Battle: Ponyville

by ArclightBrony

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Sad, Dark, Adventure
Length: 9423

The Mane 6 make their last stand for all of Equestria in a race against time.

"…Rainbow Dash poked her head over the edge of her cloud and looked lazily to the heart of the Everfree Forest where a small clearing gave view from above. Although it had to be miles away, she could easily make out the galloping figures of those two colts, Snips and Snails. One had an orange coat and a blue mane; The other had a blue coat and an orange mane. Then she spotted Trixie running shortly behind them, and Dashie knew for sure that this couldn't mean anything good, but the excitement was too rare to pass up.

Rainbow Dash rose gracefully from her celestial throne, higher and higher to get a better look. "What are they running from this time? The last time those two ran back to Trixie to-" her heart skipped a beat. What she saw lumbering after them in the Everfree Forest was the most horrifying, gut wrenching monstrosity she had ever seen. It was real. If even one of them had been awakened… She couldn't even think about it. Not yet…"

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-10 07:44:30 UTC

Prologue

Comments are critical for me; I'm hoping to become a professional writer some day, and I need to know how I'm doing... So, if you would... Please leave a comment about SOMETHING. It will help me so much. You have no idea.

This story, the first thing I have ever written for the eyes of others, is written with special thanks to Forest Rain.

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Prologue

One dark, nearly cloudless night in Equestria...

Rainbow Dash looked down upon Ponyville from the highest of clouds and smiled to herself. She had finally yielded all of her signature moves to the Wonderbolts, and was waiting in anxiety for word as to whether or not they would be incorporating them into their routine. Her heart exploded... She had worked so hard to get noticed by them, and despite the initial discouragement she received from Twilight Sparkle, she kept a cool head, and you know what? Her hard work finally paid off. It was only a matter of time before the Wonderbolts would personally thank her for teaching them her signature tricks. She was beaming.

But that could be days away, and she couldn't very well do nothing... In light of that, she began a daily ritual that only Rainbow Dash herself knew of: She could let her inner filly out and be the lookout for Ponyville. Her superb vision could be attributed to her hours of searching the earth beneath her for potential threats to Ponyville. She didn't let on, but it was quite a thrill for her to alert the town when the Apple family cows had stampeded toward the town, and she never really stopped. She particularly enjoyed doing this after exerting herself and her wings had become nearly limp from battling against the rigors of high winds.

Today had been particularly tiresome for her. She had become particularly adept at producing Sonic Rainbooms as of late. In fact, she had disturbed the town below so deeply with her repetitive sonic bursts as to be scolded by Princess Celestia herself. She had been reassured that the Princess was proud of her, but told that it was ruffling a lot of manes down below. Although she was initially heartbroken, she knew it was for the best of everypony involved if she would cool it for the time being.

Rainbow Dash let out a soft sigh. It was, perhaps, going to be another uneventful session of looking out for the Earth Ponies and Unicorns of Ponyville. She would likely never receive any gratitude for the countless hours she had spent protecting this town. What good is a lookout who never spots anything? She began to think this tradition of hers had been for naught. "Better safe than sorry," she mumbled to herself as she basked in the moonlight. "They'll thank me one day."

Rainbow Dash poked her head over the edge of her cloud and looked lazily to the heart of the Everfree Forest where a small clearing gave view from above. Although it had to be miles away, she could easily make out the galloping figures of those two colts, Snips and Snails. One had an orange coat and a blue mane; The other had a blue coat and an orange mane. She then spotted Trixie running shortly behind them, and Dashie knew for sure that this couldn't mean anything good, but the excitement was too rare to pass up.

Rainbow Dash rose gracefully from her celestial throne, higher and higher to get a better look. "What are they running from this time? The last time those two ran back to Trixie to-" her heart skipped a beat. What she saw lumbering after them in the Everfree Forest was the most horrifying, gut wrenching monstrosity she had ever seen. It was real. If even one of them had been awakened... She couldn't even think about it. Not yet.

Not thinking for even a moment of her own safety (or her scolding from the Princess the day before), she took off like a shot toward the forest, accelerating faster and faster. Icy wind and water droplets stung her face and chest as she dropped faster and faster, almost unable to open her eyes. "There's no way I'll get to them in time," she said through gritted teeth. She knew what she had to do. "Sorry, everypony," she thought to herself as she made the final push. She could only be 700 feet above Ponyville, and only half a mile outside of it. She condensed her body as hard as she could, getting as little wind resistance as possible, putting forth an energy for flight that she didn't entirely understand herself. Pegasi don't just use their wings to fly; There was something else, something wonderful, a feeling of power a Pegasus would get every time he or she takes off.

Then it happened, just as she reached the outskirts of Ponyville: The Sonic Rainboom.

Rainbow Dash never grew tired of the sheer exhilaration of zipping past the mountains and trees at lightning speed as the tantalizing, prismatic nova of colors expanded behind her. By the time she knew she had done it, she had already sailed directly over Ponyville and into the edge of the Everfree Forest. It was not long before everypony in Ponyville had cantered out onto their doorstep, ready to give Dashie a piece of their mind.

The moon had barely peeked its luminous head from beneath the horizon.

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Please spread the link to my story to your friends. It would mean a lot. Thank you.

Chapter 1: Calm before the Storm (Part 1)

Take note: As I receive input about each chapter through comments and private messages, I will be editing the chapters AFTER they are published in order to fine tune the story and fix significant errors.

However, the story will not be altered after a chapter is published. I simply wish to have a story as close to perfect as possible, as well as give more input to those who would care to help me develop my writing by giving me feedback.

Anyway, it will be as though everyone got to write a little bit of it, you know? In the end, everybody who gave a feedback comment will be put into a special thanks portion of the last chapter.

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Chaper 1: Calm before the Storm (Part 1)

Rarity fell out of her silken, mare-sized bed with a soft thud. "The nerve! Wrenching me from my beauty sleep with that Sonic Rainboom of hers. And at this hour?" The exasperated mare pouted and tossed her voluptuous, violet mane as she glanced out her window toward the clock tower and returned to her place of rest. "I shall have a talk with her in the morning. I'm going to give her a piece... of my mind," yawned Rarity as she fell back to sleep, snoring loudly.

Applejack was so frustrated, she was ready to whine like Rarity. "Rainbow Dash, oh please, oh please oh please oh PLEASE let me sleep... First I coralled up them critters for Fluttershy, and then I helped you with your tricks and whatnot from from dusk 'til..." That was as far as she got before she dozed off again. As always, Applejack had worked herself too hard.

Fluttershy felt terrible; She forgot to grind carrots for Mister and Missus Bunny's sick baby bunnies beneath the cobble bridge. The creme colored pony was always willing to help others, but had one fatal flaw: She never thought of herself. As she got out of bed and walked toward the door, she bruised her leg on a chair and knocked it over, which she then apologized to. Fluttershy tried to wake up as she dashed out into the darkness. She fell flat on her face outside of her door, spilling the carrot mash in the grass in front of her, as well as getting a good bit of it in her eyes. "Oh no, they're probably so hungry..." As she wiped the remainder of the carrot paste and dirt off of her face, she was knocked off of her feet by the loudest thing she had ever herd.

With a screech, Fluttershy rose to her hooves and darted underneath the nearest cart, trembling as the plethora of colored lights expanded over Equestria for the eighth time that week. "And they wont get their sleep, either... Why, Rainbow Dash, why?" With a huff, Fluttershy trotted toward the garden to pick more carrots. "Oh... I bet they wont even be able to eat now!" Tears coming to her eyes, she returned to her work. But not with ease; Something was seriously wrong. The fauna and the Everfree Forest were quiet... They were never quiet.

Pinkie Pie was nowhere near ready to sleep. Although her eyes were kept closed softly shut, her eyes were racing underneath their lids. So were her plans for the next day:

"Oh my gosh! I bet Rainbow Dash is feeling down after getting yelled at by the Princess... Maybe she got over it maybe she didn't - OH, I could make cupcakes... Cupcakes... Cupcakes! Oh, why can't it be tomorrow now? Then it would be today, and not the next day... But if it was, then time would be," Pinkie let out an excited gasp, "GONE! But what would that mean, would anything change? Would I fall asleep? Boy, I'm getting tired, but-" Pinkie began convulsing and twitching violently, so much so that she began rolling around on the floor uncontrollably for several seconds, until she finally came to rest on the wooden floor.

"I wonder what that one means! I've never had a doozy quite like-" Pinkie projected one of her signature shrieks of fear as her silent home was shaken by what could have been none other than a Sonic Rainboom. "To the window, to the window," she thought to herself. She couldn't help but grin; She loved to see the expanding nova of florescent colors left behind as Rainbow Dash broke the sound barrier. For not but a split second in time, Pinkie could see Rainbow Dash zipping through Ponyville and into the Everfree Forest...

...but with a look of fear on her face that she had never seen her wear before. What could it mean? Pinkie was already out the door, galloping after her. "Dashie, wait up!"

An earsplitting crack filled the air around and inside of Twilight Sparkle's home.

"Twilight," Spike began to groan, "can't you do something about her? The Princess obviously isn't getting to her." With that, he rolled over in his little dragon bed and shut his eyes. He was already exhausted, what with getting up extra early to assist Twilight Sparkle with her day.

Twilight had been in a convenient position to catch Rainbow Dash zipping through Ponyville just outside her window... "Spike, Rainbow Dash can be stubborn, but she's not inconsiderate... I don't think she would create a Sonic Rainboom this late at night just for the fun of it."

"What could possibly make waking up everypony in Ponyville worth the trouble? Twilight, you're really smart, but are you sure you don't need to sleep, too?"

Twilight  stared out her window for one long moment. Spike, shifting from foot to foot, finally broke the silence. "What, Twilight?"

"She looked scared... Of something... I think I might be right. If Rainbow Dash is doing this... now of all times... then something is seriously wrong."

"Don't you think you're overreacting... Just a tiny-?"

"Spike, take a letter."

Princess Celestia had been so, so proud of Rainbow Dash. The Sonic Rainboom had been only a myth before Equestria was gifted with that multicolored filly. As of late, the spectacular display of speed and determination had become a routine happening in the sky above Ponyville. That was the problem.

Celestia normally had no issues telling somebody what they needed to hear; She did have all of Equestria to rule, after all, and remaining stern with others was part of her job... But Rainbow Dash was different. She was so concerned with doing everything she does, and doing it better every day... And having to scold her the day before was truly quite a challenge for Celestia. She was a just ruler, but it was so hard not to show that filly any favoritism. She was just so... Innocent... She was truly a child inside. Celestia wasn't sure if her friends could tell, but the Princess could look right through people, and that's what she saw in Rainbow Dash.

Princess Luna cantered gracefully toward where Celestia was sitting, a troubled expression plaguing her usually majestic visage. "Come now, Sister, surely you ought to be sleeping. You can't fatigue yourself too much, what with your responsibilities over-" Luna was cut off by the Sonic Rainboom, dropping quietly to her knees. After the floor beneath her hooves ceased to quake, Luna rose up to her full height a addressed Celestia not with her tired mare voice, but with the Royal Canterlot voice: "I see you weren't able to get through to her. Perhaps I should be the one-" Luna was taken aback by her sister's face, now wrought with concern.

"Rainbow Dash is an ambitious mare, but she's not disobedient. Something truly is wrong if she's going to behave this way at this hour..."

Luna spoke up once more. "I shall have a word with her, then," as she dashed for the balcony.

"Wait, sister... Something is wrong... Something my pupil has been reading about comes to mind, and it is perhaps the only story interesting enough to captivate even our Rainbow Dash is about to unfold."

Luna stopped. "Your student was reading a tome about... You don't mean-?"

Celestia now stood in front of her throne, making a dash for the balcony, herself. As she spread her wings for flight toward the Everfree Forest, she turned her head toward her sister. "Luna, you're staying here."

"But I read a copy of that myself... And if it's-"

Celestia's word was final as she made a graceful bound out of the balcony...

...and was knocked several yards back into the throne room by a force she could not see. Both the regal sisters were speechless. Celestia cautiously rose to her hooves cantered to where the barrier had blocked her exit. She raised a single hoof against the air in front of her and met no resistance. Luna rushed to her sister's side. Looking into the Princess's face, she saw something that terrified her: Celestia was truly afraid of something. She was never afraid. "Could it be?"

The Princess did not hesitate, nor did she bother to further test the nature of the barrier. She hung her head, and as her horn began to glimmer in the dim light, she whispered, "Nuntius," and raised her head again. With a bright flash, there was a third being in the room with them. It was a small, purple dragon. She resembled Spike to the smallest detail, and could easily be mistaken for him had it not been for her solid orange eyes. "Nuntius, take a letter."

"As you wish, your majesty." Nuntius answered in a voice that seemed to come from everywhere in the room. In as much time as she needed to appear, so did an ornate parchment and quill.

Luna jumped as another letter popped into existence in front of her. "Your pupil is well informed... Are you confident that-"

Celestia looked upon her little sister once more. "I would never toy with you this way, Sister," rubbing her face gently across Luna's own. "Equestria is in as much peril as it has ever been."

Rainbow Dash had to come to a painfully slow glide as she weaved between trees and branches through the Everfree forest. Was she going the right way? Was she too... No, she couldn't think about that. Trixie and the others needed her help.

She feared the worst. If the book Twilight lent her had anything to it, then this could be very, very bad.

As she glided silently over and under the natural obstacles of the Forest, Rainbow Dash noticed something: It was so quiet, she could hear her heart beat. And the air... It seemed... Depressing, somehow... She tossed her head and frowned. "I can't go back, I can't... Trixie and the others-"

Rainbow Dash nearly flew face-first into a tree; A voice... So quiet, so far away... Was groaning in some guttural language... Like the sound of something vomiting and yelling actual syllables. As terrifying as it was, she suddenly felt tired... She didn't want to go on anymore. "That's what the book said! You can't listen to them..." She tossed her head once more and kept her eyes focused forward. What was the rhyme scribbled into the margin...

"Keep a mind as strong as stone

and keep your own heart even stronger,

for even if you stand alone,

you'll stay awake for even longer.

The Somnum song will try to break you,

the Mort song try to take you,

but neither one will your soul heed

if you truly are a steadfast steed."

Rainbow Dash was energized once again as she she flew faster than she normally would have in such a dense forest. Suddenly, all the trees and vines were gone, and she landed at the edge of the clearing where the air condensed into a purple Miasma.

The Song rang out again, this time having no effect her... Or Trixie for that matter. Trixie was flying low through the Miasma on sparkling, azure wings, carrying Snips and Snails on either side. They were both out cold.

"You've got wings? I thought-"

"Rainbow Dash, there's no time! Take Snails, and lets go! We have to warn Ponyville!"

Trixie grabbed hold of Snips with both arms, and Rainbow dash did the same with Snails. Exchanging glances, the mares took off above the tree tops as fast as they possibly could. Dashie looked back into the clearing, and saw it again:

It was a pony... No, how much of the legend could be right? If that thing was what she thought it was... She gulped. It was made of many ponies of different colors... Rotting... Lopsided and hobbling awkwardly, clawing at the air as though to take hold of them in its necrotic hooves.

"Rainbow Dash, come on! We have to hurry!"

As she looked back one last time, the... thing... fell to pieces as it left the boundary of the Miasma, and Rainbow Dash wretched.

It was very real, and if it was unable to continue past the expanding Miasma... Then there was still time. It was still a small cloud, and hadn't yet exceeded the perimeter of the clearing. She had to warn Ponyville...

Flying at full speed, the rainbow filly and the show-pony rushed over the treetops and toward Ponyville.

Twilight must have known more than she did... Maybe she could find a way to stop the Umbri before they became too powerful.

The moon, not far above the horizon, illuminated their scenic flight path of trees and Equestrian mountains with her lunar radiance. If anypony looked close enough, they might have seen that the moon was slowly changing to a dark violet.

End of Chapter 1.

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I edited as I went, so pointing out mistakes in comments will be very helpful. I made very little editions to keep it original, and to move the story along quickly, yet fulfillingly for my budding fan base. :)

I intend for there to be some drama and action in chapter 2.

Please, please PLEASE comment. Thank you.

Somnum: Latin for "Sleep" or "Fatigue." Hence "the Somnum Song."

Mort: Latin for Death. Hence "the Mort Song."

Umbri: Comes from the Latin word for "Darkness."

Nuntius: This word fits the name of a mysterious character, but I don't recall the meaning. Apologies from your author. xD

Chapter 1: Calm before the Storm (Part 2)

BEFORE YOU START READING...

I need to know from ALL of my readers: I intend to upload each chapter in a series of parts in order to keep momentum, and to keep the story fresh in your head. The content of the story will not be altered; You will just get a lot more, but shorter chapters, and get new installments to read more often. If you disagree, please explain why specifically. Thank you.

Also, I'm going to be updating every installment AFTER I publish it. However, you do not need to reread it every time, as I will only be fixing minor things. The story will not change.

Chapter 1: Part 2 has received almost no editions, so bear with me as you notice mistakes. But PLEASE point them out so I can fix them.

Enjoy.

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Chapter 1: Calm before the Storm (Part 2)

Twilight sat with a solemn expression as she leafed through the pages of the Tome of Umbri at her study table. She had resorted to candlelight for her research, seeing as everypony in Ponyville seemed to think that Twilight knew what was wrong. A simple Disillumination spell seemed to fool everypony into thinking that she wasn't home. When the visitors finally relented and gone back to their homes long enough for her to get her hooves on something useful, she did just that.

"A spell, " Twilight read aloud, "for seeing past events. Interesting. 'To cast the spell, focus your magic while reciting the Canti below.' It looks like some sort of poem... 'Be cautious; Although this Canti is not dangerous, the mental effects are particularly intense. Also note that while the vision of the Backflash Canti rarely exceeds three minutes, the longest duration ever witnessed was for an entire lunar cycle during the Umbri Uprising.' Hey, this is starting to sound promising!"

Spike regarded her with a look of worry. "Twilight, you're jumping in a bit too quickly... We don't know anything about seeing into the past, and we sure don't know who even wrote this... Canti thing. If it's not what it says it is, something bad could happen!"

"I've studied under the Princess for years. I really don't think she would pass off something to her star pupil that could cause too much trouble. I'm sure looking into the past wont be to much for me to handle, anyway. It says it's completely harmless."

He glared at her. "Twilight..."

"Spike, I've had enough! Do you really expect me to believe that the Princess would recommend her star pupil a book that could end up harming her?"

"Well..." he stammered.

"Well?"

"It said it could last for an entire lunar cycle... The moon is full right now, and that could mean an entire month of whatever this 'Canti' is going to do."

"Silly dragon, don't you listen? It says right here: "...the vision of the Backflash Canti rarely exceeds three minutes."

With a sigh, he said "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Smiling to herself, Twilight looked down the page to the poem, or "Canti," the Tome had called it, and cleared her throat:

"Show me that which pertains to me

and those I stand beside.

Show me in entirety

what the past doth try to hide."

By this time, her horn had begin emitting dark purple sparks, which alarmed Spike. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" She ignored him and continued reading in a voice that was not of just hers, but accompanied by the whispers of thousands of other colts and mares. Twilight took no notice.

"Give me but a single glance

at that which no one knows.

Guide my hooves as I take this chance

to see where our path goes."

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash and Trixie burst through the door with Snips and Snails in their hooves. Spike noted that the colts were unnaturally still as the mares lay them down on either side of Twilight's hollow home.

"...Let me see through silent eyes

of those who lived before..."

Twilight was now levitating, her eyes glazed over with a shade of purple that was darker than that of her own mane. Her voice was now as terrifying as it was deafening, the whole room shaking with each syllable. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak: "What's happening?"

"I have no idea," shouted spike over the choir of disembodied voices. "I told her not to do it, I did, I did! She's reading a 'Backflash Canti" from the tome of-"

"Umbri?" Trixie asked, wide-eyed.

"Change my view of time's disguise;

Change my life forever more."

The tree house was now shaking violently. Books and other objects fell off of the shelves, as well as stationery and other assorted items. The candles had been blown out, and despite the fact that the room was virtually containing a small storm, it had been entirely silent since the moment that Twilight finished the Canti. Trixie shouted and stomped her hooves, but no sound could be heard. She exchanged glances with Rainbow Dash, who was scared out of her wits.

The room came to a rest as sound returned to the air around the four. The candles ignited once more by themselves, and Twilight had slowly descended to the floor where she lay still on her left side.

Dashie looked to Trixie, "How much do you know about the Umbri, Trixie?"

Trixie didn't say a word. Her eyes didn't leave Twilight's motionless body as she stepped forward.

"Trixie?"

Finally, the great and powerful Trixie spoke: "The Tome of Umbri is not like most books. It tells of a legend that almost everypony never learns of, or looks further into." Shutting her eyes, Trixie's horn began to glow a translucent blue. With her magic, she lifted Twilight from the center of the floor and up to her bed, where her blankets folded neatly around her. Her pillow gave her the courtesy of fluffing itself for her.

"What Trixie is interested in," she continued, "is that it also contains perhaps the most powerful, yet simple magic usable by ponies, and Trixie has searched far and wide for a copy of it... It's a shame that such an eager scholar as Twilight Sparkle would have acted so quickly to use a Canti."

Rainbow Dash looked up from Snails where she sat beside him."I've had a few peeks off and on into that book, too... Trixie, how much of it was true?"

"A better question," Trixie said, turning to look at Rainbow Dash, "is how long until it will become true." Trixie noticed Dashie's face, which was expressionless.

"So... What do we do now?" Spike regarded Rainbow Dash with a look of agitation. "How much do you know about the Umbri?"

"Enough to know that the most powerful, evil force ever to walk the face of Equestria is coming back. Celestia came dangerously close to falling from grace the last time..."

The door flung open again, and in galloped a panting and visually exhausted pink mare who proceeded to trip over Snails and collide with Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie took in a deep breath, a guaranteed indication that she was about to begin her iconic fast-paced rant... But the joyous tirade of trivial allusions and inquiries was cut short by the preemptive glare she received from everypony else. "What?" Pinkie Pie was now as scared as Rainbow Dash looked. Everyone was looking at her so... Quietly.

Spike wrapped his arms around his belly and grimaced. Out of his mouth came a sharp belch, followed by a green flame inside of which materialized a letter from Princess Celestia. Spike unrolled the parchment and began reading, this time only to himself. His face would have turned white had it not been covered in scales.

"Well," Pinkie Pie asked, now bouncing over to him. "What's it say?"

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A note from your author, Daymaker. ;)

I am going to be incorporating a few words from Latin into the story, and will be defining them at the end of the first chapter the word appears in.

Canti: Comes from a Latin word for "Song."

Chapter 1: Calm before the Storm (Part 3)

Celestia's letter to Twilight Sparkle...

"Twilight Sparkle, you have made five wonderful friends in this past year, as well as coming very far in yourself. I am not one to show favoritism, but I hold you in high regard in my heart. You have served me well, as well as your fellow Equestrians. You are the Element of Magic, and as such, have a natural thirst for knowledge and, in effect, power. Your understanding and natural absorption of all things arcane astound me each and every day.

"To put it lightly, you are an eager learner. Everypony knows that. I'm sure you've spent every spare moment with your nose in the Tome of Umbri... You must have some grasp of the Umbri Uprising that took place five hundred years ago today. If so, then this should be as horrifying for you as myself: It is happening again, and I am powerless to stop it. You have to act fast; So long as the Obex surrounding my throne room and the Sanctum beneath it still stands, I and Princess Luna cannot help you directly. An Obex is a barrier that imprisons anypony with royal blood. The Umbri came close to overpowering me during the Eclipse, and I was not able to rid Equestria of their existence permenantly.

"The Umbri are a hateful, empty race that seek to fulfill that internal emptiness by consuming all life around it... They are very intelligent and very old. Keep in mind that the Umbri are not physically strong; Instead, they use their morbid spells and rituals to combine different creatures who have passed away, creating monstrosities who's gruesome appearance is unmatched. To put it simply, they gather the limbs of dead things of all kinds, sew them together with magic, and then breathe life into them. The Umbri then use their power to bind these creatures to their will. It is an abhorrent art, this Necromancy. Equestria has seen nothing else like it.

"At the peak of their might, the Umbri were able to accumulate an entire legion of horrors to lay siege to Equestria. It was with great aid and even greater loss that the Umbri were sealed... I was exhausted entirely of my own magic from the battle, and was forced to lock myself in stasis for an entire month to regain my strength. Indeed, the Umbri are a threat to everything we hold dear.

"I have complete faith in you, Twilight Sparkle. You are my star pupil today, the best I have ever had, and Equestria's only hope before the next full moon. Time is of the essence; This is what you must do:

"Read further into the Tome of Umbri and find a way to the Curandus. They are a hidden order of ponies who's sole purpose is to defend Equestria in its darkest hour. It will not be easy to gain their trust; Initially, the Curandus were quick to lend their power to those who needed it, but during the Eclipse, one Umbri deceived them into bestowing the Umbri Legion with unspeakable power... This can not happen again.

"I wont hide the truth from you or your friends; There will be losses in the days to come. While I am confident that you will succeed, we will lose many lives, even if fate is on our side. Hard times are upon us; I don't want to scare you, I truly don't... But the harmony and peace that has been so prevalent in Equestria is going to be shattered.

"You need to do your best to teach the tenants of Ponyville the magic held in the pages of the Tome. I would never permit this under any other circumstances, but even the youngest ponies must be tought to defend themselves. The Umbri are relentless and will kill without mercy. We cannot take any chances, and we have to take all the help we can get.

"The Curandus will know what to do. Once you win their favor, listen to them and do as they instruct you, and Equestria will remain the prosperous world it has always been."

"Be expectant of a visitor to your doorstep at any moment; Perhaps two. You will need them both.

"I wish you well, Twilight Sparkle. Stay strong, and keep your wits about you. Please tell the Curandus about my Obex problem; I hope to be by your side in our darkest hour."

In all sincerity, Princess Celestia

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Chapter 1: Calm before the Storm (Part 3)

Spike finished reading the letter aloud. Trixie, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Spike stood frozen in place for an entire minute.

"Trixie, Dash..." Spike spoke quietly, terror in his voice. "What do we do?"

Rainbow Dash was pacing back and forth between the Tome and the front door. Pinkie Pie didn't seem to know what to do with herself, and Trixie looked with a blank expression at the crimson book. She had never seen anything quite like it; It was a bright shade of red, yet seemed to become darker as she gazed upon it... An illusion... And the symbol on the cover physically hurt her eyes to look directly at it. It was an insignia of golden leaf pressed into the leather, the lower half of a circle with a water drop falling into it.

"Trixie thinks that several minutes have passed since Twilight cast the Canti... If the nature of the Backflash stays true to my knowledge, she will be unconscious until the next full moon."

Rainbow Dash stopped pacing. "Trixie, that's when the Umbri are supposed to be at full strength! Princess Celestia wrote that even Twilight would need all the time she could get. How can we find the Curandus without her?"

Trixie shut her eyes, confusion and fear contorting her blue visage. Wiping away all signs of fear, she turned to face the other ponies and took charge. "We have thirty days...  Trixie will try and fill in for Twilight as best she can, and perhaps find a way to stop the Backflash early. In the meantime, we need everypony to know what's coming; Rainbow Dash, get to Cloudsdale as fast as you can, and let them know that they are to be ready for evacuation as soon as possible, and to send their fastest Pegasi to the adjoining kingdoms. We need help; The Umbri may not wait as long as we hope. Come back as soon as you can." With her signature salute of confidence, this time sprinkled with apprehension, Rainbow Dash was out the door in a heartbeat.

"Pinkie Pie, alert Mayor Mare about the trouble to come. Don't be gone long!" Her command was answered with an imitation of Rainbow Dash's salute. "Aye aye, cap'n!" With that, Pinkie was out the door. Trixie was taken aback; As lighthearted as that bubblegum pink mare was, she could still bring a smile to Trixie's face.

Two voices spoke: "What do we do?" Trixie turned to see Snips and snails as lively as ever.

"I want to help!"

"Snails, no you don't! I do."

"I just said-"

"COLTS!" The slow-witted ponies snapped to attention in front of the open doorway outside of which was just starting to rain. "I'm going to assume that you're not going to go back into the forest into that purple cloud..." They nodded. "Good. I need you two to wake Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack and bring them to me as soon as possible."

After a brief confrontation about who would exit Twilight's home first, they too were gone. Finally, Trixie turned to Spike.

"Spike, get what little rest you can. We will need you, too, if-" Spike was already asleep.

Looking to the tome once more, Trixie began rifling through the pages, occasionally looking up to Twilight. Her sleep was troubled...

Twilight couldn't control any part of her body, or for that matter, her thoughts. There was just this awkward sense of awareness that she couldn't control herself, and this was because she was not herself; She was a purple unicorn still, but now a stallion, clad in equally purple armor that seemed to be made entirely of magic. She was galloping at full speed through what could have been an older version of Ponyville... But it was different; The air was practically violet, but smelled of wood smoke. And something else... Something rising out of the flames of the shops and homes around her...

Twilight remembered then: This was a flashback... She was experiencing a segment of a life of a stallion who lived hundreds of years ago... Doing, feeling, and seeing just as he did. Looking through the stallion's eyes, she could no longer fight back the realization: Mingling with the wood smoke was burning flesh.

She jumped over the rubble of houses and smashed vendors, looking frantically for something... Some one... Somebody important that may or may not still be alive.

The stallion tripped over a charred block of wood and slid several feet in the dirt of the town square and stopped. His limbs were tired as well as his mind, and he wanted so badly to sleep. He shut his eyes to rest, just for a moment; Surely his sister, Linu, could wait just a minute...

No, he couldn't wait; She needed him.

Still not getting up, but ready to give up, he opened one eye to see a another set of lifeless eyes looking back into his own; The stallion knew this mare. Her name was Thesta. She had sheltered him when his parents were taken by a dragon when he was young. His childhood hero, Thesta, had been impaled with a spear of bone through her lower back and out of her chest, piercing through her filly's left flank and out of the poor thing's neck. Even in death, her lifeless foreleg was wrapped protectively around the child's eyes.

A shriek tore through the air in Ponyville, and he shut his eye once more. He wanted so badly to lay down and die... The atrocities he had witnessed in this last hour alone were too great... Then he remembered the Canti:

"Keep a mind as strong as stone

and keep your own heart even stronger,

for even if you stand alone,

you'll stay awake for even longer.

The Somnum song will try to break you,

the Mort song try to take you,

but neither one will your soul heed

if you truly are a steadfast steed."

Calling upon a reserve of strength he forgot he had, he pulled himself up and shook the dust from his glowing hauberk, taking one last look down into the eyes of the one who had truly been his mother...

He then looked about him and soaked in the sheer morbid gravity of the war he was fighting. There was a scorched tree growing in the center of the square, and nailed to it with splinters of bone were children; Colts and fillies of all colors were nailed by their tendons and sternums at random across the bark of the tree they once climbed and played games underneath. The ground was littered with corpses of ponies as far as he could see, either maimed or decapitated.

Then he noticed something: One filly at the base of the tree was moving weakly, whimpering almost silently. He stepped over to the child as fast as he could and turned it over with its nose, hoping to save it...

...And he jumped back immediately. The solid orange filly, regardless of the hole through its chest, smiled back at him with milky purple eyes and laughed, cackling away with the voice of the millions of ponies who died before it. It rose to its feet unnaturally, as though it had levitated to its feet.

Twilight felt just as the stallion did; Enraged. He began shouting at the filly:

"HALASTER!" His voice cracked. He was as angry as he was hurt inside, hurt for all the lives he was unable to save.

"Halaster, you BASTARD! You tricked all of us! Why did so many have to die? Why was this Necromancy power so important to you? We trusted you!"

The filly blinked twice and smiled once more, this time with razor-sharp fangs. And it laughed again... But it wasn't a laugh; The bastard had posessed the filly's body and was manipulating it from somewhere else. The laugh wasn't his own; It was the rhythmic moan of the tortured souls who's power were used to animate it.

"Enserric, we both knew from the start that the Umbri were too powerful... Why would you stay with a race who's children are as pitiful as this? Look!" The posessed filly jumped up and down until its right foreleg broke. "They're useless as corpses, unable to take the abuse of the games they love to play while they're alive... Their bodies are weak just a day after death. You really should-"

"HALASTER! They didn't have to die! We could have fought back! The Legion was practically at our doorstep... And you were on our side..."

"I was."

"And you started killing... Just... Killing... Why?"

"My end motivations are none of your concern, Enserric. However, you seem so keen on defending these ponies... Perhaps you would want to know what it feels like to kill one yourself?"

Before Enserric the Stallion could answer, the sound of crackling wood and his own breathing was entirely gone; There was nothing to be heard, no matter how loud he screamed. The filly was now levitating off of the ground, ribbons of dark purple light leaving the corpses surrounding it and entering the child's body. Enserric's stomach churned as the hole in its chest and leg were repaired. It then dropped to the ground gracefully, and spoke once more with that same choir of miserable voices: "How can you defeat the Umbri if you cannot even kill a child, Enserric?"

Without warning, Halaster lunged for Enserric's throat, only to be impaled upside down on his horn. The filly's eyes looked back into Enserric's.  Seeing through the stallion's eyes, it was like it was looking at Twilight.

"You are a strong one... There may be hope for you yet!"

Enserric was emotionally drained as it was. He flung the filly back to the ground it came from as the milky violet disappeared from the filly's eyes. It lay still.

He then stood over Thesta, the mare who had always looked after him and nudged her nose with his own one last time, tears falling onto her lifeless face. Twilight would have been speechless, even if she could have spoken; This Backflash could only have been a few minutes, but she had already seen so many horrors... She wanted it to stop so badly. How long had she been unconscious in the real world? She couldn't tell, but she wanted out more than anything.

The stallion began searching the ruins of a burning, fogged over Ponyville for his sister, already knowing it was too late.

He looked up into the sky, up at the moon; It wasn't there. This was the night of the Eclipse.

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Part 4 coming out hopefully faster than part 3 did... Input is needed. Thank you.

I repeat: I need comments for motivation... So whatever you have to do. Tell me how the story makes you feel... Tell me what it isn't doing that you'd like it to do... Tell me what parts were written a bit awkwardly, and what could be done better... Just tell me something!

The cover page for this story is epic, isn't it?

References made in this chapter...

The name "Enserric" is from a video game (produced by Hasbro, ironically) that was in a mildly similar setting to my book... Enserric the Grey was a wizard who was killed by another wizard and entrapped in a sword and left to rust in a hall of dead monarchs for 80 years. When you rescue the talking sword, he is rather crazy, but he's fun to have around. I would forget about Fluttershy before I forgot about Enserric the Longsword. (That will never happen.)

It was always so heart warming to me... When I would strike a goblin with him, and the he would yell "Foul tasting thing! HIT IT AGAIN!"

"Thesta" is based on a healer from that same video game who followed a goddess of beauty. She was an important character in the storyline, but was never elaborated on. I intend to keep it that way in this story, but whatever goes.

"Halaster" is my favorite character from ANYTHING, and I identify with him very well. He was an insanely powerful arch mage (yes, from that same video game) who was equally insane himself, and he ALWAYS spoke in rhyme (just like Zecora... I'm just now realizing this.) He will be the antagonist.

Chapter 1: Calm before the Storm (Part 4)

I'm sorry for the late release for this installment, everypony. I'm in a point of rapidly shifting interests and aspirations at the moment, but at sixteen, aren't we all?

I'd like to talk a little bit about the upcoming installments, including this one.

I've analyzed my own writing and compared it to some famous works, and I'm hoping to work out some of the not-so-smooth parts of my writing. You might notice a few changes in my writing style. Even if the rest of 'Battle: Ponyville' makes you ecstatic, I still need your input. It is what shapes later installments.

Here's a mathematical expression to help you understand:

Reading my story + Thinking about it + Responding with comments = Happy you during your later readings.

That sounds fair to me. :)

I'd also like to give out some special thanks to some of my readers who took the time to talk to me about my work, and to dedicate every piece of literature I'm ever involved in to the following people:

Robcakeran53 - The author of 'My Little Dashie,' the best tale ever written, and a story that changed my life for the better... Forever.

Forest Rain - A user who has given me invaluable feedback on my writing.

Thyrai - Author of 'Decay.' It is a disgustingly sad story, but don't let the tags fool you; It is beautiful. I cried many manly tears over it. (Who am I kidding? I cried like a little bitch.)

Comments, comments, comments! Thank you.

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Chapter 1: Calm before the Storm (Part 4)

Twilight's home was uncomfortably dim, lit only by a bright blue spark that hung at the tip of Trixie's horn. The only sounds were the turning of pages in the Tome and Twilight's troubled sleep; She had been that way since she cast the Backflash Canti, which appalled Trixie. One would think such an advanced scholar would have been more careful in casting such a powerful thing.

Trixie returned to the Tome and was making progress in reversing Twilight's nightmare. It pained her each time she glanced up to Twilight on her bed, her face contorted with fear.

Trixie read aloud: "...one of the less troublesome Canti's, the Promptus Canti, has a considerably wide range of uses, but can only be cast by Earth Ponies and Alicorns. The effects range from accelerating floral growth and decomposition to waking a creature from sleep, both naturally and magically induced. The Promptus Canti has even been known to raise the dead, although it is unclear whether or not a resurrection can be performed successfully without one of a handful of rare and precious reagents.

"The only side effect involved with the Promptus Canti is that it tends to be physically taxing for the one who casts it. The burden on the caster can be partially or entirely redirected to any number of willing assistants."

The showmare was intrigued; The Promptus Canti was beginning to sound promising, but she wasn't fully prepared to use it yet. She might succumb to the same fate as Twilight... Or worse. She read on.

"Any willing creature can help to spread the burden of the Promptus, but Earth Ponies are never to be used as an assistant. While an Earth Pony will guarantee and maximize the effects of the Promptus, his or her participation always results in death."

See! Two sentences may have already saved lives, and Trixie's disgust for Twilight grew ever stronger. Still, she read on.

"Like all Canti's, the results can be augmented and even altered by the consumption of material objects. There seems to be no means of determining the reagents involved with a Canti, which is why all the known reagents were discovered through trial and error over a period of centuries. See the chart below for-"

The blue spark flickered and Trixie flinched as the door behind her was flung open for the millionth time that night. In through the doorway came a figure clad in a brown hooded cloak, sporting a series of golden bangles on her right foreleg. On either side of Equestria's favorite zebra were two excessively packed saddle bags.

Trixie bent the corner of the page and hastily closed the Tome, turning to assist Zecora with her bags. Surprisingly, she had already come through the door very quickly, which confused Trixie. The bags were much wider than the doorway, and Zecora had never taken them off. She was a strange one.

Zecora's voice was unusually high-pitched. "Trixie! We must warn the Princess of-"

"Zecora, Celestia is already well informed, and has passed her knowledge of the situation on to us. Cloudsdale and Ponyville will be on full alert within a matter of minutes, but we're still in a bind. You see..." Trixie didn't bother to finish the thought, for the Herbalist was making her way to Twilight with a flask of what appeared to be milk.

"Zecora, Trixie would like to know what it is you're doing."

"Powerful are the consequences of an arcane allure, but your friend is safe; I have a cure." Trixie watched with skepticism as a cork was popped and Zecora dispensed several droplets of the substance beneath Twilight's nostrils. The "cure" then started steaming.

"The Backflash Canti is supposed to have her out for another thirty days... Will that cure of yours really work?" Again, Trixie was confused. Zecora couldn't have known what Twilight had done only minutes before she had arrived.

"Yes, it will, and she will be awake soon. Your purple friend will be alert long before the next full moon."

Indeed, it was having some effect on the Element of Magic. Twilight seemed relatively relaxed by comparison to her earlier tossing and turning, a look of sanguine splayed across her visage. Although the sleeping mare wasn't near consciousness yet, she managed to mumble a bit: "...cora..."

"Your friend, though she sleeps, is trying to say my name! Perhaps the Backflash is to blame?" Trixie did not hear her, for she was turning page after page in the Tome of Umbri, murmuring something about the Curandus. Zecora joined her in her search beneath the azure beacon that hung in the air above their heads.

"Are you expecting some one else, my friend? It seems the visitation here will have no end."

A look of frustration clung to Trixie's face; She wasn't going to get anything done with so many interruptions. At the very least, this interruption was quite stunning. Fading into existence with a soft orange beside Trixie was Nuntius.

"Until Twilight Sparkle is in a condition to do her part, I am yours to command, great and powerful Trixie."

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A solid black Pegasus clad in a brown cloak sat in front of an even blacker orb of light. From the sphere came an eerie purple glow that illuminated the rest of the bare, featureless chamber he was in; It was a massive stone chamber whose ceiling rose up into the darkness of the rock and dirt above him toward the surface. Indeed, he was very far beneath the surface of Equestria. Nearly seven hundred feet of stone separated the Vigil Chamber from view of the purple moon.

No one had ever measured how tall the Chamber stood because it was irrelevant. What everypony who know about the place was interested in was the shimmering Eye of Umbri that levitated on its own in the middle of the chamber.

This Pegasus was not alone. For many yards behind him were several other mare and stallion Pegasi nearly identical to himself, all bowing their heads. Nopony moved, and there was absolutely no sound in the Vigil Chamber; The Eye of Umbri saw to it that all vibrations in the air were nullified. Not a whisper nor thunderclap could be heard.

The Pegasus did not flinch as the Eye suddenly flared a brilliant and terrible purple, emitting a violet miasma into the chamber. In unison with the others, he fell backward on his flanks and held his forehooves high.

In the bright purple light, one could see that the chamber was huge, so large in fact that nopony could see all the way across with the thin miasma present.

Gradually, the Eye began to fade out of existence as another ethereal form took its place. It was a tall creature with two arms and stood on two legs, holding a solid black rod whose length matched its height. The sickening din of legions of tortured souls long dead filled the room, slowly articulating itself into one voice. And that voice spoke:

"You can give up. All of you. You can claim unspeakable power if you will ally with the Umbri."

The black Pegasus lowered his hooves and looked at the illusion that manifested itself before him. He had only seen such a monstrosity once, and that was during his trials to become the Seer Curandus here in the Keep. It was called a human. No expression made it across the stallion's visage as he looked silently at the illusion.

"You do not have to be foolish!" The figure turned and looked at all of the other Curandus monks, all of which who were motionless. "You do not have to perish to gain our power. You can still live on... In a way..." A sickening laugh tore through the air from the figure as he turned back to the Curandus Seer. He spoke again with the voices of the dead:

"You do know who I am, Seer. I, Halaster, am the overmind of the Umbri. It was I who marched on Canterlot with untold legions of undead... It was I who was meant to rule... And it was I who was meant to slay that fool, Celestia. And it was your order who brought about my demise...

"The Void is not very pleasant, Seer, and if you're not willing to lend me your power willingly, I will pry it from your cold, dead carcass AND MAKE IT DANCE FOR ME!" His shout echoed for a long time before it ceased. The Seer continued to glare at Halaster, determination in his orange eyes.

Halaster bent down, his figure becoming more and more faint. "I will march on the Keep.. The Elements will be mine. You will be mine, as well as the rest of your foolish order. The Everfree Forest will be mine in a matter of days, and even now, my necromancy spills forth the graves of every creature ever to perish beneath those wretched branches... And they will be at your door step before the Eclipse. Prepare yourself." With that, Halaster vanished entirely, along with the light that lit the Vigil Chamber. The cavernous room was entirely black.

As if on cue, the whole of the Curandus began to chant in perfect unison as torches along the stone walls lit by themselves:

"Loving Goddess, heed our call, it is time.

Take to heart our desperate rhyme:

The Dead One waits until the next full moon;

Now is time to call to arms,

to teach the weak to resist his charms.

Be ready, and be ready soon."

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I apologize: This installment was RUSHED like I've never rushed anything before... I hope to start regularly working on this story soon.

Remember: Comments, comments, comments!

Also, please take a look at my other story-in-progress. It's a Fluttershy romance story with my own OC... :)