo from?"
"Craigslist. Now lets hurry up and—"
The whole house rocked as an explosion tore through the kitchen, sending slivers of wood and stone flying through the air like shrapnel. The four ponies rushed out of the room and back to where Fluttershy's front door was. There was a massive hole in the entryway, the garden scorched with intense flame. In front of the mares, but behind the fire, ten scores of goblin druids slowly approached them with great swords in their hands. The first two in the middle of their little line were ready to charge directly at them. However, the two druids felt a sharp stinging sensation driving through their own hearts. As their lifeless bodies fell forward, it revealed the cause of death was two daggers, one dagger for each of the two goblins. The druids turned to see strange armored, cloaked ponies waiting for them behind the fire. Applejack could not get a physical description, but she make out the silhouette of four mares behind the flame. Two of them were earth ponies, and in between them were two pegasus ponies, one of which was shorter than the other. The druids hissed at them and threatened to charge at the small group. And so they did, with frightening growls expelled from their mouths. Immense flames arose and censored the battle between both factions. But the fire alone failed to block out the noise of clashing swords.
Applebloom held on tightly to her sister's leg out of fear. Rarity held Sweetie Belle back as her sister screamed "I told you we should have brought the crossbow!"
"Don't start this Sweetie Belle! I did not want to put my love life in jeopardy! Especially the one between Rainbow Dash and—"
"Hold on partner." Applejack stopped them. "Is there something that you and Rainbow Dash didn’t tell me?"
Sweetie Belle broke free from her sister's soft grip. "Applejack, the truth here is simple! Me and Rarity are—"
Before she could finish, one of the goblins crashed through the wall in between them. The rain alone quelled the intense heat as they saw the mysterious ponies unscathed and surrounded by druid corpses. As the hooded mares slowly trotted up to them, Applejack and the gang sighed in relief, knowing the danger had passed.The shrouded earth ponies were the first to remove their cloaks; one was grayish-purple and the other was just gray.
"Blinkie and Inkie?" Applejack questioned, "but if you're here, then were in the hay is your sister at?"
"Well" Blinkie started, "she never accepted the family legacy when she got her cutie mark."
"So you're not just ordinary rock farmers?"
"Nope!" they both said in unison.
The short pegasus removed it's own covering as well, which revealed an orange filly with a pinkish-purple mane. Applebloom was now as confused as her older sister now. "Scootaloo? but if you're here, then where is—"
"I'm right here!" The tall, hooded pegasus said after she removed her hood to show off her cyan-colored coat and multicolored mane. "We rushed to get here as fast as we could, but it appears those goblins are giving me a run for my money."
"Darling, it was not your fault!" Rarity said with a comforting tone. "But, do you know where to go from here?"
"If my awesome senses were tingling, which of course they are!" she said, hinting a bit of cockiness. "My guess is they took Fluttershy to the ancient burial ground. We have two hours until midnight, so we—"
"Will somepony please tell me what the hay is going on?" Applejack screamed, enraged by lack of answers to her questions.
Rarity sighed and faced her friend with a hoof on her shoulder. "Remember when you asked me and Rainbow Dash if we told you everything there is to know about our past?"
"Well of course, Rarity. How come you’re asking me this now?"
"While Rainbow Dash and I can honestly say we have told you the truth... We may not have told you all of it."
High above the ground, remaining immeasurable from the other mountains around it, stood Mount Sakrifiki. A colossal opening in the world's crust formerly dormant two-thousand years ago. Once, it was a place of sacrifice for the zebra tribes. Each tribe would bring an offering of either peace, loyalty, or forgiveness. When the dragons moved to the mountain, they believed their size and numbers alone would root them out. After they failed to acknowledge their opponents voodoo arts, the scaled creatures were forced to guard the volcano. One dragon succeeded in escaping and tried to usurp the power that controlled his people. Despite being a powerful elder, the zebra's supernatural arts reigned supreme in the end. Left with no other option, the dragon delved deep into the magma chamber and set off a powerful, volcanic eruption. Now, Mount Sakrifiki stands as an extinct volcano. With a burial ground built next to the hollow rock of it’s former self. But now was not the time for memorials, nor was it the time to lay bouquets on any zebra's grave. Coming up the mountain's trail were a pocket full of goblin druids and their captive. Fluttershy walked within the center of the group with each hoof cuffed together, her captors wielded the chains in their gruesome palms.
"So um," Fluttershy started quietly, "you don't mind letting me go, do you? I know you look mean, but I'm sure you're just misunderstood."
"Be silent!" One of the druids in front of her ordered.
She smiled tenderly, "it's okay mister goblin. Maybe I can help show every pony the good inside--"
Before she finished, a whipped, burning sensation lashed out on her sides. She screamed quietly in pain, softly rubbing her sore plot. The druid in front turned his gaze to Fluttershy, "let that be a reminder to you, wench. If you talk again, my friend behind you will strike again with his whip! Am I clear?"
"I’m sorry," the timid pegasus lowered her head, horrified by their own actions. "But... may I at least know where you're taking me? If you don't mind that is... do you?"
"We are taking you to our lord, Wendigo. He has chosen you as his next meal for the full moon tonight. Don't worry about your little friends, they are in 'good hands.'"
"But why me? I'm neither tasty or chewy!"
"Either way, you have not been robbed of your virginity. And we have made sure your animals remained 'slightly' unharmed."
"What about my bunny Angel? Is he--"
She felt poking from her rear, then turned to stare directly at the goblin who whipped her from behind. "I saw that rabbit while we chained you up."
"Really? Is he okay?"
"I ate him."
Mere words could not describe what Fluttershy felt after hearing those words. True, Angel was a jerk, but she saw him as her own son. Her sadness mustered inside her heart as tears poured down from her eyes. The sad cries from the pegasus's mouth could be heard by half a mile radius. It was nothing but torture to the ears of each goblin, being forced to listen to this kind of noise from their subdued ear drums. They stopped and covered their ears to block out the crying. But they became immobile as they screamed in pain, dropping to their knees. Her crying came to a slow stop when the howl of a wolf was ringing from the top of the mountain.
"What... what was that?"
"Oh no," the goblin in front of her was worried, "our lord is angry!" He looked behind him, "our lives are at stake because of you!"
Fluttershy did not know if he was referring to her, so she tried to keep eye contact with him. The druid behind her held the whip and stood guard to protect her. "The fault is entirely mine!"
"You do know I was referring to you, right?"
Before he muttered a word from his mouth, large footsteps shook the very ground they stood on. Their entire bodies froze in fear of what was in front of the horde. Standing in front of them was a hulking, creature measured by nine feet in height. His arms shared the form of a brown bear's arms, while his head and legs were similar to a brown wolf's. The antlers on his head were exactly similar to the antlers of a deer. And the chest appeared to look like that of a tan, humanoid male. This large creature was none other than Wendigo, demon of cannibalism.
The druid protecting Fluttershy dropped his whip, then he approached Wendigo and bowed down. "Wendigo, my lord, It was I who made your dinner shed tears. I will humbly accept any punishment you see fit."
The demon smiled, "you can start by bringing out the rabbit. At least give her something before I dine on her flesh."
"But my lord, the creature has already dissolved in my stomach acids!"
"You wanna bet?"
Wendigo opened the druid's mouth and slowly moved his hand inside it. After reaching the uvula, he gave it a tight squeeze and yanked it out of the goblin's mouth. The attempt to scream in pain was impossible for the poor creature, but he could not stop the vomit that was forced out of his own mouth. Moving from the pool if vomit, a small animal with big ears awakened and cleaned itself up. He quickly ran to Fluttershy, nestling himself in her mane as he used it for camouflage. The pink maned pegasus simply let out a squeaked smile, knowing that Angel is back with her safe and sound. Wendigo grabbed the uvula-less goblin by his throat and threw him off the mountain as if he was a football.
"All of you, get moving." He lead the group ahead to the top of the mountain, growing even more impatient as he desperately hoped to finally feast on somepony tonight.
Within the Everfree Forest, a fortified camp full of goblin warriors gathered around the tent of their own king. Inside the small setup, Luna and Twilight sat on a royally designed rug, with it’s place of origin feeling like Canterlot. which is strange, because the city never had any recorded goblin raids. Melchior sat in front of them with a mug in hand, full of ale, made with wheat.
"So tell me my little ponies, what reason do you have for wanting to kill Wendigo?" He chugged down some ale and set it next to his feet. "Do you even know how to kill that blasted--” Melchior belched in front of them, forgetting his manners around guest.
"Are you even the slightest bit drunk?" Twilight asked, concerned about his health.
"I don't get drunk until I finished my tenth mug! And I just finished my eighth one today! But that doesn't mean I'm gonna sit around and let that abomination divide the people I share a blood relation with."
"Did you just say you are related with those goblins outside the tent?"
Melchior nodded. "You may not know this, but I was not born entirely goblin. Long ago, back when the Archons once ruled Equestria, I was what some considered a half-breed. My mother was an elf, and my father was the previous goblin king. His name was Mulgomu, a terrifying creature who was mad with ambition. He raped my mother during one of his raids, nine months passed after that event, and I came into the world from her womb. She raised and treated me like I was an elf like herself. The secret of my father was kept from me until she died of old age. After she was buried, I traveled to different lands on a quest to find my father. On my travels, I extended my mortality with the aether elves. Trained in the ways of fighting among the Raiders of the Sapphire Sands. And gained knowledge from the Library of Solomon. When I was rewarded with immortality, I confronted my father and slain him with my own spear. Future goblin raids were no longer used after I was named king. Including the plot to sink Atlantis into the ocean. I lived in these woods for over five-thousand years, hunting Wendigo with the other goblins ever since. But I'm sure you're not here to listen about my past. No, you have come for this thing." He layed out a piece of paper in front of them.
Twilight got her glasses out and examined the written document. "This looks like another note Abraham left behind." Both ponies looked over it and started reading.
"One thing you must know about Wendigo is that he tends to get what he wants in life. He is one of the four, weakest members of a clique of demons known as the Ten Pagan Deities. They are demons left behind by Hell after the Genesis War shook the fabric of creation. Left with no other option, they remained trapped within Equestria. Their own power dropped to where they have limits, which can only be refilled by prayers from the mediums. Witch doctors, dark magic users and idol worshipers bowed down before them. But before the fall, Wendigo was no ordinary cannibal, for he was once considered to be a demon of gluttony. That was, until one day, he forced the Hellish Council to make cannibalism an independent embodiment. His success only led to his downfall when he was cut into pieces, and became dinner for the Obese King. His hard, black heart was the only part of him that was not devoured. A pair of goblin warlocks conjured up his heart and recreated him with parts from different creatures. What he was before is currently unknown as of today. He convinced those warlocks to commit cannibalism, and they worshiped him as their god. He can smell fear, so It's always wise not to be scared when you are around him. And in order to kill him, you must destroy his black heart. But I must remind you, a demon's heart is like stone, so land harder blows if you need to. After you kill him, grab the page from the Tome of the Underworld he is guarding. I will send you more information after my master is informed by Cronus of your victory. Depending if you survive in the end.
The unicorn folded the paper and placed it, including her glasses, within one of her saddlebags. "Well, I guess it's high time we get moving."
Melchior arose and grabbed his spear, "If there will be anyone who will kill Wendigo, It will be me and myself alone! The page to Abraham's little book is all yours, but leave the demon to me."
Both of them got up and nodded in agreement. They left the tent, rounding up every goblin warrior in the campsite. Preparing for the battle ahead of them.
After they cleaned up the mess at Fluttershy's house, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and the gang retreated to the boutique for a quick recuperation. As the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the Pie Sisters were going through preparations upstairs. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity began their personal conversation in the living room. The cyan colored pegasus, along with her unicorn friend, are currently wearing the same uniform. Black jeans with an ebony coated dress shirt with a long, black leather coat. Their gloves are specially made to carry a hidden blade underneath. And the belts carry two, rapid-fire crossbows for each hoof to carry.
"So let me get this straight," Applejack said, letting the information sink in. "You're telling me that you, and Rainbow Dash are demon hunters?"
Rarity was a little nervous to answer that question, so Rainbow Dash helped her out. "She's telling the truth! it's been passed down to us from parent to child."
"And what about Scootaloo?"
"I found, and raised Scootaloo on my own after her parents died from a flock of Terrordactyls. Do you believe what we’re telling you?"
"Oh, I believe you alright." She became infuriated, "I just can't believe you should have told me this before Dash!"
"What was I supposed to tell you? Imagine what life would be in the future if I did tell you. Then it's all my fault, because I would be putting your family in danger!"
"In danger of WHAT?"
"Of MY life! Well, the truth about my life that is. Yes, I want to join the Wonderbolts, but I also need to continue working as a demon hunter! I made a promise to my father I would carry out the legacy after he died on the battlefield. The reason this was never mentioned before, was because I didn't want you to think of me differently."
"So you’re telling me that your daily life is nothing more but a mere facade?"
Those words hurt Rainbow Dash, not physically, but it did hurt her on the inside. She tried to mutter the words, but they just didn't come out right. "Yes, I lied about it and I'm really sorry--"
"Sorry?" Her tone filled with rage as Rainbow Dash kept her head low. "You lied to me on where you were on dinner dates I planned out! Are you, or are you not supposed to be the Element of Loyalty?!"
"I am the--"
"Then why didn't ya tell me? I love ya Dash! And if ya told me sooner, hell, I would have joined your group. That way, I would be there by your side."
"But if you did, I would have no option but to tell you about the promise I made to your Fa--"
Applejack grabbed her by the collar, "what were you gonna say about my Father?"
"I can't tell you, if I did, then--"
The orange mare slapped Rainbow Dash's face. "My Father was a role model to me! Do you think I won't make you tell the truth? Cause I have many methods of making you confess!"
Rarity indented herself in between them and held the two mares back with her hooves. She turned her head towards Applejack, "darling, let Rainbow Dash speak without you slapping her about."
"No! I don't want to hear anything else from Rainbow Dash!"
Applebloom trotted downstairs to see what the commotion was. "Is everypony alright?"
"Come on Apple Bloom, we are leaving." The little filly followed her sister out of the house, heading straight back to their farm.
Rarity tried to cheer Rainbow Dash up, but it was just futile. "Darling, just give her some time and she will forgive you."
The cyan mare sniffed, "no she won't! I made a foolish mistake!"
"We all tend to do that in life, but we must keep moving if we are to save Fluttershy. Don't you want to save her?"
"Yeah but... but," she failed to contain her sadness any further. Rainbow Dash fell down on the floor, breaking out in tears, "I just want AJ back!" Her crying could be heard from the room and upstairs.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, wearing the exact same uniform, moved downstairs to check the noise. Scootaloo approached the crying pegasus full of worry, "are you ok mom?"
Rainbow Dash stopped crying and tried to wipe the tears from her slightly blocked vision. But sadly failed while she paid attention to Scootaloo. "I'm fine Scoots! Applejack and I just have some personal problems right now."
"Does that mean I may not have her as a mother?"
The cyan mare got up and wrapped her hooves around her daughter. "Don't worry honey, we will work things out and everything will go back to normal."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
At the top of Mount Sakrifiki, Fluttershy laid down on a stone table, surrounded by hordes of druids. Her hooves are chained together to each corner, with her front chest exposed and covered in hot sauce. Sitting on his stone throne, Wendigo counted the time silently in his head while he observed his meal.
"Thirteen more minutes," he said, "just thirteen more minutes and dinner will be served."
"My lord," his adviser spoke, "word has been going around your disciples that she is no ordinary pony."
"She's a pegasus! Tell me something that I don't know."
"Fluttershy didn't allow herself to get chained without a fight. Fekormut said she killed a few goblins in her house."
The demon broke out laughing, "you mean that little creature killed a few druids?" He got up and slowly walked to the captive pegasus. The goblins that surrounded her made an entry for their lord without him stepping on any goblin. Wendigo got down on one knee, then smelled the terrified pony in front of him. He slowly licked the sauce covered portion of her body and observed as Fluttershy blushed with embarrassment. "I don't think you can harm a fly."
Fluttershy began pleading for her life, "Oh please Mr. Wendigo, I just want to go home with my little bunny."
"And how are you going to do that?"
"I... don't really know yet."
Wendigo laughed and walked back to his throne. "Lets face it, you're as weak as a doormat!"
"Oh no thou has not," said a familiar voice far out front. The demon looked to see who it was, only to have his gaze upon the goblin army that stood ready to charge. In front of them was Princess Luna, Melchior, and a pony Wendigo remembered.
As he saw the lavender unicorn, Wendigo only sat back and laughed some more. "Well this is going better than I thought. Twilight, look how much you have grown up. I remember feeding off your fear when you were just a mere filly."
Twilight stepped forward and levitated an iron sword with her magic. "Let Fluttershy go this instant."
"But why? You should hear the part where she killed a few of my men."
"That's not true! Fluttershy wouldn't hurt a fly!"
"Exactly the same words I said to her. But I don't think she agrees with me. Tell you what, If you can kill me, I will set her free."
Melchior shoved Twilight out of the way, "I should be the one to kill you!"
"Are you in such of a hurry to die?"
"I should be asking you the same question!"
"Then lets dance little man." Goblin armies of both factions clashed with their weapons in hand. Melchior carved a path with his spear to the demon who is sitting there on his throne. While one army is too distracted oppressing the other, Twilight and Luna sneaked around and tried to free their friend. Wendigo leaped out of his throne, attempting to stop those trying to release his meal. But is stopped when Melchior tackled him to the ground with his spear. The half-breed king gets to his feet, with the head of his spear piercing Wendigo's black heart.
"For too long," Melchior started, "I have been hunting you for many eons. But know that I finally have you, all I have to do is destroy your heart. And then, I will pass to the next world with honor to show my mother."
Wendigo lifted his right arm and shoved it through Melchior's chest. Ichor seeped down from small openings within the closed wound. "Mama’s boy! Those two words are the reason why you were never worthy to kill me!" He pulled his arm out as torrents of golden blood sprayed all over Wendigo's body. Lifeless, Melchior fell backwards, thus ending the king of the goblins time on the planet. Fluttershy stood on the table free from her bondage, but froze in fear, with her gaze upon the dead body in front of her. The demon arose and took the spear out of his chest, then devoured it whole. Silence rang through the mountain, the battle behind them sounded like it has ceased. Twilight turned and saw six, familiar ponies with crossbows, standing on top of the goblin corpses. They approached the three mares and stood by their side with weapons locked on Wendigo.
Twilight became confused, "What are all of you girls doing here?"
"We came to help," Rainbow Dash said as she kept her gaze on the target. "The smoke from Fluttershy's house had us guessing that something happened to her."
Fluttershy tapped the cyan mare's shoulder. "It's ok Rainbow Dash, I was told everything in my house was taken care of."
"That was a lie Fluttershy! Your house is a wreck, all your animals are in the hospital and Wendigo is to blame for all of it!"
After she heard those exact same words, Fluttershy slowly grew in anger. "YOU MONSTER!" She jumped off the table and was ahead of the group, giving the demon a look mixed with rage and hurt. "No pony hurts my animals and gets away with it alive!"
Wendigo laughed, "and what are you going to do about it? You're just a doormat!"
The ground shook as sparks of red energy shot out of Fluttershy's body. Surrounded by a crimson aura fueled with rage, Fluttershy looked like she was ready to burst. The gang took cover behind separate rocks to shield them from what may be a powerful blast of energy. The pegasus screamed in anger as a column of energy surrounded her entire body. When the column cleared away, the ground stopped shaking, Fluttershy was not herself anymore. Her coat no longer carried it's yellow coating, but a dark shade of grey. Her mane changed to the same color as well, except it's style was like that of a male lion's mane. The Iris in her eyes was completely blended in with a deep, blood red color. Her height was about an inch above Big Macintosh's. The wings transformed to a massive, new pair of scaled wings. And the Cutie Mark changed from three butterflies, to a black lion with a crown dawned on it's forehead.
Wendigo tried to catch her scent with his nose, but something told him this was not the real Fluttershy. "You... what the hell are you?"
She dashed forward with no answer and landed a major blow to the demon's stomach. Launching one punch after another, there was not a single thread of hesitation, or mercy. Fluttershy stopped, then dashed up to Wendigo's face in the blink of an eye and kicked the demon's mouth. The jaw shattering blow alone made Wendigo's nose ooze out black blood. Fluttershy somersaulted backwards to where she dashed off and unfurled her new wings.
Twilight put herself in front of her massive companion, "Fluttershy, you have to control herself!"
The gray mare let out a loud, lion-like roar filled with terror.
Twilight froze in fear, "What... are you?"
"Let's just say," Fluttershy said with a new, demonic tone in her voice. "I am the enemy of your enemy."
"But what did you do to Fluttershy?"
"She and I are two different souls sharing one body."
Wendigo growled, "are you two done talking yet?"
New Fluttershy turned her gaze on Wendigo, showing off a chilling smile. Before she could make a move, the pegasus felt a little woozy and fell on the ground. Unconscious, new Fluttershy reverted back to her old self and dozed off to sleep.
Twilight turned and saw the cause of it was three tranquilizer darts. She looked at Rainbow Dash, "what was all that about?"
Rainbow Dash placed the crossbow back on her belt, "what was I supposed to do? Whatever is inside Fluttershy can wait until we get back to Ponyville!"
The demon behind Twilight howled, "I am sick and tired of waiting! Do I have to rip some pony to shreds?"
Twilight turned to face him, "Why don't you look in front of you? I'm standing right here!"
"So it has finally come to this. Do not hesitate, for this will be the last time you will see my face.Let’s see how much you have grown from the past." Twilight stood ready in attack position with magic ebbing out of her horn. She levitated her sword and carried her shield firmly. Wendigo leaped towards her, but the unicorn slid down on the ground to dodge his attack. She moved her sword through his stomach, then sliced it open after she was no longer under Wendigo. The demon fell to the ground and tried to block the massive cut as gallons of his demonic blood covered his hands. Twilight jumped on top of his back, then shoved her sword down Wendigo's back. This only made the cannibal scream in pain, how could he have let his own guard down just like that? He extended one of his arms and grabbed Twilight while he attempted to get on his two feet. Twilight only watched in horror, the cut became smaller as the skin cells slowly reattached the chest to it's original form. He threw the pony forward to the stone table and watched as the unicorn was about to make contact. Twilight reacted fast and teleported herself in front of Wendigo with her magic.
The unicorn grew confuse, "I don’t understand, how did you do that 'thing' with your stomach?"
"Did you honestly think I would die that easily? Bitch, please! I was reforged by warlock magic and voodoo incantations!"
Twilight charged at him with her horn radiated with magic. She leaped forward, but sadly jumped inside the mouth of her childhood enemy. Without hesitation, Wendigo swallowed Twilight whole and felt the unicorn land inside his stomach. The demon stood triumphant, howling to signify his victory. Rainbow Dash, Rarity and their party got out of their hiding places, jaws agape from shock and horror. The demon hunters stood in attack position, with their dual crossbows pointed at Wendigo. Luna stood firm with her ax, ready to chop down the beast in front of her. Wendigo groaned in pain, almost as if something was cutting his guts open. A jagged, lavender blade pierced through and made a thin opening to his insides. By magic, the blade re-materialized into a pair of eagle talons. The talons sank deep into the cut, then forced it to spread into a wide opening. The ponies only stood in awe as a fountain of black blood flowed down. Twilight leaped out and watched as Wendigo screamed beyond measure. She unbuckled her saddle, then placed it on Luna's back for safe keeping. Twilight stood ready and conjured up a massive spear from her radiating horn. The spear was thrown, Wendigo tried to stop it while he covered his wide open stomach wound. But it was too late, the spear had already went through him. Unlucky for Twilight, she watched as the spear not only missed his heart, but the weapon sank into Wendigo's digestive tracts. From his stomach, a powerful tornado formed itself in the open wound. While the ponies held on to dear life, the goblin corpses were the only ones sucked into the powerful vacuum. The tornado expanded wide until Wendigo was completely surrounded by it. The storm of wind broke off, Wendigo came out bigger than before. Even though the wound is closed, his height has increased to fifteen feet.
The demon looked down on the little ponies and laughed once more. "Look now Twilight, how can you possibly defeat me with my new size?"
Twilight stepped forward, "we don't have to do this Wendigo! Just give us the page and we will get out of your sight."
"Even if I could, I will never let you leave with that parchment!"
The unicorn stood firm as her horn was completely bursting with magic. The overcharge of her horn was the one thing she kept hearing. Concentration was the only thing on Twilight's mind, but slowly faded away when a few sparks on her horn tossed each other around. She charged in, targeting the heart of Wendigo. Cracks spread all over Twilight's horn, she stopped, but fell to the ground and screamed in agony. Her brain pounded with an immense headache, she moaned in pain, praying that this will all be gone soon. Luna and the gang tried to assist Twilight, but the uncontrollable sparks became lightning, then the bolts targeted the ponies and they vanished to Celestia knows where. Twilight got up to her hooves while she kept it all together, ignoring the lightning being shot randomly from her horn.
Wendigo stood in doubt, "how can you still stand while your limits are breaking?"
"Because," she slowly panted, "I have a reason to continue fighting. My magic may have limits, but the magic of friendship knows no bounds! Even if I die here today, my friends will live forever within my own heart!"
Wendigo leaped with his claws ready to tear out the unicorn's tongue. The bolts of lighting shocked the demon and confined him on the ground in a state of mass paralysis. Twilight was ready to charge at Wendigo once more. She knew what would happen if her horn made contact with anything during an uncontrollable state. But at least her death will be a merciful one.
Twilight smiled as a tear flowed down from her eye. "My friends," she said with contempt, "it was an honor to have you by my side."
"Twilight!"
A mysterious voice in her head startled the unicorn, "who... who are you?"
"Your journey in life is not yet over. So why do you accept death now? Most of all, why do it when you're called by Abraham to restore the Tome of the Underworld?"
"It's just that," she stuttered, "I can't control it! Princess Celestia said--"
"You are destined to do the impossible. Who cares about what she says? I am older than her by a few eons."
"I care! She rules over all of Equestria! Just who do you think you are anyways?"
"I am the Element of Magic.”
"Wait a minute, I am the Element of Magic! But if we're both the Element of Magic, then that means--"
"I am YOU, and you are ME."
Shivers ran down Twilight's spine, "where are you?"
"Within the crystal from the tiara you use to convert my power into yours. The Ten Pagan Deities must be stopped, but you can not do it alone. Inside your friends are Elements, such as myself, we have been around since the beginning of time. I can lend you my power, but you must embrace me if you are to take a new physical form."
Twilight growled in annoyance, "why on Celestia's plot would I do that for?"
"The level of power you have just reached will destroy your body. In order to use it, you need a temporary form that will sustain that kind of magic. And, the Ten Pagan Deities can not be killed by a normal pony. They are demons left behind by Hell after all."
"I just have to embrace you? How can I do that?"
The mysterious voice giggled, "did you forget I am also magic itself? And here I thought Applejack was a silly pony."
"Right, could I forget?"
Either way, she took it's advice and began to concentrate. The lightning bolts ceased movement, including their hold on Wendigo. Her horn began to reshape into it's current state as the cracks faded away. Magical aura ebbed out of her body. She felt it within her bones, body and soul. This was actually working. The energy spread further and surrounded her in a dome of magic. Princess Luna. Rainbow Dash. Rarity. Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo. Blinky and Inky rushed back on time to see how the battle progressed so far. The round prism exploded as dust covered the whole sight of view for everypony. When the dust cleared, there stood Twilight Sparkle, but in a completely different and taller body. While she stood on two legs instead of four, Twilight appeared to have lost her tail, including all the hair on her body. Except for her mane, which reached down to the mid point of her back. She wore a hard, indigo bra with chainmail used as long sleeves. The belt she wore around the waist held the indigo skirt that reached down to her ankles. Her fur boots shared the same color coating as her outfit. And the staff she carried was made of iron, with a lavender crystal used to expel magic. The weapon appeared to be a replacement for her horn, since it was completely barren from her forehead. She held the staff not with her hoof, but something she remembered Lyra calling a 'hand.' Twilight took a minute to look at her new form, then gazed upon what she thinks are large bumps on her chest.
Wendigo got up to his feet, growling worse than before. "This is Impossible! How were you able to transform into a human?"
"Human? Is this what a human looks like?" She looked down some more to try and get a better look of her body. But quickly payed her attention back to Wendigo.
"Playtime is over! Let's hurry up and finish this."
Twilight pointed the crystal part of her staff at Wendigo. A magical, metallic hand launched itself towards the demon and sank deep into his chest. The hand opened wide, grabbed his heart, and crushed the hard organ with as much force as possible.
Wendigo dropped to his knees, his body began fading into ash. He began to mutter, "is this all you're going to demonstrate? I was expecting more from you."
"Wish I could," she said, "but I need to make a special breakfast for my assistant."
"I must admit, you have gotten stronger since I last saw you."
She nodded in approval.
"But in the end, you will never be stronger than your brother!"
"My brother? What are you talking about?"
The demon silently laughed.
"Stop laughing," she aimed her staff at him, "what do you know about Shining Armor?"
"Lets just say he made a little arrangement with us." Wendigo fell to the ground and finally became nothing more but a mere pile of ash.
Twilight searched through the remains of her fallen opponent and found a parchment with strange writing and symbols. She picked it up and presented it to Luna, "is this what we're looking for?"
Luna nodded, "there is no doubt that this is one of the missing pages."
"Some pony grab Fluttershy! We need to return to Ponyville and find out more about what we're dealing with." Twilight groaned in pain, the Princess stepped back and watched as Twilight reverted back to pony form. The unicorn was back to her normal self, wearing the same attire she received after her first humanization. "Something tells me I have a lot of studying to do."
The aroma of smoke and sulfur penetrated Applejack's nostrils in her sleep. When she woke up from the hay barrel she slept in last night, confusion finally struck her. The barn was in complete ruin, her house was destroyed and only she remained unharmed.
"What the hay just happened?" Applejack observed the wrecked environment, then she was surrounded by a red mist. "Hey," the earth pony shouted, "who the hay do you think you are?"
A thunderous voice rang out, "come to the Gauntlet if you wish to reclaim your family."
"Who are you?"
"I am Violentheal, champion of violence. Your family will be imprisoned by me until you come to the Gauntlet." The mist faded away, not a single trace of it was left behind.
Applejack grew nervous, "I better go get some help." So she rushed out of the farm, hoping she can find some pony to help in her time of need.
