Twilight flew through the skies, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion and determination. The spark she once carried—the glimmer of hope for a bright future with her friends—was gone. In its place was a hollow void, a pit she was desperate to fill with Tirek’s defeat.

The great kingdom of Griffinstone loomed ahead, its jagged spires jutting into the overcast sky. Twilight’s goal was clear: take their magic. It wasn’t personal. It was necessary.

Her thoughts circled back to Tirek, as they always did. She pictured his sneering face, his terrible strength, his overwhelming power. Each image stoked her rage, and she welcomed the fire. She had to hold on to her hatred. Without it, doubt and regret would creep in, and she couldn’t afford that. Not now.

She landed with a deafening crash at the gates of Griffinstone, her hooves cracking the stone beneath her. Two griffons, clad in armor, stepped forward, their talons clicking against the ground.

“HALT!” one barked. “NO ENTRY INTO GRIFFINSTONE. TURN BACK NOW.”

Twilight took a single step forward, her wings flaring.

“DO NOT TEST US,” the other guard shouted, his voice strained. “LEAVE IMMEDIATELY, OR WE WILL USE LETHAL FORCE.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed, her expression daring them to follow through. One guard, emboldened or perhaps foolish, lunged at her.

With a flick of her horn, the Bewitching Bell came to life, emitting a chilling chime. The guard crumpled to the ground, his vibrant lime-green eyes fading into a lifeless monochrome.

Twilight turned to the second guard, who froze in place, his crimson eyes wide with terror. He dropped his weapon and stammered, “Please… don’t kill me. I’ll do anything. Just please…”

The griffon’s voice cracked, and for a moment, Twilight faltered. His fear mirrored that of the changelings she’d faced before, and it gnawed at her.

“I don’t want to do this,” she whispered, barely audible. “But I have to.”

The bell rang once more, and the second guard collapsed alongside the first. Twilight looked at the two motionless forms, swallowing back the lump of guilt rising in her throat. She turned to the massive gate blocking her path and blasted it apart with a single, searing beam of magic.

The chaos inside Griffinstone was immediate. Griffons scrambled in every direction as Twilight advanced, her presence a whirlwind of destruction. Any griffon who tried to oppose her fell swiftly, their strength drained by the relentless power of the bell.

She was mid-spell, preparing to steal the magic of another, when a familiar voice called out:

“Twilight? What are you doing?”

Twilight turned, her glowing horn casting eerie shadows across the shattered streets. Standing before her was Gilda, Rainbow Dash’s old friend. The usually brash griffon was pale, her sharp features softened by fear.

“What I have to,” Twilight said, her voice cold and distant.

Gilda hesitated, taking a cautious step forward. “Look, I know I didn’t spend much time with you or your… lame friends. But one thing I do know is that this isn’t you. You’re supposed to be the good one.”

Twilight flinched. For a moment, she saw herself through Gilda’s eyes—not as a hero, but as a destroyer.

“Were?” Twilight repeated, her voice trembling. “I am a good pony. I don’t know why you think otherwise.”

“Really?” Gilda said, her fear melting into something sharper. “You’ve stolen from my people, destroyed our home, and turned this kingdom into chaos. And you still think you’re the good guy?”

Twilight’s breath hitched. She bared her teeth, her horn sparking dangerously. “You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve been through.”

The air between them crackled with tension. Twilight braced herself, ready to strike, but something stopped her. Gilda wasn’t moving. Her beak didn’t move.

The voice hadn’t come from Gilda at all.

It had come from within her.

Twilight’s legs wavered as the realization sank in. Those words—those accusations—they were her own. Her thoughts had turned against her, clawing at the last shreds of her sanity.

“I… I don’t have time for this,” she muttered, shaking her head. “Not now.”

She looked back at Gilda, who hadn’t moved a muscle, her eyes still wide with terror. Twilight gritted her teeth and rang the bell one final time. The sound echoed through the broken streets as Gilda collapsed.

Twilight absorbed the griffons’ magic, feeling their strength surge through her. Her wings burned with newfound power, as though she could soar forever without rest. She flexed them experimentally, their aching fatigue gone, replaced by an almost unsettling vigor.

Without a word, Twilight turned and took off into the sky. The kingdom of Griffinstone shrank below her, its ruins a stark reminder of what she had done.

Her mind wandered to her next target: the dragons. Their fire, their resilience—she needed it all.

As she flew, she forced herself to leave any lingering regrets behind. There was no room for them. There couldn’t be.

She had a job to do. And she would see it through, no matter the cost.

Author's Note

Chapter five is done :D. I hope you like when the full story releases.