"EQUESTRIA IS MINE!"
A year had passed since Retribution had shouted that phrase triumphantly. One year since the Bearers of Harmony had watched with mouths agape in horror as their once dear friend sent a blast of magic to destroy the princesses. Although they had seen them telaport away in time, there had been no sign of them since. Now Retribution ruled Equestria. The first thing he had done was the destruction and desecration of all and any statues of the Alicorn Sisters. Next was to take the elements of Harmony and scatter them across the world. Only after that was done, did he turn his attention to the six girls. Applejack had fled as soon as she could, taking her child with her. Once it was born, she joined one of the under ground revolutionary groups. Rarity had also managed to escape, and was rumored to be leading a large group of fugatives in a secret mountain complex with the Diamond dogs.
Twilight was not so lucky. She was chained within the twisted remains of the Canterlot Castle. She had become a slave to the new king and his court. Her magic had been taken away from her, and she spent most days crying in her darkened chamber. It was situated in such a way that Retribution could listen to her cries in sadistic glee whenever he was upon his throne. Pinkie had become utterly corrupted. First Retribution had her tortured, but then finding a spark of darkness within her he had changed his tactics, rewarding her for subcoming to the darkness. Nowdays she used the name Pinkamena, and became a symbol of fear rather than laughter. She was the head of the Inqusition force for Retribution, making sure that all obeyed his ever changing laws. Rainbow Dash was also a slave to the king's whim, often used for Physical labour. In a sense of cruel irony, she worked along side the Wonderbolts in the slave pits. Fluttershy however was at large. Much like the two Princesses, it was unknown where she was. There were not even any rumors of her whereabouts.
Equestria had become a twisted shadow of what it once was. The Everfree forest had extended to encompass all of Ponyville, and the Sky was forever red, only changing slightly in hue as the sun set and rose. The nights were the worst of all. The fall of order released several monstrocities from Tartarus, and Retribution had created several more just to see if he could. And at night, such monsters roamed the world. They knew better than to harm those who followed Retribution, but all those who resisted were fair game. The land had become broken, as spikes broke through the earth, and the ground itself was uneven and mismatched. One second you would be walking in a desert, the next a swamp. In truth, Equestria had become a living hell, as bad as Tartarus with lakes of poison and rains of fire.
And above it all sat the Tyrant King. He had achieved his goal. He had made those who had betrayed him pay, but in his mind was a seed of worry. The princesses were still out there, and that meant they posed a threat. They gave the ponies hope, and at somepoint they'd return and lead them into rebellion. But he was confident he could handle it. He had broken the bearers of harmony after all. Laughter had become Fear, Magic was little more than a crying mess and Loyalty was a work horse with a broken spirit. What did it matter there were three at large. Even if they were able to find the elements, they would be incapable of using them. And he would not stand alone. He had made a deal with the Changeling Nation, and if he was attacked, they would aid him. As he thought of it another wave of maniacal laughter overtook him, it spreading out across Equestria piercing the souls of every pony that cowered in their homes.
As the laughter spread, Applejack felt a wave of sadness over her as she cuddled her young child. Her child had never seen the sun, and might never know the stallion her father once was. It was hard enough living in the dusty under ground, being an earth pony didn't mean she actually liked being in it. She missed the warm rays of sun that would wash over her as she worked in the apple orchard. Her family had been fortunate to flee with her, though Big Mac had joined the armed forces of the resistance group.
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Far away, in a small mountain cave, Luna looked over the land. The Alicorn had been lucky enough to have telaported to a mountain range largely untouched by the draconequus' chaos. Looking over her shoulder, she observed her sister sleeping. She did that a lot recently. Most of the time Celestia slept to regain her energy and power, but it was also out of despair. She'd rather sleep than face what had become of the land she once ruled and loved. For now she was deaf to the cries of the ponies, but Luna was not. She vowed that they would return, and overthrow Retribution. She hoped she'd be able to reform him, but if not she was prepared to do what ever was necessary. With a sigh, she turned her back against the sky and re-entered the cave, lying down to sleep for the night herself
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Within her chambers, Rarity tried to sleep herself. She had become the ruler of the refugees in this mountain, and of the Diamond Dogs. Normally at odds, the two groups had come together out of fear of the Draconequus. But that did not mean they had resolved past issues. Every day meant hearing another dispute between someone, whether it was between pony and pony, pony and diamond dog, or diamond dog and diamond dog. It was wearing her down. All she had for comfort was Spike. Many of the refugees had come from Ponyville, lead by the young dragon. He had grown in the last year, becoming bigger and developed wings. He currently slept at the edge of the bed on the floor, curled up to reserve warmth. With a sigh, she finallly drifted off to a restless sleep.
Author's Note
REcycling some idea's from a broken balance. Hope you all enjoy, as I'm going to attempt taking a darker path than I usually do.
